SimoneI felt so much lighter after my talk with Mandy. It felt so good to unburden myself and share my deepest insecurities with someone I trusted. It was also good that the person I trusted knew firsthand the problems I was facing. She'd been a struggling agent once too. She'd had to deal with Jake's mean side. Now, she was thriving. I knew that I could achieve the same one day, I just had to keep my head above water.It didn't help when my phone rang as I was driving home from work. The Bluetooth on my dashboard told me Michael was calling. The same Michael I'd forced to leave and fired as my client. The same Michael who'd given me one of my top ten orgasms ever.I answered the phone hesitantly."Simone, thank you so much for taking my call," he said in a rush. "I've been wanting to text you. Or e-mail you. Or send you a carrier pigeon."I giggled at this."I don't like the way we left things. I wanted to give you some time and space to process everything, but it's been

SimoneRob called me that night and told me he'd had a slight change of plans. I immediately felt my heart sink, thinking he'd decided to go with a more experienced realtor. In reality, the opposite was true.While he'd been away, his listing agent had been arrested for not paying his taxes. Now Rob had no one to sell his house and was in desperate need of a new agent. Instead of trying to find someone else at the last minute, he'd immediately thought of me."I'm already comfortable with you," he'd said. "I can't stand the idea of trying to find someone else at the last minute. Plus, I've been talking it over with my financial advisors, and they all agree that this is the best move. I know it's a lot of work, but you'll get double the commission. I think it's a win-win for all of us."Indeed, it was. Not only would I get a double commission from this one client, but I'd be able to rub it in Crystal's face. He didn't just trust me to find him his next home; he trusted me enough

SimoneI walked into the office feeling lighter than air. And sore as hell. Still, I was so happy to be entering the building with good news. It felt like I was about to walk into an amphitheater of cheering fans. Of course, the reality was that I was walking into a half-empty office full of frenemies.Mandy beamed at me when I entered–my own cheer squad."Ladies and… ladies," she announced loudly as I approached, "Miss Simone Carter has officially got her first contract!"Everyone except Crystal whooped and hollered. She gave a nonchalant clap and rolled her eyes."Congrats, girl," she said with heavy sarcasm. "We all knew you could do it."I rolled my eyes at her and basked in the glow of my success. It felt so good to finally have something professional to celebrate. There was a time when I was sure I would crash and burn. Now I was thriving and well on my way to a successful year.Jake walked into the room with a smile on his face. He opened his arms to me, and I step

Simone Weak sunlight filtered into the bedroom, and I felt warm and relaxed. I'd slept well. It was the perfect combination of intimacy and sex. I stretched with my eyes closed, relishing in every muscle that loosened.I felt refreshed in a way I hadn't felt in months. Maybe even years. I opened my eyes but quickly closed them again. I was looking at the wrong ceiling.I'd had my fair share of one-night stands. I'd woken up in many unfamiliar places and seen many different ceilings. But this ceiling was unfamiliar; I knew exactly where I was. In fact, I'd just shown a client this ceiling the other day. I sat up slowly and looked over to find a sleeping Rob next to me.I smiled. He was so sexy in his sleep. His face was open and happy. He was absolutely gorgeous. The panic that had started to build subsided, and all I could feel was safe and satisfied.Rob wasn't exactly the sex god that Michael was, but he was no slouch either. He was precise and careful, making sure that I

Simone"Mandy," I cried from my spot on the couch. She stumbled in from the kitchen, her eyes puffy and cheeks red. We both looked like hell, and I wasn't feeling much better than that either.More immediately, though, I had to deal with the fact that my most recent sex partner was calling me, likely because he'd read about my other sex partner. Shit, shit, shit!I held up the phone for her to see who was calling. Her eyes were as round as saucers, and she just violently shook her head."Don't answer," she said. "You've been through enough today. You don't need to talk to someone who's probably going to scream at you."I knew she meant well, but Rob didn't strike me as the screaming type. Well, not in this situation anyway. I knew all too well that he could be the screaming type in the right circumstance."He'll just keep calling," I said, and motioned for her to sit next to me. "I just need some moral support, okay?"She nodded curtly and sat down next to me. I grabbed h