Well, kind of. They don't normally include alcohol. More like ice cream and cookies. Clearly with me not here to stop her from breaking out the whiskey, she's gone way further down the road than ever before in these instances.It's time for supportive roommate love from a best friend."Get it together, whore. You say this every test, but then you always get an A.""No, remember that time with Perpetuities?"Ugh, that was a rough time period. "You're one of the smartest people I know."Ashley always freaked out, but then sailed through school—except for perpetuities and one statistics class her senior year of undergrad. Rough semester didn't do an adequate job describing the turmoil, but she passed. When final grades came out, she printed them off, hung the C- on the fridge, and we celebrated.She'd do the same thing after the bar exam."Not this time. I haven't been studying like I should."Guilt trips my heart and trickles down my spine. How long has she been freaking
In a routine, which is becoming familiar, I drop my purse in the bottom desk drawer and then take a seat in my padded office chair and flip open my laptop at the end of another work week. It's been calm with Ashley for five full days. Not a drop of alcohol has entered her mouth. I've spent my days shuffling between her and Vincent and I'm ready for a break.Dawn, wearing one spritz of perfume too many, hovers at the edge of my cubicle before I can even turn on my machine. "Good morning. Did you have a good evening last night?"Why does it look like all the employees of Valiant Industries are morning people? Who can be so peppy this early except Vincent himself? The whole thing feels unnatural. Maybe they put something in the coffee."Yeah, it was okay. Amy called a few moments ago and said you're needed on the eighteenth floor. Head there first and then we'll start our morning meeting at ten. Don't be late.""No problem."Dawn walks away, not asking me any other questions aft
A single candle burns in the middle of the cake and Vincent's smile deepens when he leans down and blows it out with a quick puff. His employees clap, a few of them looking at their boss the way I found myself doing so many times during our time together and sometimes even when he wasn't around. Admiration. A way I still think of him even if I no longer work in his direct office.It's clear to see his employees love and value their boss—not just because he writes their paychecks but because inside he is a good man. How many of the people in this room has he helped as he did my father and Amy's husband?Vincent steps away from the cake as Marianne, the chief assistant for the other half of the floor, steps up holding a big knife ready to slice it into squares."Make sure I get a big piece when you get finished. I need to talk to Ms. Marshal about her transfer papers," Vincent says loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear.I keep my position at the door until Vincent walks
The rest of the day goes by quickly, my thoughts continuously falling back to the image of Vincent as he threw his head back in satisfaction and filled my mouth with his essence.I fix my hair in the employee bathroom and then make my way to my floor, looking exactly as I had before I left for his office. I can't help but think everyone in the meeting room can sense what I've just done. It was naughty, dirty, and ill timed, but I wouldn't change it. No one besides the two of us would know what happened so I won't be upset about it.My foot nervously taps against the floor, willing the time to speed up. As a marketing assistant, I won't be helping to design ads or come up with new amazing campaigns. I spend my days in this cubicle, analyzing campaigns for other similar companies and comparing them to sales trends.Honestly, it's boring as hell, especially considering four other recently hired employees are doing the same thing. With Vincent's far-reaching business factions, each o
Hours later, after Vincent made good on his promise, we lie together in his large bed that could fit three more people easily. The blankets wrap around us, and together we watch the sun set against the city backdrop."I could do this all night," I say, slipping my way deeper underneath the arm he has wrapped around my shoulders.He places a soft kiss in my forehead. "Okay."He can't be serious."Isn't your mom taking you out to celebrate or something?" Although at this point it would be a late celebration. Summer is slowly slipping away, but there's still time for dinner.Vincent releases a heavy breath of air, blowing my hair caught in its wake across my face. "No, my birthday is a sad time for her. My father died on my birthday."My heart clenches in sorrow and I grab onto his arm. "I'm so sorry."He shakes his head, disturbing more of my hair. "Don't be."Another glimpse into Vincent's relationship with the man he calls father. I have questions to ask, but I wait to
The memories assault me.We were both already undressed when Vincent reached to the side of the bed and returned with my shirt."What are you going to do? Dress me again?" I bantered.The look in his eyes should have been the indicator that wasn't where Vincent planned to go, but I was too lost in lust to figure it out. "No, not exactly. Now flip."I didn't exactly follow very many rules in life, but when Vincent Valiant told me to roll over, I did it. And I didn't ask questions.As I lay flat on my stomach in front of him, he gathered up my hands and pulled them behind me to rest of the top of my ass cheeks, and then using the shirt he collected from the floor, he bound them together tightly so I couldn't pull free."This will ruin my shirt," I said with a hint of hysteria in my voice.Vincent only chuckled. "I'll buy you another one. Fuck, I'll buy you ten more."A girl could not argue with that logic—at least not a woman with half a brain. While I would admit to losi
My hands shake for the entire walk back to Vincent's building, the elevator ride up, and the panic that doubles when I open his penthouse door. I take a step inside and find him standing in front of his window with his arms clasped behind his back in a pose so similar to one way he tied up the woman in the pictures.Parts of me want to run. To get as far away as possible and pretend we've never happened, but I need an explanation from him. I need something."Who were you speaking to, Mackenzie?" he asks the first question, not turning from the window. His words are hard and I bristle. Who is he to question me? I walk deeper into his penthouse sidestepping one couch and standing in the middle of the room suddenly angry he has the nerve to question me. As if I've done something wrong in this scenario."You tell me."How can a man I was starting to love, no, have already fallen in love with do something like this to a woman? How long until he wanted to do it to me? And if I was
It's true we both may have people in our past, but the differences is mine holds only the one. He was lackluster. How would Vincent react if he had to see images of me going at it with another man who had a body of a model? The jealousy that blooms every time Henry sends me a text is a big enough clue of how Vincent would respond."She said you promised to buy her family's factory for a big payday and then you didn't."His eyes narrow and a spot in his cheek twitches. "No, she begged me to look at her family's property. I told her no until the thing between us ended and then I felt guilty. But it's mismanaged and poorly run. The roof is caving in on half of it. It wasn't a good investment and I won't let a loose pussy force me to make poor business decisions. She got her money and now she's gone against our deal."His words are chilly and harsh. I've never witnessed Vincent treat someone in such a fashion. Has this part of him always been hiding underneath the surface? Could he t