“I do.” Because I’m still worried he won’t take me seriously, I stop and look right at him. “I do, Miles. Truly. Thank you for this.”He stops walking too, to meet my gaze. His attention lifts to the top of my head. Suddenly, he reaches out and gently plucks something out of my hair. As he withdraws
Monday morning, I’m called into Kimberly’s office once again.“Everyone is still buzzing about who Miles Hamilton blew that kiss to,” Kimberly says. “Speculation has run rampant. Every article about it is gaining traction. The public has maintained interest.”I nod along, agreeing but not sure what
He hums as he leans back in his chair, as if considering. “I suppose the truth is off the table.”“You know why it is,” I answer. We have both our reputations to consider, as well as his entire candidacy. The two of us together would be an epic scandal.“Yes,” he says, but seems noncommittal about i
My throat is dry. My heart hammers out of control.My hands on the table inch closer to Miles on the other side, seemingly of their own accord.He stares at me, and I at him. Then, his mouth drops to my lips.“Meet me in the bathroom,” he says. “The unisex solo stall at the end of the hall.”The wor
Somehow I’m able to hold everything together for another hour, though I don’t actually get any work done. Instead, I focus on the blinking mouse cursor over a blank page and try to keep my lunch from resurfacing.I’m definitely going to be sick. But if I can hold it off.If I can keep things togethe
“And if I refuse?” I asks.Amber’s smile falls and she glowers at me instead. “I don’t want to ruin Miles’s career, but I will. You don’t want that though, do you? So you are going to call him.”“What are you planning?” I ask her. “I’m not going to call him down here for you to hurt him.”“I’m not g
“I can ruin you!” Amber shouts. “Listen to me, damn it!”He doesn’t. He shuts the door and starts to drive.Amber chases down the street. She almost catches up to us at a red light, but when Miles turns right, the traffic clears. He accelerates and leaves her behind in the dark of night.We sit in s
“Miles,” I say again, more urgently this time. “She sent a picture.”Miles glances over at me, looking at my face. Whatever he sees there makes him pull the car over into a brightly lit parking lot.“Show me,” he says, so I do, turning the phone toward him.His face hardens further and his expressio
“We should watch the rest,” I tell him, though my voice is shaky. “No,” Miles says, more firmly. I breathe a sigh of relief. For my job, I know we have to hear it. But personally, I would like to go the rest of my life without even thinking about Edward Zimmer again. “The numbers are already u
Edward’s response comes in the form of a video message. Crystal set it up on the television on the wall, while Miles and I huddle closer to the screen. Miles holds tightly onto my hand. “Whatever happens. Whatever he says. We will stand against him and we will win,” he says. I believe him. Last
How could I say anything but yes? A thousand times over, yes, yes, yes. I’ve tried so hard since that first night, sleeping with Miles while thinking him a call boy, to not fall in love with him. Yet, as hard as I tried not to, my heart kept pulling me straight back to him. My love for Miles is so
We hold the press conference in front of the headquarters, setting up a podium outside the double doors. The news media organizations have been notified, so they send reporters and cameramen, who have set up around the podium. The release we sent out already told them that the conference would be
Later, I’m going to have to have a meeting and call in all the employees to discuss this. Their care is appreciated, but I need to be able to do my job. For now, though, it seems as if Crystal gets the hint. With a shallow nod, she continues her report. “Mr. Zimmer has been quiet since the inter
Garnar, knowing I was giving a difficult interview tonight, offered to watch the kids. Since they are at Garnar’s house, I expected the house to be empty when I finally returned. Instead, I see Miles’s car parked in my driveway and the additional security staked out around the premises. It’s a rel
Jean was warned about the story, but she still gasped. My eyes went a little wide. We came here to talk about this, but Daphne’s direct wording leaves me speechless. Daphne didn’t come here just to tell a story. She was ready to reveal her truth, once and for all. “Esther and I were victims,” Da
In the Harbinger HQ, in one of the studio sets arranged to look like a fancy living room, Daphne and I sit side by side on a white couch, facing an interviewer, a woman interviewer named Jean, who sits on an arm chair facing us. The setting is intimate, and Jean is a kind, middle-aged woman, who i
“Miles…” Emotion overflows within my heart. There are so many things I want to say, to express – my gratitude, my own affections, explanations about why this has been so difficult for me to accept – yet in the moment, everything gets tangled up in my throat. “Miles…” My tears fall from my chee