THE SECRET

ALL IN BILLIONAIRES

BOOK TWO

MAGGIE COLE

PULSE PRESS INC

This book is fiction. Any reference to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. All names, characters, plots, and events are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2019 by Maggie Cole

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

CONTENTS

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Epilogue

CAN I ASK YOU A HUGE FAVOR?

THE CRIME

The Crime Prologue

More by Maggie Cole

About the Author

PROLOGUE

Collin Corwin

When I opened the newspaper, she stole my breath, and my pulse started to creep up.

Silky, bright red, long hair, and the most stunning green eyes I had ever come across, stared back at me. And her face... Her face radiated a happy glow and looked like it should be on the cover of a magazine.

She was holding Keri James's hand as he pulled her through the sea of paparazzi.

Intrigued, I started to read.

"Keri James’s newest heartthrob, Meg Grail, seems to be a permanent fixture lately in the bad boy's life. Meg Grail is rumored to be Olivia White's right hand, helping to run the super-popular Marketing & PR firm."

She works with Liv?

Grabbing my phone, I pulled up Liv's website. There she was—Meg Grail, Chief Operating Officer. She smiled confidently, almost like she had a secret, and wouldn't you like to know?

Yep, tell me your secret. I definitely want to know.

My cock pulsed in my pants.

I looked back at the newspaper article. Meg was wearing a teeny tiny, green dress that matched her eyes. It was sexy, classy, and barely there. Her full breasts were pushed up, revealing a little bit of her milky white cleavage. I groaned at the thought of her pink nipples surrounded by what surely was soft skin.

She wore stilettos. I wondered what it would be like to fuck her in those stilettos. Then, I imagined all the ways I wanted her to wrap her legs around my body.

I took a deep breath.

What would it be like to be in a room with her? She seemed like she could eat you up and spit you out, and you'd still be smiling.

My dick started getting harder as I stared at her full, luscious lips.

I wondered what her lips and tongue tasted like?

But she wasn't just sexy as hell. If she worked with Liv, she had to be smart, I thought, as I read her bio.

My relationship with Liv's firm was new, but I had gotten to know Liv well over the summer because of Tom Marko. She knew her craft, so if Meg was her right hand, there was no way Meg wasn't just as sharp.

The story continued to talk about how Keri was usually a player, and how Meg had seemed to be the one to tame him.

I rolled my eyes—just my luck. This was the girl he had been talking nonstop about lately. She had to be.

Keri always called her 'his girl' and never said her name before.

I sighed. Keri James was a huge client. That meant she was off-limits. I had my rule, and I would never break it.

My rule was: don't sleep with anyone your clients are or have ever dated.

I looked back at the pictures of her. There's no way that Keri James could handle a woman like her.

I wondered if she was bored with him yet?

I scolded myself. It doesn't matter.

A lot was riding on the table with Keri, and there was no way I could risk jeopardizing that for a woman.

1

Meg Grail

A ll of New York was buzzing about the announcement. It was the beginning of an early fall, and the leaves had started turning vivid red, yellow, and orange. Tom Marko finally negotiated his basketball contract with the New York Volts, and New York couldn't be happier.

Tom and Liv, had spent most of the summer out in Colorado and left me to run the firm while they were gone. I was flying high.

The aftermath of Tom's secret coming out was nothing but good for the firm. Anyone who was anyone had requested appointments. Liv and I had our pick of who we wanted to represent. Along with new businesses, several new athletes were on the schedule.

The firm had quickly doubled in size, and we were just getting started. Liv and Tom were back from Colorado and had invited me to their penthouse for dinner. The press was still all about Marko, and Tom and Liv were trying to lay low.

Tom's agent and past baller, Collin Corwin, who also represented several other athletes that were lined up on our schedule, wanted to go through player issues before we met with the players themselves.

While Tom had Phil working on the business side of things for him, he used Collin exclusively as an agent for his contract negotiations. Most of the other players Collin represented also used him as their business manager.

I was excited to see Liv. It had been a few months, and video conferencing wasn't the same as in person.

"Meg," she squealed in delight, as she opened the door to let me in.

I stepped in and hugged her. "I missed you! I'm so glad you're back."

"It feels good too. I love Colorado, but it's time to get back into a little reality."

"I can only imagine the non-reality you two were in out there." I gave her a sly grin.

Liv's face turned red. Yep, they were fucking like rabbits, I thought to myself.

We walked into the kitchen. "Smells good!"

She handed me a glass of wine. A glimmer caught my eye.

"Holy crap, Liv," I grabbed her hand, smiling. I had seen her engagement ring from our Zoom call, but it wasn't the same. Typical Tom, I thought. Only the best and that included Liv's diamond.

She beamed at me. She was so happy. I loved that she had finally met the one.

"I scheduled the appointment with Vera like we discussed. That still okay with you?" Excitement washed over her face.

"You know I'm not missing that appointment!"

"Missing what appointment?" Tom walked in, came over, and hugged me. His 6'10 body towered over my small frame.

"With Vera," Liv beamed.

"Ahh…" his eyes lit up with a big smile.

The doorbell rang. "Must be Collin. I'll go get it," Tom kissed Liv on the cheek and left the room.

“I can see nothing has changed between you two love birds."

She gave me another glowing smile.

Yep, they are definitely fucking like rabbits.

Liv glanced at me. "So what's up with you and Keri?"

Keri and I had gone hot and heavy for a bit, but things had cooled off in the summer. I was the one to do the cooling. The crazy part was Keri, who was normally such a player, wanted more.

But I wasn't feeling it. And I knew that players always played…

I rolled my eyes at Liv, "He wants to go out, but I'm over it." I flipped my red hair.

I was definitely over it. Keri was great in bed, but there wasn't much more than a good time there. Like the other guys I dated, we had our fun, and now I was bored.

"Who would have thought that Keri James would be begging a girl! Guess I shouldn't be surprised you're the girl," Liv gushed.

Keri really was known as a big player.

I stared at Liv. "I'm on a hiatus."

She laughed and stared at me in disbelief.

"I'm serious. I haven't been on a date in a month. There isn't anyone interesting or worth my time right now. And, we have so much business coming in that I don't have time for children."

"Was Keri that bad?"

"Just a boy. I need a real man." I took a sip of wine.

She nodded and seemed to understand.

"Well, everyone is coming back to town from summer in the Hamptons, so I'm sure you'll have a big selection now." She winked at me.

I rolled my eyes. New York was starting to feel small to me. I had dated a lot of guys. It was always fun. I didn't know if it was seeing Liv and Tom together or what, but lately, something was tugging at me—an inkling I wanted more than fun.

And that wasn't like me at all. I did the serious thing once, and that almost killed me. I didn't want to go down that road again.

The oven buzzer rang. Liv pulled the lasagna out.

I put my glass of wine down on the counter. "Want me to go get the guys?"

"Perfect. Thanks."

I walked through the family room and down the hall toward the bar. Tom would surely be making Collin a drink. I walked through the door just as Tom handed Collin one.

Well, the back of Collin doesn't disappoint.

I might have been on a hiatus, but I could still look.

Collin was probably 6'6, had dark hair, and a body that appeared as if he still played ball. Like other ballers, his body was one of a professional athlete.

Strong.

Built.

Ripped.

I couldn't help but take an extra second to stare at his ass. I loved a muscular ass.

Tom noticed me walk in. "Hey Meg, come and meet Collin."

He spun, and his light brown eyes locked into mine. I inhaled sharply. Collin Corwin's gorgeous mixed complexion and perfectly chiseled face instantly sent spasms to my lower region.

Play it cool, Meg.

I flipped my red, curly hair and extended my hand. "Meg Grail."

His large, creamy colored hand reached for mine, and I instantly thought about where I wanted that hand on my body.

Collins's fingers were longer than some men's dicks.

"I hear great things about you, Meg. It's nice to put a face with the name." His voice was deep, sexy, and cooly composed.

"Same," was all I could muster.

Heat rushed through my body. This man was delicious to the eyes; I could only imagine his skills in the bedroom.

As I continued to stare at him, I searched for some indication of whether he found me attractive or not. I found none.

Damn, my radar is off. I could always tell what guys were thinking.

Tom interrupted my thoughts, "Well, I'm hungry. Hope you guys are. Liv makes the best lasagna." He started leading us out to the dining room.

Oh, I'm hungry, but not for lasagna.

Pulling his warm hand out of mine, he motioned for me to go first. I put a little more sway in my hips, and walked to the dining room, praying he was checking me out.

"Hey, Collin!" Liv walked over to him.

Collin kissed her cheek. "Good to see you, Liv. Smells great!"

"Glad you were able to come over tonight. I want to thank you again for being so patient with Tom and getting him exactly what he wanted," Liv told him.

"I told you both, whatever Tom wanted he could have. The Volts would have done anything to resign him. They weren't going to lose over contract details," Collin confidently stated.

"Well, you did good, man. We really appreciate it." Tom gave him a pat on the back.

I didn't know all the details of Tom's contract, but I knew that in the history of the Volts, they had never agreed to anything as flexible as Tom's contract. Liv had told me it was all because of Collin's negotiating tactics.

I want to negotiate with him, ran through my mind.

Collin walked over to me and pulled out my chair for me to sit. My face flushed a bit at the sight of his fingers. He briefly caught my eye before he gazed back at Liv and Tom. But his face gave nothing away. "Just doing my job."

What the heck is up with my radar tonight? I seriously wasn't used to this. I sat down next to him and tried not to stare at his muscular thighs.

I want to lick those thighs.

"How's Stacey?" Tom asked him.

I snapped out of my thoughts.

He adjusted himself in his chair. "Our divorce was final last week." His face stayed controlled, and he didn't show any emotion.

"Collin, why didn't you tell me you were going through that?" Tom asked him.

He shrugged his shoulders. "It is what it is, man. It took two years to go through, but it's finished now. Moving on."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Liv patted his hand.

Ugh! Great! Newly divorced meant I definitely couldn't date him. Freshly divorced meant rebound, and I couldn't be the rebound for a client.

Liv might have had a strict rule for herself and broken it, but I didn't mess around in the sandbox either. I was at the height of my career, making more money than I ever had, and Liv fully trusted me. I wasn't going to mess that up.

Tom quickly changed the subject to business. I thought I saw a grateful look pass through Collin's face, but I could have been mistaken because his face was immediately back to his neutral stare.

Then the subject turned to Keri James. Collin turned to look at me again with his no emotion stare that I couldn't read. "Don't you date Keri?"

My face flushed, bright red. I'm sure it matched the color of my hair.

"Used to," I confirmed.

"He's still hot for her though," Liv blurted out.

I swear I saw Collin's jaw stiffen.

I glared at Liv. Why did she have to say that?

Collin watched me. I could feel it but didn't turn my head. I continued to stare at Liv.

She gave me a bewildered glance, but wasn't catching on about why I was not happy, "What? It's true!"

My face turned another shade of maroon. I shifted in my seat and cursed Liv in my head.

I loved Liv, but man, she could blurt stuff out sometimes.

"Well, Turbo wants to create a shoe for him, but Keri is not doing a lot to help himself right now, so I'm trying to handle that," Collin stated.

"Well, that is Keri," I said without thinking.

Collins's head jerked to me.

Shoot! I shouldn't have said that—guess Liv's blurting was wearing off on me. I cursed myself as soon as it came out of my lips.

Collin once again stared at me. I peeked over at him, but I still couldn't read him.

What is with this guy? I had never met anyone I couldn't read, especially a man.

Liv took over. "If Keri signs with Turbo, they will have their PR campaign, but it would be a good opportunity to use it to further Keri's brand."

"Actually, the time will never be better." I took a sip of wine.

Collin glanced over at me again. "Oh? Why is that?"

"When Turbo runs their ads, we can buy cheaper ads to piggyback off of it. It will be easy to put his face out there everywhere, and it will cost a fraction of what it normally would because of Turbo's campaign."

Good, I finally said something intelligent this time.

Collin smiled at me. "That sounds smart."

My heart picked up speed. At last, some sort of approval from him.

"It is. The trick is going to be designing Keri's brand." I put my wine glass down and licked my lips.

"What do you mean?" Collin was intrigued.

In Liv and my usual fashion, we were on the same wavelength. She jumped in. "Keri doesn't have a brand besides bad boy player. If you want to merchandize, he's going to have to morph a little further than that."

Good luck with that, I thought. This time, I kept it to myself.

Collin knew his client well. "I understand what you're saying. We definitely want to get more endorsements, so we will need to work on that."

"Keri has huge potential for retail.” I wasn't just saying that, but he needed to be smart, and I didn't know if he was going to be able to evolve.

I could feel Collin ogling me again with his no-emotion stare. I didn't know how he kept so neutral, and it was bugging the heck out of me. Not because I couldn't read him, but because it was sexy as hell.

Collin Corwin had a sense of mystery about him that put my nerves on high alert. I hadn't ever met anyone who could stay cool for so long, and it fascinated me.

Liv changed the subject to another Volts player Collin was bringing over to the firm. I was relieved to be off the topic of Keri James.

We finished dinner. The conversation continued in the kitchen. The four of us started cleaning up.

"I can take care of this. You all can go sit down." Liv pointed to the bar seats.

"No way," Collin rebuffed. "You cooked, you shouldn't have to clean."

Seriously? Did he really say that?

Liv laughed. "Guess you grew up in a house with girls?"

His face started to turn red. "Four sisters."

Damn, he's hot when he blushes.

"I knew it! Are you close?"

Collin shrugged. "They are all still out in California. I don't get out there very often anymore."

"What made you move to New York?" I asked him.

Happiness spread across Collin's face. "The Volts signed me."

"How long did you play?"

His face became neutral again. "Seven years."

I must have hit a nerve. Mental note, don't discuss Collin's past baller career.

We cleaned up, and Tom handed us fresh drinks. We discussed our firm, Collin’s firm, and Tom's different business projects.

As the night progressed, I could see that Collin was brilliant in his work, and his reputation wasn't merely talk. I sat next to him, across from Liv and Tom, thinking how nice it felt.

It's not that I dated dumb guys, but they didn't have the intellectual capacity to handle me long term. If I was honest, I sought those types of guys out on purpose. I knew they were boys I could have fun with but not get serious about.

Until lately, I had liked it that way. It had worked well for me, and I had my pick of the litter. I broke things off when it became boring, but something had changed recently, and I didn’t know why.

I realized that Collin was the full package, with the body and mind that generally would have me running away. I had a feeling that anything with Collin wouldn't be just fun. The fact that I was contemplating it surprised me.

Throughout the night, I could feel his negotiator's face gazing over at me, giving me zero indication of anything. It was driving me batty, and making me wetter than a horny teenager.

He's freshly divorced. You'll be the rebound girl. Don't go there, Meg.

It started getting late and it was a work night. I told everyone I was going to head back to my place. Collin was also ready to go and picked up his phone to call his driver.

"Don't call your driver. I'll have Gary take you both home if you're okay sharing a car?" Tom asked.

Collin and I both nodded our heads.

Outside, in the car, Collin rolled up the window so Gary couldn't hear our conversation.

"You seem to know PR well."

I couldn't disagree. "It's the only thing I've ever done."

Well, not the only thing, I thought. My mind raced about the things I wanted to do to him.

He was beyond gorgeous, but his mysterious aurora captivated me. The entire night I had sat with dirty thoughts racing through my mind. I knew I shouldn't go there with him, but I couldn't fight it. My mind wouldn't stop.

And I could not stop imagining what his fingers alone could do to me.

"How serious were you and Keri?"

Ugh. Are we seriously going back to Keri again?

"We weren't. It was just fun."

A new facial expression flooded Collin's face. Gone was the neutral and cool Collin I had experienced in the house. He looked...happy? Relieved? Hopeful?

There was no doubt now. It was clear that Collin was interested in me. Excitement gushed through my veins. I leaned into him closer, "I told you we were over. We have been for months now."

Collin slowly licked his lips and scanned my face. He stared at me for a minute then finally asked, "But Keri still wants you?"

Damn Liv for saying that.

I couldn't deny it. I shrugged my shoulders and decided to change tactics. I leaned in and whispered, "Why are we still talking about Keri James?" I put my face right next to his.

He gave me a smoldering look that made me want to cum in my panties.

I took it as an in, grabbed his face, and kissed him. He started kissing me back. I crushed his mouth harder and propelled my body on top of his.

His hands ran through my long hair. I pushed my body closer to his and could feel his erection twitching into full bloom.

This guy knew how to kiss, and my entire body was craving him now.

Collin's arms tightened around me. His oversized hands caressed my back as his mouth moved onto my neck.

I let out a slight moan as he made his way back to my mouth.

Collin wasn't an amateur, and I hadn't been this turned on by anyone in a long time.

I wanted more. I thought I was going to get more. But suddenly, Collin pushed me back. Out of breath, he said, "We can't do this."

I jerked my head back, confused, as my heart raced, and I also tried to catch my breath, "Why not?"

"Keri is my client. This isn't a good idea." His voice was once again cool and in control.

Has he not heard me all night?

I adamantly, and a tad pissily, told him, "I'm not with Keri."

He pulled me off his lap. "It doesn't matter. You were."

Anger surged through me. I hurled at him, "You're going to judge me for who I've dated in the past?"

Collin gazed at me with sad eyes. "I'm not judging you. I can't be with my client's ex."

I grabbed his face in both my hands. "I told you we dated. It was fun. It wasn't serious. I didn't want more with him."

I thought I saw a pleased look pass across his face, but it quickly faded. "And there lies the problem, Meg. He wants you. I can't do this."

I hadn't realized that the car had stopped. He removed my hands from his face, opened the door, and stepped out.

"Collin," I called after him, but he quickly shut the door.

I sat in the car in bewilderment. For the first time in my life, I wanted a man who wouldn't let me have him.

Collin

M y dick was hard as a rock. My blood pumped through my veins scorching hot. The car pulled away, and I sat outside on the front steps to cool off.

The night air was a tad chilly, and it felt good. I cursed myself for giving her any indication that I wanted her. She was off-limits.

Keri James was a hot-head who was about to sign a huge deal. I wasn't going to screw that up, or my relationship with him. Meg may be over him, but the fact that she was all he talked about told me he wasn't over her.

Yep, he had it bad for Meg Grail, and I could see why.

She was beyond gorgeous. Seeing her in person confirmed that the pictures I had salivated over online and in the paper didn't do her justice. Her green eyes and red hair were as fiery as her personality. She was sexy, and she wore it with confidence.

She turned me on like nothing I'd ever experienced before.

I wanted her, but I couldn't go there. I wouldn't allow myself the pleasure.

The air snapped at my face as I sat on the cold stoop. But it only got hotter as I thought about how I wanted to make her cum in ways no one else had before.

Leaning on the top of my knees, I put my hands on my face. This wasn't good. I needed to snap out of it. It would be playing with fire, and I would get burned.

I could still feel her body on top of mine. Her pussy had sat on my dick, underwear only, and I could feel the heat of it throbbing against me. Dirty thoughts of what she would look like naked, sweating on me and calling my name, consumed me.

Ugh. I needed to stop. No. It couldn't be. I wouldn't put everything I had worked for, as well as my client, at risk. It wasn't fair. I was going to have to keep it in my pants.

2

Meg

Early the next morning, I was in the coffee shop next to the office. I stood in line, got to the counter and ordered my latte, when I heard, "Make that two."

I turned around. Keri James was standing there. Cocky as usual, his player smile lit up his face.

What once turned me on was seriously starting to turn me off. After not sleeping all night, this wasn't what I needed.

All night, and into this morning, I couldn't get Collin or our kisses out of my mind; the way my body felt against his, or the way his body had responded to mine.

He was attracted to me. I knew it. I had to figure out how to get him to forget about Keri James.

But here was Keri, all up in my space, way too early in the morning.

"What are you doing here, Keri?"

"You playing hard to get, babe?" Keri cockily leaned in to kiss me.

I pushed him away and out of the kiss, then remembered why he was here.

It wasn't like me, I always knew what was going on, but I had forgotten that we were meeting with Keri and Collin first thing this morning.

I grabbed my latte and started walking into the building. Keri followed me, blabbing non-stop.

Walking into the lobby, past security, I saw Collin standing at the elevators, with his negotiator's face. He shot a glance at Keri's coffee cup and mine, then briefly locked my eyes.

Great. Collin probably thinks Keri and I had a sleepover and decided to celebrate our hot sex with coffee.

“Collin, my man!” Keri slapped Collin a high five.

Collin slapped him back. “Hey man, you ready?”

Keri laughed. “Who you talking to, Collin? I’m Keri James. I’m always ready!”

Typical Keri cockiness. I rolled my eyes.

Collin noticed my eye roll, but his negotiator's face didn't reveal any emotion.

Keri turned and grabbed me by the shoulders, “Collin, have you met my girl, Meg?”

I once again slid out of his grip. “Not your girl, Keri,” I stated with an irritated voice.

“She likes to play hard to get, but she’s got a sweet spot for me." Keri winked at Collin.

I glared in disgust at Keri. This was going to be a long morning.

The elevator opened, and we moved to the back as more people started coming in.

They were excited to see Keri, and his typical egotistical self was happy to give them a show. I wondered if Tom could give him some lessons on how to be famous and still humble?

I stood next to Collin, who was all negotiator. I grazed his hand with mine, took my pinky finger and stroked his, and tried to show him that I still wanted him and had no interest in Keri. My heart sank when he pulled away.

He was still holding onto his rule.

Jeez, Collin, and Liv should write a book on workplace dating rules.

The elevator opened on our floor. Liv was standing in the lobby, talking to our receptionist, Lilly.

