It's a noval

1. Chapter One
Olivia
“You know, out of all of us, Tessa was the last one I thought would be arrested.” Rebecca bites the nail of
her thumb -a nervous tic she never quite grew out of in all the fifteen years we’d been friends.
I snort before closing the article I’d been reading out loud and pocketing my phone.
“You say that like we’re all pending criminals, Becca. Public protests aren’t illegal and at most, she’ll get a
slap on the wrist. I can have her bailed out by lunchtime.”
“That’s not really the point, Liv.” Becca sighs and folds her arms across her chest. I still see the gap-toothed
ten-year-old I was best friends with. She has the same warm brown skin and sparkly dark eyes, the same
soft-spoken demeanour, and the same comforting smile that saw me through some of the worst moments
of my life.
But her eyes are more tired than they once were, her face more sombre. Both of us had dreamed of being
lawyers when we were little girls. But we weren’t prepared for the stark reality of life and just how few
people truly cared for justice. The O’Connors were the paragon of those who thrived off of people’s inability
to care about morals when beauty and fortune came into play for power.
I put a hand on my hip.
“I know what you mean. But if no one ever stood up to them then the world would be infinitely worse than it
already is. They can’t keep getting away with it.”
“It would be more helpful if you could elaborate on exactly what ‘it’ is,” Becca replies glumly and I press my
lips together, trying my best to stop the response I want to say from spilling out.
She’s right, as she usually is. But, as much as I wish I could share what I know about O’Connor Industries
and their shady business dealings, I know that they still have that NDA strung around my neck. Being fired
and blackballed from the rest of mainstream corporate was a rough enough deal to accept. The last thing I
want is for them to hang me out to dry completely.
“I want to tell you, Becca, you know that. If there was any way around –”
“Yeah, I understand. I know how hard it must be for you to keep your mouth shut when you have the
information to expose something corrupt.” The corners of her mouth turn up in the hint of a smile. “You
were always the vigilante, after all.”
I roll my eyes but I can’t keep my own smile off my face. “If only that was an actual profession, I might
actually be employable.”
“You are employed, Miss Hotshot Lawyer.” Becca raises an eyebrow at me before moving to sort through
the array of documents spread across her desk. “I know this job isn’t your usual fancy position. But it’s
honest work and at least you get to keep your lights on.”
I wince. I didn’t mean to make it sound as though I wasn’t grateful that my friend had managed to get me a
gig at her startup. She’s right that it wasn’t something I was used to -up until now, I’d exclusively worked for
high-end corporate bodies. And look how well that worked out for me.
It’s not that I think this sort of work is below me, that’s not the kind of person I am. It’s more that I was so
used to making a big impact where I could help people. Becca’s startup is just beginning to crawl, but
everyone knows that unless you have an old, sturdy name on the wall of your building, you might as well
give up all hope of ever reaching that kind of status in a city like Los Angeles.

2. But I do believe in what she’s doing. It’s the closest any of us have come to honoring the wishes of those
little girls. Our group felt like it was falling apart and sometimes I feared that Becca and I would be all that
was left.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like such a jerk.”
“I know that this is a big adjustment for you. But you don’t always have to go playing hero, you know. There
are smaller-scale feats you can take on that can help others just as much. Besides, how many people get
to say they genuinely love their boss? You’re lucky,” she says, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
“I’ll keep my genuine commentary to myself,” I respond, and she laughs.
“Atta girl. Oh, and keep that well-intentioned patience running for as long as you can. We have a rookie that
needs training and I’m assigning him to you.”
I freeze. “What?”
“Oh, did I forget to tell you?” From the amused glint in her eyes, I’m almost certain that she did not. “We
have a new hire today. A paralegal looking to get a decent start in his career. He should be here in around
five?”
I groan. “Come on! I didn’t sign up for a tail, Becca.”
“No, you signed up to be a lawyer at this firm. And he signed up to be a paralegal and both of you signed
up to work for me. He needs guidance and we’re short-staffed enough as it is.” When she sees that I don’t
find this funny in the slightest, her tone softens.
“Look, this isn’t to spite you or anything like that. We really do need all the help we can get. I doubt he’ll be
a liability and besides, you could do with the assistance.”
“I prefer to work alone.” I cross my arms this time and Becca huffs a sigh.
“So stubborn. Give the kid a chance, will you? We don’t exactly have a plethora of options here.”
That is true. It’s hard enough finding hires for a baby law firm that no one has really heard of. Let alone one
that works pro bono half the time for underdog clients needing a good Samaritan. I mumble out my
reluctant agreement.
“Great! He should be -oh, he’s here right now. Olivia Montgomery, meet James Logan.”
I hadn’t even heard him climb the stairs into our modest foyer and try hard to put a smile on my face. I turn
around to greet the newbie, perhaps a little too enthusiastically because my fast turn results in a hot paper
cup of coffee being spilled all over my blouse.
I yelp in pain and pull the drenched material away from my body. Anger and embarrassment course
through me.
“I’m so sorry, Miss Mundomery! That was careless of me.” A deep, unfamiliar voice stammers out, and
even without glancing up at him, I can tell he’s truly apologetic by tone alone. I’m still fixated on the mess of
my top and the heat of the spill when a handful of tissues is thrust under my nose.
A hint of black ink peeks out from beneath an ill-fitting sleeve, and that’s when I finally look up.
The first thing I notice is a pair of pensive, pine-green eyes behind glasses. They watch me carefully, lidded
by thick dark lashes. Matching dark brows are drawn up in what looks like vague concern. I blink twice
before I take in the rest of his face: a strong jaw, hard cheekbones, and a box mouth pressed into an
impassive frown.

3. He’s tall, easily eight inches taller than my five-foot-six, broad-shouldered and solidly built beneath the
simple grey business suit. For half a second, his good looks ignite something other than anger in the pit of
my stomach, but the rapidly cooling mess on the front of my blouse immediately squishes whatever
attraction I might have felt to this klutz of a man under different circumstances. He even said my name
wrong! The audacity of this guy!
“It’s Montgomery,” I grit out, taking the tissues with a nod of gratitude before beginning to pat myself dry.
“And please, call me Olivia. We’re co-workers now, right?” I can almost hear Becca’s sigh of relief from
behind us as I beam up at James, sticking out my hand.
“Accidents happen. Though if you’re really contrite you can buy me a cup of coffee to make up for it.”

4. Chapter Two
Will
I’m not much of a gambling man, but if I was, I’d bet a million on Olivia Montgomery wanting to toss me
right out of the tenth-floor window.
She’s seething beneath that smile, her eyes almost shut with the painful-looking grin on her face. I don’t
know what to do other than apologize. Quin would no doubt have known exactly the words to say to get out
of this situation as smoothly as possible. Hell, he might even have been able to sweep this girl off her feet
despite having just ruined her clothes.
But me …I feel like a deer in the headlights. I’m frozen with embarrassment. This was why I never bothered
with the social networking part of work – I wasn’t good at dealing with people.
But I do feel guilty for accidentally spilling my coffee all over her. Uncertain of how to respond, I take her
hand and shake it.
“James,” I say curtly.
My eyes drift back down to the ugly stain on her otherwise white blouse and I feel my face heat up when I
realize her black bra is now visible through the ruined material. I lift my eyes back up to focus on her face.
She has a mass of brown curls piled on top of her head and pinned in place, though a few tendrils escape,
framing a sweet, round face. Her eyes are somewhere between brown and amber - they’re pretty, even if I
can see the hidden rage swirling inside of the hazel depths.
Her lips are full and even though I’m much taller, something about the way she pouts them gently makes
me feel like she’s the one towering over me.
“Pleased to meet you.” She lets go of my hand and turns to face Miss Hastings, who by all counts, isn’t
doing much to hide how entertaining she finds all of this.
“Is there time for me to go home and change, Becca?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
Olivia thanks her boss, grabs her coat and bag, and gives me one final cursory nod before bolting down the
stairs.
Well, this is definitely the best way to start off my new fake career, then.
I’m still staring after her when my new fake boss clears her throat. She gestures at the open chair in front of
her desk.
“James, you’ve officially met your mentor.”
I suppress the groan clawing its way up my throat and sit in the designated seat.
“At the very least I can say I made a strong first impression. Is Miss Montgomery really going to be okay? Is
there anything I can -”
“She’ll be fine, don’t worry about it. We aren’t super formal here either, you can just call us Olivia and
Rebecca.” Noting my face, she adds something else. “Seriously, she’s actually very sweet once she warms
up to you.”
“I’m sure,” I reply, keeping the disappointed edge out of my voice. The last thing I wanted was for this to be
awkward and I fear I’ve already messed things up. Olivia didn’t seem to be the soft type and I’ve never
been the best at negotiating social etiquette anyway. “Well, where do I set up?”
She gives me an apologetic smile and gestures around the room. “Grab a table and a room divider and pick
a corner. As you can tell, we have luxury accommodations here at Hastings and Beckett.”

5. The office was a single crammed floor in a twelve-story building shared by a variety of businesses including
the takeout joint below and the commercial gym-dojo above. I’ve been frequenting this place since I started
boxing there around seven years ago. Rebecca and Olivia however, were new.
It’s only because I saw their advertisements plastered all over the building that I even knew this was a law
firm at all. And when I figured out that these were the very same women responsible for the anti-
conglomerate protests that had been littering the city, I realized there’d be no better cover for me.
By the time Olivia has returned in a new shirt, I’ve already set up my ‘desk’ and began sorting through the
cases Rebecca handed off to me. Seeing her again refreshes my embarrassment but she seems to have
already banished the memory from her mind, pulling up a chair and getting to work with a verve.
“Have you sorted the cases according to priority?” Olivia waits for a few seconds and in my confused
silence, gives me a questioning look. “You do know how to prioritize caseloads, don’t you?”
“Uh, yes, of course,” I lie through my teeth. Three months of paralegal courses and most of those weren’t
exactly from the most reputable sources. I definitely had no idea what I was doing and I didn’t doubt that
Olivia could tell.
But instead of grilling me over my apparent inadequacy, she merely refreshes my memory and we put
together a system of sorts. Over the course of the next few hours, I’m frustrated by my own struggle to do
anything right. Olivia is right there, picking up the slack but it’s not difficult to see her patience begin to wear
thin with me despite her friendly responses.
I can’t blame her but it’s vexing.
I hate feeling like I can’t do something, even though I know it’s nonsensical. This is not my field of
expertise. I’m here for a reason but still, even within the context of using this as a coverup, I begin to chafe
at the constant corrections.
Picking up on both of our growing frustrations with each other, she stops me from pulling out more
paperwork.
“You know what, why don’t we call it for the day?” Olivia leans back in her chair and blows out a sigh,
sending a stray curl flying up and off her face. “First days are always the worst. We can carry on with
everything tomorrow, it’s almost time to clock out anyway. I’ll finish up what needs to be done here.”
Despite knowing I wouldn’t be of much help, my instinct is not to leave her with work to do by herself. It
doesn’t feel right, even if it’s sensible.
I tug at the sleeves that ride up too high. I hate this stupid suit, but it was borrowed last minute and the ill-fit
was a desperate compromise. “I’m sorry about today. I was nervous.”
“You’re going to have to get over that if you ever want to see the inside of a courtroom,” she jests. “It’s fine.
In fact, why don’t you join me for a drink? I’m seeing some of my friends this evening for a nightcap. If
you’re new around here, it’s a good chance to meet some people.”
I hesitate for a second.
I’m used to receiving invitations to go out and socialize with colleagues. What I’m not used to is taking them
up. I tend to prefer spending my free time alone, anyway.
I don’t know how to reject the invite without coming across as obnoxious, and I’m aware that my usual
straightforward nature can be mistaken for me just being an asshole. But as luck would have it, I don’t even
have to think too hard because my phone rings.
“I’m sorry, I can’t. I have a thing I have to do tonight.” I raise my phone.
I can see the disappointment and slight offense on her face. “Oh. That’s okay. Well, see you tomorrow,
then.”

