"Okay, we don't have any guests. Tell me about it before the lunch rush," Tina pleaded to Lana. She had told her about running into the hot guy from the grocery store, but promised to share more when they had time. Now, knowing that the lunch rush was only a few minutes away, she tried to take advantage of the down time."It's not much to tell," Lana blushed, a smile quickly spreading across her face. The truth was, she hadn't stopped thinking of Xy since the two parted ways after breakfast the previous morning. She'd wanted to share the details with Tina since she got to work, but now that she had the time, she felt a bit embarrassed by her giddiness. For the first time, she felt like a girl again, crushing on a boy."Don't get modest now. I want to know everything!" Tina prodded, placing her hands on her hips. The shop was empty besides one guest sitting near the window, typing away on a laptop while nodding his head to the music blaring through the speakers of his headpho
With her nerves going wild, Lana rushed to rinse the shampoo from her hair, not wanting to keep Xy waiting. She'd had so much fun boxing with him and getting to know each other. He was easy to talk to, and she found it hard to say goodbye when it was finally time to go their separate ways. After rejecting him so many times, it was only right that she was the one to initiate their breakfast, but man did it feel weird. For someone who was typically shy and soft spoken, Lana felt far out of her comfort zone inviting Xy to breakfast. Thankfully, he didn't allow her to back out when she got cold feet. It was just so foreign to her to be facing rejection, although Xy happily accepted her invitation. Soon enough, she was dressed, and after a few minutes in front of the mirror, she decided she was ready to go on what she refused to think of as a date, not wanting to get ahead of herself. Lana couldn't plan her life weeks in advance because Dan could show up any time. So there
So engulfed in the new product mock ups his designer had sent him, Xy didn't notice Lana until she was standing directly in front of him. Slowly, he closed his computer, a wide grin spreading across his face as he watched her shift her weight from one foot to the next, looking nervous."All done?" He glanced around the bakery, noticing it was empty for the first time. When he arrived, it was packed with patrons, but now the bakery had cleared out, leaving no one but Lana standing before him. Forcing a breath he didn't realize he was holding, Xy was blown away by her beauty, staring with appreciation as she blushed before him. He loved the effect he had on her. It was obvious she liked him, though she still blushed as if she was holding a secret. Amused, he stood, quickly packing his laptop away before offering his hand."Ready?" he asked. Lana stared at his hand for a long moment before placing her thin fingers in his palm, allowing Xy to lead her out of the bakery afte
With her eyes closed, Lana was left to her dreams as Xy caressed her lips softly with his. He was so gentle, and careful, treating her like a delicate flower as she pressed her thighs close, desire rushing through her quickly. As her mind swirled with thoughts, she tried to convince herself that it was all real because the way Xy made her feel, it felt like a dream. He had been a perfect gentleman the entire night, and now with a sweet kiss, she doubted it could get any better. While secrecy had been a cloak she found comfort in, Lana suddenly felt the desire to strip the layers away and reveal the true self she had shielded from everyone all these years. There was something different about him, and she found it fateful that the two had met with all of the layers of security she had placed throughout her life. While it was only a few seconds, their kiss took Lana's breath away, leaving her wanting more when Xy finally pulled away. Without a word, he sat back into his seat,
"Good morning, Mr. Ashington," an older gentleman greeted Xy as he made his way into the office. He hated the formality of being addressed by his last name, but older employees demanded the formal structure, so he allowed it. Many of the younger employees simply called him Xy, and he was fine with that as well. There weren't many CEOs at his level going by their first names, but he liked to be an anomaly."Morning. What's on the docket for the day, Akira?" He greeted his friend and assistant as he approached his office. As usual, she was moving between two desks, with a headset on her head and a stack of papers in her hand."Good morning! How was your night?" She quizzed him, right on his heels as he moved into his office."Great. What are those?" Glancing over his shoulder, he struggled to get a peek at the paperwork she was holding."The contracts for next spring's line and the designs for this year's Christmas costumes," she smiled, carefully placing the sheets on Xy''s desk."When
She had just unpacked the last of her boxes, standing back to take in her new place. It had all come together in the final hours as she found the perfect nook for every photo frame and knick-knack she had picked up from one place or another. The living area was very cozy and centered around a brick fireplace Lana couldn't wait to use. It was the selling feature when she first saw the apartment, daydreaming of cooler evenings when she could cuddle up on the sofa with a book and a cup of tea. She wanted to make a life in her new place and had all the trappings to make it happen. The small couch was more like a loveseat, evident that she didn't have much plans for hosting others or entertaining. It was a small space, but it was perfect for her. She needed to rebuild her life and it was the perfect setting to do just that. The hardwood floors ran through the entire apartment, including the small kitchen that featured an island with a metal countertop, covered by the cut marks
