Daisy pouted. "Please, my love." "Sunshine, getting you off is ninety-nine percent of the fun for me." "But then I’m so busy coming that I don’t get to enjoy you." She complained. "Just for once, one night. I want you to be selfish. I want you to let go, be an animal, come just because it feels good and you’re ready." His lips thinned. "I can’t do that with you. I need you with me." "I knew you’d say that. But this is my game and it's played by my rules." "I haven’t agreed to play." He hammered. "Hear me out." Brett exhaled slowly. "I can’t do it, Daisy." "You could do it with other women," she argued. "I wasn’t in love with them." Daisy melted, unable to help it. "Baby I want this," she whispered. "Real bad." He made an exasperated noise. "Help me understand. I can’t hear your heart racing when I’m gasping for breath. I can’t feel you shaking when I’m shaking, too. I can’t taste you when my mouth is dry from begging you to finish me off." His beautiful face
Laughing, Daisy shoved at his shoulders and he pushed her backward until she sprawled on the floor between the sofa and coffee table. He hovered above her, his arms tight and hard from supporting his weight. His gaze roamed, caressing her bra, then her bare tummy, then her thong and garters. The ensemble she wore post-shower was crimson-red, chosen to keep Brett revved. "You’re my lucky charm," he said. Daisy squeezed his biceps. "Really?" "Yep." He licked the upper swell of her breast. "You’re magically delicious." "Oh my God." She laughed. "You're cheesy now." His eyes smiled at her. "My goddess of desire, pleasure, and corny one-liners. Did you like the wine from this evening?" "Yeah, it's quite heavenly. Is it new in the market?" "Yes." He pecked her forehead. "And you're looking at the new owner." "Oh Brett, now we've delved into wines. No wonder you know how to make use of your tongue. You're a great wine taster, aren't you?" Reading all the possible meani
"Omg! how could I have forgotten!" Ugo exclaimed. "What's that?" Daisy asked. "Someone called the house phone earlier today. She said she is your friend. It's weird because you've never mentioned a friend of yours that bears Lana." "What, Lana?" "Yes. Is she your friend?" "Hell no!" Daisy replied. "Now that's not funny. She said she had news and she wants you to call her back. She even left a number and said to give you in case the number you have doesn't go through." Daisy shot a look at Brett. He caught her stare and his eyes took on that familiar hard gleam. "Such a smart ass woman. Did you tell her anything?" She asked Ugo in a low voice. "Tell her anything, like what?" "Like something you wouldn’t want to tell a total stranger and Brett's ex." Brett's face took on a stony cast. He passed Daisy to drop the trash bag, then came back to her side. "You’re friends with Brett's ex?" Ugo asked. "Are you nuts?" "No, I’m not friends with her. I have no idea ho
"Did Brett tell you what he did to her?" Lana asked Daisy."Yes, he did." Daisy replied defensively. "And you're still with him? Don't tell me he's turned you into some heartless...." "Lana, I don't like you, but I don't want you to be a pain. That would suck, big time.""I don't plan to. But you should be more scared of what that other woman would do. A little birdie told me that your so-called man is getting sued for kicking a young man he met in your apartment with your best friend. Is that true?"Daisy looked at Brett and her stomach cramped. He had once kicked a guy for attempting to lay a finger on her one faithful night that she walked in on Ugo with two men. That part was true, but saying that Brett was getting sued...She kept staring at him, then she saw it. He was being sued. The proof was on his face, which was devoid of all emotions, hidden behind a flawless mask."No, it is not true," she answered. "Which part?""I have nothing further to say to you Lana." "You don't
Daisy met Brett sprawled up on the couch, pretending to be asleep. Understanding that to be a sign that he didn't want to talk about her last call, she lay beside him and soon the both of them drifted off to sleep. Daisy drifted in and out of consciousness, plagued by anxiety. In fact, she was awake enough to sense the change in Brett when his heartbeat increased, followed by the tightening of his grip on her arm. His body jerked powerfully, and he whimpered, causing Daisy to wriggle around to face him. Her quick, agitated movements succeeded in waking him up. "What?" he gasped, opening his eyes, with alertness. "What’s wrong?" "I think you were about to slip into a nightmare." She pressed soft kisses over his hot face, wishing her love could be enough to banish the crazy nightmares. Brett tried to sit up but Daisy clung tighter to him, holding him down. "Are you okay?" He asked, running a hand over her, searching for a hurt spot. "Did I hurt you?" "I’m fine." She replied.
