ANYTHING FOR DADDY

BB HAMEL

CONTENTS

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

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Lucy

Cade is absolutely livid and I can’t blame him.

Doesn’t mean I like him or even sympathize with
him all that much. He’s gorgeous, I’ll give him that,
with emerald green eyes that makes women go
insane and that perfect amount of scruff along his
chiseled chin and high cheeks. The guy looks like a
model and it makes me resent him, just a little bit.

No, I just get why he’s mad.

And he’s turning that anger on me.

“Cade,” his father’s lawyer, an old man named
Reginald Rooster croons, “leave the girl alone. You
can’t blame her.”

“I can’t?” Cade growls as he stares daggers at me.

I stand against the wall, pinned like a butterfly,
heart racing. Everyone stares at me: Reginald,
Cade, and Cade’s mother, Tina Moore, wrapped in
black mourning clothes, her white hair gracefully
styled, her nails impeccably painted.

“It’s not her fault, darling,” Mrs. Moore croons in
her upper-crust accent.

Totally fake, by the way. She’s from Long Island,
just like me.

“What I’m wondering is, why would he choose
her?” The way he says it, the sneer on his face, if I
didn’t expect it then I’d probably be insulted.

“Oh, you know your father. He loves his surprises,”
Mrs. Moore says coolly. “I suppose she’s been
working with him for, oh, I don’t know. How long
has it been, dear?”

They all keep staring. I guess I’m expected to
speak.

“Two years,” I manage to croak.

Totally embarrassing. I blush a little and only
manage a quick glance at Cade.

I should be strong right now. Heck, I really need to
be if I’m going to do my job. A lot’s at stake for me,
and even though it’s the most absurd position I’ve
ever been put in, I can’t afford to turn it down.

If I pull this off, I stand to make $6.3 million, which
is the exact value of the Moore family beach house.

More like tiny island, but whatever.

“Two years,” Mrs. Moore repeats and looks at her
son. “That’s a long time.”

“That’s barely anything,” he says softly. “Look at
her. She’s just a blushing little girl. And she’s
supposed to be my…” He turns to Reginald.

“Your minder,” Reginald says dryly.

“My minder,” Cade repeats with that sneer again.
“Like this girl could—”

“Cade,” his mother snaps, her facade cracking a
bit. “Enough.”

Cade goes silent. He frowns slightly at his mother
but doesn’t move. Silence settles on the room, thick
with subtext I don’t totally understand and really
don’t want to know about.

Finally, Reginald clears his throat. “If I may
continue?”

“Yes, of course, Reginald,” Mrs. Moore says.

“Well, according to the will, as I stated previously,
Ms. Sinclair here will be your minder throughout
the trial period. If, after the trial period is successful
and everything is in order, then you will be given
your full rights as sole heir to your father’s wealth
and corporations, etcetera, etcetera.” Reginald
clears his throat. “Questions?”

Cade leans toward the lawyer and gives him a level
stare. “What, exactly, is this trial period?”

“Basically? The two of you are going to spend a
week at each of your father’s big four companies,”
he says. “That’s pretty much it.”

Cade snaps a laugh and leans back. “Okay. There
has to be a catch. Why involve her?”

“Ah, well,” Reginald says, looking embarrassed.
“You see, the will stipulates that you, Cade, are not
to get into any… trouble during this time. You are
to comport yourself with the utmost—”

“Propriety,” Cade interrupts. “Yes, my father’s
favorite word.”

“Right,” Reginald says, looking flustered. “Well,
you do that, and you will be successful. Quite
simple, I’d say.”

“You don’t know my son very well then,” Mrs.
Moore says softly with a sigh. “Who decides if he’s
successful then, Reginald?”

The lawyer glances at me again but doesn’t speak.
Slowly, Cade and his mother both turn to me.

I turn crimson. “I didn’t ask for this!” I blurt out.

Cade rolls his eyes and his mother just smiles
blandly. “Of course not, dear,” she says.

“And yet here you are, eating off the corpse of my
father like any old vulture,” Cade adds.

I blink rapidly and Reginald looks extremely
uncomfortable. For her part, Mrs. Moore glares at
her son.

“Stop that,” she snaps at him. “You heard the girl.
She didn’t choose this, and you know that’s the
truth. Your father loves messing with people and I
am beyond certain that he sprung this on her just
like he did with us.”

“He did,” I say, barely a whisper.

“And she holds your future in her hands,” Mrs.
Moore finishes.

I look down at the floor. “I think this will be
simple,” I say. “We show up, we do what’s
expected, and in a month we all go home happy.” I
look up and meet Cade’s eye. For a second, my
heart flutters. He’s so handsome and he’s giving me
this intense look, like he can see right through my
clothes… “Right, Cade?”

He smiles. It’s almost charming, if it wasn’t so
condescending.

“Right, Lucy. Except here’s the thing. I don’t take
orders from some jumped-up little girl my dad
dragged out of the gutter just so he could fuck with

me one last time.” Cade turns to Reginald. “Sorry
to waste your time, Reggie, but you can take my
father’s estate and shove it up your ass.”

Reginald stares at him in horror. Clearly the man is
physically unable to do any such thing.

Cade stands up and turns to leave. I can’t move,
rooted in place, and as he steps toward the door, I
watch my future step away with him.

I wasn’t born rich like he was. My parents both
worked hard to get me through school. The sent me
to a private high school and I worked my butt off to
get a full ride to Fordham. After that, I got a job
working as a private assistant to Cade’s father
during the day while I was going to law school at
night.

I’ve had to earn everything I have, unlike Cade,
who has been given everything. The bastard
doesn’t realize he’s throwing so much away just
because his ego is too big. And he doesn’t realize
what he’s doing to me on top of it.

In this moment, I don’t think I’ve hated anyone so
much in my life.

“Cade, god damn you, stop right this instant.”

Mrs. Moore’s voice cracks through the room like
thunder. Cade instantly stops and Reginald looks

aghast, shocked that Mrs. Moore would speak like
that.

Slowly, the woman stands. She holds herself regally,
straight and proper, but her words are whip-sharp.

“Listen to me,” she snaps. “I know your father has
been hard on you. I know what sort of hell he’s put
you through over the years. But this is your last
chance. Please, just play the game. If not for you,
then do it for me.” She goes quiet for a second and
steps toward him. “Please, Cade. He left it all to
you.”

For a moment, that slowly sinks in. The room is
dead silent and still.

Cade stares at his mother, a look of anguish and
anger on his face. He hangs his head, closes his
eyes, and takes a deep breath. He looks up again
and nods.

“I’ll do what I have to do,” he says.

“I know you will.” She smiles sadly at him.

I expect them to hug or at least to say that they
love each other. Instead, the pair turns toward me
and I’m that butterfly again, pinned and spread and
ready to be examined.

“Maybe you should talk to her,” Cade’s mother

says. “Reginald, may they have the office?”

“Of course,” Reginald says, clearly just pleased to
get the hell out of the way. “Of course, take all the
time you need.” He gets up and scoots past me. He
shoots me this look, like, good luck, kid, before
hurrying out the door.

Mrs. Moore turns to me and gives me a long, slow
look. “She’s pretty,” she says simply before turning
away and following Reginald out of the office.

Leaving me alone with Cade Moore, billionaire
playboy extraordinaire.

He looks at me almost thoughtfully. The resentment
and condescension is gone, but there’s still a sneer
in his expression, underlying everything he does.

Like he thinks he’s better than me.

“So,” he says. “You hold my future in your hands.”

“I guess I do,” I answer, forcing myself to meet his
eye.

He’s so handsome, it’s almost painful. I understand
how this man is a playboy. I think most women
would throw themselves at him even if he were
poor.

It helps that he’s also filthy rich.

“What do I have to do to keep you happy?” he
asks.

The question surprises me. “You mean, to pass this
test?” I shoot back quickly.

“No,” he says with a slight laugh. He steps closer to
me, head cocked. He’s tall and broad, muscular and
cut but not overly huge. He looks like an athlete,
not a weight lifter. “No, I mean, to keep you happy.
Since we’ll be spending so much time together.”

“Ah,” I stutter. “Ah, um, I don’t know.”

God, I’m so dumb.

What am I doing?

I hold all the power here.

Except, I don’t.

“Come on,” he says, his smile easy and almost
genuine. “You don’t have to be like that. What do
you like to do? What feels good?”

I wish I could step back, but I’m pressed up against
a bookshelf. I want to squirm but I force myself to
stay still.

“We’re going to keep this professional,” I force
myself to say as simply and levelly as I can
manage.

It’s not bad.

“Are we?” He grins. “Maybe.”

“Cade,” I caution. “You want to pass? You behave.
That’s it, plain and simple. You show up on time,
you do what’s expected, you go home at night. No
partying, sleeping around, or getting into trouble.”

“No being myself, then,” he says. “No fun.”

“This is about controlling a multi-national
conglomerate of some of the biggest companies
ever created,” I fire at him, getting exasperated.
“And you’re not taking it seriously.”

“That’s where you’re very, very wrong.” He steps
closer to me, so close now, looming over me, his
gorgeous green eyes drilling down into mine. “See,
I’ve been working toward this my whole life. As
much as you think you know me, I promise you,
little Lucy, you don’t. I’ll play your game, but don’t
pretend like you understand anything.”

I have to look away. He’s too intense, too
attractive.

“Just behave,” I manage to say. “You do that, we’re
all good.”

“Okay then.” His voice is almost a purr. “I look
forward to working very closely with you, Lucy.”

I shiver and turn to look at him again, but he’s
already walking away.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I call out to him.

He just waves and leaves the room.

I let out a breath and slump back, my heart racing. I
swear, I can feel excitement pooling between my
legs, my skin slightly flushed, sweat beading along
my lower back. I’ve never wanted a man to touch
me so badly before in my life. I can still feel it, still
thirst for just a little taste of his lips against mine.

It’s madness. Plain and simple.

But I know I have to get through this month.

One month, four weeks, no big deal.

He’s just one man, one gorgeous, filthy rich,
incredibly tantalizing man. He may be ten years
older than I am, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to
be in control here.

Because there’s something he doesn’t know.

Getting what I want, that $6.3-million private beach
house estate, isn’t contingent on him passing this
test.

All I have to do is make sure he lasts the whole
month.

And in the end, if I decide not to pass him…

He gets nothing.

I still get everything I want.

As I stare at the door, I feel a smile slip across my
lips.

He has no clue what he’s getting himself into.

Cade

My life has been like one fork straight into my
eyeball after another.

Okay, that’s an exaggeration. People think I’ve
lived a life of wealth and privilege, and for the most
part, they’re right. I’ve had money, more or less.
I’ve had comfort and material things.

But I’ve never had freedom. I’ve never had the
space to do the things I feel are right.

I know. Boo hoo, poor rich boy.

Can’t say I blame you for feeling like that.

Doesn’t change the fact that I hate my father for
arranging this final test. He’s been testing me his
whole life. One meaningless task after another,
each one more excruciating and embarrassing and
demeaning after the next.

One more test, and I can take my seat at the table.
Just one more and he’ll finally accept me as his son
and heir.

Never happened that way.

Instead, it was test after test, and it was never
enough, never good enough. I walked away for a
few years, ran a nonprofit in Africa that did some
real good, but even that wasn’t good enough for
him. Even that was just a waste of my time,
according to him.

So I came back after my mother begged me to
come home. And I took his abuse day after day.

Then he died.

And I figured, okay, the bastard’s gone.

I’ll finally get what I’ve been promised my whole
life. What I’ve taken this abuse for.

But no, no, another fucking test.

Run by this random girl, no less.

I barely even know her. I think I’ve seen her once
or twice around my father’s estate, but I can’t be
sure. My father has always loved to surround
himself with young, pretty girls. Always pissed my
mother off and I can’t blame her.

The guy was a real dick.

Now one of his little girl toys holds the key to my
future. I want to walk away and live my life

without all this, but I know I can’t do it, not while
my mother’s still around. She’ll die if I don’t try to
make all the abuse worth it.

She took as much as I did.

Probably a lot more.

Doesn’t matter. He’s gone now. And good riddance.

Just one month… That’s all it is. I can do one
month.

Shouldn’t be too hard.

Famous last words.

* * *

“Ready?”

Lucy stands a few feet away from me with a little
frown on her face. She’s looking at her phone like
it’s the most important thing in the world.

She finally looks up. “Almost.”

“What are you even looking for?”

She just shakes her head. “I’m not sure.”

I sigh and clench my jaw. I think she’s just doing
this to piss me off.

She puts her phone back in her pocket and goes
back to digging through the closet in my father’s
study. She’s making these grunting noises, clearly
annoyed, and I have to admit that the view isn’t so
bad.

She’s got a nice, perky little ass. She’s a really
pretty girl, actually. I can see why my piece-of-shit
father liked her so much. Long blonde hair, bright
blue eyes, creamy skin, curves for years, yet still
athletic and slim. She’s an impressive fucking
specimen and if I didn’t despise her right now, I’d
be trying to bend her over my dear departed
fuckwad father’s desk.

“This place is empty,” I grunt at her. “There’s
nothing worth finding.”

“He took it,” she says, her voice muffled from
being in that closet.

“What is it, anyway? I can help.”

She doesn’t answer. We’ve been in my father’s
estate for the last hour digging through his crap
before she’d be willing to head out. We’re staying
in a hotel together across the street from our first
company. It’s my father’s television studio where
they do the local news and all that shit.

“Got it!”

She comes out of the closet with a huge, triumphant
grin on her face clutching a black-and-white
marbled composition book against her chest.

I raise an eyebrow. “Your algebra homework?”

“No, asshole.” She says it with a smile, though,
paging through the thing.

“Seriously, you dragged me back to this shithole for
this?”

She raises an eyebrow. “This isn’t exactly a shit
hotel, you know.”

“It doesn’t have great memories for me.”

“Seriously? This place is a palace. I’d give anything
to grow up here.”

I snort and look away. “No, you wouldn’t,” I say
softly before looking back at her. “And anyway, I
didn’t grow up here.”

“I thought he’s always lived here?” she asks.

“Oh, he has, but I was shipped off to boarding
school the second I could walk. I barely remember
this place, except for the terrifying summers I’d
spend hiding from father and playing with the
gardener’s kids.”

“That sounds…” She trails off, clearly not sure

what to say.

“It sounds shitty,” I finish for her. “Can we go?”

“Yeah, okay, fine.” She slips the book into her bag.
“Let’s get moving.”

I walk behind her, head cocked slightly. I still can’t
believe she dragged me out to this fucking place
just for some shitty book.

But it must mean something to her…

And now I can’t help myself. I’m going to have to
find out exactly what’s in that book, no matter what
happens.

God, I’m just such a curious boy. I can’t help
myself.

I’m smiling as we step out into the cool November
air. Lucy frowns at her phone again. “No service,”
she says.

“Don’t worry. I have that super fancy rich people’s
cell service,” I tell her. “We get service
everywhere.”

Her eyes widen slightly. “Really?”

“No, not really. I have Verizon.”

She sighs as I take out my phone and order an Uber.

“Ten minutes,” I say.

She shrugs off her bag and sits on the curb. My
bags are already sitting outside nearby where I left
them after my taxi dropped me off.

I hesitate a second. She’s wearing jeans and a navy
blue blouse, her hair pulled up in a messy bun. She
looks like she’s going on a weekend trip, not acting
as the babysitter to an older rich man like me.

I lean against a tree a few feet away.

“Tell me something,” I say. “What did you like
about working with my father?”

She purses her lips for a second. “Honestly?”

“Please.”

“I hated it.”

I laugh. “Seriously?”

“Seriously. It wasn’t what I want to do at all, and
plus, he was really… uh, difficult.”

“He was a fucking prick. It’s okay.”

She blushes a little. “He was tough. So yeah, I
didn’t love it.”

“Why would he choose you for this, then?”

“I’m trying to figure that out too.”

“Hm.” I watch her carefully for a second. “I know
you’re getting something from this deal, you know.”

“Of course I am. Why else would I put up with
you?”

“How much?”

She raises her eyebrows and smiles a little. “A lot.”

“How much?” I press.

“Enough to make me willing to put up with you and
drag your ass around whether you like it or not.
Okay? Drop it.”

I grin back at her. “Oh, I like it. Already being
tough.”

“Don’t be a dick.”

“Like my father?”

“No, he was a particular type of asshole. You’re a
different kind.”

“I assume I’m more lovable and fun. He was more
abusive and horrifying.”

“Something like that.”

I walk over and sit down next to her on the curb.

She glances at me and I’m tempted to reach out and
brush a stray piece of hair from her face, but I stop
myself.

That’s not what I’m supposed to be here for.

“We don’t have to go through with this farce, you
know,” I say softly. “We can just hole up in some
hotel somewhere, hang out for a month, then go
back to Reginald and say we did our best.”

“There are people waiting for us,” she points out.
“Four companies, remember?”

I shrug. “Reg won’t check. He’ll take your word.”

“Even if that’s true, I’m not going to lie for you.”

“Why not?” I cock my head. “You get what you
want, I get what I want.”

“Cade.”

“Oh, I like when you say my name.”

She blushes a little bit. “Stop it.”

“You’re blushing. You don’t like it when I flirt with
you? I see the way you stare at me, you know.”

“Stop,” she repeats. “Asshole.”

“Come on. You’re not the uptight prudish type, are
you? We could have some fun, holed up together,

you know. You’re pretty fucking hot. I wouldn’t
mind peeling those jeans off and—”

“Okay,” she squeaks and jumps to her feet.
“Enough, enough, I don’t want to hear it.” She
quickly walks a few feet away.

I can’t help but laugh. “Holy shit. You really are
prudish, aren’t you?”

“Cade, I’m serious.” She’s blushing like holy hell
and oh my god, it’s so fucking sexy. She’s smiling a
little bit but she’s embarrassed, and I think it’s the
hottest thing I’ve ever seen.

“Who the hell are you if that’s going to make you
blush?” I stand up, head cocked. “Sweet Lucy, I
have so much more I want to say to you right now,
if only—”

“Car!” she shouts, pointing. “Look! Uber!”

I laugh softly as the Uber slowly pulls down the
driveway. “You’re lucky.”

“I’m not sure you know what that word means.” As
soon as the Uber parks, she runs over and hops in
the front seat. The guy looks confused but she
refuses to meet his gaze.

I grab our bags, throw them in the trunk, then slip
into the back seat. The driver glances back at me

then pulls out into traffic.

Lucy is silent the whole way over and that’s fine
with me. I watch as the city flashes past and I wish
I could concentrate on what I’m supposed to be
doing, which I guess is just showing up and smiling
like a good little boy, but instead I’m thinking about
all the ways I can make Lucy blush.

I didn’t think she was so uptight and virginal at
first. I mean, just looking at her, she has the body of
someone with some serious experience. It’s like
driving a sports car and never going fast.

But it’s also exciting. Clearly she’s inexperienced,
if all it took to make her blush was the suggestion
of something dirty. And if I didn’t know any better,
I’d say that she liked it… really liked it.

We get dropped off at the building across from the
television station. I head inside, Lucy close on my
heels. It’s an upscale hotel, the sort of place that
barely advertises and only has a single sign out
front.

“Ah, Mr. Moore,” the front desk girl purrs. “It’s
nice to see you again. Checking in?”

“Yes,” I say. “One room. Nicest one you got.”

“Two rooms,” Lucy snaps, glaring at me.

I grin and feign innocence. “Oh, sorry, my mistake.
My fiancée here is very, ah, strict, you see. No
funny business before marriage.”

Lucy stares at me, totally aghast, but the front desk
girl just smiles.

“Of course, Mr. Moore. Might I say that, if I were
in her position, I’d be much more eager.”

Lucy looks like she wants to throw up, but it’s the
girl’s job to massage my ego.

“Thank you, that means a lot.”

The girl types on her computer for a moment then
produces two keys.

“Here you go. We have two rooms on the top floor.
They’re both yours. How long will you be staying?”

“The week,” I say, taking the cards. I hand one to
Lucy. She snatches it from me, face bright red.

I can’t tell if she’s embarrassed or angry. Probably
both.

“Very good. Thank you for staying with us, Mr.
Moore, and please let me know if you need
anything at all.”

I wink at her and lead Lucy back to the elevators.

“Fiancée?” she growls at me. “Are you insane.
What is wrong with you?”

“I was just joking around,” I say mildly. The
elevator arrives and we step on.

“It’s not funny! Oh my god, and the way that girl
was… throwing herself at you. That was so gross.”

“Just doing her job.”

“Is she a prostitute?”

I raise an eyebrow. “Here? Probably not. But I
know a few places if you—”

“You’re disgusting.”

“I’m just saying.” I laugh and lean against the wall.
“Look, in a place like this, the staff is told to make
all the rich people happy. They say or do whatever
they can to make us feel special. It’s actually pretty
annoying but you get used to it.”

Lucy glares at me for a second. “You like it,” she
says finally. “Don’t act like you don’t.”

I grin at her and shrug as the elevator reaches our
floor. “Okay, I love it.”

She grumbles as she follows me into a very short
hallway. On either side of the space are two doors.

I look at my key. “I’m one,” I say, looking left.

“Got it. We have work in the morning. Meet me
here at six sharp, don’t be late or this is all over.”

I blink as she hurries to her room. “What, that’s it?
No nightcap?”

“It’s two in the afternoon.”

“Afternoon cap, then. Whatever.”

“No, thank you.”

“You’re just going to sit there in that huge, empty
room all by your lonesome?”

She turns back to me. “Yep. And you’re doing the
same.” She steps closer. “No bullshit, Cade. No
getting in trouble. No inviting random hotel girls up
to your room to keep you company. Nose clean.”

I nod solemnly. “Nose clean,” I repeat.

“Good.” She turns away.

“Tongue, though,” I say thoughtfully. “And fingers
and lips? I don’t know. I don’t think I can keep
them clean, not with you right across the hall.”

She turns on me, looking angry, but I step closer
before she can snap at me.

“Oh, relax,” I say softly before she can start into

me. She blinks, surprised by my proximity, and
steps backward. She runs into the door. I want to
pin her there, hold her wrists above her head and
taste that delicious skin, but I hold back. “We’re
going to be working very closely together for the
next month, Lucy darling,” I say softly. “You’d
better get used to me.”

“Getting used to you doesn’t mean dealing with
your crap,” she shoots back.

“Maybe, maybe not. But the thing is, I think you
like it, and if you didn’t, I think you’d just fail me
and be done with it.”

She frowns. “What if I can’t just do that?”

I smile and shrug. “I guess we’ll find out, won’t
we?”

We stare at each other for a second. God, I want to
kiss her so badly.

But I step back instead.

“Have a nice night,” I say. “It’s a gorgeous room.
You’ll like it.”

“Fine,” she answers, turning to the door.

“And if you want company, you know where I’ll
be.”

She glances back at me again and I swear, there’s a
note of yearning in her gaze. She looks at my eyes,
glances down my body, then tears herself away.

She opens her door and disappears inside.

I’m grinning as I open my own. It’s going to be a
boring day, but playing with Lucy for the next
month…

That might be totally worth it.

Lucy

I look at my phone.

Ten past six in the morning.

I sit on the little padded bench next to the elevator
door and sip my coffee.

He’s late. He’s freaking late on the first day. I don’t
know why I’m surprised, but I shouldn’t be. Of
course that asshole’s late.

He’s too busy flirting with me to try to get anything
real accomplished.

I sip my coffee again and glower at the floor. At
least my room is really gorgeous. He wasn’t kidding
about that. The view is fantastic, the amenities are
insane, and there’s enough space to sleep ten
people.

I’ll admit, I got a little lonely. I’m not perfect.
There’s a moment where I thought about knocking
on his door. Not for anything illicit or whatever, but
just because I wanted some company.

He’s not so bad. I mean, he’s nice to look at. Every
time he makes a lewd comment, I can’t help but
think about him doing it to me… about his lips on
mine, his hands on my body…

But no, I can’t go down that road. That’ll only
complicate things. And besides, I can’t give in to
that asshole. It’s what he wants.

I check the time again. Quarter after.

I bounce my knee up and down impatiently. This is
what I expected from him, if I’m being honest.
Cade has this reputation, after all. Playboy
billionaire, total asshole.

Although I saw a different side of him yesterday.
He gave me a glimpse into his life. I’m not
surprised that he didn’t get along with his father.
Frank Moore was an extremely difficult man.