Lana Reign had been even more excited than Xyrus expected when he invited her out to the charity event. She was beaming as he walked her through the restaurant, and now at their private dining table, she was overflowing with questions about what to expect and how he had gotten involved with the charity. He appreciated her enthusiasm, smiling as he fielded her questions, trying to answer as many as he could."How long have you been involved with this charity?" she asked, glancing up from the leather-bound menu she held with two hands."This one in particular, I'm not sure. My friend keeps me in the loop of all the most influential charities. He's got an eye for spotting potential, and I just like to be a part of helping them help others," he answered honestly. It was his way of balancing out the way he devoted so much of his life to his career. He needed to help others, but sometimes his time was so limited, he could only lend money. Luckily for him, he had a lot of t
"Let's sit down," Xyrus suggested and Lana happily accepted. They had walked so far she wasn't sure which way led back to his car. Having wanted to extend their time together, she would have agreed to walk to the end of the world with him if it meant their hands would be intertwined a little while longer."You look really nice tonight," Xyrus said, as she sat on the black wrought iron bench."Thank you. I'm beginning to notice you have a bit of a uniform," she teased, noting his white button up shirt and blue jeans."It makes my day easier," he explained, shrugging his shoulders with a carefree smile."And you look nice in it," she added, watching his eyes brighten. He was too handsome to not know his impact on women, so she was amused when he appeared shocked by her compliments. He had to know how attractive he was, and being the center of his attention felt a bit overwhelming for her. She was used to getting occasional scraps of attention from Dan, but Xyrus doted on he
Lana felt his warm body next to her and smiled. His heavy leg was draped across hers as he softly breathed in and out, his long eyelashes resting against his face as he slept. She stared at him for a while, admiring his handsomeness. The jaw stubble was already making an appearance on his face, giving him the rough, sexy look that she adored. He had made it a habit not to shave on the weekends, which she thoroughly appreciated. Living with him had taken a little getting used to, but now she could never imagine her life any other way. When Xyrus had asked her to move in, she had been hesitant at first. She was worried they were rushing into things. It seemed like it was too soon, but then after thinking about it and talking it over with Tina, she realized there was no hard and fast rule about when it was the right time. She felt it and he felt it and that was all that mattered. They’d been living together for a month and every day when she woke up, she got to see him. That was the bes
They were able getting to double date with Wind and Akira. His friends were supposed to be going to some charity event, but Wind had bailed at the last minute, more interested in a night out as a foursome than sitting in some stuffy ballroom wearing a tux. Since they’d had so much fun at the bar the last time they all went out, they had all voted to go back again.Akira and Xyrus returned from their bathroom visit and sat down at the table. Xyrus loved that they were becoming friends. They were very different in many ways, but they were part of his circle. They helped balance him, each of his close-knit group of friends bringing a little something different to the table.“Ahhh!” Lana screamed, throwing her hands into the air when the first few twangs on the guitar filled the bar.“What’s wrong?” Xyrus asked, looking around the crowded room.“I love this song!” she screamed, acting like a teenager at a rock concert, swaying her arms back and forth, her loose hair hanging down her back
Danny was walking straight for her, a murderous look in his eyes. If she was smart, she would run. She didn’t run. Instead, she threw her shoulders back and defiantly stared back at him. She wasn’t going to back down, not when she had made so much progress to shut him down. Xyrus was beside her in a flash, his arm around her shoulders, facing off against Danny right alongside her.Laura and a few of the other attorneys were standing nearby. The tension in the room was palpable. Danny’s anger was practically radiating off of him as they faced off in the hall. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized she might get hurt. Danny might get a punch in before Xyrus could stop him. She had accepted the risk and was willing to take a hit if it meant there would be witnesses that could finally back up her story. Danny would be held accountable for his actions—finally.“If you ever call me, call my job, show up at my place or show your face in my presence ever again, I will destroy you,” s
