Mackenzie ran the white towel over the plate till it was a pristine, squeaky white . She placed it on the rack, ready for use, and took another.It was a week after a crushing disappointment at the employment interview at DarkWood Furniture Company, and she had gotten a job.As a waitress.In some four star restaurant in a bustling part of greenfield. The only bright side about this job, was that it was not located right at the heart of the city like all the other places she has been. It lessened her anxiety and paranoia quite a bit.This was not something she had ever pictured herself doing, but she needed this job to survive. Her savings from North Dakota had completely run out. She had two kids to feed, clothe and take care of. Desperation had clutched her heart like a vice when she realized that they could starve if she didn’t take a drastic decision.That drastic decision was not an easier option for Mackenzie either. Her job hunt was incredibly crippled by the four-year gap in

Raising her head once she was done serving, she met his gaze. It looked so dark and dangerous, like a stormy sea, but she could clearly see the message in them. He was one thread away from devouring her, and there was nothing she could do about it.That thought jolted her back into action.She moved back and cleared her throat, trying to bring his attention back to the food in front of him.He glanced at the food, and said gruffly, “Come eat with me, Mackenzie. Sit right here.” He tapped the space beside him on the leather couch.She was already shaking her head no, when he transferred his hand to his strong, stallion thigh instead, and asked in a heated voice,“Would you rather sit on me, Mackenzie?”That question was so scandalous she nearly gasped. It’s double meaning made her blush bright red, because neither of them were innocent. Then again, Chase Axford and innocence never went hand in hand.“No.” She replied, a bit harsher than she intended.“Fine. Stay, and watch me eat. I d

“That’s great, because I need to get drunk before I can say what I need to say to you guys!” Mackenzie exclaimed.“What?” They both asked.And Mackenzie let everything go. She told them everything she had been keeping to herself. About how she had walked straight into the last person she wanted to see in her life. Her kids’ father, Chase Axford.She told them about what happened in the Axford Hotel. Her job offer. The contract. And what had happened after she had found out and tried to terminate the contract.She told them of the debt she now had to pay, if she didn’t take up the job. “That’s why I stopped the kids from going to school.” Mackenzie muttered, throwing a paranoid glance over her shoulder. “Chase is almost everywhere I am, and I can’t risk him finding my kids.”Charlotte noticed the way she kept looking around and placed a hand on her shoulder,“Don’t worry, Kenzie. You can relax here, nobody could recognize us, even if they show up here by chance. And that chance is zer

Mackenzie followed the stairs, till she reached a hallway that looked too luxurious to be a public area of the building. It looked like some sort of VIP spot. She glanced back at the stairs, only to hear the sounds of someone loudly following her.Her face drained.Jeffrey had actually followed her! She thought he had been distracted with the waiters.Panicking, she ran further into the hallway, trying to spot an escape route. But there was nothing. The doors on the opposite walls were closed, leaving her no choice but to hurry forward. After a moment of pure panic, she finally spotted a door that was slightly open, so she ran towards it like it was her life line.She slipped through the space and hid behind the door, casting her frightened gaze across the room filled with low lighting and lots of shadows. Her eyes moved to the window, and spotted a tall, broad figure facing out of the window, with a glass of wine in his hand.Mackenzie froze, and in her shock, took a step back. She a

Mackenzie, in her drunken stupor, placed a hand against her ears, realizing that she had left her earrings back in Chase’s VIP room. She had taken them off first before sliding out of her dress. “How could I let this happen?” She muttered grumpily to herself, oblivious to the fact that Chase was watching her closely as they got closer to Maverick’s car.Charlotte and Felicity perked up immediately they spotted them, and they hurried forward. “Is she okay?” Felicity asked, worriedly.“I found her on time, thankfully.” Uncle Maverick answered, shooting a cold look in Chase’s direction. “She’s just soaking drunk.”“She had too much tequila. I should have stopped her.” Felicity frowned.Chase was distracted from the conversation when Charlotte planted herself in front of him, with her eyes wide in awe and disbelief. She could not believe the fact that she was standing in front of The Chase Axford in person.She eagerly noted that he looked even more gorgeous in person than in the pictur