I didn’t much enjoy my time with him, but I put up
with it.

I can’t really imagine being the man’s son.

He was a perfectionist. He needed things done just
so. For whatever reason, I could make him happy
most of the time. I got good at reading his moods
and figuring out what he’d need before he even
asked for it, more out of sheer survival than out of
anything else.

Living up to those standards every single day of my
life, my entire existence controlled by that man…

Well, okay, I can see how maybe Cade’s story isn’t
as neat and clean as I want to believe.

Still, he didn’t have it hard. He’s a rich kid. He has
everything he needed and then some. He didn’t
have to work hard like I did. I’ve earned everything
I have. I worked for that asshole during the day and
studied my ass off at night. I had no life because of
how hard I had to work.

And there’s Cade, poor Cade, given everything he
could ever want.

I sigh and lean back for a second. I can feel myself
getting worked up.

I don’t need to hate him. There’s no reason to,
honestly, and this would be easier if I didn’t. I don’t
know why I keep trying to convince myself to
dislike the man. There are good things about him.

Those eyes, those arms, that face… that sense of
humor… quick wit… clearly smart…

Maybe that’s why I’m doing it. Maybe, I don’t
want to let myself like him too much.

Because if I do, I know what he’ll do with that.

Finally, his door opens. He steps out wearing a crisp

suit and holding a dark briefcase in one hand. He
turns to me and smiles.

“Good morning, my darling Lucy,” he says.

“Morning,” I grumble. “You’re late.”

He grins and ignores me. “How many times did you
want to come over last night, huh? Ten, twelve? I
myself had to hold back on numerous occasions
from knocking on your door. You see, it gets mighty
lonely and you’re a very attractive woman. I
thought we might warm our—”

“Enough,” I say, rubbing my temples. “Oh my god.
It’s so early. Are you always like this?”

“No,” he admits. “I just really like annoying you.”

“Great.” I stand up, sip my coffee for strength, and
summon the elevator. “You’re late,” I say again. “I
said I’d fail you for that.”

The elevator arrives almost instantly.

“I called your bluff,” he says as we step on.

I glare at him for a second, but I know he’s right. It
was totally a bluff.

“Look, we can’t do this to each other,” I say. “You
can’t keep pissing me off.”

“True,” he admits. “I don’t want to tease you for a
month.”

“Okay, so let’s—”

“I want to get you there,” he interrupts me. “I want
to get you within inches, my sweet Lucy, and then
tip you over into incredible, toe-curling oblivion.”

I groan and feel myself blushing, picturing him
making me come in that huge, stupid bed I slept in
last night.

“Stop,” I say. “Okay? Can we be professional.”

He nods once. “Okay. For this morning, we can be
professional.”

“Thank you.”

We ride the elevator in silence, but I catch him
giving me looks, a little smile on his face.

“I know what you’re thinking,” I grumble at him as
we step out into the lobby. “And stop that too.”

“Purely innocent, I swear.”

Fortunately, it’s an easy commute. The Moore
Company is an enormous conglomerate that owns a
ton of different companies in all different
industries. This particular studio films a bunch of
different things, notably the local news, which we’ll

be shadowing for the week.

We head inside, get temporary badges, and get sent
up. “They’re expecting you,” the security guy says.

“Of course they are,” Cade answers cheerfully. I
sigh and follow him onto the elevator, riding it up to
the sixth floor, and stepping out into a clean and
well-lit office.

It looks like a newspaper office, if I didn’t know
any better. Bullpen beyond the welcome lobby area
with reporters bustling around.

“Patricia!” Cade walks over to the receptionist, an
older woman in her seventies, all wrinkles and
cheerful smiles. “How are you, my darling? You’re
looking radiant.”

“Hello, Cade,” she says. “You’re still a charmer.”

“Of course. Hard not to be with you around.”

She beams at him. “You’re full of shit, but I like it.”

“That’s what I tell him,” I say, coming up next to
him. “I’m Lucy.”

“Hello, dear.”

“Is Robert coming?” Cade asks. “I’m hoping for
Robert. Tell me we got Robert.”

“You got Ken.”

He sighs. “Fuck.”

“What’s wrong with Ken?” I ask.

“Ken hates him,” Patricia says.

“You know people here?” I ask Cade.

“Of course I do. Despite what you may think, I’ve
actually been working for my father’s company for
a long time.”

“He comes and goes,” Patricia adds.

“Huh,” I say, genuinely surprised. “I figured you
just, you know, hung out in clubs and did drugs all
day long.”

“I do that at night,” he mutters, frowning off at the
bullpen.

“If it helps, dear, that’s what I assumed as well,”
Patricia adds chipperly.

I grin at the woman just as a large man comes
ambling toward us.

He’s wearing a large shirt, halfway untucked and a
strange beige color. His slacks are brown and his
shoes are scuffed and dirty. He’s balding and has
dark eyes that look like they’ve never once seen a

smile.

“Ken,” Cade says.

“Cade,” Ken says.

“I’m Lucy,” I add.

Neither of them look at me. I glance at Patricia and
she just shrugs.

The men stare at each other for an uncomfortably
long time. It’s like a showdown in the Wild West. I
swear, one of them is about to draw a gun and
shoot the other.

Finally, Ken speaks.

“Just a week?” he asks.

“Just a week,” Cade confirms. “And I’m not
making any changes this time.”

Ken nods once. He doesn’t smile. “Good. Come on.
You can sit in on the production meeting.” He
glances at me. “Nice to meet you.”

He walks off without another word.

“Bye, Patricia,” I say.

“Bye, hon.”

I hurry to keep up with Cade. We’re lagging behind

Ken a bit as the man barrels his way through the
newsroom.

“Listen,” Cade says softly. “Don’t let that man’s
appearance fool you. He’s a wily one. Watch out
for him.”

“Really?” I ask. “He looks homeless.”

“That’s his thing. He thinks it makes people
underestimate him.”

“Does it work?”

“Usually.” Cade grimaces like he’s remembering
something ugly. “Anyway, just be careful with
him.”

I’m about to say thanks when we’re ushered into a
huge conference room with a bunch of unfamiliar
faces. Cade instantly starts greeting everyone, that
charming smile back on his face, and I sit in an
empty chair off to the side in the far corner.

I watch Cade work, pretty surprised. I pretty much
expected this to be the first time he’d visited this
place. I know he has a position in his father’s
company but I didn’t realize he actually did real
work. I figured it was just ceremonial and he spent
all his time… well, partying, I guess.

I’m happy I’m wrong, oddly enough.

People seem to like him, although nobody goes out
of their way to say hello. He works the room over
once, smiling the whole time, oblivious to the
lukewarm reception. Finally, he sits down near the
head of the table and gestures at Ken.

“Take it away,” he says.

“Thank you, your highness,” Ken says flatly.

And then the meeting resumes.

I sit there listening and watching and taking notes
as they go. Cade seems like he’s barely listening,
but Ken’s comment keeps bugging me.

He mentioned something about changes… and now
he called him “your highness” like Cade is the boss
or something.

I need to find out what happened here and fast.

The meeting drags on for another half hour but
eventually breaks up. Cade stretches and smiles
and waves at everyone as they leave. People give
him forced responses and hurry away.

We’re alone with Ken five minutes later.

“Want your usual office?” Ken asks Cade.

“No, thanks,” Cade answers. “We can just stay in
here. We’re only shadowing, after all.”

“Right.” Ken doesn’t look like he cares one way or
the other. “Do what you want. Not like I have a
say.”

“Nope. You really don’t.” Cade smiles at the man,
but his message is clear.

Don’t fuck with me.

Ken grunts and leaves the room without another
word.

I sit there for a second, watching him. Cade sighs
and sits down, looking defeated. He hangs his head
for a moment before putting his briefcase on the
table, opening it up, and taking out a laptop.

“What the hell did you do here?”

He blinks, surprised, and looks over at me. “Shit,”
he says. “I forgot you were there.”

I glare. “Seriously.”

He sighs. “Come on, sit over here. We’ll talk.”

I hesitate before joining him at the table. I get
myself situated then lean back. “Okay. Talk.”

He looks a little uncomfortable. “I mentioned my
father’s little tests, right?”

“Right.”

“They were never good things,” he says. “They
were always ugly, always the sort of things nobody
wanted to do. I guess I did his dirty work for a
while, just to prove myself.”

“What does that have to do with here?” I ask,
dread in my stomach.

“I gutted the place,” he says after a long pause.

“Gutted?”

“Laid people off. Lots of people, actually. This
place used to stretch over two floors. Now it’s only
one.”

I stare at him, shocked. “You fired people?”

“Yep,” he says, staring at the table. “I sure did.”

“Jesus. No wonder they’re all terrified of you.”

“They hate me,” he whispers. “They’re not afraid.
They straight up hate me and I don’t blame them.”

We’re quiet for a few minutes. I chew on my pen,
thinking, trying to figure out how this affects things.

But I can’t see how it does. If anything, this is the
whole reason we’re back here.

His father is clearly testing him again. What this
test is, I don’t know. Maybe there is no real goal or

reason for it. Maybe his father just wanted to fuck
with his son and put him in an uncomfortable
position just for the hell of it.

I wouldn’t put it past the man.

A spark of pity blooms in my chest. Cade looks at
me and narrows his eyes.

“Don’t,” he says.

“What?”

“You’re giving me that wounded puppy look. Don’t
do that.”

“I’m not.”

He glares at me. “Don’t feel bad for me. I fired
every single one of those people and I’d do it all
over again, okay?”

I lean back, shocked at the venom in his voice.
“Okay,” I say. “Man. For a second, I thought you
might be human.”

He stands up. “Think again.”

“Where are you going?”

“For a walk around the floor. I want to see how
things have changed.”

“I’ll come with you.”

His eyes pin me to the chair. “No,” he says. “Stay
here. I’ll be back.”

And he leaves the room without another word.

I know I should follow, but I don’t.

“Shit,” I whisper and turn back to my notes.

Clearly, there’s a lot more going on here than I
anticipated. I didn’t know there’d be a history I
needed to learn. I could’ve prepared better if I had
been given a heads-up or something, but instead
I’m flying blind.

If this is the first test, I don’t want to know what’s
waiting for us later in the month.

Cade

I t’s a long day, but I get through it.

Helps that I get to tease Lucy mercilessly most of
the time.

“Come on,” I say to her. “If you sit in my lap, I
promise you won’t regret it.”

“Cade,” she says, glaring at me. “I swear, I’m going
to fail you just out of spite.”

“Your loss.”

It’s the way she blushes and gets so mad, it’s just so
adorable and sexy. I can’t help myself. I know I
should be nice to her since she holds all the cards,
but…

I want her.

Plain and simple. I want her.

I want to undress her, taste her skin, tease her
pussy, make her body feel things I’d bet my fortune
she’s never felt in her whole life. I want to sink my

big cock between those sweet, virginal thighs and
fuck her until she moans all the dirty shit I know
she has locked up in that head.

I want to see that pretty mouth sucking my cock
and begging me for more.

So that’s how I get through the day. I’m surrounded
by people that remember me as the guy that fired
everyone they used to work with and cut all their
budgets in half and basically hate my stinking guts,
but at least I have her.

We leave right at five. Patricia’s the only one who
waves as we leave. I always liked her. She was
supposed to be fired back in the day, but I kept her
around anyway. She was old even back then and I
figured there’s no way she would’ve found a new
job. I’m glad to see she’s still chugging around.

Lucy isn’t interested in talking as we walk back to
the hotel and I’m not interested in forcing her for
some reason. We ride the elevator up in silence and
head over to our doors.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” she says.

“Unless you’d rather see me tonight,” I answer
half-hearted.

She frowns at me for a second. “Good night,
Cade.” She slips into her room and shuts the door

behind her.

I sigh and step into my room. My heart wasn’t in
that last attempt and I think she sensed it.

I pour myself a drink and sit down for a few
minutes. I’m thinking about how it was back then,
firing all those poor fucking people that didn’t
deserve it, all at my father’s whim. I hate that I was
lumped in with that. I hate that they see me as some
monster sent to ruin their lives.

“Shit,” I say after a drink and an hour. I need to go
out.

I get up and head to the door. I know a place
nearby I used to go to, a nice little divey place that
does decent food and drinks. I head to the door and
pull it open.

As I step outside, Lucy’s door suddenly flies open
as well.

“Cade,” she says breathlessly. She’s still wearing
her work outfit, although the blouse isn’t tucked in
anymore.

I cock my head at her, smiling a little. “Lucy.”

“What are you…?”

“I was going out.”

She blinks a second and I swear she looks
disappointed. “Oh. Right.”

“For a meal. I can’t sit in this fucking room all
night.”

She clears her throat and seems to gather herself.
“No,” she says.

“Excuse me?”

“No,” she repeats. “You’re not going out. No way.”

I laugh a little, almost astonished. “Are you
serious?”

“I’m very serious. Part of my job is keeping you in
line, and that’s not just a professional thing.”

I snort. “Come on. I just want to grab dinner
somewhere with people around.”

“Sorry. Tough it out for a month.”

I frown at her and step closer. “Did you expect me
to come knocking on your door?” I ask her softly.

“Ah, uh,” she stammers. “No, no, I mean—”

“Why don’t you come with me?” I interrupt.

She clears her throat again. “To dinner?”

“Sure. Keep me in line.”

“I don’t—”

“Come on.” I reach out and take her hand. She
looks surprised as I tug her into the hallway. She
stumbles a few steps and runs up against me.

She’s warm and soft and fuck—

“Sorry,” she says, pulling away.

“Come on,” I say again. I walk over to the elevator,
trying to keep myself calm, but my cock’s already
getting fucking rock hard.

God damn. Just one simple touch and I’m fucking
hard for her.

She lingers over near the doors but when the
elevator comes, she joins me. She glares at me but
doesn’t say anything. I smile and for once in my
life, I know when to keep my mouth shut.

We head out into the New York evening. It’s a little
chilly and I can tell she wishes she brought a jacket.
I take my suit jacket off and offer it to her.

“No,” she says.

“Wear it,” I command.

She sighs, takes it, and smiles. “Thanks.”

I nod once. The place is up ahead and we step in

through the door.

It’s crowded, but not packed. We manage to find a
booth toward the back and sit down. She takes my
jacket off and I go get us drinks from the bar. When
I come back, there are menus waiting.

“I didn’t think this would be your kind of place,”
she comments.

“What kind of place would I go to?”

“You know. Fancy ones.”

I sigh. “So because I grew up in a wealthy family, I
only go to expensive restaurants?”

“Basically.”

“Got it.”

She laughs a little. “Come on. What am I supposed
to picture? Just an everyday guy, like everyone
else?”

“No,” I admit.

“You can’t pretend you’re just like normal people.”

“Maybe not,” I say softly then raise my glass. “To
normal people. May we never become like them.”

She grins and we toast. She drinks long from her
glass and I follow suit.

I guess her day was as stressful as mine.

We make small talk before ordering food and a
second round of drinks.

She tells me about her family, about growing up on
Long Island. She talks about working for my father
and going to school at night.

“That’s impressive,” I say.

“It’s nothing.”

“Honestly. It’s a big deal. Not a lot of people can
manage that.”

“Yeah?”

“I mean it. That’s pretty big. How far along are
you?”

She sighs. “About a year into it. So far, so good, I
guess.”

“But if this goes well, you can probably go full-
time.”

She grins at me, a little twinkle in her eye. “If this
goes well, I don’t think I’ll need to go at all.”

I lean back and laugh. I drink my whiskey and
watch her eat, wondering just what I’ve gotten
myself into.

After we’re finished, I grab a final round from the
bar. As the drinks are on their way, a dark-haired
girl stumbles up against me.

“Shit, sorry,” she says.

“No problem,” I answer, glancing at her.

She smiles at me. She’s pretty in a bland way. Dark
hair, dark eyes. North Face jacket.

“What’s your name?” she asks.

“Cade,” I say distractedly.

“Cade, that’s a cool name. I’m Belle.”

I glace at her. “Is that your real name?”

She giggles. “Of course it is.”

“Sounds fake.” I turn back to the bar, getting
impatient.

Belle leans closer to me. “Hey, how about you get a
drink with me? I’m feeling a little lonely tonight.”

“Not interested,” I say.

Belle pouts. “Come on. You look lonely, too.”

I frown at her. I’m not sure if she’s a pro or if she’s
just some stupid college girl looking to get in some
trouble.

“I’m not interested,” I repeat more slowly.

Belle is about to protest, but suddenly another
person appears.

Lucy pushes her way between us.

“Excuse me,” Lucy says.

Belle steps back, frowning. “Uh, excuse you. I was
talking to this guy.”

“You mean, to my fiancé?”

I grin huge at Lucy and just watch. I can’t believe
this shit is happening right now.

It’s like Christmas.

“Uhm, excuse me, fiancé?” Belle looks like she’s
never heard the word in her life.

“I told you I’m not interested,” I say.

Belle glares at me. “Asshole,” she says, turns, and
stomps off.

Lucy sighs and leans against the bar. I laugh loudly
and turn Lucy to face me. She grimaces.

“Don’t,” she says.

“Why not? You’re my fiancée.”

“You put the idea in my head.”

“Come on, you loved saying it.”

“Stop.”

“Oh, sweet Lucy, my darling fiancée,” I croon. “I
can’t wait to take you home tonight and make
sweet love to you, make you feel things you’ve
never dreamed of.”

“We don’t do that until marriage, remember?” she
shoots back at me. “Besides, I need to keep you in
line.”

I grin at her. The drinks arrive and we toast to our
fake marriage.

We finish the last round and stumble back to the
hotel. Lucy wears my jacket this time without
protest. It’s chilly but I don’t mind.

Once inside we ride the elevator upstairs. In the
hall, we pause outside our doors.

“Well,” Lucy says, hesitating.

“Can’t tempt you in?” I ask. “I’d love to taste the
sweet spoils of marriage.”

“Bye,” she says and ducks inside without another
word.

I head into my room, the bad day forgotten, a smile
on my face.

Lucy

I ’m outside and on the bench at six sharp, coffee in
hand, even though all I want to do is go back to
sleep and pretend like the world doesn’t exist.

I groan a little bit. This is why I don’t drink.

Cade’s door pops open a second after I sit down
though, which is a surprise. I figured he’d make me
wait again. He steps out into the hallway with a
smile on his lips.

“Morning, fiancée,” he says.

“Good morning.” I get up, wincing. “Why do you
look happy?”

“Why not? It’s a beautiful day.”

“But… You drank…”

He smirks at me. “Don’t say you’re hungover.”

“I’m hungover.”

“Poor baby.” He puts his arm around my shoulder

and pulls me against him. “There, there. You’ll be
okay.”

“Ugh,” I say, pushing him off. “Be kind today.
Please.”

“My darling Lucy, the fact that you think I am ever
unkind is a travesty and I’ll do my best to—”

I tune him out and don’t catch the rest of that.

The elevator picks us up and spits us back out
downstairs. I stumble along behind him, glowering
at everyone around me. Cade, meanwhile, is
chipper and cheerful, like he just won the lottery or
something.

Although I guess waking up every day stinking rich
is basically the same thing.

We head into the office. “Morning, you two,”
Patricia says. “The meeting already started.”

“Thank you, darling Patricia,” Cade answers as he
sweeps past her.

“Do they always start so early?” I groan.

“Yep,” he says. “It’s a news station. They’ve been
at it for a couple hours now.”

We head into the same conference room as before
and take our seats. Nobody bats an eyelash when

we join them and Ken barely even pauses in what
he’s saying, which is something very boring, no
doubt.

I don’t have the ability to listen or to care. I take
out my notebook and try to follow along but it’s
like trying to run in waist-deep water.

I keep flashing back to the night before. I want to
act like it was a horrible time, like he was a total
asshole and terrible company, but that just wouldn’t
be true.

I had fun. I had a lot of fun. He was charming and
funny and seemed genuinely interested in my life
story. We talked openly and honestly and there was
never a gap or an awkward pause.

It felt totally natural and right. God, I wish that
weren’t the case.

I glance over at him and he catches my eye with a
little smirk. He gives me a quick wink and I swear
he can read my mind. I feel myself starting to blush
as I look away.

I have a theory about drinking. See, my theory is
that when you’re drunk, all of your shame gets
suppressed. So you do things and say things that
you wouldn’t normally do. You’re totally focused in
on the single moment in front of you and all those

voices that keep you in check are completely
missing.

Then the next morning, it all comes rushing back.
Even if you weren’t that bad, it doesn’t matter. All
that shame comes rushing back and just dumps
itself on you.

That’s how I feel.

I know I didn’t do anything bad. But the moment
when I got between Cade and that girl… and I said
I was this fiancée...

Oh, god. I bet he loved that.

In fact, I know he loved it. I remember the look on
his face.

He looked like he wanted to rip my clothes off right
then and there and take me standing up in the
middle of that crowded room.

And I think I might’ve let him.

Okay, not exactly.

But it would’ve been tempting.

What a mess.

Fortunately the meeting is short. Everyone gets up
and slowly filters out except for me, Ken, and

Cade.

“How is it so far?” Ken asks him.

Cade just shrugs. “So far, so good. I’m just
observing though.”

“Right. You said that.” Ken leans back in his chair.
“See, there are some folks around here that think
you’re not lying. They think you really are just here
to observe, ever since your dad passed.”

“What are you suggesting, Ken?” Cade seems
calm, which is good, but I feel a spike of worry.

“I don’t believe you,” Ken says softly, almost
menacingly. “I think you’re lying. I think you’re
full of shit, if I’m honest.”

“Can’t say that surprises me,” Cade answers.

“I never liked your old man,” Ken continues,
“always thought he cared too much about turning a
profit for his fucking business than he did about
actual journalism. But I played along, did my part,
whatever. Now the guy’s dead and his son suddenly
comes back? Something’s up.”

A muscle at the corner of Cade’s right eye twitches.
I can tell he’s getting angry but he’s holding it back.

“Nothing is up,” he says precisely. “Nothing that
concerns you, at least.”

“Ah,” Ken replies. “There it is. So there is
something up.”

Cade’s jaw tenses. “Don’t push.”

“Why

not?

Going

call

your

daddy?

Unfortunately, he’s already rotting.”

Cade stands. “Listen to me, you pig fucking hack.
My father was a piece of shit but he was still my
father. If you insult him again, I will destroy you.”

“Oh, yeah?” Ken smirks.

“I’m not making idle threats,” Cade says, his voice
pitched low. “I’m not talking out my ass. I’m going
to be the sole owner of the Morris company, and
when I am, I’ll hold more than enough power to
squash a tiny little pathetic pig like you. Do you
understand that?”

Ken’s face turns white. “You’re going to…?”

“Of course I am.” Cade sneers at him. “What, you
thought that just because I wasn’t already in
charge, that I got pushed out?”

Ken doesn’t respond.

Clearly, the answer is yes.

Cade takes a step back.

“Why don’t you give me the room now, Ken?” he
asks. “Oh, and another thing. I do want an office
after all.”

“Of course.” Ken gets up, looking defeated. “I’ll
get it ready.”

“I want your office, Ken.”

The man looks up, surprised. Anger ripples on the
surface. “You can’t—”

“Be out of there in a half hour.”

Ken stares at him for a second, clearly calculating
what he should do, but eventually he slinks off and
walks away.

Cade sighs and sits back down. He shakes his head
like he’s trying to rid himself of something.

“Wow,” I say.

He turns back and looks at me. “Shit. Almost forgot
you were there.”

“That was intense.”

“He doesn’t like me very much.”

“Clearly. And he hates your dad.”

“Yeah, well. He can join the club.”

I bite my lip. “Kicking him out of his office was a
bold move.”

“Eh, it’s only for a few more days. It’s more
embarrassing and demeaning than anything else.”

“So why do it?”

Cade shrugs. “Because he insulted my father.”

“I thought you hated him.”

“Like I said, my father was family and I always
defend family. Even if I hate them.”

He sits back in his chair and rubs his temples, so I
decide to leave him alone for a little while.

But eventually one of Ken’s assistants pokes his
head into the room. “Office is ready,” he says
uncertainly.

Cade gets up and wordlessly follows the guy. I head
after them, wincing at my pounding skull. We move
through the news room and I get a good glimpse at
the people around us, working with their heads
down, probably totally unaware of the power
struggle that just happen in that conference room.

We move through a side hallway, past a large open
studio with bustling people everywhere, a stage set
with a news desk, and huge bright lights. Up ahead
is an office door, left slightly ajar.

