I get to the office early. I feel like an addict who just took his last hit before going cold turkey. Everything feels right in the world, but I’m still buzzing from such a good hit. The real difficulty will come later, when the urge strikes again and she’s right there in front of me. Not to be touched.

I open up my computer and pull up all the interns’ work. I look for Elise’s list. All of the interns’ files sync to the cloud, and I can view them at any time.

I scan through her list of people to fire, and freeze when I see Gideon Fleischmann’s name.

I delete it as fast as I can, and I scramble to erase it from all the auto-saved versions.

“Fuck,” I mutter. I should have warned her when I asked her to make the list.

I clean up everything I can. Unless Gideon randomly decided to see what the fucking interns were doing between six o’clock last night and right now, I should be home free.

Gideon Fleischmann is the kind of virus that moves from corporation to corporation, siphoning off its wealth and steeling himself against any and all blame when it goes under.

He operates between multiple layers of people beneath him, and he never directly does anything to incriminate himself. I’m astonished that Elise was able to see through all of that and pinpoint Fleischmann as a problem.

I’ll have to talk to her--warn her.

I’m going to sack Gideon all right, but I have to do a lot of prep work before I pull the trigger. He can’t know it’s coming ahead of time.

I grab my phone and call Dash.

“Yeah?”

“Dash, can I get you to look into someone?”

“Of course,” he says. “You know I can--”

“It’s high-profile,” I say. “It’s risky.”

“Yeah,” Dash says. “Just pay me a lot more and I’ll do it.”

“Alright,” I say. “I’ll meet you for lunch later and give you the name in person. Just start clearing your schedule because I’ll need you to work fast.”

“Sure thing,” he says. “See you at lunch.”

Gideon Fleischmann is a criminal, but I need Dash to make sure that he’s nothing more than a white collar crook. If the worst thing he can do to me is sic a team of twenty lawyers on me, I’m fine with that. I just have to make sure he doesn’t have any connections to the kind of criminal world I left behind.

Now that Elise herself wrote down his name, I have to make sure I protect her, too.

There’s a knock on my door.

“Come in.”

The door opens and Hugo pops his head in.

“I said ‘come in,’ so come all the way in.”

He steps all the way inside my office. “Good morning, sir. I thought I’d come in early and see if you needed help with anything.”

I look at the clock. It’s seven forty-five.

“When did you get here, Hugo?”

He hesitates, then says, “Six-thirty, sir.”

“I didn’t even see you when I came in, but in fifteen minutes everyone else will start arriving, and your effort would have gone totally unnoticed, so you knocked to make sure I’d know you were here early.”

He gives me a shit-eating grin, then says, “I just wanted to make sure you knew I was serious about this, sir. I want to succeed.”

I nod. “Good job. I saw you when I came in, by the way, but I’d have been disappointed if you hadn’t knocked. Never let good work go unnoticed. What were you working on?”

“I’m putting together a report on the likelihood of the Chinese devaluing their currency again within the next few months.”

I nod. “Good, but we’re pulling out of China anyway.”

“I know,” Hugo says, “but we have to convince the board to do that.”

I smile. “Good, I’d like to see the report when you’re done.”

When Nadine comes in, Elise is with her. She’s wearing a grey skirt that is much longer than the black one she wore yesterday. It goes nearly past her knees, but the svelte way it hugs her ass and hips makes it impossible for me to look away.

I force myself to tear my eyes away and nod to Nadine.

“Hunt,” she says. “I need to talk to you.”

“Sure,” I say, avoiding making eye contact with Elise.

“Good morning, Mr. Thorn,” Elise says.

At the sound of her greeting, I turn toward her. “Good morning, Elise.”

I say it politely and then turn away. I’m sure she’s mad at the brisk greeting, but the last thing I need now is Nadine becoming suspicious.

I follow Nadine into her office.

Before she can speak, I say, “What do you know about Gideon Fleischmann?”

“Everyone knows something about him,” she says, “but no one has the whole picture.”

“I’m sure he’s spent a lot of money and energy to keep it that way.”

She nods. “I try not to think of how I ended up captain of a sinking ship. I especially try not to dwell on who specifically put me here…”

“But you think Fleischmann was involved.”

“And what if he was?” she asks. “I can’t just fire him.”

“I can. Once I get more on him.”

“We can’t afford him striking back right now, Hunt.”

“I know,” I say. “Rest assured, when I hit someone, I do it so that they can’t hit me back.”

