Devon tried not to deal with inter-office e-mails while he was outside of the office, and the one currently on his laptop screen was exactly why. He didn't mind spending a few minutes on a Saturday morning corresponding with a client or vendor, but issues such as the one on his screen at that moment seemed to just sap any good feelings that he had about the weekend right out of his mind.The only reason that he had opened the e-mail from Emily Willis was that it had been sitting in his inbox for three days, and he owed the head of his Human Resources department a timely reply, even if she likely wouldn't see it until she came into her office on Monday morning.Sandy Cox was lodging another employee complaint. Reading the e-mail from Emily, Devon saw that Sandy was upset that her request for a vacation day on the Friday before Memorial Day had been refused by her manager. It was obvious from the manager's explanation why the request had been denied, but Sandy had demonstrated her prope
A major international hotel chain had purchased an oceanfront resort and spent the last year renovating it to become part of their flagship hotel brand. With most of the interior work completed, the new signage was contracted through Coastline Multimedia, which included his company obtaining approval for the signage from the Myrtle Beach Community Appearance Board. This quasi-judicial board reviewed all requests for exterior signs throughout the city and approved or disapproved of these requests based upon guidelines that were often ambiguous and arbitrary.When his project manager had brought the design plans for the new DOtel sign before the CAB, the volunteer board members had taken issue with the style and color, ignoring the fact that these were the hotel's internationally recognized brand identifiers. The project manager attempted to explain that requesting the changes that the CAB wanted would be similar to requiring McDonald's to make the arches for their Myrtle Beach location
"But it's boring at Grandma and Grandpa's house," Alex complained.Aphrodite ruffled his short blond hair, returned to packing her rolling suitcase, and said, "I know it is. That's why Grandma agreed to come over here to stay with you rather than you having to stay at their house. It's nice of her to agree to that, so I expect you to be a good host for her. Can you do that?"The most challenging part of Aphrodite maintaining two separate law offices was the need for her to share time between them. The Myrtle Beach office was still relatively new, but the client list there was growing each month, primarily through corporate clients keeping her on retainer to deal with legal issues involving their employees as they arose. Lana Street had been able to handle the majority of the matters with minimal oversight of her work, but there were certain aspects of building and maintaining a client base that required the boss' personal attention.One such event was the employment law symposium bein
"I'm sorry, Devon, but a woman is calling in on the main switchboard downstairs insisting to speak with you on what she says is a personal matter. She won't give her name and refuses to leave a number. Lyssa has hung up on her twice, but she keeps calling back."Devon glanced up from his computer screen and saw the agitated face of his personal assistant, Sierra Lawton. He knew that her agitation was with her being forced to interrupt him by circumstances beyond her control. Sierra took pride in being a tenacious gatekeeper for Devon's work schedule and would not take kindly to someone trying to get past her.He smiled and said, "That's okay, Sierra, it's almost time for me to break for lunch anyway. Tell Lyssa to put the woman through to me and I'll find out what this is all about.""Are you sure?" Sierra asked dubiously. While Devon had seemed distracted several times over the past few days, it wasn't like him to put even the most minor work detail aside to deal with an unknown such
She was an alpha female and had naturally attracted alpha males all of her life. Those that weren't intimidated by her were usually alphas only to the inferior "pack" of followers that they attracted. The guy in the pub had everyone there courting his favor, and she was certain, willing to follow him anywhere. Why?She had no problem acknowledging that the guy was physically attractive. A person would have to be blind not to realize that, but that attribute could be applied to millions of men. Studies had shown that physical appearances alone would not attract followers. From wolves to humans, research had shown that although the way that an animal looked would draw the attention of others, the behavior and character of an animal is what gained it the acceptance of others as a leader.Here, Aphrodite was at an apparent disadvantage. Other patrons in the pub likely knew the guy or were at least familiar with things about him, as told to them by others. She hadn't had any prior knowledg
"I'm sorry to hear that," Aphrodite said. "What about you, did you play college ball too?""No, I chose to work summers at Coastline while attending Coastal Carolina University. That prevented me from participating in the practice sessions over the summer that would have been necessary to make the team.""How long have you worked at Coastline?" Aphrodite asked. She wanted to gauge whether this guy might be someone she could use for information on the company if the potential cases moved forward.Devon didn't hesitate to answer, "I started working there as a laborer while in high school. I guess that I have done just about every type of job there is to do at Coastline.""You must really like working there," Aphrodite said."I wouldn't want to work anywhere else," Devon assured her. "What type of work do you do?"Hearing her cell phone ringing in her purse, Aphrodite quickly retrieved it. Recognizing Lana's number, she held up one finger to Devon before answering the call.The conversat
