“Would you like breakfast, Sir?” When she rolls over to face me, a naughty glint in her eye tells me she’s been awake for a while. I pull here against me, my hand slides over her belly. Slowly dipping into the waistband of her panties, I stroke her slick entrance. Fuck, she’s so wet for me. My finger plunges inside her warm wet pussy easily. Her tight warm body, has my cock hard and ready to drive into her. She always does this to me. I can’t imagine ever not being inside her. Mine, all mine. Forever. My lumiére.

“Breakfast is definitely a pre-requisite before work, Ms. Winters.” I roll over and pin Cassie below me. My lips find hers in a heated kiss, in less than five seconds flat this girl can bring me to my knees. Her lips part and her tongue tangles with mine in lush strokes. Her taste is addictive, there’s never a moment where I don’t want her, or need her. She’s inside my veins, like a drug. She’s crawled inside my heart, consumed my every thought, she’s found the darkest parts of me and added the light I never had. Or never realized I would have again.

My hand travels down her soft skin, finding the heat between her thighs. I tease her through the material of her panties and her breathing hitches. She’s always so responsive. Wet and ready. There has been nothing in my life that could give me what she does. Happiness. I need to fuck her. Now. There is always a need to connect us in a way that makes her eyes flutter, her heart rate spike and her body tighten around me.

I roll my hips into hers and a small moan gets muffled by the kiss. All I need is to do is be inside her, the ache drives me crazy. As soon as I break contact, she whimpers, sitting back, I tug her panties down. I watch as she pulls the tank top she’s wearing up, before she can take it off completely, I grip it and knot it around her wrists. My own pants find the carpet in record time and I am back between her soft thighs. My cock at her entrance, teasing her. “Please Lucien?” Her begging only makes me harder, painfully so. Her pussy quivers around the tip of my cock. I slide the head in, and pull out, again and again. Her whimper makes me smile. She’s ready, so fucking ready.

“Please what, baby?” I tease her again, she has to beg me for it. She has to ache for me as much as I ache for her. The need to drive deep into her is unbearable, but I need to remain in control, even though she has me so out of control all the time.

“Fuck me! Please? Fuck me hard and make me scream.” Her eyes are black with lust as she wraps her legs around my waist, trying to pull me inside her. “Please?” Her soft moans and pleading have my head spinning and I slam into her, balls deep inside her sweet, tight little cunt. Oh God she feels good! Tightest, hottest little pussy I have ever been inside. I pull out almost all the way and drive back in.

She cries out as her head drops back. Her bound hands come down and her nails dig into my shoulder, spurring me on even more. The bite of pain makes my cock throb and harden inside her. Her heels push my ass, trying to get me deeper. My mouth finds her pebbled nipple, laving it, sucking it into my mouth. As I give attention to the other one, her pussy tightens. With a dark smirk I bite down on her nipple and she cries out my name, the most erotic sound ever. “Come for me, lumiére, give me all your pleasure.” My words are her undoing as her orgasm splinters through her. I drive into her, again, as I fill her with my own release.

Our bodies still and her tight little cunt pulses around me. Her body takes everything from me, milking me. Our bodies are still intertwined as I catch my breath. “I love you baby.” Planting soft kisses on her neck, sending a shiver over her skin.

“I love you too. Always.”

“Always.”

As soon as I slip out of her, she moans and rolls over. Her leg wrapped around me. “Baby, we need to get to work. Your boss won’t appreciate you being late.” I chuckle at the cute pout she gives me. Maybe she needs those lips wrapped around my cock. The image in my mind makes my cock jump.

“He will have to talk to my boyfriend, it’s his fault I am late.” Her fingers lightly stroke my abs. I feel the stirring of another hard on, but before she can continue, I roll out of her grasp.

“And your boyfriend has a meeting with the board today, so you have to behave.” Her giggle makes me smile and I walk around the bed to the bathroom. With her hungry gaze burning a hole into my skin, I leave the bathroom door open, and turn on the spray. As soon as her arms are around me, I tug her into the shower for our second round of breakfast.

* * *

When we arrived at the office this morning, Lucien walked me to my office and then disappeared upstairs for his board meeting. Once I had set up my laptop and logged into my email program, I turn to the window to take in the view below. The city looks incredible from up here, and sometimes it’s unreal that I am here. My mind flits back to meeting Lucien’s dad, the necklace he gave me and what he said about us. Summer and Winters. Light and Dark. Although at times I am not sure who is the dark one. There are so many things in my life that would make me argue that I am. Lucien has brought love back into my life. He’s brought me back from the dead, just about.

I am about to get up to make coffee when my phone buzzes. “Cassie Winters, how can I help you?”

