Natalie was about to head to bed when Aunty Viv called."I knew I was right about you, doll," her boss was almost bursting with excitement when she picked up. "But I didn't think it would happen so soon."Still pissed at her confrontation with Levi earlier in his office and disappointed at the fact that he didn't call her in to patch things up like she'd secretly hoped, Natalie couldn't exactly share Aunty Viv's excitement. But she did feign some interest in a gratingly false voice. "What's happened so soon?""You've been offered a girlfriend contract!"There was a long pause on Natalie's end following the other woman's announcement as she tried to figure out which of her thirty clients would even consider offering her a girlfriend contract after spending just one evening with her.She may be new in the business, but the past month had taught her a lot. She'd made it a rule not to see the same client more than once in the space of a few weeks to avoid forming attachments, and since sh
Immediately after their breakfast, Levi and Mark set off for the studio where Crystal was shooting her lingerie ad. It was ten minutes away from their hotel, and they made it on set just as the crew began setting up for the day."Over there," Mark made her out from a troupe of lingerie-clad models huddled in the corner.She looked up and smiled when she saw him wave at her.Crystal was almost as tall as them, and she wasn't wearing heels. Big and imposing, she reminded Levi of an Amazon. She had a raspy voice and a booming laugh to match her larger than life personality.They exchanged introductions and hugs.She was a hugger and believed one could tell a lot about a person from how they hugged.Crystal led them to an empty dressing room and sat down, not in the least self-conscious about her state of undress."Why are you looking for Jewel?" she asked, her eyes growing suspicious for the first time since they met.Mark explained she was missing and they needed to find her."I get tha
Natalie spent the whole weekend recovering from her terrible cold.Her couch, the medication Emily had dropped off for her Friday evening and the TV was just what any doctor would recommend for a quick recovery.By Sunday evening, she felt well enough to start plotting out ideas for a game proposal she had no interest in. But the procrastinator in her chose to watch all two seasons of 'You' on Netflix, and she had no regrets.Her head still foggy from Joe's crazy obsession and stalking shenanigans, her eyes gritty, like someone had poured sand into them, from lack of sleep, Natalie dragged herself to work at the crack of dawn on Monday, arriving when the building was still cloaked in darkness.Her tan stilettos sinking into the plush carpet barely made a sound as she strolled to her cubicle, the motion sensor lights coming on one after the other, following her progress.She had never thought of herself as a scaredy-cat, but something about being alone in an empty office really freaked
At 5:00 AM, freshly showered and dressed, Natalie stood in front of the mirror, nodding her approval at her reflection. This was as professional as it would get in her black pencil skirt, white pussy-bow blouse and black heels, her hair pulled back in a low, chic bun. If it wasn't for a few unruly curls refusing to stay in place, she would have looked flawless. In the hallway, she grabbed her trusty coat, handbag and laptop and headed out.An hour later, she stood bewildered in front of her desk at work. Her steaming red latte wasn't there.Oddly disappointed and irritated at the inconsistency, Natalie turned on her laptop. If her mystery donor was going to do something, he shouldn't be half-assed about it, she thought crossly as she ran through her presentation.At 8:00 AM, Angela sent a change of venue notification to her inbox. The presentation had been moved to the fifth floor."Oh boy!" Natalie sighed, remembering the last time she was in that boardroom. On the bright side, it wa
Smart Natalie screamed at her to abort the mission. The proposal was a very bad idea, and she shouldn't have taken Emily's suggestion about writing what she knew literally.But since she was leaving in three weeks, this was probably the only chance she'd ever get to be alone with Levi in a room, and she desperately wanted to clear up whatever misconceptions he had of her about Paul and their first meeting at The Empress.She knew he'd never want her, let alone love her back, but she wanted him to understand she didn't intentionally put herself in harm's way, and she didn't ask to be beaten up.If after this he still hated her, she was okay with that. But at least she'd tried to reach him.So she shut down her inner critic and paused in front of the window."Noelle has many sides to her, and they all actively influence her day and a large part of her choices. Depending on her choices, different meters will be affected," Natalie clicked through her meters slide.She'd listed three so fa
They were speeding down a long stretch of lonely road, racing to an obscure coal mining town five hours away.Levi sat in the driver's seat, hunched over the steering wheel as he weaved and bobbed through the steady stream of cars, oblivious to the angry car honks he left in his wake.He was still fuming—no—enraged at Natalie's stunt earlier. For the life of him, he couldn't understand what had possessed her to skate close to the truth in her proposal.Was she trying to get his attention?To rile him up?Push him over the edge?She'd succeeded on all three.Sure he was dreading the long drive, anxious about what they'd find this time around. But maybe this trip was a blessing in disguise, to give him time to cool off and think things through about Natalie.Forcing his anger aside for the moment, Levi sighed and glared straight ahead, wondering what fresh hell awaited him at Crystal's hometown.She'd called last night in her raspy voice and booming laugh and announced she'd secured the
Halfway through their trip, they topped up on petrol at a desolate fuel station and stopped for an early supper at a sleepy diner an hour away from Smiths Town.Their food was delivered by a bubbly waitress five minutes after placing their order.Martie chatted non stop while they ate. Her coffee tasted far better than the burger and fries special she'd practically bullied them into buying.She asked all sorts of things, happy to have guests from out of town. But her beady eyes narrowed with scepticism, and the smile she'd worn all along quickly vanished when she learned they were in the business of making games."Is that even a job?" she sneered as she shook her head. In her neck of the woods, men had to be out in the sweltering heat building roads and stuff with their hands or in the cold, shovelling snow and chopping wood.With their nice cushy jobs and fancy air-conditioned offices, Levi and Mark were not real men as far as Martie was concerned. She stormed off and poured all her
They spent the next hour and a half canvassing the main street, hopping from one business to the next, flashing out Colleen's photo.The town didn't look so unnerving with the smattering of residents out and about now, rushing home after a long day of work. A few barely stopped, casting them suspicious looks as they scurried off, refusing to talk or even glance at the picture. Others paused long enough to give a cursory look at the photo before confirming they'd never seen Colleen.Their luck finally turned when they walked into the post office just before the 5:00 PM closing time. A clerk in the collections counter confirmed she'd picked Colleen up around the town square when she noticed she couldn't walk. She'd dropped her off at the bus station and sent her away with her uneaten lunch of peanut butter sandwich, or was it tuna?"Did she say where she was headed?" Levi asked, hoping for one more clue.But Martha crushed his heart when she shook her head. Colleen never spoke much. She