I slammed my apartment door behind me and tore off clothes Alex gave me like they were burning my skin. The sweater caught on my earring, ripping it from my lobe with a sharp sting that barely registered through the white-hot rage pulsing behind my eyes."Fuck!" The word exploded from my chest, bouncing off the bare walls of my apartment. "FUCK!"I stormed into my bedroom, grabbed my pillow and drove my fist into it once, twice—not enough. I pressed it against my face and screamed until my lungs burned for air, the fabric muffling sounds that would've had the neighbors calling police. My throat felt raw when I finally stopped, collapsing onto the mattress, chest heaving.The lost boy from the woods. The same fucking person as my boss. What kind of cosmic joke was this?It seemed impossible. Too convenient. Too much like the kind of fairy tale I'd stopped believing in long ago.And yet...the bracelet. Those distinctive beads that matched my pendant. The techniques Mami Lulu had taught m
I slammed my alarm clock for the third time, burying my face deeper into my pillow. Fuck Monday. Fuck work. Fuck Alex Thorne and his lost-boy-from-the-woods bullshit.I'd spent the weekend alternating between rage-cleaning my apartment and staring at my phone, hovering between blocking Alex's number and calling to demand more explanations. I did neither. Instead, I sketched until my hand cramped, drank enough wine to blur the edges, and ignored the outside world entirely.Now reality crashed back in the form of a job I couldn't afford to lose, regardless of how fucked up things had gotten with my boss."You're going in late," I told my reflection as I dragged a brush through tangled hair. "Avoid him completely. Just do your job."I dressed with deliberate care—black pencil skirt, crisp white blouse, heels high enough to be professional but comfortable enough to run in if needed. Armor against whatever today might throw at me.The design floor was unusually quiet when I finally arrived
As the meeting finally broke up, Emma caught my arm. "Alex wants to see any preliminary sketches for the Meridian account. Can you bring them to his office this afternoon?"My stomach clenched. "Why can't you take them?""Because he asked for you specifically." Her expression softened slightly. "Maya, he's fighting for you with the board. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."I nodded stiffly, not trusting myself to speak. First things first: I needed to breathe, to think.The design floor hummed with whispered conversations as I returned to my desk. Faces turned toward me, then quickly away when I met their eyes."Hey," Mark from materials development said, approaching hesitantly. "A bunch of us are going to grab lunch at that new Thai place. Want to join?"Before I could answer, Sophie sauntered over. "Actually, Mark, we're at capacity for the reservation. Maybe next time, Maya?"Her smile oozed false sympathy. I watched as she led Mark away, his backward glance apologetic bu
"What the fuck is this?" I demanded, voice shaking with rage.Alex closed the door behind him, moving slowly as if approaching a cornered animal. "I can explain.""Explain?" I brandished the papers. "Explain why you have surveillance photos of me? Medical records? Financial statements? Were you investigating me or fucking stalking me?""Neither." He ran a hand through his hair, clearly struggling to find the right words. "I was building a case against Daniel.""By digging through my entire life?" The betrayal cut deeper than I wanted to admit. "Without my knowledge or consent?""Maya, please. Let me explain properly.""Fine." I crossed my arms, heart hammering against my ribs. "Explain why the CEO of a major design firm is playing private detective. Explain why you didn't tell me when you hired me that you'd been watching me for god knows how long."Alex sighed, gesturing toward the chairs by the window. "Will you sit? Please?""I'll stand.""Okay." He leaned against his desk, keeping
Day one of unemployment, I stayed in bed until two, wrapped in blankets despite the stuffy heat of my apartment. My phone buzzed constantly—mostly Alex, occasionally Olivia. I ignored them all. Even getting up to pee felt like a monumental achievement.Day two, I moved from bed to couch, upgrading from total paralysis to mindless TV binging while my brain looped through increasingly catastrophic scenarios. I'd never work in design again. I'd have to crawl back to Daniel. I'd lose my apartment. Mami Lulu would end up in some state-run hellhole because I couldn't afford her care.By day three, anxiety had burned away, replaced by a hollow, ringing fury. I paced my small apartment like a caged animal, fingers itching to create, to destroy, to do fucking something besides spin in endless circles of panic."You'll find another job," I told my reflection as I finally showered, hot water turning my skin pink. "You have talent. You have experience. You have—"My phone rang again. Alex's numbe
