Sipping a cup of bitter coffee Celine walked down the hall to her mother’s room. She hated hospitals. They smelled like disinfectants and body odors. And they all had the same vinyl floors that no matter how much you washed them, they held onto dirt embedded in tiny scratches and crevices.This place was depressing. She wanted to take her mom home so she could be comfortable, but Mom insisted on staying here. She said she didn’t want to be a bother. We only had her on this earth for a few more weeks. How could she be a bother?"Cold Blue. Code Blue. Room 2114. All available staff. Cold Blue.", a speaker blared, startling her and scalding the back of her hand with hot coffee.People dressed in scrubs erupted from stairwells or around corners and ran past her. Realization bloomed and she began running. Room 2114, that was their room.She heard the alarms getting louder as she ran. She was going so fast that she had to grab the molding of the door to control her swing into the room where
Two bodies twisted in ecstasy her husband thrusting into another woman on their bed. Bryson Tiller was singing in the background. “Pull up the skirt, get in the ride. Left hand is steerin’ the other is grippin’ your thigh.”This is what he has been doing when she needed him the most. This cannot be happening. Why? Why? Why? She ran to the guest bathroom in the hall and vomited until she was panting, her head hanging in the toilet. Then she stood washed her face and mouth and looked in the mirror. Anguish was etched into every atom. She was startled when her phone rang. It was her best friend, Kim. Automatically she picked up, “Hello.”“Honey, I heard. I’m so sorry. Are you okay? Of course, you’re not; stupid question. Where are you? I’m coming right over.”Celine sat heavily on the cool tile of their bathroom floor. Glancing around she said, “I’m at home.”“Is Phillip there?”Celine hesitated then responded in a monotone voice, “Yeah.”“Let me talk to him.”, Kim said and there was si
The wine glass wobbled in her hand and a single red drop splashed onto their pristine white carpet in solidarity with the single tear that betrayed Celine and ran down her cheek. No longer able to keep her emotions at bay she asked, "How long have you been cheating?""I have never cheated on you.", Phillip said staring directly into Celine’s eyes. Celine’s eyebrows rose sharply, and she blinked heavily a few times."Pardon?", Celine asked surprised by his denial.I never cheated on you.” He repeated as if she was slow and hadn’t understood him. He pursed his lips. “It was just sex. Celine, I don't love anyone but you. Look, I am sorry you had to see this. Especially tonight of all nights, but I am a man with needs.", he said nodding as if he was a third person agreeing with himself.Heat rose swiftly like a torrent throughout her body and fueled her next words. “A man with needs? What more do you need? We have sex every day. Have I ever told you no?” Leaning forward she continued. “I h
For generations, every summer, wealthy families from New York City invaded New Jersey and overran the eleven towns that made up the Hamptons. Popular for its beautiful beaches and perfect weather. These Hamptonites were like an invasive species that had no natural predators and crowded out and took over everything. The actual residents of the Hamptons, the native species, decided let’s make lemonade out of lemons. Businesses sprouted everywhere to accommodate the Hamptonites’ every whim. Anyone can tolerate just about anything for two months.The truth was, the Hamptonites and the Townies disliked each other but they had been using each other for so many generations they became dependent. Like a dysfunctional symbiotic relationship. And it turned out they sometimes had common interests that united them. Like their mutual hatred of The Billionaires Club.The Billionaire’s Club was exclusive and had only two thousand members worldwide. The entry f*e? Be a billionaire. Members of the B-Cl
Tension summed up the mood in the conference room. Even the way they were seated was adversarial. She and her lawyer owned the real estate of one side of the conference table and Phillip and his attorneys lay claim to the other side. Celine thought it was childish, but so were the men in the room with her.To her left was the projection of a PowerPoint presentation stating Bloombard v. Bloombard. This was what her marriage amounted to now, how sad. She met Phillip’s eyes. He was seated across from her. It was the first time she had seen Phillip since the night her mother died, and since she entered the room, he hadn’t taken his eyes off her. He looked how he always looked, disinterested.They were meeting to discuss the divorce settlement. She dreaded this meeting. She heard when there were hundreds of millions of dollars involved negotiations became bloody. She had no interest in fighting with Phillip and had a plan. A plan she hoped not to use because there was still time to stop thi
After her divorce, Celine sat down and started a list of new rules. She learned her lesson. She was never going to make the same mistakes again. She wrote her first rule. Rule #1 No fraternizing with the Billionaires. Never ever fall in love with a billionaire. Over the months, she added things to the list. She was going to learn to cook. Become financially independent. Stop pleasing everyone. Wait until thirty to have a family. Read more books. Speak her mind. The only one she practiced, thought about and was determined to follow was Rule #1.“Come on. Please! Come with me. Are you afraid of running into Phillip?”, Kim asked. Celine rolled her eyes, she took the phone away from her ear and looked at the time. Kim’s voice was inaudible and for a second, she considered walking away. If it would get her out of this party, she would do it. Celine put the mobile back to her ear. Kim was still talking. “will have fun and I don’t want to go alone. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. I wo
