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CHAPTER FIFTY TWO: READING THE ROOM
Last Updated:
2023-02-03 11:45:32
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RAINE CHAPTER FIFTY THREE: MY APOLOGY
I hung around in the conference room for a few minutes thinking about the conversation that I just had with Karen. My fingers danced upon the hard surface of the round table centered in the room as I replayed our conversation. Was I mean? I felt for her. I remembered being like her, being afraid to speak up. If she wanted to be in my spot, like she would say from time to time, she was going to have to fight for it. This was tough love. “Ahem.” I closed my eyes, wanting to block Shane from my mind. I knew he was coming. It wasn’t like I could avoid him forever. I heard him walking over to me as I sat back in the chair, crossing my legs. I heard the sound of something being placed down in front of me. I opened my eyes to see another cup of coffee placed in front of me. “You left the other one at your desk. It’s not as hot, so I figured I’d give you a fresh cup.” What a suck up. I reached for it. “Thank you.” I took a sip, loving the instant warmth my mouth felt. “How was you
Last Updated : 2023-02-04RAINE CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR: WHAT YOU LIKE
“Have a good night!” My team called back to me as they all piled onto the elevator, going home for the night. I flashed the perfect smile and gave a little wave just before I walked in the opposite direction, towards the mailroom. Despite the day being off to a rocky start, it got better along the way. The team was doing well with wrapping up the work for Paris. Starting Next week they would be building up the presentation, doing a few mock performances with me before showing Mr. Spencer the final product. Time seemed to go by so fast. Next Saturday was also the Employee Appreciation Dinner, which was my reason for staying behind tonight. There were quite a few certificates I had to print out, some paperwork that needed to be drawn up in regards to pay raises and special parking spots, even a few speeches to write. I may be an overpowering type of woman, driven by jealousy, greed, and selfishness, but I did want to keep the element of surprise for my team. And with the drama that wa
Last Updated : 2023-02-06RAINE CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE: LOSE IT
“Lose it.” The words purr from my mouth as I begged him to let it all go. I had wondered if he was the type to do so. I had seen it once before that very first night we met. The fact that we couldn’t keep it together long enough to make it to my home, his, or a motel… something, and got down and dirty in a bathroom stall told me he could lose. WE could lose it. Saying those two words. I dared him. He breathed in deep, contemplating my words, wondering if I’d give him what it was that he wanted. Last time he tried, I ran away from him, going back on whatever mental promise he felt like I had given. He was hoping that it wasn’t going to be the same this time. “Are there cameras in here?” He asked. Look at that, at least someone had their head on straight. I sighed. just before giving a nod. There were. “Yes,” I whispered softly. “You’re right. We couldn’t risk being caught.” His hazel eyes showed a shimmer of bad boy and I wondered what was going on in his head. If we stopped here
Last Updated : 2023-02-07RAINE CHAPTER FIFTY SIX: GUEST
The last time I was in the back seat of Kale’s car, things got a little out of control. As I climbed in this time, I knew it would be better, considering we took care of our needs already. When I looked over at him he flashed me a crooked smile. “Is there a place you have in mind?” He asked. It was his idea to get a drink, didn’t he have somewhere he wanted to go? I shrugged. “I’m not really in a social mood, so nothing too big. Just a little bar would be fine.” “Have you eaten?” The tall man asked, looking ahead at the driver, giving a nod. The car started and we were on the move. “I know a quiet spot that has the best steak. Are you hungry? I know I am.” After the fun we just had, of course he was. “I could use something light,” I said with a soft chuckle. He looked over at me, adjusting his coat. “Oh no.” I blinked. “What is it?” I asked. “You’re acting weird again,” he started. “Is this the part where we act like nothing happened again? Pretend we are nothing more tha
Last Updated : 2023-02-08RAINE CHAPTER FIFTY SEVEN: BLACK MAIL
