Slay Quartet Series

RIVALRY: SLAY ONEONE“You really screwed this one up, Celia. Hudson is officially out of reach. You let him slip away, and now everything you dreamed of is over.”I rolled my eyes, even though my mother couldn’t see my face through the phone. I was tired of this speech. I’d heard a variation of it at least three times a week since my childhood friend had gotten married over two years ago.As for my dreams being over...well, it had been a long time since I’d imagined myself ending up with Hudson Pierce. That was my mother’s aspiration, not mine. Not anymore.There wasn’t any use in arguing with her. She found some sort of comfort in lamenting over her daughter’s failures, and this particular lament was one of her favorites.“From what Sophia says, he’s even more devoted now to this marriage than he ever was, and I’m not at all surprised. A man will leave a wife easily enough, but when she gets pregnant, forget it. He’s sticking around.”I leaned my head against the window of my Lyft c

He tilted his head, his stone expression showing nothing. “It wasn’t simply for your benefit. I’ve been using this room as my office while I’m in the States meeting with potential investors. It’s unconventional, perhaps, but I’m already staying in the hotel, and so the location has proved convenient. Plus, I rather like the setting, don’t you?”I ignored how much I liked the low timbre of his voice and surveyed my surroundings once more. The Fontainebleau was one of the more lavish meeting rooms in the hotel. With the numerous crystal chandeliers, gold leaf plating, and ornate molding, the decor seemed to have been directly inspired by Versailles. I appreciated the luxurious look, but this was a bit on the abundant side, particularly when being used as an office. The fact that he liked it said more about his character. I added pompous and extravagant to my earlier assessment. He was probably even going to use the room as an example of whatever it was he wanted me to design for him.No

THREEOf course I called my father.After I’d bought a nonfat latte and a spinach salad from the counter, I pulled out my phone and called his cell. It was Tuesday, and as Edward had accurately asserted, my father was more likely to be at the golf club than the office.“What’s up, Ceeley doll?” he answered in his typical manner. The endearment didn’t have much commitment behind it. It was how he always addressed me, more a habit than anything else.Not that I doubted his love for me. I was one of the things he’d created, and he loved all his creations. Some more enthusiastically than others, but that was to be expected, wasn’t it? His business—his empire—had produced much more notably than I had, and it naturally deserved the accolades and attention he gave it.“Are you busy, Daddy?” I could hear the distinct call of fore in the background.“Nope. Just getting in the cart to drive to the next hole. Is everything all right? You don’t usually call out of the blue like this.”“Everything

I reacted to him, I realized, because he’d seen me.I couldn’t remember the last time someone had truly seen me, the last time anyone had even tried to look behind the pretty face, the well-cared-for physique, the expensive clothes, the prominent name. Those superficial aspects were more than enough for most. That was why it was so easy to play people the way I did.Edward, though, had looked past all the bullshit, and while it was embarrassing that he’d seen me for the failure that I was, it was also a relief to be acknowledged.Relieving and arousing.What would it be like to go to bed with a man like that? To relinquish control, be stripped down bare...I sat up suddenly. What about sex?Renee broke off her instructions mid-sentence. “Uh, what did you say?”Shit. I’d said it aloud.“Nothing. My mind wandered. Go on.”She gave me an inquisitive stare and then went on. We weren’t close enough for her to probe further. I wasn’t close to anyone.Later, when I was alone in my office, I

“I don’t have an appointment,” the woman said patiently. “But if I could just have a second of her time…” She gestured toward my office, turning her body enough that I was able to better see her.Fuck.I withdrew quickly into my office, pressing my back against the metal frame of the door. I knew the unannounced visitor. Blanche Martin, an artist I’d met at a gallery exhibition a few months back. She’d had an underwhelming showing, as far as I could tell. Not one of her pieces had been purchased, and judging from the dreary amount of interest there was around her, she wasn’t going to be selling any in the near future either.Still, she’d been excited and eager to talk about her work.It made for a perfect opportunity to pull her into one of my favorite games.It was an easy setup, which was why I played it so often, even though the payoff wasn’t as exhilarating as some of my other games. It was a scenario I could easily walk into. One I could manage while balancing other elements of l