“Here you go,” the guy says. “Anything else I can
help with?” he asks.

Cade shakes his head and steps into the room. I
smile at the kid as he runs off, looking confused.

I shut the door behind me.

“Wow,” Cade says. “He was going to push back for
this?”

I look around and can’t help but laugh. Ken’s office
is just a desk near the far wall, a couple bookcases,
and another small table with two chairs. There’s a
couch on the wall opposite and that’s pretty much
it.

Folders and papers and books are scattered all over
the place. It’s a mess, to be totally frank, but that’s
the only indication that someone ever worked from
here. There are no personal artifacts, no pictures or
paintings or whatever.

“It’s really barren,” I say.

“It’s a mess.” Cade sighs. “You can have the desk.”

I arch an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Sure. You’re my fiancée.” He turns to me and that
little smirk is back.

“You know I’m not really, right?”

“Oh, but I think you are.” He steps closer. “Or at
least I think that’s the story we’ll go with.”

“Excuse me?”

“See, I’ve been thinking about it. You want to keep
me in check, right? What better way than to tell
everyone we’re engaged. That way, you don’t have
to worry as much.”

“I’m not sure that’ll work,” I say, still too hungover
to think fast enough.

“Maybe, maybe not. But I’m willing to give it a
try.” He comes even closer and I’m backed up
against the door, my heart racing. He’s so close and
so handsome, his eyes bright and excited. “I’ve
always wanted a sexy little fiancée,” he whispers.
“I could taste you whenever I wanted, feel that
tight, wet pussy wrapped right around my cock. I’d
love to see your hips work around my tip and watch
your body shake as you slide down my length.”

“Cade,” I say, breathless with excitement. I can
feel it pooling between my legs, my pussy already
starting to soak through despite myself. Shivers
move slowly up my spine as he puts one arm
against the door, right over my shoulder, his lips
coming so close.

I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s the hangover. I

can’t think fast enough because of it. I can’t figure
out what to do with my body, how I should get
away from him, how I should run.

Or maybe it’s simpler…

Maybe I just want this.

God, I know I want this.

I’ve wanted it since the moment I saw him, even
though I thought he was a total arrogant prick. He’s
still gorgeous, otherworldly handsome, absurdly
chiseled and intense.

But now I’ve seen another side of him, the human
side.

And I want it.

“What do you say, little Lucy? Want to be my
fiancée?” He reaches up and puts a hand on my
cheek, moving it back toward my hair, lacing his
fingers through and grasping it gently. “I won’t
make you. But I think you’ll like it.”

“I don’t… I can’t…”

“Think about it.” He’s whispering in my ear and it’s
driving me wild. “Just think about it. Your skin
under my lips.”

“Cade, I—”

His lips move closer to mine.

“Just think.”

And then he kisses me.

Waves of excitement roll over my skin. For a
second, I’m hanging in suspense, not sure what to
do.

I can’t help it. I wrap my arms around his neck and
I kiss him back, tongue in his mouth, tasting him
and buzzing on his energy. I groan, barely able to
stop myself. I’m moaning into his kiss, my body
pressing tight against his big, muscular chest.

His fingers tighten in my hair. He tastes like
heaven… like hell.

I pull back, blinking, dazed.

“Cade,” I say.

He smirks at me, head cocked slightly. “I love it
when you say my name.”

I slip away from him. It’s like my brain is finally
working again. “We can’t do that,” I say quickly.
“Oh, god. We really can’t do that.”

“We just did,” he says simply, smiling smugly.

“No, seriously, asshole. We have an entire month to

get through. We really can’t start doing that.”

“Seems like a good way to pass the month.”

I set my jaw. “Yeah? Is that all you want, just some
girl to fuck for a while to amuse yourself?”

He frowns. “That’s not—”

“Just listen. We’re not doing this. We’re not getting
involved. I’m not your real fiancée and we’re not
playing any games. You’re going to be a decent
human and at the end of this month, we’re both
walking away happy. Okay?”

He purses his lips for a moment, thinking it over.

“No,” he says.

I blink. “No?”

“No.” He steps toward me again. “I think I’m going
to taste you, little Lucy. I think I’m going to taste
every single inch of you sooner or later. You can
pretend you want to fight it, but we both know
you’re dripping wet and shivering with anticipation
right now. So do us both a favor and let me bend
you over that desk right now, let me spread you
wide and—”

I turn and leave the room.

I don’t think I have any other choice. My heart’s

racing and I think if I let him keep going, I
would’ve done exactly what. I would’ve let him
fuck me, lick me, suck me, whatever he wanted
with me. God, I want to turn around and get all of
that and more.

I just can’t do it. I can’t go down that road and risk
my entire future. I could take care of my parents
with that money and live a comfortable life. If I
lived frugally, I’d never have to work again. Or I
could live off investments. Or something.

I can’t throw that away just because Cade drives
me absolutely wild.

I practically run into the women’s room.
Fortunately, it’s empty. I splash some water in my
face and dry it off with a paper towel before staring
at my reflection.

“Get it together,” I whisper. “He’s not that hot.”

God, I’m such a liar.

But it was just one kiss. This doesn’t have to derail
all my plans.

Just one kiss. I can still do this.

I take a deep breath and pull myself together.

Cade

Holy hell, what a goddamn kiss.

I swear, as soon as my lips touched hers, she was
trembling with excitement. I could feel it coming
off her in waves.

She wanted me to lick her cunt top to bottom and
make her scream.

Instead, she ran away and came back twenty
minutes later with a stony expression. When I tried
to talk to her, she just shot daggers in my direction.
She sat at that little table all day and ignored me
when we weren’t sitting in on meetings or watching
the production.

That night, I try to go out again, and again she’s
there like a barnacle. But instead of being fun and
affable, she brings a freaking book.

Seriously. The girl sits across from me and reads a
book, studiously ignoring me.

Now, I’m not the kind of person with a fragile ego.

If she doesn’t like me, I can handle that. I’ve met
plenty of women that aren’t into me and I’ve gotten
over every single one of them.

But she wants me. I felt that kiss, I know what she
needs. She’s just too stubborn to accept that, sooner
or later, we’re going to end up fucking.

And it’s going to be very, very good.

Ah, hell.

“You’re really going to ignore me all night?” I ask
her.

She doesn’t reply.

I lean across the table. “What are you reading?
Trashy romance, lots of dirty sex?”

Her eyes meet mine for a second. She stares at me
coolly then looks back at her book.

“Got it. You’re reading straight up erotica. I
understand. Is it like Fifty Shades of Grey, but with
more dinosaurs?”

She forces herself not to smile at that one.

I sigh and lean back in the booth, sipping my drink.
Oh, well.

I let her have her night. She reads and I have a

decent meal and a couple drinks. We’re back at the
hotel and up in our rooms at a reasonable hour.

And the next day, we do it all over again. We go to
work, she ignores me, we go to the bar, she ignores
me.

It actually gets to me the second night. I try not to
show it, but she’s doing an amazing job of ignoring
me. I want to push her harder, but I decide to hold
back. I don’t want to actually upset her or anything,
I just…

I just want her to talk to me.

The next day, Thursday, it’s the same thing. The
day passes without incident, although I overhear
someone mention that Ken is making HR
complaints against me, which is amusing.

That night though, I have a plan.

I step out of my room at seven sharp. She’s already
waiting for me, a book in hand.

I march up to her. She stands, a little smile on her
lips.

I don’t stop. I walk right up, practically backing her
into the wall. She blinks with surprise and I swear,
she tilts her head.

Instead of kissing her, I gently pull the book from

her hands.

“I’ll give this back,” I say softly, “if you play a
game with me.”

She frowns but doesn’t reply.

At least she doesn’t say no.

“The game is simple. We ask questions. You ask
one, I ask one. That’s it.”

Her frowns deepens.

“There’s no catch. You can lie if you want, I can’t
really check your answers. But I promise, I’ll be
honest.”

She bites her lip. “Just questions? That’s not even a
game.”

I let out a breath. “That’s it.”

“And then you’ll give me the book back when
we’re done?”

I nod. “I promise. Although seriously, I don’t know
why you love this stuff. It’s like every other urban
fantasy out there, just some magic girl with a
sword.”

“It’s good,” she says and turns to the elevator.
“Come on. Let’s get this over with. I was at a good

part.”

I smile the whole way down and to the bar.

Once we’re seated, I get us some drinks. I hold up
my whiskey.

“To a fruitful conversation.”

She rolls her eyes. We clink glasses and drink.

“Who starts?” she asks.

“You do, and that was your first question.”

She groans.

“I’m kidding,” I say, grinning at her. “Go ahead,
ask something.”

“Okay.” She chews on her fingernails for a second.
“Okay, I got it. What’s the worst thing you’ve ever
done?”

I lean back in my seat. “Going for the big
questions, huh?” I ask her.

“Might as well. It’s your game.”

“Fair enough.” I sip my whiskey for a second. “I
didn’t love my father.”

She arches an eyebrow. “Seriously? That’s the
worst?”

“I didn’t love my father,” I repeat softly. “That’s
pretty bad.”

“That’s nothing. That’s like… who cares?”

“I care.” I meet her gaze as levelly as I can.
“Family is important to me, Lucy. But even from a
young age, I never once remember feeling remotely
tender toward my father. I never loved him and I
don’t think he ever loved me. I wish I could’ve
tried harder, but he’s dead now.”

She’s quiet for a long moment. “Huh. I honestly
thought you’d say you killed a hooker.”

“Why does everyone always assume people kill
hookers? There are so many other professions you
can kill.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Gardeners. Truck drivers.
Marketers.”

“Marketers?”

“Mostly because they deserve it.”

She laughs and takes another sip of her drink. I
smile a little. Maybe she’s going to warm up to me
tonight.

“Okay, okay. Your turn.”

“Why didn’t you quit when you realized my father
is a piece of shit?”

She frowns a little bit. “Same reason people stay at
bad jobs all the time. I just needed the money.”

I shake my head. “I don’t buy it. You’re smart and
you work hard. You could’ve found another job
that paid decently well and been fine. What really
kept you around?”

She hesitates for a second. “Honestly?”

“Yeah. Honestly.”

“He let me study.”

I raise an eyebrow. “What?”

“He let me study. For my night classes. When I
didn’t have something to do for him, I was allowed
to sit in the library and study. It was maybe an hour
or two per day, plus my lunch time, but it helped a
lot.”

“He seriously let you study? He knew about this?”

“He caught me doing it one afternoon and was
angry at first. But when I explained, he said I can
keep it up, but only if there’s nothing else to do.”

“Huh.” I sit back, genuinely surprised. “That
doesn’t sound like him.”

“I know. I was surprised too. I think he liked the
fact that I was going to school at night. I think he
liked hard work.”

“That sounds like him.”

She shrugs and smiles at me. “Maybe he wasn’t
always a bastard?”

“He was,” I answer softly. “But you can’t be a
bastard every second of every hour, unfortunately.
Even the worst of the worst are nice sometimes.
That just makes them even more awful.”

She goes quiet and we sip our drinks together in the
short silence.

“Anyway, it’s your turn,” I say.

“Okay. Biggest pet peeve?”

“Not using an Oxford comma. You?”

“Answering a question with a question. Hold old
were you when you lost your virginity?”

“Seventeen. You?”

“I, ah—”

I stare at her. “You haven’t.”

“I mean—”

“You’re a virgin.”

“You can’t just keep throwing my own questions
back at me,” she says, frustrated.

But I don’t care. I laugh, leaning toward her. “Holy
shit. You’re a virgin for real.”

“Leave me alone,” she grumbles. “I’ve been too
busy to, you know.”

“Fuck?”

“Get a boyfriend.” She glares at me.

“Oh, Lucy. Let’s go back to my room right now. I
swear I’ll give you a better first time than most
women could ever dream of.”

“No, thanks.” She purses her lips. “I think it’s your
turn, or can I have my book back now?”

“Do you plan on waiting until marriage?”

“No,” she says curtly. “This is really none of your
business.”

“Probably, but I’m half hard right now thinking
about your tight, virginal little pussy wrapped
around my throbbing—”

“Okay!” she says, eyes wide. “Stop now!”

I crack up. I can’t help it. I thought she might be a

virginal little prude, but I didn’t realize she’d be a
literal virgin.

“Okay, okay,” I say, getting ahold of myself. She
does not look happy. “Just one more question then
for each of us.”

“Fine. My turn.” She mulls it over for a second
while I sip my whiskey. “What are you going to do
with this company?”

I cock my head. “What do you mean?”

“You said something to Ken that’s been bugging
me. You said you’re going to be powerful, and I
realized… that’s true. Why do you deserve that sort
of power?”

I lean back for a second. “I’m not sure how to
answer that without sounding self-aggrandizing.”

“Try.”

“Okay then. First, I’m not my father.”

She nods. “Good start.”

“I don’t believe in profit over everything. I believe
enough is enough. I don’t believe in ruthlessly
accumulating more and more cash until there’s
nothing left of this world. I don’t believe in
exploiting people for every single dime they’re
worth. I don’t believe human life is disposable.”

She arches an eyebrow. “So what do you believe in,
then?”

I look away, out at the crowd of people. “I believe
that there has to be a better way. I don’t know what
it is yet, but this company can be better than it is
now. That’s what I’ve learned from my years of
struggling with my father. There has to be a better
way.”

We’re quiet for a little while. That sinks down
between us and I think back to all the hours I’ve
spent working for my father, all the people I’ve
fired on his behalf… and I feel angry.

So much wasted potential, all for the sake of a few
dollars.

“Your turn,” she says softly.

I look back at her and grin.

“Right. Last question.”

“Better make it good.”

I nod once, steeling myself.

“Will you take shots with me?”

She smiles in surprise. “Seriously?”

“Dead serious.”

She purses her lips, trying not smile, considering.
Finally, she nods once. “Okay, big guy. Serve them
up.”

The rest of the night is a blur of drinking and
laughing, just like that first night. She doesn’t get
her book back until we’re in the hotel parting ways,
but she doesn’t seem to mind.

That’s all I wanted anyway. Just to see her smile,
make her laugh, get her talking to me again.

But at the end of the night, back at the doors,
there’s another moment. Nothing intense, nothing
overly special, but a moment. Her hand lingers on
mine, her arms brushes against me. She looks up
and smiles when our eyes meet.

And I know, without a doubt, that I’m going to take
her virginity.

Sooner, rather than later.

I’m rock hard the rest of the night just thinking
about it.

Lucy

God, please, if you’re listening, never, ever, ever,
ever let me take shots with Cade Morris ever again.

I roll out of bed like a corpse. My mouth is dry and
sticky. Something smells like a dumpster and I’m
pretty sure that something is me.

I groan when I hit the floor. I stay there for a few
seconds. It feels nice and cool on the floor of my
room.

The alarm just keeps blaring away. Finally, I
manage to get up without puking. I turn it off, get to
my feet, and stumble into the bathroom.

Where I promptly lose it.

This is not my finest hour.

About ten minutes of that and I’m in the shower.
I’m groaning, swaying like a zombie, but I’m
determined. There’s so much at stake and I’m not
about to be the one that lets this all go to hell, even
if I feel like I’m already there.

Out of the shower, teeth brushed, minimal makeup.
Then clothes on, minimal hairstyle, grab coffee, and
out the door.

Cade is standing next to the elevator, looking at his
watch.

“You’re late,” he says with a big smile.

“What?” I frown and look at my phone.

Sure enough, it’s three minutes past six.

“You’re late,” he says again, almost gleefully.
“Although I gotta admit, I thought you’d be later.”

“How… are you functioning?” I pull dark
sunglasses from my bag and slip them on my face.
“How are you standing?”

From my hazy memory, I recall him taking a shot
and laughing with me, his arm around my
shoulders. “To never waking up alone, fiancée!” he
shouted before firing back another one.

“Seriously?” I press. “How are you alive?”

He just shrugs. “I can hold my drink better than
you.”

I glare at him. He doesn’t see it through my
sunglasses, but I’m in too much pain to care.

“Come on,” he says, putting an arm around my
shoulder. “I’ll help you through today.”

“Asshole,” I grumble but I let him lead me onto the
elevator and down into the lobby. I should bristle at
the arm draped so casually across my shoulders but
I can’t help myself.

“Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Morris!” the front
desk girl calls out.

I groan and Cade just waves back, chipper as can
be.

We head outside, across the street, and into the
studio.

“Are you sure we have to do this?” I ask him.

“We can go back,” he says. “It’s your call, you’re
the minder here.”

I glare at him. Bastard.

“Fine, go inside,” I say. “Come on.”

He laughs and leads me in. Patricia waves happily
as we pass and I manage a smile for her.

“I want to die,” I whisper to him.

“I know,” he says loudly.

I wince. “Stop. That.”

“Why?”

“I’m serious, Cade. I’ve been nice so far, but I will
kick you so hard in the—”

“Good morning,” Ken says as we head through the
bullpen.

I glance over and frown. He’s sitting at a random
desk shoved up against a cube farm, just hanging
out in empty space. It looks odd and it takes me a
second to realize that’s because we stole his office.

“Morning,” Cade says, smiling huge.

We hustle on past the stage and into the little office
where I collapse on the small, stinking couch and
groan.

Cade sits down behind the desk and laughs at me.
“Seriously, we’re not drinking like that again,” he
says. “I feel too guilty.”

“You feel guilty?” I sit up and stare at him angrily.
“I’d kill to feel guilty. Right now, I feel like death
and maybe that’s even being a little generous.”

I collapse back down onto the couch with another
groan.

Cade laughs again and shakes his head at me.
“You’re truly pathetic, Lucy. You went to college,
didn’t you? You’re still young, too.”

“I didn’t drink like this in college,” I grumble. “I
was too busy working and studying.”

“Of course not,” he says. “I knew you were no
fun.”

“What, did you just party your way through
Harvard while your daddy bribed everyone to pass
you?”

“It was Yale,” he corrects, “and no, I barely passed.
He would’ve loved to watch me fail out.”

I sigh and rub my temples. “Good for you then.”

“Look, you’ll be okay. Just gut it out for a few
more hours. By this afternoon, you’ll start to feel
more human.”

“I’d better. Seriously, Cade. I might throw up
again.”

He hesitates. “You puked?”

“Yep. Happy?”

“Not really.” He sighs. “You’re in a sorry state.”

“Now you’re getting it.”

He opens his briefcase and takes out a small roll of
something that looks like Mentos. He pops one out,
pulls a bottle of water out, and grabs a plastic cup

from one of the desk drawers. He fills it with water
and drops the round white pill inside.

It starts to fizz instantly.

“What is that?” I ask, making a face.

“This, my dear, is a certain special Mexican
hangover cure.”

I frown, lip protruding. “I don’t believe you.”

“You wanted to know how I’m not feeling awful,
and darling, this is how. I got a crate of them when I
visited down south a couple years back. Here in the
States, this shit is behind the counter and
prescription only, but down there…” He just shrugs
a little and carries the cup over to me. “Drink.”

I stare down into the cup. It’s fizzing still. There’s
no smell I can detect although I’m not sure I’m
capable of smelling much of anything right now.

“Are you kidding me?” I ask him. “This is some…
Mexican hangover cure?”

“It’s not a hangover cure,” he says. “It’s high-grade
medicinal painkiller.”

My eyes widen. “You’re high?”

“No, I’m functioning.” He shakes the water at me.
“Drink it.”

“No, thank you.” I turn away from him, starting to
feel furious. “Absolutely no way.”

He shrugs. “Fine. Suit yourself.” He walks back
over and puts the cup down. “It’s here if you
change your mind.”

I glare at the floor and try not to puke while he
turns on his laptop and starts typing away.

Of course he’s taking drugs to keep his hangover
away. What a privileged rich boy thing to do. He
can’t just suck it up and gut it out like the rest of us,
he has to have some magical expensive illegal cure
that’ll zap the pain from his skull in seconds.

I glance at the cup. And it’s right there, waiting for
me…

But no, no, no. Screw him.

I’m not stooping to that level.

So I sit on the couch and I suffer. Just being awake
and alive is suffering right now, unfortunately, but I
do it. For ten whole minutes, I survive.

Until someone bangs on the door, sending new
shockwaves of pain through my already exploding
brain.

“Cade!”

He glances over at me with a frown before getting
up. He opens the door and Ken storms in.

“Can I help you?” Cade asks him.

“Our weather girl went home,” he growls.

Cade blinks. “Excuse me?”

“Our weather girl, Tina Lee.”

“She’s good,” I grumble.

Ken shoots me a look then goes back to yelling at
Cade. “Her kid’s sick, apparently, and we have one
last segment to do. And since you fucking fired our
backup girl, we have nobody right now.”

Cade sighs. “You’re just here to shove that in my
face, right?”

“Pretty much since I assume you have no solution
to my fucking problem.”

I want to kick him out since his yelling is making
me want to die but I can’t move, let alone fight
back.

“Calm down,” Cade says, which has never in the
history of the world successfully calmed someone
down.

Ken glares at him. “Fuck off,” he says.

Cade sighs. “Do you really want to do this? We
already established that you have no spine. Don’t
push me again.”

The other man glares at him but doesn’t say a word
for a long beat. I think they might come to blows
for a second, maybe start swinging wildly. I almost
want to see it, just on the off chance that Cade
might get hit in the eye.

Instead, Cade smiles.

“I have an idea,” he says.

“Let’s hear it then,” Ken growls at him.

Slowly Cade looks at me. His smile widens. Ken
follows his gaze and grunts softly. The two men
stare at me, Ken thoughtfully, Cade with a
malicious little grin.

“Oh, fuck no,” I say.

“Can she read a cue card?” Ken asks Cade.

“Definitely,” Cade says.

“She’s pretty, I’ll give her that. She’ll need a dress
though.”

“You got some in wardrobe?”

“Probably.” Ken sighs. “Think she can hit her

marks, read from cue cards, and not fall over face
first like a moron?”

“I’m confident,” Cade says.

“I’m right here,” I snap at them. “And there’s no
way I’m getting in front of a camera right now. I
think I might puke.”

Ken sighs. “Get her in makeup in five. I’ll hunt
down a dress.”

“Will do.”

He turns and leaves without another word.

“Cade,” I say, glaring at him.

“Lucy,” he answers softly, kneeling down in front
of me. “Lucy, my darling.”

“Cade. No.”

“You’ll be great.”

“No.”

“It’s so easy. Stand there, read a card, smile. No
problem.”

“Cade.”

“Please?”

“No.”

“You’ll look so fucking hot in that weather girl
dress,” he croons. “Imagine me bending you over,
spanking your tight ass, making you moan. Come
on, Lucy. I know you have it in you.”

I groan. I want to throw up. “I can’t,” I whisper.

“You can. Save the show.”

I stare into his eyes and for a second, I think he
really wants this. I think he wants it, not just to
humiliate me, but because he wants to help the
show out.

And I realize I want to help too. I know I’ve only
been here a little while, and Ken’s a total dick, but
everyone else is nice. If I can help… if they need
me…

I stand up. He moves back, smiling.

I walk over to the desk, pick up the cup with the
stupid Mexican drugs in it, and I drink the whole
damn thing.

It tastes like chalk.

I gag but I keep it down.

“That’s my girl,” he says softly, proudly.

“Come on,” I shoot back. “I’d better get in
makeup. And if you ever do this to me again, I’ll

kill you.”

“Duly noted.”

We walk out together, a huge grin on his face. I’d
be mad at him, but I’m really just trying not to fall
over and die, so I have no excess energy at all.

This is going to be a disaster.

* * *

I think I’m melting.

That’s all I can think about as I stand in position. I
think I’m made out of wax and I’m melting right
down onto this stage.

I’m wearing this tight dark blue dress. It’s a
weather-girl dress, you know the type, super-
contoured and simple. I swear, there’s some kind of
company that just cranks these weather-girl
approved dresses out because they all look exactly
the same.

And I’m shoved into this one. It’s a size too small,
which Ken wasn’t happy with, but delighted Cade
to no end. I’m melting and I’m wearing a dress that
doesn’t fit and I think I might puke.

But I’m standing. And I don’t feel too bad.

Whatever crazy Mexican drugs Cade gave me are
probably working at least.

Ken walked me through it while they did my
makeup. I just stand here, gesture twice, and read
the cue card. It’s a short segment, just a quick
weather update, nothing special. I start when Ken
points at me and the light on the camera turns
bright red.

