LOGINThe morning after the fight, my knuckles were still sore.
I stood in front of the mirror brushing my teeth, staring at the faint scratch marks on my neck from Cassie’s desperate grab. A slow smirk spread across my face. *Still worth it.* Mila had crashed on my couch last night. The apartment smelled like stale tequila, expensive perfume, and poor decision-making. A heel from somebody’s outfit last night was still laying near the TV. I had no idea if it was mine or Mila’s. I could hear her moving around in the kitchen, probably making coffee like she always did after we got into some mess. “Riley, you awake?” she called out. “Yeah,” I shouted back, rinsing my mouth. “I’m up.” I walked into the kitchen wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt. Mila handed me a mug of coffee, her eyebrow raised. “So… are we going to talk about how you beat Cassie Harrington’s ass in the middle of the club last night, or are we pretending that was normal?” I laughed and took a sip. “She started it. I finished it.” Mila shook her head, smiling. “You’re actually crazy. Her daddy is literally in business with Jayson’s family. You know she’s not gonna let that slide, right?” I shrugged. “She can stay mad.” But even as I said it, a small voice in the back of my head whispered that this was getting dangerous. I pushed it away. That was tomorrow’s problem. Right now I was still riding the adrenaline high from dragging Cassie Harrington across VIP flooring in front of half the city’s rich kids. My phone buzzed on the counter. Jayson. Jayson: What the fuck did I hear you did to Cassie last night? We need to talk. Me: Your girl tried me and I handled it. Don’t start acting brand new now. Jayson: Riley. Me: Relax. Damn. Meet me downstairs by the park in twenty minutes Jayson: You’re unbelievable. There was a small children’s park not far from my apartment. Kids had abandoned the playground hours ago. The swings moved slightly in the cold evening breeze, squeaking every few seconds in the silence. I sat there pretending to scroll through I*******m while mentally preparing for Jayson to lose his shit. I felt him. The smell of his cologne, I knew immediately it was him. Jayson walked toward me fast enough that I already knew he was pissed. He was wearing a black hoodie, jaw tight, eyes burning with frustration. “You’ve got some fucking nerve,” he snapped the moment he reached me. “Do you have any idea what you did? Cassie called me screaming. Her lip was busted. She’s threatening to tell both our families everything.” I looked up at him slowly, unbothered. “She put her hands on me first. I just finished what she started.” Jayson ran his hand through his hair, pacing in front of the bench. “This isn’t some messy little scandal, Riley,” he snapped. “My father’s already on my ass about the merger. If this gets worse, everything gets complicated fast.” I stood up slowly, stepping close to him. “Your *fake* girlfriend,” I corrected, voice sharp. “The one your daddy forced you to be with so both families can stay rich. Don’t act like she’s some innocent victim, Jayson. We both know what this is.” He stared down at me, breathing hard. The tension between us crackled like electricity. “You don’t get it,” he growled. “This isn’t just about me. This contract has been in the works for years. If it falls apart because of you—” “Because of *me*?” I cut him off with a bitter laugh. “Funny. Last time I checked, you were the one ball deep inside me while she was waiting for you. But suddenly I’m the problem?” For a second neither of us spoke. The tension between us felt ugly now. Not the fun kind or teasing. This was frustration, jealousy, and something way too personal creeping underneath all of it. “You need to stay away from Cassie,” he warned, stepping closer. “I’m serious, Riley.” I looked him dead in the eyes.He looked furious but his eyes kept dropping to my mouth every few seconds like he hated himself for it. then slowly dragged my gaze down his body. His jaw was clenched, chest rising and falling fast. I stepped even closer until my breasts brushed against him and slid my hand down, palming his dick through his pants. He was already hard, and that only made me smile wider. Because no matter how angry he got, his body always gave him away eventually. I smirked. “Your body’s sending very mixed signals right now.” I whispered, stroking him slowly. Jayson’s breath hitched. “Fuck… Riley—” His hand grabbed my wrist like he wanted to stop me from walking away before I even moved. I kissed him hard, deep, biting his bottom lip before pulling back suddenly. His eyes were dark with lust and confusion. I stepped away, turning toward my apartment. “Where the hell are you going?” he called after me, voice strained. “You just turned me on and you’re leaving like that? Are you fucking serious right now?” I glanced back over my shoulder with a wicked smile. “Yeah… I am.” “Consider it payback for yelling at me.” Then I turned and walked off before he could say another word. I could practically feel his irritation burning holes into my back. Honestly? Part of me loved pushing him like this..Not because I enjoyed drama. Okay, maybe a little but mostly because Jayson was always so controlled. And I liked being the thing that made him lose it. I walked away without looking back, hips swaying, feeling the heat of his stare burning into me the entire way. But as I stepped inside my building, my heart was racing for a completely different reason. Somewhere between fighting his fiancée, getting screamed at in a park, and turning him on just to leave him frustrated, this whole thing had stopped feeling casual. And it's so scary to admit that.I couldn't even remember driving home. One minute I was standing in Riley's bedroom watching Mila brush hair away from her face like it was the most natural thing in the world, and the next I was pulling into my underground parking garage with my jaw locked so tight it hurt. The entire drive was a blur of red lights, traffic, and frustration. I kept replaying the same image over and over again. Riley reaches for Mila hand. Not mine.By the time I stepped into my penthouse, I was already annoyed with myself. The place was exactly the way I had left it that morning—clean, expensive, quiet. Usually I liked the silence. But tonight it felt suffocating. I loosened my tie, poured myself a drink, and walked over to the windows overlooking the city. The skyline stretched endlessly beneath me, all glass and light and money. Normally it reminded me why I worked so hard. Tonight it just reminded me how fucking empty everything felt.My phone buzzed against the counter. Cassie.I ignored it. A