6. I excuse myself, trying not to think too hard about her rebuffed expression. As I make my way down the
stairs, rushing as fast as I can toward some semblance of privacy, the person on the other end of the line
waits impatiently.
“Hello? Kid, you there?” The gruff voice asks just as I make it to the sidewalk and flag a taxi.
“Yeah,” I answer. “I can speak now.”
“Are you on your way home?”
“Heading there right now.” I climb into the back of the cab and am about to give the driver the address to
the rental I’m staying at when I hear something that makes my blood run cold.
“You might wanna hold off on that trip home, O’Connor.”
I freeze. With everything that has happened in the last few months, the last thing I need is any more
surprises. “Why?”
“That little place you’ve been renting? Just got ransacked. They know that you didn’t leave the city. They’re
coming after you, kid.”

7. Chapter Three
Olivia
“So …what do you think of James?” Becca links her arm in mine as we make our way toward our regular
meetup spot.
Something about my facial expression must give away more than my words because she bursts out
laughing. “That bad, huh?”
“No, it’s not that. He’s okay it’s just …” I sigh. “I get the feeling he didn’t really like me too much. He’s so
quiet and didn’t even seem to consider coming out with us when I offered. I get that it’s his choice and I’m
not mad at it at all. It still just stings a bit.”
We turn down the street and approach the storefront, immediately spotting our favourite bar.
“It was the least he could do after ruining my blouse,” I mutter.
Becca pats my hand. “I think you’re overthinking this a bit. From what I can tell, the two of you just have
really different personalities. He seems like the introverted type, is all. Not to mention more than a little
socially awkward.”
I agree with her, but it does little to make me feel better about James.
It’s not just that I think we’re socially incompatible. The entire time I spent working with him, I got the feeling
that he didn’t actually know what he was doing. And not just in a newbie way where things are a little bit
unsteady on their first day.
He didn’t have any idea about standard protocols and basic administrative structures. These were things he
should’ve learned within his first year of study. From what I could pick up, he seemed to understand basic
terminology, the sort of knowledge a complete layman could pick up in a Google search or two - but he had
no clue how to apply it.
If I had to guess …I’d say he wasn’t a real paralegal. Or at the very least, he hadn’t received his degree
from a legitimate institution. I press my lips together.
I can’t tell Becca any of that.
Regardless of how I feel about him and his lack of social skills, he did seem like a decent enough guy and if
he was trying so hard to fake his way into a position, I’d imagine he was desperate for the job. Plus, I could
still be wrong.
No way was I going to accuse someone of something without concrete evidence. I decide to keep an eye
on him and wait until I can get a read on his motives.
“Liv? Are you okay?” Becca’s voice is filled with concern and I shake my head slightly, clearing my thoughts
of James Logan. Tonight was for me and my friends, and I wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of
that.
“Of course. Let’s go have some fun.”
My best friend grins at me as we enter the bar.
“Hey, workaholics! We saved you guys a seat!” Tessa’s voice rings out over the din of the crowd and we
spot her waving her arms back and forth as she gestures at the two empty seats at the counter.
On either side of her are Sarah Lui and Amy De Santos, the last two friends of our group. My heart
immediately feels lighter and we make our way over to the girls, doing the usual rounds of hugs and
compliments before we grab the saved seats and order our drinks.
We spend some time catching up with one another and it feels so good to spend time with my friends
again. At some point in the conversation, Tessa reaches out and puts a hand on my shoulder.

8. “I didn’t get a chance to properly thank you, Liv,” she says, directing her words at me with a sheepish grin.
“Drinks are on me.”
“Hey, why do you think two of us decided to become lawyers? We knew this group would need the cavalry
to bail us out at some point.” I wink.
“How did you even get caught, Tessa? We thought you were being careful this time.” Sarah sounds just like
the mother of the group, which in all fairness, she is. Her voice makes it clear that she’s been holding in this
outburst the entire evening so far, and the rest of the group bristles. She levels a look at Tessa and the
latter brushes off with a shrug.
“Can we at least wait until the drinks come before you start lecturing me? I thought we agreed on no
serious business until the rest of us are at least somewhat tipsy. It’s a little early for the wet mop treatment,
isn’t it?” Tessa’s voice is cold. “Maybe you should let someone else be chaperone so you can get a drink.”
Sarah’s eyes flash in anger. I look at Becca and she raises her eyebrows at me. Without having to
articulate it, I know we’re thinking the same thing. There’s been a lot of tension in our group as of late.
The four of us all shared the same values when we were younger, spending copious time in both high
school and college protesting against the main conglomerate group that had swallowed up the city and
essentially steamrolled over the local small business sector.
None of us could stand them getting away with ruining people’s livelihoods …especially when their actions
resulted in Tessa’s family business being shut down. Her father had been put under so much pressure that
he suffered a stress heart attack and even today struggled to live as he did before.
It cast a pall on the group and made us even more determined to try and bring the Carrington Group down.
But as we grew older, Sarah became convinced that we needed to start moving on from these ‘childish
antics’. Becca and I went the route of trying to be ethical lawyers, hence my stint at what was supposed to
be a philanthropic company. Alas, O’Connor Industries turned out to be another Carrington puppet. My
friends had their suspicions but I couldn’t confirm them without breaching that damn NDA.
Amy studied to become a doctor, and though she’s still drowning in student debt, the joy she takes in
helping people is obvious. Sarah is a brilliant accountant. We’re fulfilled in what we do (bar, of course,
recent events on my end), but it’s become increasingly obvious that Tessa hasn’t been able to move on.
Worse yet, though we don’t speak of it, we can tell that she holds some resentment against the rest of us
for, in her mind, giving up. It’s such a fragile situation and I hate how our silences are less easy and content
than they used to be.
“Oh look, alcohol.” Amy sounds as though she’s just spotted water in a desert. The three of us who are
drinking receive our gin and tonics and I don’t miss Becca’s cheeky smile at the hunky bartender.
“What was that?’ I ask over the rim of my glass. The other girls whistle as we watch the guy work the
counter, his rolled-up sleeves showing off muscled forearms that I know are my friend’s kryptonite.
Becca blushes, trying to get us to be quiet as though the sound of happy hour isn’t more than enough
assurance that he can’t hear us. “Please, just calm down!”
But even Becca seems to appreciate the fact that air has gotten lighter, even if it’s at her expense.
“No, seriously, I think you deserve a decent roll in the hay, Becca. When last have you gotten laid? It’s
coming up years now, isn’t it?” Amy sucks in a dramatic breath before taking another sip. “A lawyer and a
bartender … I can’t say it doesn’t sound kind of hot.”
“Oh, shut up.” Becca downs the rest of her drink in one go and I can’t help but laugh at the little splutter that
gutters out. “And it hasn’t been years, okay? It’s just been one. One year.”
That does nothing to assuage the girls and they continue teasing her until our refills come.
“He’s cute, Becca. Just saying.” I say and she gives me a death glare.

9. “You’ve been single for longer than me!”
“Technically but that’s not what’s up for discussion here. I’m not the one making eyes at the bartender.” I
laugh.
“Actually, Liv, she’s right. What about you? When are you planning to get back on the dating scene?” Sarah
sucks on a lime wedge.
“When I actually find a man who’s not going to put me in therapy,” I say. “Which, in case you ladies haven’t
noticed the slim pickings, doesn’t leave much room for hope. I’m fine single. In fact, I prefer it.”
That is partly true.
I do enjoy being single. I love the companionship of my girlfriends. But there are times when I miss having
someone to fall asleep next to. I miss being held romantically, and the way a stolen kiss feels.
But the last relationship I was in, wrecked me.
No way was I going to go back to looking any time soon, at least not until I was certain all those old scars
were healed. And judging from the sudden looks of worry on my friends’ faces, I knew that day hadn’t come
yet.
“Okay, no more talking about exes. No more heartbreakers. Here’s to us, ladies. Here’s to friendship and
Fridays and gin.” Amy raises her glass and we all clink to the toast.
Friendship and Fridays and gin are all I’m going to need for a very long time.