I’m so nervous I think I might pass out. It’s not the
hangover anymore, although, well, yeah, it’s also
the hangover. But I’m also just straight up nervous.
I’ve never been on TV and I have no training for
this. I don’t know what I’m doing really. The cue
cards are big enough and easy enough to read, but
the lights are so bright that they’re making me
sweat.

This is a horrible idea.

I blink rapidly and scan the faces behind the
camera. Ken looks miserable and Cade is grinning.
He gives me a thumbs-up and I manage a smile
back at him.

The news anchors are saying something that I can
barely hear.

“And now, to our special stand-in weather girl,
Lucy, ah, Sinclair! Lucy?”

It happens so fast. One second, I’m just standing
there, and the next that little red light comes on and
Ken is frantically pointing at me.

I plaster a smile on my face. I’m going to get
through this. I’m not going to die.

“Thanks, Michael. Tonight is going to be a bit chilly
with a low of thirty-nine, so pull out those extra
blankets. Tomorrow’s looking clear with a high of
fifty-six and a low of thirty-three. The rest of the
week goes from nice and crisp to gloomy and rainy
pretty fast.” I gesture once, twice, at the green
screen I’m standing in front of. I have no clue if I
do it right. “Keep an eye out on those temperatures,
folks, because it’s going to get cold. Back to you,
Michael.”

And the red light blinks off.

I frown and turn toward Cade. He’s grinning huge,
looking so excited, like a little boy at Christmas.
Ken, for his part, doesn’t look angry. He’s actually
smiling a little bit.

“And we’re out,” Ken calls.

“Holy shit!” Cade comes running over to me.
“Holy shit, Lucy!”

He wraps his arms around me and lifts me up in the
air. I hear people clapping and it takes me a second

to realize that it’s the entire studio, the anchors
included, giving me a standing ovation.

“Not bad,” Ken grumbles begrudgingly. “Not bad at
all.”

“I was okay?” I ask.

“Okay? You were fucking fantastic!” Cade shouts.
“Oh my god, Lucy, you were so good!”

He hugs me again and then the next few minutes
are a blur of shaking hands and congratulations.
The main anchor, a nice older man named Michael,
makes it a point to come over and say how
wonderful he thought I was.

“You’ve got a future, kid,” he says, grinning, as he
walks off again.

I’m dizzy and overwhelmed so I finally manage to
excuse myself. I slip off and hide in the office,
sitting down on the couch to catch my breath.

Cade comes in a second later.

“Did I really do okay?” I ask him, head still
buzzing.

He sits down next to me and takes my hand. “Lucy,
I’ve joked around with you a lot, but believe this.
You did amazingly.”

I bite my lip then laugh. “Well, it’s all thanks to
your stupid Mexican drugs. I feel better, you
know.”

That only makes him grin even more.

“What?” I ask.

“Lucy, I gave you Alka-Seltzer.”

I stare at him for a second, not understanding. “No,
you gave me your illegal Mexican…” And I trail
off as I realize how absurd that sounds.

“That was all you,” he says softly.

“You fucking asshole!”

He cackles with delight as I punch him in the arm.
He grabs me and pulls me against him, and I let him
hold me in a tight hug.

“You just needed a nudge,” he says. “A little
placebo.”

“I don’t know why I believed you.”

“Neither do I, honestly. I mean, seriously, you think
I went to Mexico and bought some drugs in bulk?”

“Wouldn’t put it past you.”

He sighs and shakes his head. I look up and meet
his gaze.

“You really don’t know me at all.”

I bite my lip as I stare into his eyes. He leans closer,
hand on my cheek.

“Maybe not,” I admit.

“Listen, you did great today. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks.” I don’t know why that makes me blush.

He moves closer to me and when our lips meet, it’s
completely natural.

Of course I’m kissing him right now.

And of course it feels good and right, like coming
home after a long trip away.

I fall into his kiss, his arms. He holds me, kisses me
slow, and all the anger and bad feelings disappear
for a moment. I can be his, all his, completely his.

And then we finally break apart.

I feel dizzy, overwhelmed. He squeezes my hand
then stands.

“We should celebrate,” he says.

“How?” I ask.

“I’ll take you out, we can go dancing, we can—”

I shake my head, interrupting him. “No. We have to

travel tonight.”

He frowns. “Shit. You’re right.”

“It’s okay.”

“Well, I can—”

“No, really.” I stand up. “Listen, I’m happy with
how this went. I think… I think you showed up and
tried. So let’s call it a day, okay? I’m heading back
to my room to pack.”

“Wait, Lucy—”

But I turn away.

I can’t stay in here with him. I know I can’t. If I let
myself, then I’m going to celebrate. And if I
celebrate…

I’m going to late him do all the filthy things he
wants to do.

So instead, I go get changed back into my normal
clothes. I wash off all the makeup. I return to my
normal self.

My hangover comes back with a vengeance.

This has been an interesting week. A hard week, a
confusing week, a good week. But one week is now
over.

We have three more to go.

Cole

O ne step forward, two steps back. That’s how
things move with Lucy and it’s driving me insane.

The day after her on-screen debut, we’re on the
road again. This time though, we’re traveling way
out of town.

“Excited?” I ask her as we’re sitting in the first
class lounge waiting for our flight.

“I guess so.” She shifts a little in her chair and
looks at me. “Can I tell you something?”

“Yes, I know, you have wet dreams about me.”

She makes a face. “I don’t think girls have wet
dreams.”

“You dream about me, you wake up wet. That’s a
wet dream.”

“I don’t think—” She stops herself. “Okay, can I
just tell you what I wanted without your juvenile
comments?”

“Go ahead,” I say. “I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

She glances away. “I’ve never been on a plane
before.”

I stare at her for a long moment. “Are you joking?”

“Don’t make fun of me,” she snaps. “I’ve just, we
didn’t travel when I was growing up and
everything’s here in the city so—”

“Holy shit,” I say, blinking rapidly. “You’ve never
been on a plane.”

“We’re not all rich like you.”

“Turns out, poor people are allowed on planes
these days.” I make a disgusted face. “As much as
we lobbied against that.”

She rolls her eyes. “Seriously. I haven’t been able
to afford to fly places.”

“So, what, you take the train?”

“No, I drive. Or at least the few times I’ve had to
leave the city.”

“Where’d you go to school?” I ask her, eyes
narrowed.

“Fordham.”

“Of course.”

“What?”

“You just strike me as a Fordham girl.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Nothing. So you really are sheltered, huh?”

“I wouldn’t call it sheltered, but—”

“Sheltered,” I repeat.

She glares at me. “Look, I didn’t tell you so you
could make fun of me, okay?”

“Okay, okay.” I pause a second. “Are you
nervous?”

“Yeah,” she says softly.

I watch her for a second, genuinely surprised. She
puts on this tough girl front for the most part, but
clearly there’s more going on underneath the
surface than I realized. She’s vulnerable right now
and she’s letting me see it.

I’d better not fuck that up.

“It’ll be okay,” I say softly, putting my arm around
her.

“Yeah?”

“Oh, sure. Plane crashes aren’t all that common,

you know. And when they do, usually everyone
dies, so at least you don’t walk away just like
maimed or whatever. That’s good, right?”

She stares at me, horrified.

“What?” I ask, frowning.

“You asshole.” She shoves me away. “What is
wrong with you?”

“I was being comforting.”

“You’re talking about me getting maimed.”

“No, I’m talking about you dying instantly on
impact and not living with horrible injuries the rest
of your life. It’s a mercy!”

“Oh my god.” She gets to her feet. “You’re the
dumbest person I’ve ever met.”

“What?!”

She storms off, leaving me there completely
flabbergasted.

“Shit,” I say softly.

So much for not fucking that one up.

* * *

She doesn’t talk to me until we board and only then
she does it out of desperation.

“So what happens now?” she whispers to me.
We’re sitting next to each other in the first class
cabin.

“Well, we sit here for a while until the plane lands.
Then we get off and we’re in a new city.”

She glares at me. “Don’t be an asshole. You’re in
enough shit right now.”

I grin at her. “I’m sorry. So the plane will taxi until
—”

“Taxi?”

“Yeah, just like, drive along the ground. And then
we’ll wait in line until it’s time to take off.”

“Then we fly,” she whispers.

“It’s not bad. Plane goes real fast then you sort of
feel the weight drop out from under you for a split
second before the plane lifts off.”

“Sounds horrible.”

“It’s not. Landing is worse.”

Her face blanches. “Really?”

“Sure. It circles and circles and slowly lowers

down. Do you get motion sick?”

“I don’t think so.”

“We’ll find out.”

“Oh

god.

You

aren’t

being

very

compassionate.”

I shrug a little. “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to be
honest with you about this.”

“Well, stop. Lie to me.”

“Okay, but I don’t think I need to. I mean, it’s
really no big deal. Your fear is going to be way
worse than what actually happens.”

She hesitates a second. “Really?”

“Sure. I remember the first time I flew, way back
when. I was terrified, but it’s not a big deal
anymore.”

“That’s because you’ve done it so much.”

“Yeah, true, but also because I know what to
expect. And I’m telling you, it’s more boredom
than anything else.”

She nods once. “Okay. You’re right.”

“Trust me.” I lean toward her. “We all want to get
where we’re going, pilots included. We’re going to

be totally fine.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Okay.”

The flight attendant appears a moment later, a
pretty woman in her mid-fifties with blonde hair
pulled up in a bun. “Can I get you folks anything?”
she asks.

“She’ll have a double vodka,” I say.

“Okay, anything for you?”

“Nope. I’m fine.”

The flight attendant hurries off to get her drink.

“What are you doing?” Lucy hisses at me.

“You need it.”

“I don’t.”

“You really do. You’re a mess. It’ll help calm you
down.”

She frowns at the seat in front of her for a second.
“Okay. Fine.”

I laugh. “There you go.”

The flight attendant comes back in a moment.
“We’re taking off shortly.” She hands me the drink
and I pass it over to Lucy. “Anything else?”

“That’ll be all.”

She nods and walks off. Lucy sips her drink and
makes a face. “I don’t even like vodka.”

“Better knock it back. Can’t have an open drink
when the plane starts to take off.”

“Seriously?”

“Yep. She’s going to come take it back from you in
a second.”

Lucy glares at me. For a second, I think she might
hit me. But instead, she throws the drink back,
makes a face like she might scream, and then forces
herself to calm down.

“Asshole,” she hisses and I just laugh.

The flight attendant comes a few minutes later to
collect her empty cup. She gives Lucy an
appraising smile before heading off to wherever
flight attendants go during take-off and landing.

The plane starts to taxi out onto the runway. “Oh,
god,” Lucy whispers.

“It’ll be fine.”

“It’s moving!”

“That’s what planes do.”

She glares at me but I can see the fear in her eyes.

“Be nice,” she hisses at me.

I reach over and take her hand in mine. She
hesitates before squeezing it.

“Trust me,” I whisper to her. “It’s going to be okay.
I promise. Once it’s in the air, you’re going to be so
bored.” I lean closer, whispering in her ear. “Think
about something nice, okay? It’ll be over soon, I
promise.”

“Flying is bullshit,” she whispers, closing her eyes
tight. “Why do we do this? Flying metal Twinkies
with wings. It’s insanity.”

I laugh softly and squeeze her hand again. She
holds mine back tight as the plane gets into
position. We only wait a few minutes before the
seatbelt sign flashes, the pilot makes his last call
over the intercom, and the plane lurches forward.

“Oh shit, oh shit,” she whispers.

“It’s okay,” I whisper back. “Just breathe.”

She concentrates on breathing as the plane gains
speed. I smile a little bit, trying to see this from her
perspective. I guess it is pretty terrifying if you’ve
never done it before.

The plane gains speed, gains speed, and then…

The drop, the lurch.

“Oh, shit!” she whispers, tensing.

But we’re in the air and gaining altitude.

“Open your eyes,” I say to her softly, reaching
across her body to lift open the window. “Go
ahead. Look.”

She hesitates just a second before opening them,
blinking rapidly. She looks out the window and
takes a breath.

“Holy crap,” she says.

“I know.”

We watch the city pull away from us in silence. It’s
beautiful, really. I never appreciate it anymore, not
since I started flying all the time. But seeing it
through her eyes really does give me a new
appreciation of just how beautiful this is.

We continue holding hands until the plane breaks
into the clouds and we reach cruising altitude.

She smiles at me and gently lets my hand go.
“Okay. I’m okay. What happens now?”

“Now we sit here for like six hours.” I adjust
myself, leaning back in the seat. “Better get
comfortable.”

She groans. “That’s it?”

“That’s it. From here on out, it’s pretty easy.”

She looks like she wants to say something else but
she stops herself. “Thanks, Cade,” she says gently.

“No problem.”

“Seriously. You were kind of a dick earlier, but—”

“Don’t worry about it. And trust me, we’re going to
be fine. Just try to relax. This’ll be mostly boring.” I
raise an eyebrow at her. “Unless you want to join
the mile-high club?”

She makes a face. “Maybe not on my first flight.”

“We’ll have other chances then.”

She shakes her head with a smile and leans back in
her seat. She closes her eyes and I let her try and
get some sleep.

It’s strange how we take for granted some of the
things in our lives. Flying seems like such a normal
experience to me and yet for Lucy, it’s incredibly
strange and new.

I know one other new thing she’s going to
experience with me. But I suspect I won’t be as
gentle about that.

Lucy

We land in Portland and get an Uber to our hotel.
It’s right in downtown, a big fancy glass building.
I’m sure it’s outrageously expensive as soon as we
set foot inside and, sure enough, the rooms we’re
shown to are absurd.

“What do you think?” Cade asks me, lingering in
my little sitting area.

“It’s too nice,” I complain.

“That’s a new one.”

“Seriously, where is all this money coming from?”

He shrugs and gestures around. “Here and there.”

“The company better not be paying for it.”

“Of course it is.” He laughs softly. “What, do you
care about that now?”

I hesitate a second. Do I actually care? No, I guess
I don’t. And it is nice to stay in nice hotels and fly
first class… although I’ve never flown anything but

first class now.

“I’m not your accountant,” I grumble. “Just be
careful. You don’t own anything just yet.”

He waves that off. “We both know I’m going to
pass this. Just a matter of time.”

I glance away. I don’t want to say that I’ve been
thinking about denying him… I don’t want to admit
it to myself.

But the thought is still there.

This company is huge. It owns so much… and he’s
going to be the one in charge.

I don’t know if I trust him to use that power
responsibly. I mean, look at what we’ve done so
far.

He kicked a TV producer from his own office just
to make a point, made sure we stayed at the finest
hotels, and got me drunk.

A few times now.

If he’s trying to show me that he’s not the rich
playboy I already think he is, well, he’s not doing a
great job.

But still, I did get a glimpse of something more…
something better. It’s lurking there underneath his

cocky, arrogant attitude. He’s shown me pieces of it
but I want more… I need more.

I can’t just give this man whatever he wants.

“Come on,” he says, lingering by the door.

“Come on?” I cock my head. “Where are we
going?”

“Work, of course.”

I blink rapidly. “Excuse me?”

“I got a text when we landed. There’s a night
session going on right now if we want to crash it.”

“Night… session?”

He grins at me. “We’re working at a recording
studio this week. What do you think that’s going to
be like?”

I frown at him. “I honestly hadn’t thought about
it.”

“Well, this is it. Odd hours, long hours.”

“But we just landed.”

He grins at me. “Oh, you want to skip work, huh?”

I clench my jaw. “Of course not. Let me just
freshen up.”

“Get as fresh as you like. I’ll be waiting outside.”

He leaves and I head into the bathroom. I’m
exhausted from that long flight and all I want to do
is crash and go to sleep, but I can’t give him the
satisfaction. So I wash my face, get changed, and
meet him in the lobby.

We take an Uber to the studio. It’s a short drive,
which is nice, although I’ll miss walking across the
street to get to work. The studio is in this renovated
Victorian-style house in a residential area.

“You sure we’ve got the right place?” I ask him.

“I’m sure. I’ve been here before.”

“Of course you have.”

He winks at me and hops up the front stoop. He
knocks twice then steps inside.

I expect to see a residential house but it’s more like
an office than anything else.

“Hello?” he calls out but nobody responds. “Shit,
well, I guess they’re downstairs.”

“What’s downstairs?”

“The studio. Come on. I’m sure the session is
already going.”

I hesitate before following. “I don’t hear anything,”
I point out.

“Soundproof,” he says. “Professional recording
studio, remember?”

“Right. Duh.”

He opens a door and we take some stairs down. As
we pass into what I assume is the basement, I start
to hear it.

Very slight at first. It’s more like a slight thump in
the floor, like a rattling along the baseboards. The
stairs end in a short hallway with two doors and
Cade leads us to the first.

“Be quiet in here,” he whispers to me.

I nod once. He opens the door and we stop into a
small control room.

I can hear the music now, although it’s very muted.
There’s a large glass window with big mixing panels
in front of it. There’s a computer screen, some tape
equipment, glowing tubes, all that stuff. I don’t
know what any of it does.

Sitting in front of the panel is a single guy. He’s
wearing sweatpants, fraying and stained in places,
and an oversized black t-shirt. His long hair is
pulled back in a messy bun on the top of his head

and he has a short, gray beard. He’s thin, but in
shape, and he looks like a homeless person.

He glances back at us and just nods once. Cade
nods back and leads me to a little couch against the
wall. We sit down and Cade just grins at me.

“Jazz,” he whispers in my ear.

I groan a little bit. Nothing worse than jazz music.

The guy at the mixing board doesn’t even seem to
notice us now that we’re sitting. He hits buttons
and turns knobs sometimes, but mostly he lets the
musicians do their thing. Pounding drums, soaring
saxophone, tinkling vibraphone. It’s actually kind
of nice and hypnotic, for jazz music.

They play for another ten minutes before stopping
abruptly. The guy at the board hits a button.
“What’s wrong?”

“Broke a string,” someone says to laughter.

“Okay, great. Take a break then.” The guy releases
the button and sighs, rubbing his eyes.

“Jan,” Cade says, standing up.

The guy at the board looks back, almost surprised
to see us, like he forgot we were there. “Cade.”

The two men shake hands and quickly release. I

frown a little bit as they studiously avoid eye
contract.

“Uh, this is Lucy,” Cade says, introducing me.

“Jan,” the guy says. “Good to meet you.”

“Are you the, uh, engineer?”

His eyes light up. “You know a little bit about
recording studios?”

“Honestly, no. I just know that one term.”

He laughs. “Well, yeah, I’m the engineer. Cade’s
dad bought us out like six years ago now and—”
He stops suddenly. “Oh, right. Sorry about your
dad.”

“No, you’re not. My dad was a fucking prick.”

Jan shrugs. “Yeah. Okay. I’m not.”

There’s a short silence between them.

“Uh, I guess you two have met before?” I ask,
finally breaking the moment.

“Once or twice,” Jan says.

“Who are they?” Cade asks, nodding at the
musicians in the other room.

“I’m not sure what they’re called,” Jan admits.

“Just some jazz band. Not bad though.”

“Huh. I didn’t hate it.”

“Jazz.” Jan just shrugs.

Cade nods knowingly.

I look between the two guys and make a face.
“Seriously, how well do you two know each other?”

Cade grins at me. “Some mysteries should always
remain a mystery,” he says.

Jan rolls his eyes. “I’m going to go talk to the guys.
As always, don’t fucking touch anything.” Without
another word, he leaves the room.

I explore a little but I resist the urge to press
buttons. I look around for a few minutes while
Cade watches me quietly. In the other room, I can
see Jan talking with the musicians, just a bunch of
straggly-looking

guys

holding

beat-up

old

instruments.

“Well?” Cade asks finally.

“Well, what?”

“I know you’re going to ask. Just ask.”

“I don’t want to.”

He sighs dramatically. “Come on.”

I turn to him slowly. “Okay. How do you know
Jan?”

He grins at me. “Don’t worry about it.”

I roll my eyes. “Come on, asshole. Don’t make me
ask then refuse to answer. That’s so lame.”

“I know.”

“It seems like you two know each other from way
back or something.”

“You could say that.”

I clench my jaw and walk over to him. “So you’re
going to be like this, huh?”

“I don’t know. I think I’ll tell you about it later, but
not right now.”

I bite my lip as he sits down next to me again. “Is it
that bad?” I ask.

“No, it’s not. It’s just… not a nice story.” He looks
away from me, his eyes far off. “Just something I’d
rather not relive.”

“Huh. Sometimes you make me think you’re not
just some one-dimensional asshole.”

He arches an eyebrow at me. “Don’t get used to
it.”

Jan comes back into the control room. He glances
back at us then sits in his position and turns on the
microphone. “Whenever you’re ready,” he says.

And then the jazz music starts again.

We just sit there on the couch while Jan hits buttons
and turns knobs. The music keeps going for what
feels like an hour, but it’s closer to ten minutes.
And when they stop…

They do it all over again.

Eventually, I find myself out in the hall just trying
to get away for a second. Cade joins me, leaning up
against the wall. “What do you think?” he asks.

“I didn’t know recording music would be so…
boring.”

He chuckles. “Yeah, I know.”

“I thought this was going to be the most fun, but I’d
rather be back at the studio.”

“You get used to it.”

“Are they all this bad?”

He shrugs. “Mostly, sort of. I mean, the jazz goes
on for longer than a normal song does, so that’s
tough, but yeah. They always do a ton of takes. The
final song is a combination of the best versions.”

“Sounds like a ton of work.”

“Sure is. Nothing’s real on CDs these days.
Musicians aren’t playing it live in the studio.”

“Did they ever?”

“A long time ago, but no, not really.” He sighs and
leans up against the wall next to me. “Look, we can
go if you want.”

I stifle a yawn. “I’m not letting you get out of this
so easily.”

He grins at me. “You know it’s past midnight, right?
They’re going to be here for another few hours.”

“Seriously?” I clear my throat. “I mean, sure,
sounds good. I’m down.”

He laughs gently, shaking his head. “You don’t
have to suffer through it. We can just go back to
our fancy hotel… sleep for as long as you want.”

“Come on.” I stand up and grab his hand. “Let’s
go.”

But he doesn’t move. Instead of coming along, he
pulls back against me. I stumble and run right into
his chest.

I look up into his eyes.

“I’d rather stay out here,” he whispers. “Just the
two of us.”

The hall is quiet except for the sound of the music
drifting through the nearly soundproof room.

“Cade,” I whisper. “We should go back.”

“You don’t want to be in there,” he purrs. “I don’t
want to be in there. So why do we both?”

“It’s what we’re supposed to do.” And we
definitely aren’t supposed to do this.

“Sometimes doing the bad thing feels the best.” His
lips are so close to my ear, inches away. “Don’t you
want to do that sometimes?”

“Maybe,” I say back, a sheer of excitement running
down my spine. “But I know better.”

“Hard work all the time,” he whispers. “Can’t be
any fun.”

“It’s not about fun.”

I meet his gaze. He smiles a little and his hand
comes up, running along my cheek. I stifle a little
groan as his fingers lace into my hair.

“You should try it,” he says gently. “I think you’d
like it.”

And then he kisses me.

I know I should pull away, run back into that
control room, and pretend this never happened. But
instead I melt into his embrace, his hard body
against mine. Maybe I’m going insane from that
long trip. Maybe I’ve lost my mind from being so
exhausted.

But I know what I’m doing.

I’ve wanted this, can’t stop thinking about it. His
taste floods my mouth and I can’t help but press
myself tighter against him. He kisses me slow and
deep and I groan into his mouth, into his lips.

He tastes so good. He feels so good. It’s like
heaven, his body against mine.

His hands grip me tighter and he turns me around.
He pins me against the wall and kisses my lips, my
neck. “We shouldn’t,” I groan.

“Nobody’s coming,” he whispers. “They’ll be busy
for hours.”

“But they’re right there,” I groan.

“Good.” His hands move down my body and his
fingers slip down the front of my jeans. I gasp, eyes
wide. “That makes this better.”

“Oh, god.” Buzzing excitement, pulses of desire,

running all over my skin. I’m practically shivering
with need for him right now. I can barely breathe as
his fingers caress me, so slightly, so gently.

I bite his lips and he grunts with a smirk. He bites
me back, fingers flipping down the front of my
panties.

I’m dripping wet, excitement shooting down my
spine. I can barely breathe with need for him.
“Cade,” I whisper. “Shit.”