Daisy's sleep was interrupted by the vibration of her phone, a call from Madison. She slipped out of the room and found her way to Brett's temporary study. "Hello, Maddie." "Daisy," Madison's vibrant voice echoed from the other end of the line. "Did I call too early? I'm so sorry." "Oh no, you did not. Is everything okay?" "Yeah, I'm kind of trying to confirm your presence at my birthday Monday evening." "Oh!" Daisy exclaimed, cursing under her breath. Regretting that she'd forgotten about Madison's birthday completely. "I... Maddie, can I give you a call back, say in an hour or two with a solid reply to your question?" "Sure." Madison said, after a brief silence. "Umm, it's going to be just you and two of my friends and their boyfriends. I'm really hoping you would come. I don't want to be the odd one amongst them." "Yeah, I understand Maddie. What time is it?" "Six in the evening." "You've got a venue yet?" "Yes. Oxygen lounge. You can locate it with your map. Can
"You're n essence, you need a new social media handler for the foundation's socials and you need a new easy and less complicated website. Something beautiful, yet so easy to navigate. And your name and pictures need to always pop up whenever the foundation is searched on any search engine. You need to be tied to the foundation. There should be links and info about the charities that have benefited from your foundation. There should be a page that thoroughly describes what the foundation is all about." "All of the information are sent out to any of the charity organizations we want to work with." "Great. Add it to your website, people need to know. Do you understand me, Brett Lexington?" She met his raised brows with her own. Then shoved a to-do list in front of him. "We’re defusing all the incoming bombs before they blow. And all my suggestions need to be put in motion before Tuesday. We don't have the luxury of time." Brett took a cursory glance at the paper in front of him, th
Daisy wrapped her arm around him to assure him that the connection between them was still so strong. "There’s a lot I don’t know about you, Brett. It's not that I need to know more in order to make up my mind about us, because nothing could ever make me stop loving you. Absolution nothing. I just feel like your hesitation to share things with me means that you’re not exactly ready."Brett let out a deep breath and nodded. "I understand," He muttered. "Listen to me Daisy, I can’t take the risk that you won’t want forever with me.""I would never think of such, Brett. I won’t survive if I dared." "Great, now I'm certain we're on the same page. What do you want to know?" He asked."Everything." She replied and he made a frustrated noise. "Be specific Sunshine. You need to start with something."Daisy asked the first thing that came to her mind. "Graham Bank. Why are you in control of your uncle's company with majority shares?""The Bank was going through hard times. My Aunt was worrie
We were now in an open corridor. Rocco stood like a statue at the end of the room, staring into space. Two other guards stood at a reasonable distance, taking the same stance. I snatched my hand back from him, crossing it over my chest. "Good. Then that's settled. But make no mistake, he turned "I'm going to take my pleasure from you, how and when I deem it fit." He threatened. "You dare not!" I challenged, creating a distance between us. "Really," he mused. "Let's see how that goes." "Every single thing about this situation is disappointing," I corrected him, feeling my jaw quiver. I had a temper. So I try so hard to always remain happy and positive. And that was why I surrounded myself with people that really love and care about me. They all knew and understood how bad my temper used to be. As a form of control, I would always remain cold and calm in situations I have no power over. Until I grab a full picture of the situation. But then, in some conditions, I almost alw
I was awakened by the distant sound of the television. Immediately I opened my eyes, I saw Maxine cropped up on a chair at the end of the room. "Welcome back to the land of the living," he muttered. "Where are we?" I croaked, sitting up on the bed and surveying the empty room that had only a bed and a television. Maxine stretched his arms, and sighed. "Home, The Garden." "Thank God." I sighed, before realizing what he meant. "You mean your home is referred to as The Garden?" "Mhmm." He hummed. "Gross." I spat out. "It's a good name." He stood up. "Hollis totally owe me for this." He murmured and left the room, not even saying a goodbye or any other word. My throat felt raw, and my body, emotionally exhausted. I could feel dark isolation seeping through the room like deep depression. I just wanted to go home, to go shopping, boat cruises, clubhouses and the courtroom. I wanted my life back. But even I know I couldn't. Not with the continuous attempt on my life and wi
Maxine gripped the steering wheel and side-glanced me. "Put your seatbelt on, this is going to be fun." I did as I was told, and he hit the red button on the rearview mirror, which caused the garage door to slide open. We drove out onto the gloomy street. Maxine didn't let go of the gas pedal until we were driving well above the speed limit. Darkened street signs flashed by. He sped through a red light, swerving around a car that was patiently waiting for its turn. 'What was the point of making me wear my seatbelt if he was planning on killing the both of us by crashing the car.' With an extended grin, he weaved us in and out of traffic. Eventually we moved away from the city streets and onto a country road. We picked up more speed, but at least there were no other cars to play chicken with. I was able to unclench my teeth and my stranglehold on the security bar against the door, using my free hand to wipe my newly dampened forehead. The car air-conditioner couldn't do anyt
