The glitz and glamor of it all, as beautiful and mesmerizing as it was, gave me a headache. Too many photographers, music too loud and it was too cold. It smelled like paint and smoke. Artificial. The jewelry glinted into my eyes, and the whispers tickled my ears and made it unbearable to even be there.I’d made a mistake. Fashion shows were absolutely not for me.I felt Jenna’s hand on mine, gentle and concerned. I looked at her and she nodded in understanding, turning to whisper to Aubrey and taking me away to the bathroom. I followed her without hesitation and looked in the mirror, a little shocked. My neck and cheeks were flushed, making my freckles pop.“Are you feeling okay?”“I don’t know.” I laughed and shook my head. “Guess I’m not a fan of crowded spaces.”“It was noisy, too,” she agreed with a solemn nod. I splashed some cold water on my face, hoping my mascara wouldn’t run down even though it was waterproof. I’d kept makeup on me anyway but didn’t want to take the time to

My bed was too warm when I woke up, and so was I. Slowly regaining consciousness, I blinked the sleep away.The memories rushed in and I froze in place, realizing that I wasn’t alone. My back was pressed against Cristo’s strong chest, his hand draped over my stomach. His breath brushed over my collarbone and I realized his head was in my neck, lips pressed unconsciously to my jaw.I was going to be turned on and ready for round two if I didn’t get out of his hold quickly. My face flushed as I remembered the way he flipped me onto my side to fuck me from behind, grabbing my waist to hold me in place and caressing my breasts. He’d made me orgasm so violently that I fell asleep as soon as I came down from my high.How loud was I last night?Cristo grunted softly in my ear as he shuffled a bit. I closed my eyes immediately and pretended to sleep, deepening my breath to make sure he couldn’t tell.His head lifted off my skin, his hand moving to rest on my hip for a moment. He didn’t move,

I couldn’t get myself to move much for the hours that led up to the wedding. And suddenly, I only had three hours left to get there. Of course, I was required to be an extra hour late to not raise suspicions with Barry Hall’s sister. She couldn’t know what I was there for but I doubt she’d even know who I was.She wasn’t the one I was worried about. Just thinking about seeing Cristo there made me want to throw up with absolute dread. Obviously, he’d be there. I knew Alexakis and Caron would be there so their son would have to tag along.Just what was it that pulled me to him the way it did that night?! A frustrated, low groan bubbled behind my throat as I covered my face helplessly.“To fucking hell with you, Cristo.” I breathed. And I hated the way the air felt on my lips when I said his name. The way it rolled onto my tongue. The way my mouth remembered his skin and wanted hi–ENOUGH! I yelled inside my head and threw myself off the bed, rushing into the bathroom for a quick, cold s

Two mornings later, I sat with my head pounding as an incessantly shrill ring bounced off the walls of my office. It had been going on for a while and I wondered where on earth Lyra was.I groaned and was just about to pick it up from her desk myself when she came running and picked it up.Finally, I sighed internally and rolled my eyes.“Hello?” her voice echoed softly outside, “Yes? Yes, of course. She’s in today, I can ask if she has time for an audience. Of course. Just a moment.”Sitting up straighter, I started to fix my papers and set them away. I’d have to get some coffee with Marcus when I was done with this. Some water would do until then, and so I poured myself out a glass to sip on.“Lilith…” she sounded tentative by the door, and it made me anxious.“Yes?”“Um…” she pulled her lips in tightly, “I’m not sure how to word it right in light of your…health, but…Mr. Boulevard–”I dropped my glass at the sound of his name, and it shattered against the ground. Shards of glass ric

Waking up to the familiar feeling of manhandling in the sheets wasn’t how I wanted to start my day. Opening my eyes, I saw the familiar ceiling of the Korean hotel I’d stayed in, the chandelier turning slowly as the broken beams of light twirled with it, I turned my head to the window with a bright full moon pouring in quite literally. I turned back to the ceiling but last I remembered, there was no chandelier there. And then I finally remembered where it was from. Barry Hall’s wedding.I was rudely sucked through the sheets without warning, and my eyes fell shut instinctively. When I opened them again, I found myself on my stomach on a leather surface and nimble hands massaging my shoulders. Luckily I remembered that I was at the spa before I panicked. Memories of waking up, getting ready for work, spending a day at the office uninterrupted by men, and then heading to the spa rushed back to me.“Your muscles are very tense.” Hani, the masseuse said softly. I could only sigh in agreem