Hellos were exchanged, and Lilly led the men down to the conference room.

Liv and I put our purses and jackets away in our personal offices. We met up outside the room. Before we walked inside, she peered closely at me. “Meg, are you okay?”

“Yes. I didn’t sleep well. All good.”

She nodded. We walked in, and I couldn’t help it. I stared at Collin, who held my glance for a moment and then turned to focus on Keri.

Get ahold of yourself, girl. You don’t chase guys. They chase you.

But Collin wasn’t a “guy.” He was a man—a delicious piece of man that I was dying to devour.

“Let’s get started.” Liv’s voice snapped me back to reality.

The next hour was frustrating. Keri annoyed the hell out of me. Everyone was dumbing it down for him, but his ego wasn’t allowing him to see that he needed to morph.

I lost track of the number of times I heard, “I’m Keri James…”

Collin, Liv, and I continued to share frustrated glances.

Finally, I had enough. Keri was wasting all of our time, and none of us had time to waste.

Glimpsing over at Liv, I gave her an apologetic look. It was time for something drastic.

I tried to give Collin the same courtesy, but I didn’t know if he realized what my look meant.

I walked over and sat down right on the table next to Keri.

Slowly, I crossed and uncrossed my legs, then crossed them again. I knew that it would get Keri's attention. My black wool pencil skirt inched up my thigh. I bent forward to look directly in his eyes, knowing that the buttons on my shirt would reveal my cleavage.

His eyes took the bait, and it lured him in.

I could feel Collin’s glare, but desperate times called for desperate measures, and I couldn't worry about that right now.

“You want to make more money?” My voice was low and calm.

With puppy dog eyes, he said, “You know I do, babe.”

I ignored his babe comment. This wasn't the time to remind him I was not his babe. “Then you need to shut up and listen to what we’re saying because if you don’t, you’re going to be making exactly what you make now and someday you’re going to run out of all of it. When you do, it’ll be back to the hood for you. Is that what you want?” I asked him in a very controlled voice.

I knew what Keri’s deep down fear was. He had admitted it while drunk one night. And drunken words were always sober thoughts.

Pain moved into Keri's face. I had called him out on his biggest fear, and he knew I was right.

“No, Meg. I don’t want that,” he responded almost in a trance.

I continued giving him the staredown, pausing so he could let everything sink in. I leaned in closer, “The salary cap means that you have no choice but to merchandize if you want to keep living large.”

Keri solemnly shook his head. “I know, babe.”

I inhaled deeply. “You trust me, right, Keri? You know I would never do anything to hurt you, right?” I meant it. I did want the best for Keri.

He nodded. “You know I trust you.”

I continued to gaze at him. “If you trust me, then you have to let me do my job. But I can’t do that if you don’t man up.”

One thing Keri couldn’t stand was someone challenging him on his manhood.

I paused, staring into his eyes for at least a minute. The room was dead quiet.

“You ready to put on your big-boy pants and join us in this meeting, so you don’t end up back in the hood?”

Keri took a deep breath. "Okay, Meg.”

I stood up and patted his shoulder. “Good. Let’s go through this again.”

Liv looked at me. I signaled for her to take over and moved back to my side of the room.

Collin was full-on negotiator, and not giving me any feedback.

For the rest of the meeting, Keri was cooperative, but I couldn’t get the thought out of my head that there was no way Collin was going to make a move.

I had shown him the true extent of how much Keri wanted me. He saw the power I could hold over him, and no way was that going to inspire him to risk his relationship with his client for me.

The rest of the meeting, I worked hard to be my typical boardroom self and focused on Liv and Keri, as I tried not to gaze at Collin.

When the meeting ended, Liv excused herself to go to her next session. I walked both men to the lobby.

Collin turned toward Keri. “Keri, I’ll catch up with you later. I need to talk with Meg about other client issues.”

I tried to hide my confusion.

“All right, man. Tell Turbo I'm ready for my shoe!” Keri slapped Collin on the back.

“Got you covered,” Collin told him.

Keri bent down and tried to kiss me on the cheek, but I leaned out of it. He gave me a cocky laugh and sauntered into the elevator. “I’ll see you later, Meg.”

I turned to Collin.

The negotiator looked me in the eyes. “Can I talk to you in your office?”

“Sure.” Leading him down the hall, I wracked my brain. What does Collin want?

I wasn’t used to not being in control with men. I always knew what they were thinking. Collin was the first man that I couldn't read.

We walked into my office, and he shut the door.

I went and stood in front of my desk, and Collin stood right in front of me.

“What was that?” Collin’s sexy voice was calm and in control.

“What was what?” I tilted my head toward him.

He stepped within inches of me. “What you did with Keri.” He pointed to the conference room. I could smell his Tom Ford cologne, and it made my insides twitch with desire.

I jerked my head, “You’re kidding me. Your client is now on board. You should be thanking me.”

“You always do that? Get what you want?” His eyebrows raised in question.

No, apparently not, because what I want is to sit on your dick, but you’re not letting that happen with your rule.

“I know how to get the job done.” I confidently gave him a challenging stare.

He stared at me for several uncomfortable minutes. His face was neutral like always, and he kept scanning my eyes.

I got a bit pissed. "Are you just going to stare at me? Is there some reason we're having this conversation?"

He finally handed me a piece of paper. “Eight o’clock sharp tonight. Don’t tell anyone and don’t be late.” He turned and walked out of my office before I could even open the paper.

Stunned, I stood there, then quickly unfolded the piece of paper. It had an unfamiliar address.

What exactly is Collin planning?

I couldn’t concentrate all day. I Googled the address and found that it was a condo building.

The thought occurred to me that I didn’t know this guy. What if he was a crazy serial killer and I was about to walk right into his trap?

Maybe I should tell Liv?

No, no, NO! What am I thinking?

I imagined myself going to Liv’s office. “Hey Liv, you know Collin, the guy who is going to bring in millions to the firm with all the pro athletes he represents. Well, so you know, I straddled him while kissing him in Tom’s car last night, and now he wants me to meet him secretly. I want you to have the address in case he’s a crazy serial killer…”

Ok, that wasn’t happening.

I intercommed Lilly. “I need Collin Corwin’s cell number, please.”

She gave it to me as I punched it in my personal cell. I hit the call button. Collin answered right away.

“Collin Corwin,” his deep, sexy voice oozed.

“What was that all about?” I demanded to know.

“Don’t use my own words on me, Meg. Either show up and find out or don’t. The choice is yours.” And with that, he hung up.

Are you kidding me?

Dumbfounded, I sat with my phone in my hand. I shouldn’t have been surprised, as Collin was known for his negotiation skills. I don’t know what I had expected him to do on that call, but I realized I wasn’t going to get any more from him. I had to either show up and find out or forget about it.

The day dragged along until five o’clock finally hit. I usually stayed later, but I wasn’t worth much in my current state of curiosity. I decided to leave and go home.

Should I go or not? What exactly am I getting myself into tonight?

I left the office and hailed a cab. Once I got home, I opened a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and ran a hot bubble bath. I needed to calm my nerves and figure out what to do.

My brain told me that I shouldn’t give him the satisfaction of showing up. After all, who was I to be chasing a man?

Men chase me; I don’t chase them.

But my body was telling me I had to go. I sat in the hot bath, drinking my wine, and all I could think about was Collin. I could hear his deep voice, and see his creamy, caramel skin and brown eyes. And that body...

Ugh! I had butterflies thinking about him.

My hand was on my breast, and I began to play with my nipple until it was hard. I moved to my other breast and replicated my motions.

I took a big sip of wine, dropped my hand over my stomach, then down to my sex. My finger pushed inside, swirling all around. Then, I pulled it out and up and started rubbing my clit in a circular motion.

Slow at first, as I remembered exploring Collin’s tongue and sitting on him as his body had responded to mine.

There is nothing more I want than his dick inside me.

Imagining his naked, caramel skin, sweaty, and wrapped around my milky white body, with his massive hands doing naughty things consumed me. I pretended that my finger was his, and I started to go faster and faster, breathing harder, until I couldn’t take anymore and released.

I was shaking in the warm water, and even though I had climaxed, I still felt lust coursing through my trembling body. Collin was all over my mind, and I couldn’t shake him. Okay, time to think about tonight, I thought. If I was going to go, I needed to flip this situation so that I had control instead of Collin.

The only way I knew how to control a man was by using my female powers. I usually knew exactly what to do, but with Collin, I didn’t even know where to start.

Collin wasn’t going to just drop his rule for me. If I wanted him, I was going to have to make myself so irresistible that he couldn’t say no.

For the second time that day, I decided drastic times called for drastic measures.

I didn’t know this man.

I couldn’t read this man.

But I had to have this man.

I was going to have to do something I had never done before.

Sitting down at my vanity, I refreshed my red curls, put on new makeup, and sprayed on Lola by Marc Jacobs.

Grabbing my glass of Cabernet, I stepped into my closet. I opened the drawer that I saved for special occasions. In it contained my Agent Provocateur panties and bras.

Hmm… Red? Black? Green?

I finally settled on a new emerald green lace thong and a see-through, push-up bra. The color matched my eyes perfectly.

Adding a pair of black thigh-high stockings and a garter belt, I slid into my pair of Prada stilettos and stepped back to admire myself in the mirror.

Not bad, Meg. If this doesn’t do it, then the guy is gay.

I grabbed my black trench coat.

If you don’t try, you can’t win.

Guess I didn’t have to worry about that—no one could say I wasn’t giving it my all with this one.

A little thought of panic raced through my head, but I pushed it away. Collin Corwin wasn’t going to know what hit him tonight. Let him try to push me away, I thought confidently.

I left my building and hailed a cab.

About ten minutes later, I stood outside the address.

Guess it’s now or never, I thought as I climbed the steps.

I reached out to push the buzzer, but the door opened. Collin was standing there. He motioned for me to come in and nodded at me with his negotiator's face. "Meg."

"Collin." I gave him my most challenging stare.

He stared back at me for a bit. “Ready?”

I glanced up at him, coyly, and in my most sultry voice responded, “I think the question is, are you ready?”

He didn’t say anything, he just took my elbow, walked me past security, and led me into the elevator, then pushed the button for the eighteenth floor.

I gave him my sex eyes and leaned into his chest. “So is this your secret hideaway or something?”

He glanced down at me, said nothing, and gave me his typical mysterious face that had been making me wet since the night before.

We exited the elevator. Collin led me to a door and paused. “If you do this right, this is your next multi-million dollar client.”

I stared up at him, baffled. “What are you talking about?”

“I decided if you could do that with Keri James, then you could do that with my other problem child. I need you to convince Sam Quinto that he needs to do what it takes to get his brand in order too,” Collin stated matter-of-factly.

This is why he wanted me to come here? He thinks that I can hold power over any man as I had with Keri?

Rage began to seep through my blood. I was about to tell Collin where to stick it when the door opened. Standing in front of me was the New York Zag’s Sam Quinto.

“Collin, my man, come on in!” Sam took a step back to let Collin and me in and eyed me up and down. “And who is this gorgeous sexpot of a woman?”

Collin’s jaw stiffened, I swear it did. He didn’t like Sam’s interest in me, but he was okay with pimping me out to get his deal through?

Collin put his hand on my back and guided me in the door. As mad as I was at him, the feeling of his hand on my back jolted me.

Shit! I had it bad.

“Sam, this is Meg. She’s a marketing guru and is going to help you with your brand.”

Sam sized me up further, like a tiger ready to pounce. The 6’5 pro-footballer, had broad shoulders, strong legs, and muscles bulging everywhere. His dark black skin matched his eyes, and his head was shaved bald, which was incredibly sexy on him.

I was perplexed about what I was doing here and how this was even happening, but I wasn’t going to give Collin the satisfaction of knowing that. I stepped forward and held my hand out to Sam. “Pleased to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” Sam licked his lips.

I felt Collin shift uncomfortably next to me. Good, he deserves it—egotistical bastard.

We shook hands, and he offered to take my coat. My face instantly flushed as panic surged through me.

Shit, I thought, what am I going to do?

“I’m only here a few minutes, I’ll keep it on,” I quickly recovered.

Collin’s face registered surprise. I had caught him off guard.

Finally, an emotion, I thought.

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that.” Sam ogled me once again.

Collin followed my cue and told Sam, “We really can’t stay long, but I wanted you to meet Meg. I know you want to develop your brand for endorsements, and we’ve been discussing how to do that. Meg is a pro at the branding aspect. She wants to help you move forward.”

We've been discussing how to do that? Arrogant asshole.

I glared at Collin, kept calm on the outside, but quivered inside with anger. How dare he put me in this situation? I knew nothing about Sam’s brand and wasn’t prepared for this. For him to assume that I would do with him what I did with Keri without even knowing anything about him was absurd, cocky, and disrespectful.

“Yeah, well, what do I need to do?” Half amused, and egotistical as hell, Sam eyed me up and down again, but didn't take me seriously.

Awesome. I get to be with two cocky men. Great.

I had seen Sam's type so many times. He was a lot like Keri, but I wasn’t arrogant enough to fall for the trick that Sam was exactly like Keri. I needed to get control of this situation and fast.

I didn’t answer him for what seemed like forever. I stared into his eyes without blinking. After a few minutes of giving him the sex-goddess stare I had perfected over the years, he started to shift uncomfortably.

I waited a few more minutes. You could hear a pin drop.

I finally said, “You get one chance to work with me. Tell me honestly what you want, Sam, and leave the bullshit out. If you couldn’t play ball and got one wish, only one, what would it be?”

He hesitated at first. Then, he was about to say something, but I raised my eyebrows and stopped him dead in his tracks.

“No bullshit. Truth only.”

Another minute passed. I continued to stare at Sam directly in the eyes. I never blinked. He blinked eighteen times. I know because I counted.

Sam finally sighed and said, “To evolve, so I don’t end up back where I started.”

Not breaking our eye contact, I nodded in approval and replied, “That’s good. Tuesday, ten a.m., my office. Don’t be late.”

And with that, I turned and walked out.

Collin

She was a genius. I had never seen anyone do what she was able to do.

When I saw her work her magic on Keri, I knew I had to have her help me with Sam, and I was right.

Sam Quinto was no match for Meg. Within a few minutes, she got right to the bottom of what he wanted, and she made him stop all his bullshit.

It wasn’t helping me get over her. If anything, it made me want her more.

When I saw her with Keri by the elevators that morning, I had to stop myself from reaching out and kissing her. Even with Keri claiming she was his girl, I knew it wasn’t the truth.

She didn't want Keri. She wanted me. And it wasn’t helping me shake her off.

I knew she was smart and talented, but I had no idea how much until she took control of the meeting and turned it completely around. Until that moment, we were quickly going nowhere. Keri was his usual cocky self, and she got him to turn it off.

Sam Quinto was the other shoe deal I was negotiating. I had never been in shoe contract negotiations at the same time for two of my clients. I had worked for months on these deals, and they would have been closed already if my two clients weren’t such arrogant children.

Meg knew how to wrap them around her finger. I knew talent when I saw it, and that woman was incredibly talented. And it made her the sexiest woman I had ever encountered.

I gave Sam a quick goodbye, told him not to fuck it up with Meg, or she wouldn’t represent him and left to find her. I expected her to be waiting in the lobby, but she was gone.

3

Meg

The cold air slapped my hot cheeks as I rushed outside.

I had never been angrier. What Collin had done was inappropriate and disrespectful, and I was never going to forgive him.

But more than being angry at Collin, I was mad at myself.

He made it clear that he didn’t want me. I didn’t listen. Probably because he was the first guy who had not wanted me back, and I should have known better.

Well, I wouldn’t make that mistake with Collin again.

I was about to get in my cab when Collin came running out. “Meg,” he yelled.

I turned to look at him, not realizing that I had tears in my eyes. “Leave me alone, Collin.”

“Meg, stop.”

Stepping quickly into the cab, I gave my address to the cabbie and told him to go. Collin was approaching the taxi as I pulled out.

As I wiped tears off my face, I couldn’t believe how naïve and foolish I had been. I was embarrassed and angry that I let myself walk into a situation where I had no control and no idea what I was walking into.

The fact I was wearing nothing under my trench coat, made me realize that I had been foolish where Collin Corwin was concerned.

How could I have gotten things so wrong?

The cab pulled up to my apartment building, and I quickly walked inside. As I stepped into the elevator, I felt someone come in behind me. I turned to see it was Collin.

“What are you doing here,” I snapped at him.

“Meg, you look upset. I’ve obviously done something wrong. I'm sorry." Collin sounded genuinely apologetic.

I sneered at him. “Really? It seems to me you got exactly what you wanted.”

“Meg, I’m not sure what I did to upset you.” He sounded so confused.

I started laughing, sarcastically. “You’re such an arrogant—”

Collin stared at me with his mouth open. His eyes widened, and I saw him swallow hard.

I looked down in horror. My trench coat belt had somehow become loose, and I stood in the elevator with my coat open, revealing my body in nothing but my lingerie.

Collin stepped forward, said nothing, pulled my open jacket together, and tied my belt back up.

The elevator doors opened. “What’s your apartment number?” he growled.

“Forty-six,” I managed to get out, extremely embarrassed I had misjudged our secret meeting, and now he knew what I had initially planned.

He put his hand on the small of my back and guided me to my door. I pulled out my key and opened the door.

“Can I come in?” The negotiator was back.

My humiliation had replaced the anger, and I had too many confusing thoughts going through my mind, so I didn’t say anything.

The negotiator pleaded with me, “Please, Meg.”

He was a jackass for what he had done to me earlier, but I still couldn’t deny my attraction for him.

I hated myself right then for still wanting him.

Shrugging my shoulders, I stepped back.

He walked in and shut the door. I stood there, with my arms folded over my chest. “What do you want, Collin?”

The negotiator left, and I saw the same desire I had seen in the car the other night for me.

Surprise rushed through me, but I quickly knew that the control was mine to take and let’s face it, he was in my territory now, so why not torture the guy a little for payback? Collin had already seen the cards I had to deal, so what did I have to lose?

“Meg, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you in—.”

He stopped as I dropped my trench coat and walked over to the kitchen.

I grabbed a wine glass and filled it with Cabernet, then walked over to Collin, who was standing in my family room and staring at me.

Why does he have to be so gorgeous, went through my mind.

“Go ahead, finish.” I enjoyed the little squirm I saw in him, took a long sip of wine and made sure my hair fell across my naked back in a dramatically sexy way.

Collin cleared his throat, and never once took his eyes off me. “I honestly don’t know why you are upset. I thought you would be happy about getting a new client.”

I stared at him, new anger and disgust unfolding within me. “You’re seriously kidding me, right?”

He stepped forward. “No. Tell me.”

Disgusted, I walked over to the table near the couch and put my glass of wine down. I knew his eyes were glued to me the entire time, but I enjoyed his discomfort. Collin wasn’t going to let himself have me, so at least I’d give him a memory of what he was missing out on.

Inhaling deeply, I tried to calm down a bit, walked back toward him, and fired, “You think it’s right to take me into a business situation I know nothing about?”

“I didn’t see it that way,” he admitted.

Daggers shot out of my eyes as I accused, “You think you’re better than me, don’t you?”

His eyes turned to shock. “Meg, no!”

I wasn’t having it. “You think I’m a piece of ass that you can use to fuck your athlete clients?”

“Meg, what—” Collin’s eyes were wide.

Stepping closer, I pointing my finger up at him. “You thought I would fuck Sam because I dated Keri. You assumed you could use it to your advantage to get him to do whatever I wanted for his brand.”

“Meg—”

Anger seeped through me, and I cut him off again. “You think I’m someone to be passed around and handed out?”

Collin took another step, so his body was right in front of mine and grabbed me by the shoulders, “Meg, stop. You have it all wrong.”

“Yeah, how is that?” My face grew hot; I hadn't done a very good job of staying calm.

“If you think that I would ever want any guy to fuck you, you’re wrong,” he cried out.

I was too hot with anger. “And why is that?”

Before I knew what was happening, Collin swept down and put his lips to mine. His tongue quickly found mine, and the fire I felt the other night in the car was back.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered between kisses. “I didn’t mean to disrespect you.”

Unable to respond, I continued to melt into his kisses, as my hands found their way to his perfect ass so I could pull him closer to my almost naked body.

My doorbell rang and pulled us out of our passionate encounter.

“Expecting someone?” Collin raised his eyebrows at me in question.

With a confused look, I shook my head, made my way over to the intercom, then pushed the button.

“Meg, baby, let me in. I gotta talk to you,” Keri’s voice rang through my intercom.

“Keri, what are you doing here?” I replied irritated.

Keri’s voice was upset. “Meg, let me in. I’ve been thinking since our meeting, you know I don’t have anyone else to talk to.”

Shit, shit, SHIT! This is not happening right now.

I shut my eyes and took a deep breath. Keri may be a pain in the ass, but I knew it was true. He really didn’t have anyone else to talk to, and if this was about his brand, then I couldn’t ignore him.

I turned to see Collin, who had disapproval written all over his face.

“Collin, I…” I gaped at him helplessly.

He wasn’t going to cut me any slack and shook his head in disappointment, “We shouldn’t have done this.”

“Collin!”

He turned back to me. “Meg, no matter how much I want you, this can’t happen. I’ll take the stairs and wait till he’s gone.”

I grabbed his arm, “Collin, wait.”

He shook out of my grasp, opened the door, walked out, and never looked back.

I couldn’t believe it. I once again came close to having this man only for him to tell me no because of Keri James.

Collin

M eg had it all wrong. I had no idea she thought I was trying to pimp her out. She was brilliant and didn’t realize I was attracted to her more than I’d ever been attracted to anyone.

