After dropping the sleeping Mia off at her dad's at the close of day, Beth took a cab to Brandon's on the other side of town. Hauling the numerous shopping bags out of the cab, she waved at the driver and began up his driveway, pausing at the green porche parked there. Did he have company? Trudging the rest of the way to the door, she knocked and waited. When no response came, she knocked again. When there was still no response, she tried the handle. The door gave. Huh. Stepping in, she closed and locked it behind her, looking left and right at the pristine state of the house. Her eyes glanced over and did a double take at the dark blue designer purse sitting on the couch. Dropping the bags she held and taking off her crossbody bag, she went and peeked in the hallway, her body tight for some reason. Glancing back at the bag, she stared at it for a few seconds before stepping into the hallway, and that was when she caught a whiff of a smell that wasn't Brandon's. A smell that was all
When Brandon's eyes came open, the first thing his brain registered was a voice. He drew in a breath and felt his lungs stretch somewhat sorely. Blinking once, twice with his gaze on the white structure, he watched the ceiling, zoning in and out. It wasn't until a blurry face came into his direct line of sight that his mind began the journey back to earth. He watched her smile with a delicacy that reminded him of warmth and fuzziness... And blinked."Brandon?"He blinked again, stalling the easy urge to zone out again."Can you hear me?" Something warm fell to his hand and his fingers jolted. That jolt forced his sight to focus. "Hm?"Her smile burned brighter. "Brandon." She disappeared and was back a second later, helping him sit up. He felt spent with a strange weariness that possessed an undertone of relief. What happened? The rim of a cup was placed on his mouth and he downed the contents like a man starved, not hearing her warnings to go easy. After his third glass, he took th
Laying off office life for a whole week served to be equal parts easier and harder than he thought, realizing just how used he was to the rush of the office. When he could press a button to summon his assistant, at home, he had to reach for his phone and make calls. On the bright side, he had Beth around him and if that wasn't fresh air enough, with all her troubles and contributions, he got to listen to her speak professionally, and boy was that sexy as heck. On Friday, Beth left him alone for the first time that week to go see a long lost friend. One he vaguely remembered her telling him about. It had barely been two hours into her absence and he missed her already. The house was too quiet. Asides Lola who was too busy napping to pay him some attention, he was all alone. And... Oddly, bored, even though he had work to do. Maya Yosef had been a part of Beth and Sherlie's friend group, once upon a time. Her mother died at around the same time Beth's father had. Maya was one of the pe
With Sherlie's hand in hers, Beth watched the city of New York whizz by, brimming with such a high level of excitement, she was in danger of taking off like a rocket. How the day had turned out was nothing short of divine. After arriving at her uncle's place and catching up, not only did he offer a job- which she gladly accepted- he expressed his interest in a certain young, calculated genius. Brandon Wade.All Beth could do in that moment was stare. Because partnering with Glaze inc would be phenomenal! And that was exactly what Micah wanted, but it proved rather difficult for him to get through to Brandon... Until Maya had said with a smirk,"Count this your lucky day, dad. Brandon Wade just happens to be Beth's boyfriend." The first thing Micah did was frown and ask,"Is he treating you well?"Beth laughed tenderly. Because even while one of his goals were being ticked, he still worried about her. She flung her arms around him, hugging him tight."Is this your way of telling me t
As Brandon drove, he threw glances at Beth, still too floored to speak. The unsettling truth of her working very closely to other males- some of them without the basic understanding of boundaries- made sighing and just going along with it harder. It wasn't that she didn't look presentable, she did... She just breathed sexiness at the same time. Her simple, red, knee length dress with cup sleeves was the true definition of light and corporate. Paired with black flats and a small, white bag, combined with the tight bun at the back of her head, she looked absolutely ready to rock the working world. Where the problem was was the plunging neckline. It was modest enough that it didn't show too much cleavage and allowed space for easy movement, but teasing to just the right amount of peeking, smooth skin, it was sinful. That she was totally oblivious only made it all the more flirtatious. Brandon was so occupied with his train of thought, he didn't notice the Gregorian type mansion before th
The very next day, Micah and his new assistant, Elizabeth, turned up at Wade industries bright and early to sign the necessary documents to make Brandon and Micah's dream partnerships a reality. As the month progressed, Beth found herself tasked with more workload than she had been faced with in a long time. With double the responsibility, having to handle interactions with some of Wade industries' representatives and the media on more occasions than she felt she was up to, which rose her stress levels and doubled her anxiety each time, all while running around her own job, it was a shock she had held up alright, and not just to her.The first day of February came with a rather unexpected shower and a meeting with TX news. Two hours in, she was exhausted and ready to drop. Having gone to bed at 1 a.m. the previous night all thanks to cramps, and having the mind to only ingest crackers and tea that morning, it was a miracle she hadn't snapped at the news reporter who, unsurprisingly,
Declining Micah's offer to take the rest of the week off, Elizabeth agreed to at least taking a day off, and happily shut off her alarm that night. She was too excited to sleep in and she couldn't even feel guilty about it. The next day, after getting up, praying, brushing her teeth, feeding Lola and reading her bible, Elizabeth sat on her bed, admiring the view from her window. The sky was a lovely blend of warm blues and soft browns, reminding her of rainy days spent under a thick blanket, and it made her smile. Watching the streets of New York with that smile on her face, she went to turn away and her eyes skimmed over her phone. Mulling over a sudden thought, she did a double take, biting her lip in contemplation. Staring a moment longer, she shrugged and dove for the phone. Pulling up Brandon's number, she dialed it and rose her phone to her ear. "Hello?" His voice only deepened her smile. So much so, she giggled."Buon giorno, bebè.""Good morning to you, too. Someone sounds
The days went by quickly and with work hard and unrelenting, Beth barely had time for much else. Striding into Glaze inc from a meeting one hot afternoon, she smiled at the receptionist on her way to the elevator and guzzled down the iced tea in her hand as soon as she got in, almost moaning at how good it was. Gosh she was parched! Disposing the cup as soon as she landed on the eighteenth floor, she was heading straight for her office when a voice called out to her. She turned to meet the smiling face of her co worker, Yolanda."Yolly!"Yolanda instantly halted and groaned. "I hate you."Beth giggled. "You wish.""Done with the people from Tech-pire?" She asked, crossing the distance. "Just got done and I am beat. I wonder why I had to be the one to go in and deal the blow.""That is one part of your job that I don't envy. Anyway, a package came in for you."Beth frowned in question, suddenly noticing the bag in Yolanda's hand. "Really? From who?"Yolanda's face went flat. "A zoo.