Elvie knew she was being irrational, but she still logged into the SBC software’s Messenger app and group-messaged Gerald, Bella, and Almera. For the past few weeks, she’d been spending her lunch breaks exclusively with them. Not surprisingly, they had their noses in everyone’s business.Elvie: Did you know why Kristal is back?Almera: NO! And really? The bitch is here in the building?Bella: Yes, I saw her go inside my boss's office.Bella: Elvie? Why did you let the bitch in?Gerald: You are the wife. Did you let her in?Elvie: Hey! Relax; I trust Zander, and yes, I think she wants to talk to him. No biggie.Gerald: Shit! You have no idea, but troubles followed her anywhere; be warned.Bella: Elvie, I don't like this...Gerald: The sweet part. I’ve seen them together enough to know the man likes her as much as I love getting my crotch waxed. (The results are far more aesthetically pleasing than shaving, if you’re wondering.)Elvie: We weren’t, but thanks for the mental image.Elvie:
“Lunch?” Zander asked as he slid his hand up between her shoulder blades and then under the curtain of her hair, cupping her nape. “I—” “I know, I can't force you, but I have to fly to Paris for a meeting later today. I got an email a few minutes ago about it. I won’t be back for a couple of days, so it’d be best for us to get some lunch while I'll video chat with our daughter. Is that okay? I’ll catch up with you mid-week.” Elvie thought, What the hell was wrong with him? One moment, he was being an ass, and the next? A—gigantic tease? But she refused to show her disappointment. It was unreasonable of her to expect his career to take a back seat when she had her own professional commitments that couldn’t be cancelled at short notice. It had been a logistical nightmare to take this week off as it was. But it worried her that this would be an on-going pattern in their future relationship. How long before his 'catch-ups' with her became not weekly but monthly, or even less frequent?
Love? Really? Elvie could feel her cheeks warming up like hotplates on a cooktop. “Yes, well, Zander certainly knows his way around a woman’s body. The thing is, am I going to be enough for him? He doesn’t love me. He cares about me and our child, but it wasn't enough.” I want more. She thought to herself. Bella did her cute little bunny twitch again. “Oh…” “Not exactly what a girl wants to hear on her honeymoon.” “No, but words aren’t everything,” Bella said. “Actions are what count, and it looks like you two have had plenty of that over the last week.” “He’s keeping things to himself. And you know I'm still not over how my brother left me with nothing but a wink.” Bella blinked. “So? Zander is rich and has a lot of connections. He can find Joey anytime if he wants. Besides, aren’t you asking him? I mean, they were once the best of friends, right?” “Why should I?” “Because that’s what brides do. They confide everything to their husbands.” Elvie sighed. “But I don’t want to
Elvie got back from the High Fashion department the following day to find a beautiful bouquet of flowers on her desk. She picked up the card and read the message.I miss you.From Zander.Her heart gave a leap, and she pressed the card against her chest just as the receptionist buzzed her on the intercom, “Mrs. Stanton, your brother is here. Have you got time to see him?”Joey?Elvie put the card down on her desk. Joey was here in Scotland. Why hadn’t Zander mentioned it? Or was it a spontaneous trip? But that didn’t seem like Joey at all. He was notoriously not a homebody through and through. He didn’t really enjoy travelling all that much and had said only recently how content he was to stay at home.“Sure. Thanks a lot," she replied, put down the phone, and turned her head to Bella. “Girl, I haven’t got anyone till four, have I?”“No, you’re all good. Should I send him to Zander's office? You can talk there in private.”Elvie nodded, stood, fixed herself, and went to Zander’s offic
Zander frowned. “Joey is here in Scotland?”Elvie nodded. “Yes, he flew over to talk to me face to face.”“About…?”“About something, um—he is going to visit his shrink again, he said he is sick again."“Is he using drugs again, Elvie?”“I'm not sure, but he said he didn't do drugs anymore.”“And you believe him?”“Yes.” Elvie groaned. “He is my brother, Zander, I can't let him down, and... Without the company to keep him busy, I don't know how he would survive—”Zander’s brows snapped together.“You gave him money?”Elvie slipped out of his hold and stood some distance from him with her arms crossed over her body, her hands cupping her elbows. “Yes. I gave him my ATM.”“Your savings? Really?”“Yes.”“Are you that crazy?”“Zander—”He shook his head as if the situation were beyond belief. “He’s a fool. A damn fool. What are you going to do now? He’ll empty it in a day. How can you be so naive?”“I—” Elvie groaned in silent anger, keeping her gaze steady on his. “He said he'd use it fo
Zander walked out of his own mansion as if he were on autopilot. His emotions were in lockdown.Confused, angry, and disappointed.Emotions he hadn’t known he had. He couldn’t think past the thought of her pulling the plug on their marriage. He’d been blindsided. Again. What sort of fool was he to have fallen for it? He’d thought it was going so well. Why was she doing this? Why now, after that wonderful week away together? All this talk of love... He hadn’t said those words to anyone since he’d said them to his ex, Kristal. He had been a fool once, and he swore to never be that sort of person again.He had sworn he would never say them in a subsequent relationship, and he had never needed to, much less wanted to. But Elvie hadn’t said it either. She didn't tell him she loved him.Somehow he had fooled himself into thinking she had, but then he’d been wrong about that sort of thing before. It was the same as all those years ago. NO! It was worse. Much worse. Back then, he’d been angry
