Trey I let out a sigh of relief when he knocks twice and there's no response. But just as we're about to leave, the door creaks open, and there she is—a woman barely dressed, her pupils like big, dark saucers. Her hair is a mess, and she's so thin that her nightshirt keeps slipping off her shoulders. I notice her pulling down the sleeves, but she doesn't bother hiding the cuts and bruises on her face. Slurring her words, she asks, "What do you want?" She gives us a once-over, running her hand down J's arm, and licks her lips. "Well, hello there, handsome. What's your name?" she asks seductively. "A minor. Don't fucking touch him," I growl, yanking him away by his elbow. "We're looking for William Thompson. Is he here?" "Why? Are you the feds?" "No. I'm his son," Jeremiah responds. If we were, the guilt on her face speaks for itself. She gives an exasperated eye roll. "Willy! There's some kids here to see you!" she shouts towards the back of the trailer. He lets out a
Trey "Fine, but I don't want him anywhere near here. You meet him in a public place," I insist, gritting my teeth. The "pity" face comes out to play again. "And you'll foot the bills, right? Your greedy bi-, mother be takin' my check. I heard 'bout your restaurant. It would be a damn shame if we couldn't reconnect, due to funds that I know you have." I clench my jaw even tighter, almost to the point of breaking my teeth. "Fine. Just make sure you never lay a fucking hand on him. If I ever find out that you've hurt him, I'll kill you," I say with a snarl. He smirks, that look of satisfaction on his face making me feel sick. "Why in the world would I do somethin' like that?" I scoff, rolling my eyes. "Oh right, I forgot. You only hit women and defenseless children." I can tell I've struck a nerve because his nice guy act vanishes in an instant. He clenches his fists, his face contorting with anger. "You better watch your mouth, you little bastard!" he spits out. As he gra
Kiara I sit in my front seat, busily tapping away at my laptop, when I feel someone's eyes on me. I glance up to see Trey staring back at me. Oh shit! My stomach drops into my ass. I quickly shrink down into the seat, hoping by some chance, he didn't really see me. I mean, it is kinda dark in this garage. I hear a double knock on my window, and with reluctance, I roll it down and sit up to face him. "What are you doing here?" I ask in horror. My attempt to act casual goes straight out the window. It has been two weeks since I last saw him. Was he here looking for me? And why? "Get out of the car," he commands, his voice calm but with an underlying intensity that sends shivers down my spine. I step out and shut the door. He immediately grabs my hand and pulls me towards the elevator. "Where are you going?" He doesn't respond. He just pushes the button and we ride up in a tense silence. His expression is unreadable, as if he's trying his hardest to control his react
Kiara I enter his luxurious penthouse while he takes my bags inside. I find myself glancing around, half expecting Candace to pop out of nowhere and yell, "Gotcha, bitch!" Oh God. I'm nauseous. This feels so fucking wrong. There's no way I was going to let him pay for a hotel, so I chose the cheaper but probably worse option. There's no way I can stay here and not feel that I'm betraying Candace. If she found out, how would I even explain this to her? The knot in my stomach tightens. I don't even realize I'm hyperventilating until Trey crushes me against his chest. "Shh Cupcake, it's going to be okay." Against my better judgement, I melt into his embrace, his delicious scent washing over me. I quickly come to my senses, and push him away. "W-We can't do this, Trey. Candace is going to hate us!" He grabs my shoulders, squeezing gently. "Look Kiara, you're not doing anything wrong. You've been living in your fucking car for weeks, and Candace was so caught up in her own shit,
Trey "You're in a good mood tonight, Chef," Alex teases. He dresses another dish and places it on the counter before ringing the bell for Sabrina to run it out to the servers. "Table fifteen is up!" I can't help but grin from ear to ear. "I am. Kiara is currently at my place." The thought of her probably sleeping in my bed right now fills me with unbridled happiness. Instead of coming home to an empty home after I get off in the early hours of the morning, I'll be returning to her. I've never looked forward to seeing a woman more than once, so the feeling is new but nice nonetheless. He glances at me with worry. "Uh, Chef...kidnapping isn't legal here. Not sure what y'all did in Texas, but-" I cut him off with a scowl. "She's not tied up anywhere. She came to me willingly. Candace abandoned her when she needed her the most, and I'm just... helping her out." Dinner service was a bit hectic for a while, I've been running back and forth between the kitchen and front of hous
Trey I take a deep breath and lean against the wall. "She's constantly drunk, especially since Candy left. If I bring him up, she'll just lash out at me." And nobody has time for that bullshit. Ever since I've been back, I thought I could be the glue that pulls our family together, but it seems we're only falling apart more. It's all my fucking fault, and I don't know what to do to fix it. To fix us. Jeremiah comes back with the ticket, practically bubbling with excitement. "Dad and his girl ordered seared scallops, beef Wellington, and spaghetti bolognese!" he exclaims. Of course they fucking did. William is a leech. Is he can find a way to use someone, he's going to bleed them dry. And I'm his current victim. "I'm gonna go talk to Dad. Hit me up if you need anything!" he says before quickly heading out again. I clench my fists tightly, feeling a surge of fury boiling inside me. I'm not sure how much longer I can take of this before I fucking burst and take J's fa
Kiara The sound of birds chirping outside the window wakes me up. Wow, that was the best sleep I've gotten in weeks. I look around and notice that Trey isn't in here. A tinge of disappointment creeps in, but what was I expecting? To wake up with his arms around me after I already told him we weren't happening? I step out of the room to find Trey lounging on the couch in only grey sweatpants. He's scrolling on his phone when he glances up at me and smirks. "Good morning, it looks like you slept well." His voice is husky with sleep, sending a rush of arousal down to my core. "Good morning. D-Don't you have work or something to go today?" I mutter, feeling my cheeks flush with heat. His eyes narrow. "No, today's my day off. Why? Are you afraid of being alone with me?" More like afraid of the things my body could convince me to do while I'm alone with him. But he doesn't need to know that. "No, I was just wondering," I lie, maintaining my composure. "How w
Kiara Instead, I just nod. I'm relieved when he doesn't say anything else that will convince me to abandon everything I said and let him do whatever he wants with me. My mind remains clouded with lust even after we finish our meal. He finishes with the dishes and silently retreats to the room. I join him and discover him on the bed, engrossed in his laptop. He's still shirtless, wearing square-framed glasses. I ignore the second heartbeat between my legs as I grab my own laptop and sit down across from him. I might as well do some writing while I have somewhere comfortable to do it. If I don't look at him, I won't get distracted. After twenty minutes, I know because I couldn't help but watch the time tick away at the bottom corner of my screen, he peeks up from his laptop. A coy smile tugging at his perfect lips. "Whatcha working on Cupcake?" he asks softly. "My novel," I mutter, frustration evident in my voice. "I really need to stop getting distracted and wrap it