I walked into my office on time today. When I stepped off the elevator Shane was right there, by my side, that second cup of coffee in his hand. “Good morning Raine,” He said as he gave me the cup, keeping up in my steps. “Good Morning Shane,” I said, leading the way. “I didn’t realize we were on a first name basis at work.” He smiled. “Yeah, it's just something I’m trying. Besides, I am not the only one that calls you that. You were just trying to keep me in my place.” I chuckled. He had that right. “Why are you so dressed up?” “I didn’t think you’d notice,” he answered. I stopped, turning to face him. He wore black pants and a blue buttoned up tuck in. There was even a matching jacket. Not quite a suit, but not quite casual. His hair was tamed and I could tell he took a few extra minutes on it today. His cologne was also noticeable, and he left a trail of Ocean Breeze down the aisle. “Of course I’d notice.” For a compliment that wasn’t going to lead to sex, this was as go
Last Updated : 2023-02-09RAINE CHAPTER FIFTY EIGHT: FLOWERS
I sat at my desk, going over the first part of the proposal that my team would be giving next week. They planned out a timeline as to when each advertisement would take place, being careful not to have them too close or too far apart. They had a few public ideas on how to advertise Paris as well, everything from a Beer Garden to a Dance Party. To be honest, I loved their ideas and had plenty of thoughts of my own that I could add. There was a knock at the office door. “Come in.” I kept my eyes on the screen of my tablet, scrolling through the power point. “I knew you’d be here hard at work,” the old man's voice spoke out to me. My eyes shifted up quickly, as I got to my feet, seeing Mr. Davis in the door. The first thing that came to mind? I was going to strangle the neck of Karen Aguilar. He was with his cane today, wearing a white suit. “Mr. Davis,” I greeted him, walking over to him, taking him by his arm to guide him to a chair at my desk. “You are looking sharp today.” He chu
Last Updated : 2023-02-10RAINE CHAPTER FIFTY NINE: GOSSIP
Kale Spencer and I sat alone at a table in the corner at a coffee shop. My stomach was doing flips and turns, and I was in no mood to enjoy lunch. I ordered water with a lemon wedge at a spot right across the street from Quality Advertising. It made no sense to travel further than that since I wasn’t eating and decided to only give myself thirty minutes for my break. “Do you want to explain what you meant back there?” Kale asked as he waited for his order. Upon exiting the elevator, I told him now wasn’t the time or place to talk about the damage he had just done. I walked ahead, thinking my attitude would be off putting and he’d wander on his own to find lunch. Obviously, that’s not what happened. He instead followed me to my destination, taking a seat with me as if I invited him. He didn’t take the hint. And if he did, he just chose to ignore it. I sat the flowers down on the table, staring at them in thought. No matter which way I looked at it, this was Shane’s fault. I wouldn
Last Updated : 2023-02-11RAINE CHAPTER SIXTY: BREAK UP
The city is starting to calm, and I am sitting here in my office, my mind going over all the men who have seemed to attach themselves to me. It was a close call for me today. I’ve tried to keep my nose clean and stay out of trouble, but I obviously wasn’t trying hard enough. I had to be honest with myself. I liked the attention that both Kale and Shane gave me, but it wasn’t worth the life that I built. I needed to end it with both of them. I sat in my office chair, legs crossed, one beautiful rose to my nose and I stared out the window in thought. There was a knock at the door, and I could already guess who it was. “Raine,” his voice is soft, and apologetic. I said nothing, allowing him to step closer to me. “Raine, about today…” I spun around, staring Shane in his young face before shaking my head slightly. “I agreed to go along with this because I thought you could be discreet…” “I can,” he said, “I didn’t expect this to be such a fiasco.” “That is not true,” I answered, “Tha
Last Updated : 2023-02-18
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RAINE CHAPTER NINETY FIVE: PARIS
Years ago, I stood at this window, staring down at the world below me. I had chosen a career path, and planned to follow it through until the very end. That path has not changed, but how I get there will. Quality Advertising and Mr. Davis gave me my start, but they were just a step. They were not my end. Looking down at the world now, I take a deep breath and feel an excitement that I haven’t felt in a long time. I hear a knock on the office door. I turn to see Jose standing there with Jordan as his side. “Well, this isn’t a duo I’ve seen before,” I said with a smile. Jose approaches me first. “I wanted to get in my goodbye and tell you the good news before you left,” he said, eyes going around, taking notice in the emptiness. “Good news?” The young man nods. “Well, with you resigning and Jordan moving up, there are some supervisor spots needing to be filled. I am being given one of of those spots.” I grinned. Jose’s work experience wasn’t much, but he was a quick learner.
