Mag-log inJulianâs Pov My phone rang just as I was about to close the report on my desk. Raymond. I leaned back in my chair and answered the call. âTell me you have something useful.â âI have something better than useful.â His voice carried the faint satisfaction of a man who had finally found the missing piece of a puzzle. âI have photographs of Richard, Vivienne, and someone else you might find interesting.â That caught my attention.âSend them to my email.â âAlready done. I sent them a few seconds ago.â With my phone still to my ear, I opened my inbox. Raymondâs email sat at the top, with several attachments beneath a brief message. I clicked the first photograph. Richard Forrester was standing outside a bank, looking towards the entry. In the second, Vivienne emerged from the building and approached his car. The third showed them inside the vehicle, talking. I enlarged the image. Vivienne was leaning toward him, her expression relaxed. Whatever they were discussing, she
Zoeâs PovThis was probably a bad idea but I couldn't bring myself to turn around. About twenty minutes later, Richard turned into a quieter residential area.The buildings here were older, many of them constructed from red brick, with narrow entrances and small trees lining the pavements. I slowed down as the sedan pulled toward a block of apartment buildings.My pulse quickened as Richard stopped near the entrance. Vivienne opened the passenger door, stepped out, adjusted her coat, and bent down to speak to him through the open window.He said something in return. Then she smiled, waved, and disappeared through the buildingâs entrance. I drove past without slowing down too much, my eyes fixed on the rearview mirror until I was certain she hadnât noticed me.I continued down the road, turned at the next intersection, and pulled over a few streets away. I should have been satisfied. Iâd confirmed that Richard and Vivienne were meeting outside work, and now I knew where heâd dropped he
ZOEâS POV Shopping was supposed to be therapeutic. At least, that was what I had told myself when I left my apartment that evening with the intention of buying a few new outfits for work. After spending the better part of the last few days hiding from the world, I figured it was time to start acting like a functioning adult again. Besides, I was returning to Hart & Rowe tomorrow, and I felt like I deserved a fresh start and some part of me also wanted to see Julianâs reaction when he saw me in my new outfits. By the time I finished shopping, I had accumulated four bags, a lighter bank balance, and the distinct feeling that I had somehow managed to spend twice as much as I intended. ⨠But did I regret it?⨠Not even a little. My credit card might hate me, but we would work through our differences. I was just going to have to make sure I didnât open my banking app for the next forty-eight hours. With my shopping bags safely tucked into the boot of my car, I headed to my favo
ZOEâS POV The most dangerous thing about Julian Hart was that he didnât have to touch me to make me feel him everywhere. He was simply driving and that was enough to leave me hot and bothered. One hand rested on the steering wheel, the other occasionally shifting gears as we moved through Manhattanâs evening traffic. The lights from passing cars swept across his face, catching the sharp line of his jaw, the straight bridge of his nose, and the faint stubble I had spent the better part of dinner trying not to stare at. Trying, and failing. God, I had missed him. My gaze dropped to his fingers wrapped around the steering wheel, and a memory flashed through my mind. Of those same hands holding me down while his mouth and body drove me out of my mind. I swallowed. It had been more than a week since we had been intimate and although I enjoyed dinner, being close to him just made the ache much worse. I tore my gaze from him and looked out the window and my reflection stare
JULIAN By the time we arrived at the restaurant, the city had begun to glitter beneath the evening sky, the streets alive with headlights and the glow of towering buildings. I handed the keys of my Porsche Panamera to the valet and walked around to Zoeâs side of the car. She accepted my offered hand as she stepped out and her gaze lifted toward the hotel. âJulian.â I knew that tone. It was the âthis is too much tone.â âWhat?â I smiled in amusement. She looked at the entrance, then back at me.âPlease tell me you havenât booked the entire restaurant.â I laughed because that was exactly what I had done but I wasn't going to tell her that. I decided to settle for a half-truth.âNot the entire restaurant.â She narrowed her eyes. âThat pause before you answered was suspicious.â âI booked a private dining room.â A smile tugged at her lips and my heart skipped at how beautiful she looked. âOf course you did. Why am I not surprised?â âWould you have preferred to eat in t
JULIANâS POV The smile wouldn't leave my face as I stared at my message thread with Zoe. She just agreed to have dinner with me. I scrolled through my phone and immediately called the manager at The Modern, one of Manhattanâs most exclusive restaurants.âI need a private dining room for two tonight. Seven PM.â There was a brief pause.âOf course, Mr. Hart. Would you prefer the chefâs tasting menu or the Ă la carte experience?â âĂ la carte. And I want the room completely private.â âCertainly, sir.â âNo other guests. I donât want anyone walking in unless I authorize it.â âUnderstood. Would you like us to arrange anything special?â I thought about it for a second. âNo. Just make sure everything is perfect.â When I ended the call, I leaned back in my chair and s
Zoeâs POV I stared at him, waiting for him to laugh â to tell me he was joking. But Julian didnât move. He just leaned back against the seat, watching me with those dark, unflinching eyes that stripped away every last layer of composure I had left. âDonât look so alarmed,â he m
JULIANâS POVI watched as Zoe scrambled out of my office like sheâd just seen a ghost.Seeing her flustered always amused me. The way she tried so damn hard to keep her composure, to act like my presence didnât affect her, when her eyes and body said otherwiseâit was addictive. Nothing turned me on
JULIANâS POV âCassandra, that doesnât work.â I pinched the bridge of my nose, leaning back in my chair. âNo, listen to meâif Burke wants a meeting, fine, but tell him Iâm not interested in getting into politics myself. Not now, not this year. I already told him this.â Cassandraâs calm clipped
LIAMâS POV You know that feeling when youâve messed up so bad you canât even tell which wayâs up? Like every move you make could save you⌠Or blow everything to hell? Yeah. Thatâs where I was. Madison was already waiting when I walked into the restaurant ,her back was to the window, her hair







