“Esther,” says one my co-workers in the office, a woman who I haven’t spoken to much. “You’re going to want to watch the question and answer session Representative Hamilton gave outside of his photo op today. Your name came up.”Immediately, my heart leaps against my ribcage. Fear makes my mouth go
It’s curious for sure, but this is my desk. That is my phone. It’s my responsibility to answer it.Grabbing the receiver, I lift it to my ear. “Hello?”“Esther.” It’s Hugo’s voice, all serious and stern. “Come to my office, please.”“Okay,” I say and we both hang up.My co-workers are starting to fi
I send the message to Miles, then exhale a long, slow breath. This was for his benefit as well as my own. Knowing that doesn’t make this any easier.Okay. All I have to do right now is drive home. I can fall apart as soon as I’m safely in my room but not a minute before.I can do this.Then my phone
“Miles…” I whisper.His gaze flickers down to my lips, then further down to my breasts.Suddenly, he steps backwards an inch or two, only far enough to weave his hands into the space between us. He grabs the front of my blouse and rips it open. Buttons fly, stiches tear. He drags the pieces down my
When our senses slowly return we are side by side on the bed, panting and naked, staring up at the ceiling. Our sweat-slick bodies are too hot to cuddle just yet.Miles just came for the second time tonight and rubbed his spend all over my torso. I’m going to need a shower soon.Yet, before that, I
“I’ll leave you alone with your daughters to talk things over,” Mrs. Pine says to me as she, I, Iris, and Violet convene in the living room of the house for sale that we have been touring.“Thank you, Mrs. Pine,” I reply.Nodding, Mrs. Pine steps out the front door, closing it behind her.I turn to
I don’t have a good answer for Hugo, especially not right now when I just nearly put myself in extreme potentially life-threatening danger.Hugo continues to gape at me.“Sorry,” I say. “I wasn’t thinking…”I lower my head, noticing Hugo’s arm still wrapped protectively around my waist. He notices i
After my lunch with Hugo, I begin to ignore Miles’s calls and texts. Since meeting him the other night, I haven’t always known what to say. I would respond to his messages with simple replies or cute smiley faces. He’s been busy so that’s helped me from divulging too much before I was ready.But now
“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