Despite Olivia's advice, I chose the plain black flats instead of my most intimidating heels. This wasn't about impression or power—it was about dignity and closure. Simple black pants, white blouse, minimal makeup.Thorne Designs looked exactly the same as I approached the building, which felt wrong somehow. My world had imploded, yet the revolving doors still turned, the security desk still buzzed with the same morning energy, the lobby's marble floors still gleamed under soft lighting."Ms. Russo," the receptionist greeted me, surprise evident in her tone. "You're... um... not in the system anymore.""I have a meeting with HR at ten," I said, forcing my voice to remain steady."Oh! Yes, here it is. I'll need to issue a temporary pass." She tapped at her computer, glancing up occasionally as if expecting me to cause another scene.The elevator ride was mercifully empty. I watched the numbers tick upward, breathing deeply to calm the nausea bubbling in my stomach. Tenth floor. HR's d
I arrived at Bistro Lucien twenty minutes early, a habit ingrained from years with Daniel who considered tardiness a personal insult. The lunch crowd hadn't materialized yet, giving me my pick of tables. I chose one by the window—good lighting, clear view of both entrances, easy exit if needed. Old survival instincts die hard."Just water for now," I told the waiter. "I'm waiting for someone."My fingers drummed nervously on the tablecloth as I checked my phone again. No messages from Sarah canceling. No threats from Daniel. No apologies from Alex. Just the time—11:42—and my racing thoughts.Three days had passed since the surprise meeting at Thorne. Three days of vacillating between excitement about Paris and paralyzing fear that it was all some elaborate trap. Three days of Olivia reassuring me that Lumière Gallery was legitimate, prestigious, and—most importantly—financially independent from Thorne Designs."Their connection is purely familial," she'd said, showing me articles and
I thought of his face when I'd confronted him about the investigation—not defensive or angry, but genuinely pained at having hurt me. It didn't excuse what he'd done, but it added a dimension I'd been reluctant to acknowledge."Enough about my brother," Sarah declared, clearly sensing my discomfort. "Let's talk Paris. If you accept the showcase offer, you'd come for eight weeks. We'd provide an apartment, studio space, materials budget, and a stipend."My pulse quickened at the concrete details, making the opportunity real in a way it hadn't been before. "And I'd have complete creative control?""Absolutely. Our role is support, not direction. We help with production resources, technical challenges, and of course, publicity and sales." She leaned forward, eyes bright with excitement. "Maya, your work could be in major European collections by spring. We're talking career-changing exposure."I took a deep breath, allowing myself to imagine it. My name, my vision, recognized international
“Come here.”"I've been thinking about this for the last hour," he admitted, fingers already working at the button of my jeans. "You, just like this."I rocked against his hardened cock already evident beneath me. "You were supposed to be working.""Not with you biting your lip every time you read something challenging." His hands slipped inside my jeans, panties giving way, immediately finding my pussy like it was normal. "It's distracting.""Sorry," I said, with a slight shiver, but I wasn’t sorry at all."No, you're not." He squeezed, fingers digging into flesh in a way that made me gasp. "But you will be. Maya"The Mention of my name made something break loos
The rest of the morning passed in a strangely comfortable rhythm. I showered while he took calls in the living room. When I came out, hair still damp, he was back in full CEO mode—laptop open, phone pressed to his ear, focused and professional.I settled at the dining table with my own laptop, diving into the foundation emails. Across from me, Alex argued with someone about supply chain issues, his voice firm but reasonable. It should have been awkward, this domesticity. Instead, it felt oddly natural.Around noon, he closed his laptop and stretched. I tried not to stare at the strip of skin exposed as his shirt rode up, but failed miserably. He caught me looking and smiled, slow and deliberate."Are you hungry?" he asked."Starving." I hadn't eaten since Troy&rsqu
I woke to the smell of coffee and unfamiliar sounds in my kitchen. For a disorienting second, panic flared—someone was in my house—until the memory returned. Alex. Beach. Car. Couch. Bed. Floor at some point. Then bed again.My body ached in ways both foreign and familiar. My pussy was raw and swollen from fucking all night. It felt good. We had fucked again even after Alex came in me. I stopped at that thought. Alex had cummed in me multiple times last night. The thought of it somehow made my pussy ache again, I could feel it getting moist again. I snapped. Shit. I would need to sort that out later —getting backup.I stretched, taking inventory of what Alex had done to me. Purple marks dotted my inner thighs. Finger-shaped bruises colored my hips w
He pushed inside, one long, slow thrust that made me gasp. The sensation was different without the condom—It was warm. The feeling of his warm cock against the wall of my pussy made me squirm. I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him deeper, urging him on."Fuck, Maya," he groaned, holding still for a moment. "You feel—""I know," I cut him off. "Move."“Fuck me!”He did, setting a pace that had me digging my nails into his shoulders. He wasn’t holding back this time like he had done initially on the beach. Each thrust hit somehow hit that sweet spot inside me that made the pleasure build up.“Go harder Alex!” I moaned, “Please don’t stop. Fuck me!”