10. Chapter Four
Will
The rental agent is a greasy-looking man with beady eyes and a bad combover, who seems to think me
either stupid or desperate for being willing to shack up here. I can see why: there is virtually no hot water,
piss-poor circuiting around the apartment, the smell of mildew and a location that is a month’s salary away
by taxi from the business district.
He's right though - I am desperate.
Once the papers are signed and the money handed over, the agent scuttles off and I’m left alone in the
grimy apartment. I toss the single backpack of clothes I managed to grab out of the last place I was staying
at onto the bed.
Anger pulses through me, hot and sharp. How did they know where I was? How did they manage to track
down the exact apartment block I was staying at?
The questions burn into my skull until they leave a headache. Hopefully, Andy would have some answers
for me. I pull out my phone and check the time. There’s half an hour before I have to meet up with him at
some coffee shop I’ve never heard of. Which means that I’m going to have to get going right now if I want
to get there in time.
I change out of the suit and into something casual, pop a cap on my head, and get a move on.
Every time we arrange a meet-up, the detective has us go somewhere small and unknown. I used to think it
was being over the top but now …now I chastise myself for not being careful enough.
When I arrive, Andy Reynolds is already sipping a cup of coffee, his eyes darting from one corner of the
café to the other. When he sees me, he raises a hand in greeting. I slide into the booth opposite him.
“What the hell happened?” I ask and the detective watches me carefully before shrugging his shoulders.
“I told you that this wasn’t going to work but you insisted on staying here. You should’ve left like your
brother.”
“Quin is easily recognizable. Everyone knows who he is, whereas my face isn’t the one being plastered all
over news headlines. I thought it’d be safe to stay and keep looking for answers.” My hand balls into a fist
on the table.
Andy looks somewhat empathetic. “Look, I understand that this case means a lot to you but this is still your
life at stake here. You can’t exactly get justice for your old man if you’re dead.”
There’s nothing I can say to that. The waitress comes over and I order a black coffee. Andy fishes around
in his pocket and brings out a piece of crumbled paper with a number scrawled across it.
“It’s Quin’s,” he says.
I’m tempted to take it. My brother and I were close once, and now when everything’s falling apart and
there’s no time to even grieve the loss of our father, I want more than anything to talk to him. But I know I
can’t.
“How do we know our phones aren’t being bugged?” I ask sliding the paper back towards Andy. He doesn’t
make a move to pocket it again, just folds his arms.
“Well, we don’t. But it’s pretty safe to assume our calls are safe considering you and I aren’t being beaten
up and loaded in the back of some van right now,” he says.
Touché.
Still, I can’t bring myself to take Quin’s number. Not with the way we left things off between us. Instead, I
bring the focus back to those nagging questions I had.

11. “If they’re not tagging our calls then how did they know where I was?” I ask.
“I don’t have an exact answer, kid.” Andy leans back in his seat and thinks for a bit. My coffee order arrives
at the table, and I thank the waitress. I drink it as is, savouring the bitterness.
“If I had to guess …you have a shadow. Someone is probably following you. You’re keeping away from
luxury places, right?”
“Of course, I’m not an idiot,” I mutter.
Before I went on the run, I had just enough time to withdraw a decent amount of money from my account,
so changing accommodation every two weeks wouldn’t be an issue. To avoid leaving any paper trails, I
opted for the cheapest places, ones where they weren’t too fussed about checking for ID. But that money
was beginning to wear thin now, especially since I had to abandon all of my belongings and buy new ones.
I needed a new job, and the hole-in-the-wall law firm I spotted seemed to be perfect: understated, quiet with
a very small staff but desperate enough to take on someone with a bare-bones resume.
My thoughts inexplicably turn to Olivia and how she helped me despite my obvious incompetence. If I was
going to do this job, I had to do it right.
Andy nods in approval. “Right. As long as you’re moving, you should be fine. One more suggestion, though.
Try to stay away from people. I know you just started somewhere new for work but don’t get involved too
much. You’re in a lot of danger and the last thing you need is to be dragging other people in with you.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I can guarantee that keeping to myself is not going to be much of a
problem,” I reply.
We talk for a little while longer before Andy leaves first, and after a couple of minutes, I follow.
Heading back ‘home’ feels surreal.
I haven’t had an actual place to call home in what feels like an eternity, and even though I’m just fine on my
own, I’m lonelier than I care to admit.
I love solitude, but only when it’s voluntary. Of course, I had the opportunity to get in contact with Quin. But
I can’t think of him without replaying the last few months before Dad
’
s death in my mind.
It was terrible, the fact that even something as tragic as losing our father couldn’t mend the rift between us.
I missed my brother …but I hated him more.
Absentmindedly, my hand goes to the crumpled paper in my pocket. I’d swiped it off the table at the very
last minute. Desperate indeed.

12. Chapter Five
Olivia
By the time Monday morning rolls around, I’m determined to make the best of the current situation.
This may not be where I want to stay, but as Becca said it’s honest work. And after the mess at my
previous job, I could do with something grounded and real. The office is quiet, with no one but James
waiting to start the day.
Becca is late - I suspect it may have something to do with a certain sexy bartender - and our only other co-
worker, Duncan, is off sick for the next few days. When he sees me, James waves awkwardly and I
suppress the chuckle that almost comes out.
For someone with his good looks, it’s hard to believe he’s as awkward as he is. I return his wave and head
over to our shared workspace. I wonder about how things will go today, whether there will still be that
undercurrent of annoyance between us.
But James seems to have improved overnight.
It’s like he took all of the criticism I gave him last week and came back with a determination to prove me
wrong. It’s impressive, I have to say, though I don’t articulate my thoughts. Even Becca notices when she
eventually comes in.
Instead, we work quietly together for the next few hours. I try to keep small talk to a minimum, having
guessed by now that it’s not really his thing. He seems to appreciate it though, because he makes an effort
to keep eye contact with me and make it obvious that he isn’t ignoring my efforts to be friendly this time.
It’s like we’ve met halfway in our attempts to fix our miscommunication, and it makes the day speed past.
We manage to get on top of our workload for the day, and when I toss the final file on the completed pile,
James smiles broadly.
“We did it,” he says, a note of pride in his voice.
“That we did,” I respond, sharing a tentative smile of my own. We may not ever be best friends, but at least
we’re more amicable now. For a while neither of us says anything, but I notice that it’s not an uncomfortable
silence.
I’m shocked when James is the one to break it.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, Miss Montgomery, but –”
“Olivia,” I correct.
“Olivia,” he says, sounding only slightly uncertain. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Olivia, but you’re a pretty
brilliant lawyer. I don’t get why you’re working here when you could be doing something bigger.”
His statement takes me aback. When I take a while to respond, he seems to think he made a mistake and
immediately tries to apologize.
“I’m sorry if that was insensitive, I just … I mean it wasn’t –” he stammers out, clearly flustered.
“James, breathe,” I laugh. “You can ask me questions, it’s fine.”
He looks relieved but still unsure. I think of how best to explain the situation in a way that makes sense but
doesn’t overshare. Maybe this will help him feel a bit more at ease here‫و‬ too, if he feels like we trust him
enough to be honest.
“I did, actually I was on retainer for a large company a while back but …things happened. They weren’t who
I thought they were. I was made to sign an NDA after discovering that things weren’t what they seemed and
now I’m trying to pick up the pieces.” A bitter smile tugs at my mouth. “That’s what I get for trying to play the
hero, I guess.”

13. James is frowning, his green eyes focused. “What company was this?”
I hesitate for a moment, weighing up how much to tell him. I bite my bottom lip. “I can’t disclose. Just know
that it was one of the big three in the Carrington group. They were a company known for their philanthropy,
which was why I applied to work for them. Only, as it turned out, the most charity work they were doing was
lining their investor’s pockets with money that didn’t belong to them.”
It takes a minute for it to click which company I’m talking about but when it dawns on him, something
flashes in his eyes.
“O’Connor Industries?” His voice is so different from the tone it was before. It sounds hard, angered.
I nod my head in confusion. When he seems to seethe in his own anger, I decide to change the subject. He
must have his own issues with the company and the last thing I want is for another conversation to be
ruined by those thieves.
“But I’m here now. At least here everyone can know where they stand. We’re not trying to screw anyone
over for the sake of money.”
James seems to sit with that for a while.
Weeks go by in the blink of an eye and slowly, we begin to understand each other’s styles of
communication a bit more.
By month end, we’re something approaching friends.
James’ improvement makes me feel proud, not just with the workload but with how he seems to have
loosened up more around us as well. He talks more often, keeps his tie loose around the office and one
time, I almost managed to make him laugh.
So, when Becca announces that he and I are being put together to work on a tough case, I’m not mortified.
And seemingly neither is James.
“There won’t be much time for a social life with how much extra work we’ll be doing,” he says one day, just
before we clock out. “Your boyfriend isn’t going to get mad, is he?”
I laugh, shaking my head. “Well, he’d need to exist to get mad.”
“You’re unattached?” James asks, sounding surprised.
“Yep.”
He looks confused, inching his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose. “I hope this doesn’t come across
as overstepping my boundaries. But can I ask why?”
To my surprise, I don’t have to debate myself for too long before I decide to tell him.
“I got out of a pretty bad relationship a few months back. He was my first serious boyfriend and the last guy
I ever dated. I haven’t really been looking forward to getting back into dating after him.”
James drops his eyes. “I’m sorry to hear about that. It’s truly his loss, Liv.”
It’s the first time he’s used my nickname. His cheeks flush red and he stutters to cover up the moment. “To
be honest, I haven’t been the luckiest in love, either.”
Warmth blooms in my stomach. “I can’t imagine why. You’re so articulate.”
My teasing seems to diffuse the tension and laughing, we leave the office side by side.

14. Chapter 6: James
I don’t want to involve Olivia in my issues, especially now that she had told me how much she hates the
company and how she thinks of us as liars and cheats, who put stolen money into the pockets of our
investors. I was stunned when I heard that and I won’t deny it, I got angry and protective, but I saw the fire
in her eyes and didn’t speak so as to not blow up the cover.
I don’t want her to hate me, either. And I know she will completely despise me when she knows the truth
about me. Hold on, when did I ever care about a woman liking or hating me? Oh, boy! I really have to keep
my distance.
I am on my way to the firm when I decide that. When I see Olivia, my resolve wavers. Will I be able to keep
up my word of keeping my distance? She looks drop-dead gorgeous in her pencil skirt that showed off her
curvy hourglass figure. My mouth drops, and I try to stop my drool from coming out. Thank goodness she
didn’t spot me yet. She is talking with Rebecca, and I take the time to admire her beautiful backside. Her
hips are wide, and her waist is snatched. She also had large boobs. I have a feeling these annoy her, for in
addition to the back pain, she must have trouble holding a conversation with people while they are staring
at her boobs, and do not even know the colour of her eyes. I take the moment to admire her brown-amber
hair cascading down her back in luxurious waves. She has her hair down now. In an hour, she will put it up
in that messy bun of hers, like she always does.
I walk towards them and as if sensing me behind her, Olivia turns, and my breath catches in my throat. Up
close, she is even more beautiful. Her eyes widen as a smile graces her lips.
“James!” she exclaims with a smile. I nod at both of them, with a tight smile. I notice Olivia’s smile dimming
and fading as she notices my cold demeanour.
“Rebecca, I have to go. Now that James is finally here, we can start working on that case.” She says and
walks in front of me. I follow her, trying my best, and failing, to keep my eyes off her backside as her hips
sway in rhythm with her steps. Something happens inside me and I feel all the blood rushing to my cock.
Gods above! I want her! I want her so much it hurts.
“What is going on?” she asks when we are alone in the office. I shake my head at her and shrug my
shoulders.
“Nothing,” I say. Is it only me, or my voice was a little huskier? She raises an eyebrow and narrows her
eyes, and I feel all the blood rushing to my face. And now, I was blushing like an idiot. I hope it doesn’t
show on my face, though. I have never been good at dealing with girls, and I am afraid it shows.
“Fine, you don’t want to say. I am not going to pressure you.” She says and heads towards the desk. We
work together, speaking only when necessary and for the first time, I feel suffocated by the silence. I want
to say something, but no words come out, and I can’t form one sentence suitable in my head. I scream
inside, why am I so socially awkward? This has never bothered me before, until now.
“James, James,” I shake my head at the sound of her voice and turn to look at her.
“Are you ok?” she asks, and I nod my head. She doesn’t look convinced but doesn’t push it.
“As I was saying before you dozed off, the…” I doze off again to the sound of her voice. It is so sweet and
smooth and silky and washes over me like hot molten chocolate. How does she sound like when she
moans, how would she sound like when I am buried inside her? Would she scream or moan? The thought
comes unbidden and blood rises to my cheeks. I cough and turn away to hide my blush and she stops
talking.
No! don’t stop talking. I love your voice. I pinch my hand and force myself to think of something else. I can’t
think about her anymore and I have to stop lusting over her. Other than the fact that we are workmates, she
hates everything that has to do with the O’Connors. Me included. She is going to be so angry when she
finds out the truth.