She looked happy. That was a good sign. He waited, not moving as she threw open the glass door and strolled towards him. She was looking at him, that sexy gleam in her eyes. It had gone well. She walked right up to him and kissed him.“Hey sweetheart,” he whispered.“Hi,” she said, turning to stand beside him, his arm snaked around her and held her close to him as he watched Danny stomp out of the conference room.“Why don’t we all move back into the conference room,” Laura suggested, looking at Danny and the other lawyers.Xyrus made a move to head into the conference room. “Are you going back in?” he whispered into Lana’s ear.“Actually, I don’t think we need you,” Laura said, looking at Lana and smiling.Lana shook her head. “Nope, I don’t think you do.”“I thought this was a settlement meeting. I’m in no mood for games. We did not fly up here for another wasted meeting. Your client will be paying for all of this,” Danny’s attorney started to say.“I’ll be in, give me a minute
Her palms were sweaty, and her stomach felt like it was filled with a million butterflies as she did her best to control her nerves. She couldn’t let Danny know he had her on edge. Her plan hinged on her being the one in control. It was important to turn the tables on him, let him know she was not afraid and would not run anymore. She glanced behind her, looking out the windows of the conference room to see Xyrus and Laura talking. They were conspiring to separate Danny from his lawyers. She couldn’t present her evidence if there were attorneys in the room. That would ruin the upper hand she wanted to hold onto for as long as possible. Her plan hinged on only her knowing about Danny’s illegal activities. Lana closed her eyes, inhaled and tried to relax. When she moved her hands away from the smooth table, she noticed palm prints left behind. She wiped her hands on the pantsuit she was wearing and prayed Danny showed up soon before she lost her nerve. She heard voices and turned t
He closed the laptop and powered down his office computer before standing up, righting his suit and grabbing his wallet from his desk drawer. It was a good day. The week was off to a great start and he had finally caught up on all the work that had been piling up since the day Lana had disappeared. It had been a little embarrassing to realize how badly he had let things slide as he focused all his time and energy on finding Lana. Now that she was back and determined to stay, he was able to focus on his company. He was already planning on extravagant gifts to be delivered to his management team that had picked up the slack. He had a whole new lease on life and had a little extra spunk as he looked forward to what he hoped was a very promising future with Lana.“I’m headed out,” he said, stopping at Akira’s desk.“Tell Wind I said hi,” she said with a smile.Xyrus chuckled. “I will. Thank you for letting me borrow him.”She giggled. “I can share him. Just don’t forget he’s mine after f
It felt good to wake up in her own bed, in her own place. Although it was nice to wake up with Xyrus, she had been longing for her bedroom and all the little things she had left behind. When she had been on the run, she had nothing special with her. She had picked up nothing and taken nothing. That had all changed in Taguig. She had enjoyed little shopping sprees at the secondhand stores picking up cool little things that helped her personalize her home. When she’d left, everything had stayed behind. She opened her eyes and rolled to her side, grabbing her phone off her bedside table and finding a text from Xyrus. He was always so thoughtful, wishing her a good morning and a good night every day when they weren’t together. She had missed him when she was gone; far more than she had even thought she would. Her next order of business was to grovel at Tina’s feet and beg for forgiveness. She’d been completely horrible as a friend and she wanted to make it up to one of the only friends
Somewhere deep inside, he was holding his breath. It wasn’t a literal holding of his breath, but more of his brain waiting to hear what she had to say. He knew what he wanted her to say and was sure after their warm welcome it was the most obvious thing to say, but he didn’t know for sure.She was looking at him, but not talking.“What is it sweetheart?” he asked, gently swiping her mussed hair from her face.She looked hot and sexy and better than any magazine centerfold he had ever seen. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips red and swollen from the intense kissing and her hair looked as if she had been standing inside a tornado. She took sexy seductress to an entirely new level.“I’m sorry I left without saying a word. I should have told you,” she started, and he felt his heart sink. It wasn’t what he thought it would be and definitely not what he wanted to hear.“It’s okay, I understand you were doing what you thought you had to. I need you to know I am here for you. Please don’t run
Her body was sliding down the wall, she couldn’t stand up another second after the orgasm had rocked her to her very core. He stood, wrapping his arms around her and holding her against him while her legs slowly became a little steadier.She looked up at him and felt so much for this man who had a way of stripping her down to her rawest self in every way, while handling her so tenderly. She knew he would never hurt her and she wanted him to know how much she cared for him. Leaving him had been a horrible thing to do. Making it up to him was her new mission. She wanted to show him how much she wanted him in her life.“My turn,” she said, her voice thick with desire.“Let’s go in my room,” he said, kissing the side of her neck.She shook her head. “Not yet.”In a flash, she dropped to her knees on the cold marble floor, yanking his sweats down his body. His thick erection was directly in her face, sending spirals of heat through her body. She thought about how good it felt when he put h