“Be very careful with Gideon Fleischmann,” she says.

I consider telling her now that Elise put him on her list of people to potentially fire, but I’m worried that if I do, she’ll overreact.

“Anyway, Hunt,” she says, “I wanted to talk to you to make sure you’re moving in soon.”

“Yeah,” I say. “In a few days.”

“Can you make it tonight?”

“What’s the rush?” I ask.

“My daughter is out until all hours of the night, and I doubt she’s going to spend any time with me. I’m already hearing rumblings that I brought Celia here to garner sympathy…”

“Come on,” I say.

“You haven’t heard it?”

“I’ve heard it,” I say, “but it’s bullshit.”

“It is bullshit,” Nadine says. “Just like our marriage. I haven’t heard anyone talking about that being fake...yet.”

“So you want us living together ASAP, before people get suspicious.”

“Yes.”

“Alright,” I say. “I’ll move in tonight then.”

* * *

I meet Dash for lunch, and he’s got a cocky fucking smile on his face the moment he sees me.

“What’s up?” he asks. “Anything new?”

“This is a business lunch,” I say. “I don’t have time for your shit.”

“Hey,” Dash says, his face scrunching up as if I hurt his feelings. “You’re the one who asked me here. You could at least not be a dick to me.”

“How’s Ivanna?” I ask.

“Who?”

I roll my eyes and slide a slip of paper to him with Gideon Fleischmann’s name on it. “This is the guy I want you to investigate. See if he’s got any dangerous connections, and see if you can find any dirt on him.”

Dash looks at the paper. “I don’t recognize the name, but will do.”

“Good,” I say. “That’s all. If you have questions, just call me and ask to meet for lunch.”

“You’re leaving without eating?” Dash asks. “In a rush to see your stepdaughter?”

I freeze, and then I lunge at him.

He jumps away, and a few people in the restaurant stop eating to look up at us.

“Don’t make a scene, man,” he says, grinning.

“What did you just say?” I hiss, sitting back down next to him.

“I’m an investigator, man, of course I found out.”

“What did you find out?”

“That the girl from the other night is your new stepdaughter,” Dash says, grinning.

I lean in close to him, and I can feel a vein bulging on my forehead. “You don’t say a fucking thing to anyone, got it? I’m paying you to investigate Gideon Fleischmann. Not to investigate me.”

Dash grins. “I investigated you for free, man! Think about it, you may need to hire me to keep your relationship under wraps. I’m not just good at investigating people, I’m good at keeping people’s secrets...secret.”

I get up to leave. “Just keep your mouth shut, Dash.”

“No worries, man. Your secret’s safe with me.”

* * *

When I get back to the office, Elise is gone, as are many of the interns. Yesterday was an all-day orientation, but now they are back to full-time course loads. Technically, they are only required to be in the office for about three hours per week, but those who put in extra time will be rewarded, and those who don’t will probably get fired.

I initially feel disappointed when I realize Elise is gone for the day, but soon that feeling shifts to relief. I’m able to get a lot of work done without Elise’s presence distracting me.

I work long and hard, and when I finally look up to take a break, I realize the sun is going down and a lot of the office is clearing out. Nadine is already gone.

Fuck. I have to move tonight. I’ll just bring a few suits and other essentials, then I can hire some movers to bring over any other stuff I may need.

It’s not the physical moving of my stuff that I have to prepare for, it’s the mental adjustment I have to make. I have to live under the same roof as Elise.

If my marriage to Nadine was real, it might be a bit easier to pretend to be Elise’s stepfather. I would be expected to take at least some interest in her. But in my current position, anything other than just ignoring her might seem odd.

I’ve never shown an ounce of interest in Nadine’s personal life, so how suspicious would it seem if I suddenly became interested in Nadine’s daughter?

I’ll have to pretend I’m totally disinterested, and I’ll have to hope that Elise doesn’t make it difficult for me.

I go back to my place. I pack my toothbrush, razor, and all the crap from my bathroom into a toiletry bag. I throw some socks, underwear, and shirts into a small suitcase.

I take a few suits and trousers off the rack, and I carry them, still on their hangers, out the door with all my other stuff.

I load it all into my car and drive over to Nadine’s.

I give the guy at her building’s garage a few hundred bucks and tell him not to tow me, promising I’ll get a monthly pass in the morning.

I grab all my things and head up to Nadine’s apartment.

I knock, and soon Nadine opens the door. “Oh, good, you didn’t forget.”