The knock came again. Slower and heavier this time. Not impatient or angry but certain. I stared at the door while my phone lit up beside me again with Jayson’s name across the screen. My head was still buried in Mila’s lap, fever making everything feel too warm and too far away at the same time. The apartment smelled faintly like medicine, lavender lotion, and the soup Mila had forced me to eat earlier. “You want me to get rid of him?” she asked softly, fingers still tangled in my hair. I swallowed. Part of me did. The other part — the messy, self-destructive part — wanted to see if he actually came because he cared or because he couldn’t stand losing control of me. Another knock echoed through the apartment. Mila sighed quietly. “Yeah, okay. That’s definitely not a man planning to leave anytime soon.” I let out a weak laugh that turned into a cough. “Don’t die before I open the door,” she muttered. “That would be super inconvenient for me emotionally.” She carefully moved my
I woke up feeling like death had run me over twice. My body was burning up and freezing at the same time. My head felt like someone was hammering nails into it. I tried to sit up but the room spun so bad I had to lie back down with a groan. “Fuck… my life,” I muttered. My phone was blowing up on the nightstand. Missed calls from Jayson. Texts too. I didn’t even open them. I just turned the screen face down and closed my eyes again. I couldn’t deal with him right now. Not when I felt this weak. Absolutely not when my brain still felt overloaded from everything that happened the past few days. I must’ve drifted off again because the next time I woke up, it was darker in the room. My throat was dry as hell and my body ached like I’d run a marathon. I reached for my phone with shaky hands and typed a quick message to Mila: **Me:** *hey i’m fine don’t worry* I deleted it before sending it. I hated sounding weak. A few minutes later I heard the front door open. Only one person had a s
The silence in my apartment was deafening. Mila was still sitting on the couch, eyes wide, like she’d just realized she pressed a nuclear button. Jayson stood frozen near the door, staring at us with a look I’d never seen on his face before — raw, conflicted, and pissed. I wiped my lips slowly, heart hammering, but I forced a smirk. “Well… that happened,” I said, voice light like I didn’t give a fuck. Jayson let out a short, humorless laugh like he couldn’t believe what he just saw. The sound did something weird to my chest. His eyes stayed locked on my mouth for a second too long before dragging back up to my face. Jealousy looked good on him. And honestly? A toxic little part of me enjoyed it. Maybe because I’d spent the entire morning staring at engagement photos that made me feel stupid and replaceable. For once… he looked just as messed up over me as I was over him. That realization alone felt dangerous. Mila let out a nervous laugh. “Okay… I’m way too drunk for whateve
My phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. I was still in bed, half-asleep, when the notifications started flooding in. At first I ignored them, but curiosity won. I grabbed my phone and opened I*******m. The first post hit me like a slap. Cassie had posted a series of photos — her and Jayson at some fancy rooftop event last night. In one of them, he was slipping a massive diamond ring onto her finger while she smiled like she’d just won the lottery. The caption read: “Forever starts now 💍 #PowerCouple” I stared at the photos until my eyes burned. The worst part wasn’t even the ring. It was how normal they looked together. Cassie’s manicured hand rested perfectly against Jayson’s chest in one picture while he looked down at her with that calm, controlled expression he wore around the public. The comments were disgusting. Power couple goals. They’re literally made for each other. Obsessed with them. She finally locked down the billionaire prince. I scrolled harder, jaw tight. T
I buried myself in work, forcing out chapter after chapter even when the words felt dried on the page. My apartment smelled permanently like coffee and takeout containers, and every time my phone buzzed with Jayson’s name, I either ignored it or replied hours later with cold, careless answers. At least, that’s what I wanted him to think. But in reality, I reread every message before answering. Pathetic right? I told myself this was necessary. Distance,control and a reminder that whatever was happening between us had crossed too many lines already. But every time I closed my eyes, I remembered the way he looked at me on that terrace, Like I was everything he ever wanted. That was the dangerous part. Not the sex, or secrecy. The feeling? Gosh, I hated it. By the third night, I was already spiraling. I ended up at the rooftop bar with Mila and a few of her friends, pretending I still knew how to have fun. Loud music pounded through the place while city lights glittered below us
Days blurred together after we got back home. Not bad blurred—just heavy. We were talking again, really talking, but not about the obvious thing. We'd sit up late over coffee that went cold, or I'd find Dave already at the kitchen table when I came down in the morning, like he'd been awake for hou
The hotel suite smelled like fresh linen and expensive candles when the four of us stepped inside. It was one of those high-end downtown places with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city lights stretching out like a map of possibility, a massive king bed positioned perfectly to catch the gl
The next few days were a strange mix of tension and tentative excitement.Claire and Ryan. Mid-thirties, experienced swingers. Their photos were tasteful but clear: Claire with sultry curves, dark hair falling past her shoulders, a wicked smile that suggested she knew exactly what she wanted; Ryan
I lay on my back staring at the ceiling fan spinning lazy circles, the sheets already cooling under my ass. Dave was still breathing hard beside me, with one arm draped across my stomach like it always ended up. Another Tuesday night special — missionary for five minutes, a bit of clumsy fingering,