That very same day, Zander was supposed to tell her that he loves her; he was supposed to confess his feelings, but what he heard from her mouth while answering Bellas’ questions in the lift made Zander halt on his way up. He heard Elvie clearly say, "Bella, what makes you think that I'm head over heels over Zander? Surely, the man cares so much more about his ego than caring over me. Besides, we both agree to end things before it's too late and he’ll end up hurting me. I'm not the woman he used to know. I'm different now. I don't love anymore.”To say that he was disappointed, hurt, and relieved at the same time was an understatement; he almost made himself a fool by telling her what he truly felt.Okay, if this is really what she wanted, then I'll give her war! He thought to himself as he left the hallway and went to his private elevator.Going up, he thought that life with Elvie was like handling his company full of issues and anomalies. If there was one thing he’d learned from pro
Shortly after sending Danny on his way, Zander waltzed out of his office and into the newsroom. Grilling Elvie about Mathei was tempting, but he wasn’t a hypocrite, and she didn’t owe him shit.Besides, it was likely Elvie already felt extra salty after what had happened with them, and she had enough on her plate without having his dirty laundry to sort through. He was going to talk to Matheo about an item he wanted to scrap from the show tonight when Bella blocked his way to the old cow’s office, throwing her body between them like a hysterical mother in front of a speeding car.Big. Fucking. Mistake, small woman!“Can I help you?” He raised an eyebrow.“I have something you really want to see, Zander...”“Call me, Mr. Stanton. Only my friends call me Zander. Chances are, I’ll stab myself in the eye with a fork before initiating a conversation with you about non-professional issues. Start talking.”Zander followed her to her desk, and she pointed at her screen, her smile oozing stupi
“I need you to turn my maybe into a definitely." Zander crawled into Elvie’s bed at the end of that gruelling Monday in the office. “Yeah, right. What are you doing here? Thea will—” “Come on, can a man get some time alone with his wife?” Elvie rolled her eyes, but she didn’t kick him out, even though a small, vindictive part of her wanted to. Life was too short to deprive yourself of spending time with those you love—something I’d learned the hard way. She thought to herself. His body seemed to mould into her massive mattress. Somehow, he fit. If there was one thing she’d realised this year, it was that sometimes they belong in the last place they thought they’d ever be. “Wife, let’s turn maybe into definitely.” “How can I do that?” she put her thriller in her lap and let his arm loop around her waist, dragging her into the crook of his shoulder. His lips fluttered along her neck. “Stay at SBC, stay with me no matter how this sh*t turns out. I can’t make it without you.” “Make
They went home to his mansion. To his cock’s disappointment, he slept in the master bedroom alone because Thea was sick and Elvie slept in her room. But it was still better than sleeping in a million-star hotel or at the Stanton Towers, which he couldn’t even look at after he’d learned what he had about his father not being his real father. He wasn’t the one who’d cheated on him. Yet Zander was the one who’d taken most of Matheo’s wrath. In the morning, Elvie gave her brother a shake from what looked like sewer water, green puke, and misery and slid a bowl of cereal his way. It wasn’t even a brand. It was poured right out of a six-pound industrial box with a Costco logo. “Where is the chef?” “Vacation…half of the staff too.” Elvie smiled. “Cavities and diabetes. Breakfast of champions,” Zander muttered into the bowl as he took a spoonful. “My apologies. Our room service doesn’t work on Mondays. Butler is sick. No chef, yeah so, stick with me!” Elvie took a seat next to her dad a
Zander set the papers down, sitting on the edge of her desk and lacing his fingers nonchalantly. So Matheo had planned it all along. The old cow killed his parents. His meeting Elvie, his falling in love with her, giving up on the Davis family—every single thing And he’d walked right into his trap. Well, almost. He would pay! Dearly. Zander thought to himself. He didn’t make the mistake of asking Elvie if she’d known about it. Of course she hadn’t. Instead, he focused on how to deal with this shit. “We’ve both been set up,” he said. “And he—the bastard—killed my parents!” His voice shuddered with enough hatred to melt the antarctic. And though he had his doubts before, he disregarded his instinct and thought that Matheo wasn't capable of doing such nineious things. “He—will pay! I will make sure he—” "Zander." She put a hand on his shoulder, and he resisted the urge to pull her into him and bury his face in her hair. “I'm sorry." Elvie had this touch that made sh*t go away. Bad shi
