And that gives me enough courage to settle in and fasten my seat belt. “Here’s the thing,” I say. “I’m not getting out. So, we can keep arguing and both be late, or we can stop arguing and both get there on time. Either way, we’re doing it together.” Nathan sizes me up, from my black flats, to my itchy gray suit, to my blond curls tied back in a ponytail, to the mutinous set of my jaw. For the first time all morning, I get the sense that he’s really seeing me. For some reason, the idea makes my pulse speed up. “Are you trying to tell if I’m bluffing?” I ask. “No,” he says shortly. “I don’t gamble.” He leans forward, meeting the driver’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Drop me off first. There’s an extra hundred in it for you.” “Drop me off first,” I say. “Please. I can’t be late. I can give you...” I rack my brains, “a pumpkin spice bagel.” “You’re both going to the same block,” the driver says, in a voice that suggests his day has already been far too long. “Oh.” I hesitate. “D
It’s distressing that I’ve spent enough time with this man to have a “usual.” My mind flashes to all the stories my parents told me about New York murderers to try to keep me from moving all the way out here after college. They pick a random woman off the street, then follow her, and by the time she realizes there’s something wrong, it’s too late.Granted, most of mom’s horror stories were from the 80s. Except there was that one true-crime podcast last year about the elevator murderer. They never caught him. “You forgot to hit the button for your floor,” I say, my voice coming out squeakily. “Unfortunately for one of us,” he says, “I didn’t.” Jesus fucking Christ. I angered a serial killer by stealing his coffee and now I’m going to die in an office elevator on my first day of work. Is that danger in his eyes? It looks like danger. He definitely looks like he wants to do violence to someone. And I’m the only someone here. Heart pounding, I discreetly slip my hand into my purse
I stand and leave without bothering to say goodbye.It’s just after 3:00 p.m. when my assistant Lucia steps into the office and coughs discreetly. In one of her many stylishly asymmetrical loose black suits and her signature brunette pixie cut, she In addition to being a flawless administrative assistant, she can get information out of anyone.Also, she’s on my side.Everyone at the company can be divided into basically two camps: the people on my dad’s side, and the people on mine. My side has most of the admin team (since I don’t patronize them), the accounting department (since I care about little things like tax law and financial solvency), and generally all the account managers, copywriters, and project managers who are actually good at their jobs. My dad’s side has the sales team, everyone who likes reminiscing about the good old days more than doing their jobs, and a few ambitious kiss-ups in account management who appreciate how easy my dad is to manipulate. Also weirdly the
And then Nicole straightens her shoulders, nods, and does what I say.It’s a small victory, but it’s satisfying as fuck.NicoleNathan gestures for me to take a seat so I do, waiting for him to do the same. I can’t tell if the fact that he wants to keep talking means my apology worked...or is about to blow up in my face.I imagine going home to my cat and explaining we have to take him off wet food because Mamma lost another job.I should have adopted a cat with less expensive taste.Instead of sitting down with me, Nathan walks around to my side of the desk and leans back against it, crossing his arms.Oh good. He’s loomer.I can’t tell if it’s a calculated attempt to look more powerful, or if he just has no idea how casually imposing he is. But from this angle he looks impossibly tall. He also ditched the suit jacket sometime in the past few hours, and now he’s got his shirtsleeves rolled up to expose some very nice forearms.Not that I’m looking.I mean, I’m looking at him. But not
Nathan studies me, so I study him right back. I feel like I’m out on a ledge. I’venevertold a boss no.Much less a boss like Nathan. His eyes might be the most intense thing I’ve ever seen. Which is weird. They’re just eyes, right?I’m about to blink when he leans back, crossing his arms.“Fine. We’ll limit it toonefavor. Most of this project will happen in the next week. But I may request small additions over the next two months.”That means he’s preparing this secret project for something that will happen in two months. I know I should nod and keep my mouth closed. Maybe I could, with someone else. But I’m weirdly curious about this man. “What happens in two months?”“None of your business,” Nathan says.Fine. If he doesn’t want to tell me, I’ll just ask the other graphic designers.I stand up to go. I need to think. And I can’t seem to think clearly in his presence.“I didn’t say you could go,” Nathan says, and myGodthe man is arrogant.I turn back to him and raise my chin. “You kn
I want to groan. This is not what I signed up for when I took this job. I wanted to keep my head down while I saved money and made the connections I’ll need to start my own graphic design business in a year or two.Once I’m working for myself, no one will be able to fire me. No one will be able to make me feel small. No one will be able to make me start over, over and over again.But before I can get to that Someday,I have to choose sides in a corporate power play.I look at the clock. My body tenses at the thought of facing down Nathan again. Even if, this time, we’re going to be on the same team.I check to make sure no one’s paying attention to me, and head to his office.No sense putting off the inevitable.“Come in,”Nathan growls when I open the door.I guess the growling isn’t personal since he has no way of knowing it’s me. Yet.He’s just a grumbly sort of person.And maybe, after the stuff I’ve read about his dad, I understand it a little bit. Imagine having to run a company w
