The exposed brick walls are painted white and soft music plays over the speakers, but the voices of the people sharing a meal make the restaurant loud."I enjoy it when you take my suggestions," Vincent says, leaning in close once our waitress walks away.He cologne swirls around me and I smile, not telling him the real reason behind my choice. "I figure you have good taste.""That I do." His hand lowers, resting on my knee and disturbing the tablecloth. "How is your dad?"I'm conflicted. Do I push his hand away or thank god for letting him touch me again?"Good. When are you going to meet my parents?" I don't mean that the way it sounds. It's purely so they can thank him for the help he did for my father, but I worry it comes off as if I want it for other reasons.His hand travels up my thigh and then stops halfway. "I'm not a man you bring home to Daddy."His fingers move again and catch in the tablecloth. I look around and then fix it making sure he's covered.I swal

IT'S SO hot where I lie. I try to roll over but get stuck between the covers and a heavy bar that hangs against the side of my body. My fingers reach out expecting cool metal, but I'm met with the warm soft skin of a body. Realization hits me and I open my eyes to a dark morning lying in a bed on top of the city. The sun has not risen enough to light the sky, and the clouds hang low forming a light shade of gray.Vincent moans behind me and his arm tightens, pulling me close. His sheets smell of laundry detergent, flowers, cologne, and sex. I pause for a moment trying to remember this scene exactly—the feeling of completeness I experience being held tightly in his arms. It's a memory I want to hold on to forever.His chest is a solid wall of rock behind me, a silent protector in the middle of the night. I want to lie with him forever and never let the outside world intrude upon the moments we've shared. I breathe deeply, snuggling myself back in Vincent's arms and allow him to cage

His half joke steers my attention away and I let the water soak my hair. Vincent globs shampoo in his palm and spreads it over the strands, rubbing it into my scalp. It's luxurious. My own personal spa. The shower is wide enough to fit four more people and out of the light grey stone walls two sprouts of water coat us both. Steam rises around the floor relaxing my muscles. This is heaven compared to the white fiberglass shower at my apartment."I would make new friends, but I work alone so it's not so easy to do and..." My sentence trails off with realization I planned to say I don't know how much longer I'll be working at Valiant Industries.It doesn't feel right anymore. So much has changed since I took the job. At first I saw the marketing position as a way to get my foot in the door. I planned on a few years of working to get experience and then I'd move on and find a better position in a warm climate.I didn't plan on becoming Vincent's assistant, and I wasn't looking forwar

VOLUME TWO: HER SIEGEI shove my head deeper into the couch pillow, hating the fact Vincent purchased it and yet relishing in the softness. The pillow is so malleable I could shove my face in farther and use it to suffocate my memories away."Mackenzie, it was a misunderstanding," Ashley says, sitting at the end of the couch and pulling my feet into her lap. She has her blonde hair pulled back into a high bun and she's wearing a pair of gray sweats.I cover my ears, not wanting to hear her logic about the situation. This is definitely no misunderstanding. When I came home from a devastating day and broke down telling Ashley the details of the illicit affair I've had with my billionaire boss, I expected her to be on my side. To trash him with me and talk about how horrible men are. I didn't think she'd try to calm me with logic.Best friends jump on the wagon and drive the tractor to man-hater island. Vincent hired me to fill in as his assistant while his real one was on materni

The last bits of my ice cream melt, leaving a gooey mess in the carton as it sits on my desk. My bedroom is stationed high above the city on the fifteenth floor of a building Vincent owns. I positioned the desk on a slight angle so I could work on my computer and look out at the city lights. And okay, fine. Occasionally I catch a view of Vincent's building. Now, it stares back at me laughing after taking away the positive I saw in my future. He's not shoving ice cream in his face all weekend.I need to toss the ice cream, but the small trashcan by my desk is full. The other two pints from this weekend cause it to overflow. Thursday night I spent on the couch with Ashley, drinking and eating my sorrows. Friday morning she emailed blaming my missing work on a migraine. It wasn't far from the truth. I woke up that morning with ice cream dried to my shirt and a hangover headache that would have killed a lesser woman.The entire weekend became a haze of ice cream, fried chicken, and win