LOGINThe sun hadn’t even fully cleared the New York skyline when the buzzer to my apartment shrieked, slicing through my caffeine-deprived brain like a serrated blade.I was currently in a state of high-alert panic, standing in front of my hallway mirror in the cramped confines of my Upper West Side flat, trying to convince myself that my neck didn’t look like a crime scene."It’s just a shadow," I whispered, tilting my head to the left until my vertebrae popped. "Poor lighting. A localized skin irritation due to... extreme professional stress and the unforgiving New York humidity."A low, cynical chuff sounded from behind me.I spun around. Ranger was sitting by the front door, his tail giving a single, mocking thud against the hardwood. Beside him, Soldier was leaning against the coat rack, watching me with an expression that was entirely too human for a creature that spent its day sniffing fire hydrants and chasing pigeons in Central Park."Stop it," I hissed, pointing my concealer wand
I punched my pillow for the fourth time in ten minutes, but the down-filled rectangle wasn’t the real problem.Actually, it was the ghost of a touch that I still felt on my skin, and the fact that my bedroom currently felt like a high-security enclosure.I flopped onto my back, staring at the ceiling and replaying the boardroom scene for the thousandth time. My professional dignity hadn't just been compromised, it had been shredded and fed through a high-end industrial processor.I, Rahab, the woman who could calculate a five-year fiscal projection in her sleep and identify a fraudulent invoice from thirty paces, had moaned against a one-way glass window while the entire city pulsed below."It was the adrenaline," I whispered to the empty room, trying to sound authoritative. "A physiological response to a high-stress environment. Purely mechanical. Like a knee-jerk reflex, but with more... vintage wine."I closed my eyes, but that was a huge mistake.Behind my eyelids, I could still s
“You can’t do this,” I tried to interject confidently.It was a valiant effort, really, the kind of statement that usually works in a brightly lit office during business hours. But the words failed miserably the moment Nisi lifted one of the crystal glasses and started to pour the vintage wine over my naked body.The cold liquid was a sharp, biting shock against my feverish skin. I closed my eyes, breathless, as the dark red droplets raced down my curves, soaking into the lace of my underwear. This was insane. This was a direct violation of at least fourteen different corporate bylaws, not to mention the laws of physics regarding how much heat one man’s gaze could actually generate.“Analysis, Rahab?” Nisi murmured, his breath vibrating against my ear as he followed the path of the wine with his eyes. “What happens when the liquid meets the flame?”When his lips started licking the wine, trailing a path of fire down toward my lace, I held my breath so hard my lungs ached.“Wait! This
I returned to the boardroom with two crystal tumblers clinking in my hand, my heart pounding so hard it felt like the percussion section of an orchestra gone rogue.Michally’s parting words, they get cranky when they need to share, looped in my brain like a glitchy recording.I tried to summon the version of me who cared more about pivot tables and market volatility than the way a certain CEO’s hand had branded my lower back, but that Rahab seemed to have taken indefinite leave.The heavy oak doors clicked shut behind me, sounding far too much like a trap snapping into place. Nisi and Rapha weren’t seated at the table. They stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, silhouettes carved from obsidian, gazing out over the city.“The glasses, Rahab,” Rapha demanded without turning.My heels betrayed me, clicking too loudly in the silence as I crossed the room. I set the tumblers down, the crystal singing against the wood.“I have the South Ridge documents ready for your digital signature,” I s
Standing in front of the mirror, the full-length kind in the master bathroom, I was adjusting the lapels of my dark suit.It was a typical ‘power outfit’, the kind that practically screams, I have a plan, I know what I’m doing, and I definitely know where my birth certificate is. After a night filled with dreams of cedar, rain, and the oddly high body temperature of the two men sleeping in the other wing of this place, I needed the armor. The dogs were sprawled on the rug, watching me intently, so much so that it felt like a performance review was happening in their minds.“Stay,” I told them, pointing at the floor. “I have to go to work. Real work. The kind with spreadsheets, deadlines, and people who think coffee counts as a personality trait.”I sighed, grabbing my bag. “Meanwhile, you two are living the dream—sleep, eat, wag tails, repeat. Honestly, I should be jealous.”Ranger tilted his head, as if agreeing. Soldier gave me that unimpressed stare again.“Don’t lo
Rapha’s lips crashed into mine, rich with the taste of wine and bold certainty, while Nisi’s hands seared heat into my waist.“Let yourself fall, baby,” Rapha coaxed, his words a spell. “You taste like you’re ours already.”“We’ll catch you,” Nisi promised.In that instant, their pull nearly silenced the warning in my chest. I wanted to believe them, to give myself to them, all of me. The sweetness of surrender was intoxicating.But then the ‘orphanage survivalist’ in me kicked the door down.Goodness! I had met these men this very morning!What would they think of me now, that I’m a mere quickie?Shame crept up, my face flushed. This feeling was strange, I never let a man come this close to me. And here was not one, but two men playing me, spiking my senses till I forgot that we were actually strangers. The math didn’t add up; two men wanting one woman—wanting me—felt like a beautiful, dangerous glitch in my reality. I was a professional with a pristine record, and they were the bil







