One Night With The Kingpin CEO

[Charlotte] “Come on Charlie, live a little!” Juni puts a drink in my hand. It’s large and pink and smells like fruity gasoline. “I don’t drink!” I scream back at her over the booming music, my eyes burning from the flashing club lights. “Your cheating bastard husband just fucked his mistress in front of you! In front of your kids! For fuck’s sake, you deserve a drink!” Juniper tosses her shot of tequila with a single gulp, shivering as the burn makes its way down her throat. “Hot damn!" she exclaims in appreciation before slamming her glass on the bar. "Come on, sis, woman up! Just one drink and you’ll feel better, I promise!” Taking a sip I almost gag. It tastes worse than it smells. I have so little tolerance for alcohol that the buzz hits my head almost immediately. “See…” Juni purrs. ‘Better right?” “No,” I feel my eyes start to water. “What’s in this?” “Not sure,” she shrugs. “Does it matter?” “I guess not,” I take another drink. Juni sets a kiss on my cheek as she hop

[Charlotte] It’s been 62 days. 62 days since Andy broke my heart and I fell into the arms of an incredible stranger. A man too amazing to be real. The only one who knows about that night is Juni. Nobody else can know. If they did, it could ruin everything. My soon-to-be-ex husband will make sure of it. Thankfully, San Francisco is a large city and the odds of us crossing paths again are very slim. Even if my mystery man did find me, I’m sure that if he saw me he’d either walk right past without recognizing me. Because without makeup and Juni’s designer dresses, I’m just…me. And right now I am filthy, covered in sweat as I head home from my day job to eat dinner with my daughters. From there I’ll be heading out to my new night job. A job I never wanted to take. But after being a stay-at-home mom for 5 years, I didn’t have the right kind of experience on my resume to secure steady, good-paying work in a city as competitive as San Francisco. The only jobs that I can find that are

[Charlotte] “Another day, another dollar,” I whisper to myself as I try to wiggle out of the bed I share with my twin daughters, Raine and Rose. It’s 7 o’clock, time for me to start my morning. Looking at my sweet angels I place a kiss on each forehead. Raine’s eyes blink open. “Mama, where are you going?” “Work, sweet girl,” my finger brushes a stray hair from her eyes. “You go back to sleep. Auntie Juni will take care of you until Ms. Lacey comes to watch you.” “Love you, Mama,” she yawns as she snuggles into her sister’s back. I take a deep breath as she lets me go. It looks like today is going to be an easy day. Sometimes she starts crying when I leave. Those mornings are always rough. Juni is standing at the breakfast bar with some microwaved pancakes and a cup of fresh coffee. I skip the coffee, I’ll have enough of that at work, but I snatch a pancake from her plate. “Get your own, you vulture,” she laughs at me. “There are plenty in the freezer.” “No

[Charlotte]Time slows. My breathing stops.Have you ever had one of those moments where you see all of your mistakes in one flash, and you know that this moment will be yet another mistake, perhaps the last mistake you make in your sad, short life?As I fell backward, I watched as time seemed to stop and then flow backward, my arms slowly flying as my legs let go and my back leaned me over the railing.I begin to fall.Closing my eyes, I wait to hit the bottom, not wanting to see my end approaching.Except that I do not hit bottom.Instead, strong hands grab me by the arms, anchoring me, stopping my trajectory, and keeping me from toppling over the edge. These hands continue to pull me towards them until my forward momentum moves me in the opposite direction until I am falling forward, landing against his impressive chest. He pulls me in tightly, holding on with both arms wrapped around my back, enveloping me with the musky blend of sandalwood and sage.“I have you, I won’t let you f

WARNING: This chapter contains scenes of graphic violence and mutilation. If you prefer, you can skip to the next chapter without missing anything truly vital to the overall romance. [Micah][earlier that evening]I stand long enough to see her walk around the corner safely before sitting back down at the cafe and pulling out my phone. The first person I call is my company lawyer. I have her draft a contract for Mrs. Slate as my full-time assistant with salary and benefits. I also have her create a second contract for her babysitter, Ms. Lacey Dupree, offering her pay at twice the going rate for any childcare provider. I want to make sure that Charlotte has all the resources she needs to think and plan her next move. Even if she doesn’t take this job, it’s the least I can do to make up for the mess that Andy left for her. In some ways I am responsible. I never looked too deeply into his personal life. I also could have done something sooner, something that might have saved her marria