AylaI walked out of Kaleb's office with my head held high, fighting a smile off my face. His words had hurt me that morning, so it felt quite good to use them against him. Apart from that, though, I couldn't deny that I just wanted to spend time with him, talking about anything and everything.Right after I stepped into the hallway, I found a tall man around his late 30s leaning against my counter, tapping his foot on the tiled floor. His gaze was on his watch, but he lifted his face when I came into view."You must be Mr. Kaleb's secretary; I saw you at the meeting." He seemed pleasant as he shook my hand, his eyes fixed on my cleavage."And you must be Randolf, the Head of the Finance Department." I had received an email earlier, booking an appointment with Kaleb around 2 in the afternoon."Right, did you fix a spot for me? There are important matters I need to discuss with him." He licked his lips as he spoke, staring longily at my exposed part of my boobs. I didn't like that look
Kaleb "What's wrong? You've barely said a word since we got off work," I said after a long silence, driving with Ayla staring out of the window, without any movement. Her hair was down, covering most of the side of her face, so I couldn't really look at her expression and tell what was happening. "Ayla?" I called when she sniffled and adjusted herself so that her face was totally hidden from my view. "Are you crying? Is it what happened earlier in my office?" She shook her head, another sniffle following. Then I remembered that I had sent her to deliver a file to Angel; could she have seen Roman and something ended up happening between them, worse, Roman hurting her? With that possibility in mind, I pulled over, right at the diversion that led to our home. "Did Roman do something to you?" I pressed, my fist itching to connect with the Dimwit's face once again. "No, it's just the pregnancy hormones," she finally whispered, her voice so low that I barely heard her over the soft mus
AylaI examined my wrists the minute I got inside the house, the feeling of helplessness engulfing me once again. I could still feel Roman's grip around my wrists, crawling all over my skin, and his breath on my face as he warned me. My body was still trembling, my mind reliving the entire ordeal."Would he have forced himself on me if Danica hadn't walked in?" I knew the answer to that question, and the mere imagination made me literally tremble. I stood in front of the mirror, my frail, blurry reflection looking back at me. My eyes were red and swollen, my lips were chapped, and there was a visible vein on the side of my forehead."He's becoming worse," I admitted in a barely audible, shaky voice, closing my eyes as tears escaped. My chest felt like it was being squeezed from the inside, the pain spreading to the upper part of my abdomen."Hey Ayla," Marise called as she knocked."What?" I responded after seconds of silence, debating whether to answer or just ignore."Open up; I hav
Kaleb Everything around us ceased from existing as Ayla mewled, kissing me back in matched energy. I tilted my face, deepening the kiss as every sense of caution went out of reach. Sparks erupted between us, turning into fire as I pressed tight against her, running my hands on her luscious body. "So sweet," I breathed against her lips, capturing them once again when she let out a soft moan. Heat spread through my veins as she clung onto me, beginning to gyrate her petite body against mine. I felt as if my dick was going to burst with how much blood was rushing there, hardening it to its limit. "Kaleb," Ayla whispered after pulling back, panting against me. "Goddess baby, you taste so good," I breathed, caressing her soft cheek. "More," she responded, sinking her upper teeth into her lower wet lip, pulled it, then released it, all while holding my gaze with her beautiful calling eyes. There was a fire in them, one that was calling me, consuming me whole. "You're playing with fire,
Ayla I couldn't fight off a smile as I thought about my night with Kaleb during a meeting the next day. Randolf was doing a presentation in front of senior staff, including Kaleb and Roman. All I could see was his mouth opening and closing and his hands moving. I was too deep in thought, reliving Kaleb grinding on me to hear Randolf's voice. "Ayla?" Kaleb called, snapping me out of my daydreaming. I cleared my throat as everyone around the table looked expectantly at me. "I asked you a question," Kaleb stated, giving me a side look as if he had realised that my mind was not there. "Please repeat, sir." I spoke in confidence, raising my head high while seated. "Randolf thinks that we should invest $1 billion in AI technology; that is 50% of the overall budget used on research and development. He says it will help the company save a lot of money because every process will be faster. What do you think?" I didn't need to rake my brain for an answer, because in my free time as a s
AylaI sat on Kaleb's leather couch on one of the balconies of his home, a bowl of chicken broth on the table in front of me. He had driven me to a house on Sedberry Road, only a few minutes from the heart of Nashville. As I looked over the garden, I wondered whether I was humane because I felt nothing after losing the pregnancy."Hey," Kaleb joined me, a laptop in his hand."Hi," I smiled briefly, his presence alone affecting my moods positively. He had been on an online meeting for hours, leaving me to my thoughts, until I decided to step out to the balcony."How are you?" he asked for the umpteenth time, looking at me as if searching my eyes.I looked at him, like really looked at him, wondering what he saw in me. Kaleb wasn’t like Roman; yes, they shared the same blood, but that’s where the similarities ended. Where Roman was selfish, Kaleb was selfless and stood by me. Roman made me feel small and useless, but Kaleb took me under his wing and went as far as making use of my busin
