My eyes flew open and I jumped out of bed like it was on fire. My heart was pounding and adrenaline was pumping through my veins.

What the hell?

I squinted and looked around the dimly lit bedroom. The sun was peeking through the edges of the dark curtains that I had purchased in an attempt to keep the room as dark as possible. Sleeping during daylight hours was a major downside of working nights.

At first glance, nothing seemed out of place and my extreme reaction didn’t make sense. Then the pounding started and I remembered why I had jolted awake so abruptly.

Slipping a silk kimono over my satin and lacy baby doll nightie and shoving my feet in a pair of slippers, I shouted towards the door. “Be right there!”

Unfortunately, the pounding didn’t stop. At all. It just kept its steady pace of annoyance. Fantastic.

I staggered to the front door where the culprit was located. The door swung open and I saw a fully dressed Kim standing there.

“What the hell, Kim. You know I didn’t get home until late.” I glanced at the clock and saw it was barely eight-thirty in the morning. “I’ve been asleep for like three hours!”

“Excuse me, Miss Priss. I thought you would want to know that someone is towing your car. Do you have outstanding tickets or something?” She gestured over to the parking lot where there was indeed a giant, hairy man pulling my car up onto a tow truck.

I quickly shuffled to the parking lot, screaming “Wait, wait!” over and over again. Gorilla man just looked at me with one eyebrow raised while the car continued its ascent. I caught him just as he was finishing up and about to throw his clipboard in the truck.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I huffed as I skidded to a stop in front of where he stood with his arms crossed in an unfriendly gesture. His eyes honed in on the cleavage that was now uncovered thanks to my kimono falling open during my hasty jaunt to save my car. I grabbed the ends of the robe and tightened it around my waist.

“Ahem,” I continued and drew his attention to my face. It was easy to read in his that he liked what he saw. It made me cringe. “What do you think you’re doing with my car?” I semi-repeated.

“It’s not your car. This car here belongs to one Mr. Lawrence Watson. I have strict orders to return it to its owner.”

Annabelle. That bitch! She wasn’t satisfied taking my money and my apartment. No… She had to take my car too. I was sure to pay the car insurance for the year upfront when my cousins gave me money to live off of just so this didn’t happen. God, I was going to rip every fake piece of hair out of that witch’s head when I finally got my hands on her.

“Look,” I said, trying to be calm and rational. I was really hoping I could plead with Gorilla man and make him see reason. “Lawrence is my father. He gave me that car. It’s mine.”

“If he gave you the car then it should be in your name. It’s not, so I’m taking it.”

Beyond frustrated and close to losing it, I got desperate. I couldn’t let her take my only means of transportation. I needed to get to work in order to support myself. So in my moment of desperation, I let my robe fall back open putting all my goods on display for him.

Hey. I wasn’t proud of it. I actually detested myself for doing it, but sometimes a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do. I was learning I wasn’t above manipulating a situation if need be.

His eyes started at my slipper-clad feet and slithered up my bare legs, over my silk and laced covered torso, ending on my mostly bare breasts. I felt defiled just from that look alone. I was going to take a long shower and scrub myself raw when this was done. Then hopefully, I’d jump in my car and pay my stepmother a little visit.

“Please,” I lowered my tone to near breathlessness. Maybe I should have been an actress. “Please don’t take my car. I need it.”

I watched in horror as he licked his chops like I was a juicy steak. Part of me was concerned that he’d offer to let me keep the car for a blow job or something as equally demeaning. I might be desperate, but there was no way in hell I’d ever go there.

“Sorry, lady. I got my orders. You’ll have to take it up with the owner.”

“Fine!” I growled and stomped away. Kim followed after me. I hadn’t realized that she was watching that little show.

I went inside my apartment, slammed the door and went right for my phone. Stabbing the buttons with my fingers, I dialed Jeff. He had to have dug up some dirt on my bitch of a stepmother by now that I could use against her.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I cursed when it went to voicemail. Could this day get any worse? “Jeff. It’s me, Tori. Listen, the wicked witch of the west just had her minions fly in and take my Lexus. I need to know what you’ve found. Call me back.”

“Shit!” I yelled and threw my phone on the table. It skidded across the surface and fell on the floor.

“Uh, Tori? Maybe you should take a deep breath and calm down,” Kim suggested.

I whipped around and stalked towards her. “I will not calm down! She has taken this too far! All I wanted was to be with my father in his final days and keep on living my life like I had been. But nooooooooooooooooo! That bitch couldn’t stand the fact that I was always going to be more important than her. Well, fuck that!”

“Okay, I can totally see why you’re upset, but again, I think you need to calm down. For your own good. Jump in the shower and I’ll take you to talk to her or wherever else you want to go.”

“That’s a perfect idea! First, we’ll stop at Watson Oil to see what my cousins have to say. Then we’ll storm down to the ranch house. Thank you.”

“Anything for you, babe. You’re the best friend I’ve got.”

* * *

We drove across town to the company offices for Watson Oil. When my father and uncle retired, Jeff and Rich took over running the business. I had no interest in working for an oil company in any capacity, so naturally our fathers passed everything over to them. I wasn’t a part of any of the decisions. Everything fell on their shoulders.

