The moment I walked through the door, I didn’t bother taking off my shoes. I went straight to my room, threw my bag in a corner, and collapsed on my bed. I was knackered.
Out of all the people in Los Angeles. Millions, by the way, it just had to be him who ended up as my new boss.
Liam freaking Black.
Of course, it couldn’t be Jay. Jay is kind, humble, and charming. There’s no arrogant celebrity air around him, no “I’m better than you” vibe. He’s easy to talk to, If only his arrogant brother could emulate him.
I let out a sigh and shut my eyes.
Sleep took me almost instantly.
My phone’s ringtone dragged me out of my dreams. I groaned, blindly reaching for it on my nightstand.
Lisa.
I answered, voice raspy. “Hey, girly.”
“How was your first day?” Her voice was bright, chirpy and far too energetic for how I was feeling.
I rolled to the side. “It was okay. My new boss is a jerk. It is a pity that he is so handsome. Honestly, I wish he was old, bald, lonely and ugly.”
She burst out laughing. I could picture her holding her tummy, in amusement. She always did that when something cracked her up.
“How cute is he though?” she asked with curiosity.
I groaned. “Painfully. You should see the man. He looks like he was sculpted by the gods. It’s unfair for one person to look that good.”
She screamed loud enough to rupture my eardrum. I winced and removed the phone from my ear.
“Jesus, Lisa!”
“I can’t help it! I badly wanna be you right now. At least you are having a swell summer holiday. Meanwhile, I’m stuck here with these tiny demons, climbing all over me like I’m a seesaw.”
That’s one of the things I love about her. Like me, she’s a family girl through and through. She flew to Florida to help her sister with the kids. The third baby was on the way, and she didn’t hesitate for a second before offering to help.
“I remember how excited you were before leaving,” I teased, mimicking her voice.
“I miss my babies so much. I can’t wait to see them!”
She giggled. “I did miss them! They’re adorable on FaceTime. But now that I’m here, all I want is to lock myself in a room and pretend I don’t exist. They’re like cute mini-terrorists.”
I laughed softly. “You’re so dramatic.”
Her tone shifted to something more curious. “So, besides Mr. Greek God Boss, did anything else happen?”
I paused for effect.
“Spill it already Em!”
I grinned. She is always impatient when it comes to gist. “I might have possibly agreed to be a video vixen for Jason Black, the singer.”
She screams on the other end of the line.Damn it! Have mercy on my ears girl. I braced myself, already regretting this.
“You did what?! That’s so freaking cool! You’re going to be in a music video with Jason Black! Girl, you are lucky! Do you know how many people would kill for that opportunity?”
I remained silent.
She picked up on it instantly. Her voice softened. “Wait, you’re not excited? What is the problem Em?”
“I just don’t know if it is a good idea. It felt like a decision I made on impulse.”
“Crap!” she snapped. “You’re stunning, Em. You’ll be amazing on camera. Plus, it’s Jason we’re talking about. It’ll be an adventure! Who knows this could be good for you?”
I smiled faintly. “You are more excited than I am.”
“Someone has to be! Okay, fine. I’ll let you go since you’re all moody and tired. But we’re talking more about this tomorrow.”
“Bye.”
I ended the call before she could launch into another one of her rants. Don’t get me wrong. I love her. She’s my best friend. But when she starts talking sometimes, she does not stop. And tonight? I don't have the energy to keep up.
I forced myself out of bed and headed to the bathroom. After a quick shower, I fixed dinner. Chicken pasta. The nose blinding aroma filled the kitchen.
Mom and I used to sit down for meals together, talking about everything and nothing. Gossip, work, what shows we were watching. There was always laughter. Now, the silence felt louder than ever.
After eating, I cleaned up, and just as I was about to head back to my room, my phone buzzed.
Jay: Hey, Vixen! Any plans for tomorrow?
Me: Nope. Why?
Jay: Wanna come to the studio with me?
Me: Hmm. Depends. What’s in it for me?
Jay: You get to see where the magic happens. And, you get to hang out with me. What could be better?
Me: Not good enough. I’ll pass.
Jay: Ouch. Harsh. Okay, name your price.
I stared at the screen, amused. Then typed:
Me: Offer me something I can’t say no to.
His typing bubble appeared… then disappeared. Then reappeared. Then stopped again.
I'm curious now. What the heck is he typing?
Finally, his message came through:
Jay: There’s this famous Italian chef in LA. You might’ve heard of him. His name starts with M and ends in O.
My heart skipped.
Me: Marco Russo?
Jay: Bingo. I told him I might stop by tomorrow with a friend.
Me: You're evil!.
Jay: Haha I’m surrounded by business people. I learned from the best. So, Em… you in or out?
Me: Ugh. Fine. You win. You got yourself a deal.
Jay: Excellent choice. Now send me your address. I’ll pick you up at 9 a.m.
I sent him my location, a grin stretching across my face.
Marco Russo.
In the culinary world, he’s what Beyoncé is to music. He only cooks for VIPs, A-listers, royalty, billionaires. And tomorrow, I get to meet him.
Jay: Goodnight, Em. See you tomorrow.
Me: Goodnight, Jay. Sleep tight.
I dashed to my closet and started rummaging through it. I need to arrange my outfit for tomorrow.
I know I’m acting like a kid promised a trip to Disneyland, but excuse me this is my Disneyland.
