**Ellis POVIt was hard to be home. Every year it got harder and harder to come home to an empty mansion.Coming home was supposed to be pleasant and relaxing. Instead, I spent the majority of my time staying busy and finalizing business deals in my office. I barely gave myself enough time to sleep before catching the next plane out. My eyes flitted from the papers I was reviewing at my desk to the piano in the room across the hall. The piano Olivia had played. I kept it in my line of sight when I was home, but all it did was bring back painful memories. Shaking my head, I returned to my paperwork. I had to get several deals wrapped up before I hit the road again. "M-Mister Peterson?" a soft voice asked at the door, knocking gently. I looked up, seeing one of my maids. She was blocking my view of the piano. "Come in," I said, motioning to her. She shyly looked at her feet, cheeks reddening, and then stepped into my office. "What can I do for you?""There's someone
**Olivia POVMy mom wanted me to play piano at an event she was hosting. It was a fundraiser for some of my father's favorite organizations. A way for all his friends to gather and wish him well. She even sent out invitations with a picture of me, like the brochures for theater productions I'd been doing in Europe. She had a big concert grand piano brought into the venue. While I played, my mom watched Ken. It felt good to play to a familiar crowd again. So many people came to see me. Old friends, extended family, people from organizations I'd worked with in college. I loved seeing the happiness and wonder in their eyes as they watched me play. My heart soared with every note. I played while the guests arrived. Some of them walked right into the big event hall while others stopped to listen. It took a long time for everyone to get there. I played Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach. I went through all the classic symphonies and minuets. I took a break from playing when my
I stared at Ellis as he walked up beside me. He exuded the same confidence and charm I remembered. I heard flustered sighs go through the other women there as they stared at him. Dressed in a tailored burgundy suit with a black button-up, a cream-colored tie and pocket square, his smirk was both challenging and charming. He stopped right beside me and I couldn't take my eyes off of him. His smooth jaw, dark hair, and those sparkling eyes. If anything, he was even more handsome than when I'd left five years ago. My heart raced and my palms felt sweaty. I was completely captivated until Ken pulled away from me. "Ken!" I tried to grab him. He ignored me and ran right up to Ellis. Ken grabbed his pant leg and tugged. Ellis looked down at him and smiled fondly. There was too much familiarity between them. Had they met before, I wondered. "I hoped you'd come," Ken said with a wide eyed grin. My heart nearly stopped to see them together. I had imagined it so many times but n
"Well, well, Miss Richardson, it is good to see you again," Ellis purred when our eyes met. My stomach fluttered and I wanted to look anywhere else, but I couldn't pull away. He had me glued to the spot with his gaze. "Mr. Peterson," I said with a respectful nod. I kept my tone flat and indifferent. Ellis raised an eyebrow at me. "Is that all I get from you?" he asked, his lips tightening. "Is there something else you were expecting?" I asked back. I put my free hand on my hip, still holding tight to Ken's hand. Ellis chuckled and rose from the piano bench. He faced me directly, his eyes dark and dangerous. My heart pounded in my chest and in my ears. I glanced to the door. There was no way I could run in the heels I was wearing. "Don't we find ourselves in an interesting situation, then," he said, motioning to Ken. "I don't know what you're talking about," I said. I cast my eyes aside. Who was I kidding? Ellis already knew the truth. "Do you think it is fair to
After my mom went to bed, I checked on Ken and then headed to my own bedroom. Ellis was standing by the window, looking out at the city. I took a deep breath and closed the door behind me, wondering what he expected to happen. I could see how deep his eyes were as they looked out the window, the firm set of his jaw and his strong fingers as they gripped the curtains framing the window. My mind spun suddenly with all the memories of the nights we'd spent together. How nimble and quick his fingers had been in removing my clothing, and all the toys he had at his fingertips to bring me to higher levels of pleasure. Everything had been so sweet and perfect, until Ellis had ruined it with his betrayal, with his secret love for Nancy. I shuddered and looped my arms around my waist. That was the last thing I needed to be thinking of while we were sharing a room for the night. "Just to be clear, you're staying in here because it makes my mom happy and she needs some uplifting," I
When I woke up, Ken wasn't in bed with me anymore. I grabbed at the empty space beside me and then sat up in a flurry of sheets. I looked around and noticed that Ellis wasn't on the couch either. My heart hammered in my chest. Pushing back my worries, I grabbed my robe and slippers and raced from my room, not caring that my hair was a mess and my shirt was rumpled. "Mom?" I ran to her room. The door was open and her bed was made. She was probably back at the hospital with my dad. What if Ellis had taken Ken while I was asleep? He had been intent on being in Ken's life. Would he go so far as to steal him?My slippers padded heavily on the floor as I raced through the big townhouse, looking for my son. "Ken?" I called, every time I popped my head into a room. He wasn't anywhere! I found some of his toys on the floor and a maid who was cleaning just shrugged and shook her head, telling me she hadn't seen him. Real panic filled me now. I was about ready to call the police
Ken was still eating his snack, so as soon as Ellis was gone, I grabbed my phone and shut myself in my bedroom, calling Jenny. "Hey, hey," Jenny said happily, sounding the exact opposite of how I felt. "Jenny, we have a problem," I said urgently. "Oh, um, what is going on?" Jenny asked, her voice shifting to serious. I sighed and sat at the end of my bed, hanging my head in my free hand as I held onto my phone with the other. I quickly filled her in on what was going on with Ellis, how he'd spent the night and how he was with Ken. "Wow, that's… a lot," Jenny said. I could tell she didn't know what else to say. "That's not even the biggest problem," I said, rubbing my temple. "Jenny, if things keep going like this, I won't be able to keep pushing him away. Every time I'm around him, I feel like I can't think straight.""You still care about him a lot," Jenny said. "I can't help it. I know what he did to me but seeing him with Ken… and Ken really likes him. He want
While Bennett was in town, he organized a piano concert for me to play. It was a debut for his orchestra in New York and my name as the headlining pianist. Ken waited with the stage hands, like he usually did, and they showed him the ropes that moved the curtains. I stood side stage, wearing a floor length, red, satin ball gown with a round train that pooled on the floor behind me. I had fresh flowers pinned up in my hair. I gripped the edge of the red velvet curtain while the New York Orchestra conductor announced me to the audience. I took a deep, shaking breath. Bennett came up behind me, resting his hand on the small of my back, his fingers grazing my skin where the low cut of my dress didn't cover me. "You're going to do fine, Olivia. You've done this dozens of times before," Bennett said softly. He pressed a kiss to my cheek. "I've never played in front of this many people that I know," I reminded him. My parents' friends, friends from school, people I'd known for yea