He teases my wet pussy, fingers sliding up and
down my slit. It feels so good, god, it feels
incredible. I’ve never done anything like this
before… and I know I shouldn’t be doing it with
him.

And yet I can’t help it. He’s too gorgeous, too
intense. He pins me back against the wall, one hand
in my hair, the other down the front of my jeans.
He knows what he’s doing and it’s driving me wild.

“Oh, god, Cade,” I whisper again.

“You didn’t know it could feel like this, did you?”
he whispers back. “You had no clue. But you’ve
been dreaming about it.”

“No,” I groan.

“Yes,” he growls. “You’ve been thinking about me

touching your body ever since we first met. I know
you have, little Lucy. My darling Lucy. I can see it
every time you look at me.”

“Oh, god,” I gasp as his fingers gently press against
my clit sending waves of pleasure through my body.

I arch my back, biting down on my own lip to keep
from crying out. I’ve never felt this good in my life.

Electricity, intensity. It’s all running through me as
he gently works my body, fingers rolling over my
clit.

He kisses me again and oh my god.

I can barely control myself.

I’ve never felt this good before, never even come
close. His fingers, his lips… his taste.

I know, deep down, that if he can do this with just
his hands…

“Go ahead,” he whispers in my ear, so delicious,
like velvet. “Go ahead and let yourself feel it, baby
girl.”

“Oh, god,” I moan as his fingers work me faster,
rolling along my clit. I can barely stand upright but
he keeps me pinned there to the wall.

The band is feet away, Jan is feet away. But I don’t

care. I can’t stop this, I don’t want to stop this. I
can feel it building. It’s been building for days, ever
since we first met.

“Fuck,” I gasp. “Cade. You asshole.”

“I know,” he purrs. “You love it, don’t you? You
fucking love it, you dirty girl.”

“God, yes,” I gasp.

His fingers keep going, faster, faster. I’m dripping
wet and rolling my hips, breathing fast, gasping. I
can feel sweat beading down my back with ever
new thrust.

He keeps going, his strong hands controlling me.

“Go ahead,” he growls. “Feel it, you dirty girl. Feel
it all over your gorgeous fucking body.”

“Yes,” I gasp, back arching.

I come like lightning. It strikes through my body
and he doesn’t stop, fingers doing their delicious
dance along my clit. I gasp and arch my back and
dig my fingers into his shoulders. I bite his arm and
that doesn’t stop him, doesn’t slow it down.

I don’t care about anything as the orgasm rips me
into a new level of pleasure.

“Oh, fuck, Cade,” I gasp, half laughing, body out of

control. He growls and slowly finishes. I collapse
back against the wall and slide down to the floor,
gasping for breath.

He licks his fingers clean.

“Delicious,” he says, cocking his head.

“Fuck,” I groan. “Oh my god, that was so good.”

He smirks. “Good. Come back to work when
you’re ready.”

Without another word, he slips back into the
control room.

“Fuck,” I whisper to myself, grinning like a moron.

That felt so good, I don’t think I’ll ever stand again.

But eventually, I do. And I go back into that control
room. And I sit next to him like nothing happened.

Jan is clueless. And Cade keeps grinning at me.

I don’t know what I just did. Made a huge mistake,
probably. But I’m still floating on air, too happy and
high to care. I just had the best orgasm of my life…

And I think there’s more waiting for me, if only I
can risk being bad enough to take it.

Lucy

When we do finally go home for the night around
three in the morning, I can barely sleep.

I just keep thinking about Cade’s hands on my
body, his fingers teasing me, his lips against mine. I
didn’t know I could feel like that so easily and so
quickly and yet he pushed me there with such
ease…

It’s almost terrifying to know that someone can
make me feel so good.

Every time I close my eyes, I feel him again, his
lips against mine, his hands rolling along my skin
and driving me wild.

But eventually the morning comes and I do get
some sleep. I meet Cade out in the hallway like
usual and we go out to the studio together.

“Ready for more jazz?” he asks as we head inside.

“I guess so,” I say.

There are more people in the studio today
compared to last night. Cade introduces me to a
few of them and shows me around a little bit.

“A lot more going on during the day,” he comments
as we head down to the studio.

“I know. It’s almost like this is a real business.”

He laughs. “Before my father bought this place, it
wasn’t really.”

“You knew it back then?”

He nods once, eyes going far away briefly. “I was
here from the start.”

We reach the bottom of the steps. “Really?”

“Helped open it.”

“I didn’t know that. This was before your dad
owned it?”

He nods, glancing at me. “It’s ancient history.
Anyway, come on, let’s get in there and do our
thing.”

“What, exactly, is our thing?”

He shrugs. “Sitting there and doing whatever Jan
tells us to do.”

I sigh and follow him into the control room. The

jazz guys are already warming up in the rehearsal
space and I swear they’re all wearing the same stuff
and they never left at all. I bet they just slept on the
floor, huddled together around their instruments for
warmth.

Jan barely glances in our direction as we sit down
on the couch. He’s too busy fiddling with his
control panel and typing on the computer to care
much about the two of us.

“This is going to be another long, boring day, isn’t
it?” I whisper to Cade.

“Yep, pretty much. This is what recording is
actually like, just a whole lot of work and lots of
down time.”

I sigh and lean back. “Maybe I’ll catch up on some
sleep.”

Cade grins at me. “Jan won’t like that.”

“Does it matter?”

“He’s the boss.”

I groan. “Okay, okay. Fine.”

“If it helps, I know something we can do to pass the
time.”

I blush a little bit. “I don’t think he’d like that,

either.”

“Oh, I don’t know. He’s very progressive.”

“How well do you two know each other again?”

He winks at me. “Nice try.”

Jan shoots us a glare. “If you’re going to talk about
me like I’m not here, at least try and be quieter.”

I blush even more as Cade lets out a genuine laugh.
I sink back into the couch and try to pretend like I
don’t exist as the session starts.

It’s just like last night, except they’re working on a
new track this time. I’m actually starting to like
what they’re doing, or at least starting to
understand it a little bit. Jazz has always sounded
like random honks and shrieks to me, but the more
I listen to the same song played over and over, the
more I can start to notice little variations on the
same theme popping up.

There’s structure, it’s just hidden. They’re
improvising over top of it and messing around all
the time, so sometimes it’s hard to hear, but it’s
there.

A few hours pass like that and I swear I nod off
once or twice. Jan has me fetch everyone coffee,
which would normally insult me but I’m actually

glad to have something to do.

When I get back, Jan and Cade are glaring at each
other.

“You fix it,” Cade barks at him. “You’re the owner
here.”

“Owner? Not anymore.”

“Bullshit, Jan. You can—”

“You’re the one that wouldn’t upgrade in the first
place,” he says. “And now that we’re corporate,
good luck getting funds.”

Cade’s about to shoot back when I interrupt him.
“Fix what?” I ask.

Jan glares at me. “He can explain.”

Cade walks over and takes a coffee. “There’s this
old microphone in the back there,” he says. “It
sounds great but it’s always cutting in and out.”

“Microphones have sound?” I ask, frowning.

“Oh, sure. All microphones record sound a little
differently so they impart their own sonic
signature.”

“Cade thinks his vintage microphones are best,”
Jan says. “I think they’re just annoying.”

“They’re not mine anymore,” Cade snaps at him.

“Go fix it!” Jan crosses his arms.

Finally, Cade throws his head back in disgust.
“Fine. You’re such a lazy asshole.”

Without another word, Cade storms off. He
reappears a second later in the rehearsal space and
heads toward the back of the room where a big,
oblong silver microphone is hung suspended over
the drum kit.

“Fucking microphones,” Jan grumbles. “Always
going bad.”

“Was it his idea to buy that in the first place?” I ask
him.

He nods. “He loves all that stuff. If it were up to
me, this would be totally modern, but he insists
doing it the old way is better.”

I frown a little at him and hands him a coffee. He
takes it and thanks me with a grunt before sipping
it.

“Cade says he helped found this place,” I say.

Jan shrugs. “Sure. Way back when.”

“I didn’t know that was something he was into.”

“We had this grand vision,” Jan says almost bitterly.
“We’d make the world a better place through
music.”

“I guess you don’t think that worked out?”

“Oh, we did some good,” he says. “At least, we put
out some good music for a while.”

“What happened?”

Jan raises an eyebrow. “You really have no clue, do
you?”

“He won’t tell me.”

“Of course not. Cade loves his little mystery.” Jan
watches as Cade opens up the body of the
microphone and starts to fiddle around with
something inside of it. “We were friends years
ago.”

“Really?” I ask softly, prompting him.

“I actually didn’t know who his father was when
we first met. He was just this smart guy that liked
music as much as I did, and we got to talking, and,
well… we became good friends. Eventually we
opened this place up together.”

“Let me guess. He had all the money?”

“That’s right.” Jan grins a little bit. “I was the

engineer and he was the businessman. We worked
pretty good as a team for a while.”

“So what happened?” I ask him softly.

He glances at me. “You can ask him,” he says.

“He won’t tell me.”

“Try anyway. He’s not such a bad person
underneath all that, but…” He trails off as Cade
motions at him. Jan presses a few buttons and
Cade’s voice comes through the monitors.

“Testing, testing, one two three, Jan smells like
pickled eggs…”

“Got it,” Jan says into his microphone.

Cade grins and starts to put things back together.

“Always was better at fixing that stupid thing,” Jan
grumbles and goes back to fiddling with his dials.

I sit back on the couch, thinking about what he
said.

It’s hard to imagine Cade as a guy that opened a
music studio. That just doesn’t seem like him. I
always thought Cade worked for his father’s
company forever and didn’t do anything but fire
people and go to clubs.

But I guess he actually is a person beyond all of
this…

Cade comes back and joins me on the couch.
“Impressed?” he asks.

“Hardly.”

He rolls his eyes. “You’ll never admit how amazing
you think I am, but I know the truth deep down.”

“Good to know,” I say, smiling despite myself.

The afternoon drags on like that and I just keep
thinking about what Jan says. I don’t get a chance
to talk to Cade about it until the jazz guys break for
lunch. Jan disappears upstairs and Cade takes me
into the recording space.

He sits down at the piano and pecks out a little
tune. Takes me a second to recognize “Rocket
Man”.

“You’re not bad at that,” I say to him.

He shrugs. “Should’ve practiced more.”

“Jan says you weren’t much of a musician.”

“He’s probably right.”

I bite my lip. “He says you two were friends. You
two opened this place together.”

“Yeah?” Cade raises an eyebrow. “What else did he
say?”

“I asked him what happened but he wouldn’t tell
me.”

“It’s not too hard to guess.”

I hesitate just a second. “Your father.”

“Bingo.”

“What did he do?”

Cade turns to the piano and plays a soft song I
don’t recognize. He’s actually pretty good at it. I sit
down next to him on the bench and listen for a few
minutes before he speaks again.

“You know what our mistake was?” he asks me.

“No, tell me.”

“We started making money.” Cade sighs, shaking
his head. “If we’d stayed just some rinky-dink little
studio, my father would’ve left us alone. But we
started making some money and my father couldn’t
abide that. Not his son, not something he didn’t
control.”

“So he bought it.”

“Basically forced us into it. Bought the company

we were leasing the space from and threatened to
quadruple our rent if we didn’t sell. Jan’s always
blamed me for that.”

“That’s why you two aren’t friends anymore?”

Cade stops playing abruptly. “No. That’s not
entirely it.”

“What happened, then?”

Cade frowns at me. “Why do you care?”

“I don’t know,” I admit. “I guess I like to think
you’re a normal human, despite the way you act.”

He grins at me. “I’m a regular old Joe, all right.”

“So what happened?”

“Jan blamed me, I blamed Jan. We fought, said
some shit we shouldn’t have, then really fought.
You know, like two morons. Beat the shit out of
each other.”

“You actually fought each other? That’s so
juvenile.”

He cringes. “I know. We were so angry and we
thought we were losing so much and…” He trails
off. “Anyway, Jan stayed, I left. I haven’t been
here in a long time.”

“So this must be pretty hard for you.”

He nods, looking away. “It’s not fun.”

“I’m sorry.”

He forces a smile. “It’s okay. It’s just my father
fucking with me one last time.”

I nod and stare down at the floor. “So your father
forces you into selling the one thing you bought on
your own, ruins a friendship and a good business…
and then forces you back there years later.”

“That about sums it up.”

“Wow.” I can’t help but laugh. “That’s really sick.”

He grins at me. “Yeah, I know. You wonder why I
hate him?”

“No, I really don’t.”

He plays a few more bars on the piano before
stopping and standing up. “Anyway, that’s my sob
story. It’s not so bad, really. I convinced my father
to leave Jan and the studio alone so they can
basically run themselves however they want.”

“What will you do with this place when it’s all
yours?”

He stares off at the control room for a second.

“Probably give it to Jan for real.”

“Really?”

“Sure. It’s been his for a long time now. He
deserves to really own it all.”

“That’d be good of you.”

“I don’t expect us to ever be friends again. But I
hope that’ll help a little bit.”

I want to talk more but the jazz guys are starting to
come back. We have to leave the rehearsal space
when Jan shoots us an annoyed glare through the
control room window.

We head back to our couch and don’t talk about
what he told me anymore.

But I can’t help seeing him in a new light. He had a
friend… and that friendship was destroyed. Now
his father is rubbing his face in it.

I don’t understand what sort of sick man would do
this to his son. But it tells me a lot about Cade.

Just the fact that he’s not a totally insane and
damaged human is a testament to his personal
fortitude.

Maybe I can cut him a little bit of slack… at least
for this trip.

Lucy

Monday rolls around and we finally have a day off.

“I’m going out.”

I raise an eyebrow at him. “Good for you,” I say.
“Is that why you knocked at my door?”

He hesitates. “You’re not going to come with me?”

“Nope.”

He looks surprised. I thought he’d be happy, but he
looks disappointed. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope. You can go have fun.”

“What happened to keeping me in check?”

“Well, I thought…”

He groans. “After you heard my sad story, you
want to be nice to me, is that it?”

I wait a beat. “I mean—”

“I don’t want your pity. Go get dressed.”

I glare at him then glance down at myself. “What’s
wrong with this?”

“Everything.” I’m wearing jeans and a t-shirt and I
think I look pretty cute. “Go get changed.”

I glare at him then slam the door in his face. I’m
tempted to tell him to go to hell… but instead, I
find a nice sweater, pull it on, and fix my hair.

I don’t know why I’m doing this. I don’t know why
I care what he thinks or wants. I was going to let
him have his own time alone, just a little break from
each other, but apparently that’s out the window.

When I’m dressed and ready, I open the door again.
He’s waiting patiently in the hall for me.

“I’m not changing again,” I grumble at him.

“Wouldn’t dream of asking you.”

We head downstairs together and I can’t help but
wonder what this is all about. We grab some coffee
then Cade takes me on a little walking tour.

“I lived here for a few years,” he says. “Those
were good years.”

“Working at the studio?”

He nods. “I would be all over town promoting our
artists and stuff while Jan was holed up in there

recording the actual music. Then we’d meet up at
night for the shows.”

“Sounds like fun. How long were you here?”

“Three years,” he says. “And I wouldn’t have left
if it weren’t for my father buying us out.”

“Three years isn’t that long.”

“No, it’s not, but we blew up big time. I like to
think it’s because of my hustle, but it’s probably
because we just had a good synergy together.”

“He did the music, you did the business. Works out
pretty well.”

He nods and absently puts an arm around my
shoulders. I let him, feeling good as he pulls me
against him. It’s a crisp fall afternoon and the trees
are turning orange, the leaves getting crisp and
starting to drift down onto the sidewalk.

“It was more than that. I made a lot of friends
around town, knew a lot of people. I was able to get
our stuff into stores, and then on the radio, and
then…” He shrugs a little. “Believe it or not, I am
very personable.”

“I believe it. You’re the perfect used car salesman.”

He laughs. “That’s what Jan said. Well, he called
me a snake oil salesman, but same thing.”

I grin and let him lead me around. He points out a
park he used to hang out in. “Way more drug
addicts back in the day, I guess they cleaned up,”
he comments.

He shows me a record store he frequented,
although he didn’t know anyone working there
anymore. He shows me a restaurant, a bar, his
whole previous life.

“You really miss it here, don’t you?” I ask him as
we sit down on a bench.

“I don’t know,” he says. “It’s like a whole different
world, you know?”

“Still, you sound like you were happy.”

He shrugs. “I was young.”

“You weren’t that young.”

“Okay, I was younger.” He grins at me sideways.
“But you’re right. Sometimes I miss it.”

“Have you ever thought about coming back? You
don’t need to own your father’s company, you
know.”

He gives me a strange look. “I know,” he says.
“But I want it.”

“Why do you want it?”

I can tell I’m treading on dangerous territory. He
frowns at me for a second like he can’t tell why I’m
asking such a dumb question.

But it’s not a dumb question. I wish I could explain
to him that his motivation for taking over this
company is very, very important. If I’m going to
hand him so much power, I need to know he’s not
going to be another horrible CEO that just wants to
drain the world of money.

“It’s mine,” he says softly. “My father tortured me
for years, and now it’s time to take what I’m
owed.”

“That can’t be your only reason.”

He looks away from me, out over at the trees, at
the people walking past, living their own blissfully
ignorant lives.

“My father bought up a lot of little guys,” he says
softly.

“Like Jan?”

He nods. “Exactly. A hundred little Jans, all
brought under the corporate umbrella. I want to set
some of them free.”

“There’s no way you’ll be able to do that. I mean,
won’t the board—”

“They can’t do anything about it,” he says.
“Besides, I’ll call it something they’ll like.
Restructuring or something like that.”

I purse my lips. I’m not totally sure I believe him,
although I do believe that he’ll give the studio back
to Jan.

“Come on,” he says, getting up. “Let’s get
moving.”

“Where are we going?”

“My favorite place in the whole city.”

I follow him as we walk along some more. He
keeps giving the tour although his heart doesn’t
seem to be in it anymore. I watch him carefully,
trying to see the man behind the mask, but it’s hard
to get a glimpse of what he’s trying to hide.

Finally we end up turning a corner and standing
outside of this Chinese-style building with
characters written up and down the one side.

“What’s this place?” I ask him as he stops.

“This is the Lan Su Chinese garden,” he says with a
grin. “It was built by Chinese artisans. It’s an
authentic Ming Dynasty-style garden and I have to
say, it’s pretty amazing. Come on.”

He leads me through the city block-sized garden

full

covered

walkways,

bridges,

open

colonnades, pavilions, and even a man-made lake.
Everything is in authentic Chinese style, with the
sweeping beautiful arches and graceful curves.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” he asks me as we sit on a
bench beside the lake. Lily pads float in the water.

“Almost easy to forget we’re in Portland,” I say
with a laugh.

“I know. It’s amazing. I don’t know why this place
isn’t always packed.”

He’s right, it’s surprisingly empty. “Why is this your
favorite place?” I ask him.

He shrugs. “I don’t know. I think there’s something
about how out of place it seems and yet totally
authentic and real. I used to come here a lot and
just sit by myself and watch the water.”

“Very Zen,” I say, grinning.

He laughs softly. “I guess so, yeah. I haven’t
thought about this place until this morning.”

“And you wanted to bring me here?”

“I really did. I thought you’d like it.”

We sit in silence for a little while and he’s right, I
do like this place. It’s beautiful and there’s

something odd about how out of place it seems.

It reminds me a lot of him. He’s surrounded by all
this wealth and power and yet he seems to be a
strange oasis in the middle of it all, still clinging on
to what makes him a person.

I never in a million years would’ve thought I’d
compare him to a Chinese garden, but here we are.

We sit and talk idly for a couple hours. He tells me
stories from when he lived here, stories about the
early days of the recording studio. “You would’ve
liked it,” he says.

“Yeah?”

“It was a blast but we took it seriously. You know,
business and pleasure.”

“They say those two things don’t mix.”

“Oh, we mixed them all the time.” He smirks at me,
leans closer. “You don’t seem to mind mixing
them.”

I blush. “If you’re talking about the other night—”

“You don’t have to say anything about it,” he
whispers. “I know you want to make excuses.”

“I don’t, I just—”

“You want to act like it’ll never happen again. I
know, I get it.” He smirks at me, so deliciously. He
reaches down and tilts my chin toward him. “But
we both know you haven’t stopped thinking about
my fingers against your body.”

I bite my lip. “We can’t do this.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s wrong. I mean, we’re working
together, I’m supposed to be overseeing you, I’m
supposed—”

“You’re supposed to be the one with power. But
every time I make you come, you’re giving a little
bit of that power away.”

I blush and glare at him at the same time. “It’s not
so crude.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I think it might be.” He leans
closer and I can smell him. I feel that thrill run
through my body again. “You don’t have to fight it,
you know. You’re still in charge.”

“You don’t think that.”

“I do… except for when my hands are on your
body. Then I’m very much the one running things.”

I practically let out a soft groan when he tilts my
chin up toward him. He kisses me softly, so fucking

softly it sends a chill down my spine.

“What are we doing?” I ask.

“Don’t worry,” he says, standing. “Come on.”

I let him help me up. He pulls me against him and
kisses me again, this time longer, slower. I can hear
the water running in the little lake, blowing in the
soft breeze, the wind rusting in the hanging plants.

The kiss breaks off and I’m completely breathless.
He smiles and pulls me along, back out toward the
street. We transition back into the city but I barely
notice as we climb into an Uber.

He holds my hand and I lean up against his
shoulder. I let him take me back to the hotel, back
up to our rooms. And instead of going our separate
ways… I let him take me with him.

His room is the mirror image of my own, just
flipped.

We don’t really speak. I don’t think there’s much to
say. He turns and he kisses me, slow and deep as
the door slams shut behind me. I back up,
stumbling, until I run into the wall.

I’m breathless, groaning, as he pins my wrists down
against the wall. He bites my lip and kisses me
again and I know I should run away. I should’ve

have come back here with him.

But all this talk about business and pleasure… and
seeing a new side of him…

I can’t help myself. It’s like I’m drifting on a
current, letting him take me wherever he wants to
go.

He kisses me again, whispers in my ear. “Are you
sure, little Lucy?” he asks. “Are you sure you want
to give me this?”

“Yes,” I whisper back, and he lets out a groan as he
pulls my sweater up over my head.

Cade

Her hair spills down around her shoulders as I drop
her sweater on the floor. Her breasts are barely
covered by a black bra. They’re beautiful, perky
and firm, and I can’t help but palm them, teasing
her roughly as I kiss her lips.

My blood’s singing for her and I can’t help myself.
She groans into my kiss, bites my bottom lip, and I
know she wants this as badly as I do.

It’s like a dream, but real, physical, better.

I grip her hair and kiss her, tongue against her
tongue, taste flooding my entire body. I’m ringing
with my need for her and it’s threatening to
overwhelm me completely.

She pushes her hips against my hard cock and I let
a growl escape my throat as I run my palms down
her skin. She shivers when I kiss her neck and start
to unbutton her jeans.

“You want me to be gentle?” I ask her.

“I don’t know,” she groans.

“I don’t think you do.” I slip my right hand down
underneath her palms and run a finger down her
soaking slit. She gasps as I tease her, rolling her clit
in soft circles. “I think you just want to feel good.”

“Yes,” she whispers. “Make me feel good.”

I growl and kiss her again as my fingers press up
inside her soaking wet pussy. She’s dripping, her
honey rolling down and ruining her panties. It’s so
fucking sexy I can barely control myself. Her virgin
pussy is ready for me, gaping and wet, begging to
be taken.

I stroke her, listening to her breathing, her moans. I
roll my fingers along her skin again, teasing her clit
before pulling back. I tug her pants over her hips,
down over her perky ass, and let them drop to the
floor.

She steps out of them and looks at me, biting her
lip, in nothing but a bra and panties. I reach
forward and unhook that bra, let it slide off, toss it
on the floor.

She’s magnificent. I don’t know how else to
describe her. Tight, firm breasts, beautiful soft
curves, perky, firm ass. She looks at me with pure
lust in her eyes and it’s driving me absolutely wild.

I kiss her again, teasing her breasts. Her pink
nipples are hard and perky as I kiss her chest and
suck them softly, testing them with my teeth. She
groans and grabs my hair as my other hand slides
up between her legs to rub over her soaking wet
panties.

“These are useless,” I purr in her ear. “Might as
well take them off.”

