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  A painful whimper escaped her lips.

  “Tell me.” My fingers moved to her thigh, rubbing her gently.

  “Theo…”

  I loved hearing her moan my name like that. “Tell me, baby.”

  She pressed her lips to mine and gave me a gentle kiss, trying to entice me into making her come.

  “No.” I pulled my lips away. “You know what I want to hear.” I moved my fingers back to the area and circled it slowly.

  “Fine,” she hissed.

  “Fine, what?” I pressed.

  “I’m head-over-heels for you. I’m obsessed with you.”

  I smirked. “I already knew that, baby. You didn’t need to tell me.” Before she could yell at me, I rubbed her the way she liked, pushing her to the edge.

  She gripped me and moaned loudly while she hit her climax. “God, yes…” Her enthusiasm suggested I did a really good job or she hadn’t been pleased in a while. I hoped it was both.

  I pulled my hand away and gave her a gentle kiss. “I like watching you come.”

  She lay still and recovered from her high. “That was good…”

  “That was only a sample of what I can do.”

  She sat up and leaned over me. “Your turn.”

  My skin prickled in excitement. My hands gripped her hips and I hoped she would go down on me. I wouldn’t pressure her, but I’d love to feel that warm mouth around me.

  But she lay back down and pulled off her shirt. Then she pulled me on top of her. When she pressed her tits together and looked up at me, I knew what she wanted.

  That was even better.

  I leaned down and kissed the valley between her breasts, dragging my tongue across it and lubricating the area while I sucked her raw. Then I moved up and inserted my cock between her breasts. She pushed them together and kept my cock locked into her cleavage.

  “Fuck…” I rocked my hips and moved between the warmth of her breasts. It felt so good I couldn’t even process it. She looked up at me with desire in her eyes. I kept going and didn’t last long. After making out with her in the shower for an hour and making her come, my threshold was extremely low. I cupped my tip and squirted into my palm, making sure not to get anything on her. When I finished, I released a satisfied sigh.

  “And that’s only a sample of what I can do,” Alex said with a smirk.

  I smirked back at her then cleaned myself off. Then I snuggled in bed with her again. “Now you couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.”

  “You already got what you wanted. There’s no reason to stay.”

  I pulled her close to me and spooned her from behind. “What are you talking about? This is the best part.”

  Chapter Three

  Skye

  I would never get the image of Cayson out of my mind.

  The way his eyes were wide when he yelled at me haunted me. His tense shoulders were intimidating. Everything about that night made me sick and weak.

  Spit flew out of his mouth because he was so angry. He looked like, for a moment, he wanted to strangle me.

  He hated me.

  When I told him I cheated on him, he accepted that truth quietly. But now that he knew it was a lie, he was angrier. He lashed out at me like he despised me. I’d known him my whole life, and I’d never seen him more upset than he was then.

  I didn’t blame him. How could I?

  But this wasn’t how I expected the truth to come out. I didn’t expect him to show up on my doorstep and scream at me. I didn’t expect the fire in his eyes. Shocked and caught off guard, I said nothing intelligible. I just let him scream, knowing I had no defense.

  He hated me. But I hated myself more.

  All I could think of was telling him how I felt, that I still loved him and always would.

  But he didn’t say it back.

  He turned his back on me and walked away.

  My health had improved over the past eight months. I started to get out of bed and head to the gym. I actually started to bathe and walk out my front door. But now I was at rock bottom again.

  There was nothing I could do to fix what happened. Cayson hadn’t called or reached out to me in weeks. He screamed and released his feelings, and then he went back to California to continue his life.

  As selfish as it sounded, I hoped knowing the truth would make him stay. I hoped it would make him drop his anger since I never cheated on him. I hoped he would be so happy that I loved him as much as I always had that everything would be forgiven.

  He always forgave me for everything.

  But this time he didn’t. This time, I did something unforgivable. This time, I hurt him too much.

  I didn’t blame him for despising me. I didn’t deserve Cayson. I had his best interest at heart when I made that decision, but my actions were still morally wrong. I knew it. He knew it. Everyone knew it.

  Trinity was by my side, like usual. She watched me carefully, worried about me. When she made me food, I nibbled on it but didn’t eat much. The pain pooled in my stomach; ruining any appetite I could possible have.

  She ran her fingers through my hair while she lay beside me. “What happened?” she asked quietly.

  “He hates me.” That was all I could say.

  “No matter what, Cayson will never hate you.”

  “You didn’t see him…you didn’t hear him. I know what I did was wrong. I don’t blame him.”

  Trinity removed her hand and rested it in her lap. “I can’t believe this…that it’s really over.”

  “Yeah…neither can I.” Tears leaked from my eyes and fell down my cheeks. I was used to being in constant pain.

  She trailed her fingers down my back. “Has he called?”

  “No,” I whispered.

  She sighed in sadness.

  “Has…Slade mentioned anything?”

  Her hand comforted me, but it didn’t do much. “We haven’t discussed it…” There was pain in her voice.

  “Did something happen?” I asked.