The next time I woke up, the sun was already setting. I was feeling better, rested, though my joints and muscles ached from the lack of movement. As for the bump on my head, it was only sensitive to touch. there was no more throbbing. My hair on the other hand was a tangled mess. My head felt naked when my hair was down. I searched my pockets and then the barren room for anything that I could use to tie it back. The only thing I found was the glass of water that had been refilled, and that I greedily gulped down. The bedroom door had been left open, and hollowed sounds from a Television could still be heard. As soon as the smell of food tickled my nose, my stomach grumbled. The last meal I had eaten was the vegetable sauce my mother made specially for me. How long ago was that? My brain was still too foggy to count back the hours or the days. The thought of my mother sent chills down my spine. I haven't heard from my parents and I knew they would be worried sick. Letting my sto
With a stiff neck, I scanned my surroundings. there wasn't much to decipher. I was in a small room, lit only by the bedside lamp that was on the table next to the bed. There was an armchair with a rose velvet cushion in one corner. The walls were bland and frameless. After waiting for another bout of nausea to pass, I went to the window, holding on to the small table as support for my shaky frame. Outside, the sunsetting sky was of resilient palettes of shady hues, and I was peering over the shadows of endless rooftops. Wherever I was, it was high above a city, at least twenty stories high. Down below, a yellow cab was waiting at a red light on an otherwise empty street. I couldn't decide if I was still in Lilycity. I thought I had a fair recognition of the clock tower that stood at the center of the city square, but it was too distant and I was too tired to be sure. My hand pressed against the glass. I closed my eyes until the dizziness passed, then slowly and painfully moved to
There was a flash of light and distant noises. My head felt like someone was taking an ice pick and pouring heavy chipping on my skull. I decided that death couldn't be this painful, so I was probably not dead or this was what hell was supposed to feel like. My eyes were pried open, and a light came flashing again. This was followed by a groan, like a bear cub. 'was that me?' I managed to flutter my eyes open without anyone's help. Inches away from my face, someone was holding a pen-sized flashlight. I couldn't focus enough to see him, but I could definitely smell him. Light scent of woodberry and some chemicals I remember enduring the mixing process once I snuck into the chemistry laboratory during practicals that were meant for students offering science courses. The ceiling was swimming. I thought I was going to vomit, and I had to let my eyelids drop to stop the spinning. Slowly, the muffled sounds became words. "What's your name, sweetheart." Asked the man with the flashli
I climbed down carefully from the grey van that picked me up from the house. I was going to see a cartel Boss. So there are quite a lot of things that could happen today. It's either I end up dead or I succeed in striking a good deal that will keep my father alive and give my family enough time to pay up the crazy-absurd debt they leveled against my Father. If the stars are in my favor, the money might even be forgiven. But in all, one of these things was going to happen today and I pray my dead body won't be drawn out of the industrial looking premises. As I stood looking around, I got a nudge behind from one of the men. "Move!" He barked at me and like a crippled roach revealed by a light from a handheld torch. I had to put both of my feet to good use. One of the men walked in front, leading the way, while two others walked behind me. "Stop." A baritone voice from a guard stationed at the gate yelled at us. "She's going to go in blindfolded." He read out a rehearsed instruct
The silence at the dinning table felt excruciating and painful. I forced most of the mashed potatoes down my throat and swallowed hurriedly each time, unable to feel the taste of the meal. When the silence became too unbearable, I shifted my meal and turned to my parents. "Let's hear it, what's the problem?" "Eat Ugo." My father said, tapping me gently on the arm. "I'm full, and even if I'm not, I can't take more. I've lost my appetite. What's going on, what's with the silence and brooding, did someone die?" My mother was the first to shake her head. "We didn't lose anyone. But we might as well loose someone if we don't find a solution." She said, "Ada..." My father called in his usual peace-loving manner. "Ugo is not a child, honey. The earlier we start taking....the better." "Please talk to me... anyone. Dad, Mom." "Honey, it's nothing serious....." "Your father was accused of stealing from his company." My mom interrupted. "What?" I looked at my father, hoping he would as
UGO I took in the orderliness of the little room that had always served as my safe space for the longest time. All my childhood memories were still intact, almost as I had left them. My mother had taken it upon herself to preserve all the good memories, making sure not to alter the shape of the room and the position of things as I left them. I tried recalling the last time I visited Lilycity. It's been well over two years. Fairview had found a way to draw me into its tight grasp and sapped me off all my free time. I sighed, recalling my mother's tears at the airport when she came to pick me up. I was initially skeptical that she would be the one to pick me up, but then she somehow managed to convince me with my father's support that she has recovered perfectly since her intestinal surgery. "Poor woman." I murmured regrettably. Pulling my hair into a tight bun, I sat down on the only chair in my room, took in the beauty of the modest-looking room and smiled. What my room lacked in