And now we are off to the ball! Get ready for some excitement and drama!
[Micah] Gods, she’s so beautiful. She’s always lovely, but tonight, framed in moonlight, she is a vision. We are riding in the back of a limo tonight. We are showing off a bit tonight, even Roger is in a formal suit rather than his usual khaki pants and jacket. My maman outdid herself with Charlotte's gown. The way the pleated bodice gives way to a fitted skirt with just the right amount of slit to be both dangerously sexy while remaining demure is an art in itself. The silk is hand-beaded and rhinestoned, so when she turns just so, the dress seems to glimmer with pinpricks of light. Her arms are covered with opera-length gloves, a shade of nude only slightly lighter than her skin, that are adorned with small pearls giving her skin the appearance of being naturally bejeweled. Her makeup is impeccably applied, making her eyes appear larger and brighter. Juniper also did an excellent job styling her hair and jewelry. Charlotte's thick black tresses have been tamed and curled, t
[Charlotte] It was strange watching the transformation take hold of him. Step by step, as we approached the open theater of towering arches, the marble dome lit with lanterns and fairy lights like something out of a dream, the man I love slipped behind an impenetrable mask and became someone else. Not Kane, not Micah, or at least not the Micah that I know and love. This is Mr. McKaine CEO and founder of MMK Industries. This is a man who can make or break the fortunes of others with a well-placed comment or investment. "Take my arm," he instructs. "You are technically my date." I blush everywhere. Date. We are out together on a very public date. "Now remember our roles. Here we are not equals. You are not my wife-to-be. You are my PA. Your job is to take notes and bring coffee. But tonight, I asked you to be my date because my girlfriend, Maven, and I recently broke up." I nod so that he can see my expression but do not reply with words. I'm trying to absorb my instructions w
[Charlotte] Our heads swing around. Micah gives Andy a scathing look but does not deny his request. Instead of using words, he merely grunts his approval turning his back to the both of us as he heads towards a group of potential investors. "Bring me a champagne cocktail and have last year's profit share numbers ready." he hollers at me over his shoulder. He is making it pretty easy for me to fake hate him. Scowling at Micah's back as he walks across the room, I turn all of my attention to Andy, who is smirking at my discomfort. Thinking of Andy's expression later tonight when he learns that our divorce is final, I turn on my sunniest smile and say, "Good Evening, Andy. Fancy meeting you here." He smiles at my pretense, buying it as truth. Holding out his arm he says "Care to dance with me, Mrs Slate? Then there is someone I'd like you to meet." Taking his hand graciously, I allow him to lead me onto the crowded dance floor. He pulls me in tightly and I try to think of the man
[Charlotte]“I would offer you my hand, but I would not want to draw the unwanted attention of your employer,” his stingy grin is thin, giving nothing but the barest reminder of a smile. “I am finally pleased to meet you in person. Of course, I am already quite familiar with your appearance.”Something must have shown on my face because he started to laugh.“I’ve had you thoroughly investigated, of course,” his laughter is reedy and high-pitched. “I’m sure McKaine did something similar when he brought you on board. Those of us with a lot to lose like to make sure we aren’t surrounding ourselves with sharks we do not know.” I remember that I’m supposed to be charming him, so I return his smile. “Are you calling me a shark?” I query. “I assure you, Mr. McAllister, I do not bite.”His eyes travel up my body, starting with my feet and working their way up in that assessing way that men have, when our gazes meet he gives me a genuine sideways smile. “That’s a pity. Are you sure?”“Well,”
[Charlotte]Andy’s face is almost amusing if it weren’t so pathetic. His eyes are wide with fear while his mouth is drooped open in shock as if he never expected this day to come. The day when Micah McKaine finally got tired of his bullshit. Seeing Micah towering over him is terrifying. Like watching lightning before it strikes. The two blond women who had walked over with him take a step back, giving the two men a wide berth. Just a moment ago they were hanging all over Micah, and now they were slowly backing away.Something about this situation doesn't feel right. "Whaa...wait...why?" Andy stares up at Micah, confused. "What did I do wrong? I was just talking to my wife."Micah lifts his arm and looks like he is about to punch Andy when instead he does something even more shocking and unexpected.Micah claps him on the back like an old buddy and starts laughing. Not a small laugh either. It is a big, long, deep cackle. He leans his entire body weight on Andy, which makes Andy's kn
[Charlotte] I grabbed Micah’s fallen phone and contacted Roger. I didn’t have to say much, he knew that if I was calling him on Micah’s phone, it must be something vitally important. Roger came immediately. I was playing the part of the concerned employee, although I’m sure I was doing a terrible job of it, especially considering I needed to be practically dragged off of his body. If people didn’t know I was in love with him before that moment, they are either willfully blind or purposefully ignorant. Which I guess describes Andy to a T. As Micah’s bodyguards hoisted him out of the room, Andy grabbed my arm, holding me back. “Let me go, Andy,” I twist out of his grasp. “I need to go with him I need to…” “No you don’t,” Andy insists. “We’re free of him now, don’t you see? The poison…” “Poison,” the word comes out like a strangled hiss. “Who? Did you…?” “No,” he grinned, “But a little birdy from up north told me that this could be a possibility… that is if he liked what he s