I squash the thought and bite my own tongue to re-establish my boundaries. Which means keeping her in the dark as much as possible.“I never said this presentation was for internal use,” I say, misdirecting.Nicole stiffens. “Are you saying this is for a public presentation?”I drink my coffee, impassive.“Why didn’t you tell me that?” she asks, her stress rising exponentially.Her vehemence catches me off guard. Setting aside her occasional flirtation with serial killer fantasies, it seems out of character for her.“It doesn’t change anything,” I hedge.“Of course it changes things,”Nocole says, frustrated. I notice the dark half-moon shadows under her eyes. “If you’re sharing this publicly, it could end up on the internet forever. It could end up with your competition. That shifts us from offense design to defense design, especially if you’re going up against your dad and his cronies.”She half moves to bury her hands in her hair, but she stops and smooths them flat on the table.Wh
Ten minutes later, all her food is gone, and she’s drunk two cups of coffee.“Ok,” Nicole admits. “It’s possible I was a little hangry.”I’m on the verge of telling her she needs to take care of herself when I stop myself. She’s not my family, she’s not even a friend. She’s an employee I’ll hardly ever interact with directly once this presentation is finished.So instead I drawl, “How generous of you to allow the possibility that I’m right.”Nicole raises one shoulder in a cheeky shrug. “So, about the presentation—”“The bachelorette party’s a non-issue,” I say.“Why are we still talking about this?”“Because we need to dispense with the distractions so you can focus on what’s important,” I say. “When’s your party?”“Next Friday,” she sighs.Good. Plenty of time. “You’ll have it at the queens city Club,” I decide. “The owner owes me a favor.”She laughs. Then notices my face. “Oh. You’re serious.”I feel weirdly off balance. I thought the Queens city club was a good idea. I can’t reme
"I don't know what to think anymore Nathan. This is all just like a nightmare. I may never see her again, or my child. The thought scares me more than anything.""Don't lose hope my friend. I am certain that we will find Nicole eventually. Nothing bad has happened to her. Nicole is a strong lady; she can survive anything. I have a very good feeling that she's doing well. We will find her soon."NICOLE"Ash! Are you leaving already?" Claudia asked, coming into the house. She carried a bag with her, containing some items. Claudia is my close friend from college."Yes Claudia, my presentation at work starts in an hour." I was packing my bags, ensuring that I'm not missing anything. I checked to make sure that my health insurance card and phone are in the bag. I was going to visit the hospital right after work for my prenatal care. The hospital was just a few miles away from where I work.Four months have passed since I had met Claudia at the O’Hare airport as soon as I got into the city.
"He left? Where did he go to? Did he say where he was going?" I asked frantically."No, sir. He didn't mention where he was going. He only packed up his stuff and started leaving in a hurry, he was trying to call someone on the phone as he left"."Are you Ok, sir?" One of the employees asked. I ignored her and thought of what I could do next.It had been 3 months since Nicole disappeared with no trace and I hadn’t been able to get hold of Justin, either. He also left IM Corp after taking a few days off after that day.I received Justin’s contact information and tried to have face to face conversations with him several times, but there was no response from him. Eventually, I hired a private investigator to help me find them. One day, they informed me that they had found Justin working at another tech company, Sinews and living in a new apartment in the city.I cancelled my meetings for the rest of the day and hurried over to see Justin at Sinew with Nathan."Welcome to Sinews. How may
"How official!" He mocked, shielding his body from another violent hit from me."You're just crazy. Please don't forget to get me the plane ticket. I'll be all packed up and waiting for you to return this evening"."Alright. I'll be leaving now. I made you breakfast. Try not to throw up, please. It took me an hour to make those waffles.""An hour? Just to make waffles? Did you use sunlight to cook them?" I rolled my eyes at him. "All for some tasteless waffles."“Hey, if they were tasteless maybe you should save some for me. I didn’t want all that effort to go to waste.” He left the room while I laughed. I was certainly going to miss Justin. That is for sure!NATHAN"What happened? I heard Nicole resigned.” Nathan stormed into my office. I was totally in shock."What are you talking about? You informed me she was feeling unwell yesterday and asked for a sick leave. Isn't that why she still didn't turn up for work today? I checked her office today, but she wasn't there"."Yeah, yeah. I