15. After a long and torturous day in which I tried to stop myself from lifting her from the chair, laying her on the
table and fucking her so hard and deep the entire building would hear her screams of pleasure, we were
finally done with the case.
She looks at me and whispers, “Are you avoiding me, James?” my heart pounds at the sad note that
entered her voice. Is she upset? Does she care? I lean closer to her, not knowing when I became this bold,
until we are practically one inch apart. One movement and her lips would be pressed up against mine. Our
breaths mix, and I breathe hard as my heart pounds harder, struggling to get out of my chest. She leans
closer to me and our lips brush. I pull away as if I was electrocuted. We are moving too fast, and she needs
to be aware of the whole truth before kissing me willingly. I stand up suddenly from the chair and I
practically run away, not even bidding her goodbye.
I am in a taxi on the way ‘home’ when the stupidest idea overtakes me. I take out my phone and dial his
number. I had refused to take it from Andy but that didn’t stop me from memorizing it in case I needed it
one day and here I am. I can’t believe I am getting in touch with him after all those years.
“Oh, if it isn’t ‘Daddy’s Favourite Child’, why are you calling, Will?” he asks on the phone, and I clench my
jaws in anger.
“Quin, stop this! I just wanted to make sure you are not yet in your grave. Although I suspect it will be soon;
your face is plastered everywhere. I congratulate you on your popularity, brother. Let it benefit you now.” I
say and clench my fists hard.
“I am well and still as famous as ever. Glad to see that jealous streak of yours is still there.” He says and
murmurs something to someone in a soft voice. I get suspicious.
“Who are you talking to?” I ask.
“A woman I was just fucking. She is gorgeous, brother, and hot. Took me all like the good girl she is. Oh
yes, baby! Go on, don’t stop, hon. This feels so good, oh yeah! Baby,” he groans over the phone, and I
make a disgusted face at the phone.
“Stop this, Quin. I don’t need to know any of your fucking habits or hear your groans for that matter.” I say,
my voice dropping down a notch, signaling my anger.
“Don’t tell me you are jealous of me for having more women than you. It is not my fault they drop at my
feet.” He says and I make a disgusted sound. He laughs over the phone but then he stops suddenly, and
his voice becomes serious.
“No, seriously, Will, you did fuck a woman before, right?” he asks, “right?” he repeats, and I feel the blood
rushing to my face. Yes, I fucked women before, quiet and kind they were, but nothing too serious. My face
blushed because I am not used to talking about this with anyone, including my brother.
“Of course, I did. I am not a virgin if that is your question.” I say hoarsely. He chuckled deeply over the
phone and the laugh is broken by a deep groan. I am stunned. I can’t believe he just came while on the
phone. With me, of all people! The audacity of him! Does he have no shame? I try to shift the conversation
back to the thing I wanted to tell him about.
“Andy contacted me today. He said he found some old letters written by our father. We should meet
sometime and read them together. He suggested that, not me, so don’t let it somehow get into your thick
head that I want to spend some quality time with you or something. I just want to know what is in those
letters.” He is silent that for a moment I think he has hung up, but then he speaks.
“I don’t care. Don’t wait for me, I am not coming. And I am not reading those letters.” He says, pride
dripping from his voice. But I know how he is feeling. Being an introvert allowed me to listen and observe
other people’s reactions when they speak, how their voices change, and how their tones change, and I
know that behind the prideful mask my brother hides in, he is almost as curious as I am. I don’t push it
though.

16. “All right. Enjoy your night with your woman.” I say. And I am surprised that I truly mean it. I am surprised at
the cheerful tone that burst out of me. Maybe, it is because I am the eldest and I will always love my little
brother. I never stopped loving him, even when he seemed to stop loving me.
“I lost my appetite after speaking with you, cock-stifler.” He says and hangs up. I chuckle at the name he
gave me and lay my head against the headrest.
Chapter 7: Olivia
There is something wrong with James. I can feel it in my bones. We almost kissed yesterday and the
memory of his lips brushing against mine haunted me all night. I couldn’t sleep. I want to know what is
wrong, and I can’t do it if he keeps distancing himself from me. Didn’t he think I would notice? Or how his
mouth pressed into that tight smile when he saw me and Becca. Or how he would get lost in the middle of
my speech and I would have to call his names several times for my voice to finally penetrate his foggy
mind.
I have always been good at reading body language, and I know he is as attracted to me as I am to him, so
why is he doing that? Why is he putting distance between us? When he ran away yesterday, I was hurt,
and my heart broke a little. I think there is something wrong with me. I always drive men away. I only have
business dates and they are all boring. I find my match in James. He is my opposite in everything. I am
talkative, bubbly, and outgoing, while he prefers solitude and curling up with a book. And yet I want him. I
try to deny my attraction to him, but I am a practical woman, and I don’t like lying to myself.
When I see him today, I am overcome by a wave of emotions I can’t place. His piercing pine-green eyes
are fixated on me as I work on the case, and carefully read the file in front of me. I ignore his stare. Time to
give him a taste of his own medicine.
I take a pencil from the pencil holder and wrap my lips around the end tip, biting slowly and making sure to
show my pearl-white teeth. I hear his sharp inhale and grin. I know what he is thinking of now. and
somehow his thoughts become mine. I wonder how his cock would feel in my mouth and how large it is. I
moan around the pen softly and I can see his hands clenching into fists and opening, as he tried to resist. I
look down at his pants from the corner of my eyes. My mouth dries.
He is huge. I drop the pen from my mouth. I will never be able to fit him inside my mouth, hell, inside me! he
is hard now. I grin wickedly and grab the pen back, tearing my gaze away from his very hard, very huge
cock and try to focus on the document in front of me.
“Liv,” he whispers hoarsely, and I look at him with wide eyes, it was the second time he has called me that.
I liked it, way more than I should.
“Yes, James?” I ask, feigning innocence. He shakes his head and turns away from me. I smile wickedly to
myself. He finishes his work with an inhumane speed, almost as if he is in a hurry to get out of here. I sigh
and focus on my work. Maybe, our kiss didn’t mean much to him as it meant to me.
I am on my laptop, finishing work when I think suddenly about my life before, when I worked at O’Connor
Industries. I wonder how they are faring now. I open a new tab and type Karlus O’Connor in the search bar.
That is the name of the CEO. Thousands of images fill the screen and I explore them, thinking about how
familiar his eyes look and wondering where I had seen them before. They were pine-green and beautiful,
but the rest of his face was harsh and cold. I scrolled down. Not really searching for anything when an
image caught my eye.
Karlus was standing with his arms wrapped around the shoulders of two young men. My heart galloped in
my chest and my breathing ceased. One of the men was Quin, the other was…James!
I stare at the picture for what feel to be a very long time. My mind can’t comprehend what I am seeing.
James was none other than Karlus’ other son, William. My heart pounds and tears fill my eyes as I stare at
those pine-green eyes I have grown so fond of

17. Tears fall and stream down my face. We almost kissed yesterday – our lips had brushed against each
other. How could he look at me so intensely and lie to my face the next second? I can’t understand it. Was
it all an act?
He did fake his way into the firm, so he must be an excellent actor. Why did he fake his being a lawyer?
What dies he want to gain from working here? My brain starts to pound as all the thoughts gets scrambled
in it. I never felt my brain so messy before, my thoughts were always organized, one after the other, one
clue leading to the one after. But now, I feel lost. I feel confused. I need to talk to him and confront him,
probably know from him why he had to fake everything, including his name. I was right from the beginning. I
always suspected something was fishy about him. He just didn’t even know basic stuff learnt through
college and hard work. Hs knowledge could so easily be picked up from a Google search or something. My
suspicions were true, but I don’t feel victorious. I feel devastated.
But why have I never heard of him before? I did work at the O’Connor’s Industries for some time and met
both Karlus and Quin. Before I resigned and quit after I dug up something. A file. A file I should have never
laid eyes on, a file I should have never touched, a clue capable of destroying everything and getting the
building to crash over their heads.

