On her way to work, it occurred to Natalie she could drop in at the pharmacy three blocks from the office and get a refill of her meds.She couldn't imagine getting through the day without her little helpers.At some point, between leaving Safe Haven and catching the 6:45 AM bus to the Business District, she'd realised they were not only amazing for bruised ribs but worked wonders for broken hearts too.After popping a few, Natalie had found herself floating on cloud nine, and nothing could touch her up there.She desperately wanted to hang on to that feeling, especially now that the latest dose was starting to wear off, and the dull ache in her chest was quickly turning into a sharp pain with every breath she took.She got off at her usual stop a block away from Chassis—because the bus didn't travel down Main street—and checked the time on her phone.She was already fifteen minutes late and had missed the first part of the team's daily catch-up session. Surely another ten minutes woul

When 2:00 PM rolled around, Natalie watched with envy as her colleagues scrambled to the rooftop. She would have loved nothing more than to follow the herd and numb herself with music and free booze. But rushing off to the Inner Circle before it started would screw her over even more. The backlog of reports and proposals that had crept up overnight was one of the many reasons she never played hooky from work."Come on, Nat, we're missing out on all the fun. There won't be anything left to drink at the rate you're going!" Emily crossed her long legs and pouted in her seat."What happened to you never drinking again?" Natalie asked, arching an eyebrow, reminding her of the promise she made Friday night when she'd puked her guts out on the side of the road."Me? Why would I speak such untruths? I must have been wasted!" Emily snorted and tried yet again to convince her to ditch her work."Okay, okay!" Natalie said just to hush her up. "Let me finish this first. I only have a few more slid

Noelle had vanished by the time Levi made it to the other side, and he stared at the place he was certain she'd occupied just moments before.He knew he had not imagined her. Her light floral scent, the same one he'd fallen in love with on the balcony and when he'd held her in the car, still lingered in the air.He looked around him, scanning the place for any hint of her. A surge of relief rocked his body when he found her inside the building, hovering near the elevators.He quickened his pace, frantically pushing through the crowd. He couldn't let her get away again. Not when he'd just found her."Levi, how was your sabbatical?" Someone stopped his progress yet again, momentarily blocking his view of Noelle."It was fine!" Levi growled and pushed them aside. He had one goal in mind. If he allowed himself to be distracted again, Noelle would disappear again.He made it inside the building just as the lift doors slid shut."Fuck!" he cursed as he watched the elevator race to the ground

Alone in her cramped living room, Natalie pulled the blanket closer, curled herself into a small ball and absently watched the show, her mind racing over her chat with Emily.If her friend had made 15K just by allowing a client to suck her toes, then maybe Dreams was her lifeline, after all, and the only way out of her financial hole. Depending on what she did, she could raise all the money she needed for Jamie within six months, and then she'd get out.But what would she have to do?How far was she willing to go?How much was she willing to give up for Jamie to have a fighting chance?Would she take another beating?Worse, what if she vanished like Paul's previous companions?No. Natalie mentally shook herself. She couldn't—shouldn't—go there. She'd just had a very real, hair-raising incident with the man and was very lucky to have come out of it with her life still intact.Besides, she argued, Amber would never forgive her. Jamie, too, would never be okay with taking money she'd made

Amber had always warned her against making decisions when she was tired or angry. But after reading Levi's last email, Natalie was tired and furious.For a while, she just sat in her chair, simmering in her anger, unable to believe he'd tried to use his boss card on her.Sure, they desperately needed his money, but she didn't appreciate how he had tried to back her into a corner and force her to cancel her lunch engagement with Lennie.Levi's sense of entitlement to her time simply because he'd donated a ton of money to her brother's fund did not sit well with her.His pushiness had killed the last shred of warmth her traitorous heart had still held onto, even when she knew nothing would ever come out of her silly crush.Not pausing to think about the consequences of her actions, Natalie hit the refund button, bitter disappointment burning hot in her throat as she watched the balance in the fund drop back to five thousand.They were back to square one. But it was better this way. The