We went our merry way with my appearance clearly revealing what I had done inside his office. I was wearing his shirt and a jacket with the sleeves rolled up along with my heels. Nicholas had his arm draped over my shoulder as we walked to the elevator.I saw Julia sitting at her desk, a glare directed my way. I stopped right in front of her.Nicholas leaned down to whisper in my ear, "I was saving the honors for you, my lady."Was I a bad person for being happy at those words?I turned to Julia with a scathing glare to rival her own. “Pack up your things in the next five minutes or security will escort you out of the building. Why? Because you are fired.”Nicholas chuckled at how excited I was. He tucked me into his side and continued on to the elevator. I felt like I had all the power in the world, being able to fire someone.Sometimes revenge was sweet..The next day, I couldn't keep the smile off my face. Yeah, I still had Virgil the Babysitter on my tail, but Nicholas and I were

"Well, Hector is ignoring my calls and hasn't spoken to me in a couple of weeks. It hurt when he cut all communication and it just didn't make sense. Then you were... uh..." She blubbered as she glanced at Virgil. "You had him around you all the time. I guess I started to wonder if something bad happened. If you were in some kind of danger. I was scared to say anything, but I was feeling guilty. I told Russel everything a couple of days ago, and he convinced me to tell you everything. I just hope nothing I've done caused you any trouble.""Willis was playing you," Virgil said. "And your actions resulted in a lot of problems for many people." I cringed a little at how unsympathetic he was. But he was correct. "I'm sorry," she cried.Russel put his arm around her shoulders, and I sighed. It wasn't going to do any good to continue berating her. I frowned at Virgil and he rolled his eyes in response."There may be something you can do to make up for it though," Virgil finally conceded.

A thousand thoughts and questions swirled in my head. How could Jefferson do this? Was it really possible for Nicholas to lose everything? What would that mean for us?The money meant nothing to me, as long as I had Nicholas. Did he feel the same? Was I selfish to want him to pick me over everything else in his life? Could I do that to him? I was angry, anxious, and nervous to the point of being sick as the seconds ticked away. Somebody needed to say something—anything—just to end the awful silence which had fallen over the table. Nicholas snapped out of it first, lifting his head and staring at his father. "Quit being so fucking melodramatic. You're scaring her." Was he talking about me or Clara? Could he feel my anxiety through our linked hands? Before I could think any more, he turned to face me, letting go of my hand and placing both of his on my cheeks. He leaned in close, almost touching my nose with his. I sighed and closed my eyes when his familiar, warm breath washed over

"I know you said it couldn't happen, but if they were somehow able to take your company away because of what your father did, I'd let you go." He pulled back, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared at me. "What do you mean?""I don’t want to be the reason you lose everything. If my being away from you keeps you out of trouble, I won’t mind it. I would let you go to Rosemary to keep Simon quiet. Of course, until we figure out what to do." There was no way I would allow it permanently. He shook his head. "I'd rather have you and nothing else than have all of this without you." With one sentence from him, it no longer mattered who was trying to take us down. Whether it was Hector, Rosemary, or Simon, it didn’t matter what else happened because I knew Nicholas prioritized me and the baby over money and power. He loved me as much as I loved him. I kissed him until he was groaning in my mouth and tugging my panties down. We made love with the sound of the pounding rain accompanying our whis

I couldn't believe she came right out and accused Nicholas of buying me. My eyes flitted to the friends beside her, but they didn't really seem to be paying much attention or care about what she was saying. Clara grabbed my hand and held it in a vice grip. "I'm sure Nicholas will throw you out, just as he has for the last many years." Clara picked up a plastic ball and tossed it in her hand. "Are you here for some ball bobbing? I hear you're a champion at it." Rosemary's eyes narrowed, the facade she put on for the public crumbling right before our eyes. She glanced from Clara to me and back again. "Is there a particular reason you're being so rude?" Clara chuckled darkly. Actually, it was almost a cackle, which would have fit perfectly with her outfit. I bit my lip to keep from smiling. "There are many reasons," she said, lowering her voice. "But mostly I just don't care for insufferable bitches. You can move along now. You're in the way and we're here to raise money." I stood