로그인Chapter 4I stayed later than I meant to on the fourth day.Most of the office had already emptied. The cleaning staff hadn’t come through yet. The only light left on the top floor came from William’s office and the small pool of brightness over my desk. I told myself I was finishing a report. The truth was simpler: the quiet apartment still felt worse than the tension here.Henry found me at the printer.I didn’t hear him until he was close. When I turned he was already standing in the narrow space between the machine and the wall, blocking the easiest way out. He didn’t smile.“You’re always the last one here,” he said.“I’m just finishing up.”“James know you work this late?”“James is in Dubai.”Henry’s eyes moved over my face, then lower. “Doesn’t answer the question.”I tried to step around him. He didn’t move. The space was small enough that my shoulder brushed his chest. I felt the solid heat of him through his shirt. For a second neither of us said anything.Then his hand set
Chapter 3I almost didn’t go back the next morning.I told myself it was just a job. Temporary. Harmless. James was already in the air, and the apartment felt too quiet. Sitting around with nothing to do would only make the six weeks feel longer. So I put on another blouse and skirt, smoothed my hair, and went.The second I stepped onto the top floor I felt it again.William was in his office with the door open. He looked up the moment the elevator opened, like he’d been waiting. His eyes moved over me once — slow, deliberate — then he gave a short nod and went back to his screen. The look lasted only a second, but my stomach still tightened.Charles appeared before I even reached my desk. Coffee in hand, that easy smile already in place.“Morning, Nora. Sleep well?”“Fine.”“You look a little tired.” His gaze dropped to the neckline of my blouse, then came back up. “James get off okay?”“Yes.”“Good.” He stepped a little closer than he needed to and set a folder on my desk. His finge
Chapter 2The office was quieter than I expected.James had dropped me off early with a distracted kiss and a reminder to “be helpful.” Then he left for the airport. I stood in the elevator with my bag and a new access badge that still felt temporary, trying to ignore the way my stomach tightened when the doors opened on the top floor.William was already there.He stood near the glass wall of his office, jacket off, sleeves rolled up, reading something on a tablet. When he looked up and saw me, he didn’t smile. He just studied me for a second too long, eyes moving from my face down to the fitted blouse and pencil skirt I’d chosen because they felt professional. Now they felt like a mistake.“Nora,” he said. His voice was low and even. “You’re early.”“I didn’t want to be late on the first day.”He nodded once and set the tablet down. “I’ll show you around.”The tour was quiet. He walked slightly ahead of me, pointing out the main conference room, the smaller meeting rooms, the kitche
Chapter 1The restaurant was too loud and the wine was too expensive.I sat beside James in a black dress that felt tighter than it had when I put it on. The firm had just closed a major deal. Everyone was celebrating. Partners, senior associates, a few clients. I smiled when I was supposed to and laughed at the right moments, but my mind kept drifting somewhere else.It had been three weeks since James last made me come.Not that he noticed. Most nights he finished in under ten minutes, rolled over, and was asleep before I even caught my breath. I had gotten used to waiting until his breathing evened out, then slipping into the bathroom with the small toy I kept hidden under the sink. It never felt like enough. It just took the edge off so I could sleep.Tonight the edge was back.Across the table, William was watching me again.He didn’t smile. He never really did. Mid-forties, silver just starting at his temples, the kind of quiet that made people lower their voices when he spoke.
Chapter 10Three days later the house already felt different.My old bedroom stayed empty. My clothes had been moved into Cassian’s closet without anyone asking me. I slept in the middle of the big bed every night, usually with at least two of them pressed against me. They touched me whenever they wanted — in the kitchen, in the hallway, while one of them was on a work call. The rules that used to protect me were gone. New ones had taken their place.I belonged to them now. Fully. Openly. Inside these walls, at least.That evening I was in the kitchen wearing one of Cassian’s shirts and nothing underneath. The hem barely covered me. Rhys leaned against the counter watching me try to make tea like my hands weren’t still a little shaky from the afternoon. Julian sat at the island scrolling through his phone, but his eyes kept lifting to my legs. Cassian stood behind me, close enough that I could feel the heat of his chest every time he reached past me for something.His hand slid under
Chapter 9I lost track of how long I’d been in Cassian’s bed.The sheets were a mess. My body ached in places I didn’t know could ache. Every time I moved I felt the reminders of the night before and the morning — the deep soreness between my legs, the faint bruises on my hips, the way my thighs still felt sticky no matter how many times they’d cleaned me up.It was late afternoon when they came back for me.I had dozed off again. When I opened my eyes, all three of them were in the room. Cassian sat on the edge of the bed in just sweatpants. Julian leaned against the dresser, shirt unbuttoned. Rhys stood at the foot of the bed, already watching me like he hadn’t taken his eyes off me all day.No one spoke at first.Cassian reached out and brushed his knuckles down the side of my face. The touch was almost gentle. Then his hand kept going — over my throat, down between my breasts, across my stomach, until his fingers settled between my legs. I was already wet. I always seemed to be no