Completely unprepared for her assault Sebastian did not get his arms up in time to stop Celine from smashing her face into his chest. A sudden remembrance of being in a horse stall burst like a bubble in her mind and made her even more flustered. He still smells good, she thought, but more masculine. Much more masculine.“Celine?”, Sebastian murmured. Was it her imagination or did his voice sound…husky? Recalling her surroundings, who this man was, and Rule #1 Celine leaped like a frightened feline straight back and into the table. She heard glasses rattle and Kim gasp. Her face immediately turns bright red.She can’t look up at him. He already had her so frazzled that she feared what she would do if she actually looked into his grey smokey eyes. “Sebastian.”, Celine said still looking down. Realizing that she looked like some submissive doll she forced her eyes up but looked past him. “I was just leaving, but it was good to see you.” Celine stepped to go around him, but Sebastian lean
Why was she always saving things? If she saw a stray cat she fed it. A dog in a hot car and she saved it. Lost children, little old ladies, homeless people. Celine looked down at the grinning fool sitting on the chair and sighed. Now she could add roofied billionaires to the list.What was she going to do with him? She couldn’t leave him here. He was like an innocent lamb. To prove her point, Sebastian started playing with her vintage Hermès Filet De Selle bracelet. It was shiny and sparkly and had a replica of a horse bit. It was a very Celine thing to wear.She reasoned with herself. Sebastian was a celebrity. Especially at one of his hotels. Considering the big event being held at this very moment was hosted by Gale Hospitality, if anyone found him like this, the public fallout could ruin his reputation and damage Gale Hospitality. She needed to hide him and get him to the right people.Decided, she began to act.CelineGuess what I found?KimYour conscience? Are you coming back no
Tender feelings filled Celine’s chest as she watched Sebastian dancing with Amara. He gently maneuvered the tender youth around the dance floor carefully and thoughtfully, and Celine wondered where he had learned to be so loving and gentle with children. He certainly hadn’t learned from his parents. Seeing how giant Sebastian seemed compared to Amara made Celine laugh out loud. His massive hands dwarfed hers, and he seemed to swallow up her little body in his enormous arms when he picked her up and swung her around, dangling her several feet off the ground—Amara’s ringing laughter brought smiles to anyone within earshot.A sweaty Amara and Sebastian returned to their seats. Sebastian leaned into Celine and kissed her cheek. Surprised, she looked at him. He was beaming, and his gray eyes reminded Celine of the light in a moonlit landscape. He was happy, and the satisfaction of seeing him so joyful gave her a sense of contentment. Breaking their eye contact, Sebastian scanned the table,
The micro-beaded silk draped down her body like a shimmering column, from the gown’s rose neckline to her perfectly manicured toes. Her sleek black hair was bound in a classic French twist, and her makeup was effortless. She looked elegant in her Oscar de la Renta gown, like she belonged to the world of the ultra-rich.Glancing in the mirror, she saw a woman whose beauty was otherworldly, and for the briefest of seconds, she saw herself as something ethereal and worth looking at. But then she blinked, disbelieving her eyes, and she was simply Celine again, all done up and dressed in a gown that cost beyond her comprehension. An artfully crafted deception, an imposter.She heard Sebastian enter their bedroom. He was impeccably dressed in all wool, velvet, and satiny sin. His grey eyes, like the mists that clung to the peaks of mountains, and his mouth reminded her of sensuous kisses and unbridled pleasure. They gazed at each other, and she knew he was drinking her in. Studying her, me
The elevator dinged, and yet another person squeezed into the packed elevator. “Is anybody getting out?” asked a hopeful-sounding voice. Celine almost laughed out loud. The guy was only echoing what they were all thinking. There were too many people on this elevator, and it was stifling. But nobody got out, and the shiny chrome doors closed, crushing their dreams of personal space.“Something smells good.”, the same voice commented. A few passengers laughed at that. Celine blushed. They were smelling the homemade lunch she had made for Sebastian. Lately, he had been working long hours, coming home late and leaving early, and she missed him. She checked with Kevin, and he told her Sebastian had a few minutes free, so she begged him not to schedule anything. Now, she was on an elevator with some home-cooked love, ready to surprise him.Only a few people got off with her on the executive floor, and she groaned when she saw Yuri was one of them. He was going to talk to her. She just knew
