SAVANNAHWe used the executive elevator that led straight to the twenty-fourth floor. I’d only been there once when Wesley and I went around the management floors. I didn’t see the CEO’s office because Rafael Sebastian wasn’t in and didn’t normally meet with the new employees. He gave all that hiring process and authority to managers and HR.I struggled to maintain my breath as the car went up. I became entirely aware of Rafe’s strong presence in the tight space around me. I wasn’t claustrophobic, but this should hint at what people felt experiencing it. My cheeks turned heated, so I gazed down at the floor. We were quiet. There weren’t any employees present in the building anymore at this hour. This was probably the longest elevator ride I’d ever had.The doors opened, but to my surprise, Rafe took my hand, clasping it with his warm fingers. The surge of electricity rushed through my veins, reaching my heart to cause a rapid rhythm. He led me out to the elevator and marched straight

SAVANNAHThe kiss started light, learning the taste, the wet and warm feeling, and how far the sweet impulse could go. Rafael’s hand curved across my cheek and leisurely passed my jaw before moving to the back of my neck. As his mouth worshiped mine, he started stroking my back, my waist, squeezing gently, persuading me to relax. Our mouths gilded together, calculating and smoothing. After a moment, his tongue slowly emerged, enticing me to respond. His mint breath and the taste of champagne embraced my senses. He consumed me. I couldn’t decide whether I’d let him in or mirror his movements. He sucked my tongue into him, sliding and circling. I opened up, breathing in between our mouths and releasing the rigidness in my chest. A tight ball of desire rolled around in my stomach. Rafael nipped my lips between his mouths, pulling and teasing. As I relaxed beneath his care, he grew bolder. His tongue rolled over my bottom lip, and leisurely our tongues

SAVANNAHEdward came out moments after I cleaned up. He carried a horrible stench that blew from the bathroom as he staggered out. He was wearing nothing but my baby pink underwear that didn’t help cover his cock.“You reek of alcohol!” I threw an oversized shirt and pants at him. “Wear that! You’re disgusting.”He caught them and put them on. They could keep them, throw them, or burn them; I didn’t care.I’d been in a situation like this when he came home drunk once. He wasn’t used to drinking much, but that night had been rough. He had a fight with Brett for defending me from an accidental mistake at work. It was an overlap between my duties with Brett and Amara.And just like tonight, our bedroom was turned upside down, and his puke was all over the bathroom floor. I wasn’t sure what his problem was now, when I should’ve been the one acting this way.“Why are you doing this to me? Why are you even here?”“My head is breaking, Savi. Can we talk about this tomorrow and just sleep qui

SAVANNAH My day was busy walking here and there, meeting the designers, organizing advertising deliverables, and catching schedules. The work wasn’t so different from my job at New Star Media, but I was in a more flexible environment where everyone was a team player. In my preoccupied mind, I thought about Rafael, wondering about his plan for us and what Michael had told me this morning. But it was more on Rafael and our intimate moment in his office last night. We were both out of control as we kissed hard and fast as if we were in a race. I was hyper-aware of my environment, the building, the air, knowing he was only one floor above our department. Did he think about me as much as I’d thought about him? I inhaled sharply as I tried to shove off the images of his beautiful face and seductive voice in my head. I was about to enter his brother’s office. I knocked on the door and heard Carter’s ‘come in.’ As I headed in, I heard the whispers of Carter to the person he was talking to

SAVANNAHI paused at the entrance to the Blue Stone high-rise on Fifth Avenue and gazed at the building. I felt my stomach turn and twist into a million knots. I was excited, of course, but nervous as well. I had not been to any man’s place aside from Edward’s.The doorman greeted Rafael, opening the door for us. Inside, another man sat at the security desk that didn’t mind us when we walked to the elevators.Inside the elevator car, I couldn’t say anything. This was real. A huge step into entering deeper into Rafael’s private life—another way to know him a little more. They said you’d find a glimpse of one’s personality through his home. I hope that was true.Rafael glided his hand into my fingers, easing me with a smile. “Come closer. I don’t bite.”I nodded, smiling back.The ride to his penthouse was fast. The doors of the elevator opened into a small hallway. We stepped out and headed in the only direction, finding ourselves in a foyer. The air was cool, the silence was deafening