The word “music” comes from the Muses, goddesses of the arts in Greek mythology.I never said it before, because I thought it was tacky, but you’re my goddess (especially your ass).—ZanderJohn Lennon started his music career as a choir boy.I never said it before, because it terrified me to admit it, but you’re my church (although I plan to be inside you way more than just on Sundays).—ZanderYour heart mimics the beat of the music you’re listening to.I didn’t know I even had one before you came along, and now I do, and it hurts like a motherfucker (thanks for that).—ZanderRemember in university? I stole your iPod before you stole my wallet. It was tucked inside my jacket before I even removed your panties. I wanted to know what you were listening to. (And I was sorely disappointed there were no Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake songs in sight, because it made not falling for you so much fucking harder.)—ZanderI tried to tell myself I broke up my contract with Kristal and her f
Her heart was that of a lonely hunter.Yes and everything hurts.Elvie had always thought she was doomed by not being able to fall in love, but once she did fall, she wished she hadn’t. Now it hurt when she breathed, when she walked the hallways at work, and each time in between, when she caught sight of the person with a sharp suit and even sharper tongue moving past her, firing orders at Bella or bantering with the rest of the newsroom staff.A few weeks had passed. Four weeks after he’d shown up at her doorstep with flowers and chocolate, Zander had invited everyone into the conference room and announced that he’d given up his position and would only be staying for another month.After he made that announcement, he’d shot her a look, searching her face. Whatever he found there made him ask her to stay after the meeting was over so they could talk about it.She’d wanted to badly, but she knew nothing had changed. Though he often talked to Thea and visited her when he wasn't busy, he
Kristal had been a no-show during those terrible days, but he still remembered the flowers and pastry the family had sent every morning, her mother checking in on him, and her grandmother calling him three times a day to make sure he ate, showered, and breathed. Bella turned around, reaching for the door handle. Zander kept his face blasé. “Good luck explaining it to everyone, sir. Because let me tell you something—the moment Elvie walked into the room and into your life again, she changed you. It wasn’t profound. It was even more gradual, but it was there. In the way you started smiling, the way you softened towards your employees—just a little—and started doing the right thing by yourself and Kristal. But standing here?” She shook her head. “I think that man just bailed on us, and it saddens me because I was looking forward to working with and befriending the new Zander.” Fuck! Bella closed the door behind her, and he looked to the glass wall, catching Elvie unpacking her lunch a
Elvie was about to round the corner and turn onto the street when a limo pulled up at the curb and the passenger door flung open. Her eyes widened, and she stopped in an instant. Her brother was no Liam Neeson, and if she was going to get kidnapped, she very much doubted she could be saved. She turned around to look at the person getting out of the vehicle. It was Kristal, dressed to impress in what looked like a cocktail gown. She seemed to be alone.“Can I help you?” Elvie cocked her head. She wanted to be strong, but she was tired, hungry, and annoyed. And pissed at herself—so pissed that she’d let herself get carried away with a man like Zander Stanton. She usually made smart choices. She was a salad girl, and he was a deep-fried chocolate lava cake.“Me? No, though I’m sure you’ll do it at some point once you get fired, divorced, and have to become a waitress to support your slutty ways.” She walked towards her on her high heels. The limo driver looked the other way, like he coul
On the way to work, Gerald told her in her earbuds that they’re spending the treasure that love cannot afford, and Elvie nodded, not only to the rhythm but to the sentiment. Her shoes were blood red, and she’d spent the ride dying their laces black with a Sharpie.She walked into the office, not knowing what to expect. The professional side was going to be evidently extra depressing. But last night, Zander and she showcased their hearts like they were on a window display when they touched—crawling into each other’s mouths and seeping into each other’s souls. Then she’d left, without a message or a phone call. It was not her most mature moment, but she was sure he needed time to think too.Elvie walked the hallway, ignoring the judgy looks and raised eyebrows people tried to pin her with. One of the secretaries passed her and winced. She didn’t say anything, but one look at her face told Elvie she was in for an unpleasant surprise. What the hell was wrong with these people? Why on eart
Her legs were up before she knew it, carrying her to the exit. No explanation. No apologies. Elvie felt his grave steps thumping in her hollow chest as he followed her out. It was raining outside—the kind of dirty, humid rain to break the pulses of summer heat. It reminded her of the day they’d met at the university, of the carnal desperation that ate at her back then, and of the fact that she was still alone.Elvie felt his hand on my shoulder as he swivelled her around sharply. He jerked her into his arms.I didn’t want him to let go.I didn’t want him to keep me there, either. She thought.“I wish I’d never met you.” My fists pounded his chest, and he took it. Maybe because he knew he deserved it. His mouth pressed against my cheek felt like a rusty, hot blade. The world felt like it was ending, even though I knew it couldn’t be.The vane of his breath sliced through my ear. “I wish that, too.”That night, the sex was different.Slow, intense, and angry. Every thrust was a punishme