LOGINMy fingers hovered over the security panel outside Lucien’s room. He’d sent the passcode sometime in the early hours.As his assistant, having access to his room made sense. It would’ve been a lot less complicated if I weren’t also having wildly inappropriate dreams about him every damn night.I still couldn’t figure out when that had started.Especially last night — considering I’d gone to bed thinking about how absurd the allegation I made against Clayton was — one would think my subconscious wouldn’t twist that into Lucien’s hands tracing slow, lazy lines up my thighs in the middle of some high-profile event.Well, it did.It had been sensual.And I’d enjoyed it. Embarrassingly so.Letting out a slow breath, I keyed in the digits and the door clicked open.I paused, glancing down the empty hallway before stepping inside.The suite was blessedly quiet.Warmth met me first, along with the faint, unmistakable trace of Lucien’s cologne. I folded my arms, taking in the space properly th
“You don’t look mentally ill to me.”The blonde bombshell in front of me said it with a smile that could only be described as obnoxious. Being smug and obnoxious was the only thing Jessamine Rhodes had ever truly excelled at.I studied her for a moment.It had been five years since college, and aside from her curves, which seemed to have thickened with time, not much had changed.Still blonde. Still five-foot-three. Still chewing bubble gum like a bored teenager. Still wearing heels so tall they looked medically irresponsible. Still looking at me like I was supposed to be something she’d scrape off the bottom of her shoe.The only reason I never considered her my full-time bully was because Hera had always been ready to punch her in the face whenever she tried anything.Though, that hadn’t stopped her entirely.Once, she’d slipped a used condom into my bag and somehow gotten away with it.A forced smile spread across my face as I slowly eased my hand out of her hold.“That’s because I
Scarlett:Lucien was an asshole.I probably should’ve known just how deep the assholery ran just from working for him. The man thrived on pushing people’s buttons. Half the time he said outrageous things with that calm, infuriating composure just to see how someone would react.A fucking menace.A hot, sharp-suited menace with broad shoulders, perpetually messy dark hair, and a mouth that always seemed on the verge of a smug smile.Unfortunately for my sanity, he also had eyes that noticed everything.And right now those eyes were on me while his mouth moved. He was talking — to me, it seems — something about rescheduling and design revisions.I wasn’t listening.Because he had absolutely no right asking about my night at this table knowing exactly how it had been spent. And once that thought appeared, the memories followed.God.I thought I’d handled this already during the little pep talk I’d given myself in the mirror while I got dressed after that abominable call with Hera.“He is
~ Lucien:“Good morning, boss,” Red greeted as he walked into my suite. He had the passcode and didn’t bother knocking.I cast him a glance from the study desk where I stood fastening my cufflinks.He stopped at the desk, his gaze sweeping over me before settling on the empty whiskey bottle I hadn’t bothered to discard.He raised a brow. “Dr. Martens called yesterday. Said you blocked him,”I hissed. “I should’ve fired him seeing how he went about running his mouth,”“The man is doing his job. You just enjoy making it difficult.” He said, sliding into the seat across me. “I’m not one for sentiment, but whiskey isn’t exactly a solution to your problem.”A pause, then he added. “And neither is blocking your therapist.”I frowned slightly.Red was excellent at his job, but I preferred when he spoke as little as possible. Whenever he used full sentences, they tended to land hard.My gaze drifted back to the empty bottle. The hours between midnight and dawn had always stretched the longest
I woke with a start, instantly aware that I wasn’t in my room but in Lucien’s.I hadn’t slept deeply enough to miss it.The king-sized mattress was cool beneath my bare skin, the sheets carrying the unmistakable scent of his aftershave and expensive cologne.I pushed upright, ignoring the pleasant hum still lingering in my body, and swung my legs over the side of the bed, already scanning the room for a clock.Apparently the “demonstration” had turned into another round on the couch, followed by a long conversation about my conversation with Anthony— because Lucien had been very serious about knowing exactly what we’d discussed.That somehow spiraled into why I’d chosen to study architecture in the first place.The expensive wine I had absolutely no business drinking that late had loosened my tongue.My head felt like it might spin.My gaze finally landed on the wall clock and I exhaled in relief.6:09 a.m.Early.Perfect for slipping out before running into anyone in the hallway.I c
Scarlett:The kiss was hard, demanding, stealing my breath. My knees nearly gave out the instant I felt the pressure of him against me. I melted into him, my hands threading into his hair as he deepened the kiss, pulling me impossibly close.I tried to pull back.“Lucien—”“You can explain after,” he murmured against my mouth, pulling back slightly, his breath fanning my face. “Right now, I need you out of this fucking dress.”He stepped back, giving me the illusion of space, dark eyes filled with lust as he watched me.Pulse pounding, I kicked my shoes off, placed my bag on a random stand I didn’t bother glancing at, and then tugged at the straps of my dress, pulling it down my hips, dragging the lace down with it until everything pooled around my feet.Cold air hit my skin as I stepped out of the fabrics.His gaze dragged slowly down my body, hunger darkening his eyes. The intensity in them made heat crawl over my skin, like he was memorizing every inch of me.His eyes rose, lingeri
The hospital smelled of antiseptic, with something faintly metallic beneath it.My heels clicked too loudly against the polished floor as I crossed the lobby, the sound sharp enough to make a few heads turn. I barely noticed them. My pulse was still trapped somewhere between disbelief and dread.‘S
Lucien’s hips snapped forward, slamming into me at a relentless pace that stole my breath and sent waves of pleasure tearing through me.The sound of our skin slapping filled the room, tangled with my broken breaths, his grunts, and the sting of him stretching me open.“Oh God...don’t stop please..
“I want you to fuck me.”The words left my mouth half-plea, half moan. My head fell back as his mouth kept working me. His hands were everywhere, grabbing my curves, my ass. Fuck. My mind was a haze.“Say it again,” He pulled back, meeting my half-lidded gaze. His hand moved from my ass to my waist
Later, the next day…The room was alive as more of the guests filtered in. Business partners. Investors. People I could tolerate for a few hours if it meant keeping them pleased. Laughter rose over soft music, crystal catching light at every angle. Precision disguised as indulgence.The night was u







