Prologue-

"Hey!" I snapped. 

Both my mother and the obscenely handsome stranger already on my last nerve finally stopped talking. 

"Don't assume shit, got it?” My eyes shot daggers at the man daring to meet my gaze. “You don't know me. And another thing, what the hell's wrong with you? You got a thing for married older women with kids or what? What kind of ploy is this- offer them a job and they'll come running? Are you insane?!"

"Cash wait-"

But no. I was done waiting.

I was a speeding bullet on a one-way track to utter destruction, flames, and all.

Her luck had run out. There was no stopping my fury this time. "What's the matter with you, huh? How are you going to just stand here and let this bastard sweet talk you like that? What about Dad?!"

Mom bit her lip, her golden eyes flitting nervously from me to the stranger behind us. Good. At least she had the decency to look embarrassed after getting caught. I mean, who the hell brings their own daughter to a hook-up?! And with a man half her age no less!

"What?" I hissed when she dug her fingers hard enough into my arm to make me wince.

"Cash,” she smiled pleasantly, her gaze still flitting back to the cause of this entire situation. “Can you just stop and listen for a second? You've got it all wrong hon'-"

"You didn't tell her?" 

I frowned. Turned to glare at the black-clad man behind us. 

"What." I snapped, my eyes already tinged with red.

He smiled at me. A fucking smile that lit up his inky blue eyes and for some reason or another sent my heart all aflutter. 

The hell…?

"Well…” mom chuckled behind me, “Not, exactly." 

My hands balled into tight fists. My mouth tasted like bitter pennies.

They were laughing at me!

The man sighed, his gaze screaming heartfelt sincerity and regret as he stared down at me. Then he reached down, took my hand in his, and brought it to his lips to plant a chaste kiss upon the knuckles. 

My eyes widened.

“My name is Rio Asheton and I am very glad to meet you, Cash Huxley. I do hope we can grow to know more of each other on this date.”

What?

WHAT?!

Oh, HELL NO!

My body moved before I could even finish blinking, the image of violence already hot in my head. My hands slipped free of his hold, wrapped tightly around his tie, and pulled him low enough for the tips of our noses to touch. 

I smiled sweetly at him before pressing my lips tight against his ear and whispered:

"Fuck. Off."

Then I gripped the collar of his suit jacket, pulled him down lower until he was exactly where I wanted him, and rammed my knee hard into his jaw. He crumpled to his knees with a groan that brought another smile to my face. Then I wound my arm back and smashed my fist into his perfect face and sent him flying backward where he crashed onto the marble floor below.

Only silence could be heard in the handful of seconds that followed before all hell broke loose.