When the shit hit the fan with Annabelle, my original plan had been to work in the family business. I would have been happy with whatever Jeff could have given me. Shit, I would have made copies all day if that’s what it would have taken. Bitch face Annabelle wouldn’t have it though. As my father’s proxy, she exercised her control over the board and made it so I was unemployable there. I was downright amazed—and not in a good way—that she was able to pull it off. Jeff was livid. He threatened to quit, but I couldn’t have that on my conscience.

Dealing with this latest bullshit of hers was so not the way I wanted to spend my day off. I had been riding the high of that kiss with Jay when I went to bed. My dreams were filled with him and deliciously naughty sexual acts when I was startled awake. I would give anything to be back in bed having those dreams again.

The secretary at the front desk was the same one for the last twenty years, so I said a quick hello and proceeded back to Jeff’s office. As CEO, he was the head honcho on duty. He was also the one who promised me he would start looking into Annabelle and see what dirt he could dig up. It had been a little over a month since we last spoke, and I needed to know what he had found out.

“Hi, Marcy!” I greeted his assistant. Stopped in front of her desk, I smiled down at the petite blonde who looked as fragile as a flower, but was actually a better shot than most of the men who worked for the company. She could certainly hold her own if push came to shove.

“Tori! I haven’t seen you in forever! How have you been?”

“Oh, you know. Can’t complain too much.” I was never one to openly share my problems with people. I learned at an early age that whining and bitching were not that becoming on me. “This is my friend Kim. Kim, this is Marcy.”

They exchanged pleasantries and Marcy offered us coffee, but I was a woman on a mission. “Is Jeff in? I need to speak with him about a rather important matter.”

“Sure thing, honey. He just got off a conference call. I’ll let him know you’re here.”

After checking with Jeff, Marcy waved us off. We walked into his office and I was overcome with nostalgia at being in my father’s old stomping ground. It was elegantly decorated with dark woods and leather furniture. I remembered my mom and Aunt Beverly scouring magazines for hours trying to come up with just the right looks for the office. No expense was spared in making it a welcoming and comfortable place to spend time.

Jeff stood and rounded the desk, engulfing me in a hug. At just under six feet tall, he wasn’t much taller than me. What he was though was unbelievably handsome. His dark hair and dark eyes gave him a bad boy look, while his trimmed hair and custom made suit made him look tame. It was a very striking contrast that got him laid far too frequently.

“Tori, I just got your message. What’s going on?” He let go of me and turned to Kim. “And who might your lovely friend be?”

I introduced the two of them and was oddly fascinated when Jeff kissed her hand, but I had far better things to worry about than whether or not they would hook up.

“Annabelle had my car repossessed today since it’s in dad’s name. You know he couldn’t sign off on that. She’s being a bitch!”

He looked uncomfortable for a moment. “I was afraid this was going to happen.”

“Afraid what was going to happen? Why are you being so cryptic? And why haven’t you given me any updates?”

“Have a seat and I’ll explain.” We settled in the seating area with two plush couches and a chair. Jeff sat in a chair across from Kim and me on a couch. “I hired a Private Investigator to see what we could come up with on Annabelle. Let’s just say, I found out she’s been sleeping with numerous people. One of which is my brother.”

I gasped at that news. Holy shit! “Rich?”

He nodded and continued, “Yes. Unfortunately, I had talked to him about what we had decided on taking her down, prior to finding out about their affair. I was afraid she’d get desperate once she found out what was happening. Anyway, Rich resigned from the company and set up alliance with her. Things have been a little crazy here with him gone, which is why I haven’t had a chance to communicate any of this to you. I truly think he plans on living off the trust fund our mother’s father left him and the inheritance that Annabelle plans on getting from Uncle Larry.”

That was absolutely disgusting. I couldn’t believe my father and the rest of my family was being betrayed by Rich. He always considered himself the black sheep of the family, so acting out wasn’t anything new for him. The degree to which he was turning on us wasn’t anything I would have expected though. Everyone knew Annabelle was a gold digging slut, no one realized Rich was too.

“What are we going to do?” I sat back and shook my head. This was one of the worst case scenarios we could have encountered in this debacle.

“Let me give you one of my cars to drive. It’s the least I could do since I was stupid enough to trust my brother.”

“I couldn’t.”

“You can and you will. I still have the investigator digging. It’s going to take time and you’ll need a mode of transportation.”

“Time we don’t have,” I murmured and off of the impending tears. “Dad could be dead before anything changes.”

He nodded solemnly. He knew how hard it was going to be when my father passed, especially if I wasn’t there to be with him. Jeff was away on a trip with some friends when his father died. I knew it still haunted him, much the same way it was sure to do the same to me.

“I’ll do everything I can to see to it that you get to see him again, Tori. That’s my vow. Do you still have a key to my house?”

“Yeah.” I double checked my key ring.