I shouldn’t have kissed her. I couldn’t think straight; all I could focus on was that she had it all wrong.

She was like a magnet, pulling me to her. My senses were on high alert. Every nerve in my body stood to attention when I held her in my arms.

Hurting her feelings made me feel like the shittiest guy alive. I didn't mean to, but I had put her in a bad situation. She was right. It was unprofessional of me to put her in that position with no background information.

My brain wasn’t thinking straight when it came to her.

I thought about how she had worn a trench coat with sexy lingerie underneath it, for me. A vision of her in her green, barely-there outfit raced through my mind.

It’s official. I’m a dumbass. I’m seriously the dumbest dick on earth.

No woman had ever worn a trench coat for me. It was my fantasy come true that I couldn’t act on, and it was torture.

I left her building, walked over to where my driver was sitting and cursed myself. This was my fault. I should never have had her come to Sam’s without filling her in first. I shouldn’t have assumed.

And jeez. I remember the fear in Meg's face when Sam wanted to take her coat.

Yep, I had put her in such a shitty position, and I was the world’s biggest asshole.

I couldn’t say I regretted following her home because I needed to at least set her straight that I only admired her skills. I would never expect or want her to sleep with any of my clients.

The only person I want her to sleep with is me.

But that can never happen.

The exact reasons I cited the night before were a reality. Keri coming to her place reminded me in my hard-on state that Meg could never be mine. He was not going to forget about her anytime soon.

She was sexy, full of personality, sexually confident, and willing to take risks. It didn’t matter that she was my dream girl. I could not allow myself the pleasure.

I needed to figure out how to get Meg Grail out of my mind, once and for all.

4

Meg

I put on some clothes and let Keri into my apartment.

“Keri, this isn’t appropriate,” I started.

Keri was seriously distraught. “Meg, I’m sorry. Don’t be mad at me. I needed to talk to you.”

I breathed a big sigh and motioned for him to sit down. “Want a drink?”

Surprisingly, Keri shook his head.

“Meg, I’ve been thinking all day. I can’t go back there.”

I grabbed my wine and sat down next to him, and put my hand on his arm. We weren’t together anymore, but I still cared about him as a person. He was a good guy, but not the guy for me.

“Keri, go back where?”

“To the hood.”

Crap. I had really gotten to him in the meeting today.

I lifted his face to mine. “Keri, all you have to do is listen to us and do what we tell you to do. You have what it takes to develop a brand and get your shoe. You’ll have more money than you’ll ever know what to do with, but you have to be smart and trust that we know what we’re doing.”

Keri’s eyes were full of fear. I had never seen that fear before. “Meg, what if I can’t do it?”

I took a big sip of my wine. “You’re Keri James. You can do whatever you decide to do. Start acting like it.”

Keri must have taken my faith in him as a sign because he reached up and tried to kiss me.

I jumped away from him. “Keri! What are you doing?”

“Meg, take me back, please,” he begged with tears in his eyes. “I can’t handle not being with you. I love you.”

I was taken aback. This sober, raw version of Keri was vulnerable, and he had never told me he loved me before.

I wish I could have been happy and excited about this, but it was all a little too late. Maybe if I had seen this side of him before I had lost my itch for him, things could be different. Perhaps if I had never met Collin Corwin, I could reciprocate his love and give him another chance.

But all I could think of was Collin. I had to get Keri out of here, and I had to find Collin.

I put my hand on Keri’s shoulder, “Keri, you don’t love me. You love the idea of me. I’m here to be your friend, but we aren’t more than that.”

“No, Meg.” A tear rolled down his face.

I cradled his face to my chest and kissed the top of his head. “Be this guy and you’ll find your girl, Keri."

“I want you to be my girl.”

“I can’t,” I whispered.

A few minutes elapsed. I held Keri’s head as he cried. He finally pulled back, kissed me on the cheek, and walked to the door. He opened it, paused, then with a final glance over his shoulder, stared at me with sad eyes, as if he was going to say something. Keri said nothing, turned, walked out, and shut the door.

I took a deep breath, rushed over to my purse, and pulled out my phone. I had to find Collin.

I called Liv. “I have a situation and need Gary to drive me somewhere. Is that possible?”

“Meg, are you okay?” She sounded worried.

“Yes, but can I have Gary take me somewhere?”

“Right now? It’s ten-thirty at night.”

“Yes, now.”

“Meg, tell me what’s going on,” Liv demanded.

“I can’t get into it. Don’t worry, it's nothing dangerous, and I’ll fill you in later, okay? But I need Gary to drive me somewhere.”

“Tom was just dropped off. Let me go see if Phil or Laura are in the car, or if Tom was dropped off last.” I could hear them talking.

Liv came back on the line and told me, "Okay, he's on his way."

“Thanks.”

“Here if you need anything, Meg.” Liv sounded worried again.

"Don't worry, everything is fine. I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks. Bye." I hung up.

Gary had dropped us off the other night and knew where Collin lived. I had no idea if he would be home or not, but I had to try at least. We had come too close once again to move backward.

If you don’t try you can’t win, I thought for the second time that night.

Gary arrived shortly after, and I once again threw on my trench coat. I instructed Gary to take me wherever he had dropped Collin off the other night.

I was soon standing outside Collin’s. I took a deep breath and found his buzzer.

He answered.

“Collin, let me up,” I demanded.

“Meg? What are you doing here?”

“Collin, let me up,” I repeated.

I heard a sigh, “Meg, it’s not a good idea.”

“Collin, it’s almost eleven p.m., it’s cold, and I’m standing outside your house in the dark. Let me in." If I had to guilt him into letting me inside, I would.

The buzzer rang for me to open the door. I pushed my way through and rode up the elevator. When I got off the elevator, Collin was standing outside his apartment door barefoot. He had on navy pajama bottoms and a tan t-shirt that hugged his chest and arm muscles. His face had that neutral look again.

Great, he’s ready to negotiate me out of the building.

“Meg—” he started.

I held up my hand. “We can’t do this out here in the hall. Let me in.”

Collin looked at me like he didn’t think it was a good idea but also knew the hall wasn’t an option unless he wanted his neighbors to hear everything. He cautiously opened the door and let me in.

I shut the door behind him and locked it.

“Meg, what are you doing?” His tone was brisk and controlled.

“We have unfinished business.”

He ran his hands frustrated through his hair. “Keri is my client.”

“Keri and I are over; you know that.”

“But he doesn’t,” he stated adamantly.

Stepping closer to Collin, I removed my coat and threw it on his armchair. This time, I wore the clothes I had put on when Keri was at my apartment. “He gets it now.”

“Meg…I…we…” he stopped and closed his eyes, inhaled deeply and exhaled sharply. His demons were all over his face.

Stepping in front of him, I put my body right on his. I ran my fingers under his shirt and on his abdomen before I lifted his shirt and kissed his six-pack and pecs.

He shuddered slightly, and I felt him go hard against me.

“Stop fighting me,” I whispered.

“I have a rule…” he started.

I laughed hard. I knew all about the rules.

Seriousness flooded him. “I do.”

“I know you’re serious. Liv used to have a similar rule before Tom,” I grabbed his neck, brought his face down to mine, and kissed him like I had kissed no man before.

Collin moaned, and when we finally came up for air, I stepped back, removed my shirt and my pants, and stood once again in front of him in my lingerie.

He gulped. He wanted me, but I saw him wrestling with his rule.

“Let’s negotiate,” I suggested.

Collin stared at me, not sure what I meant. "Negotiate?"

“You break your rule. I'll keep it a secret. No one has to know.”

“No one has to know?” He gazed at me like he didn’t quite believe me.

If I could only have him in secret, then I would. I wanted him, and I had to have him, no matter what the situation. “It’ll be our little secret.”

The negotiator came out, and he peered at me, but I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

I stepped forward, stroked his penis through his pajama bottoms, and whispered, “How do you want me, Collin?”

While his rod became steel, he sucked in his breath, bent down, and furiously began exploring my mouth. I put my hands in his pants to cup his ass, caressing him, and feeling his muscles contract under his smooth skin.

He quickly grabbed my waist and picked me up. I grabbed his shoulders and wrapped my legs around his hips.

Within seconds, my back was to the wall, and I was hanging onto him with everything I had. Collin's mouth fluttered between my neck and my breasts.

I moaned. His lips felt like warm voltage on my skin, and my body buzzed against him.

"You're going to keep this a secret?" he whispered against my neck in his deep voice, as he continued to kiss me.

"Yes."

He nibbled on my ear. "I can trust you?"

I pushed my forehead to his, so I was staring at him straight in the eyes. "Yes. I promise."

He scanned my eyes.

"Stop worrying. Let me be your dirty little secret," I teased him.

Collin laughed softly. "Okay, you can be my dirty little secret." He nodded slightly and dipped down to brush his lips against my collarbone.

I reached down and released his pants. As they effortlessly dropped to the ground, he moved the sides of my panties, and smoothly slipped one massive finger in my eager pussy.

I had enjoyed naughty thoughts about his fingers.

I had underestimated them.

Collin Corwin's dextrous finger filled me up more than I had imagined. More than some of my previous lovers.

"Ahhhh...," I breathed out, not expecting his finger to feel so filling or him to be able to find my sweet spot on the first try.

Collin jerked his head up, raised a brow at me and surprised me with cocky eyes before he started to curl his finger back and forth inside me.

Heat swelled in my body, and my face flushed, as I whimpered against Collin.

"You're so wet. How many times do you want to cum tonight?" he murmured into my ear while gliding his finger harder against me.

A loud, unhinged, moan came flying out of me. Of course, I was wet. I had been soaked since the night before when I first saw him. But his cocky eyes and talk turned me on further, and I felt myself throb involuntarily around his finger.

“That’s it,” he confidently praised me.

I arched my back and squeezed him with my thighs to push deeper on his finger, and rocked a bit as he rolled it around in me. He pushed me up against the wall tighter and started swiping me so fast I instantly burst against him.

Like a wild animal, I clawed his t-shirt to the side and bit into his shoulder near his neck. My fingers dug into his shoulder blades.

He groaned and continued to unleash the high within me.

Stars. I saw stars as I exploded into millions of pieces, and blood surged through my body, as I cried out in whimpers against him.

Still shaking, he put me down on the ground, knelt on the floor, and pulled off my panties.

I gazed down at him and inhaled sharply. My mouth hung open as I caught my first glimpse of his manhood and saw a length and girth I had never encountered before.

Collin caught me gaping at his cock and gave me another conceited grin, then moved his mouth to my inner thighs, and lingered near my nether region but never touched it.

I reached for his shirt and stripped him of it, revealing his perfectly sculpted torso of glowing skin. I bent my head, so my mouth met his collarbone and moved up to his ear. “You’re luscious,” I said while nibbling his earlobe.

As he kneeled in front of me, naked, he gazed up with the same smug eyes and quickly pushed my feet, so my quivering legs spread open. Placing his hands on my waist, he held me steady as his mouth made its way from my belly button down. Putting one finger back in my already sensitive, throbbing sex, and using his other hand to massage my mound, his mouth moved from my stomach to that area, and he gently started sucking on it.

An electric and erotic cycle began, as his mouth frolicked all over my mound; sucking, licking, teasing, and biting me.

My breathing was shallow. "Oh...Collin...Oh God," I groaned.

Full of ego, he promised, "It's just my appetizer, baby."

I raised my eyebrows at him and gave him a half-grin, happy to be his dinner.

He gave me another pompous glance and swiftly moved his hand in a V to open me up more. Gradually, his tongue made contact with my dripping sex.

I gasped and pushed my butt further into the wall. I dug my nails into his shoulders to steady myself. "Oh shit!" I cried out.

Collin Corwin gave me the best head of my life. I urgently fought between scratching his back and pushing his head into my crotch, as his tongue slowly flickered back and forth, then faster, then slower again.

He teased and tormented me until I was panting, begging, and calling his name. I don't know how long he kept me on the perimeter of peaking. But he wouldn’t let me have it and kept denying me. From time to time, he would stare up at me with arrogant eyes, releasing never-ending butterflies in me.

"Don't stop, please!" I begged him.

And then he gave me the grand finale. Ever so gently, he rotated between licking and sucking, gentle and intense, slower and quicker. I finally couldn’t take it anymore. I pushed his head as hard as I could into me.

Collin rolled his cocky eyes up at me, latched on and started sucking me with so much pressure I violently erupted in his mouth.

For the second time that night, I exploded, as Collin grabbed my hips and pushed me further against the wall. He smashed his face deeper into me while continuing to roll my clit on his tongue at the same time he sucked. And I shattered like never before.

The noises I made were animalistic. Loud, shaky, full of breath as my eyes rolled and I could no longer stand. My knees buckled. I fell on Collin's shoulders with my elbows. My breasts collapsed on top of his head as he continued the volcano inside me.

Soaring as adrenaline pumped through my veins, I became a ragdoll against Collin. I don’t know how long I came. It seemed like forever, and when I finally stopped shaking, Collin made his way up my body, kissed my stomach, and removed my breasts from my bra. His tongue started licking my nipples, as every nerve in my body pulsed against my skin.

He teased my areolas and hardened tits with his lips and sent new jolts through my spine.

The negotiator came out. “More?” he asked me, the cockiness still in his eyes as he put his face to mine. Still panting, I leaned in, ravished his mouth, and tasted my high, as my tongue desperately explored him. My chest heaved next to his naked abs.

He pulled my head closer to him as our tongues danced around, and I quickly grabbed some of my wetness from my cunt and started massaging his balls and stroking his shaft.

He groaned. A delicious, deep, throaty groan that I knew I wanted to hear again.

Pushing back from him, out of his kisses, I breathlessly but confidently insisted, “More."

I saw the swagger pass through his eyes as he smoothly picked me up once again. Up against the wall, I wrapped my legs around him.

Inch by inch, Collin entered me, giving me only a little at a time as I let out throaty cries of acquiescence.

“That’s it, baby,” he whispered. “We can go slow.”

Collin was enormous, and he filled me like no other man had filled me before.

My eye closed as I tried to refocus, but everything moved between blurry and bright as Collin pushed more of himself in me.

Collin didn’t blink as he studied my face, and I let my body adjust to his size.

"Meg, you okay? This enough?" Collin asked.

"No. More," I told him, determined to have all of him in me.

"Okay, baby, but you take it," he murmured while looking surprised.

I nodded and cautiously started to rock against him, pushing him in farther and letting my body surround all of him as I stared into his eyes, my mouth in a never ending O.

"You're so fucking sexy," he whispered, staring in my eyes as I slid further on him.

I gripped my arms around his shoulders, and his warm lips and tongue consumed me.

Slowly, I sank further and further on him as my body allowed me to have him.

I heard him moan against my lips, as I ground my hips into him gently, over and over, feeling new sensations, I didn’t even know existed.

No other partner came close to the size and shape of Collin

Is it fair to even compare?

With concerned eyes, he checked in with me, “Okay, baby?”

I nodded, my mouth half-open, short breaths coming out shaky and fast, rocking and pulling him deeper and deeper in me.

"Oh, you feel so good, Collin."

"So do you."

I circled my hips lower on him and finally couldn't go anymore. He was entirely in me, and I paused and spasmed a bit against him.

"Oh, you're going to wreck me," he whispered.

I’m going to wreck him?

No man would ever do after Collin Corwin.

Full. I was so full of Collin I was already vibrating against him.

I bit his earlobe with my trembling lips. "I'm ready for you now," I whispered to him.

“Hold on then,” he whispered back.

Our foreheads leaned against each other, our eyes locked, and Collin carefully began to thrust inside me.

"Oh my God, Collin!" I cried out as his girth shimmied against my walls.

"That's it, baby," he breathed while staring in my eyes.

With every thrust of his hips, little currents of warm, tingling pleasure cascaded throughout my body. And more stars shot across my eyes.

White light.

Tingles.

Flutters in my stomach.

Warmth.

Blood pumping.

And the heavenly sound of Collin groaning against me.

His breath was heavy, his chest fell up and down, and sweat started to form on his muscular body.

As my hips fell in motion with his thrusts, I felt myself become a savage. I bit his delicious full lip. My tongue explored his mouth, greedily. My arms squeezed around his shoulders, then reached up and grabbed and pulled his hair.

And as his deep-throated groans vibrated against my neck, nothing had ever sounded better.

“Collin,” I whispered. I was getting slightly dizzy as every nerve inside me screamed out in delight.

He pushed his forehead back on mine and scanned my eyes again, through our labored breath.

And I couldn't close my mouth. It was in a permanent O of shaky breath and whimpers as my back arched into him.

Humming.

My body was in a perpetual state of humming.

My hands made their way to his ass. I felt him squeeze his muscles as he entered and exited me. Ferociously, I dug my nails into him and began to push him into me over and over.

“So sexy,” he panted, as his hands grabbed my hair, and pulled my head slightly back. His mouth lightly bit into me and sent more flutters through my body.

I dove into his neck and tasted the salty sweat that was starting to drip.

Involuntarily, I began clenching and releasing him, and he moaned in delight.

“I...can't...last much...longer…” I managed to get out and swallowed hard.

“You’re perfect, Meg,” he whispered. All cockiness was gone from his eyes and replaced with a rawness I hadn’t seen before.

And on those words and that look, I flew higher than I ever had before. As I rode Collin, ripples of explosions skyrocketed through my body, over and over, as he continued to push me up against the wall and thrust against me.

My orgasm slowed, but Collin started to spasm. I didn't think there was any more room in my body, but Collins orgasm pumped new life in me, and I started convulsing again. His thick, long cock throbbed and ricocheted all around me, creating a tidal wave, unlike anything I had ever experienced before.

We hung onto each other. My back was still against the wall. Collin was still inside me. My legs and arms were still wrapped tightly against him. With my face buried in his neck, and both of us panting, he walked me over to the couch, wrapped a throw blanket around my back, sat me on his lap and slowly pulled out of me.

Completely exhausted, I still wanted more of him, so I pulled his face toward mine, and teased his tongue while caressing his cheeks with my hands.

He pulled back. “Meg, we have to keep this between us.”

I put my finger over his lips. If this was the only way I could have him, then I would be all in. “It’s just our secret. Don’t worry.”

He scanned my eyes for a brief moment than claimed my mouth once more.

Wrapped in Collin’s arms, I pulled out of his kiss, and we stared at each other. As our breathing slowed and started to return to normal, I told him, “I have to go. My driver is downstairs.”

Collin’s head jerked back. “I didn’t know you have a driver.”

“Well, Tom and Liv’s driver.”

Collin’s eyes widened. “Meg, they will find out.”

“No. I’ll think of a reason why I had to come see you. Don’t worry,” I tried to convince him.

As I started putting my clothes on, Collin watched me like he didn’t believe me. Once dressed, I put on my coat and sat back on Collin and kissed him some more.

“Don’t worry. I’ll text you what I come up with,” I promised.

Collin walked me to the door and gave me one last, worried kiss before I left.

Outside, I collapsed into the car. Collin Corwin was the hottest piece of ass I had ever had, and there was no way I was getting him out of my system anytime soon. This was going to be complicated, but I would have to figure it out.

His rule had been broken, and I’d be damned if I let Collin go back to it.

5

Meg

F or the first time in my life, I lied to Liv. It felt awful, but I decided that she would forgive me if she ever found out.

The next morning, I told her that I ran into Collin after work and that he had discussed his issues with Sam Quinto and he thought maybe I could help. And, that he made me promise not to disclose the matter with anyone until Sam agreed to work with us.

Liv tilted her head and peered at me. "So why did you have to go to his house so late?"

Gary definitely doesn’t have any loyalty to me.

"I didn't know where he lived. My battery ran out, and I had used his phone for a call. I accidentally put it in my purse, and it started ringing. It was Sam, and I realized that I had it," I lied.

Liv looked at me. I couldn't tell if she knew I was lying or not.

"Why didn't you tell me that?"

"I wasn't supposed to say anything about Sam, and Collin only texted me this morning that Sam is on board and that I could tell you, so…" I shrugged my shoulders. "Sorry, I didn't mean to cause worry."

Liv didn't say anything for a minute. "Well, I'm happy and relieved, you're okay."

I put on my happy face. "Sorry again, but everything is fine. And we have a new major client." I beamed at her and tried to change the subject.

Liv scanned my eyes and nodded. "Sam Quinto is a great account to pick up."

"He is! But to warn you, he's got some Keri issues." I shot her my 'I'm sorry' look.

"Well, won't that be fun?" Liv said sarcastically.

"You know it. Okay, I need to prepare for my first appointment. I'll catch you later." I gave her a wave and left her office.

Massive guilt swept through me for deceiving Liv, but I had promised Collin. I grabbed my phone and texted him what I told Liv.

"Thanks. I know that wasn't easy for you. Appreciate you keeping our secret," Collin replied quickly.

"I always keep my word."

"I'll have to give you an extra treat for that." He sent three wink emojis.

As air came rushing out of my mouth, I realized I had been holding my breath. I assumed that meant Collin wanted to see me again. Relief shot through me that he hadn't woken up regretting the night before, and found new strength for his rule.

Even though I wanted to ask him when I would see him again, I didn't. Guys chased me; I didn't chase them. I had been pretty forward with him to get him to break his rule, and I needed to get some normalcy back for my self-preservation.

Now that I knew he wanted more, I needed to play it cool. I had made all the first moves, and the next time, it had to be his move. Collin may have been the hottest sex I ever had, but I wasn't going to become a feline in the game of cat-and-mouse.

I decided I would send back one winking emoji, and hoped that it would drive him a little batty.

