One night. One man. One very big mistake. When Elle sleeps with a charming older stranger at a gala, she thinks it’s a one-time thing—until she meets her ex-boyfriend’s father the next morning. “Adrian?” “Elle.” “Oh my god.” “Not quite.” Now, the man she can’t stop thinking about is the one she absolutely shouldn’t want. But what’s the worst that could happen? …Besides everything.
View MoreElleSix hours later, we'd worked our way through three movies, two bottles of wine, and a truly impressive amount of Thai food."You know what we should do?" Sophia slurred slightly, twirling a strand of her perfect blonde hair. "We should go out.""Out?" I blinked at her. "Like, outside?""Yes, genius. To a club. With music. And men who aren't your husband." She wiggled her eyebrows. "You can make him jealous.""That's the worst idea I've ever heard.""Which means it's the best. Come on." She pulled me up. "My dad just bought into that new place downtown. We can get the VIP section.""I'm married, remember?""And? It's not like you're dead." She dragged me toward her bedroom. "He's actually..." I stopped myself. Weirdly protective of a man who had me under house arrest. "Nevermind.""Exactly." She flung open her closet doors, revealing a boutique's worth of dresses. "Now, let's find something that'll make every man in that club lose his damn mind."Common sense said to refuse. Go b
ElleI sidestepped Tom who waited by the car. "And fuck his rules."I flagged down a taxi instead, ignoring Tom's concerned calls. The driver raised an eyebrow as I slid into the backseat, makeup streaked down my face."Rough day?""You have no idea." I rattled off Sophia's address, already fumbling for my phone.It rang twice before she picked up. "Elle? Is that actually you calling me? Did hell freeze over?"Just the sound of her voice made my shoulders drop. "Hey, Soph.""Oh shit." The teasing tone vanished. "What happened? Are you okay?"I swallowed hard. "Not really. Can I crash at your place?""Already pulling out the ice cream. Mint chocolate chip still your crisis flavor?"A laugh bubbled up despite everything. "God, I love you.""I know. Now get your ass over here."The taxi pulled up to Sophia's building twenty minutes later – one of those sleek high-rises with doormen who knew you by name and carried your groceries. The polar opposite of Adrian's old-money mansion with its
ElleMy heels clicked against the scuffed floor as I headed for the stairs. The elevator had been "temporarily out of order" for months - another casualty of tight budgets.Second floor. Third. Fourth.Each step brought back memories. Me doing homework in the break room while Mom worked late. The Christmas we decorated the lab with paper chains because we couldn't afford real decorations. Her teaching me to use a microscope, her voice gentle as she explained how something so small could change everything.Just like the cancer cells that nearly killed me at twelve.I paused outside her office, stomach churning. The frosted glass still had that crack in the corner from when I'd slammed the door too hard after another fight when I was in high school. Back then, she'd been furious about me choosing art over science.Now? Now I'd done something far worse.Sarah's desk was empty - Mom's secretary was probably at lunch. Just as well - I didn't need an audience for this.The daily schedule o
Elle The next morning, I wanted to die. Not literally. But close enough."Fuck," I groaned, rolling over to bury my face in the pillow. Memories from last night crashed through my hangover – the closet, the clothes, Adrian's hands on my waist...I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, willing the memories of last night to disappear.They didn’t.Nope. Every single humiliating detail was still burned into my brain."Oh god." I shot up, then immediately regretted it as my head spun. I'd yelled at him, got in his face like some drunk, jealous girlfriend demanding answers. In his own house. About his secret designer clothes closet.Perfect. Just perfect.I groaned, dragging a pillow over my face.I bet he regretted everything.Regretted marrying me. Regretted letting me into his house. Hell, maybe regretted even looking at me that first night."He must think I'm insane." I stumbled to the bathroom, avoiding my reflection. "Completely, totally insane."I looked exactly like what I was – a
ElleWe stared at each other.Me—standing in the middle of his closet, hands still on the drawer.Him—watching me like he wasn’t sure if he should be amused or pissed.The closet suddenly felt too small, too intimate. Adrian filled the doorway, tie loose, sleeves rolled up."Having fun?" I forced my spine straight. I’ve been caught already, no need to pretend. "Loads of it ."He moved to a shelf, pulling out a crystal decanter. The whiskey caught the light as he poured. "You're drunk.""And you're observant." The wine made my tongue sharper. "Want to point out anything else obvious? Like how you have an entire department store of women's clothes hidden in here?"He took a slow sip. "You were in my room.""You weren't.""So naturally, you decided to snoop.""I was waiting for you." I snapped. "Like you told me to. Four hours, Adrian. Four freaking hours of staring at the clock, wondering if you'd forgotten you told me to wait. Then I decided to check if you were back. But you weren’
ElleWait for me, he said.So like an idiot, I waited.The first hour after the seven he said wasn't so bad. I took a long bath, even attempted to read one of the leather-bound books from the library.By hour three, I'd discovered the wine cellar.Bad idea? Probably.Did I care? No I don’t.The first glass was to kill time. The second because the wine was actually good. The third because... well, because I was apparently pathetic enough to sit around waiting for a man who clearly had better things to do."This is ridiculous," I told my reflection in the window. Outside, rain had started falling, turning the manicured gardens into dark shadows. "What are you doing Elle?"I took another sip.By midnight, the empty bottle judged me from the coffee table. I'd memorized every detail of my room's ceiling. One by one, I'd counted all the crystal drops on the chandelier. Twice.The house had gone quiet hours ago, all the staff disappeared to wherever staff disappeared to in a place this big.
