SimoneI felt the butterflies in my stomach as I pulled up to the stunning Spanish villa in the Valley. This was another one of Mandy's listings that she'd been having a hard time moving. Our firm had only recently expanded to the Valley, and most of their usual clients wanted to stay closer to the strip. Michael, however, had no real preference for location. He wanted a gorgeous house; it didn't matter where it was or how much money he had to pay. On the one hand, that was good news for me, but on the other, it made it hard to narrow down his interests. I needed to hit it out of the ballpark so I could get him in escrow.I hoped Michael would love the villa, but more importantly, I hoped he would buy any house I showed him and put me out of my misery. The sooner we had a contract signed, the sooner I could think about anything else. He'd been consuming my thoughts since the moment he pulled up at the first house, and as much as I didn't want to, I couldn't stop fantasizing about h
SimoneAs I walked into the office the next day, I felt like everyone was looking at me. It was like walking into a room and realizing that they'd just been talking about you. What could they possibly have to say? I'd been there less than a week, and I was already showing homes to two clients. Maybe I wasn't a candidate for Employee of the Month, but I wasn't doing a terrible job.I looked at Mandy, who just rolled her eyes and shook her head, trying to communicate to me that whatever was going on wasn't a big deal. Of course, that meant that something was going on. There was a heavy weight in my stomach."Hey, girl," Crystal said in that snarky voice of hers. "So brave of you to show your face today!"I rolled my eyes and sat down, shooting her a mean look."What do you mean by that?" I asked warily."Oh, just that you've been showing houses to the richest basketball player in the country, and you haven't sealed the deal yet."I felt my blood run cold, but I knew there w
SimoneHolly Malone was the only agent in the office with her broker's license, besides Jake, of course. It gave her a lot more freedom to pick and choose which houses she could sell. Technically she didn't have to work for Owen's Group, but she was a good friend of Jake's, and she brought in a lot of business. They had a mutual understanding–he never turned down any property she brought him, and she always split the commission with the firm.That's how I ended up standing in the most stunning home I'd ever seen in my life. Home wasn't the right word. It was more like a single-family hotel. It was about thirty thousand square feet and was on the market for sixty million dollars. It was hard to comprehend anyone having money like that to spend on a house.Molly was hosting an open house and all the agents in the firm were invited. More accurately, we were all politely told that our presence was mandatory. There were other agents and brokers from other firms, and it was more of a c
Simone"Oh, my God, you suck at telling stories," Mandy complained as I retold the story for the tenth time that night.The event had officially ended over an hour ago, but apparently, it was a tradition for all the agents from Owens Group to stay after an event like this for a social hour. Frankly, I was exhausted, and my feet hurt. All I wanted was to take a hot bubble bath and freak out over the events of the night by myself. These girls were not going to let me off that easily, though."Okay, so he and his bitchy girlfriend were arguing in the kitchen," Mandy said.The girls "oohed" and "ahhed" as if they hadn't already heard this. Half of them had witnessed it. I did notice with some interest, though, that Crystal had kept her mouth shut."So they're fighting and yelling, and Nick totally storms off and barrels right into Simone," Mandy said excitedly. Her hands were moving wildly as she reenacted her version of events. She was definitely hyperbolizing some things, but I
SimoneIt was hard separating everything else that was going on from my time with Michael. There was something strange about showing him houses and knowing I was also going to be touring houses around town with two other very attractive, wealthy men. Michael was the only client who'd made a real commitment, though. It wasn't that I liked him more than my other two clients; I just spent a lot more time with him. Also, there was the undeniable chemistry between us.When we met up a few days later, we were touring a smaller condo near Rodeo Drive. The commission wasn't nearly as high, but he told me he was considering something smaller for himself, that he may decide to get a home in the valley and a condo in the city. That would be great for me if it happened. One thing at a time, though.I knew the second he got out of his car that this was a mistake. I immediately started fantasizing about him pushing me up against the car and taking me right there. I was dripping wet before h
SimoneIt had been three weeks since Michael left our listing. Or, more accurately, since I begged him to leave. I'd been so guilt-ridden over it, that I barely put in any effort at work. I'd pulled a few more listings for Rob, but we hadn't had a chance to schedule a showing yet. He'd been so busy with some merger that took him out of the country for an entire month.Nick had similarly been hard to nail down. I'd called him not long after the open house, and he told me he was still considering his options. I couldn't help the sinking feeling that I was just on his string. With the stress of it all, I wanted to curl up in my bed and forget the world. It was tempting.I didn't, though. I came into the office every day and showed my face. I smiled at all the girls, especially Crystal, as if I was on top of the world. When they asked how my listings were going, I kept my answers intentionally vague. I tried to engage more in conversations about their listings and recent interactio