My mind was going over the events of the previous night when Liv intercommed me. "Don't forget about the Volts game tonight."

I snorted. "You never have to worry about that."

"Awesome. Want to grab dinner and drinks first?"

"Sure."

"Okay, I'll pick you up around five-thirty."

"Sounds good, Liv."

Well, that was good. I needed something to take my mind off of Collin, and if there was one thing that was sure to do it, the Volts would be it.

While Liv and I sat courtside for a lot of the games, tonight we were entertaining in Tom's box. Derek Derow, from Club D, was introducing us to a few DJs he worked with who were shopping for a new PR firm to represent them. Derek and Tom both owned the Club Ds, but the DJ relationships were with Derek, and he was happy with the work we had done for his clubs.

The day was going fast. I had several meetings and was engrossed in work when I realized that I needed to get moving or I would be late.

I quickly packed up and left work.

Once I got to my apartment, I changed into silver leather pants and a form-fitting, royal blue, lace embroidered top.

It wasn't long before Liv picked me up.

She turned to me. "Damn girl, you look great!"

I stared back at Liv. She had on black skinny jeans and a royal blue mesh top with silver lining. It was perfect with her blonde hair and long legs. "You look pretty amazing yourself! Where did you get that top?"

I was always trying to find clothes in Volts colors.

Liv smiled. "Tom had Chanel make it for me."

I chuckled, "Of course he did."

Tom Marko could be a fashion designer himself. He seriously had an eye for it and loved surprising Liv with things.

We discussed the DJs we were meeting and were soon outside the stadium. Before long, we were in the private lounge and quickly ordered martinis.

"I talked to Derek today. He is pretty confident that DJ Cray Cray and Lipster are both going to want to come over to us. Their current firm sounds like a nightmare," I told Liv.

"From what Derek originally told me, I don't think it'll be too difficult to move them over. I know we can do way better." She took a sip of her water.

"Did they find out if they were still under contract?" I asked Liv.

She threw her thumb to the side, "Out!"

"Great!"

The waitress came back with the martinis, and we clinked them together in quick cheers.

"So how did you get Sam to agree to move over last night?"

I choked and started coughing on my martini. I wasn't expecting Liv to bring up Sam. A guilty pang stabbed me in the chest for lying to her earlier about Collin and me.

She pushed my water to me. I drank and decided that I didn't need to lie about this one. "Collin had me meet him over at Sam's condo. After I gave him the staredown, I asked him what he wanted if he only had one wish and couldn't play football anymore."

Liv smiled. She had seen me do it numerous times. "What does he want?"

"Same as Keri," I told her. "But he's going to need to morph as well, so we all have our work cut out for us."

"You can say that again," I heard a familiar voice growl, and the hairs on my neck stood up while nervous flutters consumed me.

I turned around. Collin and Derek were standing right behind me, Collin with his negotiator face, Derek with his full-of-personality face.

I cursed myself. It never crossed my mind that Collin would be at the game, but of course, he would be. He represented half the Volts and had his own box.

How long has he been listening to our conversation?

"Hey guys, want to join us?" Liv scooted over in the booth.

Derek scooted right into Liv and kissed her on the cheek. Collin stood there for a second.

"Meg, move over," Liv told me, snapping me out of my panic.

I glanced up at Collin, "Oh, sorry." I quickly slid over and made room.

Collin's eyes were all negotiator. No matter how hard I tried to find some indication of something, I couldn't. He treated me no differently from Liv.

I started to feel the heat rise to my face, and I quickly picked up my martini.

Derek's eyes seized me. "Meg, you sexy thing, you owe me a kiss when we get out of this booth."

I giggled. Derek was the guy that always made you feel good about yourself but never got inappropriate. Even so, I saw Collin's jaw clench up a bit as he smiled and tried to appear normal.

He has to chase you this time, I reminded myself.

"I always have a smooch waiting for you," I told Derek in a flirty voice.

Collin shifted in his seat.

I almost did a fist pump in the air when I saw Collin's jaw clench up again from the corner of my eye. But, he still kept his negotiator smile on. I was doing a happy dance that he didn't like the attention on me.

Derek's phone vibrated with a text. He rolled his eyes. "Cray Cray and Lipster are on their way. They woke up about an hour ago, and they have both been picked up."

We all had a quick chuckle. I sat next to Collin, with his muscular leg against mine, his Tom Ford cologne teasing my senses, and tried to concentrate on the conversation.

I couldn't. I went through the motions. We all ordered dinner, and I rotated between my water and martini.

I just need to get through this dinner, I told myself. Or this torture was more like it.

Collin Corwin was no less sexy today than he had been the night before. His black suit was tailored perfectly against his firm body, and he had removed his coat jacket for dinner. His white shirt fit him perfectly, and he wore a blue-and-silver tie. I imagined him in nothing but that tie and had a lot of ideas about what I would do to him in it.

And I stared at his long fingers that were just innocently sitting on the table, teasing me.

"Meg?" Derek asked me.

Crap. I had been lost in thought. "Sorry, what did you say?"

Derek gave me another close gaze. I wasn't sure how to take it, but it quickly passed. "Are you able to double-check that Lola has her part done? I know it's babysitting on your end, but I don't know what is going on over in Jersey, and we can't afford any more mistakes."

I quickly recovered. "Yeah, consider it done."

"Thanks," Derek told me.

Club D in New Jersey was losing business, and we had been working on turning it around. The numbers had gone up slightly but not enough to satisfy Derek or Tom.

"D, you got issues in Jersey?" Collin asked, concerned.

Derek shook his head, "About the last year. I've done a total comb-through and can't figure out what the problem is. The club is packed every night, but the numbers aren't adding up."

"Someone stealing?"

Derek held up his hands. "We've done full audits and security reviews. Something is going on, but we can't figure it out."

Collins concern on his face deepened. His eyebrows wrinkled. "Well, I'm not sure what I can do, but you know to holler if you need me."

"Thanks, man. I appreciate that." Derek nodded.

The conversation continued, we finished dinner, and it was time to get up to the boxes. The four of us gradually made our way down the hall; Liv and Derek in front, Collin and me behind them.

A bunch of people came toward us, and Collin moved over, put his hand on my back, and sent a wave of electricity through me. I peered up at Collin to see the negotiator in force, but his cocky eyes from the previous night were staring down at me.

My face reddened at the thought of how the last time I saw those eyes, we were both naked and sweating on each other. I quickly broke his gaze as his hand lightly started squeezing my ass.

I jerked my head up at him again. What the hell is he doing? He wants to keep this a secret but thinks it’s okay to fondle me in public?

I gave him a 'what the hell are you doing' stare, but he kept his arrogant negotiator face on.

As much as I panicked, I also felt the buzz of his touch. Having his hands on my body again was a physical reminder of how much I wanted a replay, and the fact that he kept so cool about it was a major turn-on.

We were right outside Tom's box when he leaned down and whispered in my ear, "Ten minutes, then excuse yourself to the restroom."

I glared at him like he was insane. He kept staring at me, all negotiator, egotistical and sexy as hell.

I made my way into our box, and he said his goodbyes. I told myself I wasn't going to go, but I looked down at my watch anyway.

Cray Cray and Lipster were already in the box. Introductions were made, and drinks started getting passed out.

I played my role, but the entire time I was debating about what to do in my mind. I finally decided that there was no way I could go. These were going to be clients, and I had already lied to Liv once.

Ten minutes passed. I didn't go. As much as I wanted to, I stopped myself.

Fifteen minutes.

Twenty minutes.

Thirty minutes finally passed, and the negotiator came into our box and walked up to Liv. "Hey Liv, can I steal Meg for a bit? Sam's in my box with some other Zags and wants to talk with her."

None the wiser, Liv was all smiles for Collin. "No problem." She motioned her hand for me to go.

Seriously? Who does he think he is? I'm working.

Once outside the box, I sneered at him. "What are you doing?"

"Just relax," he instructed and led me into his box.

Sam and a handful of other players were there. "Well, if it isn't my favorite redhead!" Sam was drinking and in prime form. He picked me up off the ground in a hug.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Collin's jaw tighten again.

"Put me down," I told Sam. "I came to say hi, but I can't stay. I have clients we are entertaining."

"Oh, Meg, you're breaking my heart again." He made stabbing motions.

I rolled my eyes.

"Meg, this is Alex, Tito, and George," Collin told me, pointing out each Zag.

I nodded my head as they all stood there, checking me out. "Nice to meet you all."

I turned to Sam. "I really do have to get back. I'll see you at our meeting?"

He shook his head and licked his lips at me. "I wouldn't pass up a chance to see you."

Collin's jaw once again stiffened as I flirtatiously laughed.

I started walking out of the room, and I heard Collin say, "I'll be back. I need to go talk to D about the VIP room for you guys."

Collin shut the door to his box, grabbed my elbow, and steered me the opposite way of Tom's box.

"What are you doing?"

"Escorting you to the ladies room." The negotiator was in full force.

What does he think? I'm going to fuck him in the public bathroom? I do have hygiene habits.

We had gotten in front of the bathroom but he steered me into another door, across from the boxes.

Once inside, he shut the door and locked it. I looked around. It was a smaller meeting room with a six-person conference table and a small sitting area.

I scowled at cocky Collin, "What do you think you're doing?"

He grabbed me around the waist, so he was once again squeezing my ass, and bent down and found my mouth.

I tried to stay pissed at him, but it was impossible. His tongue flicked into mine, reminding me of how it flicked on my sex the night before, and I was not able to stand there and deny him. I half-attempted to shove him away by pushing on his chest, but he pulled me closer to him.

My hands relaxed from fists to open palms, and I could feel his heart starting to beat faster. I gave one more small push, and he pulled his face away from mine. While he still held me close, with his ego eyes in full bloom, he asked, "You want me to let you go, Meg?"

I bit my lip, not saying anything. My pride wanted to say yes, but my body was not allowing me.

He raised his arrogant eyebrows at me and slipped his hands into the back of my pants. He was right on my skin, grazing his fingers over my cheeks, softly.

"Is that what you want? Me to let you go?" He waited for me to answer.

I inhaled deeply and slowly shook my head.

It was all Collin needed. In one quick swoop, he picked me up by my butt cheeks with his hands still in my pants. My legs automatically wrapped around his hips, and his mouth urgently crushed into mine. His massive hand started moving lower on my butt until it was completely between my thighs.

It happened before I knew it. Collin's long fingers slid inside my womanhood, and I gasped as his eyes met mine.

"Just hold on and relax," he cockily smirked at me.

As I grabbed his neck with my arms tightly, he started twirling his fingers inside me. My body began to move in rhythm with his hand.

"That's a good girl," he whispered as he licked my earlobe, took his fingers and swiped them over my G-spot repeatedly.

I let out a whimper as his lips fluttered down my neck. He nibbled and gently sucked on me as his fingers continued to caress me.

I ground into him, urgently pushing my cunt on his hand.

Wanting it.

Needing it.

Taking it.

As he bent his fingers inside me and rolled them all around, I started whimpering louder against him. He hit my sweet spot faster and with more pressure.

"Breath, baby," he whispered in my ear. I hadn't realized I was holding my breath.

I exhaled sharply and quickly inhaled again as he repeated his same move, then urgently sought his mouth. I dove into it, my tongue crashed into his, and I explored his mouth before biting his lower lip.

He groaned. His deep, throaty groan that made me clench against his fingers.

"You've been driving me crazy all night," he whispered, sending more flutters through me.

Repeatedly moaning, I couldn't respond, as he continued to stroke and push inside me with his fingers.

An animal in heat, I circled my hips on his fingers, opening and closing my eyes, while my cries grew louder.

Collin put his forehead to mine, so I stared into his eyes. "You want it?"

I could hardly talk. I tried to tell him yes, but it wasn't coming out right through my panting.

"You sure you want it?" His arrogant self asked me, as I could hardly breathe, and my shaky breaths made my chest heave into his.

And I became an inferno of heat and lust as I gripped his fingers.

Not able to talk, I closed my eyes, then reopened them to see Collin still staring at me, waiting for me to tell him again that I wanted it.

I frantically nodded.

He increased the intensity, moved another finger in me, stroked and twisted his hand, and made me groan so loud I thought the entire building heard it.

"Tell me you need it," he commanded.

My lust-filled eyes stared at him. My body had already started to tremble, and my lungs were hardly able to fill with air. "I need it, Collin. Please," I choked out.

"Whatever you need, baby," he whispered, then set me ablaze.

I violently trembled, moaned, and grabbed his neck tighter as my body started to convulse, over and over.

He continued to drive me up further into my high, while his forehead pushed into mine.

"Collin," I cried out as he swiped me more.

"That's it, baby," he murmured against my lips.

I grasped onto him tighter and smashed myself onto his hand.

Quickly.

Repeatedly.

Desperately.

All the while, groaning and scratching him like a wild animal in heat.

My back arched. My eyes rolled into the back of my head as my body continued to seizure against him.

Collin held me up and rubbed my back with his free hand.

I sank my face into his neck and tried to catch my breath, as I wondered if my heart would beat out of my chest.

After a few minutes, he pulled his fingers out of me. I was still curled into his neck and noticed my nails were still digging into him. I relaxed my grip.

He rubbed my ass cheeks a bit, then walked over and set me on the conference room table.

Collin brought his forehead back to mine, brought his fingers to his mouth, then sucked on them while giving me a cocky stare. He pulled his fingers out of his mouth and kissed me. His hands wrapped around me and moved up my shirt on my naked back.

New tingles flew through my spine.

"That was your treat for keeping your word," he huskily informed me while scanning my eyes.

I was still coming down from my high. My breathing started to slow but was still shallow.

He gave me one more lingering kiss, "I have to get back. Wait a few minutes after I leave before you do, okay?"

I didn't move for a minute. I was still reeling and in shock over what had just happened.

"Meg, you okay?"

I finally nodded.

"You sure?"

I nodded again. I couldn't talk.

He kissed me one final time. My lip quivered against him.

"I have to go. You okay if I go?" he whispered.

I nodded. Still not sure what had just happened.

Collin hesitated and then walked out. I tried pulling myself together and waited five minutes. When I pulled the door open and stepped out, Derek was in the hall.

"Oops, that's not the restroom." I walked across the hall toward the ladies room.

Derek gave me the same knowing look he had given me at dinner and raised his eyebrows. I ignored it and walked into the ladies room.

When I got inside, I leaned against the sink and looked in the mirror. I had no idea how Collin had done that, but I knew I wanted more.

6

Collin

She was driving me crazy. No one had ever driven me this crazy.

In the middle of the night, Meg's entire body wrapped around mine. I felt her vibrating on top of me. It was amazing...until I woke up and realized she wasn't there and I had been dreaming.

Out of town for business, I wasn't sure when I would see her again, and it was starting to affect my mental state.

I sat in client meetings half listening, half thinking about how I wanted to please her next or how she should be next to me, working her magic on my clients who weren't listening very well.

But I wouldn't ever again put her in the position I did with Sam. I saw how wrong that was and understood why she thought what she did.

When she had told me that we could be together, but it would be our secret, I couldn't resist. I had to have her, and it was better than I ever thought possible.

Her flirtatious behavior with other men was driving me nuts. She was doing it to get under my skin, and it was working. I wanted to claim her as mine, to yell to the world that she was taken and off-limits, but I knew I couldn't. I had my rule, and I wasn't about to publicly break it.

I worried about her saying something, but she had kept her word, and I realized that our secret was safe.

It made me want her even more. I knew she had lied to Liv because of me, and I hated that I had to put her in that position. But she was someone who could be trusted, and her actions showed me that she had my back.

Groaning, I rolled into my pillow and shoved my face into it. I realized that I had it bad. I didn't know where this was going, but I knew I wanted more.

Traveling is so inconvenient right now.

I wracked my brain about when I would see her next, but I didn't know.

Not able to sleep, I wondered if she missed me as much as I missed her.

Meg

I thought about Collin all the time; during the day while at work, while I showered, ran, or was in a taxi, and at night. Nighttime was the worst.

My mind constantly was racing, I hadn't been able to sleep well, and no amount of masturbation could satiate me.

I hadn't heard from him since the Volts game. After I left the restroom, I had caught a glimpse of him in his box. Our eyes briefly met as I passed the room, and I was pretty sure he had been watching for me to walk past.

At the end of the game, Collin, Sam, and the other Zags stopped in our suite, and Collin introduced them to everyone, negotiator in full force.

Sam continued hitting on me. I concentrated on him and tried to avoid Collin.

Derek gave me another funny 'know it all' raised eyebrow. I didn't know what he thought, but I wasn't about to ask.

Days passed, but I wasn't going to call or text him. He had taken total control over me at the Volts game, and we both knew it.

Collin Corwin had owned my body as I sat on his hand.

Yep, his fingers fucked me so hard he owned me, and I still wasn't sure how it had happened.

He probably expected me to beg for more, and I wasn't going to do that.

It was Sunday afternoon. I was running in Central Park, trying to get him off my mind when he called me. I had my earphones in and hadn't even looked at who was calling. I answered it.

"You sound out of breath," his voice came flying through the phone.

I froze and said nothing.

"Meg, you still there?"

I regained my composure. "Collin, what can I do for you?"

He laughed. "It's only us on the line. I don't think we have to play professional associates right now."

I kicked my foot into the ground and tried to sound more relaxed. "Sorry."

"I wanted to tell you that you're looking pretty hot over there." His sultry voice oozed.

I quickly glanced around. A few hundred yards away from me, Collin stood, with sweat dripping down him, more gorgeous than ever.

My heart did a double beat.

Damn, I was trying to get him out of my system, and here he was.

I ran over to him. "Are you following me?"

"Maybe you're following me?" His eyes raised, and he gave me a cocky grin.

I rolled my eyes at him.

"Ouch, that hurt."

"Ha, ha!"

He licked his lips at me and grinned bigger. "So, what have you been up to since the Volts game?"

My face turned red at the mention of the Volts game, as memories of my treat flew back to me.

"Work, running, you know… You?"

"I've been out of town with clients."

Is that why he hasn't called?

Collin locked eyes with me. "Want to go for a walk?"

"Isn't that risky?" I smirked at him sarcastically.

He winked, "I think we'll be okay."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"So, I had fun at the Volts game the other night, did you?" A naughty look spread across his face.

I tried to be nonchalant, shrugged my shoulders, and rolled my eyes again.

"You didn't have fun?" he teased.

Do not admit anything to him!

He knew he owned me. He knew he finger fucked me into oblivion. So, instead of answering him, I grabbed his arm, stopped, and turned to look up at him. "Collin, I think Derek thinks something is up."

He took a deep breath. "Why do you think that?"

"He saw me walk out of the conference room and he kept giving me funny looks with his eyebrow raised all night."

Collin gazed down at me, "If D does think anything, he didn't mention it to me and he never will. I've known him a long time. D created the biggest nightclub chain in the country because he knows how to keep his mouth shut."

"Okay." We started walking again.

"So...did you miss me?" Collin teased.

I adamantly shook my head.

"No?" His face dropped.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"You haven't thought about me at all?"

"Nope!" I lied through my teeth. He was all I had thought about.

Collin raised his eyebrow at me, "You didn't miss me at all?"

I shook my head again.

"Really? I thought about you," he sounded serious.

"I bet you did." I rolled my eyes sarcastically.

Collin's face looked slightly hurt. "You really didn't miss me?"

I shook my head again. I knew if I opened my mouth, it would all come flying out, and I wasn't going to give cocky Collin the satisfaction.

"Well, I missed you…"

I stopped and stared at him, not sure if this was an arrogant ploy or if he was serious.

"I did," he sounded vulnerable.

A thousand butterflies released in my stomach.

I continued to observe him, not sure what to say. Normally, I would not have a problem responding to a guy telling me he missed me, but Collin was a different story. Since the Volts game, when he had taken complete control over me, I suddenly felt unsure about myself around him.

Stop acting like a schoolgirl, Meg.

Collin was staring at me intensely, hoping to get something out of me. "I guess I might have thought about you in passing once or twice." I shrugged some more, tried to appear cool, and reminded myself again that he had to chase me.

A big smile erupted on his face. "Good." Then he grabbed my hand and pulled me over in front of the tree line.

No one was around. It was only Collin and me. He bent down and once again ignited flames within me as his lips met mine, and his tongue started exploring my mouth. His hands quickly swept to my back and pulled me closer.

I grabbed ahold of him tightly and forgot about my surroundings.

"I've thought about you a lot," he mumbled between kisses.

My insides soared with happiness. "Yeah?" I softly responded.

"Yeah. Too much."

I laughed.

"What about you? Did you think of me too much?" he whispered against my mouth.

"Maybe," I kissed him back.

He laughed softly.

We stood in Central Park, making out for I don't know how long. Then his alarm rang and pulled us out of our kisses.

Disappointment flew across Collins's face, "Crap. I gotta go. I'm flying up to Boston tonight with Tom and Phil for a joint business venture."

Damn, I wanted him to take me home.

"Have a good trip." I tried not to sound disappointed.

"I'll see you tomorrow, though?"

"Yes. It's on the schedule." Collin was bringing one of his Volts players into the office.

He leaned down and gave me another kiss. "Race you back to the street?"

I laughed and took off with a head start.

C ollin was coming in that afternoon with Charlie Cantor, another Volts player, and I realized I was going to have to play it super cool to hide my attraction to him.

Two o'clock came quickly. I had worked throughout the day and skipped lunch. Lilly informed me that Collin and Charlie were in conference room four.

I walked to the conference room with butterflies in my stomach once again.

Liv was already there, along with Collin and Charlie.