  “No,” she said immediately. “It’s just a tough subject for both of us.”

  I closed my eyes and tried to block out the pain. But like every time before that, it never worked.

  I pulled out my phone and tried to find something to do. I checked my messages and found a text rom my father.

  Let’s have dinner tonight.

  My father had kept his distance from me for the past few months. The longer time went on, the less he reached out to me. He was giving me time to heal on my own. Besides, I think seeing me in pain only made him feel worse. Okay. I want pizza.

  I figured. I’ll meet you there at 7.

  Cool.

  ***

  I wore a black dress with a red blazer. Walking in heels in the city required practice. The bumps and hills took time to get used to. But now I was a pro at it. When I arrived at the front of the restaurant, my father was standing on the sidewalk wearing a suit. His hands were in his pockets as he watched the cars go by. A woman in a dress was casting glances at him, trying to be discreet.

  I finally reached him. “Hey, Dad.”

  He turned to me, and his face immediately lit up with a smile. “Hello, pumpkin.” He pulled me in for a hug and held me for a long time. “You look nice.” He pulled away and looked at my jacket. “I haven’t seen this before.”

  “Trinity let me borrow it. It’s cute, huh?”

  “It looks very nice on you.” He returned his hands to his pockets then nodded toward the restaurant. “Hungry, kid?”

  “Starving.”

  He opened the door and allowed me to walk inside first.

  The host immediately recognized him. “Hello, Mr. Preston.” He had a thick Italian accent. “Is the wife hungry for a large pizza just for herself?” He added a loud laugh.

  My dad chuckled. “Not right now. But she wants me to take one on my way out.”

  He laughed then clapped him on the shoulder. “Such a beautiful family…” Then he led us to our seats. Like usual, my dad pulled
out my chair for me before he sat on the other side of the table.

  “Should we even bother looking at the menus?” he asked. He didn’t pick his up.

  “Half and half?” I asked.

  “Sounds good to me.”

  The waiter came over and my dad put the order in. Then he turned his attention back to me. “Your mother and I used to come here before we started dating.”

  “Is that why the host knows you?”

  He nodded. “We were regular customers even when we were broke.” He chuckled at the memory.

  “I guess I’ll continue that tradition.”

  When the waitress brought the water, I scarfed mine down.

  “Thirsty?” Dad asked.

  “I went to the gym.”

  Approval filled his eyes. “Good. Exercise is important.”

  “Are you calling me fat?” I asked with a laugh.

  “No,” he said immediately. “It’s just good you…have the motivation to go. I know you’re feeling better.”

  “Yeah…” My dad had no idea what happened between Cayson and I. I was tired of hurting him by being sad all the time, so I just tried to act like everything was fine. When I was in pain, so was he. At least I could get out of bed and find the will to step outside my apartment. I had made significant improvement over the past eight months. At one point, I seriously considered checking into a hospital so they could provide nutrition and water through an IV. I was that immobile.

  Dad stared at me for a while as he gathered his thoughts. “Are you ready to start working?” His voice was gentle, like he didn’t really need an answer.

  I was. I was looking forward to doing something with my life. Lying around and being depressed over Cayson was getting old. At least if I was busy all day, I wouldn’t have to think about him and our relationship. “I think so.”

  “Really?” His voice became serious.

  I nodded. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  He stared at me for a moment before he sat up straight, becoming serious. “Skye, I care about you very much. Since you’re my daughter, you’ll always come first. Whatever you need, I’ll give it to you no matter the cost.”

  I wasn’t sure what sparked this conversation.

  “But things will be different between us once you start working for me. Whenever we’re in that office together, I’m not your father. I’m your colleague. Uncle Mike as well. It’ll require a different form of professionalism.”

  “I understand.”

  “I’m not sure you do…because if you did, you would have started working when you were supposed to.”

  Guilt welled inside me.

  “I understand you went through a hard time. I really do. As your father, I’m here for you. But as your boss, your behavior was unacceptable. You took off for months and neglected your responsibility. Uncle Mike and I had been preparing for your entry into the company for an entire year. Then you blew us off.” He was gentle while he spoke but I knew the CEO in him was coming out. “You can’t have a break down like that again once you’re running the company. Hundreds of thousands of employees are under your direction. When you falter, they falter. I can’t stress that enough.”

  “I’m sorry.” It was all I could say.

  “I know, pumpkin. I’m not mad.” He looked into my eyes while he spoke. “And I understand. But…it can’t happen again. If you want me to trust you with the company, you need to give me a reason to. And when you…left…it filled me with doubt.”

  He was disappointed in me. That had never happened before.

  “Uncle Mike and I both discussed it…we want to supervise you for a while to make sure your judgment isn’t impaired…and you’re emotionally stable enough to run the show.”

  I didn’t want to argue. They had every right to feel that way. “I understand.”

  He sighed. “And this is the part I’ve been dreading…”

  I fidgeted with my hands under the table.

