IRIS The expression on Maverick’s face softened, and I felt my walls building up. “Iris—”The elevator dinged.I stepped out the second the doors opened, not waiting for him to follow. But I could feel him on my heels.Why the hell was I even feeling like this? Maverick and I weren’t a couple. Not in private, anyway.Deep down, I’d known that getting into a sexual relationship with him would ruin things. Make me get attached. Make me feel too much.But instead, I listened to my body. Not my mind.“I didn’t name the company after her,” Maverick said quietly. “Not like the way you think.”I scoffed. He really did think I was stupid. My hand on the door leading to my room, I started to twist the knob, but the next words that came out of Maverick’s mouth stopped me.“She died,” he said. “And I needed something that felt like purpose. I needed…” he trailed off, letting out a sharp breath.I tilted my head, unsure what I was hearing as I turned to face him. “What do you mean she died?”The
IRIS The second I opened my eyes, I regretted it. My head was pounding seriously. The light filtering through the curtains only made things worse, making me feel like my brain was getting stabbed. Hard. My tongue felt heavy, and my stomach… Oh my God. I stumbled across the room, barely making it to the bathroom in time to throw up the remnants of last night’s horrible choices. Everything fucking burned. My chest. My throat. My pride. Pressing my forehead against the cold toilet seat, I tried to get myself together. Tried so hard not to cry. And I succeeded, for the most part. By the time I was done brushing my teeth and washing my face, I still felt like hell. But at least it was a bit more bearable. I was starving. Hadn’t eaten a single thing since last night. Not before I drank the wine, and not after. Though I would’ve if not for her. Layla. I stepped out of my room into the main suite, ready to order room service, when I froze. Right there, in the middle of the coffee
MAVERICK My father had crossed the fucking line. The moment I dropped Chelsea and Iris off at the hospital, I headed straight for work, the only thing on my mind being Quentin fucking Sinclair. There were a number of things I really wanted to do to him, and one of such things involved bashing his head into the wall. Hard. I punched the elevator button, reigning in my anger the entire ride up. Or at least trying to. I had no idea what he was planning to do, but I was going to find out. Today. The boardroom was full when I arrived at the top floor. Through the glass doors, I could see a bunch of people in suits, sitting around the table, my brother included. Quentin stood at the head, his hands linked together in front of him. I was never even informed about a fucking meeting. I didn't bother knocking. I shoved the doors open and walked right in. Everyone turned, including Sebastian and Quentin, but my father didn't miss a beat. It was as though he'd been expecting m
IRIS “She’s teething,” Megan said, dropping Amethyst onto the floor. “Explains why I haven’t had any sleep since Monday.”I grinned as I picked her up, taking her into my arms. “And she’s still the cutest thing ever,” I cooed. “Aren’t you, baby? I’m so proud of you.”Amethyst squealed, her tiny fists grabbing my hair as I peppered kisses along her chubby cheeks. Her eyes were grey and wide, her curls wild. I tightened my arms around her. Amethyst had no idea how much I needed this—her warmth, her laugh, the way her fingers curled around mine like I was her whole world.As much as I loved Megan for taking care of her, I couldn’t help feeling a little jealous of her. My daughter was growing attached to her in more ways than one. Megan had been there for her first words, her first steps…Made me wonder whether it really was a good idea to keep this from Maverick.“She’s really doing it,” Megan said softly. “She’s growing.”“Yeah, she is,” I replied, narrowing my eyes slightly. Megan had
IRIS Curling my hands into fists, I heaved a sigh, deciding to go find him in his bedroom. We weren’t kids, we were fully grown adults that could talk things out with each other instead of keeping malice and avoiding each other.Okay. Okay.Maybe I just wanted to apologize for being a total bitch to him. In all fairness, it was the alcohol.‘The fuck it wasn’t,’ my inner voice scoffed at me.“Shut up,” I muttered.I stood outside Maverick’s door for a full minute before raising my hand to knock on it. “Maverick?”No answer.I knocked three more times, pushing the door open when I still didn't get a response. The lights were turned off. I doubted that he had even been in here. Even the bathroom lights were turned off.So where the hell had he disappeared to?Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I shut his door behind me as I exited his room. I also checked a couple of other rooms upstairs, all to no avail. He wasn’t upstairs. He wasn’t in the living room. And I didn’t think he’d walked
IRIS The moment I whispered yes, everything shifted.“Strip,” Maverick ordered, stepping away from me. His voice was raspy and cold, lower than it had ever been before. Every fiber of my body knew that it was a command, and not just a statement. But something inside me still chose to be defiant.“What?” I’d heard him. I was just taunting him.Maverick took a deep breath, lowering himself onto the bench next to him. “Don’t make me repeat myself, Angel. The more you disobey me, the longer your punishment will be. Don’t test me.”Punishment being the fact that he wasn’t going to let me come. My body shivered at that thought, all the heat rushing towards my core.Keeping my eyes on Maverick’s now hooded, dark ones, I reached for the hem of my top, pulling it over my head slowly. If I was going to be tortured, then there was no harm in torturing him back.Maverick’s jaw clenched as he watched me unclasp my bra. His eyes followed my every move, only glancing at my face once in a while. I