"Hey, Meg. Good to see you again." The negotiator stood as I came into the room, and he stretched out his massive hand.

Heat rushed to my face when I saw his hand and remembered all the things it had done to me. I quickly grabbed it. He gave me a little squeeze, still full-on negotiator, which made my pussy pulse with more desire.

Flip, flip, flip went my stomach.

He introduced me to Charlie.

"Hi Charlie, we're excited to be working with you." I turned to shake Charlie's hand.

Charlie gave me a genuine smile. While he wasn't a starter for the Volts, he had a lot of playing time as a shooting guard, was about 6'7, and had brown hair and matching eyes. Charlie was from the Midwest with extremely good manners, and he seemed excited to meet us.

It appeared to me that he had a lot of respect for Collin and I could tell that Collin felt a sense of responsibility for him. Charlie was in his early twenties, and whenever we presented an idea, he would look at Collin for approval. Instead of giving it to him, Collin would take time to explain how things worked, teaching him instead of telling him, and then Collin would ask Charlie his opinion.

Somehow, Collin Corwin became sexier. I felt a twitch in my vagina. I grabbed my glass of water to cool myself off as Collin gazed at me briefly.

The meeting continued as usual, and I spent my time trying to only look at Collin professionally. I focused on Liv a lot, searching to see if she could tell anything was up, but she seemed like her typical boardroom self.

Collin, of course, was in full negotiator mode, having no problem acting like everything was normal.

How does he do that? It was impressive.

Toward the end of the meeting, Lilly came in to tell Liv that her next appointment was there. She left, and like the day before, I walked them to the lobby, only this time, Collin didn't ask to speak to me in my office. Both Charlie and he gave me a handshake and stepped on the elevator.

Feeling a little bummed, I walked back into the conference room to get my folders and saw Collin had left his phone. I grabbed it and told Lilly I had to give it to him.

The elevator opened. I saw him standing there, and a grin slowly formed over his face. "I'm glad it was you and not Lilly or Liv."

"You left it intentionally?"

"Go out the side entrance." He pointed. "My car will drive around and meet you so no one can see."

He walked out the front door before I could say anything. What is this all about?

After a few minutes, I walked out of the side entrance. As he promised, his black car was sitting there.

I stepped into the car. The blacked-out window between the driver and us was already closed. "Collin, what's this—"

He yanked me on his lap before I could finish. Collin's tongue found mine and urgently dodged in and out. I forgot about my sentence and kissed him back, as I ran my hands through his hair while his tongue wrestled with mine.

"That was torture," he breathed between kisses.

"Hmm…" I murmured, foggy from his kisses and wanting more.

He pulled back. "Sitting in that conference room with you..."

"Oh yeah," I purred softly. I grinned because he’d had a hard time, and it wasn't only on my end. My mouth went back for more.

Between kisses, he mumbled, "Dinner. Tonight. My place. Stay the night."

My stomach erupted in more butterflies.

Collin's body responded to mine, and I wanted to take him right there, but I had another appointment coming in soon. I kissed him and was going to say yes when I decided to have some fun. "What will you give me?"

The negotiator was back and with no hesitation, "Dessert."

"Done."

"My driver will pick you up at seven o'clock," he mumbled.

Giving him one last kiss, I made sure no one was around before getting out of the car and scurrying back into the building's side entrance.

I made it through the rest of my day, but in the back of my mind, I couldn't stop thinking about him.

7

Meg

The La Perla lingerie I put on was a chocolate brown color with a hint of gold in it and made of super delicate lace. I had been saving it for a special occasion. My red hair and green eyes were the perfect accessories.

I redid my hair, makeup, and perfume and threw on some skinny jeans, tall boots, and a purple oversized off-the-shoulder sweater. Then I packed an overnight bag.

I started rethinking my outfit and texted Collin, "Casual, right?"

Collin replied, "You don't have to wear anything if you don't want to."

I sent him back an eye-rolling emoji. Okay, staying with this outfit then.

Seven p.m. rolled up quickly, and Collin’s driver was right on time. Butterflies filled my stomach again. I realized I hadn’t felt them with anyone in a long time, and never after I had already had sex with someone.

It wasn’t long before I was on Collin’s doorstep, but I hesitated to ring the bell, feeling nervous and different from the confident woman who chased him several nights before. I finally pushed the button, and this time, he buzzed me in quickly.

Collin was once again waiting for me outside his door. He wore a pair of jeans and a plain white designer t-shirt. It had small ribbing and was super soft; showcasing his caramel skin.

He’s so delicious.

I thought about his naked body twisting in mine several nights before.

“You look beautiful as always,” Collin told me, snapping me out of my dirty thoughts and making me blush slightly, as I saw his smoldering look of approval.

I reached up and pulled his head down to me to kiss him. Grabbing my overnight bag, he pulled me into his apartment and locked the door behind us.

Sexy, slow music was playing. Several candles and the fireplace gave a soft glow to the room. The scent of sugar, amber, and vanilla filled the air.

He pulled out of our kiss. “Want some wine?”

“Sure.”

Collin moved to the kitchen, which opened up into the family room. My eyes wandered around his place. I hadn’t taken much in (other than him) the other night. His apartment was nothing to sneeze at. I could tell he recently remodeled it and it overlooked Manhattan.

“How long have you lived here?”

“About two years.”

Oh yeah, I had forgotten that he was recently divorced.

You’re the rebound girl.

He came around the counter and handed me a glass of wine.

“Did you remodel it?”

“Yes, right before I moved in.”

I searched for any sign of emotion, but he had none. It was the typical Collin Corwin negotiator face.

“It’s nice,” I continued surveying his apartment.

The oven buzzer rang.

“Are you cooking?” I guess I had assumed he would be ordering delivery of some sort.

“Yep, hope you’re hungry.”

“It smells fantastic. What is it?”

“Sea bass, spinach, and sweet potato puree,” He stood with an oven glove on, pulling the food out.

Collin Corwin can cook? And he cooks food that isn’t just mac and cheese?

Ok, that was super sexy. Somehow, the impossible happened, and Collin once again became even more desirable.

“What?” His brow furrowed.

I walked closer. “You just got even sexier.”

Collin gave me a cocky stare. “Well, what do you want to do about that?”

“Oh, I have some ideas, but I wouldn’t want to ruin the dinner you slaved over.”

Collin just smiled and winked at me.

"You did good keeping our secret today." He gave me an appreciative glance as I sipped on my wine.

I smiled, thinking of our meeting in the conference room. "I take promises seriously."

"That's a good trait, Meg," he said quietly.

I stared at him. "Hey, I thought that was cool what you did with Charlie today."

Confusion filled his face. "What was that?"

"The way you were teaching him and explaining things; guiding him instead of just making decisions for him."

He shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal. "Charlie is a smart kid with a good future in front of him. I want him to feel empowered to make decisions on his own."

I sat down on the barstool. "You know, you're the first agent who I've ever seen do that?"

He raised his eyes and nodded his head slightly, like he wasn’t surprised but without one ounce of arrogance.

I stared at him some more while he fixed two plates of food. He walked over to the candlelit table, put them down, then came over to refill my wine glass.

His modest behavior made me realize that the cockiness I had seen had always been related to sex and that it wasn’t who he was. I was used to dating cocky and egotistical men, and it turned me on that someone who was skilled in so many things was actually not full of arrogance. While I would be lying to say those traits didn’t turn me on, the fact that he could be cocky in the bedroom and humble in who he was caught me off guard.

I wasn’t used to it, and I didn’t want him devaluing what made him different. I stood up, put my arms around him, so my hands were on his ass, and looked up at him. “You did a really good thing, Collin.”

He stared at me humbly, was about to say something, and stopped. Instead, he gave me a quick kiss. "Come on." He led me to my chair and pulled it out for me.

We ate for a bit in silence. I realized I didn’t know much about Collin, and I genuinely wanted to know more. He had intrigued me before tonight, but he had quickly become more interesting.

“How did you get into your career?”

He paused as if he was remembering. “I was in my second contract with the Volts, and when it came time to renew, I realized I wasn’t going to play anymore. My degree was going to be in business, and I wanted to stay in the sports world. I had an old professor I still kept in contact with who encouraged me to go back and finish out my degree so I could become an agent.”

“You returned to college after playing pro?” I couldn’t hide my shock.

“Yes. It wasn’t fun, but I needed to do it, so I did. I had the connections with the players, so once I graduated, I was able to get their business. The other agents only cared about their paycheck. The guys who came with me knew that I cared about their negotiations and their business ventures,” Collin was talking and had passion in his voice. I knew that his career was more than just the money to him.

His sexiness level rose some more.

Damn, I was already super horny and had only been there thirty minutes.

“What about you? How did you start in PR?”

I had to chuckle a bit at the memory. “I ran into Liv in a coffee shop. The owner was talking about how they were losing business, and I started giving them ideas on how they could turn things around. She followed me out and offered me a job. I had a job in PR working for the paper, and frankly, I hated it. Liv had just started her firm and couldn’t offer me much but promised if I helped her get it off the ground that I would be rewarded—which she delivered on. We were only twenty-four, and we didn’t know any different, so we weren’t going to let anything stop us.”

I smiled, thinking of Liv and myself, twenty-four again, and what we went through together over the last eight years.

Collin put his hand over mine, his fingers stroked my skin. “Now look who got sexier.”

I blushed.

“You know, you’re amazing at what you do,” Collin told me. “And I’m not just saying that you really are. You and Liv both. You two...it’s like you know what the other person is going to say sometimes.”

I grinned. “We do. It’s strange, but yes, we do.”

Collin’s face turned serious. “Hey, Meg.”

I raised my eyebrows in question.

“I’m really sorry about what I did to you the first night I had you meet Sam.” His eyes were all apologies.

“Why did you do that?” I asked him in a curious but non-accusing tone.

He sighed. “Deep down, I wanted to see you again. I thought that I was doing you a favor, getting you an opportunity for another big account. I wasn’t thinking clearly, and I swear to you that I never, ever thought about you sleeping with Sam.”

Collin’s face was super vulnerable, and I was surprised that the negotiator was opening up this way to me.

I flipped my hand on top of his. “It’s okay. I’m sorry I assumed that.”

“I see why you did,” he admitted.

Standing up, I walked over to him and sat on his lap. “How old are you?”

He laughed. “Probably older than you.”

“I’m thirty-two. You?”

“Thirty-eight.”

“How long were you married?” I don’t know why I asked him so soon, but I wanted to know.

His face grew slightly dark. “Eight years, two of which we were getting divorced.”

There was pain in that darkness, I saw it in his eyes, and it made me want to save him from it. I wasn't sure what I could do, but I saw that his divorce had hurt him. Collin hid it during dinner at Tom and Liv's, but he was showing it to me now.

I kissed him, and he pulled back. "Have you ever been married?"

I shook my head. "I was engaged once. We lived together for a few years. I left him a few months before the wedding." I shrugged my shoulders like it was no big deal.

He whistled. “That took a lot of guts.”

I just shrugged my shoulders again.

“I knew I shouldn’t marry Stacey, and I still did. I was walking down the aisle, and I knew it was a mistake.” Collin shook his head in disgust.

I stroked his cheek and stayed quiet.

“What made you decide not to go through with your wedding?” His eyes scanned mine.

I shifted uncomfortably on Collin’s lap. “He wasn’t a very nice guy." I turned my face away. The last thing I wanted to do was to relive that nightmare.

I think he sensed I didn’t want to go further than that and didn’t press me.

I turned back toward him. “How did you know your marriage was a mistake?”

Collin laughed cooly. “Where should I start? Let’s see… She hated that I couldn’t play ball anymore. I knew she would cheat on me—which she did—we just weren’t compatible…”

Whoa. Someone cheated on Collin Corwin? What woman in their right mind would go looking for something somewhere else when she had this hot stud in her bed?

Collin tried to act like it didn’t hurt, but I could see that it still did.

So I started kissing him—hard. I moved my leg over and straddled him in his dining room chair and put my body on top of his while kissing him with all my passion and desire for him. I put my hands through his hair and pulled him as close to me as I could.

“You deserve better,” I whispered to him.

His body hardened underneath mine. As he wrapped his arms around me, I pressed into him further. I saw his pain in his eyes, his ache for me, and his hope that I was different.

Tiny ripples swam up my spine as his hands flew under my shirt and stroked my naked back.

His erection got harder, and I shifted on his lap and dug into it as he groaned.

I found his mouth again and bit his lip hungrily. Drilling my eyes into his, I announced, “I’m ready for dessert, Collin.”

In one swift movement, he grabbed my butt cheeks, stood up, and his lips met mine in hunger. My body was still wrapped around him, and as I pressed against his erection through our clothes, I moved my hips closer and felt him get more aroused.

I arched my back and tried to grind into him harder. His one hand moved up to my back, and he pulled me closer as he carried me to his bedroom. The fireplace gave the room a soft glow. Collin gently laid me on the bed. He stared at me intensely, stroked my cheek, and whispered, “You really are beautiful.”

My heart skipped a beat, I blushed, and my butterflies flew all over.

He saw my blush, continued to stroke my cheek, and a small smile formed on his lips.

I grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head. My mouth made its way around his shoulders, arms, and chest as I lazily ran my nails over his back, felt his heartbeat, and listened to his breath. I teased his nipple with my tongue before sucking on it. And a thrill shot through me as I heard his slight delicious groan.

He removed my sweater and pants, revealing my La Perla lingerie.

“Wow,” he sat back in appreciation, and softly grazed his fingers down my legs, back up, then outlined my panties everywhere, first, the band closest to my stomach and then around my groin. Electric shocks sizzled on my skin underneath his fingertips.

The lingerie was delicate and super light—barely-there. His mouth found my breasts and pushed the translucent lace down so he could run his tongue lightly over my areola. Another wave of pleasure passed through my body, and between the look, he was giving me and the attention he gave my breasts, I shuddered.

I grabbed his head and pushed him closer to me so that I could suck on his neck. I moved my hands down to his belt and tried to get his pants off.

I wanted him naked, and I wanted all of him.

Collin pushed my hands away and growled, “I want you first."

I took a deep breath as my pulse quickened.

He quickly removed my bra, then continued moving down my body; kissing my stomach, licking my belly button, frolicking all around my womanhood. As his mouth gently kissed and sucked on my inner thighs, I laid there drenched, ready for him and panting in anticipation.

"You're all I've thought about, Meg," he mumbled quietly to me, with his lips on my hot skin.

My butterflies did another happy dance, and I bit my lip, feeling a bit shy. "Really?"

Lazily making his way up, Collin glanced at me, a desire in his eyes different from the night before—confident yet admiring—as he lost himself in my body. His lips moved into the curve of my neck. "Yes. You've been driving me crazy."

A burst of adrenaline shot through me.

"You're driving me crazy, too," I whispered to him.

"Yeah?" He breathed against my jawline.

I pulled his lips to mine and murmured. "One-hundred-percent crazy."

His body full of muscle carefully laid on top of mine, and his arms went underneath me and pulled me closer as his lips and tongue claimed mine.

Heaven. That's what Collin Corwin's kisses were: pure, angelic, heaven. The delicious smell of agarwood, cardamom, and rosewood drifted from his skin and sent another shot of oblivion through me.

"You smell so good," I whispered between our lips.

“You smell so good,” he whispered back.

I softly laughed.

"I want to taste you," he whispered and started to move his lips down my body.

He expertly removed my flimsy panties, threw my legs over his shoulders, and spread his two fingers to a V. With his eyes wide open on me, he teased me by flicking my clit, then explored all of me with the tip of his tongue.

I gasped in delight at his licks, as his tongue and lips enclosed on my sex, rolling and massaging it gently. Loud moans escaped me, my breath became labored, and my nails dug into his shoulders.

Collin’s eyes strolled from my body to my face, intensely seeking my responses, once again taking complete control of me.

I let out small cries as his tongue raged against my sex.

“That’s it, baby,” he murmured against me.

With his index and middle fingers, he gently pushed into me.

I shuddered and clenched my thighs tighter around his neck. "Oh...oh..."

Collin twisted and bent his fingers while his mouth never once left me.

My toes clenched, my stomach and breasts moved up and down as I panted, and between whimpers, I whispered, “Please, Collin,” as he teased and tortured me with the flip of his tongue, sliding ever-so-expertly over me.

He rubbed my mound with his free hand while continuing to eat me out.

“Oh, God, don’t stop!" I cried out.

I pushed his head into me, and he was still able to pull back and torture me some more. I begged him again, hardly able to talk. His eyes met mine. This time, when I pushed his head, he sucked me so hard, my legs lifted off the bed.

As I orgasmed, he continued to suck me, applying more pressure and taking me to a level my other lovers had never even approached.

I screamed out his name in ecstasy, my eyes rolled in my head, and my body shook as a furious hurricane whipped through me. But he didn’t let up and pushed his mouth into me further, and made me skyrocket over and over again.

When I finally came down, he took his time, kissing his way up my tingling body, and murmured, “So gorgeous."

When he arrived at my mouth, I was panting, and I grabbed him like a hungry wolf. I tasted my orgasm on his tongue, as I devoured every inch of his mouth, and desperately craved every part of him.

He still had his pants on, and I grabbed at them once more. “Let me have you,” I whispered, and this time, he helped me remove them.

Sitting up on the edge of the bed, he pulled me over on top of him, so I was straddling him. I faced him, my breasts inches from his face. Collin grabbed my hips and cautiously pushed me down, and let me take him in inch by inch.

My eyes rolled slightly as my body took in his gigantic cock.

"Okay, baby?” he whispered and scanned my eyes to make sure I was okay with the speed he entered me.

I nodded and started to move up and down, filling myself with more and more of him. I dug my knees into the bed, as I tried to get as much of him in me as possible. “I want all of you.” My breath shook, and I wasn’t sure how much further I could get him in me, but I wanted it all.

Collin watched my face intently. The light of the fire gave his face a soft glow, and there was no ego in sight. “So sexy,” he murmured, then ran his hands through my hair and pulled my head back to feast on my neck.

I sank onto him lower, as his body filled mine to capacity.

Once again, Collin engorged me. I sat still on him for a minute as my body spasmed against him.

"Baby, you okay?"

"Mm-hm," I nodded as I rotated between swallowing hard and my mouth in a constant O.

He rubbed my back with his warm, massive hands and lit up my nerves further.

Whimpering against Collin, I started to rock my hips cautiously on him, as another deep, throaty, delicious groan escaped him.

"So good, Collin," I managed to get out as I rocked slightly faster.

He moaned my name before grabbing my hips again and began to move me faster.

I wrapped my arms tighter around him and pulled him into me. I started pushing my nails into his back and clawing him as every nerve in my body teetered on edge.

My face was flushed, and my body filled with his heat. I rocked on him and leaned my head back as his mouth teased my collarbone, and created additional shock waves of pleasure throughout my body.

I closed my eyes, tried to catch my breath, and opened them to look straight at him.

I felt him throb inside me as I gripped and slid across his shaft.

He hungrily found my mouth and devoured me once more. His hands dropped down and cupped my ass as he pulled me in closer and gently squeezed my cheeks while he thrust his body into me.

From time to time, he would moan. As his breathing picked up, I felt his heart beat faster, and his body went deeper inside me.

“Oh, you’re amazing,” he murmured between kisses.

“So full,” I breathed.

He groaned, “So wet and warm.”

“Because I’ve been thinking about you all day,” rolled out of my mouth.

He groaned louder. “You’re wrecking me, Meg.”

“You feel so good, Collin. So, so good.”

He makes me feel the best I’ve ever felt.

We found a rhythm that kept us both on edge and able to feel the sensations but not take us over the top.

I rode him for a while. My body hummed and scorched against his muscles.

Our skin was glistening against one another, and we gripped each other close.

I finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Collin...I need it,” I begged.

He grabbed my hips and whispered, "Okay, baby, whatever you need,” and he released on my sweet spot a force so ferocious it swept through me like a tornado.

As we shook like savages, we held each other tight, with sweat dripping down us, our bodies in perfect sync, not wanting to let the other person go.

When we finally stopped trembling, we laid down in bed on our sides. Collin caressed my naked back, with our gazes eye to eye and still breathing hard.

The negotiator and Cocky Collin were nowhere to be seen. I only saw him, freshly fucked and gorgeous, looking satisfied, yet vulnerable, as he laid next to me stroking my hair.

I reached for him and traced his lips with my finger before devouring his mouth one last time. I snuggled up into him, turned so my butt pressed into his body, and my head tucked into his arm.

As he wrapped his other arm around me and pulled me closer, the thought that this was going to be a hard secret to keep entered my mind. I wondered if Collin thought the same thing, but I didn’t want to bring it up.

I had seen a side of Collin I had a feeling not many had seen. He wasn’t who I initially assumed he was, and I wondered how I was going to keep this just fun.

The doorbell rang around 3 am and woke us up. I looked at Collin in question. "Are you expecting someone?"

He softly laughed. "Nope. You don't have to worry about that." Naked, he got out of bed and walked to the front door where the intercom was.

He came back into the room with my overnight bag and purse.

“Shit, it’s Keri, and he’s drunk.”

“You’re letting him in?” I asked in horror.

Collin put up his hands in frustration. “He’s my client, Meg. I have to.”

“Like hell you do!”

Collin was already putting his clothes on.

“Babe, I’m sorry, but I have to deal with this. Just stay in bed, and I’ll be back soon, hopefully.” He kissed me and walked out.

This is not happening. I must have the worst luck on earth. I couldn't believe that Keri had weaseled his way into my overnight as well.