  “You have to earn the respect of your employees. You can’t expect them to listen to you just because you’re my daughter. If anything, they’ll respect you less. You’ll have to work hard to command the room with your authority. Don’t expect it to happen right away. And not that this is right, but we live in a world where women are still not as well respected as men in the workplace. You will have to prove to them that you’re fit for the position.” His voice grew lower. “Don’t expect me to help you with that. You’ll have to deal with it on your own. When it comes to work and the office, don’t expect me or Uncle Mike to baby you. We won’t. I’ll push you as hard as I would any other person. Don’t expect me to ever cut you some slack.”

  “I know,” I said quietly.

  “Because, if I have to fire you…I will.” He said it with a straight face but pain was in his eyes. “Now that I’ve said all of that…do you still want to work for Pixel Software?”

  I knew it wouldn’t be easy. The transition would be difficult and challenging. But I was ready for it. If anyone doubted my abilities, I would prove them wrong. “I do.”

  Happiness shined in his eyes. “That was the answer I was hoping for.”

  Chapter Four

  Cayson

  I met Slade at Mega Shake. I was already sitting in the booth when he walked inside. When he spotted me, he approached the table carefully, like he was afraid he might set me off.

  He sat across from me then eyed me hesitantly. He didn’t speak, trying to feel me out first.

  “I’m not going to yell.” My voice was quiet.

  “So…what happened?”

  “I told Skye how I felt. Well, I screamed at her.”

  He nodded slowly. “So…do you feel better now?”

  “No.” I eyed the menu even though I wasn’t reading it.

  “Is that it?” he asked. “Are you going back to California now?”

  I rubbed the back of my neck because I felt a headache coming on. “I’m not sure.”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  I tried to explain how I felt. “I’m so,” I clenched my fists, “pissed off at her. I just can’t believe she did that to me. How am I ever supposed to forgive her for that?”

  “I wouldn’t,” he said bluntly.

  I shook my head. “I still can’t process it. Everything I believed for the past eight months is a lie. All that pain was pointless. How could she hurt me like that?”

  Slade shrugged, unsure what to say.

  “But…I still want her.”

  He studied my face. “You do?”

  “Yeah…I wish I didn’t.”

  “Then what’s the problem?” he asked.

  “I’m so mad at her. I don’t think I can just be with her again. I need time to …forgive her. I need to rearrange my head and put myself back together. It’s a lot to take in at one time.”

  “Understandably.”

  I tapped my knuckles against the table. “I think I’m going to drop out and move back.”

  His eyes widened. “Seriously?”

  I nodded.

  “Well, you’re already enrolled in the program. Shouldn’t you see it through?”

  “But my life is here.”

  “But you just said you can’t forgive Skye.”

  “I can’t,” I said immediately. “But…I know in time we’ll work it out. And that will be impossible if I’m on the other side of the country. We can’t get back together right now. But we might be able to in the future.”

  He rubbed his temple in confusion. “What is your obsession with this woman?”

  I shrugged. “I wish I knew.”

  “Then what are you going to do?”

  “I’ll find a job somewhere. I’ll get by and apply again next year. It’s not the end of the world.”

  “But then you’ve just wasted a lot of time.”

  “Not really,” I said. “Knowledge is never a waste.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Nerd.”

  “I’ll find an apartment then go from there.”
/>   His eyes widened. “You want to be roommates?”

  “Listening to you and Trinity have sex all the time isn’t exactly…enticing.”

  “We’ll keep it down,” he said.

  I shook my head. “Sorry, man. I’ll pass.”

  “Whatever,” he said sadly. “Have you told Skye any of this?”

  “No.” The idea of talking to her pissed me off all over again.

  “Are you going to?”

  “Eventually,” I said evasively.

  He stared at me for a moment. “I want you to be happy, man. Do whatever gives you joy. You deserve the best. If you want to be with Skye again, you have my support. If you don’t, that’s cool too.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  He broke out in a smile. “Now we can see each other every day.”

  I laughed. “I don’t know about every day.”

  “We can play basketball, go golfing, and—”

  “When have we ever golfed?”

  “And we can go to the zoo and—”

  “We’ve never gone to the zoo before.”

  “Exactly! Now we can go.”

  He was so spastic but I missed it. For the first time in a while, I didn’t feel miserable. I was going to be reunited with my best friend and Skye didn’t cheat on me after all. Things seemed to be going up.

  “Have you told your parents?” he asked.

  “No…” I wasn’t looking forward to it.

  He cringed. “Good luck with that.”

  “They won’t be thrilled. But it’s my decision. They’ll have to deal with it.”

  “Easier said than done,” he said with a laugh.

  “How about you tell them for me?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “I can already tell you that conversation wouldn’t go well.”

  I laughed. “Probably not, huh?”

  ***

  I walked into the building then headed to my dad’s office. I’d been there a few times growing up. His office had been in the same place since I could remember. He was the director of the IT department. He took care of all the servers and made sure the company wasn’t hacked. Now he pretty much just delegated everything to his employees.

  When I reached his door, I knocked.

  “It’s open.”

  I stepped inside.

  “Hey, Son.” He smiled at me. “What brings you here?”