IRIS Maverick’s voice was ice. It wasn’t teasing like before, it was just cold. The kind of cold that burned me more than fire ever could. My fingers were still hooked in the elastic of my panties, but I froze when I saw the look in Maverick’s eyes. He wasn’t looking at me with wonder, like he often did whenever I was naked in front of him. He was looking at me with… nothing. There was nothing but darkness in his eyes. Cruel, cold darkness. Had I pushed him too far this time? His fingers tightened around my wrist for a moment before he let go. He didn’t want me to move, so I didn’t. Maverick pressed the vibrating gun to my skin again. “I think I’ve let you have your way for too long, Angel,” his voice rumbled. “But not anymore.” I whimpered, arching my back when he pressed the gun to the front of my panties. “Arghh…Maverick…” “Shhhh.” He pulled it away from me. “I need you to be still for me,” he whispered. “Otherwise, I’d have to start over.” “Okay,” I whispered airily, th
IRIS Every single step I took downstairs was a reminder of the night Maverick and I had. And with that, came the reminder of him abandoning me on the gym floor. I didn’t know how long I stayed there.An hour? Maybe two?All I knew was that Maverick wasn’t in the house when I finally found the strength to get up. And he wasn’t around right now.I didn’t have a shred of dignity left in me. Maverick had taken it, snatched it from me in the most brutal way ever, and I’d let him without even questioning him.“Lovely morning, Iris,” Tania’s cheery voice greeted me from the kitchen. She was pouring herself a cup of coffee. “Mav said you might sleep in today. Want some coffee?”“Thanks,” I muttered when she slid the mug in front of me. Well, at least he had the guts to mention me to Tania.‘Might sleep in today.’ The thought made me scoff.“Are you alright?” she asked, studying the expression on my face. “Need me to whip you up some breakfast? You look exhausted.”I raised my eyes to meet Ta
IRIS The moment I stepped back into the building, Chloe was all over me.“Oh my gosh, Miss Blake!” she breathed. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. I thought I lost you.”I narrowed my eyes at her. She seemed too worried. Way too worried. “I’m not a child, Chloe. You can’t ‘lose me.’”Something about the wild look in her eyes made me a little wary. Why the hell was she so worried that I would disappear? That I would… run away?What did Maverick put her up to?“Are you alright, Chloe?” I asked, observing the red tinting her cheeks. “You seem a little flustered.”Chloe shook her head aggressively. “No—I mean, yes, I’m alright. It’s just… I was asked to watch you closely, and when I came out of the bathroom and didn’t see you anywhere, I thought the worst. I’m sorry.” She bowed her head as she confessed, embarrassed.I ground my teeth together so hard, they could chip away. Chloe had just confessed to being my babysitter—as directed by Maverick.The sly bastard. He’d treated me like
IRIS My skin tingled, I wasn’t sure whether it was from the unfinished massage or Eleanor’s presence. But whatever it was, I was ready to leave.However, as I walked through the hallway, my phone buzzed in my hand. I quickly took it out, expecting to see a text from Maverick because he hadn’t replied, but what I saw had me halting on the spot.‘Hope you’re enjoying your spa day, Iris Blake.’My heart dropped into my stomach. It was a text from the same unknown number that had messaged me weeks ago.Another text came in.‘I think we’re long overdue for a talk, aren’t we? I’m in a black car across the street. Meet me there.’‘Make sure your pretty little assistant is unaware. You don’t want your fiance finding out, do you?.’My ears rang as sweat began to break out of my skin. Whoever this stranger was, he wanted to speak to me. And as wary as I was of the situation, I wanted to know what this person wanted to say.And even more important, I wanted to know who it was.“Chloe,” I called
IRIS “So you’re stalking me now?”Eleanor shrugged, strutting into the room and dropping her bag beside mine. She had on a blue maxi-dress that clung to her body, her blond hair was curled in waves and she had a pair of sunglasses perched on her head.My eyes darted to her stomach. She hadn’t started showing yet. But her skin was glowing and she had a wicked smile on her face. This would be her second child with Sebastian. “Who’s to say I am?” she replied, looking around the room. “Wedding preparations?”“What the hell are you doing here, Eleanor?” I asked, folding my arms.She tilted her head, tapping her finger to her chin as though she was considering my question. “Couple massage, obviously.”“What?” My brows shot up. “We’re not a couple.”She smirked. “Oh, I know. That’s what makes it fun.”I narrowed my eyes at her, ready to ask the masseuse to send Eleanor out, but on a second thought, I let her be. Eleanor was always planning something. Always up to something. Maybe this time