“I told you to stay away from him, but you obviously don’t listen.” An icy voice sends fear racing through my veins. This is not Sasha because I have spoken to her a few times, and I would recognize her voice immediately. Who the hell can this be?

“Who are you? I asked you to leave Lucien and me alone!” As I am about to hang up, she says the words I have been dreading since I first started dating Lucien.

“He will learn about your dark secrets. I will make sure of it!” The line goes dead and I am staring at the receiver. What the fuck just happened? Shit! Lucien can’t find out about the darkest part of my story. I buried it for a reason. Knowing that I should have told him the night I confessed the rest of my story tugs at me. Didn’t we say honesty is the way to go? I should have listened. He can’t be angry, he should understand. I mean, I am sure he will. Won’t he? No, he won’t. The dread that’s hanging in my chest is making it difficult to breathe. My heart is constricting and I flop into my chair. Nothing will bring us back from this. No amount of fairytales, and no amount of pendants.

“Cassie, babe!” I glance up to see Jayce walking into my office. Did he knock? I must have been so deep in thought that I didn’t hear the noise.

“Hey Jay, how are you?” I offer him a small smile. He closes the door behind him and turns to meet my expression. A frown creases his brow as he walks towards me.

“Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” He strides closer to the desk and I can’t find the words to tell him anything. “Cassie?” I sit and stare at him for a long moment before finding the strength to even think it, let alone say the words out loud.

I nod. “I…” How the hell do I even start? “Lucien is going to break up with me.” I stare into his sky-slue eyes, worry etched on his face.

“What do you mean? Why?” Placing his hands on my desk, he leans over struggling to figure out what’s got me so overwhelmed. “Cassie, princess, talk to me?”

“My past Jay, there is something I hid from him. It’s something I did, if he finds out, he will never forgive me.” I glance up as the tears spill from my face.

“How do you know he will find out?” He cocks his head to the side.

“I got a warning from some girl. She believes that Lucien loves her and they’re meant to be together. She said she will tell him about my past.” Jay looks confused.

“What did she sound like? Was this Sasha?” I shake my head; it was the only thing I was sure about. Unless she somehow gained an accent in the last few days. “Can you be sure?”

“Yes, she had a European accent, Jay.” Color drains from his face, and fear rips through me. He knows something. “What?”

“Shit! There is only one person it can be. I met a girl a few years ago. When Lucien and I were at Uni. She moved from Spain, to stay with Lucien. Well, not really stay, she kind of landed here with nowhere to go. My guess is she came to win him back, but he was never interested in her. I can’t remember her name. It can only be her, she was thoroughly in love with him, but he was not interested in anything long-term at the time. He told me that they were a fling and he left her. This was a long time ago why would she resurface now?” Jayce walks around the desk and pulls me up, holding me in his arms I can’t believe this is happening. I will lose the man I love over some stupid jealous psycho who can’t let go. Maybe I can talk to him before she has time to say anything to him. I should go up there after the meeting.

* * *

As soon as I walk into the office Stacy is nipping at my heels. “Mr. Verán, you have an important call. The person has been calling non-stop for the past hour.” I glance at the time on my wristwatch, it is only fucking 9:30 am. Who would want to even think of doing business before ten?

“Did you happen to get a name?” My annoyance for her is skyrocketing.

“No, sir. She didn’t want to give me a name. Also she told me that she will keep calling back until you are in. She said it’s extremely important.”

When I spin on my heel, my glare falls on Stacy for the first time since I walked in this morning. Without an answer, I take a seat at my desk and open my laptop. “Fine. Get me a coffee. I have the board meeting in thirty minutes, if she doesn’t call before then, it will have to wait until after.”

“Mr. Verán, I sent you a reschedule, the board meeting has moved to eleven.”

“Okay, get me the coffee in the meantime and put whoever it is through.” With a simple nod, she leaves me to my work. With my email open, I scroll through the new messages and find the reschedule. My father wants to attend. That’s strange. Other than that nothing that requires immediate attention. I am about to call Cassie when my phone buzzes. “Verán.” I listen for a few moments, but nothing comes from the other side. “Listen, I have no time for games. If you don’t speak then I am hanging up.”

“Luca.” The voice on the other end sends me spiraling. I can’t even comprehend why she’s calling me. “Luca, I miss you.” Ice drips through my veins and I am about to hang up when the next words stop me dead in my tracks. “There is something about Cassandra you need to know.” Her accent is rich, sending memories through my mind that I long since buried.

“What are you talking about? Why are you calling me?” This was my past. Something I didn’t want to ever face again. There was no way I wanted to do this again. Why didn’t she just leave me alone? How many times do you have to reject someone before they take the hint?

“I have proof your girlfriend has a secret that even you may not be able to forgive.” A headache threatens as I sit back, and pinch the bridge of my nose, between my thumb and forefinger. Jesus, I can’t deal with this shit now. “Luca?” The way she says my name still sends deep regret through me.

