Beck Hall's words are still ringing in my ears days after we spoke. I have till the end of the year to make myself valuable to the Tribune. It's a newspaper business. What do newspapers need? Big headlines!
I accepted Linc's invitation to join in him on his trip with intent.
The Bancrofts are a big deal to the town. Anything to do with them excited people. It's almost like the way the English love their Queen. If the Bancrofts were to stand in the balcony of their home and wave, the small town folk will gather to wave back. I just need something that is not the pointless rumour Kimberly Lawrence started.
What kind of scandals are rich people likely to be involved in?
Financial crimes, making people disappear, dirty pay offs, sex scandals... I glanced at the shirtless man at the deck. Linc is well put together. There are no red signs warning me to back away. He dived into the water and was under for a bit. I stood up to get closer to the window
4a.m Monday morning and I'm in a chopper carrying me across the stretch of woods that is close to home. It's my first time being this high up in the sky and I'm terrified out of my mind. The only thing keeping me from passing out from the anxiety is his hand holding mine with assurance that everything is going to be fine. I can see the lights in the city and they look like little sparkling gems. He wasn't kidding when he said we will make it. He had no intention of driving but flying. He left his car and said his chauffeur will pick it up later today. I glanced at the man wearing a grey beanie. He has closed his eyes. After our conversation that first night, I became fully aware of the need in his eyes everytime he looks at me. Even the most fleeting touch of his fingers isn't innocent anymore. He wants to get intimate, that much is clear to me. My knees are pressed tightly together. The thought o
I think that everyone reaches a moment in their lives when they ask themselves 'is this right?' This moral question is reserved for those with a conscience. The majority of the people that walk the streets of this town don't have this faculty called a conscience. They either bend to higher power without question or they assume things never happened. They are never self driven to truly look at a situation independent from influence. I fear that at this moment, I am part of the majority that don't have a conscience or possibly I'm lacking in ability to step away from this situation and see it clearly.I want this to mean what I want it to mean.I want a story so badly I can twist it into anything so that it is something to keep me at the Tribune.What I saw a few nights ago can have a decent explanation. But I don't want it to. I want it to mean something else. Something that can help me keep my job.
Clara's POV"Is this is what an eventful night looks like to Mr Lincoln Bancroft?" I asked him after we found a quiet place away from the hyped club. He drank beer from his bottle with a strange expression on his face."Why does this sound like an interview that will be in tomorrow's paper?" He chuckled."It's not. I'm just curious.""I'm curious too." His gaze darkened.I don't think we are talking about the same thing. A light blush covered my face. I looked away for a second or two. I want to ask what he's curious about but I may end up naked in his arms as he demonstrates a response."A small town can feel cramped. The city is always better." He looked at the far distance. "It's always eventful not to be in Sunrise Cove."The roof of this building offers a great view of the city. It reminds me of that morning on
Clara's POVI studied Beck Hall as he read my article. I know the famous expression where he thinks an article presented to him is something. I spent all night on this and I never pull an all nighter! I gave it my all according to the limited information I had. He looked between me and the sheets of paper in his hand. He let out a deep uncertain sigh. The momentary confidence I felt suddenly faded."It's something, right?"He took off his glasses and looked at me. "I see what you're trying to do." I sense a dismissal coming on. "You're trying to keep your job. But I can't decide that. The new owners-""The story can be something. Kimberly gets to keep her job and she peddles gossip for a living. Mr Beck, the Bancrofts have dirty secrets. Everyone knows that and if you just give me a chance or at least let the new owners know I have potential, I can expose them.""Clara, there are things
Linc's POVIt's unfortunate that I'm quoting him but my grandfather is find of saying that if a man gives a woman what she wants, he can have whatever he wants.I don't completely agree with this. Only to some extent. I gave Andrea everything she wanted and I ended up cheated on, in a jail cell and now I have the yoke of blackmail around my neck. I agree with him if it's in a carnal sense. Andrea did put out better when she got her way. I do not regret how much I took when she put out. It's a horrible way to look at how a relationship works but unfortunately, for those of us who can't love or a woman's heart, we can have their bodies after throwing a lot of money at them. If this works for my grandfather, then it only speaks about his intentions where a woman is concerned and it explains why he's unmarried after so many years.In my case, I already tried the good guy thing where I gave my heart and it didn't work out. I'm not do
Linc's POVMy thoughts are wrapped around Paris. They are fixated on the hour just before midnight when she came out of the bathroom in the little black nightgown. I can't get what followed out of my mind. I keep hearing her delicate whimpers of pleasure in my ear. The feel of her petal soft skin in my hands still feels real. I'm craving her already and not even a week has gone by. I was romantic. I was gentle. I want to be something else the next time we see each other. Something wild and ravenous. Rough and demanding.I turned my attention to the young woman I have been waiting for."Laurie. A word please.""Leave me alone Linc!""Hey!" I took her elbow in my hand. She has lost weight. She looks high. "I am not going to indulge you in a war of words. I'll get straight to the point. Are you using?"She scoffed. "Don't meddle in my affairs."
Linc's POV I have been told that I'm exceptionally good at playing mind games and stringing people's emotions well enough to get the response I want. From how Clara reacted when I dropped by her house with a bouquet of flowers, I am good at it. Being casual is not going to get me close to Clara. She's obviously not close to that other guy she wanted to see in the city. I still wonder who he is. Is she still seeing him? I'm throwing in a little romance to endear her to me. Paris worked. She's smart enough to notice the little things that made it special and she liked those things as much as she's confused about what is going on. I offered to take away those things and she didn't want it to stop. I won. But it won't always be romantic between us. I'll show her casual the next time we see each other. I want to see how she reacts to that side of me. I have to constantly remind myself why I'm doing t
Clara's POVMr Beck Hall is reading the new article I put together about Mrs Bancroft and the unknown cause of her death. I have not included all my doubts including Laurie's remarks like how Linc was in an accident as a child. How he feared water for several years in his life. The Linc I was in dived into a lake and stayed under for some time. But I can't ignore car accident and water phobia. I want to ask Linc but that man will not talk. He's hard to read and impossible to predict."I think it's something." He smiled at me.I'm not as enthusiastic.I'm still thinking about the club and the pill he slipped in my mouth. I could have spat it out. I didn't. I accepted it. My memory is still foggy about that night. I'm especially troubled by who he could have been talking to. Did he give me the pill to purposely make sure I don't remember that conversation? I want answers but he has been quiet. No texts, no cal