IRIS Every single step I took downstairs was a reminder of the night Maverick and I had. And with that, came the reminder of him abandoning me on the gym floor. I didn’t know how long I stayed there.An hour? Maybe two?All I knew was that Maverick wasn’t in the house when I finally found the strength to get up. And he wasn’t around right now.I didn’t have a shred of dignity left in me. Maverick had taken it, snatched it from me in the most brutal way ever, and I’d let him without even questioning him.“Lovely morning, Iris,” Tania’s cheery voice greeted me from the kitchen. She was pouring herself a cup of coffee. “Mav said you might sleep in today. Want some coffee?”“Thanks,” I muttered when she slid the mug in front of me. Well, at least he had the guts to mention me to Tania.‘Might sleep in today.’ The thought made me scoff.“Are you alright?” she asked, studying the expression on my face. “Need me to whip you up some breakfast? You look exhausted.”I raised my eyes to meet Ta
IRIS Maverick’s voice was ice. It wasn’t teasing like before, it was just cold. The kind of cold that burned me more than fire ever could. My fingers were still hooked in the elastic of my panties, but I froze when I saw the look in Maverick’s eyes. He wasn’t looking at me with wonder, like he often did whenever I was naked in front of him. He was looking at me with… nothing. There was nothing but darkness in his eyes. Cruel, cold darkness. Had I pushed him too far this time? His fingers tightened around my wrist for a moment before he let go. He didn’t want me to move, so I didn’t. Maverick pressed the vibrating gun to my skin again. “I think I’ve let you have your way for too long, Angel,” his voice rumbled. “But not anymore.” I whimpered, arching my back when he pressed the gun to the front of my panties. “Arghh…Maverick…” “Shhhh.” He pulled it away from me. “I need you to be still for me,” he whispered. “Otherwise, I’d have to start over.” “Okay,” I whispered airily, th
IRIS The moment I whispered yes, everything shifted.“Strip,” Maverick ordered, stepping away from me. His voice was raspy and cold, lower than it had ever been before. Every fiber of my body knew that it was a command, and not just a statement. But something inside me still chose to be defiant.“What?” I’d heard him. I was just taunting him.Maverick took a deep breath, lowering himself onto the bench next to him. “Don’t make me repeat myself, Angel. The more you disobey me, the longer your punishment will be. Don’t test me.”Punishment being the fact that he wasn’t going to let me come. My body shivered at that thought, all the heat rushing towards my core.Keeping my eyes on Maverick’s now hooded, dark ones, I reached for the hem of my top, pulling it over my head slowly. If I was going to be tortured, then there was no harm in torturing him back.Maverick’s jaw clenched as he watched me unclasp my bra. His eyes followed my every move, only glancing at my face once in a while. I
IRIS Curling my hands into fists, I heaved a sigh, deciding to go find him in his bedroom. We weren’t kids, we were fully grown adults that could talk things out with each other instead of keeping malice and avoiding each other.Okay. Okay.Maybe I just wanted to apologize for being a total bitch to him. In all fairness, it was the alcohol.‘The fuck it wasn’t,’ my inner voice scoffed at me.“Shut up,” I muttered.I stood outside Maverick’s door for a full minute before raising my hand to knock on it. “Maverick?”No answer.I knocked three more times, pushing the door open when I still didn't get a response. The lights were turned off. I doubted that he had even been in here. Even the bathroom lights were turned off.So where the hell had he disappeared to?Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I shut his door behind me as I exited his room. I also checked a couple of other rooms upstairs, all to no avail. He wasn’t upstairs. He wasn’t in the living room. And I didn’t think he’d walked
IRIS “She’s teething,” Megan said, dropping Amethyst onto the floor. “Explains why I haven’t had any sleep since Monday.”I grinned as I picked her up, taking her into my arms. “And she’s still the cutest thing ever,” I cooed. “Aren’t you, baby? I’m so proud of you.”Amethyst squealed, her tiny fists grabbing my hair as I peppered kisses along her chubby cheeks. Her eyes were grey and wide, her curls wild. I tightened my arms around her. Amethyst had no idea how much I needed this—her warmth, her laugh, the way her fingers curled around mine like I was her whole world.As much as I loved Megan for taking care of her, I couldn’t help feeling a little jealous of her. My daughter was growing attached to her in more ways than one. Megan had been there for her first words, her first steps…Made me wonder whether it really was a good idea to keep this from Maverick.“She’s really doing it,” Megan said softly. “She’s growing.”“Yeah, she is,” I replied, narrowing my eyes slightly. Megan had
MAVERICK My father had crossed the fucking line. The moment I dropped Chelsea and Iris off at the hospital, I headed straight for work, the only thing on my mind being Quentin fucking Sinclair. There were a number of things I really wanted to do to him, and one of such things involved bashing his head into the wall. Hard. I punched the elevator button, reigning in my anger the entire ride up. Or at least trying to. I had no idea what he was planning to do, but I was going to find out. Today. The boardroom was full when I arrived at the top floor. Through the glass doors, I could see a bunch of people in suits, sitting around the table, my brother included. Quentin stood at the head, his hands linked together in front of him. I was never even informed about a fucking meeting. I didn't bother knocking. I shoved the doors open and walked right in. Everyone turned, including Sebastian and Quentin, but my father didn't miss a beat. It was as though he'd been expecting m