“But then I’ll be naked,” she says.

“That’s exactly what I want.”

“And here you are, wearing all your clothes.”

I smirk at her and grab her hair, pulling her away
from the wall. I lean her against the back of the
couch as she reaches down and unbuckles my belt.

I let her take off my jeans, kicking them aside. I
pull my shirt up over my head and drop it onto the
floor. I’m rock hard, wearing only boxer briefs, and
I love the way she looks at me with this glint in her
eye.

“Is that what you wanted?” I ask. “Now we’re
even.”

She kisses me, hands on my hard cock, stroking me
over my boxer briefs. I growl and reach forward,
pulling her panties off. She gasps when she’s

completely naked. I push her down onto the couch,
dropping to my knees in front of her and spreading
her legs wide.

She bites her lip, staring down. I lick her top to
bottom, tasting her honey slit, loving the way she
moans softly when I find her clit.

“I’ve been thinking about your taste, little Lucy,” I
say softly, teasing her with my fingers. I reach up to
palm her breasts with my other hand as my fingers
sink deep inside. “Your delicious, virgin pussy.”

Her eyes flash at that word. “You know what
you’re doing,” she says.

“I absolutely know what I’m doing.” I kiss her
softly, letting her taste her own pussy on my lips
before teasing her breasts and nipples again. I drop
down between her legs and push her knees wider,
lapping her up top to bottom.

I lick and suck her clit as my fingers sink inside her
pussy. She’s so damn tight and delicious, I can’t
believe how incredible she tastes. Her hips writhe
and roll with pleasure and I can hear her gasps and
moans filling the room.

The world disappears for me. There’s only my
Lucy, her moans, her gasps. I want to make her feel
good and I can’t stop, can’t hold back. I lick and

suck, tongue lapping along her clit, pushing her,
making her feel incredible.

Her taste floods me. My cock is so hard I think it
might tear through my goddamn boxer briefs. I
want to sink myself so deep inside her virgin little
pussy that she forgets about anything else.

I can’t yet, not this second. I need to tease her first,
take her just up to the edge.

“Oh, god,” she gasps, arching her back. I keep
going, hitting that spot with my fingers while my
tongue licks her up in amazing circles. I don’t stop,
moving faster. “Fuck, Cade. Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

I let out a growl of delight and move faster, deeper.
She’s groaning, rolling her hips. She grabs my hair
tight, pushes my face against her pussy. I don’t
slow, just keep sucking her, licking her delicious
little clit while my fingers go deeper and deeper.

I know she’s close. I can feel it in her tension. “Go
ahead,” I growl, fucking her fast with my fingers.
“Go ahead, you dirty fucking girl. Come and let me
taste it.”

She gasps, eyes wide, as I lick her faster. I keep
going, matching her body, her writhing hips, and
she lets out a loud gasp.

She comes hard with her whole body. It’s gorgeous

and delicious and I can’t stop. I push her deeper
into it, make her come so hard she can’t do
anything but say my name over and over.

“That’s right,” I growl when I’m done. I move up
and kiss her softly, letting her taste the pussy on my
lips. “Next time when you come, I want you to call
me Daddy.”

She blinks, almost overwhelmed. “Daddy?”

“That’s right.” I kiss her gently, my fingers already
starting to softly tease her. “I’m your Daddy, little
Lucy. I’ll take care of you, make you feel good…
all you have to do is give yourself to me.”

She bites her lip. “Just give myself… to you.”

“That’s right.”

She nods once. “You can have me if you want me.”

“Oh, sweet Lucy.” I kiss her gently. “I want you
more than you can know.”

I stand up and slowly take my boxer briefs off.
She’s flushed and still breathing heavy but she sits
on the edge of the couch, eyes blinking rapidly.

“Oh my god,” she says, reaching over and taking
the base of my cock in her hand. She gently licks
me, top to bottom.

It’s the fucking sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. She’s
so tentative, almost scared of my size. I grab her
hair, not too hard, and let her do the work. She licks
me again before taking my tip into her mouth.

She tries to suck as much as she can but she can
barely fit me past her lips. She moans as she sucks
my cock, tongue rolling, not afraid to be sloppy,
messy. I growl my approval as pleasure blooms all
over me.

There’s nothing better than this beautiful virgin girl
sucking my cock for the first time. I love the way
she’s shocked at my size, my long, thick cock
sliding in and out of her mouth.

But I know she can do better. I grab her hair tight
and she slides down my shaft, gagging once, but
sucking faster. Her breasts shake softly and I tease
one with my hand, the other holding her hair.

She takes my cock in both of her palms, stroking
me as she sucks me. I moan, unable to help myself.
I watch her beautiful body as she sucks me, faster
and faster, tongue rolling around my tip, lips spread
wide over my huge shaft.

“Fucking hell,” I groan. “You have no clue how
sexy you are, little Lucy.”

“Yes, Daddy,” she says, staring me in the eye and

stroking me with both hands.

That’s it, that does it.

I can’t wait another second.

I push her back onto the couch. She groans as I pin
her down, spreading her legs wide. Her virgin pussy
is calling to me, gaping wide and soaking wet, ready
as I press my tip against her.

“Please,” she moans. “I want it. I’m ready.”

“Ask nicely,” I command.

“Please, Daddy.”

I sink myself slowly inside.

She gasps, back arching. I growl in response. She’s
tight, fucking tight as hell. Warm and wet and
perfect and goddamn, I can barely think as I sink
myself deeper and deeper.

I go slow, ease myself inside of her while I kiss her
lips. She takes me, every single inch spreading her
incredible pussy wide. It’s like walking into heaven,
my cock filling her to the very limits of her body’s
ability.

“Oh, god,” she gasps, biting her lip. “I didn’t… I
couldn’t…”

“Of course you can take me,” I whisper in her ear. I
slowly move myself back and stroke inside her
again. “You were made to get fucked by my big
cock, little Lucy. Every single curve is perfect and
begging to be taken.”

“Yes,” she moans. “Oh, god, yes. I want you to
fuck me, Daddy.”

I stroke in and out, kissing her neck, teasing her
breasts. I’m slow and gentle at first. I know she’s
not ready for me to fuck her the way I want to take
her. I want to dominate her pussy, control and
destroy, and make her come so hard she can barely
breathe.

But not right away. Slowly, so slowly, I stroke in
and out. I move a little faster, just a little bit,
pinning her hands up above her head.

I lick her perky nipples, teasing her breasts. The
way she gasps and moans drives me wild, makes
me insane with need for her. I fuck her slowly,
keeping myself under control, but god damn. I can
barely stop myself, barely hold back.

“You’re so goddamn wet for me,” I whisper in her
ear. “You’re a filthy girl, aren’t you? Dripping wet
for your big Daddy to come fuck and taste you.”

“Yes,” she moans. “Just waiting for you.”

“To come and fill you up. Fill you with every inch
and make you moan, make you beg for more.”

“I want more,” she gasps. “I want everything,
Daddy.”

“I don’t know if you can handle it all, sweet Lucy.”

“Please,” she moans. “Fuck me. Show me how it
feels.”

I move faster, stroking in and out. Her breasts
shake perfectly and her lips are open, her eyes
rolled back. She grips onto the cushions and I grab
her hair, pulling it tight in my fist as I fuck her
faster.

She rolls her hips back against me. I lean back onto
my knees and spread her legs wide. I tease her clit
with my cock buried deep inside and she gasps,
moaning with pleasure. I can see sweat on her skin
and I lick her, tasting every inch of her.

I pull back and grab her hair. She moans when I
turn her around, ass up in the air.

I spank her hard. She gasps, looking back at me,
and I sink myself deep inside her tight pussy.

She groans in ecstasy. She’s so fucking tempting,
enticing, luscious. Every soft curve of her body is
appetizing and I can barely stop myself from

feasting on her.

I stroke in deep and spank her ass again. I fuck her
like that, grabbing her hair, making her take my big
cock deep between her legs. She’s moaning,
pushing back against me, bucking like a wild thing.

She’s moving in pure rapture. I can hear the bliss in
her moans as I fuck her harder, starting to lose
myself in the moment. Her virgin pussy grabs on
tight with every single stroke and I’m growling like
an animal, taking her from behind.

I pull her hair and kiss her over her shoulder. We
fuck like that, grinding and moaning, animals in
heat as pleasure blooms and spreads. She’s dripping
wet, absolutely slick with every stroke. I’m raging
for her, in a frenzy as my cock slams inside of her.

I’m not holding back anymore. We’re fucking, pure
and simple, the most carnal expression of physical
need possible. She’s moaning, rolling back against
me, begging me to keep going.

“Fuck me, Daddy,” she pants. “Fuck me, please.
Oh, god, fuck me, fill me, take me.”

I pull her hair and slam into her. She’s explosive,
sexy, gorgeous, with the sort of hunger that drives
me wild.

I can feel the bitter burning spreading all over my

body as pleasure overtakes me and I lose myself
completely.

I spank her tight, firm ass. I tease her perky breasts,
shaking with each rough thrust. I groan and pull her
hair and grunt my need. She moans back, keening
her lust.

We move together, pounding and riveting, thrill
running between our bodies. She pushes back
against me, begging for more, and I oblige with
every inch of my steel-hard cock. I fuck her rough
and unrelenting. We move in a dynamic dance, our
bodies sweating and coming together, and I know
we can’t last much longer.

Her back arches as she thrusts her hips toward me.
I fuck her, spank her ass, grab her hair. I take her
hard and ride her faster, fucking her deep. “Take
every inch,” I growl. “I want you to come on my
fat cock, little Lucy. I want you to feel me fill you
up as you come.”

“God, yes,” she practically screams, her voice a
hoarse moan. “I’m so close. Don’t stop.”

I fuck her faster, grinding against her body, her
second orgasm hovering between us. She takes me
deep and faster and fucking hell, it’s heaven, it’s
bliss, it’s perfect.

She comes with her body twitching, back tense and
arched, her gasps escaping her lips in sharp heaves.
I don’t slow, I don’t hold back. I fuck her fast
through it all, not able to stop myself, not able to
slow down.

And as her orgasm reaches its peak, I feel myself
come. I explode inside her pussy, the hardest
orgasm I think I’ve ever felt before. Bliss overtakes
me, ringing in my ears, my cheeks flush, my muscle
tense. I fill her gorgeous tight pussy with my cum
and I groan her name as I do it.

We finish together, a collapsed and tangled heap of
sweating limbs. She’s grinning and I’m grinning. I
kiss her softly.

“How was that for your first time?” I ask.

She blinks. “It gets better, right?”

I laugh. “You need more?”

“I just mean, that was amazing… I can’t believe it
can get better.”

I smirk and kiss her softly. “There’s always more
when it comes to me, little Lucy.”

She grins and leans back on the couch, staring up at
the ceiling. I hold her in my arms and just let us
breathe together, luxuriating in the closeness of our

bodies, still rolling on the high wave of our blissful
orgasms.

Cade

Several days pass and although we don’t fuck
again, I know she’s constantly thinking about it.

Work at the studio picks up. We move through a
few groups in a few days, and by the time Friday
rolls around, I can tell Lucy’s exhausted from the
late nights.

“Ever thought working in a recording studio would
be this hard?” I ask her.

She shakes her head. “Not at all.” She’s sitting on
the couch, legs crossed, writing in that notebook.

I frown a little. “That’s the one we took from my
dad’s office, right?”

She snaps it shut. “It’s nothing.”

I laugh softly. “Right, sure. Like that wasn’t super
suspect.”

She just glares at me. “What do you want?”

“Nothing, apparently.” I laugh and head off to help

Jan set up some microphones in the rehearsal
space. I keep glancing at Lucy through the control
room window and she’s right back to scribbling in
that book again.

I can’t help but wonder what she’s got hidden in
there. Maybe it’s some notes about how this whole
experiment is going. We haven’t really spoken
about how she feels about me taking over the
company. I assume she’s going to be okay with it,
but…

I don’t know. I’m on my best behavior but I can
still tell she thinks I’m some idiot playboy. Maybe I
can change her mind or maybe I can’t, but I’m not
about to beg her. If she can’t see my worth on her
own then I don’t know what else to do.

“Watch it,” Jan grunts as I nearly drop a
microphone.

“Sorry.” I look back at what I’m doing and get it
balanced again.

He frowns at me. “You’re staring at the girl.”

I glance in his direction. This is the first time he’s
spoken to me about something that isn’t work since
we came here.

“Yeah, I am,” I say, too surprised to pretend
otherwise.

“Why?”

“I, uh…” I trail off.

“Don’t tell me the great Cade likes her?”

“I don’t know what I think about her,” I say softly.

Jan snorts. “Be careful with that one.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Why do you say that?”

“Oh, you know.” Jan sits down at the piano and
starts to pluck out a little song. “She’s the type
that’ll break your heart.”

I laugh softly. “I don’t get heartbroken.”

“That’s not the Cade I remember.”

“That was a long time ago.”

“Ah, maybe, but people don’t change all that
much.”

I sigh and sit down at the drum kit. “Why do you
think she’ll break my heart?” I ask him. “She seems
so…”

“Virginal?” he offers.

I grin a little. Not anymore.

“I guess so.”

“That’s exactly why. Girl like that could never love
a broken man like you.”

I glare at him. “I’m not broken.”

Jan shrugs a little bit. “Sorry. Not trying to fight. It’s
just, you’ve always been a broken specimen. Even
back then.”

I clench my jaw. “I can’t tell if you’re trying to be
nice or trying to start a fight.”

He sighs and rubs his eyes with his palms. “I’m
sorry. I am trying to be nice. It’s just… been a while
since I wanted to.”

“Yeah,” I say softly. “I hear that.”

We sit in silence for a second. I watch as Lucy gets
up and disappears from the control room, headed
upstairs for something.

“You never did say you were sorry.”

I look back at Jan. “What?”

“When it happened. You never said you were
sorry.”

“I think I did.”

“No, you didn’t. Trust me, I remember.”

I think back to those days, which were some of the

worst days of my life… and maybe he’s right. I
remember fighting with him, trying to defend
myself, but…

“I am sorry. You know that, right?”

“I don’t know,” he says. “You got what you
wanted.”

“And what’s that?”

“All this.”

I shake my head. “I didn’t get any of this. My
father took it away from me.”

“But you are your father.”

I glare at him. “I’m not my fucking father.”

He shakes his head. “Sorry. I just mean, you and
him, you’re family. So…”

“You know that’s not how it works. Why the fuck
do you think I’m here right now?”

He cocks his head. “Honestly? Didn’t think much
about it. Just kept wishing you’d leave.”

I laugh softly. “Of course you didn’t. Too busy
staring straight ahead to look around.”

“So tell me then.”

“My father died and decided to send me on some
wild goose chase. He’s sending me to a bunch of
different companies to prove my worth… so I can
take over the whole thing.”

Jan whistles. “And this is part of that, ah, goose
chase?”

“Yep. Pretty much. I think he’s trying to torture me
one last time, actually.”

“Sounds like him.”

“So don’t tell me I’m anything like that sick fuck. I
just want to get control of his shitty company so I
can do something halfway decent with it.”

“And what’s that?”

“Give this place back to you, for starters.”

Jan laughs and waves his hands. “Oh, god, no,
please don’t.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want the responsibility.”

I smirk. “Of course not. Complain all you want, but
in the end, being bought out was good for you. Let
you just focus on your recordings.”

“Pretty much.”

“Still, you’re getting it back. That’s the only way
this place survives long-term. If it stays in my
father’s conglomerate, even if I’m in charge, sooner
or later it’ll get swallowed up completely.”

Jan’s quiet for a few minutes, just plucking away at
the keys. Finally, he stops and looks up. “Okay.
Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I wait a beat. “And for what it’s
worth, I am sorry. And I was sorry back then. I
hated my dad for what he did.”

“I know,” he says softly. “I was just so mad…”

“I know.”

We’re quiet for a few minutes. He starts playing
again and I pick up the drumsticks. I lay down an
easy beat and he plays along. We jam like that for a
little while. Eventually I spot Lucy watching us
from the control room with a little smile on her
face.

I grin back at her. I can’t explain how good this
feels, to be playing music with my old friend again
like we used to back in the day.

Finally though, the next band shows up and we
have to stop playing. Jan nods at me once like
nothing ever happened and then we’re back in the
control room, doing our jobs once more.

“You two made up,” Lucy whispers to me later,
when Jan’s in the other room.

“Sort of,” I say. “Starting to, anyway.”

She grins at me. “Look at you. It’s almost like
you’re a grownup.”

“Almost,” I shoot at her. “Don’t get used to it.”

“Seriously. It’s okay if you want to be vulnerable
sometimes.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

I run my hands through my hair, staring down at the
carpet. I never liked this stupid carpet. Jan chose it.

“I’m

the

heir

multi-billion

dollar

conglomerate,” I say softly. “I don’t have the
luxury to look weak. Even if I’m fucking around,
acting out, whatever. I can’t look weak.”

“But why? Your dad’s dead.”

I finally look at her. “Men like my dad run the
world,” I say softly. “And if I want any say in how
it goes, I’d better remember that.”

She frowns for a long moment. “What do you want
with all this, anyway?” she asks.

I grin a little bit. “It always comes back to that,
doesn’t it?”

“Well—”

Jan comes back into the room, ending our
conversation.

I don’t want to go down that path right now
anyway. I’ve just finally started making headway
with my old friend, I don’t want to think about how
I’m going to try and do good for the world. I just
want to be happy that he doesn’t actively hate me
in this moment. I want that to be enough.

When the day ends, I shake hands with Jan. It’s
better than nothing. He even gives me a little smile.

“Feel free to stop by again,” he says. “I could use
help with that stupid microphone.”

“I know,” I say. “And I will. When this is all yours
again.”

He sighs and nods. “Thanks, Cade.”

“Yeah.”

We linger for a second before Jan turns and heads
back inside. I watch him go.

“You should’ve hugged,” Lucy says.

I glare at her. “Shut up.”

“Seriously. Should’ve hugged. A big, long hug.
Maybe a kiss.”

“You’re the worst.”

“Long, deep, passionate kiss.”

I grin at her. “Like the one you want from me right
now?”

She blushes. “I didn’t—”

“You embarrass too easily,” I say, patting her on the
back. “Don’t start fights you can’t win.”

She glares at me and I just laugh as we get into the
taxi.

Two industries down. Two more to go.

Lucy

A nother plane ride. This one’s a lot shorter,
mercifully. We fly out to a hospital in a relatively
rural part of northern California.

The hotel is gorgeous, of course. I can’t help but
wonder if these places were chosen simply because
of their proximity to really expensive hotels. But
no, of course not, his father wouldn’t have given
him that luxury. Just good luck, I guess.

We spend Saturday traveling then Sunday
recuperating. “Try the spa,” Cade says to me as he
stands outside of my door in nothing but a towel.

I roll my eyes. “Of course there’s a spa here. Why
wouldn’t there be?”

“Seriously, go try it. You’ll love it. Charge it to the
room.”

I close the door before he can show me what’s
under the towel….

Monday comes and we’re up early again. He hands

me a coffee as we ride the elevator downstairs into
the lobby.

“What do you know about this place?” I ask him.

“We’ll see,” he says.

I glare at him. “Come on. You’ve had history at the
other two places, I assume you have it here, too.”

“Want me to ruin the surprise?”

I roll my eyes. “I guess not.”

“Good! It’s more fun this way.”

We take a taxi out to the hospital and are met by an
administrator right in the lobby. She’s an older
woman with short, natural hair and dark skin.

“Jolena,” Cade says, shaking the woman’s hand.

“Cade,” she answers, frowning. “I’d say it’s a
pleasure to see you again, but…”

“But you hate my ever-loving guts.” He beams at
her.

She sighs. “Not exactly.” She turns to me. “Hello,
I’m sorry we’re being rude. My name is Jolena
Johnson, I’m the head administrator here at
Northern Mercy.”

“Hi, I’m Lucy, it’s nice to meet you.”

She smiles at me warmly. “How’d you get mixed up
with a guy like Cade?”

“Happenstance,” I say. “And work.”

“Of course.” She turns back to him. “So, the same
as last time?”

“Oh, no,” he says. “I’d rather just take a look
around, if that’s okay?”

She purses her lips. “You know we don’t want
people just randomly wandering around.”

“I know that. But I’m not just anyone.”

“No, you’re not.” She sighs. “Okay. I’ll get an
escort.”

“Thanks kindly. Make it one of the pretty nurses,
will you?”

Jolena glares at him before giving me a wry smile.
She walks off and disappears down a side hallway.

“Okay,” I say to him. “Now I want to know what
you did here.”

He grins at me. “It’s actually not what you think.”

“What do I think?”

“Something awful, I’m sure.”

“This is why everyone hates you, you know.”

“Not true.” He beams at me. “I’m actually very
well liked here.”

“But she clearly—”

“Oh, not by her. Everyone else, though…” He trails
off as a young nurse comes walking over. She’s
smiling huge and clearly she recognizes Cade.

“There you are!” she says and gives him a big hug.

He hugs her back. “Hiya, Nic. I can’t believe
you’re still here.”

“Oh, man, I’ll be here ‘til I’m dead.” She looks
over at me. “Hi, I’m Nicole, one of the nurses here.
You can call me Nic, everyone else does.”

“Nic, this is Lucy,” he says.

“Nice to meet you.”

I shake the girl’s hand and she instantly looks back
at Cade. I have to admit, I feel a little pang of
jealousy.

“So what are you doing back? I thought you’d
never come back after what you pulled last time.”

“Well, I’m not here for a surgery if that’s what
you’re wondering.”

She grins. “The doctors still love you, don’t worry.
And the admins care more about the bottom line
than they do about revenge.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t assume that.” He laughs a little and
shrugs. “We’re just here to hang out for a week, do
some observing, that sort of thing.”

“Okay, well, Jolena said you have free rein, so
what’s first?”

“I don’t know. How about we go check on the
regulars?”

Nic grins. “I was hoping you’d say that. Come on.”

Regulars? I mouth to Cade and he just grins at me.

We follow Nic to a bank of elevators and ride them
up to the third floor. She chats the whole time.

“People still talk about that day,” she says to Cade.
“Remember Jolena’s face?”

“I thought she might murder me.”

“Doctors will laugh about that.” She grins fondly.
“Not that we dislike Jolena or anything, it’s just…”

“I know. And it’s hard to fault her and the other
admin people for being pissed about it.”

I clear my throat. “What, exactly, did he do?”

Nic laughs. “He didn’t tell you?”

“Keeping her in suspense,” Cade says.

“Of course you are.” Nic laughs to herself. “Should
I tell her?”

“Later,” he says. “I want to see my people.”

“Well, let’s do it then.” We head down a few
hallways and end up in an isolated wing of the
hospital. The nurses all recognize Cade and greet
him warmly, some even hug him. The doctor on
duty looks young and one of the nurses has to
whisper something to him before he grins.

“So you’re the one,” the doctor says, shaking his
hand. “Well, I’m sure they’re looking forward to
seeing you.”

Cade thanks him then proceeds to knock on the
first door he comes to.

What follows is the most surprising thing I’ve ever
seen in my life. We stop at room after room, each
one occupied by a single elderly person, all ailing
from something different. But each person
recognizes Cade and greets him warmly.

“This man saved my life,” an old woman with a
shock of white hair on the top of her head says.
“He did, he saved me.”

“Not true,” Cade grumbles, but clearly he’s pleased
with himself.

“If he hadn’t done what he did, we’d all be out of
here,” she says. “He saved us all.”

Cade smiles and thanks her before we head to the
next room.

One after the other, everyone thanks him, some
effusively. He loves it, but by the end, he’s looking
exhausted.

“What happened to Malik?” he asks Nic.

“Passed on a couple weeks back,” she says with a
sigh.

“Damn. I liked him. There are a few others missing,
too.”

She shrugs sadly. “It’s a hospital.”

“Yeah, true. What happened to their beds?”

“New folks moved in. Want to meet them?”

He shakes his head and glances at me. “I think
Lucy here is going to have a heart attack if we hold
out any longer.”

“What did he do?” I say, breathless.

“He saved these people,” Nic says. We head over

toward the elevators again, but this time we drift
over toward the large windows overlooking the
courtyard.

“I know, they keep saying that. But forgive me for
being skeptical. Cade isn’t exactly…”

“A doctor?” he asks.

“No.” I glare at him. “Kind.”

He cackles with delight. “Tell her, Nic.”