After a brief pause for further recollection, she continued, "When my parents questioned her about returning to Coastline the following summers, Athena had assured them that she knew that she would always have a spot at Coastline, whether as an intern or as a future employee. When they questioned her confidence, she had implied that her 'boyfriend' had the clout to ensure her a place there."Lana asked, "But you don't know who the boyfriend was? How do you know that it wasn't this HO guy?""Because," Aphrodite said, "Devon told me that he started working there in high school as a laborer. You tell me, did he look or act like the executive type when you saw him in the pub?""You can't base anything on how he looked while in a place like a pub," Lana countered."Oh, come on," Aphrodite chided. "You've seen his muscles bulging under his shirt. He has the physique of someone who does manual labor, not someone who sits behind a desk all day. I didn't notice how big he was until he walked m
Xavier stared at the woman sleeping in his bed. The past week had been fun, rather more than fun. The spontaneous combustion that the both of them had was nothing like anything he had experienced before. Xavier just wished to be with her every single moment and that was not something which happened normally to him.Maybe it was because they had a rocky start. But that did not matter any longer. What mattered was whether he was going to persuade this or not. And that was something he could make sure only when Aphrodite would call him back. She was his junior when he had gone to college and at that point he had known that apart from her excellent track records in her studies she knew to do somethings else as well. And that was what Xavier needed her services for.Quickly she rolled away, manging to reach the side of the bed before a strong arm looped around her waist and hauled her back against a hot, muscular body.Xavier growled in her ear. “Where do you think you’re going?”Treachero
Cara pursed her lips and then said,” You really think that I am going to tell you anything?”“No I don’t. But I am not above hurting you and you don’t mean anything to me so hurting you is going to be easier and probably be even fun.”“You think you are a man and that is why you are stronger than me?”“There is nothing to question about that. It is a known fact. You are the one who has been kidnapped and not me, so there is actually no point in arguing with me. I can do a lot of things to you, querida and make sure that no one ever finds you again but I am a good man with a good heart. Help me with what I require and I shall make sure you are sent back to Australia safe and sound.”“I know that you are lying. And nothing you say is going to make me believe that..” Cara spat at him as she said the words. Diego wiped his face with the back of his hand and sighed and then back handed her again. Cara knew it was coming and she had already swerved away and his hand did not hit her.She mov
Clubbing is a place for a type of people. Firstly, they had to be rich. Clubbing wasn't a poor man's activity. The cheapest booze inside would be worth twice the expensive brands outside. Everything was outrageously overpriced—not that he cared anyway.Second of all, they had to be a crowd person. Being in an enclosed room full of drunk people isn't exactly a paradise for introverted people. Sure, there wouldn't be much talking. Half of the experience was having conversations you'd barely hear over the booming music, or even remember the next morning because you're wasted as fuck, but there are still people who'd come up to you and talk.So when Xavier saw her, standing awkwardly with her outgoing friend dancing wildly by her side, he knew she didn't belong to this kind of scene. The complete opposite of him; as someone who basically grew up here, Xavier loved everything about the place. It felt like home, more so than any of his mansions, actually.He watched the two women as they he
“I know who you are, Diego. You made the mistake of speaking to me. And now I know that you are the one who is torturing me and has kidnapped me.”There was silence for a while and then all of a sudden the blindfold was taken off from her eyes and Diego was standing there before her in his shirt and trousers. He looked quite normal almost as if nothing had happened and was smirking at Cara.“I am sure you enjoyed that, querida.”“Don’t call me that you freaking bastard. You are nothing else but a vile manipulative..” said Cara as suddenly she was slapped and she could feel her lips split and she was bleeding and she could only feel helpless because her hands were still bound.“Don’t call me names, querida…your mouth was made for far better purposes and not this. You are a lot more important to me that you are ever going to be to my bastard cousin.”“And you are never going to be half the man that Xavier is.”“Whatever you say is not going to make me angry. You are a beautiful woman Ca