18. Chapter 8: James
I should have never come here. I think as I am standing in front of a very angry Olivia. She looks so
gorgeous, as usual, with her messy bun and stray strands of hair that somehow managed to escape from
her bun framing her heart-shaped, yet angular face. She has her hands on her hips, her lips press into a
thin line and her eyes are full of fury and blame, as well as something else I can’t place.
I look away as all blood rushes to my face. How can I think about her this way when we are in the middle of
a fight? Does that turn me on? How? She makes a hmm sound, waiting for me to give her a response. I
take a deep breath and formulate the words in my head.
“Yes, I am William O’Connor. I am sorry I lied to you, but I really needed to fake my way into this.” I say and
raise my head to meet her eyes. I almost stumble back, and my eyes widen in shock. Her eyes looked so
pained and tears were threatening to fall.
“Olivia, Liv,” I say, reaching for her, but she pulls away and my heart clenches in pain. I never wanted her to
know, I was going to tell her myself, one day. I didn’t plan for her to be smart enough or doubt me enough
to dig up my history.
She rushes away from me, but not before I spot the tears escaping from her eyes and falling into her
cheeks. I know why she is so upset. We had been so close yesterday, so close our lips brushed, and a jolt
of electricity zaps through me at the memory. I have never kissed anyone before, that was my first – if it
could be called a kiss. Women tried to kiss me but I would always reject them politely, saying that I was
reserving that for my true love.
I stare after Liv long after she is gone, and I crash back to reality when Rebecca enters to grab a cup of
coffee and sees me in that deteriorated state.
“What in the seven the hells happened to you?” she asks, laying a hand against her heart, as if shocked.
“I was just getting out, have a nice day.” I say, still in my haze as I make my way towards the office Liv and
I share to work on that case together. It was a hard one to crack, but every now and then, Liv would come
up with a clue that would lead to another question and one after the other, we tried to find answers to those
questions.
In the beginning, we used to discuss everything, every single detail, then I started pulling away and she did
the same, until today, the tension between us is too thick and str0ong it could be cut through with a knife.
We rarely speak, only voicing our questions out loud to see if the other came up with something. I was
surprised she still hasn’t ratted me out and didn’t tell Rebecca. That she was still going to work with me on
cracking that case.
I thought she would tell her friend first thing, she seemed to hate me in the beginning and think that I was
too much of burden. Shouldn’t she have seen this as an opportunity to get rid of me? or wait, maybe she
hasn’t said anything till now, because she might use it later.
I am used to people around me betraying me, more often than I would like. Who is to say she doesn’t want
something from me, too. Maybe she is holding this piece of information for later, to threaten me with it, or
blackmail me. I did hurt her feelings and I know women go mad when they get hurt or dumped, and after
our almost kiss, maybe it got into her head that we were a couple or something. She will want revenge.
Gods above! What am I thinking of? Liv would never do this. I have to get rid of those traitorous thoughts.
She is so careful, and kind and gentle, she would never blackmail anyone, not even the most villainous of
souls. Right? I am so confused right now; my brain will almost explode. Will she ever trust me again? How
can she when I am an emblem representing everything she hates, the company, and I am basically the son
of the man she so much detests.
I will have to apologize to her, and somehow, make it up to her. then, I will leave and never bother her
again. I don’t want her to be included in my mess. I will solve this on my own and I don’t need her help, I
don’t need her to be in danger, which will happen the moment she knows about my reasons. She will be

19. marked and hunt down by people I still don’t know who the fuck they are! but, I will figure everything out,
and when that happens, I will come back and claim her as mine.

20. Chapter 9: Olivia
I am staring at the girl’s face, I am sure she is the one who murdered her father, but I still need strong proof
of that. I look at James, William, beside me. he is reading the file over and over again as if it is going to
hand him the clues on a silver plate.
I look back at the girl, Ayla, she has beautiful curls this one. I gape at her as an idea struck my mind.
“Ayla, you said you had a perm, right?” I ask and she nods her head, defiantly, not realizing what I was
getting at.
“And you said you were in the shower, washing your hair, when your dad was murdered?” I ask carefully,
and she nods her head again.
“And how many times have you had a perm?” I ask, she already said that before but I just wanted her to
confirm it.
“Like three times a year since I was fourteen. You do the math.” She says and I smile. My heart pounds. I
found the proof. She dug her own grave by herself. But what I couldn’t understand was why she would kill
her own father. He is not that rich to want to get his inheritance, so what was going on? I tilt my head,
pretending to think.
“You know, yesterday I saw girl with a perm getting all hosed down. When she dried off, her curls were
ruined. Why were her curls ruined, Ayla?” I ask, with a sinister smile on my face.
“Because she got wet,” she says simply. Gods! How thick-headed can she be?
“Exactly. It is the first rule of perm maintenance that you are not permitted to wet your hair until 24 hours
have passed, not to risk the deactivation of ammonium thioglycolate. You said you were twenty-three, Ayla.
Wouldn’t someone, who has had like twenty-seven perms before, be aware of that rule?” I say and her
defiant smile freezes and fades. I grin.
“You weren’t washing your hair, Ayla, because your curls are still intact, were you?” asks James as he
stands up. I look at him, as my heart clenches. He got it all. He would have made an excellent lawyer if he
wasn’t already an excellent actor.
Ayla shakes her head.
“Let’s say you were really washing your hair, wouldn’t you have heard the gunshot?” he asks, removing his
eyes from my face and focusing on her with a deadly stare. Ayla looks just like a deer lost in the highlights
now. she has tears in her eyes and was shaking from head to toe. I felt bad for her. she still has her whole
life in front of her, and she ruined it all with a single shot.
“So, you must have heard the gunshot, and normally, go downstairs to check. Marlyn wouldn’t have had
time to hide the gun before you appear, which would mean, that you would have had to have found Marlyn
with a gun in her hands to make your story believable. Am I not right, Olivia?” he says and looks at me. I
nod, giving him an encouraging smile.
“She is my age. How would you feel if your father married someone your age? She is just a gold-digger,
how was I supposed to feel?” Ayla yells at both of us. I step up.
“However, you had time to hide that gun before Marlyn came in, didn’t you?” I ask, “After you shot and
murdered your father!”
“I didn’t mean for that to happen! It wasn’t him I wanted to shoot! I thought it was her coming through the
door!” she yells pointing at Marlyn and the whole court gasps. I smile proudly to myself. That was a close
one. She had seemed so defiant and confident that if it weren’t for her little ticks that no one could have
noticed but someone knowledgeable about body language, I would have never guessed she was lying. I
would have believed her.

21. “Ayla Blakefield is charged for the murder of Joseph Blakefield. Mrs. Blakefield, you are free to go. Case is
dismissed!” says the judge. James and I are staring at each other, happiness on our faces. We did it. We
solved the case. I run to him as his arms open wide and I fall into them. He hugs me tightly, lifting me off
my feet and swirling me around. I laugh and he chuckles deeply. He puts me down and I stare up at him.
“We did it,” I whisper.
“Yes, Liv, we did it,” he says softly. We stare at each other, lost in our embrace. Hie eyes are so beautiful
and have an intensity in them I had never seen before. His use of my nickname reminds me of everything
that has happened, and I pull away from him as if he is the plague. William notices my discomfort and
doesn’t push it.
My home is cozy and after such an exhilarating night of celebrating and drinking, I want to sleep. I get
ready for bed and walk over to lie across the length of it.
I feel hot kisses on my neck and turn to see James lying on the bed behind me. My breath catches in my
throat as he leans over and brushes his mouth against mine. I am breathing hard, my heart pounding in my
chest.
“James,” I whisper. He lays his hands on my hips and turns me so I was lying on my back, then cam on top
of me, claiming a spot in my neck to kiss. I moan when he claims a very sensitive spot and writhe beneath
him. My hips thrust against his without my awareness, and I groan when the most sensitive part of me
touch his hardest part. Gods! He is huge! My mouth waters as I imagine that huge length and size in my
mouth, thrusting inside my body. He grinds his hips against mine as he trails hot open-mouthed kisses on
his way down. I shiver as he unbuttons each button in my shirt, and with one that comes free, he presses
another kiss. He caresses my breasts in his hands, and the feel of his rough hands on my smooth body
makes me shudder.
He makes his way down till he reaches my most sensitive area and my back arches against the bed when
he licks and softly kisses my inner thigh, so close to where I desperately need him. I writhe against the bed,
begging him to take me, and he finally does what I want. His tongue lapped at my hot centre and I can’t
stop the scream that burst out of me when he pushes his tongue inside me. I bite my hand to muffle my
scream and he chuckles into my hot centre. Gods! His laugh is so sexy and it washed over my most
sensitive part like hot molten chocolate. I can’t take it anymore. I fist my hand in the sheets of the bed and
scream as I come.
I sit straight, waking up suddenly. It was all a dream. It was all in my head. I sigh as I rub my hand all over
my face. Am I actually disappointed? Why am I disappointed? I run my fingers through my hir and check
the clock. It’s already seven, so I stand up and get ready for work, with a plan to corner him and make him
confess everything yet not knowing how I will face him after the sexy dream I had of him. After I had
dreamed of his face between my legs and how I had ridden his hands.

22. Chapter 10: William
I stare into her beautiful eyes, lost in them. She has me cornered in the coffee room with one hand pressed
on the wall beside my head and the other on her hips. Her teeth bite her lower lip, in anger, and her tongue
moves out to lick the blood off. She is angry and that move shouldn’t have aroused me so much. But it did,
gods, it did.
“Tell me everything, William. From the beginning. Don’t cut out a thing.” She threatens and I look at her, not
planning on telling her, like ever. I will not drag her into my mess, I will not have her solve my problems, I
will fix my own issues. I don’t need anyone to help me, I never did and hopefully, I never will.
“Liv –,” I start, knowing I will have to distract her from this topic.
“Olivia, you have lost the privilege of calling me Liv, you know what, it is Miss Montgomery to you, you are
not allowed to call me Olivia anymore.” She says and her lips press into a tight line. I look at her, hoping my
face is neutral, because if it isn’t, then all my feelings will be exposed. It is enough how much my eyes
show, I can feel the intensity of heat in them, and I don’t know whether to cry or hide.
I can’t believe she has just said that. Does she mean it though? I saw the way she looks at me, I think she
likes me, or at least wants me. I decide to put that to theory.
I lean over and crash my lips against hers. My first kiss. Her eyes widen and her small hands clutch the
collar of my jacket. She doesn’t push me away though, instead pulling me closer to her, she deepens the
kiss and I groan into her mouth. She tastes so good, of coffee and hot chocolate, what has she been
drinking? I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her closer to me and turning us so that it was her
pressed against the wall. I wrap a hand around one of her thighs and lift it to wrap around my hips, pulling
us even closer together. I grind against her hot center and I can feel her arousal. Gods! She is so hot and
burning up. I break away from her mouth, pressing hot-open mouthed kisses to her throat and her neck,
before plunging in my hips. She moans loudly and her nails dig into my shoulders. There are too many
clothes between us, I want them all vanished. I thrust in again and she tightens her leg around me, arching
her neck and moaning again. The action exposed her creamy throat and I latch on the most sensitive spot,
licking and suckling.
All at once, I remember who she is, who I am, where we are and I pull away from her suddenly as if jerked
back by some unknown force. We stare at each other, and I am lost in how sexy and hot she looks right
now, with her half-lidded eyes, swollen red lips, and messy hair, she looks like she has been thoroughly
fucked. I almost explode in my pants at the sight of her.
Fuck! Now I can’t even get the image of her out of my head. I will be dreaming about her in my bed tonight.
She could be tied to the bed post, or blindfolded or I can take her against the wall, against the table. In my
mind, I will fuck her on every inch of my house, my old one, the big and spacious one, not the nest people
call houses.
Liv adjusts her clothes without looking at me and she takes her breath. When we finally calm down, she
speaks again, “Tell me everything, William.” Her voice is so low and mixed with something else. Does she
regret what happened?
I shake my head, “No, Olivia.” She stares at me, and her eyes fill with determination.
“Why?” she asks. Any thread I seem to hand on for control snaps and I lash out at her.
“Because my life is fucked up, and I don’t to drag you into my family shit!”
“I want to, William, I want to know. Tell me!” I shake my head.
“No, no,…no, Olivia, no! I am not telling you anything. You will be in danger the moment you know, you will
be marked and hunt down by people I don’t even know who the fuck they are. I am not putting you in this
situation, I am not putting this burden on your shoulders, it mine to bear, alone. You can be made at me,
but I am not telling you anything!”

