I was thirty minutes late and when I entered the office, the cold and quiet environment was enough for me to know that something was wrong. Mr Richardson was sitting by the chair before my desk while Bailey was by the side of my chair, a worried look on her face.
"Good morning?" I said, my voice ringing with confusion.
"You’re the head of the fiction department. The only thing I expect for you to be is devoted, and coming late is not a good sign, Ms Gale," Mr Richardson snapped, without even giving me a chance to breathe. I glanced at Bailey, who was frowning and shaking her head at the same time.
"I don't need excuses."
Mr Richardson was a nice man, minus his moodiness, when he didn’t get what he wanted. And at this moment, it was I who couldn't complete a simple task. To be fair, it wasn't exactly an effortless task. The masked author was driving me crazy.
"The masked author called. Did you know?"
My bo
VINCE I couldn't think straight. Everything that Beau had fed me with was too much for my head to process. The traffic on top of it was getting on my nerves. The conversation I’d had with Beau had me all heated still. “So, I did the digging you asked and I must warn you, things aren’t as pretty as Joyce,” were Beau’s first words as he stormed into my polished office. “So what? Was it a hit-and-run case, like we knew?” “Not at all,” Beau answered, his tone anxious. “Her brother's death was a more complicated version of a hit-and-run case, Vi." "What do you mean?" I remembered how doleful Joy looked when she talked about her deceived brother, and it pained me to see her like that. "It was a murder." Beau’s words sent me into a state of shock, and my jaw dropped instantly. "The hit-and-run thing was made up. It was a murder." Beau continued rubbing his chin
JOY "Who's Paige?" The moment the question left my lips, a frown appeared on Vince’s face, which was quite clear to be ignored. Not heeding my question, he stepped out of the car. Why did he react this way suddenly? Whoever Paige was seemed really special to him from the way his eyes twinkled. Is she his ex?But he had told me that Olivia was the only person he’d dated. He opened the passenger door, bringing me back to my senses, and I stepped out. He just made things awkward and a little embarrassing for me. I followed him inside the restaurant with no further delay, my mind still suffering the qualms of his behaviour. Has this man ever been to any other restaurant that had less than five stars? The marble floor and the clean tiled walls were too shiny for my eyes. I could see my face reflect on them. We followed the waitress to our table. "Seafood?" Vince asked, clearing his throat. "
VINCE It took some time for me to process. Was she doing this out of grief? Or perhaps at the whim of the moment? I couldn’t do this like this. I didn’t kiss her back and cupped her cheeks as I pulled back. “Joy,” I said with a soft voice, rubbing my thumbs on her skin. “I can’t do this right now.” She seemed taken aback, as if my words had snapped her back to reality. She tried to move back, but I gripped the back of her neck and held her in place, the tip of our noses lightly brushing. “I want you, but not when you’re this vulnerable.” Something in her eyes shifted, and she closed them quickly, burying her face in the palm of my hand that rested on her cheek. "Don't leave," she whispered. The desperation and the craving in her voice sent a shiver down my spine, but her broken voice made something deep in my chest ache. I mumbled, "Only if you want me to." “I want you to,” she said with a nod
JOY Putting me down on my feet near the bed, he stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest as if waiting for me to take the lead. But I was a nervous wreck, even though every nerve in my body fluttered. I hadn’t had sex since Josh. I’d thought that I'd slept with him back in Paris. A part of me was relieved at that thought as well, like the feeling that I had successfully crossed the path without looking back. But I couldn’t help but tense, different thoughts swirling in my mind. Can I do this without my entire body screaming for help? Or my soul? Vince seemed to have understood me as he said, “Listen, Joy, we don’t have to do this if you—” “I want to do this,” I said immediately, cutting him off. I really wanted to do this. “Take off your clothes.” He regarded me carefully before unbuttoning his shirt, his chest, his ripped abs, oh so slowly coming to my view. He pulled his shirt off, his eyes boring into min
JOY Before I could form a reply, his tongue dipped between my folds and flicked my nub. It was a strange sensation, one I hadn’t experienced before. He continued flicking his tongue up and down my fold, fluttering them and making me quiver at the vibration. When he finally took my hardened bud in his mouth and sucked, my hands shot up to clutch his head. He gave a low hum, which sounded much like an approval as he continued to suck and graze his teeth to heighten the feelings shooting up to the centre of my stomach. I felt something building, something too strong. A surprised gasp left my lips when he darted his tongue to my slit and nudged at my entrance. I frowned, as the effect only lasted for a moment. I looked down to see his head pulled back and eyes focused on mine. The sight of his lips and the scruff of his jaw covered in my juices excited me even more. “Tell me if you don’t want something, Joy. Anything that makes you unco
VINCE I wished if I didn't have to leave the first thing in the morning. On top of it, lie over Joy's face about it. She hadn't argued about it and simply said yes with a huge smile. That smile, I would’ve done anything to see every fucking day. Luckily, she couldn't get by my face that I was hiding the truth from her—the truth that I knew about Josh and about Mason’s death. While getting into my car, I’d glanced at my phone one more time and read Beau's message. BEAU:I am sending you an address. Be there, ASAP.
JOY Vince had to leave early shortly after he received a call. But he made sure that I didn't feel left alone by kissing me after every word he said until he walked out of my apartment. I had no idea that a man like him could be so romantic and patient. I wasn't. And he had also made sure that I had a proper breakfast since neither of us had dinner last night and we were quite exhausted. "You should really shop for some supplies. Or we could do it together," he had said when he handed me a plate of pancakes. I was even early to the office today. Bailey hadn't yet arrived, and I was a bit surprised since Bailey was the one who was always early. Sometimes it made me wonder if she was the one who opened up the building. Bailey came in soon after me, though. "Who are you? What have you done to Ms Gale?" she asked, laughing as she walked into the office. "Hilarious." I laughed and plopped down on the swivel chair.
JOY I walked upstairs quickly after the call ended. Shelly knew, me being me, I would’ve rather had takeout than having to cook, so she had taken the initiative and done the cooking. We settled down around the small table in the living room with our plates filled with delicious cream pasta. We laughed and talked about different things during dinner, and when it was done, I stayed back to help with the dishes while the twins were playing monopoly in the living room. "So, how is everything with you and Vincent?" Shelly asked, walking into the kitchen. "Everything's great." I flashed a smile at her. Had she heard my moans? Oh, God, that would’ve been so embarrassing. But her expressions tightened and she said, "Well, I’ve heard some rumours about him being . . . a ladies’ man." I didn't know what to say. Pretty much everyone knew Vince and how he’d been for years. And I had expected to face this question, but ne