Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 21 - Chapitre 28

I stood outside Mr. Harlan’s house, holding the warm container of chicken soup I’d made this morning. My boss had called in sick again yesterday, and when I heard his wife and kids were heading to church this Sunday, I felt it was the right thing to do. I was his personal assistant after all. Someone had to check on him.I let myself in using the spare key he’d given me for emergencies and climbed the stairs quietly. The bedroom door was ajar. I knocked gently.“Mr. Harlan? It’s Susan. I brought soup.”“Come in,” came his weak, raspy voice.I stepped inside. He was lying in bed, shirtless, with a thick sheet pulled up to his waist. His face looked flushed from the fever. He seemed genuinely unwell from his tired eyes, and slow movements. I felt a pang of sympathy.“How are you feeling, sir?” I asked, setting the soup on the bedside table.“A little better than yesterday… but still feverish. Thank you for coming, Susan. You really didn’t have to.”“I wanted to help,” I said sincerely.

I swallowed the edible right before shutting down my computer. it was a really strong one. I wanted to be nicely buzzing and horny by the time I got home so I could have a proper fuck fest with Michael. But Mr. Santos made me stay late again, he had me going through the quarterly reports line by line like the company would collapse without it.We stepped into the executive elevator together. Atleast he wasn't those bosses that had employees doing the night shifts alone. I stood near the back, adjusting my pencil skirt, trying to ignore the first warm tingles spreading through my belly.The elevator jerked to a hard stop between floor 14 and 13.“Damn it,” Mr. Santos muttered. He pulled out his phone immediately and checked for signal. I did the same. Nothing. Zero bars.He pressed the emergency intercom button. After a few seconds of static, a voice came through.“Mr. Santos, this is maintenance. We’re really sorry about what’s going on. There’s been a mechanical failure with the elev

I pushed open the door to McDonald’s with my heart hammering in my chest. My palms were sweaty, and I felt like I might throw up. I’d been practicing what I wanted to say to May for hours, but now my mind was completely blank. What the hell am I doing? She’s going to think I’m a terrible person.I spotted May at a corner table near the window. She waved with that big, warm smile of hers. I forced myself to smile back and walked over, trying to look calmer than I felt.“Hey babe,” May said, standing up to hug me tightly. “You look cute today. That top really suits you.”“Thanks boo,” I mumbled, sitting down across from her.We started with the usual small talk. May leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. “So how’s the family? How’s Mr Zain doing?”“He’s okay,” I said. “Still traveling a lot for work.”“And Zoey?” she asked, smiling. “How’s my favorite goddaughter?”“She’s fine. She called a few days ago complaining about school. Said the teachers are stressing her out and she hat

I stood in front of the mirrored elevator doors, smoothing down the hem of the bubblegum-pink dress that barely reached mid-thigh. Why the hell am I doing this? The question looped in my head like a bad song. Three thousand dollars. That was the answer, but it felt too clean, too transactional for what I was about to walk into. My stomach twisted with nerves, but there was something else underneath it now—a low, curious heat I hadn’t expected when this whole thing started. And maybe the effect of the edible I had popped earlier.It had begun two weeks ago in a supermarket. I was reaching for a box of cereal when this polished guy,looked to be atleast in his ate thirties, sharp jaw, expensive haircut—caught my eye. He smiled like we were old friends and handed me his card. “My boyfriend couldn’t stop staring at you,” he said, casual as anything. “If you’re ever open to… an adventure, text me.” I laughed it off at the time, pocketed the card out of politeness, and went home thinking tha