23. She looks at me with tears in her eyes, and I know I hurt her. before I say anything, though, she peaks up
and delivers the final blow, the blow that took my breath away.
“I will have you know, William, that I am very stubborn and persistent when it comes to something I want, or
a clue I want to uncover, or a truth I want to know – nothing personal, just the nature of my job. So, if you
don’t tell me everything right now, I am going to go to the media and unleash it all out. I am going to tell
them everything, every small secret I managed to uncover during my job there. I will tell them everything
and I will take your reputation to the ground. Are you sure you still not want to tell me?”
I stop breathing. I have no doubt she managed to uncover many secrets when she was there. Secrets that
could tarnish our reputation and close the company. I don’t want my reputation dragged to the mud with the
company. I take a deep breath and in a moment, I made my mind. I tell her everything.
“I am William O’Connor, eldest son to Karlus O’Connor. I have a brother named Quin, he’s an asshole, by
the way,” at that, she rolls her eyes as if already knows, and I wonder if she and Quin ever spoke during
her time there, “As brothers, our business mogul father has always said that our shared inheritance and his
business shares are dependent on our ability to reconcile with each other. But when our father died under
mysterious circumstances and his business and assets were left to a dour old friend of his, we were
immediately suspicious and launched our own investigation into what happened to their father. We don’t
get too far before someone tries to kill us, and we realize we have to go into hiding. Quin, as popular and
recognizable as he is, is forced to skip town. I, however, being an introvert who only focused on growing
the family business, was able to change my name and appearance somewhat and stay undercover so that
I can continue to investigate. I found a job as a paralegal in your startup law firm. And the rest…is history!” I
end my life story. Olivia is staring at me and her mouth is wide open.
“I am sorry about your father’s death. But don’t worry, you have me with you. We are going to be
detectives! Oh, William, we are going to be detectives, just like in the books and catch the murderer and
uncover clues…and- and travel to places and sneak into the murderer’s house. oh, god! This is going to be
so much fun. It will be just like we are going on a great adventure.” I can’t stop that stupid grin from
blooming over my face. She said my name, my real name and I loved it out of her mouth. Her enthusiasm
is so contagious that I almost want to join her in her little dance. But the truth crashes over me like it always
does and my smile fades.
“We, aren’t going anywhere, just me. I told you before I don’t need your help and I don’t need it.” I say and
she stares at me as if I had just sprouted two heads, then tears fall onto her face as if I was the cruelest
person on the planet. I guess I am. She seemed so excited about this ‘adventure’ that I now felt bad about
bursting her bubble of fantasy.
“And it is your turn. Tell me everything that had happened when you were working at the company.” I say,
driving the conversation back to her and trying to distract her.
Little did I know, she would uncover a secret that was never meant to be told.

24. Chapter 11: Olivia
I am stunned by William’s words, I never knew their father was dead at this time, much less mysteriously.
This screamed trouble, dangerous and mysterious, but hey, my middle name is fearless and rebellious.
Um…that is not a name, they are two, but hey, who is counting?
I just stare into his green depths, stunned by his question and not knowing if I should talk or not. But this is
his company and he deserves to know, especially if there is foul play on the scene.
“I worked for your company for two years and I was really happy there. I met a boy, liked him, became
boyfriend-girlfriend, before I discovered he was just a playboy and liked to fuck everything with breasts and
a hole. We broke up and I focused more on my job, which led me to become suspicious of some things
around the place. I was sent ot one of the offices to bring a paper for an urgent meeting. I had no idea
whose office that was, but I saw pieces of paper, that seemed to have been torn by someone. The paper
looked like a letter after I had assembled it, but I could only read the first part that said, ‘My beloved Shery, I
am so close to my goal now, in no time, everything will be mine. I will –‘ before the door opened and a man
who was sent to look for me entered. I tried to find the paper again after that day but I couldn’t find it. So, I
went to the higher-ups and I was like, ‘oh my god, there is a traitor here. Someone is plotting against us.’
But they just laughed at me and tied me to a chair. They forced me to sign an NDA and keep silent about
what had happened then. After that, they sacked me and for some time, I had no job. But then, my friend
opened up a ‘startup’ law firm, that you should be more grateful for its presence because otherwise, your
disguise would have been uncovered and I would be homeless, sleeping in a dumpster!” I yell the last part,
so fed up with the O’Connors and their nonsense.
William just stares at me and then he walks over and hugs me. I am stunned at first before I relax into his
arms and bury my face into my chest as the memories overwhelm me and I start crying. He rubs a soothing
hand over my back and runs another through my hair, massaging my scalp. I moan at the relaxing motion
and now, all I want is just sleep. I relax into his embrace, wrapping my arms around his waist and tightening
them. He presses a gentle kiss to my head and a tear falls.
Why do I want to cry? Stupid hormones! I pull away from him slowly when my tears stop flowing and get
entrapped in his pine-green eyes. they are so beautiful, almost unrealistic, too vivid and bright, but now, the
intensity shining from them and the concern made them even more beautiful.
“I am sorry, Liv, for all you had to go through,” he says and I smile softly at him.
“You want to make it up to me? Let me work on this investigation with you,” I say calmly, crossing my arms
over my chest to appear more brooding. He smiles at my attempt and ruffles my hair.
“You are so cute, Liv, and innocent, what is your crime to be dragged into my mess?” he asks, with a frown
over his face, “This is my company, a company you hate with every inch of your being. Why do you want to
help me get it back?”
“Because I am a well-mannered woman. My books taught me valor, chivalry, kindness and helping those
who need it. I was taught to not judge one by the mistakes of their parents or relatives. I might hate this
company with every beat of my heart, but then, it was not run by you. It was run by those obnoxious, selfish
human beings who are also sick excuses for men.” I say. His eyes soften and his frown fades replaced by a
small smile.
“They really are, you know. I was raised like that, too. On books. you never told me you like books.” he
says, raising an eyebrow and tilting his head.
“You never asked.” I reply and he grins mischievously.
“Books taught me a lot of things, too. You will notice that I am the only who didn’t follow into one of my
relative’s footsteps. My brother, Quin, followed my mother in her sexual life, while my father followed his
grandfather. I was always bullied at family gatherings for that, so I enjoyed the company of books more
than that of humans. I have big plans for the company, plans I won’t carry out unless I have discussed them
with you and taken your opinion, Liv. You are really so much wiser and mature than you look.” I blush under

25. his heated and proud gaze and walk over to him to wrap my arms around his waist. He hugs me back
tightly and I murmur softly into his chest.
“You are not at all the wealthy jerk I thought you were.” I smile as I feel him do the same on top of my head.
We stay like this for a moment and in his arms, I remember yesterday’s dream. I blush and bury my face
deeper into his chest so he wouldn’t notice. That was a really spicy and inappropriate dream to have about
my partner at work. I can’t help but remember his kisses on my most sensitive areas and compare them to
the kisses he had just given me. the real ones were way hotter and I get aroused just thinking about his
face buried between my legs while I ride his face.
I pull away and clear my throat. I am sure he wouldn’t like to know that I had a sexy spicy dream about him
yesterday, or maybe, he would. Never underestimate men’s ego. It is as overinflated as a balloon and with
just the right words, you could have them all under your control. Gods! I wish I knew these words.
He did pull away though. Did I do something wrong? I frown. Why did he pull away? I look at him and see
that he was already observing me. I chuckle nervously and look away. I think about the future and what it
hides for us. I pray there are good surprises and…hot make out sessions!

26. Chapter 12: James
Olivia is amazing, the most amazing woman I have ever met. Gods! Her valor and morals would have
made the most chivalrous knight of the past eras hide from shame. She is wonderful, and smart, and
strong, and beautiful and I love every single detail about her. those details that make her unique. The one
time she got hurt and brushed it off as just a scratch. The time I ruined the files and dropped coffee over
them while she laughed and then helped me clean them without being angry or lashing out at me. her
patience could rival that of the most patient mother, and I can’t believe my luck to be so close to a woman
like her.
She is stubborn as heck, though and she weaponized that against me to convince me to let her join the
investigation. I feel like my resolve is breaking. I mean, she already knows, and she is already in danger,
and she wants to do this, so why not? That came out selfish, didn’t it? She is just so ready and excited
about it and her enthusiasm is so contagious. I am going to need her when I delve deeper into the maze
that is the mystery. I am going to need a source of happiness, motivation, and laughter beside me, and I
certainly can’t do it alone. Besides, she is the smartest person I have spoke with and her quick wit can get
us out of numerous occasions where we might be in danger of exposure or something.
I mean, she will be an excellent addition to my team, right? And she wants it, so much, I think she will be
devastated if I refuse at then end, and she has been begging me so much and I never want to refuse her.
this could even damage my relationship with her and she will be mad at me for the rest of her life, maybe
even never forgiving me.
I sigh and bury my face into my hands. What should I do? I am so confused right now. Dainty hands rest on
my shoulder and knead the muscles there. I groan as my stressed muscles relax. I didn’t know I was so
tense. I lay my head back until it hits her chest and close my eyes, giving up to the emotions swirling up
inside me, gods above! I want her so much.
“What are you thinking about?” she asks softly and I sigh.
“I am considering allowing you to join me on the investigation. Like seriously considering it.” I say. She
stays silently for a moment before speaking up.
“I would have joined you, either way. I am not letting you do this alone, William. I will always be with you.
But thank you for considering it. Seriously, thanks.” She says and I groan. What had I done to deserve such
a wonderful woman? What had I done? I feel like an asshole now. She wants to help me, does she care
about me? How do I feel about that? Do I care about her? Yes, I do. Otherwise, I would have used her
intelligence in solving the case and getting to the bottom of this mystery, but instead, I am concerned about
her safety, so yes, I care about her. And I lust after her. I have never wanted a woman the way I want
Olivia. Never wanted a woman in my bed as much as I want her. She is my first kiss, and who knows,
maybe she will be my last.
“Yes, Olivia,” I say softly, “yes, Liv, you can join me. I need you with me.” I open my eyes and turn towards
her. She has tears in her eyes and I stare at her. She runs at me and hugs me tightly, and I can’t help but
return the hug. This has become common for us now, I find comfort in her hugs, warmth, and
possessiveness. She is mine. I tighten my arms around her and she looks at me, leaning over and pressing
a fierce kiss to my lips. before I can respond, she pulls away and kisses my forehead and my cheek.
“Thank you, William.” She says and stares deeply into my eyes. I don’t like how she tricked me. I wrap a
hand around the back of her neck and pull her face to mine, crashing my lips against hers. She moans and
I take advantage to insert my tongue inside and taste her. I groan, she is delicious, as always. She kisses
me back, and our tongues fight for dominance. I pull her closer to me and her legs fall on either side of
mine. I thrust my hips against her sensitive area and she moans.
“William, I want you.” She says and I grin, kissing her neck and moving back to her mouth. I thrust again
while wrapping my hands around her ass and pulling her even closer. Nothing separated us now but those
damned clothes. I can’t wait to get her out of them. I continue thrusting my hips as she moans. I caress her
breasts and her hands latch on my shirt before moving lower and rubbing me through my pants. I can’t take