SimoneI felt so much lighter after my talk with Mandy. It felt so good to unburden myself and share my deepest insecurities with someone I trusted. It was also good that the person I trusted knew firsthand the problems I was facing. She'd been a struggling agent once too. She'd had to deal with Jake's mean side. Now, she was thriving. I knew that I could achieve the same one day, I just had to keep my head above water.It didn't help when my phone rang as I was driving home from work. The Bluetooth on my dashboard told me Michael was calling. The same Michael I'd forced to leave and fired as my client. The same Michael who'd given me one of my top ten orgasms ever.I answered the phone hesitantly."Simone, thank you so much for taking my call," he said in a rush. "I've been wanting to text you. Or e-mail you. Or send you a carrier pigeon."I giggled at this."I don't like the way we left things. I wanted to give you some time and space to process everything, but it's been
SimoneI took another look at myself in the mirror, making sure I looked okay. I'd chosen to downplay my look because I was so freaking giddy. I was sure if I walked into the office with my normal hair and makeup done, everyone would see my glow. My hair was in a messy bun, and I'd chosen a more natural makeup look. I wore a dark blouse and pencil skirt. My thought process was that if I looked a little more subtle, no one think I looked freshly f*cked.It didn't matter, though. The second I walked into the office, I could tell that everyone was in gossip mode. They were all looking at me and giggling. It reminded me a lot of walking through the restaurant the night before. Rationally, I was sure there was no way anyone could know what happened. Yet, my insecurities reared their ugly head. "You should have just dressed normal," I thought."Well, if it isn't Michael Hightower's new baby mama," Crystal catcalled. I rolled my eyes and took a seat at my desk, my back to her."Wha
NickSimone hadn't come over for two days, but I didn't blame her. I was actually grateful because I was a lot worse off than I thought. I spent most of those two days sleeping and having my assistant bring me food. I'd been f*cking ravenous since I got home.When she finally did come over, though, I was ravenous in a completely different way. We stayed up all night, barely pausing to breathe. There was so much pent-up energy between us after everything that had happened. There were a lot of tears shed. Hers and mine. We agreed to go to counseling because neither of us wanted this experience to control our lives. She admitted that she'd been having nightmares. All the more reason not to sleep.We were lying in bed the next morning, so exhausted but so afraid to close our eyes."I notice your handcuffs are gone," she noted, her eyes heavy with tiredness.I chuckled humorlessly."Yeah, I think I'm a little over that particular kink.""Me too," she admitted with a long ya
MichaelAfter the hospital, I took Simone back to my place and forced her to take a nap. She'd been up all night. She'd insisted that she was fine, but I didn't believe her. She'd been through hell, and I wasn't letting her ignore what her body needed.When she woke up, though, it was clear that what her body needed was me."Hi," she said when she opened her eyes to see me lying next to her."Hi," I answered, and moved over her so I could place a kiss on her lips.It started slow and soft. We hadn't been together in almost a week, so I was desperate for her. I also knew that she'd been through an ordeal, and I didn't want to push her. She put those fears to rest quickly.Her hand was pressed firmly on the back of my head, and she pulled me as close as I could possibly get. Her tongue swirled around my mouth, tasting every inch of the flesh there. She moaned into my mouth and moved to grind her body against mine, clearly wanting to be closer.I knew what she wanted. She wa
NickThe incessant beeping wouldn't stop. It was like a nightmare. I kept feeling around, trying to turn the damn thing off. I grabbed around but didn't find my nightstand. Instead, there was a cold, metal bar and then emptiness.What the hell?I opened my eyes to realize I wasn't in my room, or even in my own home. No, I was hooked up to a machine in a hospital. How did I even get here? Was I dead?No, duh, of course I wasn't dead. They didn't take dead people and hook them up to machines at the hospital. Unless this was hell. There was a very good chance it was hell."You're awake," I heard a voice say sweetly.If I were in hell, this voice certainly wouldn't be here. She was an angel. If I was dead, this was a weird introduction to heaven."Nick," she said more firmly. "Can you hear me?"Simone. Of course. Hers was the sweetest voice I could ever hope to hear."Yeah," I said, realizing my throat was incredibly sore. When was the last time I said anything? "What hap