Kaleb"Where the fuck is my wife?" Roman barged inside my office, his wild eyes landing on me. I had already picked up Ayla's purse and had replied to some pending emails that she wasn't able to attend."She is not picking my calls, and I know you carried her out of the building." I just stood in the middle of my office, carrying my briefcase as I looked at him unravel.He stepped forward, his shoulders square and hands bawled into fists. I was slightly taller than him, so he had to tilt his neck just slightly to look at me in the face. "I will not ask you again," he paused, the upper corner of his mouth twitching, then continued, "Where did you take my wife?"I didn't flinch as he sneered; instead, I let out a low, biting laugh, then asked, "Wife?"I added another laugh that lingered in the air, shaking my head at his pathetic trial in intimidating me."I will forward the results of the online meeting I attended earlier; I expect your feedback by tomorrow." I sidestepped him, avoidin
Ayla'I swear I left the glass of milk in the sink,' I grumbled inside my temporary bedroom, my hand on my stomach, with my index finger tapping on it."Can I come in?" The nurse's voice carried through the wall, faint but unmistakable.""Yes, please," I breathed, pressing my hand harder on my belly when a sharp discomfort spread round to my back."It's time for your medicine. The last thing we want is for you to be unable to get sleep because of pain," the nurse who had told me that her name was Penelope said as she balanced the small tray with one hand and nudged the door shut with the other."I appreciate it. The pain had subsided, but now I can feel it increasing every minute," I admitted, closing my eyes as another knot formed in my pelvis."You're feeling the mild pain right now because the painkillers in your bloodstream have worn off. It will go away within a day or two as your uterus returns to its normal size," she explained, opening the sealed water bottle."I hope so; I re
Kaleb"Did something happen yesterday while I was out?" I asked Ayla, looking at her closely. She had kept to herself the entire drive to the office, pretending to be on the phone."Nothing happened," she murmured, staring past me."Are you sure? You don't look okay to me. You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" I insisted, hoping that she hadn't discovered about Amanda and the child."I know, and I said nothing happened," she snapped, then turned and covered her face with her hands."Baby, calm down," I soothed, closing the distance between us and going around her counter. Her office was almost ready, and I couldn't wait for her to start handling bigger financial matters for the company."I want to be alone," she muttered as I pulled her out of her chair and wrapped my arms around her. She resisted for seconds before finally she settled and started shaking."You can tell me what's wrong when you are ready. But please come with me to my office; I can't leave you here looki
AylaI looked at my wristwatch, tapping my foot on the floor, then looked at the entrance door into the West Wing. I was all alone, waiting for Kaleb to come back from the office like he had said. There was a part of me that felt like he was hiding something from me, but I kept on brushing it off.When I was about to head for my phone in my bedroom to give him a call, there was a knock at the door. Since it was Kaleb's wing at the mansion, I wasn't expecting anyone, not even Marise, to come knocking. It couldn't have been Kaleb either, because he would have just opened the door."I know you're in there, Ayla; I saw you being dropped off by Kaleb earlier. I also know that you are alone because I saw him driving off." Came in Danica's voice, making me roll my eyes. Her voice alone was a reminder of my troubles, and I couldn't help but wonder what she wanted from me, especially 9 at night. I didn't want anything to do with her, so I stood to lock myself up in the bedroom when she spoke a
KalebTwo weeks after Ayla had seen her brother with Danica, none of us had made a point to tell Roman. If anything, he deserved to be kept in the dark about Danica's extramarital affairs, just as he had done to Ayla. To some extent, he was getting what he truly deserved—a cheating fake wife.Seated in a high-end restaurant for dinner, I stared at my phone for the umpteenth time, holding it under the table, like I had been for two weeks. On the screen was Amanda's picture holding a roughly four- to almost-five-year-old boy. The caption under the picture in her chat was clear as day, written, 'Meet your son, Kaleb.' It was the same picture she had sent when Dean discovered that Ayla's phone was tapped."You seem distracted; is everything okay?" Ayla asked, making me snap my head up."Who, me?" I hesitated, hurrying to pick up the fork from my barely eaten food."Yes, for the last two weeks all you do is stare into space, barely finish your food, or even get work done in the office," sh