“What? We don’t have any secrets. I need you to leave me alone. Please?” Right now, I am the one begging. I love Cassie that’s all that matters. Nothing can change that.

“Check your email.” Her words were final. I sat with the phone glued to my ear as my email pinged with an incoming message. My hand is steady as I open the new mail, then click on the attachment. As soon as I open it, my world rocks and free falls into a deep dark hole. My grip on the phone tightens. This can’t be right. She told me everything. Didn’t she? All I saw was rage, the anger flared inside me to an unbearable high. The darkness in my heart is now at the forefront and all I want to do is hurt her. For lying. For hiding this. I slam down the phone, and rise from the chair, stalking to my door. Swinging the office door open so fast that I hear the hinges creak. She would not have kept something like this from me? Could she? Why? After everything I told her? This couldn’t be? It had to be a mistake? Do you really believe that, Verán? She lied to my face! She didn’t even fucking trust me! My blood is simmering.

The elevator arrives as soon as I push the call button. As the car descended to the tenth floor, my blood has reached boiling point. This can’t be true. This can’t be true. I repeat the words slowly and methodically as the doors open. When I reach her office door, I swing it open. Time for the truth Ms. Winters. Jayce is in her office, standing too close. He’s way too fucking close to her. She’s mine! I can feel my anger about to explode, for many reasons. The main one was that Cassandra lied straight to my face. With no fucking guilt. This can’t be true. This can’t be true. Please, baby, tell me it’s not true. I am pleading with her in my head. As soon as her eyes meet mine, I can see the shock in her expression. She’s never seen me this angry before.

* * *

My door abruptly flies open. I glance up to meet Lucien's glare, his eyes were bitter and angry sending a shudder over me. His anger is something that was part of my worst nightmares. Those beautiful green eyes are black, in the worst sense. At his sides I saw his fists clench and release, the death stare he gives Jayce only makes me shiver more. He knows, Cassie. There is no doubt about it. And he is here to tell you it’s over. Once again you’ve fucked it up.

“I need to talk to you Cassandra.” Lucien’s voice is cold, harsh. The man I love is no longer inside that beautiful body. This is someone else. Someone dark, dangerous, and someone filled with hate. I nod.

“I was just leaving.” Jayce glances at me, the concern evident on his face. He makes his way to the door and passes Lucien, closing the door behind him.

“What’s up?” I try to calm the shrill tone in my voice, but his face is severe and my heart flip-flops. There was no way I would survive this or take anymore sadness or fighting today. I realized from the thunderous look on his face, he had learned my darkest secret. It was obvious, there was nothing I could do to calm him at this stage, that much I knew. This time I just had to ride wave. Even though it would kill me, then while I drown in the pain I would watch him walk away.

“I received a call this morning. Is there something you would like to say to me Cassandra?” His voice was brisk, void of any emotion. The way he spat my name made me wince, it was an actual pain in my chest. My heart hammered in my ears and bile rose from my stomach. He knows! Shit, shit, shit! How am I ever going to fix this? There is no fixing it, you’re done.

“Listen Lucien, there’s something I didn’t tell you. It’s just an ugly part of my past that... I just... I told you most of it, I...” His eyes dart away. He can’t even face me. I can see the disgust in his expression. It’s not about me, or what I did, it’s because I didn’t tell him. He’s angry because I didn’t trust him with this. He gave me all of him, and I held back. Now, I am paying for it. This time I am paying with the love of my life. “This is difficult for me. Please look at me?” I beg him. Realization hits me that I am rambling, trying to make him see I didn’t tell him because I was scared. When he shifted his green gaze on me I froze. I didn’t see the man that loved me, I saw someone else.

“You preferred for me to find out from a fucking woman from my past about the woman I am sleeping with? Is that what you wanted Cassie?!” His voice roared through the office, and I winced. I felt my heart shattering at the pain, from the anger in his eyes. My head shook quickly as the tears spilled down my face. My voice and breath stolen from me in that moment. There was nothing I could do. Or say. Nothing. This was the end of everything.