[Charlotte]I still have an hour until I need to meet McAllister. An hour to process my evening and prepare myself to be who I need to be to survive what comes next. Violetta and I spend some of that time discussing our plan. With McAllister meeting me at the tarmac with his private jet and sending along this invitation, it is obvious that he plans on taking me back to Portland with him. Rather than allow him to take me by surprise, I will arrive ready. But I can't look too ready, so I won't be able to bring much more than myself. "He'll want to at least appear like he has the upper hand," Violetta shrugs. "With men like him it is all about ego. Besides, bringing luggage will look suspicious."Since I won't have more than my purse, and anything I take with me might be confiscated at any time, Violetta put trackers in very creative places, some so intimate I hope he doesn't check for them. She also gives me two phones. One phone to use more obviously, and another sewn into the linin
[Andy] When I got home this evening, there was a message waiting for me on my phone and a packet of paperwork in my mailbox. “Bad news, Andy,” my lawyer droned. “Your divorce is final and you have lost all parental rights as well. She has also been awarded the house and all of your assets. You are penniless, Andy. And if I were you, I'd start looking for a new place to live. Preferably by the end of the week." I open the envelope. Eviction papers. The bitch is kicking me out of my own house! “Fuck!” I scream at my phone. Not that my idiot lawyer could hear me. Why was I paying that asshole if he couldn't even do his goddamn job for five goddamn minutes? “McKaine did this! Fucker thinks he can steal my wife!” Charlie wasn't smart enough to fuck me over this completely. This has Micah's fingerprints all over it. It is going to feel so good to fuck him over when this all comes apart at his feet. I punch a hole in the wall. If she wants this house so bad, I'll make it worth her t
[Charlotte]I don't remember much after that moment when I first attacked McAllister. I was lost in the moment, avenging my fallen friend, making sure that he didn't get up ever again. And then I felt a sting on my back and a rush of heat. I fell to the ground and the rest faded into nothing. When I woke up in the hospital two days later and Juni was by my side, I thought I must be dead. But I wasn't. She isn't dead, and neither am I. An hour or so later, Micah arrives in the room smelling clean and looking tidy, his arms full of dozens of chrysanthemums in shades of gold and white. "A gift, from the Masumotos, " he explains as he sets them down next to my bed. Juni kisses me on the cheek and says she'll see me later as she leaves Micah and me alone. "The girls are fine," he says as he takes a seat, "And as you can see, so is Juni. Everyone is safe."I nod. It's all starting to feel like a bad dream. A nightmare I didn't think I'd wake from. "Was it ever Juni in that room?" I ask
[Micah][Earlier that evening]Stepping out of my car, I am flanked by my crew as together we walk straight into the dragon's den. Our enemy, McAllister, is going down tonight. We aren't alone as we approach the landing. It seems that McAllister called in all of the faction heads to attend his VIP event. Even the current head of the Skeleton Crew is here, Bones LeRoux bringing full Louisiana flair, from his checkered suit to his ivory-topped cane. Mobs bosses and gang leaders from across the country all gathered in one place. McAllister is planning something. Something big. Maybe this wasn't just about MMK Industries. Does McAllister have plans for a global expansion? "Nah," I say to myself, realizing the truth. "He's just trying to show off." Roger, standing next to me, nods in agreement. For a man who is outwardly plain and prefers to remain unnoticed, he does have a way of making himself showy when he needs to. As soon as we pass the threshold to his mansion, the drab exterior
[Charlotte]The flight over was grim. We are not going to Portland on holiday--it is a rescue mission. Micah and I stayed next to one another, but I couldn't cuddle in his arms the way I'd prefer. We both had to be generals of this little rag-tag army of ours. I have my girls, my Blue Diamonds, and he has his Angels and his soldiers, his troops on the ground. There would be time for snuggling later. If we all survive this. And if we don't, I guess we'll have to find each other in the next life. As soon as we land we'll be going our separate ways. He'll be taking his people to the Tattooed Walls. We'd be McAllister's guests in one of his hotels.Our time went by much too quickly. It felt like a blink Holding my hand, we disembarked together, Micah refusing to let go of me until he had no other choice. Waiting on the tarmac were two cars heading in different directions. If all goes well, we'll be back here tonight, on our way home.And if it doesn't...Using our intertwined hands as