I don’t know how I’ll sleep tonight. But one thing’s for sure…
I can’t wait for tomorrow.
Jay and I ended up at a sleek rooftop restaurant, velvet-lined booths, soft jazz threading through the air, and a view of the skyline framed like a painting.The kind of place where celebrities could breathe, eat medium-rare steak, and not worry about paparazzi lurking behind wine glasses. Jay said I needed this. A real meal. A moment to feel normal again. And maybe, he was right.Lunch started off light. We talked about music, travel, a dream he had where he accidentally officiated a wedding between two cats. He made me laugh, the kind of laugh that started in your chest and shook loose all the tension you didn’t realize you were carrying."You good?" Jay asked, swirling the straw in his mocktail. "Like actually good?"I nodded. "I think so. Just... adjusting.""Yeah," he said. "You didn’t exactly sign up for all this. But welcome to the circus."My phone buzzed on the table. I reached for it absentmindedly, expecting another meme from Sophia or Liam sending a naughty text. But inste
The grin on Liam's face didn’t fade the entire morning. It stretched from cheek to cheek like he’d won some silent victory, and even as we sat at the breakfast table, he kept flashing me smug little looks over his coffee mug."You know that look is annoying, right?" I said, reaching for my phone beside the toast.He didn’t respond, just grinned wider.My phone buzzed with yet another notification. I tapped it and my mouth dropped."Oh my God."Liam raised a brow. "What now?"I held up my screen. "I gained over two hundred thousand followers overnight. I’m at nine hundred and forty-something thousand now."He leaned in to look. "Huh. Almost a million. LA's new It Girl.""Stop," I said, laughing and trying not to let the nerves creep in. "This is crazy. People are saying maybe I left Mason's tour because my jealous billionaire boyfriend called me home. Others think I staged it for PR."Liam smirked. "They're not entirely wrong."I nudged his arm. "Liam."He chuckled and popped a piece o
The air inside the venue hadn’t cooled since the kiss. If anything, the heat had only grown thicker. Liam Black, the man known for calculated glances and cold detachment, had become someone else entirely tonight. Someone... touchy.He didn’t let go of my hand. Not even once.He whispered into my ear between tech presentations, his breath grazing my neck, making it nearly impossible to focus on anything but him. During speeches, he leaned over to murmur jokes only I could hear. Stolen kisses landed on my temple, my jawline, the corner of my mouth.Liam Black had entered full PDA mode, and judging by the stunned glances we were getting, no one had seen it coming.Not the press. Not the attendees. Not even me.By the time the event wrapped up, I could barely remember half the speeches or tech presentations. All I remembered was Liam’s presence at my side, the comfort of his touch, the way he kept claiming me without words.Back at the car, I thought we were heading home. My heels were re
The soft crackle of oil in the pan was the only sound in the kitchen as I carefully flipped the eggs. The smell of toast drifted up, mixing with the faint aroma of coffee.I wasn’t about to risk another surprise breakfast-in-bed from Liam. One look at his burnt pancakes last week had been enough. Kindness shouldn’t be put to the test like that.And after last night’s... marathon, I needed something hearty to survive the day. My body ached in all the best ways, but I wasn’t trying to tempt fate on an empty stomach. Coffee was non-negotiable, and anything remotely greasy suddenly felt like a love language.Sophia padded in a few minutes later, barefoot, wearing black oversized shirt. She looked unusually serious, eyes glued to her phone as she slid onto the kitchen island stool without a word."Good morning," I said.She blinked once, distracted. "Hey."Silence stretched. I served the eggs, then poured us both orange juice. She still hadn’t looked up."Everything okay?"Another pause. T
The room still smelled like his skin. Like heat and tension and something purely Liam. My body felt boneless, sated, wrapped against his chest like it had found its rightful home. The ache between my legs hadn’t faded, but it wasn’t pain. It was the memory of being taken, devoured, worshipped in the roughest way possible.His hand was heavy around my waist. Possessive. Like he was daring the world to try and take me again.I ran my fingers along his bare chest, brushing over the steady rise and fall. There was a moment of perfect silence, broken only by our breathing.Then, I whispered, "I missed you so badly."His arm tightened around me. He exhaled through his nose. "God, I hate how I can't stay mad at you."I pulled back a little to look at him. "You planned to stay mad at me?"He tilted his head on the pillow, eyes fixed on the ceiling like it was safer than looking at me. "Planned it all. Long and hard. I was going to ignore your calls, block your number, act like you didn't exis
Even though the flight back to LA had been smooth, my body felt like it was carrying the weight of another world.The moment Jason’s car pulled away, I just stood there at my door, keys in hand, staring at the knob like I was afraid of what would be on the other side.Inside, the silence felt both familiar and foreign. My shoes echoed softly on the hardwood as I walked through the apartment, my eyes scanning every corner like it might suddenly look different.It didn’t.I dropped my bag in the hallway and wandered into the bathroom like muscle memory. Everything moved in slow motion. I turned on the shower and stepped under the water before I could talk myself out of it. The temperature stung my skin in the best way, a punishment and a cleanse.The water was scalding, the kind of heat that stripped away layers. I didn’t cry. I just stood there, letting it burn. Letting it wash away the makeup, the perfume, the tour, the flash of cameras, the whispers of strangers. The look in Liam’s e