“Jesus, Cassie! I had to fucking find out from someone I haven’t spoken to in over 8 years, a fucking stranger to me!! Do you know how I feel? Do you fucking realize how this has torn into me!?” I was shaking now. All I wished was to crawl into a hole and never come out. “After I fucking told you what I did, you kept this from me!” He spun around, staring at the wall. It looked like he was about to punch a hole through it. In this state, I believed that he would be able to with the amount of anger in his face. His whole body vibrated with rage. The veins in his hands bulged, and he looked violent. Then suddenly, he calmed. Although the rage was still there, he turned and stalked towards me. I backed up against the window and he placed his hands on either side of my head. His angry glare fell on my face. “Look at me.” The words were a blatant order, but I couldn’t bring myself to move. “I said fucking look at me!” His voice boomed around me and I snapped my eyes up. When I met his black angry glare, my body shook violently as I sobbed. He dropped his voice, into a dark and dangerous hiss. “I don’t want you anywhere near me! We’re finished! Our relationship and you are dead to me!” With those last words ringing in my ears, he turned on his heel and strode out of my office, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

As soon as I step out of her office, my heart felt like it had been ripped from my chest. What the fuck have I just done? She lied. Yes. She did. Fuck. I stalk back to the elevator and push the call button. While I wait my mind is a fucking mess. As I step into the car, my phone buzzes. “What?”

“Luke, I don’t mean to—”

“Jayce, fuck, I don’t even know what to say. I lost it. She lied to me.” Scrubbing my hand over my face, I pressed the button for my floor.

“Dude, what the fuck is wrong with you?” I realized that Jayce was fuming. This is not a conversation I wanted to have with him right now. As the doors of the elevator closed, I left my heart on the other side, with Cassie.

The car ascends. “She lied about something Jayce. Something big. I really don’t know why. I had to find out from Isabel!” I want to punch something. Grinding my teeth, my jaw tightens painfully.

“So you’re just walking away?” He sounds incredulous. I don’t blame him. I want to ask myself the same fucking question.

“She lied to me. If she really loved me she would have told me. I told her everything Jayce. Every fucking sordid detail about my past.” The doors of the elevator slide open and I step into Stacey’s reception area. I glance over at her, she looked like she was about to burst and ask me what was going on. My face must have given it away.

I hear the heavy sigh from Jayce, and my heart is as heavy. “Fine, just remember you walked away.” His words slice into me, deeper than I ever thought possible and my heart thudded at the truth. I did. This is what I chose. To leave her, my love, my lumiére.

“Jay…” I whisper, stepping into my office, I shut the door with a bang.

“Yea?” He sounds weary, I don’t blame him, because he knows what’s coming.

“Listen, just look after her for me? Please?” I love her more than life itself, but I don’t see how it was supposed to work if she was lying to me. Or just not telling me the truth. If she didn’t trust me enough with something like this, then maybe she didn’t love me after all.

“Always.” The word hangs heavy with promise. A promise I don’t want to think about. I hang up before I can say anything else. The idea of her with Jayce rips me apart. How do you walk away from the one person that makes you whole? How the fuck do I go on living? I will have to find a way because I can’t be with someone who doesn’t trust me. That is the one thing I need from the person I want to spend my life with. Trust. Such an easy thing to break, and so difficult to get back.

“Mr. Verán, there is a call for you, did you not hear me buzz?” I turn to face Stacy, there are questions all over her face. Questions I am not in the mood to answer. Not right now.

“No. Take a message. I will get back to them later. Cancel my meetings. I have something that’s come up urgently.” There is no way I can sit in a board meeting now. They will have to wait.

“Yes, sir.” With that she leaves my office, closing the door behind her. I turn back to the window, staring at the city below me. Most days this view would bring me an insane amount of pleasure, today, it feels like a prison. She’s going off to a beautiful island with Jayce. This is shredding me inside and there is only one thing I need to do. Forget. My phone buzzing tears me from my thoughts. It’s Jayce. Again.

“What?”

“You’re a dumb fuck you know that!” Jesus, thank you Jayce, I figured that out. Why the fuck must he be so brutally honest?

“Jayce, I do realize that. You don’t have to tell me. She needs you.”

“No, Luke, she needs you. She loves you!”

“She doesn’t fucking love me!” My voice echoes in the empty room. I take a deep breath, trying to calm down and apologize. “Sorry, man. Just watch her.” He’s quiet for a long time, I know exactly what he’s thinking. There is something between them, I can tell he cares for her. It’s the only reason I am asking him to watch over her. The only problem will be if he fucks her, I know he will. She’s single now. So am I. As if reading my mind, he gives me an out.

“Let’s go clubbing tonight?” I sit down, considering the appeal. There is none. Other than getting drunk. Why not? You’re single. “Yea, let’s do it. Robert can drive. I need to get fucked… and by that, I mean drunk, Jayce.”

He didn’t laugh, and I knew what he was thinking. I was thinking it to. There was no way in hell I could ever get her out of my soul, heart or mind. No matter what I do.

“Luke, it will be fine. Trust me.”

“Yea. Got to go.” I hang up before he gave me shit about Cassie, and the fact that I walked out on her. Looking out over the city again, I don’t know how my life took a fucking nosedive. How the fuck did this even happen? Fuck this! I am going out tonight and I will get fucking wasted.