“Well, I don’t know the whole story, but it goes like
this. Cade was put in charge of making cuts at the
hospital. The administration wanted to cut out this
wing of patients, the old ones that can’t pay but
were being cared for anyway, you know, to save
money.” She frowns and shakes her head. “Cade
made a different decision.”

“I cut their pay,” he says, grinning.

“You did what?”

“I cut the admin pay across the board. Twenty
percent, wiped out. They were pissed.”

“People quit, some people protested. I think there
was a lawsuit.”

“Yep, there was. I had to go to court for it. We
won.”

Nic grins. “And the money you saved went to
keeping the long-term wing open, right?”

“Among other things, yeah. I took the admin
money we saved and put it to better use. We fired a
few folks too, but people don’t like talking about
that part.”

Nic shrugs a little. “People love him for it.”

I shake my head. “Did your father know about
this?”

“He found out after the fact. Wasn’t happy.”

I frown a little bit. “So you’re, like, a hero here,” I
say.

“Pretty much.”

“Why would your father send us to this place
then?”

He frowns at me. “What?”

I glance at Nic. “Can we have a second?”

“Sure, hon.” She smiles at Cade then walks off.

I clear my throat, looking out the window. “Your
father has been sending us to different places… but
the first two weren’t good memories for you. Why
would he send us here?”

Cade joins me, frowning outside. “I don’t know,”
he admits.

“There has to be a catch somewhere. There’s no
way he’d send us here if everyone just thought you
were some kind of hero.”

“That doesn’t sound like my father, you’re right.”
Concern is etched all over his expression.

“Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out. And who knows,
maybe it’s fine.”

“Maybe he just wants to see the admins try to
string me up.”

“Could be, but I don’t know. Anyway, let’s be
careful, okay?”

He nods once and gives me a long look. “You
know, I have to admit, I’m happy that you’re here.”

I feel a strange brightening in my chest when he
says that. “Really?”

“Sure. At first, I resented you, but now…” He trails
off. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re here.”

“Yeah,” I say softly, looking away from him.

That brightening starts to sour a bit when I think
about what I might do to him.

He walks off to find Nic and I stay by the elevators.
I haven’t decided that he deserves this job… not
yet at least. That story about cutting the admin pay
to help save people is definitely a win in his favor,
but still.

I’m confused and torn and none of this is helping. I
wish someone could tell me what to do, but I know
this is all up to me.

Cade

We stay at the hospital late that first day. It’s easy
to lose track of time in a hospital. It never closes,
there’s always something happening. It’s like
there’s no real time.

I find myself alone with Lucy in an empty hall of
the long-term wing.

We’re sitting on a gurney, our backs against the
wall. She looks up at me with a little smile.

“Long day,” she says.

“Yeah. You did good.”

She snorts. “Please. I just hung around and tried not
to get in the way.”

“That’s all we can do, really.”

“Yeah. True.”

We’re quiet for a second.

“I hate hospitals,” I say.

“Everyone does.”

I put an arm around her without thinking. She leans
her head against my shoulder. “Maybe that’s why
my father sent us here.”

She sighs. “Yeah, maybe, but I don’t know. It’s
probably more sinister than that.”

“You almost sound like you feel bad for me.”

She glances up with a little frown. “You think I
wouldn’t?”

“I don’t really know.”

“Huh. After all this.”

We sit quietly for a few more minutes until I tilt her
chin up toward me. “You don’t have to feel bad,” I
whisper.

“Why not?”

“Even if this has been a torture parade, at least he
sent me here with you.”

She bites her lip. “He didn’t mean for that to be a
good thing, you know.”

“He’s not always right.” I lean forward and kiss her
softly. “Let’s stop talking about him.”

“Okay,” she whispers back and kisses me deeper. I

let that kiss linger and force any other thoughts
from my mind.

I only want to think about Lucy, her body, her lips.
I want to think about her moans, her writhing
pleasure, her intense and unstoppable desire.

As soon as our lips touch, I know I’m utterly
fixated on her. I can’t help myself. She’s
voluptuous, gorgeous, incredible. Her taste floods
me and makes me wild with a throbbing need I’ve
never felt before.

I reach up and grab her hair. We’re alone here and I
doubt anyone’s coming anytime soon. It’s amazing
how many empty places there are in hospitals.

“We shouldn’t,” she moans when I grip her hair
tight. “I mean, it’s a mistake. You know that.”

“We made it once. Can’t take that back.”

She groans. “I know. I just—”

“You’re afraid.” I slide off the gurney and pull her
along with me. “Come on.”

I kiss her and push her back into an empty room. I
throw the curtain closed before she stumbles back
against the bed.

“Someone could hear,” she whispers. “That would
destroy everything. The admins here would take

any excuse to hurt you.”

“I’m sure they would.” I step closer and unbutton
her blouse one agonizing button at a time. Her
breasts swell with every deep breath and I can
barely stop my cock from getting rock hard as her
gorgeous cleavage is slowly revealed.

I kiss her, kiss her neck, kiss her chest. She groans
as I pull her shirt off. She reaches up and grabs my
hair while I unhook her bra, letting it drop off her
skin.

“It’s not just them,” she gasps finally.

“What else is it then?”

“Me,” she groans. “I’m afraid…”

“Of what? That you’ll love this too much?”

“Yes.”

I bite her lip and tease her breasts. “Good.”

I kiss her again and this time I don’t let her argue. I
kiss her hard, stifling her protests, and she melts
into my arms.

Her body feels so good against mine, warm and soft
and perfectly curved. She fits me right, makes me
groan, makes my blood sing and pulse with her. I
taste her skin, her tongue, her lips. I tease her hard,

perky little pink nipples between my teeth, and I
slowly unbutton her pants.

She shimmies a little as I slide a hand down the
front. She gasps and I smirk at how dripping wet
she is.

“I knew it,” I whisper with a grin. “I knew you
could pretend all you wanted…”

“It’s just my body,” she says.

“But your body doesn’t lie to me.” I slide a finger
down along her slit, feeling that soaking spot, her
wetness pooling there. She lets out a satisfied groan
as I kiss her and let my fingers wander some more.

The way she reacts to my touch is absolutely
enticing. She squirms, rolling her hips, letting out
these soft little moans. I know with every touch
exactly how she feels about it. Little gasps, little
groans. It gets me hard, makes my blood pulse
faster, my heart screaming a beating need.

I bite her lip again and slide a finger deep inside her
tight little pussy, her beautiful pussy. It’s all mine,
every inch of her tight cunt is all mine. She has no
idea how wild that makes me, how out of control I
feel every time we touch.

I tease her before pushing her back on the bed. I
pull down her pants, get them off over her knees

before spreading her legs wide. I push her panties
aside, licking her top to bottom.

Her fingers curl in my hair, grabbing on tight as I
lick and suck her clit. She groans, leaning back on
one elbow, her feet up on the bed. “Shit,” she
gasps. “I have to be quiet.”

“I can help,” I say, standing up. I sink two fingers
inside of her before putting a hand over her mouth.

She groans and glares at me as I pump my fingers in
and out, curling them to slide along her spot. She
moans into my palm and I hold her there, teasing
her clit then fucking her with my fingers, back and
forth, driving her wild. She’s dripping out onto the
sheet, a mess with need and desire.

I kiss her as she leans forward, sitting up, abs tense.
She unbuckles my belt and practically yanks my
pants down. I grin at her and let them slide off as
she reaches forward, pulling down my boxer briefs,
taking my cock into her hands.

I take a half-step back as she leans forward, sitting
up and taking my cock into her mouth. I growl my
pleasure as she sucks my tip, hands wrapped
around my shaft. It’s pure bliss, the way she sucks
my cock, the way she seems to go wild for it sliding
between her beautiful lips and into her pretty little
mouth.

Her gags make me lose it almost entirely. I hold her
hand tight as she sucks me, body bobbing up and
down, breasts shaking. I let loose a growl when I
pull her back, leaning forward to kiss her lips,
tasting her and loving the way she lingers on my
lips.

She leans back on her elbows, practically daring
me.

“You’d better not be too loud,” I growl as I lean
against her, cock pressing against her soaking slit.
I’m inches from sinking inside of her.

“You’d better not make me,” she says with a little
smile.

I kiss her lips softly. “Can’t make any promises.”

And then I press myself inside of her.

She gasps, back arching as I fill her to the brim. I
slide my cock so easily deep into her pussy and she
takes me, swallowing me up. I groan, feeling her
hips move side to side, a sensual sashay that forces
me deeper inside.

I bite her lip and pull her to the edge of the bed. I’m
still standing, leaning up against her, and she props
herself up on one elbow as I grab her hair and pull
her closer. I kiss her, tongue tasting her lips, as I
start to slowly slide myself in and out of her tight

spot.

“You feel like heaven,” I whisper. “Every time I
sink myself deep inside you, I can’t control
myself.”

“I love having you inside me, Daddy,” she groans.

I growl my pleasure and move faster, fucking her
harder. She can take it this time, her body ready,
her body primed. I fuck her deep and rough and
tease her breasts with my hands and tongue and
lips. She’s right, we should be quiet, but I can’t help
myself. I’m growling, groaning, fucking her hard,
making too much noise.

But it feels too good. I take her deep and rough,
making her body tense and shake, her eyes roll
back into her head. I love watching the pleasure
wash over her, make her wild with lust. She’s so
savory, ripe, tasty. I feel a high coursing through my
veins that I can barely understand, let alone
describe.

I pull back with a gasp before standing her up and
bending her over the bed. She looks back at me,
back arched, ass plump and begging. I spank her
hard before I sink myself inside her from behind.
She takes me, every inch, like she was made for it.

I lean over and grab her hair, pulling her body back

against mine. She wiggles her hips, my cock buried
deep between her legs. “I want to see you moan,” I
whisper. “I want to make you sweat. I want you to
beg to come and call me Daddy when you finally
do.”

“God, yes,” she groans. “Please.”

“I know what you need.” I sink myself deeper,
grabbing her hair tight. “I know how much you
need my big cock, you dirty girl. Give yourself to
me, every inch.”

“Take it,” she gasps.

I push her forward again and fuck her hard. She
bucks her hips back against mine, riding along my
shaft, and I stroke into her again and again. I’m
merciless, an animal invading her tight pussy. She’s
moaning and now all thoughts of being quiet
completely leave us. I can’t help myself, not with
these curves, that thick ass, those perfect perky
breasts.

I pull back, both of us sweating now, and get on the
bed. She climbs on top, straddling me, pushing her
way back down to slide to the bottom of my shaft.
She shivers with ecstasy and leans forward, kissing
me. I grab her hair and she starts to ride, tentatively
at first, not sure of herself.

“Go ahead,” I groan. “Let loose. You can’t do
anything wrong.”

“I don’t know how.”

“If you can dance, you can fuck. Move your hips.”

She bites her lip and starts to gyrate, slightly at first,
riding up and down. But soon her back and ass get
into it and she’s riding me, sliding up and down,
jerking her hips in this incredible way that gets me
wild.

I’m ravenous for her. I kiss her lips, her breasts,
spank her ass. I want to feel every inch of her skin
and keep going. She’s beguiling and mesmeric the
way she moves along my cock, hips jerking and
gyrating, wild with a fucking frenzy.

I pull her hair, slap her ass. I’m brutal and savage
and she’s beautiful. We work together, moving in
perfect harmony, our breathing stabilized, syncing
up together. She groans as I bite her lip and spank
her harder and she just keeps going, riding faster,
her body sweating and shaking.

And I know she’s close. I can hear it in her moans,
in the way she moves. I can feel it too, her tight
pussy getting tighter. “You want to let it go,” I
whisper. “You want to come for your Daddy, don’t
you?”

“Yes,” she moans. “Oh, god, yes. Please.”

“Go ahead. Come for me.”

“Let me come, Daddy,” she moans, begging. “Let
me come.”

I spank her ass and grip her hair tighter as I thrust
up inside her tight cunt. She takes me, gasping,
crying out.

We come together. It’s a single instant but it feels
like it lasts forever. I explode inside of her just as
her back arches and she starts to squirm with
absolute pleasure. I come deep inside her tight
pussy as she pants my name over and over. “Cade,
oh, god, Cade, oh, god, Daddy.”

I growl back and fuck her through her orgasm, both
of us sticky with sweat and breathing hard. She
collapses against my chest and I hold her there,
tight to my skin.

The world outside of this room is still gone. I don’t
think about our goal here, about my father, about
the admins. I don’t think about the other patients.

For me, there’s only her.

“We can’t keep doing that,” she says after a while.

“We can,” I say.

“I’m afraid it’s going to mess with my judgment.”

I laugh softly. “Maybe, maybe not. You still think
you’re in control?”

She bites her lip. “I don’t know anymore.”

I kiss her softly. “Good.”

I hold her like that, letting the night settle in around
us, the quiet of the empty hospital wing hanging
heavy like a weighted blanket around our bodies.

Lucy

We get through most of the week without any
incidents.

It seems like it should be impossible, but there
aren’t any tricks, any pitfalls. Cade isn’t an asshole,
doesn’t miss any days, doesn’t complain.

He’s actually kind of nice to me.

On Thursday, I’m finally sick of it.

“What’s wrong with you?” I ask him as we walk
the halls for the hundredth time that week.

He frowns. “Nothing, I don’t think. I didn’t sleep
great last night but I think that’s because—”

“No, I mean, not literally. You’ve just been acting
weird.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Weird how?”

“Nice to me. You haven’t been…” I trail off as he
laughs. “It’s not funny.”

“I know, it’s just, I haven’t been teasing you as
much these last few days and now you think there’s
something wrong. You want me to tease you, little
Lucy?”

“No,” I say quickly. “It’s just—”

“Don’t worry. I’ll go back to making fun of you. I
think that was more fun anyway.”

I sigh and shake my head. “Shouldn’t have said
anything.”

“Nope.”

“Asshole.”

“Doesn’t this feel better?”

I roll my eyes, but yes, he’s right, it does.

I think I don’t want him to be nice to me because
that makes whatever’s happening between us real. I
keep thinking that it’s only physical, that we’re
only having sex, but I don’t do that. I don’t just
sleep with random guys. I kept my virginity so long,
only to lose it to this man, and that has to be for a
reason.

But I’ve kept my distance, trying to pretend like it’s
no big deal. So when he’s nice to me, it makes me
think…

He feels it too.

Which I can’t let happen.

I can’t let this become real for the both of us.

We finish Thursday without any traps.

It’s not until Friday that we finally find out why we
were sent to this hospital in the first place.

Cade and I spend most of the morning in the long-
term wing, talking with patients and visiting elderly
people that probably don’t get many visitors. When
we’re done, we sit down in the inner atrium sipping
coffee and enjoying the way the light slants in
through the glass ceiling.

“It’s a nice place,” I say to him.

“What, this hospital?”

“No, I mean, this atrium.”

He grunts in response. “My father built it.”

“Of course he did.”

Cade laughs. “It’s not a bad thing though. Not
everything he did was pure evil.”

“You seem to think it was.”

“Nah.” He sighs and stretches his legs. “I just don’t

get why we’re here.” He looks at me out of the
corner of his eye. “Are you about to drop some
bomb on me?”

“I don’t think so,” I say, sitting up. “But watch
out.”

He follows my gaze and we spot Jolena walking
toward us.

“She hasn’t been around much,” he mutters.

“Avoiding us,” I answer.

“This can’t be good.”

Jolena approaches with her trademark frown. “How
are you two doing today?” she asks. “Been having
fun in my hospital?”

“Not at all,” Cade says. “How about you?”

She purses her lips. “You’re leaving after today,
correct?”

I speak before Cade can say something stupid.
“That’s right, Ms. Johnson,” I say. “Thank you very
much for your hospitality.”

She gives me a flat look. “Mhmm.” She turns back
to Cade. “You know, I never did get to thank you.”

“For what?” he asks.

“The little stunt you pulled, cutting our salaries. It
was a smart move.”

That makes him pause like he’s in some kind of
trap. “I’m not sure I follow.”

“You saved a lot of patients.”

“But I cut your salary too.”

A little smile creeps onto her lips. “Did you now?”

His face darkens. “From what I recall.”

“Here’s the thing,” she says softly. “You did cut
admin salaries across the board… but not all of
them stayed cut.”

He tenses. “That wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“You left, remember? And our salaries went right
back into the control of the board. Fortunately, the
board likes me.”

“So, what? You had them give you a raise?”

“Of course I did,” she snaps at him. “Do you have
any idea what it takes to run a hospital? I had them
give me my old salary back and then some.”

“What about the others?” he asks.

“They stayed cut.”

He blinks, a little surprised. “That’s harsh, even for
you.”

“Oh, hell, it was a good move on your part. I
would’ve done it myself, but I couldn’t be the bad
guy. I’m glad you did it for me.”

“So if all this worked out for you personally, why
do you hate me so much?”

She hesitates a second before sitting down next to
him with a sigh. “I don’t know,” she finally admits.
“I’m not sure I do, really.”

He leans back and I watch them quietly. I’m not
sure where this is going, but I don’t think it’s going
to be good. I have a bad feeling in my gut.

“You just needed a bad guy, and that was me.”

“More or less. Keeping the long-term wing open
longer was a nice PR gain for us.”

“Of course, it’s all about marketing for you, huh?”

“Of course it is,” she snaps. “How do you think all
this gets paid for? We gotta keep money moving
through this place or else we can’t afford to take
care of patients.”

He sighs a little, looking up at the skylight. “You
know, when I was younger, I thought doctors were
free. The idea that you’d charge someone to help

make them better was…” He trails off, shaking his
head. “It seemed wrong, I guess.”

“Welcome to the real world.”

He snorts. “Like you need to remind me where we
live.” He finally looks back at her. “So, what now?
You just keep going on like before?”

“Oh, no.” She smiles at him. “Did you ever stop to
think why you know so many people on that ward
still?”

He frowns slightly. “I figured since it’s the long-
term ward…” He trails off.

“I bet the nurses told you that we’ve been filling
empty beds, didn’t they?”

“Sure,” he says. “I saw some new faces.”

“But not many. We’re going to phase out that
whole wing sooner or later.”

He’s quiet for a second. “As soon as all the current
residents die off.”

“Right. We’re reassigning nursing staff little by
little and eventually there won’t be any coverage…
and no more long-term wing. Do you have any clue
how expensive that place is? The staff doesn’t even
realize I’m doing it, not yet at least.”

He’s quiet for a long time. She just sits there, a little
smile on her face.

“It doesn’t matter what I do, does it?” he finally
asks. “You’re going to gut that wing.”

“Damn right I am. All that money going to waste
on, what, twenty people? We could save hundreds
or thousands for the money it takes to house and
feed and care for them full-time.”

“How very pragmatic.” He stands up. “Glad to
know you’re still heartless.”

“Glad to know you’re still naive.”

He shakes his head. “I’m not naive, Jolena. I just
believe in treating people like people and not like
statistics.”

“Good luck with that. Unfortunately, I don’t have
that luxury. So the next time you want to fuck with
my hospital, think twice. I’m in the business of
saving as many lives as I can, not in keeping
outdated long-term wings afloat out of some inane
sense of self-righteousness.”

He stares down at her and she smiles back placidly.
For a second, I think he might actually hit her. But
slowly he turns and walks away.

I get up and follow him with only a glare in Jolena’s

direction. She’s smiling like she won some kind of
victory.

I catch up with Cade outside in front of the
building. An ambulance driver is smoking a
cigarette near the entrance to the ER.

“I guess now we know,” he says to me, staring out
at the parking lot.

“There’s no way your dad knew any of that.”

“He knew.” Cade shakes his head angrily. “Of
course he knew. That’s our lesson for this trip. It
doesn’t matter what we do, the world will always
cut you down and grind you into dust.”

I frown at that. He’s never spoken that way, with
such venom and nihilism. “Don’t tell me he’s
finally getting to you?”

Cade smiles sadly at me. “If you think he hadn’t
gotten to me a long time ago already, you’re
kidding yourself.”

He goes quiet and I just watch him for a few
minutes. He stares out over the parking lot.

I hate seeing him like this. It hits me in the chest
how badly I want to make him feel better. I want to
comfort him but I don’t know why. I never thought
I’d actually pity this man.

He has everything he could possibly want. He
doesn’t need more… but that’s what he wants. He
craves more like he’s owed it or something.

But then again, everything I’ve seen about him
makes me think he really would be a decent man.
Maybe he made mistakes, maybe he partied too
hard, but he seems to have been trying to do good
in this world. At least in a few places. At least here.

I step up next to him and slip my hand into his. He
looks down at me, a little surprised.

“Come on,” I say. “I have something that might
cheer you up.”

He arches an eyebrow at me. “I’d rather wallow for
a bit.”

“Come on,” I say again. “Trust me. You’ll like it.”

We walk back into the hospital together. I lead him
up to the long-term wing and into the empty room
where we dropped our bags earlier. He leans
against the wall, looking out the window, while I
fish the composition book from my bag. I hold it
out to him.

“Check this out,” I say, feeling embarrassed
already. This is a terrible idea but I’m committed.

He frowns at it. “The book again,” he says.

“Go ahead. Before I lose my nerve.”

He takes it from me. “You don’t have to show me
this, you know.”

“I know.” I can feel myself blushing like crazy.
“Just look inside. You’ll see why I wanted it back.”

He flips the book open and pages through it. He
frowns at the pages for a second… and then his
eyes go wide.

A smile slips across his lips. He glances up at me
and I can’t meet his gaze.

He looks back down, flipping through the book. He
reads it over a few times, skipping around, clearly
enjoying himself.

“It’s a dream journal,” he says finally.

“I know. Boring, right?”

He grins huge at me. “It’s a sex dream journal.”

“Don’t make fun of me, okay? I don’t know why I
wrote those all down, but—”

“Why’d my father have it?” he asks.

I clench my jaw. “The asshole caught me writing in
it one day and took it. Said I wasn’t on break and
could study later. I don’t know if he read it but I

had to make sure I got it back.”

He laughs softly. “Holy shit. I bet he had no clue
what he was taking from you.”

“I hope not.” I’m so red and embarrassed. I can’t
believe I actually showed that to him. “This was a
dumb idea.”

I reach for the book but he holds it away. “No, this
was a great idea. You’re renewing my faith in
humanity.”

“Just because you’re reading some dirty dreams?”

“Little Lucy, the fact that such a virginal little
kitten like you could even have dreams like this
restores my faith.” He steps forward, a hand on my
lower back. He kisses me softly and I give in to him
slowly.

This is why I wanted to show him the book, after
all. I knew he’d kiss me like this.

“That was the nicest thing you could’ve done for
me,” he says softly with a grin on his face.

“I knew you’d like it, perv.” I push him away
playfully.

He smiles and leans back against the wall. I take
the notebook back and slip it into my bag, hoping I
don’t regret that decision sometime later.

“I just wish there was something I could do,” he
whispers. “But maybe she’s right.”

“Don’t let her get to you,” I say. “She just said
those things to piss you off.”

“True, but she might be right anyway.”

I shake my head. “Come on, Cade. Don’t be like
that. You know better.”

He sighs. “Okay, okay, fine. How about we go talk
about that one dream you had, about the hockey
coach and the whole team?”

I blush hard. “Don’t.”

“I mean, I get going through all those big, strapping
men, but the entire stadium too?”

“Oh my god. It was a dream, dreams don’t make
sense.”

“Sure, sure.” He laughs. “Oh and that one where
you were underwater with the mermaids? I guess
the merman…”

I glare at him as hard as I can but I know I brought
this on myself.

At least he’s smiling again. Sure, I’m mortified, but
at least he’s laughing. I hated seeing him so broken
down like that, just from that stupid admin woman.

As if she knows anything. She’s bitter and jaded
and can’t see beyond her own little world, this
building. She thinks the whole world works this
way because she works this way.

But I’ve seen what Cade can do if he wants to. I
think he can do good things…

I know he can, if he just keeps trying.

“Come on,” Cade says, taking my hand. “Let’s
make one last round before we move on.”

“Where are we going next?” I ask him.

He just smiles mysteriously. “I think you’re going to
like it.”

I groan and follow him out into the hallway.

I suspect I’m not going to like it… at all.

Cade

“Welcome to the Tanner Ranch!”

The man grins at the two of us from behind this big,
bushy mustache. He’s wearing faded blue jeans, a
cowboy hat, and real-life cowboy boots.