“You are the most amazing man in the world. Do you know that? Wait. Don’t answer. I already know what you’re going to say.” A smile fell upon her lips.“Damn right, I am.” I kissed her.Our wedding was a blast. Between the alcohol, great conversations, and all the dancing everyone did, we all had a great time.I was talking with my brothers and cousins when Henry and Aunt Barb walked over.“Boys. I’m happy you’re all together. There’s something I need to tell you.”“What’s up, Mom?” Stefan asked.“Henry asked me to marry him, and I’ve accepted his proposal.” She held out her hand.“WHAT?” Simon spit out his drink.My brothers and I looked at each other and didn’t say a word.“Mom, are you serious?” Sam asked.“Very serious. Do you not see the diamond on my finger, Samuel?”“You haven’t known each other that long,” Sebastian said.“It doesn’t matter if we knew each other for a week. When you know you’re meant to be with someone, you know. Isn't that right, darling?" She kissed his chee
“Good. Then I’ll be connecting your credit card to my Amazon account.”“Now, now, Nicole. Let’s not get all crazy.”She laughed as I pulled her into me.“Shall we go greet our guests and thank them for coming to our wedding?” she asked.“Yeah. Let’s go.” I grabbed her hand. “I can’t wait to introduce you to everyone.” I smirked.“Very funny.”NICOLEAfter the DJ announced us, we stepped into the ballroom while all of our guests shouted and clapped.“I’m going to grab a drink. Do you want a water or something?” Nathan asked.“Water would be great.”“I’ll be right back.” His lips met mine.“In case I haven’t told you. You look gorgeous.” Jackson smiled as he kissed my cheek.“Thank you, brother-in-law.” I grinned.“Hey, bro.” Conner walked over and handed me my drink.“This place looks as beautiful as it did when Georgia and I got married,” Jackson said.“Thanks. I did a good job, didn’t I?” A grin crossed Conner’s lips.“Excuse me?” I laughed.“What?” He cocked his head. “You were stil
“Thank you.”“Gabriel. Grayson.” She walked over and hugged them. “It’s good to see you both again.”“Good to see you too, Barb.” Grayson smiled.“So, Mom.” Simon walked over and hooked his arm around her. “We’re going to have a little chat once the wedding is over.”“A chat about what, Simon?”“About you and what’s going on.”“Nothing is going on, darling. Put your detective instincts away.” She patted his chest. “I’ll see you boys in the Gardens.”“Your bowtie is crooked.” Nathan walked over and straightened it. “Are you ready?” He gripped my shoulders."Are you? Your day will be here before you know it.”“Speaking of,” Jackson spoke. “Have you and Sofia set a date yet?”“No. Not yet. We’re discussing it.” He smiled.“It’s time,” Christian said as he glanced at his watch. “Let’s go get you married.” He patted my back.* * *I stood there with my brothers and cousins and wasn’t nervous. This day almost didn’t happen for two reasons. One was because we weren’t sure if Nicole was going
I think about it for a moment and realize that I really should focus on building my relationship with my Fiancee and baby daddy. We can do all of that later but now we should focus on knowing each other.Even though we should think of focusing on our upcoming project. He cocks his head slightly. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?I love you and I want to be with you and who knows? I could die before you.”Nathan glares at me. “Don’t talk about dying,” he replies angrily.“But it’s the truth, anything can happen so the age difference doesn’t bother me.”Nathan exhales. “What about your parents then? We should meet them again ?”Laughing, I shake my head. For what?. But I stopped letting them tell me how to live my life a long time ago. They are just going to have to accept you and love you like I do.” I smile at him and lean forward to kiss him.The kiss grows deeper, but Nathan pulls away before it can turn into something more. “If you weren’t so sore right now, I would take you right h
Her back bows,body quivering and thighs clenching as our bodies grow slick with heat and sweat. Soon enough, she stiffens and shatters in my arms, reaching that desired peak for the second time in minutes.I watch her with adoration,marveling at how extraordinary she looks right now as she rides her pleasure. Groaning loudly now, with her name on my lips, I follow her swiftly, thrusting with careless abandon until we are both riding that high.Later that night,after whipping up something for us to eat, I feed it to Nicole with one hand while grazing her hip with my other hand.After chewing and swallowing,she clears her throat and stares at me curiously. “What made you change your mind?” She asks.“What do you mean?”I reply, handing her another bite which she takes in her mouth.“Well,maybe you cast you spell on me, I am not doing al of this because of the baby alone but because I believe you will be the best daughter to Kiera and our unborn and I love you so much.”I drop the plate o
Slowly,my hands trail her upper body and settle on her breasts. Gently I squeeze both just as my mouth peppers kisses along her neck. She quivers, moaning loudly as my mouth descends on her nipple. Never before have I felt this way with any woman, not even Bridget whom I once loved.Although everything is happening so fast,I make sure to remain gentle with her and I take my time caressing her body, learning every inch of it. I am just as eager to pleasure her as much as I am pleasured, if not more.Suddenly,I pick her up and rise from the couch with her thighs wrapped around me. I carry her towards the bedroom she slept in the last time we were here. Once we’re in there, I place her feet gently on the floor and drop a kiss on her forehead before proceeding to pull off my own clothes and underwear.I guideher to the perfectly made bed and help her lie on it before going to lie beside her. “You are an enigma, Nicole, so beautiful,” I whisper into her ear as I begin to trail my mouth acr