Typical drunk Keri was in prime form. Loud and obnoxious, I could hear almost the entire conversation. Unfortunately, it was all about me and how I was breaking his heart.

Dozens of thoughts raced through my mind. I could only imagine Collin's reaction inside. Outside, he was trying to get Keri to sober up and move past me, but I could only imagine his inner horror, as the thing that almost kept us apart was Keri's feelings he still harbored for me.

Keri stayed for two hours, crying about me the entire time. It was hard for me to listen to since I did care for Keri's well-being, but I also couldn't help but worry that Collin was questioning our relationship.

Collin is probably going to chuck me to the curb now.

It was after 5 a.m. when Keri finally left.

Collin came back into the room and sat on the bed. "You're still awake? I'm sorry you had to hear all that.”

Irritated that our night had been interrupted by Keri, I sat up. "Kind of hard with Keri's loud, drunk-ass voice."

“I can see that,” Collin agreed. Then he sat there, all negotiator.

He’s going to chuck me to the curb.

He kept staring at me.

I finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Is this where you chuck me to the curb?”

Collin seemed to snap out of it. “What? No, Meg…” he came and put his arm around me. “Why would you say that?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going through your head after all that,” I admitted. “Maybe you have regrets. Maybe you’re freaking out. Maybe you are cursing yourself for breaking your rule.”

I looked down and fidgeted with my fingers.

Collin pulled me closer to him. “I was just thinking about how I can understand why he is so heartbroken, losing you.”

I sank further into Collin and took a deep breath.

“But this means we have to make sure that we keep this our secret, Meg,” Collin stated matter-of-factly.

Damn it. I wanted to kill Keri. This was hard enough, but now Collin was even more worried.

I looked down, "Okay.”

I didn’t know what it was going to take for Keri to get over me and move on, but I needed to figure out a way. This secret could work for now, but I didn’t see us playing this charade forever, even if it was just for fun.

“We have two hours before the alarm rings, I prefer you naked,” I told Collin.

He grinned at me. “Whatever you say, Meg,” and started removing his clothes.

Once again, Collin didn’t disappoint me.

Collin

K eri went on and on about how amazing Meg was and how she didn’t want him anymore. How she wanted to still be in his life, and he was grateful because he wasn’t worth her time, and he knew it.

I sat there, feeling sorry for him, and thinking, should Meg decide to ditch me, I would be feeling the same way.

Addicted was the only word to describe my feelings toward Meg. I knew it before, but it really hit me at that moment.

Meg was in my bed, listening to this, and I hoped it wouldn’t change her mind and have her running back to Keri.

Meg had assured me it was over between Keri and her. I believed her, but listening to him, you could tell he really did have deep feelings for her. For Keri James, player of all players, to be crying over a girl, was unheard of. The fact it was Meg made total sense to me.

But she wasn’t a girl. She was a woman.

Sexy. Feisty. Caring. Kind. Brilliant.

There wasn’t any other woman in the world like her.

The fact that Keri was having a hard time getting over her didn’t surprise me.

I tried my best to get him to leave, but he was in over his head. It took me a few hours, but he finally left. I walked back into the bedroom, not sure what Meg would be feeling. I was relieved to hear she still wanted me.

She was irritated all right, but then she thought I was going to end things, as if that would ever be possible.

We hadn’t known each other long, but I already knew any chucking to the curb would be on her end and not mine.

I wanted to take her out, wine and dine her, go on real dates, but I knew that couldn’t happen. Someday, but not right now. I had my rule, but after spending the last several hours with Keri, I wasn’t that cruel to shove us in his face. He was torn up, and I wouldn’t be the one to shred his heart more.

Meg and I were going to have to stay on the down-low. I would have to come up with a way to make it up to her until we could figure this out because this wasn’t just fun and games for me.

8

Meg

C ollin’s driver was dropping me off at work just as Liv was arriving.

She peered at me, curiously, “You dating someone new, Meg?”

Shaking my head, I quickly blurted out, “No, I told you I’m on hiatus.”

Liv’s eyes revealed disbelief.

“What? I am,” I told her in my most convincing voice.

She laughed. “I just never thought I would see the day—”

“Ha, ha!” I cut her off. I quickly changed the subject. “Hey, did you see the email from Jack Stevens?”

“No, what did it say?”

“Nothing major. He’s in town until tomorrow and wants to discuss creating a new strategy for a company he just purchased. Do you want to take it or do you want me to handle it?”

“Go ahead and take it.”

Relieved that the conversation had been redirected, I nodded. I hated lying to Liv. The guilt was eating at me. But I didn’t know what other choices I had.

Collin and I had been seeing each other in secret for about six weeks now, rotating between our two places most nights, with fewer and fewer nights spent apart.

Besides the phone incident where I had to lie to Liv, the situation hadn’t come up again. There had been several meetings with Collin and different players he represented, but we had figured out how to work professionally without giving anything away.

Liv and I stepped into the empty elevator. She turned to me. “Who are you taking to the Athletic Foundations Black Tie Event if you’re on hiatus?”

Oh crap. I had completely forgotten about that. The event was in a week, and most of our athletic clients would be there. Liv and Tom had bought a table, and I had two tickets.

“Liv, give my other ticket away, I’m not using it,” I told her.

She started to laugh again, then stopped when she realized I wasn’t joking. “You’re taking your hiatus a little too seriously, aren't you?”

“Look, I could find a date, but it’s too much effort right now. Can you give the ticket to someone?”

Liv was flabbergasted, but instead of challenging me, I think she knew I wanted her to back off. “Okay, Meg, whatever you want.”

I thanked her and quickly scurried off to my personal office, so I could avoid any further conversation.

The day flew by. It was 4 p.m., and Liv came into my office. “You swamped?”

I shook my head. “I think I’m done early today.”

“Me too. Tom just texted me that he’s over at Baracade with some of the guys. Come with me for drinks?”

“Sure!”

Not surprisingly, Tom’s car was waiting for us when we left the building. I looked over at Liv, “Once again, Tom Marko has everything taken care of.”

She just shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

Once at Baracade, Tom walked over to us, first kissing Liv and then planting one on my cheek. “Ladies, what are you drinking?”

My eyes met Liv’s, and we both said, “Cosmos.”

Tom started laughing. “How do you two do that?”

We both shrugged.

Tom brought us drinks, and we stood around a table. As I set my glass down, I felt someone next to me.

Turning, I faced Sam Quinto.

"It's the gorgeous Meg." He held a beer in his hand.

I smiled. "Hey, Sam."

"You don't come here a lot, do you?"

Shaking my head. "Not too often."

I really didn't. It was usually with Tom and Liv. There were a lot of girls that hung out in Baracade, trying to find a player to marry. "I'm not a WAG."

Tom shifted when I mentioned WAG, and I remembered Liv telling me how much he despised the girls whose sole mission in life was to become a wife or girlfriend of a pro player.

Sam seductively eyed me up. "No, I bet you aren't." He ran his finger down my arm.

Subconsciously, I stood up straighter and stepped back, but my body bumped into someone else's. I knew whose body it was without looking. I could smell the agarwood, cardamom, and rosewood and felt the familiarity of his six-pack and thighs. My vagina did a little happy dance, even though my brain wasn't feeling the same.

Collin stood behind me, and the negotiator was back, and not too happy about Sam touching me.

My mind was flustered. For the last month, I had seen Collin in multiple positions, completely naked too many times to count, and in our conference room professionally at least a dozen times. Our secret was safe, but now we were in public, and I wasn't prepared.

I hadn't done anything wrong, but I also didn't know what to say. I just mumbled, "Sorry, didn't know you were behind me," and tried to regain my composure.

“Meg.” He offered his hand to shake.

Seriously?

Once again, he was all negotiator. I grabbed his hand, going through the motions.

He leaned over and kissed Liv on the cheek and shook Tom and Sam’s hands.

Liv gets a peck, and I get a handshake?

He stood between Sam and me, slightly behind, but enough so Sam wouldn’t be doing touchy-feely grabs anymore with me.

I tried to appear normal and realized I needed a breather, so I excused myself and headed to the ladies room.

I checked myself out in the mirror. Get it together, Meg.

After giving myself a pep talk, I reapplied my lipstick. I could handle this.

I rejoined Liv, but Collin was nowhere to be seen. The bar was crowded, and I realized that Sam and Tom were gone too.

“Where did the guys go?”

Liv pointed toward the very back. “There’s some bet going on between the Zags and Volts." She rolled her eyes.

Well, that was typical. As athletes, they all had respect for each other, but the friendly competition of egos was always there.

Suddenly, Collin appeared with more drinks. “Ladies.” He set two more Cosmos and a beer down on our table.

“Thanks,” we both said in unison.

Collin laughed and shook his head.

Liv smiled, “So Collin, you dating anyone now?”

Typical Liv, I thought. She would bring that up.

Collin sipped his beer. “Nope. Going to enjoy being by myself for a while.”

Hmmm...well, I know that we are a secret and all but that feels like a stab to my heart.

“Really? You don’t even have a piece of ass on the side?” I decided to take advantage of the situation.

Liv spit some of her Cosmo out. “Meg!”

“What?” I questioned, shrugging my shoulders.

The negotiator pierced into my eyes. “Not really a piece on the side kind of guy.”

The stab was replaced with a flutter. So I do mean something to him then?

I decided to play it out, though.

“Not sure if I believe that,” I smirked. “Now that you’re divorced it’s all rebound time.”

“Meg!” Liv’s eyes widened, but she was laughing.

Collin gave me a cocky look, “My divorce took two years; I kind of already got that out of my system.”

“I bet you did,” I sarcastically fired at him.

Liv gave me a facial expression indicating I should back off. I just gave her an annoying eye roll.

Collin shrugged his shoulders and drank his beer again with the negotiator in full force.

Damn, he’s hot.

I decided to change the subject. “So before you put on your negotiator face, do you have a code word or something you say to yourself to avoid giving anything away?”

“My negotiator face?”

Liv jumped in, “Yeah, your stone face.”

So she called it stone face. Well, that was a good name too.

Collin quickly turned into the negotiator. Liv and I let out a squeal.

“Yes! That face!”

Collin grinned. “I can’t reveal my secrets, ladies.”

Tom came up. “What did I miss?”

“Apparently, the ladies want to know my negotiation secrets,” Collin seemed to be relieved that Tom was back.

“Good luck with that. I think all of New York wants to know that,” Tom stated.

“We were also talking about Collin’s sex life—or lack of it,” I blurted out and regretting it as soon as it came out.

Liv and Tom glanced at me in shock, and Collin gave me a negotiator face that I couldn’t read.

My face scorched red. “Sorry, was just joking,” I mumbled.

Collin continued staring at me, not showing any emotion. But the look quickly faded and was replaced when Sam came up, grabbed, and twirled me.

“Meg, let’s dance.”

“Not really a dancing bar, Sam.”

He leaned down with a smile, and seductively suggested, “It can be any type of bar we want it to be.”

I pushed him away.

Sam dramatically pounded his chest. “You’re breaking my heart, Meg,” and walked away.

Collin's stare burned through the atmosphere. No one could see past his negotiator's face, but I could feel it without even looking at him. I willed myself not to glance at him because if I looked at him I was going to reveal our secret. So I just laughed at Sam.

Liv put her hand around Tom’s waist. “You ready to go?” She gave him her fuck-me eyes.

He saw it and smiled. “Yup.”

I rolled my eyes. Those two were going to go home and fuck like rabbits no doubt.

“Meg, you want a ride home?” Tom asked.

I shook my head. “I’m good.”

He seemed hesitant, scanned the bar, then looked back at me. While he was Liv’s protector, somewhere over the last year, he had become like my big brother, always watching out for me as well. Baracade was known to get super grabby at night, and there was no doubt that tonight would be no exception.

“She doesn’t live far from me, I’ll have my driver drop her off,” Collin spoke up.

Tom was relieved. “Thanks, man." He patted Collin’s back.

“I am capable of taking care of myself,” I declared, annoyed that Tom and Collin both assumed they could make decisions for me.

Collin just eyed me, I thought I saw a touch of annoyance, but he quickly put his negotiator face back on.

Tom sighed. “Yeah, we all know that, but I would feel better if you let Collin take you home.”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine, whatever,” I mumbled.

Liv hugged me and whispered, “Be nice to Collin. Don’t bring up his divorce or lack of sex again.”

If she only knew. I gave her a sarcastic salute.

Tom and Liv left, and I now stood alone with Collin, in a crowded bar, all of a sudden feeling like a naughty schoolgirl.

The negotiator pounced. “Any more questions you want to ask me?”

I flushed; all of a sudden embarrassed I had used the situation to ask questions about his personal and sex life. I shook my head.

He gazed at me for a moment, then, much to my relief, he changed the subject. “You hungry?”

I realized I hadn’t eaten all day. “Starving.”

“Feel like sushi?”

“Sure!” I started thinking about what restaurant we could go to.

“Takeout and my place?”

I felt a drop in my stomach. Of course, once we leave this bar, it would be back to our secret life.

We will never be free. We will always be ordering takeout and hiding out.

“Meg?” Collin was waiting for me to answer.

"Fine,” I reluctantly agreed.

He finished his beer with one sip. “Let’s go.”

After putting his hand on my back, he escorted me out the door, and led me to his car. Collin gave the driver my address before rolling up the window.

My head shot up in surprise. “I thought you wanted to go to your place?”

His eyes pierced through mine, “Sorry, I assumed you would spend the night. I thought you would want to grab some stuff from your place?”

"All right,” I mumbled.

Collin must have sensed something was wrong. Turning in his seat so he could look directly at me, he vulnerably said, “You’re not a rebound to me or a piece on the side.”

I felt guilty, once more, for my questions in the bar. “I’m sorry, that wasn’t fair to do to you.”

“It’s okay. At least I found out what you wanted to ask me.”

I reached up and pulled his face to mine, allowing my tongue to explore his.

He pulled away. “My turn.” With more vulnerability in his eyes, he asked, “Is this just fun for you like it was with Keri?”

My head jerked back. Is this just fun for me?

Ever since I left my ex-finance years ago, all I had was fun. Fun was safe.

But as much as I had been pushing the reality of our relationship out of my head, I could no longer avoid it because this was different.

Collin was different.

It also surprised me that he had been comparing my relationship with Keri to ours.

I grabbed his face between my hands. “Is that what you think? I'm just having fun with you?"

Collin shrugged. “I don’t want to assume anything. When you assumed I was in this for a rebound, it made me wonder.”

I sighed. So my comments did have consequences.

“Collin, you aren’t in the same ballpark with any guy I’ve ever dated. You're more than just some fun for me.”

He breathed a sigh of relief.

Jeez, I had really hit a nerve.

“I’m sorry I did that to you. It was my insecurities about us, not how I feel about us.” I grabbed his face in my hands once more.

“What about us makes you insecure?” His voice remained low.

I fidgeted with my fingers. “The secrecy. I’m afraid that we’re never really going to be free.”

Collin put his forehead to mine. “I want to be free. We just need to be patient. Can you give us more time?”

I leaned in and kissed him. I put all my energy and soul into it, and tried to show him that he meant something to me and that I would be patient because he was worth it.

The car stopped. “Go get your stuff, and I’ll order the sushi.”

It didn’t take me long to pack. I was quickly back to the car.

Collin was on the phone.

“Listen, Keri and Sam are both going to bring huge profits to Turbo.” He motioned me to get in the car.

There was a long pause.

“I understand. We are working with both of them on those issues, and they fully understand what they need to do.” The negotiator was back.

I tried to focus my eyes out the window, so I wasn’t eavesdropping, but it was impossible not to listen.

“Right. Let’s talk more about this when we meet tomorrow.” He rolled his eyes at me and paused. “Tomorrow,” he repeated and hung up. Collin rubbed his forehead, and sighed.

I put my hand on his leg. “Everything all right?”

He shook his head. “Those guys better get their acts together, or Turbo isn’t going to sign them.”

“Collin, what can I do to help?”

He smiled. “You can make me forget about them tonight.”

“Done.” I climbed on him and showered him with kisses.

The next day, I woke up and peeked at Collin, who was still asleep. I leaned over and stroked his cheek.

He grabbed me and rolled me on top of him, smiling. “Morning, babe.” He pushed my hair behind my ear.

“Someone knows it’s morning.” I ground my body into his and raised my eyebrows at him.

He rolled me back onto the bed, took his fingers, and dragged them from my neck to my abdomen. “What time is it?”

“Seven.”

He sat up. “Oh, crap. I forgot to set the alarm, and I’m going to be late.”

“Aw!” I gave him a pout.

“Sorry, babe.” He kissed me.

He jumped off the bed to go shower and returned wearing nothing but a towel.

I gave him my sultriest grin.

“What?” he asked.

“You’re super hot standing over there in nothing but your towel, and it just made me even wetter.” I sized him up with my eyes. I wanted to play. It wasn’t fair.

He picked his phone up off the dresser and put it to his ear. “Hey man, traffic is a bitch today. I’m sorry to do this, but by the time I get there, I’m going to have to leave for another meeting. Can we reschedule?” His negotiator's face eyed me. “Thanks. I’ll make it up to you.” Hanging up, he strutted over to me. “I don’t have tons of time.”

I sat up on my knees with a happy smile on my face and clapped my hands.

The negotiator licked his lips, “What do you want, Meg?”

“Your dick in my mouth.”

With cocky eyes and his eyebrows raised, he dropped his towel. “Come get it then.”

I stepped off the bed, grabbed his ass, and pulled him toward me until his massive cock was right in front of my face. I sat on the bed.

Inch by inch, I started licking his shaft, and when it was entirely wet, I slid him in my mouth, grabbed his balls and massaged them in my hands.

I sucked on the tip, and Collin let out a moan.

“Do you like that, baby?” I gazed up at him, giving him innocent eyes and licked my lips.

He put his negotiator face back on and pushed my head back on him.

Smiling, I became his hungry animal. Grabbing his ass and pulling him closer to me, I tried to take him all in. I sped up as he started to move my head quicker and then grabbed his balls.

He started moaning as I rotated between sucking on his cock like a Popsicle and grazing him lightly with my teeth.

“Fuck, Meg,” he puffed out.

Collin’s breathing and groans intensified, and just when I thought he was going to burst in my mouth, he pulled out of me. Saying nothing, he picked me up and took me over to the dresser, set my naked bottom on it, and placed me in front of the mirror.

“You want to watch, Collin?” I purred in my sultriest voice, as I licked my lips, bit on my lip, and tried to hide my smile.

He just gave me a cocky eyebrow and started kissing my neck before murmuring, “I really don’t have tons of time,” and reached down to feel my wetness.

He quickly started playing with my sex, locking his ego eyes to mine, then to the mirror, and back to my eyes.

I reached out and bit his bottom lip, then started to suck it as moans escaped my mouth.

“That’s it, baby.” His arrogant eyes still stared at me as his fingers swirled inside me and his thumb pushed harder.

My face flushed, I grabbed him, scratched his back and arched mine. My legs wrapped around his back, and my heels dug into him, forcing his body closer to me.

I was on the edge as he kept rubbing and giving me his cocky eyes.

“Please…,” I moaned.

He sent me to orgasm quickly while I clung to his shoulders, crying out like an animal as he viewed us in the mirror. I ferociously shook as he removed his fingers and thrust himself into me, while rolling my clit between his index finger and thumb, never letting up, and slowly sliding in and out of me, a few inches at a time.

I couldn’t take anymore, and I pulled his hand back and sucked his fingers, tasting my ecstasy on him, and enjoyed his slow speed that let me reset until I was ready for more.

“You want more?“ The negotiator challenged me with his arrogant eyes.

Savagely, I pushed my legs against his ass and pulled him to me around his waist. “More,” I told his cocky eyes. I had reset and was ready to go and needed him further in me.

He gave me a sultry grin, got harder inside me, then dipped down to kiss my neck.

As I watched his eyes move to the mirror, I threw my head back, so my hair fell further down my back, knowing I was giving him a better show.

His eyes drifted back and forth between the mirror and my face.

“Filthy boy!” I taunted him.

Cocky Collin grabbed me from behind, his hands on my ass, pulling me off the dresser and turning me around on the ground. Bending me down, so my elbows were on the dresser, he pulled his head down to mine and whispered, “Time for you to watch.”

He spread my thighs, massaging my ass cheeks first, then entered me again, this time pushing into me quicker than usual.

I gasped, studying him and myself in the mirror, his eyes cocky as hell, as his dick glided into me, and my vagina began to twitch over and over, getting more turned on by his stare.

“That’s my girl,” he murmured, staring at me intently.

“More!” I squeaked out.

He started increasing our speed, and soon we were sweating and moaning. I reached out to grab something, but there was nothing, so I just put my palms against the mirror.

Fuck I need to cum.

"Collin,” I whispered, hardly able to talk.

He shook his head, stared at me in the mirror with his ego eyes, in full control, not letting me have my orgasm.

My breathing became labored. I was panting at this point.

“Please… I need it.”

“Okay, babe, whatever you need,” he whispered. He thrust hard, released in me, and sent me into an earthquake of violent tremors up against the dresser. Marks from my hands were all over the mirror, and Collin stared into my eyes till they rolled in the back of my head.

He collapsed on me. His arms wrapped around my stomach, his chest was on my back, and I felt his warm breath on my neck.

While I was still trying to find my breath, he stood and pulled me up with him and turned me around.

He grinned at me. “I need another shower,” he announced, and threw me over his shoulders, slapped my ass, and carried me to the bathroom.

Round two was just as good as round one.

9

Collin

M y meeting with Turbo wasn’t going well at all. For the first time, it occurred to me that these deals may never happen.