AdrianShe stood with her hands clasped in front of her, her face a careful mask of obedience.I closed the door behind me, slowly.Her back stiffened."Sit." Marla perched on the edge of the chair, looking nothing like the woman who'd begged me for this job three years ago.I moved to my desk, unbuttoning my cuffs, rolling up my sleeves. The silence stretched long enough for her to start fidgeting.Good."Mr. Blackwell, about Mrs. Blackwell's clothes—" "Stop." I held up my hand. "Before you construct whatever excuse you've prepared, let me be clear. If I ever catch you disrespecting Elle again, you’re out.."Color flooded her cheeks. "I only—""Wanted to humiliate my wife?" She flinched. “You don’t have to like her. But you must respect her. But if I see so much as a twitch of an attitude in her direction? I’m firing her.”Her throat bobbed.“I understand, sir.”I studied her – barely thirty, far too young and attractive to be a housekeeper. That should have been my first warning
ElleI found them in the foyer – Marla directing Anna and Beth carrying garbage bags of what looked suspiciously like my clothes."What the hell is going on?"Marla turned, all innocence. "Oh, Mrs. Blackwell. I was just doing some spring cleaning."I stared at her, still clutching my bathrobe. The sheer audacity..."With my clothes?""Oh these?" She picked at one of the bags. "I assumed they were meant for donation since they are all worn out, given your new... position."“They weren't yours to donate.""Well," she shrugged, "now some needy people will benefit. Shouldn't we be generous, Mrs. Blackwell?"I could walk away. Be the bigger person but that would mean she gets to disrespect me even more in the future. I have to see her straight. I stepped forward until we were inches apart. "Let me be very clear." My voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "In this house, nothing moves without my say.""I only thought—""No, you didn't think. You don't get to think about my things. If I f
Elle I stepped out of the car, tilting my head back to take it all in to eye the glass and steel enormous building before me."Compensating for something?" I muttered under my breath.Adrian's hand brushed my lower back. "What was that, sweetheart?""I said nice house."The massive front door swung open before he could respond. A woman stood in the doorway, and I did a double-take. She couldn't have been much older than me, dressed in a crisp black uniform that screamed 'staff' but fit her like a cocktail dress. "Mr. Blackwell," she practically purred. "Welcome home."I bit my tongue to keep from commenting on the bedroom eyes she was giving my husband. My fake husband. Whatever."Marla," Adrian nodded. "This is Elle, my wife. Elle, Marla manages the household staff – the cook, gardeners, cleaning team."I’d pictured a housekeeper like the ones in movies—gray-haired, soft-eyed, maybe holding a tray of cookies.Marla's perfect smile didn't waver, but something cold flickered in her e
“Elle! Get your fat ass to table seven. Now.” The words hit me like a slap, but I keep my expression blank, refusing to let Damien see the sting. He loves that—loves tearing me down, loves watching me squirm. I know I should walk away, tell him to go to hell, but after five years, it’s a habit I haven’t broken. I still hear the voice of the girl I was at sixteen, the one who believed she was lucky to have him. I adjust my apron, my fingers trembling slightly, and force myself to move. Damien has always hated the way I look. Said I was too fat. He takes every chance he gets to make me feel bad about my body. He doesn’t even bother to hide it anymore. He’s spent the last years making sure I know I’m not enough—not pretty enough, not thin enough, not worthy enough of him. But I stayed, didn’t I? I stayed because every cruel word was wrapped in just enough sweetness to keep me hooked. I stop in front of table seven, and my stomach drops. He’s sitting there, of all places, like t...
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