Cara struggled desperately, trying to free her hands from the heavy ropes that bound them together behind her back. She couldn’t see anything, thanks to the blindfold which covered most of her face. The ball gag shoved into her mouth prevented her from making much noise at all. When at last she realized the futility of her movements, she lay still and listened.Abruptly she felt the car begin to slow down. Cara’s heart fluttered in fear, wondering where she would be taken. She didn’t have long to wait. Moments later the car rolled to a stop, and a door opened. She was grabbed and hauled roughly out of the car, where she stumbled a bit on unsteady feet. Two hands gripped her shoulders, forcing her to walk quickly and unsteadily forward.She heard a door open. As she stepped through it, her footsteps echoed on what she wagered were hard tile floors. She and her captor proceeded through the room, then stopped suddenly. She heard a bell, followed by the sliding of a door that she realized
Some say, 'From pain comes wisdom,' but Jean had endured a lot over the past weeks and felt no wiser. Her boyfriend left her and it had hollowed out her soul. When she pushed through the door and rang the bell at Trader Dan's, she was hoping to put a bullet in her old life and thumb her nose at the jackass who left her behind.And Trader Dan's is just such a place; where souls are bared, pain will be endured, and whatever healing occurs will be everlasting.As she settled into the proprietor's chair with the tools of the trade laid out neatly on a small table nearby, Trader Dan's resonant voice filled her ears with a tale from another age. It seemed charming but odd to her. Perhaps it was just his effort to entertain his clients or calm frazzled nerves. Regardless, Jean found herself drifting back in time while the man gave her 'wisdom,' prick by prick."Meijuan sang like an angel, and from a very young age her voice would echo in the cavernous St. Ignatius Cathedral in Shanghai. Alth
“Love is really that important for me, Xavier. I know it sounds really stupid to you and you think that if I would just not think about it, things would be better but I cannot imagine spending my life in this way…”“All the time that we spent together, was it that difficult for you? Did you think that I did not care for you one whit? That I don’t wish to make you happy? If this is not all that there is to love then what is it that you want from me?”“Want from you? Xavier, from the moment that I have come here and have stepped into your world I have never wanted anything from. I have just wished for you to know the woman who was my mother and who was your mother as well and you never had the chance to. I never asked you for anything. You showered me with gifts, but those aren’t important to me. Do you know what is?”Xavier remained silent and looked at her darkly.“What is more important to me is the time that you spent with me…not just the love making but all the moments that you wer
Seeing that the stands were filling as the start of the game approached, Ulysses headed toward them to grab and save seats for the rest of the family that would be watching the game while Devon headed for the outfield to call his team into their dugout. At six feet, Alex stood a good head taller than any other player on the team. He looked like an adult being followed by children when the rest of the team fell in behind him as he led them to the dugout.Alex's team would be the visiting team for today's game, so Devon explained the planned batting order to the players before taking his lineup card out to the umpire at home plate. He saw that Aphrodite, Athena, his mother, and mother-in-law had all joined Ulysses in the stands. He heard his daughter squeal when she saw him and paused to wave to her. Athena looked as much like a junior version of her mother as Alex did his father.As had been the trend all season, Alex and his teammates batted around their first at-bat with Alex hitting
She was hopelessly in love.And nothing anyone would say could change the fact ever.Cara stared at Xavier who was sleeping on the bed with his back towards her. Sometime during the night he had woken her up by kissing her and pulling her nipples and then entering her again and again in deep and long strokes and Cara could not do anything but moan and cry out in pleasure.“Come for me, querida…make all those noises for me. You will always know that I was the one who made you cry out of pleasure!”It was so ardently male and so egoistic in nature that Cara thought how could a man be so full of himself, be so arrogant that he was the reason for a woman’s smile or tears. Even though he wasn’t wrong but still, the inherent feministic tendency in her tried saying that this was something that she should let go so easily but looking at him sleeping peacefully after such a night was not something she could agree to. She wished for him to sleep. They had the food that she had cooked and Xavier
"Well, I don't have a fancy car for you to drive to demonstrate my love for you, so I guess you'll have to settle for my undying concern for you and copious amounts of carnal pleasure. That's it! I can drive your Bentley and you get to drive me wild like you did last night."Laughing, Devon said, "That sounds like a win-win. We better get up and start getting ready if we intend to meet your parents on time."Aphrodite didn't move her body from on top of Devon as she reached over to the nightstand and retrieved her cell phone."What are you doing?" Devon asked."I'm texting my mom to let her know to meet us an hour later than we had planned.""Why? Traffic shouldn't be a problem for any of us on a Saturday morning."Finishing her text and returning the cell phone to the table, Aphrodite smiled down and said, "You haven't taken any of my hints, so I'll just have to make my intentions perfectly clear, my love. I intend to verify a suspicion that I have had since waking next to you...""W