“Oh, no,” I hear Lucy whisper, which just makes
me smile even more.

“Now, folks, I hear you two are here to help out, is
that right?” The old man lean against a fencepost,
still grinning.

I nod. “We sure are. I’m Cade and this is Lucy.”

“Pleasure to meet you both.” The man spits on the
ground. “Happy to have a couple extra hands
around this week, you know, we could always use
the help.”

“That’s what we’re here for,” I say. “Make sure
you work this one extra hard.” I slap Lucy on the
back and she glares at me like she literally wants
me to drop dead.

“Shucks, well, I’ll do my best,” the man says. “I’m
Lucius Tanner, by the way, but you can call me Old
Lou. Everyone ‘round here does.”

“All right then, Old Lou.”

“Come on. I’ll show y’all to your rooms.”

Old Lou leads us down a long gravel path toward a
large building out in the distance.

Lucy moves up beside me as Old Lou hurries up
ahead.

“What is this place?” she asks me softly.

“Cattle ranch.”

“Jesus. What else do you people own?”

“Everything.” I grin at her. “Believe it or not, cattle
ranching is big money.”

“I believe it.” She sighs. “What are we doing all
week?”

“I think we’re doing old-fashioned work,” I
whisper. “You know, with our hands?”

She rolls her eyes. “Please. Like you’ve ever gotten
your hands dirty before.”

“This isn’t the first ranch I’ve visited.” I wink at
her and put my arms around her shoulders. “Come

on, you’ll love it. The great outdoors, fresh air, all
that.”

“Bugs. Rain. Shit.”

“Cattle! The glory of nature!”

“Mud.”

I grin at her and hug her tight. “It’ll be an
adventure!”

“I hate you,” she whispers and I just laugh.

Old Lou leads us up to the main ranch building. He
takes us inside.

“Most of the others are out working. Ma Tanner’s
in the kitchen cooking up something good, and my
boys are out in the fields. Y’all can help Ma out for
now while you get settled.” He shows us to one
large room with a huge king bed in the middle.
“Unpack, we’ll see you in the kitchen.”

He turns to leave but Lucy stops him. “I’m sorry,
just one room?”

He gives her an odd look. “Sorry, it’s all we got.
Not to your liking?”

“No, I mean, I’m sorry, I just—” She’s blushing like
mad.

“We’re not married or together,” I say to Old Lou.
“She’s old-fashioned, you know?”

“Ah,” he says, nodding. “Well, it’s a big bed. See
you two soon.” He ambles off, whistling a tune.

I head into the room. “Sure beats a hotel,” I say as I
toss my bag on a chair in the corner.

She shuts the door and whirls on me. “You set this
up.”

“I did not.”

“You did. Don’t lie to me.”

I put my hands up. “Seriously. I’m innocent.”

She glares at me for a long time before throwing her
bag on the bed. “You sleep on the floor.”

“No way. I’ve got a bad back.”

“Too bad.”

I hop up onto the bed and stretch out. “Plenty of
room for us both. Besides, it’ll be nice, having your
naked warm body next to mine.”

“I don’t sleep naked.” She crossed her arms over
her chest.

“You will with me.”

She rolls her eyes. “Come on, asshole. Let’s get
settled. And seriously, no funny business here,
okay? We’re almost through and we might as well
make it out alive.”

“Oh, please.” I reach out and grab her, pulling her
onto the bed with me. She lets out a little whine as I
pin her down and kiss her. “This is a dream come
true for you.”

“Get off, dickhead.”

I kiss her again and she returns it in spades. We kiss
like that for a few seconds before I finally pull
away. “I’m sleeping right here,” I whisper. “Now,
say yes, Daddy.”

She bites her lip. “Yes, Daddy.”

I release her. “Good girl.”

I hop up, trying to still my racing heart. She clears
her throat and heads into the bathroom. I hear the
water running and I grin to myself. When she
comes out, she just glares at me.

“Come on, let’s go,” she says, and I follow her out
into the kitchen.

Ma Tanner is an old woman just like Lou, but pretty
in her old age, or at least she’s weathered well.
Long salt-and-pepper hair pulled into a thick braid

over one shoulder, laugh lines at her eyes.

“Hello, you two,” she says. “Lou told me you’d be
staying with us.”

“Get a lot of visitors from corporate?” I ask her.

She snorts. “We got bought out ten years ago and
never heard a peep from you folks. I actually forgot
we were owned at all until your office said you two
would be stopping by for a visit.”

“That’s good,” I say. “Better to fly under the
radar.”

“That’s what the boys say.” She shrugs and turns
back to cooking.

“Smells good,” Lucy says, stepping up next to her.

“Why don’t you chop some onions, dear?” she asks
me before turning to Lucy. “Might as well make
that man useful, huh?”

I grin and get to work. I actually like cooking, so I
make quick work of the onions. Next I tackle some
peppers and celery, and finally I finish by peeling
carrots and potatoes.

“He’s a natural,” Ma says.

“Something like that,” Lucy mutters.

I grin at them, proud of how good I am at turning
big vegetables into tiny little pieces.

“You know, I don’t need too much more help,” Ma
says. “Why don’t you two go for a little walk
around the grounds? Head back in an hour or so
and you can meet the boys.”

“Works for me.” I grab Lucy’s hand. “Come on,
sweetie.”

She turns bright red. “He’s joking,” she says
quickly.

Ma gives us a knowing look and waves a spoon.
“Get out of here,” she says. “You two idiots.”

I grin and pull Lucy along. She glares at me. “She
thinks we’re together now.”

“I know. Isn’t it funny?” I put my arm around her
shoulders again, pulling her tight, but she squirms
away.

“You can be such a dick sometimes.”

“Yeah, yeah. Try to enjoy this, okay?”

She sighs and I lead her down a path that winds its
way across a field. We come to a short rise and
climb up the hill, passing over dirt and boulders and
thin pine trees, before we finally reach the top.

The ranch spreads out across the land in front of us.

“Wow,” Lucy says softly.

“Yeah,” I answer. “I know.”

We’re quiet, the breathless sort of quiet you feel in
museums and anywhere there are beautiful things. I
hold her hand without thinking and we stare out at
the valley below us, at the long stretches of
grassland, and out beyond, some fences penning in
vast swaths of good grazing grass where big-bodied
animals congregate in huge packs. I squeeze her
palm and she squeezes back. It’s so different from
what we’ve seen before.

It’s been all cities, and hotels, and more cities, but
this, it’s different. I want to say that it feels more
real but that isn’t right, it’s all equally real, but this
is the sort of view people have enjoyed forever,
really. This is the sort of simple beauty I could
share with any person, living or dead, at any time
on this grand timeline.

I think that’s what’s so perfect about a good view.
It’s timeless.

“I want to admit something,” she says softly.

“Is it how badly you want me?”

She laughs a little but doesn’t look in my direction.

She’s so beautiful, so perfect, with her little
features and her tight body. It hits me hard how
stupidly and foolishly I’ve let myself fall for her
over this last month. I didn’t even realize it until it
was too late, things were creeping closer and closer,
I was getting to know her, and now…

Now I feel like I want her. And not just to fuck, to
feel, but to be with.

It’s strange how this could happen to me without
me even knowing.

The little things give it away: holding her hand, an
arm around her shoulders, kissing her and
luxuriating in that kiss, needing to go further but
knowing it’s okay if it doesn’t. Just being around
her is enough for now.

“It’s about this whole thing,” she says distantly.
“About the deal.”

“What deal?”

She bites her lip. “The deal I made with your
father.”

“What is it?” I ask softly.

“He knew he was dying in the end.” She speaks
like she’s reciting something from memory, a few
lines from a play, almost distantly and detached.

“He knew it was coming. He called me into his
study one day and made me an offer. He said he’d
give me something worth a lot of money… if I go
through this with you.”

“I didn’t know he knew,” I say softly. I can’t decide
how I feel about that.

“He wanted you to fail.” She looks up at me then
with pure sadness in her eyes. “It was never my job
to make sure you pass, don’t you see? I was my job
just to make sure you got through it all. And once
we were done… I’d get paid whether you took over
the company or not.”

I stare at her, surprise settling over me. “What?
You… were you going to tell me?”

“You just assumed it was the other way around and
I just… didn’t correct you. But all the power is in
my hands, don’t you see? I have to make this big
choice, about whether you’re good for the world or
not, and…”

I stare at her, barely able to understand. “That’s
why you keep asking,” I say. “You want to know if
it’s a mistake to make me head of the company or
not. You’re afraid… you’re afraid I’d be bad for
the world, that I’d abuse all that power.”

She nods once. “Yeah. I am.”

I step back from her, letting her fingers fall from my
hand.

“Why?” I whisper. “After all this, you’re still not
sure.”

“It’s not that simple,” she says. “I like you, Cade…
I want you… I just, I don’t know if it’s because of
the sex or because of something else or… I’m too
close now. I’m too tangled up.”

“Jesus, Lucy.”

“I never said I was going to pass you. I never said
it.”

I just look at her without speaking. I think she’s on
the verge of tears but in this moment, I’m not sure I
care.

“After all that,” I say softly, shaking my head.

And then I walk away.

“Cade!” she calls after me, but I just walk faster.

I can’t look at her right now. I need distance, space
to think about this.

After everything these last three weeks, she still
thinks I might be a bad person.

I wish I could make her see it. I don’t want this

company to make myself personally wealthy. I have
what I need and I don’t need much more.

I want this company to do something good in the
world. I want to leave a mark. I want to be better
than my father.

But she still doesn’t trust me, after all this…

I don’t know what to do. My desire for her, my
longing, is at war with my need for the company.
I’m angry she didn’t tell me any of this earlier, but
I’m also strangely glad.

If she had told me, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have let
myself get so close to her.

But too late for that. I’m already close.

Now I can see everything crumbling… all because I
let myself follow my heart like a damn fool.

If she can’t be sure, after all this…

Well, maybe I don’t deserve it then.

Maybe I really don’t.

Cade

T hree days of hard manual labor pass in the blink
of an eye.

Being physically bone-tired helps make time slip
past faster than I thought possible.

We’re up before the dawn and down with the sun
and working our asses off in between.

I want to talk to Lucy about what happened up on
that ridge but even sharing the same bed, we barely
see each other. We’re working different shifts,
doing different tasks. I get to bed before she does
and even when I try to stay up, I’m fast asleep
before she comes into the room.

I’m up before her though and I never have the
heart to wake her up.

Three days pass like that. I start to think Old Lou is
keeping us apart on purpose.

“You look pissed,” Big Bill says to me as I shove a
bale of hay through the barn door.

“Thinking about your dad,” I grumble to him. Big
Bill is one of the three brothers that help out on the
farm: Big Bill, Little John, and Tim.

“Yeah? He piss you off that much?” Bill slaps his
enormous hands on his jeans and frowns at me.

“Not really.” I sigh and stretch. My back’s aching
and my hands are rough from all the hard work, but
that’s not bothering me. I actually like the physical
activity. I like finishing a day feeling exhausted but
accomplished. “More like I’m mad with myself.”

“Now you lost me there, city boy,” Big Bill says.
“Why don’t you take a break? I saw your little
girlfriend heading into the house a few minutes
ago.”

I feel my heart leap. I haven’t had a chance to talk
to Lucy in what feels like forever, and if we’re both
taking a break…

“Maybe I’ll do that.”

He grins at me. “A little roll in the hay’ll set you
straight.”

I can’t help but laugh. If only he knew.

I wave and head out toward the house, taking off
my gloves and shoving them into my back pocket. I
can already smell lunch simmering away in the

kitchen, probably some hearty stew Ma always
favors. I push open the big wooden door and step
into the living room.

Lucy’s in the kitchen sitting at the table, a steaming
mug of coffee in front of her. She looks surprised to
see me.

“Hey,” I say, sitting across from her.

“Hey, yourself.” She frowns a little. “Thought you
were avoiding me.”

“Nah. Just haven’t had the time to talk.”

“We’ve been busy.” She looks away, down at the
floor.

“Maybe we should, uh, go somewhere,” I say
softly, glancing over at Ma who is studiously
pretending not to be listening.

Lucy shrugs. “We don’t have to.”

“Lucy…”

She sighs. “Okay, okay. But if you’re just going to
yell at me, save it, okay?”

“That’s not what I want to say.”

She looks at me finally and bites her lip. I realize
why she’s been avoiding eye contact: there are

tears in her eyes.

“Come on,” I say, standing. I take her hand, which
seems to surprise her even more, and lead her out
the back door. Ma waves a spoon at us as we pass.

We walk along the hiking trail again, this time
skirting along the base of the ridge. It’s a nice
morning, just past ten. We’ve been up and at it for a
few hours already and I can tell she’s just as tired
as I am.

We’re not used to this kind of work. Even if I
happen to like it, that doesn’t mean it necessarily
agrees with me.

She kicks a few stones loose and heads over to lean
against a fencepost. A few stray cattle graze not too
far off and I can hear the boys riding ATVs around
in the distance.

“So what’s going on?” she asks.

“I wanted to talk about what you said to me when
we first got here.”

“Yeah? I figured that discussion was over.”

“Lucy…” I trail off and step up next to her. I lean
my elbows on the fence and sigh. “I don’t know
anything other than the life my father set out for
me.”

“I get it, you think the company just belongs to
you, but that’s not—”

“Hold on,” I say, interrupting her before she can get
angry. “Just listen for a second, okay?”

She bites back a retort and nods.

I take a breath and look out over the field.

“Like I said, I don’t know anything else. I never
imagined there could be anything else. I figured I’d
live in my father’s shadow, let him torture me, let
him always be disappointed, until he died. I got my
kicks where I could, lived a hard life, partied my
fair share. But in the end, I was always going to
take over the company. Even on days when I didn’t
want it and thought I’d walk away.”

“Like during the reading of the will?” she asks
softly.

“Even then I knew I wouldn’t really give it up.” I
sigh and stretch my neck side to side. “That’s
changing though.”

“What do you mean?”

I look at her, really look at her. She’s beautiful in
the sunlight, her stray hairs gleaming with reflected
glow, her skin gorgeous and smooth, her lips
pouting and full. The fitted button-down shirt and

tight jeans look perfect on her and I know I’m
making the right decision.

“You changed that,” I say softly. “Going through
this with you changed that. I’m starting to see…
well, maybe not having the company isn’t the worst
thing in the world.”

She blinks, clearly surprised. “You don’t want it?”

“I don’t know what I want,” I admit. “Maybe I
don’t deserve it. Or maybe I don’t need it. But I
don’t think that company is what I really want
anymore.”

She bites her lip. “If this is some kind of ploy… I
don’t think it’ll work.”

“That’s not what I’m doing.” I sigh and turn to her.
I step closer and she takes a step back, surprised.
But I don’t stop, I walk right up to her, grab her
hips, pull her against me almost roughly. She stares
up into my eyes and I kiss her.

I don’t know how else to explain what I need. This
kiss has to do that, has to make it obvious what I
really need…

I let it linger. I let her taste it, feel it, my body, my
lips. I let her feel what I want.

“It’s you,” I whisper when we break apart. I pull

her tight against me, hugging her closer. She grips
me back. “It’s you, Lucy. I don’t care if you don’t
pick me, maybe that’ll be easier. I can give that up
if I can have you.”

“You… I don’t…”

“Believe me,” I whisper. “I love you, Lucy. I fell in
love with you and it took me all this time to really
figure it out. I can see something different… a
better future with you.”

She blinks madly and I can see the tears again. I
wipe one away that threatens to roll down her
cheek.

“I love you too, Cade,” she says. “I’ve been so
confused… I thought I shouldn’t pick you because
I love you… I just don’t know.”

I kiss her softly. “It doesn’t matter. Do what you
feel is right. I really don’t care either way.” I pull
her tight against me. “Just promise that when this is
over, you’re going to be mine.”

“I promise,” she whispers.

“Good. I promise too.”

I hold her like that and I don’t let her go for a long
while.

It took me this long to finally figure out what I’ve

been missing. It hasn’t been the life my father
wanted for me, the company, all that shit.

It’s this woman, this future with her in my arms.

I don’t know where we’ll go from here. I don’t
think it matters. I’m not thinking beyond the next
few seconds. I’ve never felt like this before in my
life, like it doesn’t matter what happens from here,
so long as I have her.

My love, my future.

No matter what she decides, I’ll always have her.

That’s what I wanted, what I needed.

Lucy

O ne Year Later

“Good morning!”

I throw open the curtains.

Cade groans in the bed, covering his eyes. “Oh,
god, the light. It burns!”

I grin at him and hop back into bed. He laughs and
grabs me, pulling me into his arms. He kisses my
neck, my chest. “Easy now,” I say. “We have work
to do, you know.”

He sighs. “Can’t we skip it and stay in bed?”

“No.” I kiss him once. “You know that.”

I get out of bed and he slaps my ass. I laugh and
skip away as he tries to grab me and pull me back.

He sighs, rolling onto his back.

“Get up, lazy asshole,” I call as I head into the
bathroom to get ready for the day.

Even after all this time, I’m still his minder. Well,
not exactly. I don’t hold all the cards anymore.

But I definitely have to hustle him out of bed these
days. The man only wants to stay in bed with me,
and while I love it, we do have to have a life
outside of this room sometimes.

He joins me in the bathroom, kisses my neck, and
brushes his teeth. We get dressed together, falling
into the familiar rhythm and flow of a life spent
together constantly since that fateful afternoon one
year ago.

As I finish pulling on my sweater, I glance down at
the ring on my finger. I’m not used to it yet. I’ve
only been wearing it for a week or so and it feels
totally foreign to me… but in a good way.

Plus, it’s absurdly big. I asked how much he spent
on it and he just winked. “No such thing as too
much when it comes to you, my darling Lucy,” he
said, which meant it cost in a ton.

“Gazing at the jewels?” he asks me.

I look up. He’s wearing just his boxer briefs, a grin
on his face.

I smack at him and he dances away.

“Cut it out,” I say. “We have to go.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He sighs and pulls his suit on. I have
to admit, the man sure does clean up well. “My
little fiancée.” He grins and kisses me.

“For real this time.” I kiss him back.

“All right. I think I’m ready for the day now.”

“Of course you are.”

We leave the apartment together and take a taxi
downtown. We’ve been living in New York for the
past few months in a place we picked out together.
Before that, we were staying in the absurd house
his father left me as payment for that month of hell
we went through.

But now that’s for sale. I figure we can do
something with the money that we actually like…
instead of keeping that absurd thing.

That’s the past, anyway. We’re in this for the
future.

The taxi drops us off outside of an enormous glass
building. Cade heads inside, striding purposefully.
Security lets us through immediately and we ride
the elevators up to the top floor.

Cade gives me a look. “Are you prepared for this?”
he asks.

“I think so.”

“You don’t have to be here, you know.”

“I know. But if we’re going to do this…” I trail off.

“I’m glad you are.” He takes my hand and squeezes
it.

The elevator doors open and we’re instantly
swarmed by a million different assistants,
managers, and other random personnel. I don’t
know any of them but Cade seems to be up to
speed on everything, so I let him do the talking.

We walk through the Morris Group’s main offices
and into the biggest conference room I’ve ever
seen. It’s like something from a James Bond movie,
the sort of place evil international villains would
gather. Huge wooden table, enormous paintings
with golden frames, everything priceless and
exuding money and power.

Cade leads me right up to the head of the table.
More people filter in, taking seats, until the room is
packed.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Cade says and the space
settles into silence. Everyone’s staring at him. “I
know we’ve been absent for this past year, but now
we’re back. So get used to seeing us on a daily
basis.”

A man raises his hand. He’s an older gentleman

with graying hair and an expensive suit. He looks
like he’s never smiled once in his life.

“Yes, Roger?” Cade asks him.

“Am I to take it that this, ah, situation will
continue… indefinitely?”

Cade stares at him for a long time before looking at
the group.

“I see I’m going to have to address this again, but I
hope it’s for the last time.” He stares at them and
even I start to shift a little bit beside him.

“The ‘situation’ Roger here so gracefully
mentioned is permanent. When Lucy named me the
acting owner and head of the Morris Group, I
immediately gave her fifty percent of my stake,
effectively making us co-owners. Any decision that
is made in this business will go through the both of
us. I understand this is not how companies normally
run, but we are no longer in the business of being a
normal company.” He looks at me. “Would you like
to address that, Lucy?”

I nod, feeling butterflies in my stomach. I step up to
the table.

“We are going to be better,” I say. Everyone
looking at me right now probably hates my guts.
I’m a nobody from nowhere with absolutely

nothing… at least I was before I fell in love with
Cade and this all happened.

Now we co-own the Morris Group. And I’m going
to be independently wealthy, thanks to the property
I’m going to sell.

“Yes, but, what does that mean?” the man named
Roger cuts in.

I give him a flat stare, trying my best to emulate
Cade.

“We’re going to do good,” I say. “Shareholder
wealth will no longer be the top priority. Yes, we
will make money and turn a profit… but we won’t
be greedy. Initiatives designed to help people will
be rewarded. If you want to grow in this company,
it’s time to start thinking bigger than just our
wallets.”

Roger looks angry but doesn’t say anything else. I
look at the others in the room and I see his
expression mirrored on some faces… but there are
more smiles than frowns.

“The world is changing,” I tell them. “Greed isn’t
good. We have enough… we have more than
enough. It’s time to start helping people. It’s time to
be good stewards of this world.”

The room breaks out into applause and I step back,

letting Cade take over the meeting.

He manages it so flawlessly and effortlessly. I
suppose that’s from years of doing this under his
father.

He’s the day-to-day control… and I’m the big
picture. I’ll make sure to keep him and this
company in check.

I’ll make sure they really aren’t being evil, like
some other companies want to pretend they are.

We’ll make money... But we don’t go insane doing
it.

When the meeting ends, I follow Cade out into the
hallway. We’re swarmed again but he parts through
the crowd easily. I watch him with a little smile on
my lips, impressed with how effortless it really is
for him.

He looks back and cocks his head, giving me a
quizzical look.

“Nothing,” I say, taking his hand.

We step into our office and he shuts the door. The
crowd stays outside.

He takes a deep breath and lets it out. The room’s
large, the biggest office in the building. Two desks
are set up on either side of the room facing each

other with a sitting area in the middle.

“Right or left?” he asks.

“Sorry?”

“Right or left?” He points at the two desks.

I laugh. “Right.”

“You got it.”

He kisses me and instead of going to our separate
desks, he draws me over to the sitting area and
pulls me down into his lap.

“So, fiancée,” he says softly. “What do you think?”

“I think we’re in for it,” I answer with a laugh.

“But do you think we can do this?”

I stare into his eyes for a long time before nodding.
“Yeah. We can.”

“Good.”

He kisses me and I lean into that kiss, letting it
linger.

My future husband. I know our visions for this
world are in total alignment. We’re going to do
some good together…

And if we don’t, at least we’ll try.

We’ve already done some good things. We gave Jan
back his recording studio. We fired Jolena from the
hospital. We even offered Ma and Old Lou their
ranch, but Ma just laughed and told us they
couldn’t care less so long as we keep paying them
so damn much. Even the news studio got a little
boost in morale when we promoted Ken.

So far, we’re trying as hard as we can, but there’s
so much more to do. I just know that if I stay with
Cade, stick with him, give myself to him
completely…

We can do it. We can do anything we want.

I love him, with all my body, heart, mind, and soul.
He’s my everything… my future, my gift.

The kiss ends and I wrap my arms around his neck.
I don’t move for a little while. We just stay like
that, holding each other.

“Shall we get to work?” he asks finally. “Or should
we lock that door and—”

“Let’s get to work.” I grin and kiss him. “We can
do that other thing later.”

He nods once, squeezes my hand, and we get to it
together.

THE END

Your next series is ready! Best Friend Baby Daddy
is the first in a series of steamy secret baby / baby
daddy romances. Mixing business with pleasure is
always a mistake… but with Everest it’s nothing
but pleasure.

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Also by BB Hamel

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Series include Steamy Daddies, SEAL Team Hotties,

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Document Outline

Title Page
Contents
Copyright
Grab your free book!
1. Lucy
2. Cade
3. Lucy
4. Cade
5. Lucy
6. Cade
7. Lucy
8. Cole
9. Lucy
10. Lucy
11. Lucy
12. Cade
13. Cade
14. Lucy
15. Cade
16. Lucy
17. Cade
18. Cade
19. Lucy
Also by BB Hamel

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