Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 52699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 263(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 263(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
Contractors & Engineers Point Fingers in Deadly Fire
Still No Answers on Ten-Year Anniversary of Blaze
“What are you doing in here?” Damien suddenly gripped my hips from behind.
“Taking a tour like you said.”
“This isn’t part of it.” He hit the lights. “Come out.”
I obliged, and he locked the door behind me.
Leading me back to the living room, he set out stacks of files on an oversized oval table.
“Damien?” I stepped in front of him. “All the stakeouts we’ve been doing at Sonny Caps Condos are for you and not a client?”
He continued organizing the stacks.
“Now that I think about it, I don’t recall ever seeing a single briefs for it.” I waited for him to look at me. “Why are you using resources to look into it every week?”
“Here’s a better question.” His eyes met mine. “Where did you go this weekend? Better yet, why are you so adamant about having certain weekends off and being completely unreachable?”
I said nothing.
“Okay, let’s try two softer questions then,” he said. “Why do your parents think you’re pursuing an acting career?”
“They’re my foster parents.”
“That’s irrelevant to the question, but why do they have no clue that you’ve graduated law school and have a job at my firm?”
“I can’t tell you that…”
“Exactly.” He twirled a few of my loose curls between his fingertips. “You can’t demand answers from me, when you’re not willing to share certain things about yourself.”
“It’s a habit,” I said. “I do it so no one will be able to use my worst flaws against me later. It’s a survival mechanism.”
“Everyone is surviving something, Elizabeth,” he said, cupping my face in his hands. “Pain isn’t unique to you. You can keep your secrets, and I won’t dare to pry, and you’ll have to let me keep mine.”
I nodded, feeling conflicted, yet aroused all at once.
“Did you really invite me over here for work?” I asked.
“Yes.” He pressed a kiss against my neck. “I just wasn’t planning to do that first…”
POSSESS (V.)
TO OWN, HAVE TITLE TO, OCCUPY, PHYSICALLY HOLD OR HAVE UNDER EXCLUSIVE CONTROL
ELIZABETH
My heart, brain, and body were strumming their strings for three separate symphonies.
Damien was their unwitting conductor, directing them on different cadences. He supplied my body with the most solos, making sure it hit every note during sex, coercing a crescendo of pleasure each time.
He served my mind endless encores during our working hours, teaching me how to navigate and handle his twisted, filthy world.
My heart hardly ever played a note under him, though. It clamored for attention, begged for the chance to play whenever he lifted his baton for a new song, but he always served it silence.
AGREEMENT (N.)
ANY MEETING OF THE MINDS, EVEN WITHOUT LEGAL OBLIGATION
DAMIEN
Elizabeth hummed whenever she was frustrated.
It was a sexy, soothing sound that she punctuated with a soft “Hmmph,” whenever her eyes met mine.
It was also distracting as hell.
If we weren’t on such a tight deadline, I would’ve kicked her out of my office hours ago.
“Am I missing something, Elizabeth?” I asked. “You’re not talking to me.”
She shrugged, continuing to hum.
“I’m trying to be ‘vulnerable’ with you,” I said. “Did I do something wrong?”
She flipped a page and hummed louder.
“Okay.” I was done trying for the day. “I’m about to recite my closing argument for the Foster trial. I need you to give me your opinion.”
“No.” She finally stopped humming . “What I need is for you to finally say that we can’t work together and tell Mr. Hamilton.”
“Once again, am I missing something?”
“We had sex last night in your car during a stakeout, and then you bent me over this morning in my office.”
So, I’m definitely missing something.
“I don’t even know if you remember all the times that—” She shook her head. “That’s not the point. Point is, you just want to continue having sex on the side, right?”
“I’m not sure what you’re asking me,” I said. “Can you be a bit more blunt?”
“You don’t strike me as the relationship type.”
“I’m not.”
“Well, I’m not the casual sex type.” She shook her head. “As amazing as it is with you, I can’t handle that anymore.”
“Then what type of sex would you like?”
“You know that’s not what I mean.”
“I really don’t.” I shut my folder. “I need you to be completely direct with me.”
“I can’t deal with all sex and no relationship.” She paused. “I thought I could, because I thought being your work partner would be enough, but it’s not, because I like you. I really really like you.”
“So, you want me to be your boyfriend?”
“You don’t have to say it with so much contempt.”
“I’ve never really liked that term,” I admitted. “Alas, is that what you’re saying?”
“You could do nice things for me.” She avoided the question. “Little things that show you might like me, even if you don’t.”
“I do like you, Elizabeth.”
She blushed and picked up her water, taking slow sips.