27. it anymore, I push my hips onto her hand and she continues rubbing me, moving harder and faster. My
thrusts become more powerful, deeper, and faster, almost frenzied with my hunger for her, my hunger to be
inside her. Liv wraps one arm around my neck and buries her face into my neck. She screams in pleasure
as she explodes and this makes me move even faster. I follow her, exploding in my pants. we lie tangled in
each other’s arms, still not looking at one another after what happened.
Liv pulls away first, heading over to bring tissues and we clean ourselves before starting to work on the
case of my father.
“So, I said the letter said, ’My beloved Shery,” any idea who the fuck Shery is?” she asks first, breaking our
silence and I shake my head, thinking. She sighs.
“Okay,” she says, “Will you please tell me what you found till now?” she asks and I nod at her.
“So, I have a detective called Andy. He has been doing some digging up for me. my old place got
ransacked, they knew where I live. And don’t ask me who ‘they’ are. I really have no idea, but I guess they
might be like people who helped in the murder of Karlus O’Connor.” It didn’t escape me how her brows
furrowed at me saying “Karlus O’Connor” instead of father or Dad. But when that man is the architect of
your cold and sterile childhood, you just learn to hate him. I have no respect for him and no love lost
between us. All he had to say to me and Quin was “If you guys reconciled one day, I will share the
inheritance among you both,” all he cared about was his fucking inheritance and that is why I didn’t shed a
tear the moment I knew he died, and I will not shed a tear for anyone who dies in that fucked up family,
except maybe Quin.

28. Chapter 13: Olivia
“Stay out of the O’Connor’s business, or it won’t end well for you.” I stare at the letter in my hands, shaking
and trembling. I found it in front of my apartment. What is going on? How did they know I am on the case?
How did they know about me? how did they even know where I live? Am I being followed? Is someone
stalking me? I look around in terror before running to my apartment and shutting the door behind me,
locking it tightly. I take out my phone, my hands trembling, and call Will.
“Liv, how are you?” his cheery voice booms through the phone and I can’t stop my tears from flowing down
my cheeks. I sob loudly, trying to speak, but I can’t.
“Liv, Liv, what’s wrong? Are you crying?” he asks and all I can do is nod.
“C-come, I-I n…need you,” I say, stammering over my words, and crying loudly.
“I’m coming. Calm down. Talk to me, Liv,” he says and I can hear the door of a car slapping. He gives the
cab driver my address.
“Move quickly,” he orders and returns to me.
“Liv, what happened?” he asks and I just say, “Come,” over and over again.
“Shhh…calm down. I am so close now, I will be with you. Calm down.” He says over the phone and I calm
down at the sound of his deep voice. It is so relaxing, almost lulling me to sleep. I take deep breaths and
gradually calm down.
The door knocks and I hurry to open it, jumping on Will like a koala and hugging him tightly. He hugs me
back and lays a calming hand on my head, running his hand through my hair in a soothing touch. I cry in
his arms, letting go of my fears.
“Shhh…I am here. No one can hurt you now. Tell me, talk to me, Liv,” his voice is almost pleading and I
hand him the letter without letting go of him. He reads it and his face becomes furious. His hands clench
into fists around my waist and his jaw clenches. His face is flushed with anger and he has a scary
expression on his face. I bury my face in his neck and he pats my back.
“It is all right, Liv, they can’t hurt you as long as I am with you. I won’t allow it.” He says and I calm down,
slowly releasing him. He looks into my eyes, hands still on my hips.
“I want you to decide. It is now or never. Do you still want to do this? I told you, you will be in danger. You
just had to be the most stubborn woman I have ever seen.” He says and I pout at him.
“Are you serious? Are you calming me down or scolding me? and I told you I am doing this with you, this is
clearly a challenge, and I never back down from a challenge. Yes, I did freak out, I am visibly shaken by all
this, but I am not backing down, William, Ever!” I say and look him in the eyes, so he may know how
serious I am. He lets out a deep sigh and in a large stride, had me wrapped in his arms.
“You are the most insistent, stubborn, crazy, beautiful, smart woman in the world,” he says, his voice
hoarse and I laugh.
“I can’t decide if you are insulting me or complimenting me, but I will take it as a compliment,” I say. We
stay in each other’s arms for a while, not wanting to let go. This was comfort for both of us and I tightened
my hug.
In the office, we lean over the case, trying to make sense of anything, or at least connect dots together, but
nothing works as my thoughts take the route I tried so hard to stop them from taking.
I still can’t get over that steamy make-out session we had in the office. It was a hundred times better than
any dream. Everything felt enhanced a hundred times and my orgasm had been shattering. I sigh wistfully
and clear my throat, trying to focus on the case at hand, my mind was a mess. The letter I found, it must
have been a clue, otherwise, the higher people wouldn’t have acted so fishy. But to reach anything, I need
to find out who Shery is, who the sender was and what his relationship with Shery was. She could be a

29. lover as he said ‘My beloved Shery’ but she could also be a sister or a daughter. The ‘he’ I am talking about
doesn’t necessarily have to be a ‘he’, it could be a ‘she’ and that would open another endless sea of
possibilities. ‘Shery’ might not even be the person’s real name. I sigh again, my head agitated.
A hand touches mine and I raise my head to look at him. William, he is nothing like I thought he would be.
He is not awkward around me anymore, as if that hot encounter had erased the word from his mind, he is
kind and charming and…protective, like real possessive. Every time we are out, he would lay a hand on my
lower back and stare down every man who looked at me. I smile at him.
“Are you okay? You have been sighing so much, and I called your name five times, but you didn’t respond,”
he says and I squeeze his hand assuring.
“I am fine, just a million things on my mind,” I say and smile at him. He smiles at me and says, “Listen,
Andy, my detective found a couple of letters written to me and my brother by our father. Do you think they
might have any clues?” he asks and I think carefully.
“They could, but I don’t think they will be direct. Like he could mention something that would clarify a
person but it won’t explain the whole thing. After all, he wrote those letters for you, they might be more
emotional than warning. Or maybe you weren’t close enough and he would explain everything in his letters.
There is also one more possibility,” I say, tilting my head and thinking carefully.
“What is it?” he asks.
“Your father had no idea what was going on in his company,” I say and silence fills the space between us.
He looks at me, questions in his head and in a moment, a truth crashed over me.
“Will, you said that your father left the inheritance to his best friend because you and your brother didn’t
reconcile, right?” I ask and he nods his head at me.
“Why his best friend? Doesn’t he have a brother or a mother?” I ask. Will looks at me strangely.
“Karlus and Jared are really close. They had been best friends since childhood, like for more than fifty
years. And he wasn’t close with his parents or his siblings, he always said that he built his empire by
himself, so not in a thousand years would he give them his inheritance. It is only logical he gave the
inheritance to his best friend.” He says and I think over his words. Something doesn’t sit right, but I still
don’t know what it is. I decide to let it go.
I thought maybe Jared would have something to do with this, but since he and Karlus were that close, I
ruled it out. I saw him once and he seemed truly genuine, then. I didn’t pay him much attention, because
my mind was on that letter.
“Liv, we have been thinking for too long and my mind feels like exploding. Why don’t we take a break and
go for a drink or something?” Will asks. I smile.

30. Chapter 14: Olivia
“Let’s go!” I say and stand up quickly, rushing to the door. He chuckles behind me as he follows. We order
a cab and he takes me to his favourite café and restaurant.
“Hello, Maria, can you please ready up a private booth for us?” he asks and she blushes before nodding
and walking away.
“You come here often?” I ask, a little annoyed by Maria’s behaviour, but not knowing why. He chuckles.
“Yes, I find the booths really private and quiet, and I could sit there for hours reading a book and drinking
my favourite drinks with no one interrupting.” He says and I stare at him. Definitely not the answer I was
expecting. He turns to look at me and catches me staring at him with a goofy smile on my face.
“What is it?” he asks, raising an eyebrow and I blush, twirling a finger around my hair.
“Um…people don’t usually book a booth for reading. Especially one as private as you just described.” I say,
blushing. He looks at me, his eyebrow still raised in not understanding. I stare. How thick-headed can he
be?
“Um…people ask for private booths, to, um…spend romantic time together?” I say, stammering, and
blushing to the roots of my hair. I shuffle on my feet, still not believing I said that. I blush even more fiercely
when understanding dawns over him and he chuckles at my blushed face with a small cute enticing blush
on his own cheeks. He blushes!
Maria escorts us to the booth and we order our drinks.
“So, Liv, tell me a secret no one knows.” He says, taking a large sip from his drink. I look at mine before
thinking over. There are a lot of things no one knows about me, and I was just contemplating which one to
tell. I decide to go with a safe one.
“I wrote three books under a pen name, and they are now published and are really successful,” I say and
he grins at me.
“Books?” he asks.
“Novels,” I correct.
“What is the pen name?” he asks, smirking. I laugh.
“Nah! Don’t think I am going to tell you that, this easily,” I say, teasing him and he chuckles. His laugh fades
and his eyes become serious, before transforming into the cutest puppy eyes I have ever seen.
“Please?” he begs and I laugh. I really can’t resist his puppy face, he is simply too cute for his own good.
“Fine, America Hawkethorne,” I say, giving up my secret. And his eyes widen.
“You wrote Swept on Twisting Tides?” he asks, “and the Princess Pearl? And the Night I Became the
Wild?” My eyes widen. How does he know them? I mean, they were a success, but not yet that famous.
“Oh my god! I can’t believe it! I loved them, Liv. You are a brilliant author!” he says and I blush again.
“Thank you. I didn’t expect you to have known them, much less read them.” I say and he smiles widely.
“I have read each three times already,” he says and I blush again.
“Liv, stop blushing.” He orders and I look at him. This is a strange order. Why would he say this?
“Why?” I say.
“Because it makes me want to do those things people do at booths this private,” his voice is low and
washes over me like molten chocolate. I shiver and my lips part on a sharp inhale.

