MasukBethThe shoot wrapped just after six, and we all gathered in the break room like it was a wrap party for a low-budget indie film. Adam was already stealing snacks from the front desk drawer, Rachel was setting up a group selfie, and Stacy had retreated to his office—probably to process whatever the hell had just happened between us.Because… yeah. That whisper in my ear?Still echoing.And I still didn’t know if I wanted to run from it—or run straight into it.Rachel nudged me with her elbow as I wiped down the camera lenses. “Hey. Let’s go to Masquerade tonight.”I blinked. “What?”“You heard me. Club night. Girls, guys, masks, secrets. Let’s gooo.”Adam looked up from the candy jar. “What’s Masquerade?”Rachel grinned wickedly. “Only the hottest underground club in the city. Masked entry only. Total anonymity. You can dance with a stranger and never know their name.”He raised a brow. “That sounds dangerous.”“Deliciously dangerous,” she corrected. “Beth got real frisky with a guy
BethThe elevator dinged and I stepped out onto the top floor of Dr. Cole’s clinic, tablet under one arm, coffee in my hand. The hallway smelled like cedar and vanilla—his office always did. Classy, clean, masculine.I wasn’t expecting to see anyone else up here, but as I turned the corner, a tall figure in heels stormed out of his office.Madison.Her walk was fast and rigid, and her expression—when she spotted me—was full venom.I offered a polite smile anyway. “Hey… nice to see you again.”She didn’t stop. Didn’t smile. Didn’t even try.Just muttered something under her breath as she brushed past me.It sounded an awful lot like: “Little bitch.”I blinked, twisting around, but she was already gone—heels clicking fast across the hardwood, disappearing toward the elevator without a backward glance.Okay… what the hell?I turned back toward Stacy’s door and knocked once before letting myself in.He was standing by the window with his back to me, hands shoved into his pockets, tension
StacyI came back from lunch later than I meant to.Traffic. A consult that ran long. My mind only half on the clinic and half somewhere else entirely—on Beth, on the way her laugh stuck in my head, on the way she’d looked in my doorway Saturday morning before she left.I stopped at the front desk. “I’m expecting—”Michelle didn’t even look up from her monitor. “She’s already in your office.”My pulse kicked.“Thank you,” I said, already moving.The hallway felt too quiet. My door was shut when I reached it. That alone was strange. I pushed inside.The lights were dim. My desk lamp was on. And sitting directly in the center of my desk was a black silk eye mask… and a folded note.Lock the door.Put the mask on.Sit down.I’ll be out in a moment.No signature.My breath went slow. Careful. My mind filled in the name before I even let myself think it.Beth… what are you doing?I locked the door.The click sounded louder than it should have.The mask was cool in my hands. Silk. Expensive
BethMonday morning hit like a bus.I was halfway through my second coffee, answering emails I barely read, when the door swung open and Rachel strutted in like a woman on a mission.Sunglasses on. Purse swinging. Lip gloss sparkling. She looked like she’d spent the entire weekend being fabulous and was here to check on the poor peasant she left to suffer.“Good morning, sunshine,” she sang, dropping her bag on the edge of my desk. “Soooo… how’d it go?”I gave her a look.She grinned.I gave her another look.Her grin only widened.“You,” I said flatly, “are dead to me.”Rachel blinked innocently. “What? What did I do?”I reached under my desk, pulled out the crumpled shopping bag with her backup outfit still inside, and shoved it toward her.She opened it, peeked inside, then burst into laughter.“Beth! You didn’t wear it, did you?!”“I didn’t even try it on!” I hissed. “I took one look and nearly lit it on fire.”Rachel was full-on cackling now. “Oh, come on. It wasn’t that bad.”“T
StacyThe second she opened the guest room door, I knew I was screwed.Not because the outfit was too revealing—although, Jesus, it was dangerously short. No, it was the way she wore it. All blush and bravado. Like she knew damn well it was ridiculous and hated every second of it—but still came out.For me.And that? That was the problem.She looked like a walking contradiction. Messy ponytail, bare legs, lace apron. A girl playing at being a woman, and somehow doing a damn good job of both.She mumbled something about it being “your win,” like she was trying to pass the blame, and I let her. What the hell else was I going to do? Call it off? Tell her to change? Pretend I didn’t want to grab her by the waist and bend her over the damn counter?Nope. Instead, I sat at the bar like a civilized man and watched her cook. Watched her try to cook.She kept glancing back at me like I might judge her for using her phone, like I didn’t know she’d googled how to sear chicken and roast potatoes.
BethI cursed under my breath and flicked the fabric self-consciously.He chuckled low. “Don’t worry. It’s adorable.”I refused to turn around again. I just dumped the potatoes onto a baking tray and moved to the stove. Chicken in the skillet. Green beans prepped. Everything was coming together. Mostly. I thought.Thirty minutes later, we were seated at the table. Candles lit. Wine poured. Chicken plated with golden brown potatoes and perfectly seared green beans.I handed him a fork and took a nervous sip of wine, watching as he speared a bite of chicken and popped it into his mouth.His face was unreadable.“Well?” I asked. He chewed slowly. Very slowly.“It’s… salty.”I blinked. “Salty?”He gave me a look. “Did you brine this in the ocean?”I stabbed a piece for myself and took a bite.Dear God.It was like licking a salt block. My tongue tried to revolt.I coughed, reaching for my wine. “What the hell happened? I didn’t even add that much salt—”“You sure about that?”“I didn’t e