“Nope,” I say.

Nadine grabs the hangers out of my hand. “Celia, help Hunt with his stuff.”

Jesus, I was hoping Elise would be out.

She comes up to the door wearing a tight white t-shirt and even tighter black yoga pants. She smiles up at me for just a moment, then grabs my suitcase out of my hand.

Nadine and Elise take my things toward a big bedroom at the end of the hallway, and even though I try not to, my eyes lock onto Elise’s ass as she drags my suitcase down the hallway.

“This will be your bedroom,” Nadine says.

“It’s across from mine,” Elise says. “Mom’s is the master bedroom, which is on the other end of the apartment.”

Fuck. Just great.

“Thanks,” I say. “I’ll get my stuff sorted now.”

Elise lingers at the door to my room.

“That means he wants you to go away, Celia,” Nadine says.

Elise pouts at me, but I shut the door on her.

God, I could see her fucking nipples poking through that t-shirt. I could see every curve of her tight ass through those yoga pants. And I can’t touch her. I shouldn’t even look at her.

I hang up my clothes and unpack my bags. I spend a few minutes pulling myself together and steeling my resolve, and then I go back into the main open space of the apartment.

I see Elise is on the couch with the TV on, while Nadine is working on her laptop at the kitchen table.

“Oh, Hunt,” Nadine says. “You’ll have to use my bathroom to shower; the bathroom connected to your bedroom has a leaky pipe.”

Elise turns the volume down on the TV, and says casually, “He can use mine, Mom. It’s right across from him.”

“I can share with you, Nadine,” I say. “Thanks, though, Elise.”

“It is closer,” Nadine says.

“Mom doesn’t like to share,” Elise says.

“I’ll use Nadine’s,” I say.

Elise glares at me and turns the volume back up on the TV. She adjusts herself so she’s belly down on the backless part of the couch, her perfect ass in those tight pants right on direct display for me.

“Why are you watching that garbage, Celia?” Nadine asks, rolling her eyes.

I look over at the TV and see she’s watching Survivor.

“I’m studying,” she says.

“For a class?” I ask, skeptically.

“No,” she says. “For the internship.”

On the screen, two emaciated women covered in dirt are standing on a wooden platform, balancing on the balls of their feet. Each is holding a long stick behind their shoulders, the ends of which are poking through small rings with bells attached.

“It’s close,” the host says. “Sandra’s stick has almost rung the bell a few times, but her feet are steady! How are you feeling, Sandra?”

Sandra, her blonde hair almost brown with dirt, flashes an agonized and pained look at the host. She just grunts.

The host laughs. “Nadia? What about you? Your feet are looking shaky.”

“Shut up, Jeff,” Nadia hisses.

“I don’t think Hunt is going to make you stand on a wooden beam with a stick between two rings, Celia. There’s no physical component to what Hunt is teaching you.”

Elise’s white teeth gleam as she smiles at me. She licks her lips and raises her eyebrows at me.

“We’re being pitted against each other, Mom,” Elise says. “Just like on the show. This dumb show has been on TV for like...twenty years or something. The contestants have figured this formula out pretty damn well by now. I’d be stupid not to learn from them. I watched the first season already, you should see all the stuff they didn’t even think to do back then.”

I have to admit it’s smart. The way I’ve set the internship up really is like Survivor, and it hadn’t even occurred to me that the interns could learn from watching the show.

“What is the biggest thing you aren’t doing?” I ask.

Elise scoffs and rolls her eyes. “Since you’re the one who could eliminate me, should I really tell you?”

“I won’t give you special treatment at work,” I say, “but you can let your guard down at least a little while we are home. I’m not going to use anything I learn here against you.”

“There are no alliances,” Elise says. “The people on this show always form alliances.”

“They vote each other off the show,” Nadine says. “The alliances are just a brute-force numbers game.”

“You’re telling me you don’t form alliances with people when you’re trying to shatter the glass ceiling, Mom? You didn’t have to make friends with someone, then backstab them later to get where you are now?”

Nadine sighs. “I’ve backstabbed people. But look where I am now, Celia. No one wants to be where I am.”

“Who do you want to be allies with?” I ask.

“You’ll see, Mr. Thorn,” Elise says, winking at me.

It’s hard for me to be objective, but Hugo and Elise are both the strongest candidates. If this was actually Survivor, it might not be smart for her to become allies with Hugo, because in that show, only one person can win. She’d eventually have to square off with him.