RAINE CHAPTER NINETY FOUR: CHECKMATE
Tonight. Tonight everything changes. Red is the color I choose to wear to embrace everything that will be coming my way. Something simple, yet classy. Long, and elegant. My beauty will never be hindered. “You look like someone who's getting ready to set a whole building on fire,” Alisha grins, refusing to miss my looks to kill. “And leave no casualties,” I said with a grin. The plan has been drawn up, it has been executed, and we were ready to witness the fallout. I would be arriving at the event solo, but I wouldn’t be leaving alone. Here we go Raine, time to give them all hell.The work week was slow and boring. It was the most interesting thing to talk about besides the ending of upcoming projects and the dinner in which a winner would officially be announced. Saturday night has arrived. I walk through the doubled doors of an upscale restaurant downtown. The dinner experience here was said to be spectacular. Not just when it came to the food or the service, but the fact th
RAINE CHAPTER NINETY THREE: A DISH BEST SERVED COLD
I am sore. Sore all over. But it was worth it. I wake up, my body entangled with theirs in Kale’s bed big enough to house all three of us comfortably. They sleep heavily, allowing me to take in their fresh morning looks. I definitely had a type. The pink lips, the olive skin, the curly and waving dark hair. Both of them are sculpted differently but attractive all the same. I sigh in content. Lately, they had been taking care of me, now it was my turn to do so for them. I am not the type to cook breakfast. It’s not that I can’t, it was just something I didn’t even need to do to myself. I always kept to this fast routine, but today nothing was claiming attention. I would make something as great as Shane’s omelets, but I could handle bacon and eggs. I searched through Kale’s fridge, seeing nothing but leftover take out and frozen dinners. I could just order food from the kitchen, as he does. That was the plus of having a large condo in a shared space. The way the extremely rich live
RAINE CHAPTER NINETY TWO: ADDICTED
“Whoa,” Shane reveals a snickering laughter, catching me by the arm just as I tripped in my heels. One hand clings to his arm to help keep my balance, while the other holds onto the loose fabric that also played a part in my almost accident. “I think you had a good time tonight,” he says, readjusting himself against me. I lean my body up against him, ear finding his chest and heart beat. We stood at the doorway of the building, waiting for the Limo to pull up, so we could make our way home.“It wasn’t the worst,” I said softly. I could hear the slurring in my words, and I knew I had passed the line of tipsy. “Where is Kale?” Shane looks back over his shoulder. “He’s making sure everyone is getting home safely.” Of course he is. He’s such a good guy. “I hit the jackpot with that one, didn’t I?” “Don’t go playing favorites Raine,” Shane stares into my eyes. I smile. “You’re not so bad either,” I joke. “I don’t know why either of you want to put up with my shit.” He grins. “Yeah, y
RAINE CHAPTER NINETY ONE: PREMIERE
“I would have gone crazy on that snake bitch,” Alisha growled, holding her wine glass up to Shane, allowing him to refill her glass. It’s not like me to have wine this early in the day, but after catching Andre and Alisha up on the drama that had unfolded in the last few weeks, it was needed. I sighed, my legs up to my chest. I rest my arms on top of my knees, staring off into space. “Trust me, I really wanted to,” I murmured. “I’m all for a little thrill in my sex life, but in the printing room, where there were cameras… Scandalous!” She continues. “I know that,” I said back. “And I was under the impression that it would be taken care of,” My eyes went to Kale, who was sitting beside me. “Otherwise it probably wouldn’t have happened.” “Hey, I bought the tape off the guards the next morning, and even had them delete the copies!” He tried to defend himself. “Well, regardless, the act in itself was still careless,” Andre says.“Again, we already know that.” I grind my teeth togethe
