“That’s far too much information.” Ivan snorted, shutting the laptop down. “It’ll take a few days to edit these, but when they’re done, I’ll email you them so you can pick the ones you want for your portfolio. Then I’ll put it together and email it out. A different name, right?”
I nodded. “I don’t want anyone at the company recognizing my name. I’ve never met any of the agents, so there’s no chance they’ll recognize me. Is that crazy?”
Ivan shook his head. “Nope. Perfectly sane. Until you have to explain you’re not Mariana Espinoza Gonzalez.”
“Yeah, I’ll pass on that one. I’ll think the name up myself, thank you very much.” I grinned and grabbed the ringing phone. “Hello?”
“Miss Gina? There’s a letter downst
The door closed again, and I sunk to the floor. I let the pressure run free, and a sob escaped my lips.Yet again, there was a part of me inside that was broken. But this time, I had only myself to blame.******* ******The mattress dipped next to me, and I curled myself tighter into a ball. My hands fist the sheets covering me, and I screwed my eyes shut. Uncertainty was all I felt, when all I wanted to feel was—His arms wrapping around me, pulling me into his hard body.George buried his face in my neck as he held me close to him. His chest rose and fell, and I could feel the pounding of his heart against my back. He slipped his knee between my legs and kissed my shoulder.“What are you doing?” I whispered, my words thick with unshed tears.“I’m holding you, baby. What else do you think I&rsquo
“Coffee,” is all he said.“Is that a demand?”“I require coffee every single morning.”I finished with the foundation and grabbed his arm, moving his shirt so it exposed the watch on his wrist. I tapped the face lightly. “Seven thirty. There’s still four and a half hours of the morning left. Your requirement can wait a little longer.”He stood behind me as I finished applying my makeup. He grabbed my brush and ran it through my hair, and I met his eyes in the mirror.“How do you do it?”“How do I do what?” he responded.“Make it seem so normal. There’s this huge cloud hanging over us ready to piss all over us and you’re just…normal.”He smiled. “Haven’t you learned anything? Great love makes the bad stuff disappear, if only for a sec
“If you hear the name Christy Lopez, you’re on the right track.”Rachel scribbled that on her paper and stood, nodding. “All right. I’m on it. I’ll let you know as soon as I find anything out.”“Thank you. Oh, and, Rachel?”She paused by the open door and glanced over her shoulder.“If you get me this information, your next pay will have a considerable bonus in it.”Her lips twisted to one side. “I’m not doing it for money, Mr. Stone. I’m doing it because we’ve all noticed how happy you are now. And, if you’ll excuse my language, Ester is a raging bitch.”She closed the door behind her, and I laughed. “I like her. She gets it.”“Ester has worked for me for four years, and Ester spent the majority of that time trying to con
“Oh, believe me, baby. I have no work on my mind. Only play.” He covered my mouth in a kiss so forceful I pushed my hips up. Shit. His tongue slid along the seam of my mouth, flicking between my lips and begging for entry. I allowed him, opening for him, letting my tongue sweep against his. He squeezed my waist and lowered his body on top of mine, hard and defined and so fucking perfect. I slid my hands beneath his jacket and tugged his shirt free of his trousers. The skin on his back was hot beneath my fingers as they crept under the hem of his shirt, and he groaned quietly when I wrapped my legs around his back. The way my body arched into his, the tensing of my muscles that held him to me, the deep sweep of my tongue across his—they all said how much I needed him. They told both of us how much my body needed his, how much it craved the swee
“Like what, exactly?”He wiped some tissue along me, tenderly wiping me clean, and passed me my panties. “Sorry. I don’t have clean ones,” he murmured. “And things I don’t want to discuss while you’re lying on my desk after I fucked you.”I sat up, courtesy of his arms around my back and lifting me, and brushed my thumb along his jaw. “Let’s deal with it, baby. Together. As one.”“We will be, but I’m still not discussing it while you’re on my desk.”“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” I stood, stepping to the side of him. “There. I’m not on your desk anymore.”George looked at my hand. “And you’re also not wearing any underwear.”I tugged my dress down my thighs and stuffed my wet panties into the pocket of his pants. “And I
But I needed this. I needed to feel the burn in my legs and the thumping of my heart as I put all of my frustration and tension into this workout. I needed to let go of some of it, or who knows what will happen. I sure as shit didn’t need to have another anxiety attack.The gym on the floor beneath George’s apartment was a happy discovery. And since it was early afternoon and everyone was at work, I was here alone. Which meant I was there to pant and scream and grunt my way through pushing out the heaviness of the last few days.Yesterday was still niggling at the back of my mind though. I was still feeling uncertain over George’s proclamation regarding The Insider. I was also aware of the fact that it didn’t cover all our bases.We didn’t know if she sold the story exclusively or not. Still, it didn’t matter. I wished that it did.
“Nice,” I said dryly.Ivan opened the door of his rental car and I got in. “Where are we going?” he asked.“3A Juniper Avenue.”“Hang on. Oh, yes. Got it. I know exactly where I’m going.”I hit him in the arm. “I’ll direct you. Now let’s go.”“Where are we going, exactly?”“Right. Now left. That’s it.”“Gina.”“I know who sold me out.”“Ah.”***The elevator in Lori’s apartment block was broken, so I climbed the stairs, thanking myself for putting on flats instead of my usual heels. I was not thanking the seven flights of stairs, I admit.I banged on the door and fidgeted while I waited for her to answer. I knocked again, and I heard her call, &
His lips twitched. “How can I forget?”“Yes. Well. I had been to work that night, but I couldn’t do the job.”“Why do I get the feeling I know where this is going?”“He was hosting a function and your parents were there. I recognized your mom before I entered and apologized.” I smiled sheepishly. “This is slightly awkward.”George stared at me for a long moment. “Amusing is what I’m thinking. More the fact Alex had to hire someone to accompany him to his own function.”“Oh yes. Imagine that. Having to hire someone to be your date.”He grinned and slid a hand up my back to cup my head and pulled it forward. “Well, I’m very glad I hired you first. Otherwise, I may have had to kill him for you.”“Protecting me, right?”