She would have recognized his scent anywhere, so she wasn’t scared when Sebastian grabbed her from behind. Vlad, on the other hand, didn’t know who Sebastian was and exploded into action, ripping Celine out of Sebastian’s arms and twisting Sebastian into a submission hold within seconds.“Vlad, no. VLAD.” People ran and screamed around her. Security appeared and began clearing a circle. Sebastian struggled, his face red. He didn’t look like he could breathe. Celine begged Vlad to let Sebastian go, but he didn’t listen to her. She tried hitting him, but it was like hitting a brick wall.Before she could think about it, she leaped onto Vlad’s back and screamed into his ear. “Let him go. That is my fiancé.” Vlad let Sebastian drop, and Sebastian began to cough. Desperate to get to Sebastian, Celine tried to scrabble off Vlad’s back, but Vlad did some twisty thing with his body, and he had her dangling, like a kitten, in front of him. Green eyes, so like her own, looked quizzically at her
It was the fifth boutique, and Celine swore it was their last. But she was not in charge of selecting the clothing they would be wearing; Kim was. Celine had already refused to wear the sheer 1920s flapper-style dress Kim had picked out for her. She had boundaries, one of which was becoming a member of the ‘Naked Barely-There.’ Club. Kim, on the other hand, had no such qualms and had purchased a sheer black dress that revealed her naked perfect breasts. Celine was afraid she would need to carry a stun gun to keep the men off her.“You need to be lascivious. We need to grab the attention of everyone when we walk into a room.”, Kim said, handing Celine a dress that was not sheer. And it looked like it had enough fabric to cover her.“You have that part taken care of.”, Celine said, referring to Kim’s see-through dress. Kim shooed her in the direction of the changing room.Dutifully, Celine obeyed but soon became frustrated with trying to figure out the complex puzzle of cloth and straps
The sun glared over the cityscape, evaporating off the pavement in waves, cooking moist New Yorkers like dumplings in a bamboo steam cooker. Celine had never spent a summer in the city. Summer was the busy season in the Hamptons, and she decided that she would rather spend the sunny season working her fingers to the bone by the sea rather than spending it in decadent idleness as one of the “one percent” in the sauna of Manhattan.Startling her from her musings, Sebastian spoke, “Move in with me.”Celine turned from the view of the city from Sebastian’s corner office, tilting her head, “Excuse me?”, she asked dreamily.He raised an eyebrow and purred, “I could get used to looking up and seeing this view every minute of the day. Move in with me.”, Sebastian said.“I thought that was a given?” she said, smiling at him. He was so cute when he was demanding. Surprised, she wondered when his arrogance had become cute. She was so smitten that his bad traits had somehow become adorable. She h
Darkness peaked between his lowered lids, and his look of desire mirrored hers. “You are exquisite, Celine. Perfection.” He ghosted his hands over her breasts, driving her crazy. She tried to push her heavy breasts into his hands, but he withdrew them and hummed. “Do you want me to touch you, Kitten?”She whispered urgently, “Yes.” His hands twitched to do just that, but he governed himself, and she whimpered. “Please. I want you to touch me.”“You want me to suck and bite your pretty nipples?” he growled out hoarsely, and she nibbled her bottom lip and nodded. “Come here.” He patted his lap, and she hurried to straddle him. He groaned when she lowered her dripping sex onto his rock-hard erection and grabbed her hips, grinding into her heat.Her breasts bobbed with the motion, and he said, “God baby, your tits are so fucking pretty.” He sucked one nipple into his mouth and swirled his tongue, and cupped the other with his hands, feeling its weight and rubbing her nipple with his thumb
Her lips throbbed, and she lifted a trembling hand to her mouth to capture the memory of his possessive kiss. “You are mine now, Celine, and it’s time I claimed what is mine.” And oh, how she wanted to blindly follow him to the bedroom and let him, but nothing between them was simple.“Sebastian.” was all she could get past the emotions. He kissed her tears and gently led her to sit on the couch, where he held her, stroked her, and told her it would be okay.When the tears finally ceased, she shyly smiled at him, embarrassed because she had cried. “Let’s talk,” Sebastian said, letting her go so he could face her.They were silent for a spell, and she waited quietly for him, too afraid to speak. He was so angry when he found out about the contract cancellation. She knew she hurt him, and she didn’t know how to undo his pain or how to proceed.“The day you came to me about a contract marriage, I would have said yes to anything if it meant I could be with you again.” He gave her a wry sm
The door to Sebastian’s office was violently pulled open, and in strode a scowling, red-faced Sebastian with Kevin on his heels. He took one look at Celine sitting on the couch but did not stop until he got to his desk, where he splayed both hands on his desk and leaned forward. “What are you doing here?”Okay. The board meeting did not go well. She knew better than to respond to his snarky question and raised one eyebrow at Kevin, who mimicked a man hanging from a noose behind Sebastian’s back. Shit. What went wrong? Gale Hospitality was over-performing; the hotels and vacation destinations were booked solid and were bringing money in hand over fist.Was it because he had not secured the German hotels? That was because Sebastian needed Heidi Wolf. Gale Hospitality had a weak presence in Germany, and he needed the Wolf family’s established business lines and relationships. So, he was negotiating a partnership.However, a group of executives led by Yuri was undermining the deal. They