Blake“You hear that, Blake? He’s going to be fine.” Danny repeated what the doctor said proudly, almost like he was responsible for Dad’s progress.My brother was really getting on my nerves, but this wasn’t the time or place to get into it. Instead, I smiled at the doctor. “Thank you for letting us know, Doctor. That’s good to hear.”“You’re welcome. It’s always a pleasure to share good news.” He walked to one of the machines, pressing buttons until the screen changed to show him some kind of information. He made sounds under his breath before turning back to us. “Everything looks good. There’s really nothing more you boys can do here for now. Your Dad is going to survive, but once he wakes up he’s going to have a lot of recovering to do.”Elation swelled in my chest at the words. Dad was going to survive. It was the best news I could remember getting—ever. “Should we start making arrangements with a recovery clinic or something?”A part of me hoped he said yes. If he did, I could t

AstonThe reporter on the business news desk was a young guy, maybe my age, with short cropped blond hair and an ill-fitting suit. I wondered if the guy knew his dramatic pauses were going to give me a cardiac event if he didn't spit out whatever it was he had to say.“The company has been in the news recently for making announcements about some big expansion plans. We already know they are expanding their footprint both at home and internationally by adding a few more properties to their growing collection, as they announced awhile back. The company also surprised investors recently when it announced plans to expand into social media."“Get on with it,” Tiffany urged the reporter. She took a few steps closer to the television and glared at the guy the way men sometimes did while watching sports—like the reporter was a referee who made a bad call.It would have been funny if I wasn’t even more anxious to know what was coming than she was.“Danny McAllen, son of CEO Wayne McAllen, spok

BlakeBy the time I left the Houston property, I was fucking exhausted. Justin had made it too easy for me, and somehow, that made me feel worse than with the managers who put up more of a fight. I sighed, sinking into the black leather seats of the car that waited for me outside the building. After leaving Florida to begin this terrible trip, I caved on my usual aversion to private travel and called my dad’s pilot and the travel department of the company. Knowing what the week held for me, I knew I would be too tired and not in the mood to drive myself or to deal with flying commercial.Both were things I ordinarily didn’t mind doing, but not this week. This week, I didn’t want to see any more people than necessary, like I would at the airport and I spaced out so much thinking about my dad and the work I was doing, that I would have been a danger on the road.Without the need to say a word, my driver pulled away from the Houston property and headed back to the airport. He navigated t

AstonIt was one thing to have suspected he was rich and powerful from the first moment I met him, but it was something completely different to know just how rich and powerful he actually was. Memories of what he’d been like when we slept together came rushing at me.The way his muscles tensed and quivered above mine, how his eyes screwed shut when he was overwhelmed with pleasure. Wetness pooled between my legs at the thought. It sent a thrill through me to know I could do that to him.But now that I knew just who I had brought to his knees when he crawled onto the bed with me, I was in awe that my body could reduce a man like him to a trembling, moaning mass of pleasure.Tiffany brought me back from my naughty trip down memory lane when she cleared her throat. “Earth to Aston. Do you want to go do your checks at security so we can get out of here sometime before midnight, or are you planning on sleeping in your office again?”I shook the lusty haze fogging up my brain away. “Sorry.

BlakeNow or never. I took a deep breath, wishing it could have been never. But that wasn’t how I rolled.“I haven’t been completely honest with you,” I started, expecting more of a reaction than the one I got.Aston calmly chewed her food, glancing down at the table before motioning for me to continue. The words came out in a rush. “My last name isn’t Carlton. Carlton is my mother’s maiden name and my middle name. My real last name is McAllen. I’m Wayne McAllen’s son.”There, I said it. I waited for surprise to color her features or for a burst of anger to come. I half expected her to call me a liar and to run from the room screaming. Instead, she didn’t look surprised at all.If anything, she looked relieved. “I was wondering when you were going to tell me.”My jaw threatened to drop. “You knew?”She nodded, embarrassment flashing in her eyes.“After you left, Tiffany looked you up,” she admitted. “I was going to wait for you to tell me everything yourself, but then she found out an