[Micah]I do not like this plan of Charlotte's. It is too dangerous. She is putting too much at risk, even surrounded by her Blue Diamonds. As part of the plan she made with McAllister, she and her girls will be providing "entertainment" for him and a few choice guests. "A private, intimate party for only the very best customers." Just the thought of her in a room with his kind of people makes my heart race and my vision blur with fear and anger."I'm counting on you to make the most of the time we give you," Charlotte demands, holding my face between her hands as she looks me dead in the eyes. "My girls and I can take whatever he dishes out, don't you worry about us. He isn't going to expect that a bunch of strippers are also cold-blooded assassins. But we are only the distraction. We need you and your boys to get us out of there safe."I think she is underestimating him, which is why I need to make sure my part of the plan goes flawlessly. As soon as we touch down, I kiss my beau
[Charlotte]My blood is still boiling after seeing what that bastard did to his own daughter. It is ten times worse than any humiliation that I ever faced by Andy's hand, and it is her father pulling the strings. Did he make her watch Kenji suffer too? Was she in the room when her father's men cut off his ear? We're going to save Sasha and Kenji. And then we're going to burn it all down. But how do we slay this sick dragon? Micah wants to go in full guns blazing, the Masumoto clan at his back. Grandma Masumoto is down for this plan, angry that her favorite grandson has been captured and so thoroughly disrespected. She's already called the cousins in Yokohama. They'll be flying directly to Portland and arriving tomorrow morning. I have another, more subtle plan, one that I hope will distract McAllister enough for Micah to be successful in our little coup.Pitching my idea to him, he tenses. "I don't like this, Mon Ange. I don't want to put you in that demon's grasp." "You'll be ju
[Charlotte]"Can you sign for this?" A smiling young man approached the main desk. I was passing through and our receptionist, Claire, handed it to me. Sasha was out today, so I took the package. Weirdly, she didn't call in, but knowing Kenji's plans for her last night, I'm sure they're still busy "resting" in bed this morning. I can already imagine the wedding. She'll be such a beautiful bride. After thanking Claire, I see that it is made out to Mr. and Mrs. McKaine. Rubbing my finger across the postmark, I can't help but glow. We're really married. It's still so hard to believe, even though I wake up next to him every morning snuggled into his warmth after a night of endless lovemaking. You'd think learning I am pregnant with his twins would cool his ardor--mission accomplished! He's so virile he succeeded in knocking me up twice over. But no, if anything he's even more passionate, even more determined to show me his love every day. "You are so beautiful," he likes to tell me eac
[Sasha]My father has never been a gentle man. Nor has he ever shown compassion to anyone, not true compassion. Not even to his daughter. I grew up knowing that I am not blood-related, that he picked me from a selection of surrogates pregnant with children they didn't want. He didn't want to leave his physical legacy in the world. I was just something for him to control and mold. Love wasn't part of the deal.To be honest, I don't know if he's capable of such a complex emotion. Or any true emotions. He wears masks that people find believable to convince him that he is interested in them and that he cares about anything they have to say, but it is all an act. Just another part of his carefully curated self-image. Just like me--just another prop to make him more "likable" and "relatable." Most children turn to their parents when they need comfort. I never had that instinct, or more precisely, I was never allowed to develop that kind of attachment. The only people who were with me cons
[Charlotte]Humming to myself, I walk to the break room, take a slice of some "welcome home cake," that the office had presented to us this morning, and grab a nice cup of coffee. The cake tastes amazing. I've hardly been able to keep anything down lately and my body needs the calories. Apparently, this baby likes sugar because I am able to eat the entire piece without even the smallest touch of indigestion. Taking a sip of my coffee to cut the sweetness, I start to choke. Fighting back the urge to vomit, I force myself to keep it all down. Fine, no coffee. My girls gave me similar trouble. They didn't like any caffeinated beverages. I couldn't even drink a cup of green tea. "Babies suck," I look at my coffee sadly as I text Micah to let him know our appointment is in 45 minutes. "Meet me in the garage in 10 minutes," I text as a follow-up. Tossing my coffee, I groan. I could have used that jolt of energy.I don't even make it to the elevator before Micah has his hand around my wa
[Charlotte]Things are different when I come into the office the next day. My morning starts normally enough. Micah is already off for his day, gone in early to take care of some "urgent business," and I'm to come in a bit later after dropping off the girls at their new school. My new driver, Agnes, is the latest addition to the Blue Diamonds, and like Roger is to Micah, she will be my constant companion and driver. "Ma'am, we're here," she announces in a tight, southern drawl. "Are you ready, or do you need me to make another circuit?""I'm ready," I give her my sunniest smile even though on the inside my stomach is churning--although I'm not sure if it's about this or something else, something more important. Thankfully Sasha is already in my new office, typing a report when I enter. I know she's McAllister's daughter and I shouldn't trust her, but Kenji loves her, and that's good enough for me. I trust his judgment and his family's legendary ability to judge a person's inner cha