Ayla I bolted out of the vehicle faster than Kaleb could stop me, my emotions pushing me forward faster than I could think. My heart pounded in my chest, but I didn’t care. Nothing mattered in that moment except getting closer to them—Arnold, my brother, and Danica, my former best friend. The two people at some point I thought I could trust more than anyone. They froze when they saw me, their argument dissolving into tense silence. I blinked rapidly, half convinced that my eyes were deceiving me, but how could I forget how my own brother looked? "Arnold?" I whispered in a thick barely audible voice, my steps faltering in front of them. "Ayla," he muttered, his gaze darting everywhere but at me. After years of silence, you’d think he’d at least look happy to see me. I didn’t know what to do first—hug him, slap him, or scream. Memories of surviving alone after our parents died and Uncle Rex… I shook my head, clearing the thought as Kaleb caught up to me. I couldn’t take my eyes o
Kaleb I couldn't remain in place, not when I knew that Ayla was risking her life just to lure Roman. I was squirming in the passenger seat in my car in between the array of cars, looking at my watch, the window where I could see Ayla at her reserved table, and at the entrance where Roman was likely to drive through into the lot. We had resulted in hiring a male escort to be Ayla's fake date, even though the fake profile was mine, so as not to raise any suspicions, despite me being against the idea of another man. I watched as he walked in, my feet already itching to get out, stop the damn date, and walk out with Ayla. "Relax, man; the guy knows that there are limits. Ayla is safe," Dean spoke, leaning on the driver's seat. I watched as Ayla stood up, flashing a smile at the fake date. They had some type of short conversation before the man greeted Ayla, took her hand, and kissed the back of it. "That's it," I muttered, turning to open the door, only for Dean to grab my arm, stoppin
Ayla"There's no way whatever software they are using could penetrate the security software used in Kaleb's computer," Dean explained, shaking his head, but my mind was on how I was going to confront Roman about his spying game."Ayla?" Kaleb called, placing his hand on my shoulder."Huh?" I jumped slightly, looking at him, his brows raised."I asked you a question," he stated, squinting his eyes. I could tell that he knew what I was thinking about but didn't want to address it with his best friend around."Do you remember the Securelink software we sold out to Chen's company?" Kaleb asked, pulling the chair for me to sit down again."Yes, it prevents their clients and their company from being hacked," I responded."It's the same software I use for my office devices. If someone were to attempt to even install anything, then I would get a notification via my phone. So I am confident that Randolf didn't access my computer." As Kaleb explained, I sat down but couldn't stop tapping my rig
Kaleb "So all that drama happened and you never thought to give me some of the tea?" Dean asked over the loud chatter in the company's cafeteria. "It happened too fast, man, and that's not even all," I added, looking around for any unwelcome listening ears. Since the clip, Ayla and I had upped our privacy game, staying alert and cautious at all times. "Well, I am listening," he said, lifting up his cup of coffee to take a sip. "I met Amanda in Florida, at the hotel that I was staying," I whispered, rotating my cup of coffee on the table. "Are you kidding me right now?" Dean shouted, drawing attention from other staff members to us. "I told you to keep it down. Come on, we are going to my office," I chastised, getting up that instant. "Come on, man, I just took my first sip," he whined, but got up anyway. "Silence in the elevator; I know it's still bugged," I warned again, hating the fact that I had to walk on eggshells in my own company. Dad could have never been more right on
Ayla"Easy, babe," I cried out as Kaleb rammed my pussy from behind with short yet powerful strokes."I told you I won't be gentle," he responded in between loud grunts, his fingers digging into my hips."Please," I panted, closing my eyes as he pulled out, leaving me feeling so empty."Don't you dare leave me frustrated like you did back at the office," I stated while turning around, breathing through my nose and mouth."Oh, I am just getting started, baby." He winked, and before I knew it, it swept me up bridal style."Where are you taking me?" I asked, clinging onto him, looking at his wet face. His brows were drawn together, his mouth slightly open as he walked out of the shower."Aren't you needy today?" I rolled my eyes at his words, yelping when he spanked me."On your back, baby," he instructed when he dropped me on the bed. I did as asked, my clit still throbbing."Fuck, I wish you could see yourself right now," he rasped, stroking his cock in a tempting manner, making me spr
Kaleb "That was awesome, babe! I swear I had forgotten we had mom's compromising clip," I said, the moment we got to my wing. Ayla didn't say a word; she went straight to her room without looking back. "Seriously, Ayla, after putting Roman and mom in their place, now you're ignoring me?" She dropped her purse on the dresser and walked into the bathroom. "Come on, baby, we should be celebrating right now," I added, following her before she could close the door on my face. "I'm not leaving until you talk to me," I insisted, putting my hands into my pockets and leaned against the door. I watched as she started unbuttoning her blouse through the mirror, exposing her boobs bit by bit. I couldn't take my eyes off her as she shrugged it off and unzipped her skirt. "Fuck," I swore under my breath as she pulled it up and removed it, revealing her lacy white panties, that matched with her bra. Damn, she was perfection, her body playing with my fucking control. As if teasing me, she unc