31. I don’t know who moved first, but I was suddenly in his arms, and he was devouring my lips like a hungry
caveman, his tongue sliding into my mouth and battling mine for dominance. I moan into his mouth and his
hands tighten around my hips, pulling me impossibly closer to him, thrusting his hips into mine, my most
sensitive place brushing with his hardest part. Those stupid clothes! I feel his hands moving lower and
lower till they cupped my ass and moved down. I lifted off a little, enabling his fingers to slide into my dress
and brush against my hot centre through my panties. I moan breathlessly and his fingers move even faster,
the friction of the seams of my pants against my aching centre creates a pleasure so sudden it crashes
over me in waves, and I haven’t even orgasmed yet. I bury my face in his neck, trying to muffle the loud
moan that threatened to burst out of me.
“Moan my name, Liv,” whispers, voice husky, movements frenzied and fast, thrusting his hips into mine,
chasing his own release. I clench my fists into his jacket and scream as pleasure claims me. he slows
down, waiting for me to catch my breath. I move off him and fall to my knees before him.
“It is your turn,” I say, reaching over and unzipping his pants, my hands unusually steady. This is what I
want. He covers his hands with mine, a silent question in his eyes.
“Are you sure about this?” he asks softly. Gods! How caring he is! Even in the haze of pleasure, he still
cares. I nod my head and finish unbuckling his pants, pushing them down his strong legs. My mouth dries
when I look at him, he is huge! I lay a hand hesitantly on him, touching the soft silky skin, and he groans at
my soft touch.
“Your hands are cold,” he grits out and I laugh.
“For some reason, they always are,” I say and take back my hand. Does he not want my touch? He smiles
at me, before laying his hand over mine and bringing it back to him. I blush as he wraps his hand around
mine, which is wrapped around him.
“How do you like it?” I ask, “Slow and soft, or fast and hard?” he blushes at me, and it is so enticing I stare
at it for a very long time. He clears his throat.
“Um…I don’t know.” He says and I stare at him, that blush, he is nervous! Oh shit!
“Are you a virgin?” I whisper. He laughs.
“No, um…I had sex a couple of times, but nothing else. Um…you’re my first kiss, Liv,” he says and looks
away. My mouth falls wide open. His first kiss? Am I that special? I lay a comforting hand on his abs and he
looks at me, that blush still there.
“It’s okay, we will try both,” I say comfortingly and he nods. I move my hand gently up and down and his
head rests on the cushions behind him, exposing the strong column of his throat. He groans and his hips
buckle of their own accord. I move faster and he groans deeper, breathing hard and fast. I quicken my pace
surprising him by wrapping my mouth around the tip and taking him halfway into my mouth.
One hand wraps in my hair, the other is trying and failing to muffle his loud groans. It falls down, and
clenches on a cushion, gritting his teeth. I try to take him all he way in, almost gagging in the process, but
his gasps and moans of pleasure encourage me and I find myself trying again, still not taking all of him in,
but it’s a considerable amount, I add my hand to wrap around that part my mouth can’t reach, and I stare at
my hand that could barely wrap around him.
He thrusts hip hips, filling my mouth and fucking it, sheer dominance dripping down his thrusts. He thrusts
harder into my mouth and I give up to him, letting him fuck my mouth. He tenses and shudders, groaning
deeply as he releases into my throat, I struggle to swallow every last drop.
I move off him and stand up, looking at him. He is resting his head on the cushions and taking deep
breaths. His hair was dishevelled and his lips pink and swollen, a cute blush staining his cheeks. Gods! He
is a sight to behold. I lay a hand on his shoulder and he turns to look at me.
“I need you, Liv, in my bed, not here. I want our first time to be special. Maybe not today, because it has
been full of events,” He says his voice barely a whisper. I nod with a blush.

32. “By the way, I cant let you go back to your apartment so soon after the attack. Why don’t you come with
me? you can take the bed and I will take the couch.” He offers and I nod, grateful for his concern.
He orders a cab and I rest my head on his shoulders throughout the ride. He has his arm wrapped around
my shoulders and I nestle into his chest, laying a hand on his hard abs. he lays his hand atop of mine and
says, “I like it when you lay a hand on my chest or my abs,” I blush and move my hands on his chest. I look
at him and see him already looking at me, with an intensity that seared through me. He leans over and
captured my lips with his. I kiss him back fiercely.
“Ahem, we have arrived,” the taxi driver says, looking embarrassed. Will helps me down and leads me into
his apartment. It is small and cozy and I really like how comfortable it looks.
“Your home is nice,” I say.
“Thanks, but it is not my home. It is a temporary apartment,” he says and I raise an eyebrow in question.
“I don’t have a home yet. I lived in many houses, apartments, mansions, but never there was one I could
call home,” he says and I nod compassionately.
“Home isn’t a place, it is a feeling,” I say and he looks at me, smiling softly. In two large strides, he is in
front of me, lifting me up and by instinct, I wrap my legs around his waist. He wraps a hand around my
neck, pulling our faces closer and crashing his mouth over mine. I moan at the ferocity of the kiss, the
hotness, the desire in it, so primal it almost knocked me off. I can’t get enough of him. I wrap my arms
around his neck and pull him closer to me, running my hand through the soft strands of his hair. He walks
me to his bedroom and throws me on the bed so hard I bounce.
He moves on top of me, kissing my mouth, then moving on to my jaw, my neck and I gasp when he
reaches that sensitive place in my neck. he unbuttons my shirt, cupping my breasts and pinching my
nipples hard, my back arched off the bed. I am breathing hard, moaning loudly, gasping and panting. His
fingers trail around my body till he reaches my clit and he pushes two long fingers inside me. I am surprised
at the intrusion and before I even have time to scream, his mouth covers mine. He thrusts his fingers into
me, hard, fast, deep and I can do nothing but hold on to his strong shoulders and ride his fingers.
I am so close, I can feel myself coming, oh god, oh, oh!
“Ahhhhh…” I scream as I explode. In moments, Will has stood up and unbuckled his pants, he didn’t give
me time to catch my breath and mounted me. He –
“Hello, darling brother! Miss –” Quin stares at us with wide eyes.

33. Chapter 15: Will
I groan as my brother comes in view, he just interrupted the best moment of my life. I pull away from Olivia
and put on my pants. I raise my head to give him a piece of my mind, but I find him staring at Olvia. I look
between the two of them. Do they know each other?
“Hello, Liv. Didn’t expect to see you again. In my brother’s bed, no less,” he says and she glares at him.
“I don’t recall asking you to insert your big nose into my business, why don’t you focus on your business?
You seem to have a lot on your hands.” She says, snorting, “Oh, by your business I mean your fucking
habits. Just in case it didn’t go through your thick head.” I stare at her. What is going on?
“Um…guys, you know each other?” I ask and they both look at me as if they just noticed my presence in
the room. Olivia nods her head.
“Doesn’t matter. What do you want? And how did you find us?” she asks, focusing on the question I wanted
to ask him when he interrupted us.
“Uh…I – um…Andy told me where you lived when I asked him for your address, as to what I am doing
here, you mentioned letters from our father and I was wondering if they might have some sort of clue as to
what might have happened to him.” He says, looking at me, and completely ignoring Olivia.
She is so angry, that I can almost see smoke coming out of her ears. Her face is red and flushed and her
lips press into a thin tight line, as she frowns at both of us.
“We thought so, too, but we didn’t open them because I – I was waiting for you,” I say and pull my gaze
away from his, looking at the ground. Why do I still love him after everything he had done?
“and you didn’t answer my question, how do you two know each other?” I ask, refocusing on them.
“Remember when I told you I had once serious boyfriend, or so I thought was serious? Well, it is your
brother, Quin, and you know more than I do his habits. I didn’t know then, I really thought we were serious
and that we were going to live our happily ever after. But turns out, he was and still is, I am ready to bet,
just a playboy,” Olivia says, not looking at Quin and talking as if he is not in the room.
I clench my jaws and hands into fists, why am I so angry? I feel like I want to knock him down, knock him
down and punch that annoying smirk off his face, but I can’t do that. Because I know how he is, and he
does this with every woman, not only Olivia.
“Well, not my problem you are so naïve, please, you were begging to be fucked with your pencil skirt and
tight top that –” I am on him, making my fantasy alive. How dare he talk about her that way? I am blinded
with rage, I can’t see anything but his smirk, hear nothing but his insult to her. I punch his face, again and
again. My hand is drenched with blood, mine and his, he is trying to fend me off, rolling us both on top of
each other. I am blinded, kicking and punching with no care as to where my hits collide with.
“Will, Quin, stop!” I can faintly hear Olivia’s voice behind us, trying to get us off each other. A hand wrapped
around my shoulder and pulled me away from Quin.
“Stop! Stop this! Both of you! You are older than this, Will, you are more mature than his, I am pretty sure
you wouldn’t like the death of your little brother on your hands,” she says and I feel strangely…scolded, like
a child.
“Didn’t you hear what he said about you?” I ask. Olivia nods her head.
“I did, but you know Quin, he I always like this!” she says and a snort comes from behind me.
“You both are talking about me as if I am your misbehaving child, for heaven’s sake, I am in the same
room, show some respect,” he says sand I see the moment Olivia tenses.
“Show some respect? Have you ever shown this to someone, Quin? Do you even know the meaning of the
word?” she asks and Quin pales. His lips thin into a straight line.