Turbo was not happy with Keri and Sam’s shenanigans, and they were quickly losing faith that they would get their acts together. The amount of stress they were causing everyone was ridiculous.

“You have two players you can’t control. If you can’t control your clients, how are we supposed to trust that they will represent our brand how we want them to?” Stephen questioned.

The other Turbo team members were shaking their heads in agreement.

"You know that the revenue stream from just one of my clients, nevermind both, are estimated to blow your other athlete profits out of the water. Do you want to be sitting here in a year, saying, "If only we hadn't been stupid enough to let our competition steal them."

It was true what I was saying, and Turbo knew it, but they were not happy, and I can't say I blamed them. Keri and Sam were destructive right now, and no matter how much we warned them, they were throwing it in our faces.

Their egos were so big they weren’t listening, and they were about to screw it up majorly.

“See, here’s the thing. We can sign multiple athletes and profit just as much,” Michael fibbed.

I started laughing. “No, you can’t, and you know you can’t. If you believed that, we wouldn’t be sitting here now, would we?”

He looked at me uncomfortably, realizing I had caught him in his lie, and he wasn’t fooling me. I turned to Stephen, who was the guy in charge anyway. “Stephen, do you really want me to take this to your competitors?”

He shook his head. “No, of course not. But Collin, you need to get control over these guys. What part of this are they not understanding?”

Stephen was right. I couldn’t deny it. In fact, I couldn’t even answer that question because anything I replied would be just as pathetic as their actions.

“I’ll handle it,” I told Stephen.

“Good, Collin. You and I go way back, so I’m telling you as a courtesy, but their time is running out, so you better do it fast.”

Meg

We had a meeting with Collin later that day to go through the Turbo issues for Keri and Sam. We had been working the last month on different campaigns and what direction we wanted to go with their brands. Collin and I sat in the conference room discussing different pros and cons for both.

I sat next to Collin, not thinking anything of it. Now that we had been working together for a while, it didn’t seem strange to me.

Liv came rushing in. “Sorry, I’m late.”

Collin stood up to peck her on the cheek.

I wondered if I would ever be able to get that kind of peck too. The handshakes were getting old.

“No problem. I was telling Meg that I met with Turbo this morning. They agree that both Keri and Sam will be a huge revenue source, but they are questioning their family appeal. It will cost Turbo a fortune every time they screw up and have to react to it,” Collin reported.

Liv and I exchanged glances.

Collin continued. “I reminded them that even if they did have to clean up a mess here and there, that the profits would still be enormous and worth the extra PR cost, but they don’t want the headache.”

“What's Turbo’s top concern about Keri and Sam?” Liv asked Collin.

“Drinking and fighting. Both of them haven’t learned to control it yet.”

Liv shook her head. “Sam’s recent bar fight wasn’t easy for us to spin with the press.”

I added, “And Keri crashing that poor girl’s wedding drunker than a skunk...” I rolled my eyes and let out a loud sigh.

“The last month has been a total shit-show for both Keri and Sam, and it’s getting harder to defend them. I don’t know if Turbo will allow any more incidents to occur before they stop the negotiations. I can only negotiate so much.” Collin ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

The amount of stress he was under from trying to make these deals happen with Turbo was amplified by Keri and Sam not doing anything to help themselves.

I instinctively began to put my hand on his leg but pulled back before it was too late.

Okay, maybe sitting next to him wasn’t the best idea.

Liv tapped the table. “Meg, what if you met with Keri and Sam? They seem to listen to you.”

“I can do that.”

“How quickly can you meet with them?” Liv inquired.

“I’ll clear whatever I need to.”

“Good. We need to get through to them now before they screw this up,” Liv continued.

Collin didn’t say a word.

I turned to meet his eyes. “You good with this?”

He took a deep breath and sighed. “I’m out of options, so if you both think it will help…”

“Meg will get through. She’s a pro at it,” Liv assured Collin.

Collin gave me another look I couldn’t read and stood up. "Thanks. Let me know when it’s done,” then stuck his hand out to shake mine.

With the secrecy of our affair in my face, I went through the motions, shook his hand and sat back down.

This was getting old.

I met with Sam later that day.

I decided that it would be best to meet in his territory. Arriving at his condo, memories of the last time I was there flooded me.

Well, at least I’m dressed appropriately this time, I thought.

I pushed the doorbell, and Sam quickly buzzed me into the lobby.

“Hey, sexy.”

“Not here for that, Sam,” I gave him my no-nonsense voice.

He rolled his eyes. “Now, why do I feel like you’re my mom?”

“Maybe because you never listened to your mom and know if you had that your life would have been even easier?”

He started laughing. “Fair play, Meg.”

“Sit.” I pointed to the chair.

He gave me a smug expression, sat down, and waited for me to speak.

“You’re seriously screwing up the Turbo deal. They are about to pull from negotiations,” I warned him.

Sam’s arrogant laugh filled the air. “Turbo is going to make a fortune off me.”

“No, they aren’t. They don’t want liability, and that’s what you are.”

“Oh, please,” he spoke in his cocky tone.

I stood up. "Okay, suit yourself.” I put my coat back on.

“Where are you going?”

“You want to ignore me and play ego-man? Do it with someone else. The only person I see in this room who gives a damn about your future is me. I’m not going to sit and listen to this crap.” I opened the door.

“Wait,” he called out.

Turning around, I waited.

Sam became serious. “Come back in and sit down.”

I stood there, not moving, my arms folded over my chest, waiting for him to give me more.

“I’m sorry. Come back in, please.”

I hesitated but sat back down.

Sam took a deep breath. “What is their beef with me? You know they’ll make a fortune off me.”

“Yes, you’re right. They could make a fortune off you, but there are plenty of other players they can do that with. You’re a liability.”

“How?”

Is he really this dumb?

“Every time you get into a fight, or get drunk, and do something stupid, you bring your brand down. And if you bring it down while partnered with Turbo then you bring them down. Don’t you get that?”

He was quiet for a bit. “I see what you’re saying.”

“Why do you have to behave that way?” I genuinely wanted to know the answer to this question.

He shrugged, “I don’t know. Maybe because where I come from you gotta always be proving yourself.”

“All you’re proving is that you don’t care about your future.” Sadness filled my eyes.

After not saying anything for a bit, he finally spoke. “Why do you care so much about this? I know there is money involved, but you seem different than everyone else.”

Throwing my hands up exasperated, I blurted out, “What you don’t get, Sam, is that there are three people who want you to succeed more than you want to. Do you think Collin is going to keep representing you if you take away his power to negotiate on your behalf because of your actions? There are consequences. And Liv isn’t going to destroy her relationships with the press by constantly spinning your fuck-ups.”

“And you?” he asked.

“I come from the hood, just like you. You think you had it bad, and you probably did, but you have no idea what I went through. You have what so many people never will, but you’re going to lose it all. Some kid didn’t make it pro because you did. He’s still in the hood, dealing with God knows what, and you’re in this condo, living it up, with the world by the balls, but throwing it back in everyone’s face. I’m never going back to where I came from, and I sit and watch you throwing all this away, and I just...” Tears welled in my eyes and I couldn’t finish. I jerked my head away from him.

Sam put his hand on mine. In a soft voice, he said, “I’m sorry. Tell me what you want me to do, and I promise I’ll do it.”

“Last chance. And I won’t forgive you if you break your promise to me.”

“I won’t,” he promised me.

“No more fights. No more drunken episodes. If you are going to drink, only have a few before you get out of control. If you can’t, then don’t drink.”

He sat quietly for a minute. "Okay, I promise.”

“Good.”

With that, I walked out, only exhaling once I stepped into the elevator.

I hoped he kept his promise to me. The Turbo deal represented a lot in my career, and I hadn’t climbed out of the hood to let stupidity rain on my parade.

Now if only I could get through to Keri.

I met with Keri right after. I might as well get it over with, I thought.

I picked up the phone and called Keri. “I’m coming over.”

"Okay...” He sounded unsure of how to interpret my call.

Once at his place, I took off my coat and sat down on the couch.

“You want a drink, Meg?”

I glared at him. “The last thing you should be asking me is if I want a drink.”

He gave me a slight eye roll.

“Sit.” I pointed to the couch.

Reluctantly, he went and sat down.

“If this is about the wedding—”

I held up my hand. “Enough is enough, Keri. Turbo is about to stop negotiating with Collin. You’re about to lose Turbo, your agent, and our firm. Is that what you want?”

“Why is Collin going to drop me? Why would you drop me?” His face registered hurt.

I took a deep breath. “Keri, if your agent has no negotiating power, then there is no point representing you. And Liv can only create so many spins on what you do before she loses credibility with her press relationships.”

Keri let out a big breath and looked at the ceiling.

I grabbed his hand. “Keri, why do we care more about you than you do?”

He closed his eyes.

I waited, wanting him to tell me why.

“I don’t know, Meg. I just feel like I have something to prove all the time, and it gets me in trouble.” His eyes filled with tears.

It pained me to see him so sad. I hugged him. “Keri, the only person you have anything to prove something to is yourself. You’re about to lose Turbo. They don’t want a liability, and right now, that’s you. They can pick someone else for their shoe.”

Sighing, he closed his eyes again. “I want my shoe, Meg.”

“Then you have to promise me no more excessive drinking. No drinking; no fights; no craziness. Promise me, and stick to it, or you’re going to lose your shoe and the people who care about you.”

"Okay, Meg. I promise. I’m sorry I keep putting you through this.”

I gave him another hug. “Just don’t let me down on your promise, Keri.”

“I won’t, Meg," he assured me.

I put my coat on, and Keri walked me to the door. He kissed me on the cheek and promised me again that he would behave. From there, I left his apartment and got into the elevator.

Both Sam and Keri had promised me that they would behave. I wanted to believe they would keep their promises to me, but I didn’t know if I could trust that.

Merchandizing the two of them was going to be major for Collin, Liv, and me. And I didn’t want to let anyone down. I also really did care about them and didn’t want them to lose their opportunities.

I sent Liv and Collin a text, “It’s done.”

Liv sent back, “They both are on board?”

“I have their word.”

Collin texted, “Thanks, Meg. I know they can be challenging.”

“That’s an understatement.”

I put my phone in my purse and jumped in a cab home. I had been staying at Collin’s almost every night, or he had been staying at my place, and it had been a while since I was by myself.

Suddenly, the world felt a little exhausting.

Bringing up my past to Sam had stirred a lot of emotions in me. Most people didn’t know that I came from trash or that I had a rough childhood.

I had escaped my upbringing, and I didn’t like reliving it. I had never had any intention to tell Sam about my past, but when he asked me why I cared, I couldn’t lie. It was the reason I understood Keri and Sam so well. Their fear was mine.

In my apartment, I laid down on my bed. I closed my eyes, and all I could see was my drunk, drug-addict father beating my mother to a bloody pulp. Over and over, the images of my mother being beaten over the years, and eventually, the day I hid in my closet while he beat her to death, repeatedly played in my mind.

Sam, Keri, myself, we all had reasons not to go back to our past. But the fact that they had it all, and every opportunity in front of them and were blowing it, simmered under my skin. I had worked so hard to escape my past. I know that they had too, but their cockiness and lack of good decisions were like a slap in the face to me.

So many people I knew were still stuck in the ghetto, trying to get out but not knowing how. People that would have done anything for a fraction of the chance that Keri and Sam had, yet never got it.

Then there was the situation between Collin and me. While it was my idea initially to keep the secret, I had no idea that things would get so intense. When I told Collin in the car the other night that he was different, I meant it.

I would never have thought that I could have feelings so deep for someone, and the fact that we had to hide our relationship from the world not only scared me but was starting to irritate me. Being a successful, independent woman, I wasn’t used to hiding. What started as fun and sexual, was now more than that. I was getting tired of handshakes and lies. Most of all, I knew my heart; I was in a relationship that wasn’t real because the rest of the world couldn’t see it. And if the rest of the world couldn’t see it, then what exactly did we have?

The reason I had left my fiancé before our wedding was I knew that if I married him, I would always be under his finger. He was controlling and abusive, and I promised myself I would never compromise myself or my independence again. I would never be like my mother by settling for less than I deserved.

Collin was everything I wanted in a man: successful, supportive of my career, and a skilled and giving lover. We had a chemistry I had never experienced before, and I knew he would never abuse me. I felt safe and trusted him. And I never fully trusted men I dated.

But we were hidden. I didn’t know how much longer I could keep it up. I knew if I couldn’t, I would lose him. The thought hurt my heart, and I didn’t know how I would survive it.

As I lay on my pillow, I realized that I was crying. My pillow was soaked, and once the well was turned on, it just continued to flow.

I don’t know how long I laid there, but it turned dark. My demons had come to the surface, and I couldn’t shake them. The pain of my upbringing and the reality that I wasn’t free scared me, and my tears suddenly turned to sobs.

I had forgotten that Collin and I had made plans to stay at my house. We had given each other keys a few weeks earlier, and I didn’t even hear him come in. I was crying in my pillow one minute, and the next, Collin was holding me in his arms.

“Meg, babe, what’s wrong?” He lifted me to his chest.

I just kept sobbing.

“Shhh!” Over and over, he stroked my hair and kissed my forehead.

I curled up in a ball on him, not sure what to say, or how to stop the pain I had hidden for so long that was now rushing to the surface.

When I eventually stopped crying, I laid on Collin, letting him comfort and hold me.

After a long time had passed without crying, Collin pulled my face up to his and kissed me. “Babe, tell me what happened. Was it Keri or Sam? I’ll kill them…”

I shook my head. “No, they didn’t do anything.”

Collin squinted at me in confusion while stroking my cheek with his fingers. “What’s going on?”

I closed my eyes. How could I tell Collin I was worried about our freedom when I had just promised him I would wait until after he closed the Turbo deal?

You're just going to have to come clean about your past.

Sighing, I slowly picked my head up. "I had to relive my past today, and it just caught up to me is all."

Collin stroked my back. “Meg, I’m not following. Tell me everything please.”

His eyes implored me to tell him. I decided if he knew my truth and didn’t want me anymore, then at least I wouldn’t have to worry about our secret.

“Did you ever wonder why Keri and Sam listen to me more than you or Liv?”

He was going to stay something then stopped. After taking a deep breath, he choose his words carefully. “I assumed that Keri listens because of your past relationship and Sam because he wants a relationship.”

I shook my head. “I understand them, Collin. Their pain is mine.”

Collin stared at me, with questions in his eyes.

“I grew up in the hood. The kids at school called me white trash. I am the daughter of a drunk, drug-addicted, abusive man who beat my mother in front of me, over and over.” I was relatively calm. Maybe I had cried all my tears?

Collin pulled me closer, kissed my forehead, and wrapped his body around mine.

I took a deep breath. “My father beat my mother to death while I hid in a closet. I did nothing to save her.”

Okay, I was wrong. Fresh tears once again streamed down my face.

“Oh my God, Meg...” Collin pulled me closer and held me tighter.

I continued, “I had just turned nineteen, and I hid in the closet and did nothing so he wouldn’t hurt me. That is the type of person I am.” Tears and sobs, fresh and furious, came flying out of me.

“Shhh.” Collin kissed me, trying to console me, but the flood gates were open.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and shook as I released it. “I left my house and went straight into another abusive relationship. I spent three years getting the shit beaten out of me before I finally wised up and fled.”

What I didn’t tell Collin was that he also used to force himself on me.

“Baby!” Collin wiped my tears off my face and kissed my cheeks and forehead. “Oh, my God.”

"I escaped to New York. I had no money, no education, just a backpack full of clothes. When I met Liv, I was working four jobs, one being the PR job at the paper. It was pure luck we met." I shook my head in disgust, thinking about how much Keri and Sam were throwing away.

Collin continued to stroke my hair and kissed the top of my head.

"Talking to Keri and Sam today...it just brought up my past. I've tried to forget it, but no matter how much I try, I can't shake it. It's who I am...the daughter of a murderer, jailbird, weak mother, educationless, fraud. And I suppose it's why I always just have fun."

The shame of my past made me feel small and unworthy, and I sat up and moved away from Collin, afraid of what he would think of me.

He's definitely going to chuck you to the curb now.

Collin moved over to me and pulled my hands from my face. “Meg, you aren’t a fraud. You’re a survivor. You’re self-made. There’s zero shame in that. You can’t control what other people do, and whoever your father or mother is doesn’t reflect the smart, confident, and amazing woman you are.”

I shook my head. “I’m a coward, Collin. I watched my mother get beaten to death.”

Collin took my hands in his, tears in his eyes. “Meg, you survived. You did what you had to do.”

“You can do better than me, Collin.” Fresh tears fell down my face again.

Collin grabbed me and pushed my face to look right at his. “Don’t you ever say that again.”

“But you can,” I whispered.

“Stop.” Collin reached out and kissed me. He pulled me into his body as his tongue urgently pushed into mine.

I melted into him, desperately seeking his kisses, wanting nothing more than just him.

We finally pulled out of our kiss, and he tugged me up off the bed. “Come on.”

He walked me into my closet, pulled a pair of pajama pants and a matching shirt out of my drawer, quietly stripped me down, and dressed me. Then he took me out to the family room and sat me down on the couch with a blanket. He sat down next to me and kissed me. “Just relax, babe. Let me make you some dinner.”

I couldn’t think anymore. I just nodded.

He poured me a glass of wine, turned on some music, and didn’t say anything else. As he cooked dinner, I could feel his stare from the kitchen. His face was filled with worry, compassion, and sympathy, but I wondered what he was thinking.

Whatever he thought, I had told Collin Corwin my deepest, darkest pain, and he was still here. I realized at that moment that I loved him, and there was no going back.

I was all in.

10

Collin

A s Meg told me what she had survived, I sat in shock. I had grown up in a loving family and had no idea about her past. I imagined her hiding in a closet, having to watch her father beat her mother to death, all the while in fear for her own life.

It made me feel ill, but I needed to stay strong for Meg. I swallowed the contents rising from my stomach and pulled her into my arms.

Allowing her to get involved with Sam and Keri’s deals to the level she had was a mistake. I cursed myself as I watched her, sitting on the couch, staring into her wine glass, thinking about God knows what.

And it broke my heart.

These were my clients, and I was their agent. I should have had more control over their situation, but the problem was I didn't. Meg had asked me if I was okay with her taking over in the conference room. I didn't know why, but I had a bad feeling about it at the time, and I should have stopped her. But I didn't.

I was glad she shared her past with me. But this was tearing her up, and the fact she had to relive it because of Keri and Sam, who were my responsibility, killed me.

She was my everything, and I should have been protecting her, not causing her more pain.

I also knew that our secret was weighing on her. It weighed on me too, but we couldn’t risk anything until we closed this deal. We were close. Meg told me that she would wait and I was grateful for that. I made another promise to myself that I would make it up to her once this deal was signed.

If only Keri and Sam would stop acting like children so I could finish this once and for all.

Meg

C ollin and I didn’t talk again about my history after that night. The week continued as usual.

On Thursday, Liv came into my office. “Hey, don’t stay too late. We need to be at the event in a few hours."

“Glad you reminded me. I was pretty engrossed.” I grabbed my stuff and walked out with Liv.

“Jump in, Meg, I’ll have Gary drop you off first,” Liv offered.

I got in the car. “Were you able to give my ticket away?”

Liv nodded. “Sam Quinto was happy to take it. I can’t believe he wasn’t already going.”

“Sam Quinto?” I questioned her and tensed up at the thought of having to sit next to Sam, who I'm sure would be hitting on me all night.

Liv stated, “Yeah, I figured he would be on his best behavior if he sat at our table. That okay?”

I regained my composure. “Sure, that’s fine."

“Tom asked Collin, but Collin already had a table. So I just thought I would ask Sam and at least the gesture was nice if he was already going.”

“Good move,” I told her. It was actually. But the mention of Collin’s name had my stomach doing flips. I don’t know why I never thought about it, or why we hadn't talked about it, but of course, he would be there.

After the car pulled up to my place, I jumped out, went up to my apartment, and took a quick shower.

My dress was a black leather pencil dress designed by Oscar de la Renta, and it had a low dip to show off my cleavage. The dress ran mid-calf, and I paired it with my black Jimmy Choo stilettos.

I threw on my red lip-stain, a diamond choker, and earrings, and grabbed my clutch.

I started to wonder how Collin would react when he saw me. I wasn’t looking forward to ignoring him all night.

When I arrived at the event, I walked the red carpet by myself. It felt strange. I had never gone to an event without a date before. I always had someone on my arm, and this was a first.

Once inside, I grabbed a glass of champagne from the waiter’s tray.

The Beekman was set up with a soft red glow throughout, and the room filled quickly with guests.

I scanned the room to search for Liv, but instead, I saw Keri standing in a black tux. He had a glass of champagne but didn’t appear drunk. I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Hey, Meg. You look beautiful." He leaned in and gave me a peck on the cheek.

I smiled at him. “Thanks, Keri, you look great too. How are you doing?” I was genuinely concerned.

He gave me a friendly, non-cocky smile. “I’m doing okay.”

“Good.” I meant it.

Liv and Tom came over, and everyone exchanged hellos. I was relieved that I didn’t have to stand and talk to Keri by myself anymore. I didn’t want to go down that road.

It wasn’t long before the MC told us to take our seats. Keri left, and I followed Tom and Liv.

As I sat down next to Liv, I felt a hand touch my leg. I jumped.

Sam Quinto had joined me, with a glass of whiskey in his hand.

I moved his hand off my leg. “I’m not your meat. Hands off.”

He laughed and held his hands in the air. "Okay, I’ll be good.”