SimoneNick still hadn't woken up, so I knew Crystal wouldn't do anything to him. I also doubted she'd make a pass at him if he truly protested her advances. She was psycho, but apparently still believed in consent. My biggest fear was what she might do if he did refuse her.I couldn't believe how far-gone Nick still was. They must have given him enough tranquilizer to put down an elephant. It hurt me to see him so helpless. And I was helpless. A million more tears fell from my eyes. I just wanted to go home. I wanted my boys.I was sure I was hallucinating when the door burst open and Michael and Rob ran in. I realized, with startling clarity, that they were, in fact, walking toward me looking horrified.Behind them a group of police officers ran in, guns drawn on Crystal. Rather than putting her hands up, she started laughing hysterically. Psycho bitch.Rob was loosening the gag on my mouth as Michael perched in front of me, reassuring me everything was okay. I could barely
RobI'd had to go home to get my other laptop, which had the right software for what I needed to do. As soon as I had the evidence I needed, I raced to the police station with the USB drive clutched in my hand. On it was all the footage I'd been able to compile of the kidnapping. I'd also managed to get footage of Nick's house with my other software. It wasn't a pretty sight, but it was enough to prove that they were in immediate danger.I walked into the station to find Michael already there, sitting in one of the plastic chairs in the lobby. He looked frustrated and antsy."What's going on?" I asked him."They f*cking want me to go home," he growled. "They said they've got this handled and to let them do their job."I was suddenly furious."What?" I shouted. "Hell no. I'm going to go talk to someone."I went to the front desk, where a very rude officer told me to have a seat and that someone would be with me shortly. I was fuming. Between Michael and me, there was proba
SimoneWhen I opened my eyes, everything was different. It was the same room, I was sure, but Nick was no longer in a chair. Instead, he was handcuffed to a bed. I pulled against my own bindings and felt cold metal rather than itchy rope.The bitch had handcuffed us both.Speaking of, she was laying in the bed next to Nick, wearing a sheer nightie and little else. I wanted to kill her."Don't touch him," I managed weakly.My body was so exhausted, despite the fact that I'd just woken up. I hadn't had anything to eat or drink since I got here. I had no idea what day it was even.Crystal turned slowly to give me a wicked grin."Oh, Simone," she said. "I'm a lot of things, but I would never take advantage of someone sleeping. I'm not a total whore like you.""For f*ck's sake, Crystal," I groaned. "How are you this mad at me? Or this crazy?"She got out of the bed and stood up, staring me down."I'm not f*cking crazy!" she yelled at me. "You're a nasty slut who wants to
MichaelI looked at the clock again, knowing it wasn't going to say anything different. Simone was over an hour late. She hadn't called, hadn't texted. In fact, I hadn't heard from her since she landed. I tried not to let my imagination get away from me; she was probably just in a dead zone or something where her phone wasn't working. Or, maybe she had jet lag and had taken a nap and overslept. I decided to call Nick. Maybe she was still with him. The line rang several times, but he didn't pick up. What the f*ck? I was ready to punch him in the face for making me worry about her, if that's where she was. I can't believe they wouldn't call if she was going to be late for my night.I decided to make another call"What's up Mike?" Rob answered on the first ring."I wish I knew," I said. "Have you heard from Nick?" I was legitimately pissed. He could have at least called if he was planning on taking more time with Simone. "What's going on?" he asked, confused. "What's up w
SimoneThere was a pounding in my head, and I was vaguely aware that something wasn't right. I couldn't quite remember what, though. All I could remember was being on a plane with Nick. Had I fallen asleep? Did we crash and die?No, that wasn't right. We landed. He took me home. He was coming back to see me and…And what?Something had happened to me, but it was just out of my mental grasp. Had I passed out? I'd been really upset about Michael. Michael! I thought he was at the door.Michael wasn't at the door. Nick wasn't at the door. But someone had knocked, right?My head was swimming with thoughts that I couldn't quite hold onto. The second a thought entered my head it was gone again. Everything was hazy and dark.And my legs and arms felt broken. Maybe not broken, but definitely in the wrong place. I must have passed out, that must be what I couldn't remember.I tried to move my arms, but they were stuck. Was I paralyzed? No, not paralyzed. I definitely had the abil
SimoneNick dropped me off at my house, promising to come back and spend the night after he went home and grabbed a few things. I was still reeling from the news and so heartbroken. I truly wondered why these men would risk everything for me. I really wasn't worth it.The first thing I did when I walked through the door was call Mandy."Hey, babe," she said brightly. "I thought you'd be too busy buried in Nick Morgan's taint to call me tonight.""Mandy," I sobbed, and her tone instantly changed to concern."What's going on, Simone? Who do I need to kill?""Michael is getting cut from the team because of me," I told her miserably. "The new team owners think our relationship is bad for their brand.""They f*cking what?" she roared. "Oh, that's bullshit! I bet we could file a lawsuit against them."I could picture her getting on her computer to start Googling the legalities of the action. It wouldn't matter, though. One way or another, Michael's job was in jeopardy because