The drive back to my apartment was torture. Good torture, but torture nonetheless. Every red light felt like it lasted an hour. Alex's hand rested high on my thigh, his thumb tracing small circles that made it nearly impossible to focus on the road."You're going to make me crash," I muttered as his fingers inched higher, slipping beneath the edge of my underwear."Then drive faster," he replied, voice rough in a way I'd never heard from him before.He didn't stop. His fingers slid lower, finding me still wet from the beach. I gasped, my foot instinctively pressing harder on the accelerator as he stroked me."Alex," I warned, gripping the steering wheel so tight my knuckles went white. "This isn't—""Keep your eyes on the road," he instructed, his other hand moving to my breast, thumb circling my nipple through my shirt.The speedometer crept higher as his fingers moved faster between my legs. My vision blurred at the edges, body torn between focusing on driving and surrendering to th
He kissed me with an urgency that matched my own, hands moving beneath my t-shirt to find skin. His palms were callused and warm against my ribs as they moved upward, thumbs brushing the undersides of my breasts. I arched into the touch, impatient for more.We were still awkwardly positioned against the post, and my shoulder blade dug painfully into the weathered wood. "Not here," I said against his mouth.He immediately stepped back, misunderstanding. "We can go—""No, I mean, not against this post. It's digging into my back." I took his hand, led him away from the post to where a dune created some shelter from the wind. I pulled him down with me onto the sand.The cold immediately seeped through my jeans, but the discomfort seemed irrelevant compared to the heat
I drove until the highway signs thinned out and the lights from the city faded in my rearview mirror. Alex didn't ask where we were going. He just sat silently, occasionally glancing at my profile, his fingers tapping a pattern on his knee that I couldn't decode.The turnoff appeared sooner than I'd expected—a narrow road that curved toward the coast. I'd passed it hundreds of times over the years, always thinking vaguely about stopping someday. Tonight, I finally did."We're trespassing," Alex said as I pulled into the darkened parking lot and cut the engine. A faded sign near the entrance clearly stated "Beach Closed After Sunset.""Are you going to report me?" I grabbed my jacket from the back seat."Just making an observation." There was something in his voice
The conversation drifted to other aspects of the launch—the press coverage, the surprising industry connections, the unexpected support from Giuseppe."I still can't believe he showed up in person," Olivia said. "His assistant told me last week he wasn't leaving the mansion.""The Kingstons' arrival seemed to energize him." I remembered Giuseppe's face when my mother approached him, the cold smile he'd given her. "I think he enjoyed watching them squirm.""Speaking of watching people squirm," Troy said, a mischievous glint in his eye, "let's talk about that moment at the glass station.""Let's not," I replied immediately."What moment?" Olivia asked."Oh you certainly haven't been paying attention. Design Weekly captured Maya giving Alex a very... hands-on demonstration." Troy pulled out his phone, scrolling through photos. "Look at this."He held up his screen, showing a photo of me standing behind Alex at the workbench, my arms wrapped around him. The picture looked like soft-core p
MayaI kicked my heels off the second my apartment door closed behind me. My aching feet sank into the carpet, and I let out an involuntary groan of relief. After twelve hours at the foundation launch, even breathing without a smile plastered on my face felt like luxury.The apartment was dark and quiet. I didn't bother with the lights, just dropped my bag on the counter and stood for a moment in the stillness. My place still had boxes stacked in corners and bare walls I hadn't gotten around to decorating. After Daniel had trashed my place, I had barely done anything with it. And now with everything going, I barely had the time.I peeled off my earrings and headed for the shower when my phone buzzed. Sarah's face appeared on the screen, and I flopped onto the couch to answer."I look like hell, just warning you," I said.Sarah's face appeared, hair piled messily on top of her head, glasses sliding down her nose. "You're alive! How was it?""Exhausting. Just got home.""Shit, sorry. I