CHANCE - THREE YEARS LATERThe moment my driver passed through the gate, I couldn’t help the smile curving my lips. The immaculate lawn wasn’t so immaculate anymore. The quiet estate wasn’t so quiet anymore. The home wasn’t a lonely place to lay my head.Lilly and my home boomed with laughter, loud voices, occasional tears and arguments, but it was all worth it. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.“Seems the kids had a good day, sir,” my driver remarked.He was right. If the driveway marked with chalk full of colors, bikes, and a kiddie pool were anything to go by. I still didn’t understand the need for a kiddie pool when we had a perfectly functioning real pool, but Lilly insisted it was better.So we went with it. She dragged me to Target and picked out the cheapest pool she could find. I’d do anything to keep her happy. If she wanted me to drain the Olympic size pool, so be it. As long as she continued smiling.The car came to a stop, and I grinned. Lilly sat at the doorstep of our m
My sixth sense warned me that something wasn’t right. I could sense it in the pit of my stomach. My heartbeat kept skipping every so often.I just couldn’t quite put my finger on what was causing it. So, I ignored the feeling, blaming it on my adrenaline and paranoia. This morning’s argument with Jack was worse than usual. Things were getting bad. His outbursts had become more frequent. I kept hoping our relationship would take a turn, but the only turn it took was for the worse. From the first word that aimed to humiliate to the first physical shove, then a slap across the face. I didn’t think I could forgive. Ever!But those deeply rooted standards of ‘marriage is for life’ were difficult to shake off.I settled myself in my home office chair, deciding to work from home on impulse this morning.A great perk of being with the same company for a long time. All the years of working hard and proving myself had finally paid off. I’d come a long way. Jack tried to diminish it, but I couldn
I threw the documents onto my desk and took three big strides, making my way over to one of the two walls of floor-to-ceiling windows, looking down on Washington D.C. The view of the East Front Plaza and the U.S. Capitol filled my vision. The view that many powerful men would kill for. The city sparkled under the morning sun, a perfect disguise for corruption and greed.It was the reason my father bought this building. Power was important to him. At all costs. Though I couldn’t argue the benefits of it. He’d probably shit himself if he was still alive and could see how far I grew the Macklemore empire. He was always greedy for money and power.It was the reason he almost bankrupted my mother’s inheritance and W&W before I took over. He decided to chase his dick at the expense of my mother and her fortune. When his affair and filthy methods got exposed, he put a bullet in his own brain. It was the easy way out for him while the rest of us were left cleaning up his mess.Coincidentally,
Lilly. I stood in front of the impressive glass W&W building in downtown Washington, D.C. my eyes raised up to its top floor. The building was five stories high and stood out with its modern but elegant architecture. Sun reflected against its glass windows and the glare blinded. The voices around me felt distant as the street buzzed with life.The crisp May weather promised a beautiful afternoon and an even more gorgeous weekend.Yet, as I stood here, something about this whole situation made my stomach flutter with nerves.Unconventional job, my best friend, Noona, called it.She didn’t elaborate and something about this potential job opportunity made me feel uneasy. But desperate times called for desperate measures.We all do what we must to survive. My father’s voice echoed in my head. My savings was pretty much nonexistent at this point. I was flat broke. Stone broke. Drowning in debt broke. If there was another term for broke, it applied to me. All my education and degrees in fin
Lilly. “Walker, right?” he asked again.I swallowed hard, that voice sent shivers down my spine. The kind that I had never felt with any other man.“Yes.” I answered in a raspy tone, feeling dazed. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him.He extended his hand, and for a moment, I debated whether it was smart to take it. Though I wanted to. God, his hand was attractive too. Strong, veiny, his skin tone slightly darker. I bet he knew how to use those hands on a woman’s body.I shook my head. I couldn’t let my thoughts wander down that path.Tentatively, I raised my hand and accepted his handshake. Warm. Strong. My pulse quickened at his touch, the heat from his closeness surging off of him and melting my core. Something inside of me shuddered with delight.He let go of my hand, and I caught myself leaning towards him. Like a moth towards a flame. Lowering my hand to my side, I pressed my palm against my thigh and rubbed it. Something about his touch unnerved me.His gaze followed the move
Chance. “Lilly Walker.”Her resume didn’t do her justice. As she rambled about her hobbies and desperately grasping for straws to prove she wasn’t a loner, I got my fill of her.She intrigued me. Every single thing about this petite brunette tugged on strings I long thought dead.Her soft voice. That pouty mouth. Caramel-colored eyes. Her beautiful face.Her crimson cheeks made my dick twitch. She appeared younger than her age. Much younger. Until you looked into her eyes. Those were ancient. I couldn’t help but wonder why. I wanted to know her story. It was a novelty to me.Her face barely held any makeup, and she didn’t need any. Her beauty was more the fresh, natural kind. Dangerously beautiful. The kind of beauty that could make men like me do stupid things.Because I wanted to fuck her.My mind already contemplated ways to get her into bed. Except she was all wrong for this position.Regardless of what her friend told Byron, I’d bet my fortune she wasn’t the type to have sex with
LillyThree days.It wasn’t reasonable to expect a response so fast, but I hoped. Either way, I didn’t think I’d get it. So I applied to Target, Walmart, and even a fast food chain. Desperation clawed its way through me, overwhelming me, and I had to choke it down. Single mothers had no luxury of dwelling, self-pity or even desperation. Yes, I was overqualified for all of those positions, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t do them.Then why can’t I get a job, my thoughts hounded me and I ignored it.I tried my best to forget every second of my interview with Chance Macklemore. Not exactly a highlight in my life. People like him were clearly way out of my league. I wasn’t even sure I had a league beyond my daughters. But that sizzling attraction! For a moment it made me believe in all those smut books I read. I bet he did it as good as any book boyfriend. Just the thought of his hands on me had my heart speeding up into unhealthy territory.Instinctively, I knew Chance Macklemore would be
LillyMonday morning came too quickly.Back in downtown Washington, I walked into the elegant marble lobby with more confidence than the first time around, wearing an emerald green, Michael Kors business dress.Things are finally picking up, I thought enthusiastically.Noona’s husband, my late husband’s cousin, secured me an interview at his company and it went very well. Like an-offer-coming-soon well. My outlook on life had improved and I could feel the sheer excitement and hope deep inside that made me anxious to put the last few years behind me. A fresh start was exactly what I needed.With less of the pressure and despair, I reported to the front desk with the folder in my hand containing the signed confidentiality contact and was directed back to the fifth floor.As the elevator smoothly lifted up to the targeted floor, my heart did an awkward pitter-patter and my breathing grew erratic. My breasts tightened and excitement rushed through me. It was wrong. So darn wrong to feel