“Good. Let yourself in and choose whichever car you want. All the keys are kept in the wooden cabinet on the wall in my office.” Jeff stood and walked us to the door. “I’m really sorry, Tori. I feel like this is my fault for not being careful enough.”

I stepped into him and wrapped my arms around his middle. “This isn’t your fault, so stop saying that. We’ll figure it out and thanks for the ride.”

He chuckled and gave me a squeeze before letting me go and opening the door. “It was nice to meet you, Kim. I hope I’ll be seeing more of you now that you’re friends with my cousin.”

Kim blushed and agreed.

Walking out of the offices, I couldn’t help the overwhelming dismay and melancholy that settled over me. Getting out of this shit felt near impossible at the moment.

* * *

Jay

I was sitting in a restaurant in Deep Ellum when a sweet ass, white Bentley GT Speed convertible with red interior and rims pulled up to the curb. The chick who climbed out had long, fucking legs and an ass that begged to be fucked. I felt a smile tug at my lips when I realized who it was. It was like watching a God damn music video with the sexy way she flipped her hair and strutted around to the sidewalk.

Damn, my cock sure as fuck wanted a piece of Tori. Here I was sitting in a meeting with Kyla, the head of my marketing division, and I had to fight getting hard just watching Tori walk into a restaurant.

That kiss from last night had been on my mind way too much today. She was a dangerous little distraction that I couldn’t seem to get enough of. Knowing what parts of her story Jerome was able to get, I knew I should stay away from her. Her life had drama written all over it. Problem was, after the vulnerability that she showed me last night, I had an urge to protect the soft spot that I was sure she didn’t show many people. Tori wasn’t about people feeling sorry for her. And that just made the protective part of me eager to shield her from all the bad swirling around her.

She walked in with a curly haired girl with blonde hair. She was wearing a pair of short, tight jean shorts and a floral shirt with thin spaghetti straps and tiered ruffles going down the length of it, each tier a different pattern. She looked like a chic hippy. Tori worked every look I’d seen her in. She was just that fly.

I stood as the waitress brought her by my table. Her face lit up like the sky on the Fourth of July when she saw me. As soon as our eyes met, I knew I was in there. And not just in there, but in there. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if she had been thinking about me much the same way I had been thinking of her.

“Hey,” she said softly and immediately went in for a hug. Full body contact. I liked that.

“Hey, baby,” I murmured in her ear before pulling away.

Tori took one look at my lunch date, and her face turned as white as a ghost. Hurt flashed in her eyes, and I watched her visibly straighten her shoulders as she faced me.

“Yes, well, it was good to see you, Jayson,” she said all business like and I had to fight a grin. Little did Tori know, but I didn’t fuck anyone at work. Unless you were an artist, of course. Then you were fair game. If my name was on your check though, that shit did not happen. The last thing I needed were lawsuits against me after hitting it and then walking away.

“Tori, let me introduce you to Kyla. She’s Vice President of Marketing at Rucker Records.”

Kyla stood up and you could see her faint baby bump. She was shorter than Tori at just over five feet, and she was married to one of the lawyers who worked for me.

The women shook hands and introduced themselves. Tori looked over at me with a sheepish look on her face. “I better get back to my friend.”

“You working tonight?” I placed my hand on the soft skin of her arm to stop her from walking away from me.

She shook her head. “No. It’s my day off.”

I had to admit I was disappointed she wasn’t working tonight, but then I realized that only meant a lot more free time alone with her outside of Lace. Yeah, that could definitely work to my advantage. Because tonight Tori Watson was going to be under me, screaming my name while I fucked the shit out of her.

“Want to hook up later?”

“I don’t know.” She bit her lip both unsure and disappointed. “I only got three hours of sleep last night. Some shit happened and I spent most of my day trying to sort it out. I’ll probably crash and won’t be much company.”

I looked over her face and realized she did look tired. But still, I had a great way to relax her, and it came in the form of a couple long, hard orgasms.

“This got to do with you pulling up in a Bentley?” I asked, remembering the sexy entrance she made in a car other than the one I’d seen her in before.

“Yeah. It’s a long story, but basically it’s a loaner.”

“Why don’t I come over around seven? I’ll bring some dinner and you can tell me your long story. I’ll be sure to tuck you in early enough that you’ll get plenty of beauty rest.”

Her lips parted at my statement and she made me start getting hard again picturing her looking up at me like that tonight when I was buried deep inside her. Fuck, she was killing me.

“Okay. I’ll text you my address.” We had exchanged phone numbers a few nights ago, but she had yet to use it.

“No need, baby.”

She cocked her head to the side and looked confused. “How are you going to know where I live if I don’t give you my address?”

“I know everything,” I teased.

“Stalker!” She gave me a sexy little grin before leaning in and kissing my cheek. “I’ll see you later then, stallion.”

I heard Kyla choke on a laugh as Tori gifted me a nice view of her ass swaying its way over to her table.

“Don’t start,” I warned as I returned to my seat.

“I’m not sure I know what you mean, stallion.” At that, Kyla started giggling, and I knew I was done for. That was sure to be around the label before the end of the day. Little Miss Tori was going to get it tonight.