Alex
The lock stuck—it always had. Even when my father was alive, he'd jiggle the key with impatience, cursing under his breath when visitors weren't around. I'd inherited his hands, long-fingered and precise, but not his tolerance for imperfection.
I twisted the key again, feeling the lock finally give. The door to his study swung open on silent hinges—the one thing in this house that had always been meticulously maintained. The scent hit me immediately: leather, pipe tobacco, and the faint chemical sweetness of the cologne he'd worn for thirty years. After five years, it should have faded. Sarah's theory was that Mrs. Nora, our family's housekeeper since before I was born, refreshed it periodically. A ghost kept alive through scent.
I hadn't set foot in this room since the reading of his will. Hadn't wanted to. Our brownsto
I set the journal aside, standing to pace the room. Outside, Manhattan continued its perpetual motion—cars honking, people shouting, life flowing around this mausoleum of secrets. I moved to the window, watched a couple arguing on the sidewalk below. Something ordinary and human.The legal pads were next. While the journals contained my father's composed thoughts, the legal pads held his working notes. Those were messier, more immediate, less filtered. I flipped through pages of business calculations, meeting notes, and random observations.Then I found it. Notes dated two weeks after my abandonment in the mountains:Ranger interview – Victoria's story seems inconsistent with the terrain and timeline. The separation appears deliberate based on witness statements. It occurred in an area she was famili
MayaMy phone vibrated against the kitchen counter while I was inhaling my first coffee of the day. I glanced at the screen and nearly choked on the scalding liquid—Caroline Kingston. The woman who hadn't attempted direct contact since I'd told her she wasn't my mother anymore.I let it ring four times, debating whether to answer. Curiosity won out. Or maybe masochism."Hello, Mother." I kept my voice neutral, betraying nothing."Maya, darling!" Her voice dripped with the artificial warmth I'd grown up before Daniel. "It's been too long."I didn't respond to the obvious bait. The silence stretched between us until she cleared her throat."We saw the announcement about Giuseppe making you his heir. Congratulations! We always knew you could achieve something like this. Your father and I always believed in you."Right. It took then this long to talk about it, and this was the same father and mother who'd called me ungrateful, stupid, and selfish. Who'd watched as Daniel slowly crushed my
FionaMy back ached. Three hours hunched over the printouts had left a knot between my shoulder blades that no amount of stretching would fix. I backed away from the hotel wall, blinking at my creation—photos, schedules, maps, and sticky notes connected by red yarn. Two weeks of work for a single day.Maya's stupid foundation launch.The ice in my glass had melted, bourbon watered down to nothing. I drank it anyway, the tepid liquid burning less than it should. My fifth? Sixth? I'd lost count.My phone vibrated against the nightstand, screen lighting up the darkening room. Mother. Again. The third time in twenty minutes.Have you secured press credentials yet? We need eyes inside that event.
The morning of the foundation launch arrived with perfect weather, because of course it did. Blue skies, gentle breeze, not too hot for the mountain setting. Like the universe itself was rolling out the red carpet for Maya-fucking-Vega.My stomach churned as I pulled into the makeshift parking area at the base of the mountain. Luxury SUVs and hired cars lined the gravel lot, ferrying the fashion elite to Maya's childhood cabin, now transformed into the headquarters of her foundation.I checked my reflection in the rearview mirror, applying another layer of concealer to the shadows under my eyes. The morning's pill had kicked in, giving my movements a jittery precision. I'd taken more than usual. But it was necessary. I needed the extra edge today.The press credential hanging around my neck felt heavy, like a millst
MayaI stared at my reflection in the small mirror of what used to be Mami Lulu's bedroom. The space had been transformed into a preparation area, with track lighting and sleek surfaces that would have made her laugh."¿Qué es esta tontería?" What is this nonsense? she would have said, hands on her hips. "You need the sunlight to see the true colors, mijita, not these fancy bulbs. ¡Qué ridículo!"The thought of her voice made my throat tighten. She should have been here today.The dress I wore cost more than Mami Lulu had spent on clothes in a decade—a deep blue silk that caught the light like water, with subtle glass bead detailing along the neckline that
Alex stood before me in a suit that fit him like a second skin, the fabric outlining broad shoulders that tapered to a narrow waist. His cologne hit me first—something woodsy and expensive that made my body respond before my brain could intervene. I found myself staring at his mouth, remembering how it had felt against mine that night in his office, wondering if he'd taste the same now. Heat crawled up my neck as my mind wandered to places entirely inappropriate for a professional event. The way his hands would feel against my skin. How his weight would press against me. What sounds he might make if I—The silence between us stretched a beat too long. Something flickered across his expression—hurt, perhaps, or disappointment—and I realized he had definitely heard what I'd said to Grandfather. I hadn't said anything wrong, exactly, but I hadn't expected him to be standing right there
FionaMy body felt strangely hollow as I leaned against a far wall, watching Maya work the room. The pills had worn off, leaving me in a liminal space—not quite high, not fully crashed. Just empty.Blake appeared beside me, notepad in hand. He'd found me moments after I'd stumbled out of the restroom, my face still hot from that encounter with Maya's friend."You okay?" he asked, not really looking at me. His attention bounced around the room like a pinball, hunting for someone more important.Before I could answer, his posture changed—straightening, eyes sharpening. "She's here," he murmured, already drifting in Maya's direction.Of course. Maya. Always Maya.I grabbed his arm,
The strain of sleepless nights hit me all at once, a wave of fatigue that made the room tilt slightly. With the pills worn off, my body was demanding payment for the chemical credit I'd been living on. I could walk away now—just turn around, go home, and collapse into bed. Let my parents handle their own shit. They clearly hadn't needed me in the first place.But Daniel's face flashed in my mind. His eyes when he'd said he trusted me. The way he'd leaned forward in that sterile visiting room, voice low and certain: "You're the only one who understands what needs to be done."I straightened my shoulders and arranged my features into the smile I'd perfected over the years—warm, slightly self-deprecating, harmless.My mother's spine went rigid the moment my arm slid around her waist. I could feel her instinct to pull a
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
My phone buzzed in my clutch, the vibration traveling up my arm. I pulled it out automatically—three missed calls from Mother, two from Father, and a text: Update?I flinched, shoving the phone back into my bag. The movement was too fast, too telling."They really have you on a short leash, don't they?" Maya observed, her voice softening with something dangerous close to pity."It's not like that." The lie sounded hollow even to my own ears."What happens if you fail?" she asked, and something in her tone made me think she already knew the answer.The rustle of clothing and scent of expensive cologne announced a new presence before I could respond. I turned to find Maya's
The mountain cabin felt empty as the last guests left, their voices fading away. I stood in the back corner, holding a warm champagne I hadn't touched, watching Maya from behind a display case. The lights were dimmer now, making shadows stretch across the floor. The air smelled of perfume, wine, and that metallic smell from the glass-working station.Maya stood near the central display, amber lights catching in her hair as she gathered a small portfolio of papers. Her shoulders rolled once, the only sign she was tired after hours of smiling at people. For the first time all day, she was momentarily alone—Alex had stepped outside with a group of investors, their voices floating through the open doorway. Her stylish friend who'd confronted me in the bathroom was across the room, telling staff where to put things. The lawyer friend who seemed glued to Maya's side was talking with the venue manager, both looking at a tablet.The sweat on my forehead felt cold. My last pill high had long f