But for the internship, allying with the strongest candidate could ensure that both of them make it through.

“Speaking of Sencorp and the internships,” I say, “I need to go get some work done.”

“You can set your laptop up here,” Nadine says. “If you want.”

I shake my head. “I need to work away from all these distractions.”

“I can turn the TV off,” Elise says, sitting up and frowning.

“It’s fine,” I say. “I’ll be in my room.”

There’s only one distraction I’m worried about, and that’s Elise.

* * *

I spend a few hours on work, including the next elimination test for the interns. A lot of people would question me for spending so much time on the interns when the whole corporation is going under, but part of my ethos has always been to cut away the old rotting planks of the ship and hammering in freshly chopped wood.

Business culture has become such a fucking circle jerk of rich old white guys, and I learned early on that being older doesn’t necessarily make you any wiser. Hardship and drive is worth a hell of a lot more than parents who buy a library to get you into an Ivy League school and who leverage all their connections to get you a job.

By pushing the interns like this, I’m forging people who can save the company. At anywhere else, or under any other CEO, these interns would be ordering sandwiches and coffee for people like Gideon Fleischmann. Under my guidance, they are going to replace him.

I start to feel tired and take off my clothes. I always sleep naked. I lay down in bed, but I don’t fall asleep.

Elise is right across the hall from me. It seems fucking insane that we’re both sleeping alone when we’re so damn close to each other. But I promised, and I’m not going to risk everything because I can’t wait a few months to touch her again.

I finally start to drift off to sleep, and just as I fall into my dreams, I hear a weak knocking at my door.

I roll out of bed and stand up, still naked. I open the door just enough to poke my head through the opening.

Elise is standing at the door, wearing a t-shirt that barely covers her ass cheeks. My cock stiffens instantly, and my heart slams against my chest.

“What?” I ask, forcing myself to sound as annoyed as possible.

“There’s a roach in my room,” she says.

“Really? Roaches in this fancy fucking building? This high up?”

“It’s a myth that roaches don’t go to the top floors of a building.”

“There are no roaches in my place.”

“It’s a big roach, Daddy, and I can’t go to sleep now. What if it crawls into my bed while I’m sleeping?”

“Give me a minute,” I say, shutting the door in her face.

I pull on my boxers and an undershirt. My cock is still so hard that the boxers can’t contain it, so I throw on a pair of jeans.

I step back into the hall.

Elise licks her lips and grabs my arm. She whispers into my ear, “No need to dress up for me, Daddy, I’ve seen you naked plenty of times--”

“Quiet,” I hiss. “Don’t talk like that under this roof.”

“Oh,” she says, frowning. “Daddy is mad at me for having a dirty mouth.”

“Where is the roach, Elise?”

She guides me into her room. I force myself to keep my eyes up and off her ass.

The lights in her room are on, and there’s a pink vibrator laying on top of the bed. I pretend I don’t notice it, but I’m sure she left it there intentionally for me to see.

“Where was it?” I ask.

“It climbed up behind my dresser.”

“Do you have an old shoe or something?”

“Yes, sir,” she says. She runs toward her closet, and drops down to her knees. She bends forward and her shirt hikes up, exposing her bare pussy. I can see it is wet from here.

I look away. “Don’t make this hard for me, Elise,” I say.

“I’m sorry that I made you hard, Hunter. I can help you not be hard, if--”

“Elise,” I say. “Stop it.”

She stands back up and hands me a shoe.

I slide my fingers behind the dresser, and I pull it a few inches off the wall. I look down and wait for a roach to crawl out. Nothing.

I grab the other side of the dresser and pull so the whole thing is off the wall. There is no roach.

“Roaches can hide really well,” Elise says.

“Was there really a roach, Elise?”

“Will you be mad at me if I say no?” her voice whispers from just behind me.

Before I can answer, I feel her breasts press into my back, and her hand grabs my cock through my jeans.

“I made it hard for you,” she says. “I’m sorry.”

I peel her off me and shove her down onto the bed. “Do what you have to do, Elise, but don’t tempt me. Think about what would happen if your mother found out. Think about every other part of your life.”

“You’re the only part of my life I care about, sir--”

“That’s not true,” I grunt. It’s getting hard not to just jump on top of her. “Hunger is the best spice, Elise, just think how good it will be when--”

“It’s good now, Daddy. Plenty spicy.”

“Don’t fuck with me anymore,” I say, walking out of her room and shutting the door quietly behind me.