RAINE CHAPTER NINETY: BOYFRIENDS
RAINE’S POVI’m not sure if Kale’s openness with Karen was a good idea. He may have just added a lot more fuel to the fire, however, I couldn’t hide the fact that I wish I would have seen the look on her face. Kale says she looked stunned. She thought she was going to hurt me by telling of the apparent rumors circulating the office floors.What she didn’t understand was how she now revealed that there was another person helping her in her quest to destroy me. Jordan Cummings. Of course I already had my suspicions, but unless Karen had eyes to see through walls, or binoculars to spy from another balcony, she was not able to see the kiss I shared with Shane. If there truly was a rumor, Jordan was the one to tell what he had seen. And as Karen would put it, it was her duty to pass along the information to Kale.Two against one, this wasn’t a fair fight, but if she was expecting to see me shaking in my heels, she had another thing coming. I already had my moment of weakness.I heard
RAINE CHAPTER EIGHTY NINE: THREATS
“It’s been a crazy and hectic few months, hasn’t it?” Mr. Davis says, standing in front of his wide windows, eyes not even on us. “I’ve seen you two work hard, but I’ve also seen a few flops.” He doesn’t have to look in my direction for me to know that he was referring to me. I refuse to take my eyes off of him. I refuse to have cower like I did previously. There was a long silence. Was he waiting for one of us to say something, or was this pause just for dramatic effect? “It has been decided that we will announce who will be moving up in the company next week.” “It sounds like you already know who will be promoted,” Jordan says out loud. Mr. Davis slowly turns to face us. His eyes travel from my face to Jordan’s before he shows a slight smile. “Of course.” Jordan grins wide like he knows something that I don’t. “However, you know we do ceremonies for things like this. So a small company dinner will be held the following weekend. It will be made up of board members and supervisors
RAINE CHAPTER EIGHTY EIGHT: GOSSIP
I was warned before we stepped foot off the elevator that I was going to be facing a lot of stares and whispers. It’s not like I didn’t expect that, after all most of these people got to witness my ass on the big screen. They should consider themselves lucky. More than half of the people in here wanted to see what I had to offer, dying to switch places with Kale. Kale stated that many people seemed to stay clear of him, but it was because of the power that he had. He told me to remember my power, and that was exactly what I planned on doing. Never let them see you sweat. Never let them see you cry. Never let them know that you care, and always remain unpredictable. Rules to live by if you want to be top dog. The way the entire floor went silent as soon as I made my appearance… it was enough to send a chill up my spine. If you were looking close enough, you probably would’ve seen me gulp. I wear a cyan colored dress. It hugs me the same as any other piece of clothing I wear, di
RAINE CHAPTER EIGHTY SEVEN: HER TRUTH
The entire situation wasn’t hypothetical. When I gave my answer, we all knew that it was a serious response to a serious question. I said yes. I belonged to them now, and though I wasn’t sure how this would work, I decided to give it a try. Raine McClaren has changed. Months ago I wanted to be nameless, known only for that one night of crazy hot sex, and now, my bed was being shared with two men that were mine. To say I belonged to them wasn’t even crazier. My best friends noticed the change before I did. It took me a while to admit that my way of thinking was different. I liked someone. I liked two someone’s. That is a big deal for me. I am on uncharted waters. We lay in bed, limbs wrapped around each other in the most comfortable position. Darkness surrounds us, as we were trying to get our rest. I had spent the last week indoors, occupying my time with mindless tasks. Shane would still head off to the office, still paired up with jose. Kale also remained at Mr. Davis’s side