I relaxed a bit. He seemed like he understood.

We were near the front, and I was seated so I could see the majority of the room. From the corner of my eye, I caught Collin escorting a beautiful blonde woman in a sexy red dress to his table. My stomach dropped.

Collin is here with a date?

I thought he would have been here on his own. Across the room, our eyes met. Collin smiled at me like nothing was out of the ordinary.

I glared at him.

I’m going to kill him.

Here he was, talking about his wife cheating on him, and he was on a date?

He made a big deal in the car about how I wasn’t a rebound and made me tell him that he wasn’t just fun to me, and he brought a date?

Not that we had discussed being exclusive, but it stung. I guess I just assumed that we were.

I mean jeez, we had each other’s keys.

He smiled again at me. I didn’t smile back and turned away. I couldn’t look. It was painful. His date was gorgeous and could be a model. I wanted to cry.

“Meg, you okay?” Liv asked.

“Fine, why?” I murmured.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I’m fine, just hungry. I haven’t eaten today,” I told her, which was the truth.

Sam must have heard me because he picked up the bread basket and set a roll on my plate. “Eat, girl.”

I laughed.

He smiled, warmly at me. Sam really was sexy. Aside from his grabby hands, he seemed like a fun guy. I decided to concentrate on him, to avoid thinking of Collin.

I spent dinner talking to Sam and learned that I liked him. He was funny, charming, and interesting, which kind of surprised me.

They started the program, and I excused myself to go to the bathroom. I was still reeling over Collin, but Sam was a good distraction, at least.

I walked out of the bathroom and bumped directly into Collin.

“Hey, Gorgeous.” He ogled me with his sultry eyes that normally made me wet. Tonight, all it did was make me want to slap him.

I wasn’t sure how I should play it as he had caught me off guard.

I decided not to say anything and tried to walk past him, thinking that if I opened my mouth, I was going to get into it with him.

“Meg?” He grabbed my arm and pulled me back toward him.

“Let me go, Collin.” I wiggled and tried to get out of his grasp.

He stared at me, but wouldn't let me go. “Meg, what’s wrong?”

“Nice date,” I hissed and tried to get out of his grasp again.

Confusion filled Collin’s face. Then he started laughing.

I wanted to slap him. I didn’t think this was funny at all.

He moved me over to the wall so I couldn’t escape him. “Let me go, Collin.”

“That’s my date I take everywhere. She’s a fellow sports agent named Corinna.”

I rolled my eyes. “Thanks for your history. Congratulations, now let me go.”

He wasn’t moving. I started to push his chest as he continued giving me his smug grin.

“My lesbian date that I take everywhere.” He raised his eyebrows.

I stopped moving. “Oh, so it’s not a real thing?”

He shook his head hard. “No, but if anyone should be jealous, it should be me. You and Sam seem to be pretty cozy?” He raised his eyebrows at me once more.

“No, I told Liv to give my ticket away, and I didn’t even know who she invited.”

Collin lowered his voice even more. “Well, you looked like you were having a good time.”

I shook my head in frustration. “What do you want me to do, Collin? Ignore our client?”

He took a deep breath. “No.”

“Besides, I only was talking to him to try and get you, and your model date out of my head.”

“Sorry, I should have texted or called to tell you about Corinna.”

“Yeah, you should have,” I snapped at him.

He brushed my cheek. “I’m sorry.”

Someone came into the hall. Collin stepped away from me.

I sighed. “It’s fine. I should get back.”

“I’ll see you tonight, though?”

I just rolled my eyes. “Sure, Collin.”

“Meg?”

I was tired of hiding. “Don’t worry about it, Collin," I said sarcastically.

I started walking back, thinking about how this secret had complicating things and was getting old. I wasn't even sure anymore why we were hiding. We were two grown adults in our thirties.

Right outside the main room, lost in my thoughts, I ran smack into Keri. This time, the fact he had been drinking was clear.

Great. This is all I need.

“Meg,” he slurred, grabbing my arm.

“Not now, Keri.” I wasn’t in the mood for his antics.

He pulled me to him. “Meg, let’s go to the club. Remember our first night at Club D?”

Memories of Club D came flooding back. It was a great night, but I wasn’t into a replay.

“Keri, let me go.”

Keri tried to pull me in for a kiss, but he didn’t make it. Sam was suddenly in our space and pushed Keri off me.

“She said to let her go, James,” Sam snarled.

Keri and Sam started getting into it, and I told them to quiet down. Unfortunately, they had both been drinking, and neither was about to back down.

I was between them, telling them to stop, but they wouldn’t. I tried stepping out, but I couldn’t get out of the middle. Their bodies towered over me as they pushed and got in each other’s faces. I was starting to get smashed.

I yelled for them to get off me, but they were so intense on kicking each other’s asses that they ignored me.

I screamed again. I was seriously getting scared. Their bodies were so much bigger than mine, and I was smack in the middle of their drunken feud.

Suddenly, Collin came out of nowhere and started pushing them back. I took my chance and ducked out from between them.

They were drunk, angry, and loud. Sam took the first punch, and hit Keri in the face. But Keri was used to fighting and wasn’t going to back down. He flew at Sam, and his fist pummelled Sam’s face.

Collin tried to break it up, but it was too much for one person.

Fortunately, Tom came flying around the corner and helped Collin pull them apart. Collin took Sam, and Tom took Keri. But the guys weren’t going to calm down that easily.

They were fighting, yelling, and causing a ruckus. Tom and Collin were trying to contain them, but they were a mix of alcohol, ego, and muscle.

Charlie Cantor came running over to help Tom with Keri. Derek, from Club D, came over to help Collin with Sam.

“This is a charity event, get a hold of yourselves,” I yelled at Keri and Sam.

They both stopped. “You should be ashamed,” I told them just as Liv came running up to me.

“Meg, you okay?” She threw them a disgusted look.

I shook my head, fuming inside. Not only had they caused a huge scene, but I could have been seriously hurt.

“Just over these boys.” I shook my head in rage at both Keri and Sam. I started walking out of the room before I turned and pointed at them. “You both promised me,” I reminded them with disgust in my voice.

I heard both Keri and Sam yell, “Meg,” at the same time.

Liv followed me. “Meg, wait up.”

But I couldn’t slow down. I had left the building; the cold air smacked me in the face. Liv grabbed my shoulder, and I turned to face her. “I’m so sorry. That was embarrassing and uncalled for.”

“Meg, this isn’t your fault,” Liv told me, putting her arms around my shoulders.

I don’t know if it was the stress of the fight, or how I had been upset with Collin all through dinner, or the fact that I was hiding my secret from Liv, but I started crying.

Liv pulled me into an embrace. “Meg, what’s going on?”

I just shook my head. I couldn’t talk. I was afraid of what I would say if I spoke.

Tom and Collin came outside.

“Meg, did you get hurt?” Collin put an awkward hand on my shoulder. He was concerned about me, but he was still committed to hiding our secret.

I shook my head again.

Tom looked at me. “Meg, you sure you didn’t get hurt?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” I replied and wiped the tears off my face.

Collin glanced at me again. I wanted to reach out for him, but Tom and Liv were standing there. The level of resentment about our secret grew.

Liv turned to Tom. “You’re speech is going to be up soon.” She then turned back toward me, like she didn’t know what to do.

“Tom, I can’t go back in there, please forgive me, but I just can’t.”

He hugged me. “No worries, Meg. You didn’t want to hear my boring speech anyway.”

I nodded. “Thanks for understanding. I’m going to grab a cab.”

Collin stepped forward. “I’ll take you home, Meg. Liv, can you tell Corinna I’m sorry, but I had to go? I’ll send my car back for her. She has my driver’s number.”

“Sure,” Liv agreed, but then gave me a curious look that I wasn’t sure how to take.

Tom and Liv returned inside. Collin escorted me to his car that he must have already signaled. I got in, not sure how much more of this I could take.

11

Meg

We didn’t say anything until the car started moving.

Collin pulled me over to him. “Meg, you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” I snapped, as too much emotion still ran through me.

“Those bastards are lucky they didn’t hurt you. I would have killed them.”

I sneered at him, “Well, that would have given away our secret.”

Collin didn’t say anything. He just stared at me.

I looked back at him. “What?”

He cautiously asked, “Is our secret more than you bargained for?”

I took a deep breath. The secret was my idea, and after tonight, there was no way Collin was going to be with me in public when two of his biggest clients were having fistfights over me.

I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to hide like this—I knew that I didn’t—but I wasn’t about to let Collin out of my life yet.

Worry was all over Collin's face, and I saw that he did not want this to end. I leaned in. “Let’s not talk, Collin,” I murmured, reached up and kissed him.

His mouth met mine with fury, his hands grabbed my body and pulled me on him.

I thought of straddling him, but there was no way the dress I had on would allow me to do that, so I explored his mouth, ears, and neck with my tongue and pulled his head closer to mine.

The car stopped in front of my house. For some reason, I was surprised that Collin wasn’t taking me back to his place.

“Can I come up?” Collin huskily asked with a smoldering look in his eyes.

"Of course. Why are you asking me?"

Collin nervously scanned my eyes. "I just want to make sure it's okay."

I sighed. Once again, my resentment of our secret had caused Collin to question my desire and need for him.

"You don't have to ever ask me that, Collin." I stepped out of the car and grabbed his hand.

We made it to the elevator before we started kissing again. Had it not been for the security camera, I'm pretty sure we would have gotten naked right there.

We just got in the house when Collin’s phone started going off.

He pulled it out, and his expression turned to annoyance.

“Keri, I’m not in the mood tonight. Go get sober, and we will talk in the morning.” Collin ordered. As he listened, he started pacing. “Tonight was bad. There are going to be consequences.” He paced some more and pushed his hand through his hair. He finally barked, “Keri, she isn’t into you anymore. Time to move on. Go home, get some sleep, and don’t call me again tonight.” Collin hung up as anger seeped through his body.

I put my hand on his arm to try and calm him just as the phone rang again.

“Damn it.” He picked it up without looking at it. “Keri, I just— Oh, Sam, sorry, I didn’t look.” He started pacing again. “I’m going to tell you the same thing I just told Keri. Get your ass sober, and we will talk in the morning. There’s going to be consequences for your actions tonight.” Collin’s voice was hot with anger. His voice rose a notch. “Sam, what do you think is going to happen when you get into a fistfight at a charity gala?” He listened some more and took a deep breath. His voice lowered, “Sam, sober up, go home, and go to bed. Don’t call me again tonight. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He hung up the phone and put his hands on his face. Frustrated, he glimpsed over at me.

“Children.” I rolled my eyes and smiled. I decided I wasn’t going to let those two jerks ruin my night with Collin.

He chuckled softly. “That’s one way to put it.”

I walked over to him, pulled out my barstool, and commanded, “Sit.”

He sat down, curiosity in his eyes, and waited for me to continue.

In a sultry voice, I whispered, “I think we should negotiate.”

He raised his eyebrows, a cocky smile on his face. Everyone in the sports world knew that Collin Corwin was the ultimate negotiator, one that rarely lost.

“Yeah? What are we negotiating for?” His ego was in full force, ready to take me on.

“Whether we drop this secret or not,” I searched his eyes, showing him that I was one-hundred percent serious.

“Meg—”

I cut him off. “I don’t want to hide with you anymore. I know Keri might be hurt, but he will get over it. Sam met me through you so he can’t be upset, he was just drunk. The only issue here really is Keri, and I will handle him.”

Collin shook his head. “Not a good idea, Meg.”

I walked up to Collin, spread his legs, and stood right in between them. I pressed my body up against him.

His dick stirred.

I put on a pouty face. “You don’t want to negotiate with me?”

He looked at me, amused, and tilted his head to the side.

“Is Collin Corwin scared of a little negotiation?” I teased while taking off his tux jacket and nibbling on his neck.

I could see Collin debating in his head. "Okay, you want to negotiate? Let’s negotiate.”

Grinning, I took off his bow tie and unbuttoned his shirt, then dragged my finger down his chest to the top of his pants. “When I win, we come clean.”

The no-emotion, negotiator’s face came out. “When I win, we keep our secret.”

"Have it your way, but I get to make the first rule.” I released his shirt from him and felt him stiffen.

"Okay, what do you want,” he asked with his negotiator’s face.

“I get to do whatever I want to you.”

Giving me a cocky grin, he agreed. “Done. Now I get to make a rule.”

Not wasting any time, I started unbuckling his belt. “Go on.”

“The first one to cum loses,” he whispered in my ear.

A cocky grin overtook my face. “No problem. Stay there for a minute,” I instructed as I disappeared into my bedroom.

It was time to call in some reinforcements if I was going to make Collin cum first. My metal handcuffs were in my drawer, and I grabbed them, then dropped my dress, so I stood only in my see-through mesh black bra, matching panties, and stilettos.

When I returned to where Collin sat, he took a deep breath and let out a low whistle. “Damn, you’re insanely sexy.” His face dropped out of his negotiator role.

“Glad you approve, Mr. Corwin.” I kissed him and took my handcuffs from behind my back and put one around his left wrist.

He tried not to smile as he slipped into his negotiator role.

Continuing to kiss him, I took the other cuff and secured it to the leg of the chair, so he only had use of his right hand.

Collin tried to move his left arm but was stopped by the cuffs. Licking his lips, he gave me a challenging smile.

I finished removing Collin’s clothes, so he sat on my chair naked, caramel skin glowing, eyes dazzling, dick hard, and ready to go. I stood back. There was no question about it. He was a delicious man that I wanted to eat up.

“Like what you see?” he asked me with arrogant eyes, then pulled my head with his right hand and crushed his lips into mine.

My vagina pulsed as he pulled me in closer by grabbing my ass. I was pushed right up against his manhood. As his lips brushed against my neck, he quickly released my bra, letting me fall out. It didn't take him long before his mouth was full of my breasts sending a rush of adrenaline through my body.

I moaned.

“That’s it, baby,” he whispered.

His voice snapped me out of it, and I remembered that we were in negotiations.

Swiping some juices from my sex, I took a step back and began rubbing my hand up and down his shaft.

This time, he moaned, and I knew that our negotiation was in full swing. I wanted to be free with Collin, and I was not going to lose.

You have to win this one, Meg!

It always drove Collin wild when I kissed his inner thighs, so I decided to spend a little extra time there, and his erection hardened as my lips brushed against his skin.

As I moved up his thigh, I began to lick his balls and massage them with my hand, while Collin's deep, throaty groan became music to my ears.

Lazy licks up and down his shaft teased and tormented him, and his free hand sent tingles through my spine as he rubbed my naked back.

"Oh, you're a vixen," he mumbled.

Finally sucking him, I took as much as I could in my mouth and kept my hands on his balls and the part of his shaft that my mouth couldn’t take in.

I sucked the tip, he moaned, then ordered, “Meg, come here.” He tried to pull me up with one hand.

I shook my head, continuing to suck on him.

He asked me again.

I stopped and took a step back. “What are you going to give me, Collin?” I reminded him that we were in negotiations.

He glanced at me, as if he forgot, then put his negotiation face back on.

I laughed. "If you want me to stop, then you need to give me something good, Collin. Otherwise, I'm going to suck your cock so hard you're going to cum in my mouth harder than you ever have before." He groaned at the thought, and I returned to sucking him off.

After several grunts, he finally gave in. “Dinner at any restaurant you want.”

I stopped and grinned at him. “Done.”

Now we are getting somewhere!

“Get your sexy ass over here,” he instructed.

Licking my lips at him, I stepped forward. With one hand, Collin turned me, so my ass was right up against his hard cock. His free hand wrapped around me and moved from my stomach, into my panties, and directly to my wetness. His finger began playing inside me, as his lips cascaded across my back.

Heat.

Flutters.

Tingles.

Spasms.

Everything was coursing through my body.

"You're too damn hot in your stilettos and panties," Collin murmured against my ear.

I didn't say anything. I closed my eyes and leaned into Collin.

And then Collin expertly moved his thumb up to my clit. He started rubbing—first slowly, then with more intensity as I began to shudder lightly.

On the edge, I tried my hardest not to cum even though I was on the brink. My body begged me to lean more into Collin's hand, but my brain told me that I was in negotiations, and this wasn’t the time.

“Stop, Collin,” I begged him.

“What are you going to give me?” He slowed it down a bit and gave me time to think.

What does Collin want? He wants to stay hidden.

I finally offered, “I’ll cook you dinner at your house tomorrow night and stay over.”

He pulled his hand out of my panties and turned me back around. “Done.” Satisfaction crossed his face for a brief second, and I could see the negotiator was back.

I took a deep breath to straighten myself out. Don’t lose this one, Meg, I told myself.

Collin had a slightly cocky grin on his face. It pushed me to finish what I started.

Kissing him hard, I climbed on top of him and moved my slick pussy right next to his dick. It started to twitch.

I decided a little dirty talk might work in my favor.

Moving my body even closer to him, I nibbled on his ear, "Do you feel my heat, Collin?"

He groaned and didn't say anything.

I put my sex right on him but didn't let him enter me. "Do you feel me throbbing for you, Collin?"

His manhood pulsed against me. He closed his eyes, and I saw him try to put his negotiator face back on.

I nibbled on his collarbone. "I'm so wet for you right now. Don't you love how wet I get for you?" I whispered seductively against his hot skin.

"Yes," he moaned.

Aggressively, I pushed my chest against his mouth. "Do you love how warm I feel, gripping your cock?"

"Mm-hm." Collins's lips enclosed on my nipple.

"When did you first want to fuck me, Collin?"

He groaned.

I pulled my breast away from him and ground my nub against him. "Tell me."

"When I first saw you in the paper."

When he first saw me in the paper? I wracked my brain. I had only been in the newspaper when I dated Keri.

Did Collin want me before he met me?

"Did you want to taste me, Collin?" I swiped some of my juice and stuck my finger in his mouth.

He sucked it and moaned.

"Answer me," I whispered.

"Yes."

"When did you see me in the paper?"

He didn't answer me, pulled my mouth into his, and I tasted myself on his tongue.

Between kisses, I asked him again. "Tell me, Collin. When did you see me in the paper?"

He groaned. "A few months before I met you."

I tried not to smile. Meg, you're in negotiations. Use this to your advantage.

"Did you lie in bed, with your cock throbbing for months, thinking about all the ways you wanted to fuck me, Collin?" I whispered in his ear.

Collin let out a loud groan and his penis twitched against me.

"How many months did you think of sliding in and out of me?" I sucked on his lobe and rubbed my sex against him in a circular motion.

Collin closed his eyes, took a shaky breath, and groaned the loudest, and longest, he had all night.

Ah, time to do this, I thought.

I moved my panties to the side, grabbed his shoulders, and pushed myself right on top of him with a force so strong that I gasped and saw stars as he entered me.

Every nerve in my vagina stood at attention.

“Oh my God, Collin,” I cried out. I was not ready for how he filled me, and I sat on his dick, taking a second to recalibrate, with my mouth hanging open and my breasts heaving from my shaky breath.

Collin had never entered me all at once before; he had always given it to me cautiously, inch by inch, letting me slowly wrap myself around his enormous erection.

But tonight was a new experience. His eyes flew open wide when I sat on him. He gasped, and looked at me in astonishment, as I panted on his lap.

It occurred to me that I had gone where no woman had gone before. By the look on Collin’s face, I was pretty sure no woman had ever gone all in right away, and it about ruined him on the spot. It gave me a new determination to ride out his cock hard, but in my control, and I adjusted my feet on the base of the chair’s legs to give me better leverage. I started riding him sooner than I usually would have and ground my hips into him in tiny circles.

The entire time I begged my brain not to let my body cum as he rippled against my walls.

Slow. I decided slow was the best approach, so I moved up and down and took my time, torturing his cock, as Collin's sexy groans hummed out of him. I watched as he closed his eyes and desperately fought with himself to not move me quicker.

"Faster," he growled at me.

I slowed it down more and decided some more dirty talk was necessary. I leaned into his ear. "Do you like my wet pussy sliding on your big dick in my stilettos, Collin?"

He groaned again, and I circled into him a bit harder.

"Fuck, Meg," he cried out.

"I think I'm going to enjoy your hard cock like this all night, baby," I murmured to him as I sucked on his jaw.

Like that is going to be possible. I was doing everything in my power to not explode all over him.

Collin pulsed and sent shockwaves through me. I couldn't help it and moaned.

He took it as an invitation, grabbed my hip with his free hand, and started moving me a little faster, but I pulled his hand off of me.

“What are you going to give me Collin?”

The negotiator was nowhere, just his frantic eyes searching mine, as I slowed it down even more.

He shook his head, his mouth open, his breathing desperate, clearly not able to think.

“No more handshakes. You’ll peck me on the cheek like you peck Liv.” I demanded.

“Too risky,” his hoarse voice whispered.

“Then I get off." I started to make my way up his shaft, the slowest I had gone all night.

He shut his eyes, grabbed my hip with one hand, and pushed me back down. “Fine. Done.”

I did a little victory pump in my head.

Once we were at a rhythm he liked, he started kissing me and pulled my face into his with his free hand.

I kissed him back hard, my body hot, sweaty, and tingling all over, ready to explode.

Don’t give in, Meg, you can do this.

But Collin felt so good. I was once again stuffed full of him, as his skin slid against mine, teasing and taunting me, sending currents of fire through every cell of my body.

Trying to get my determination back, I scoured Collin’s face and tried to concentrate. I decided to bite his lip and suck on his neck.

He started groaning again.

There was nothing that sounded better in the entire world than Collin Corwin groaning. I was sure of it.

He needed to cum soon or I was going to lose. I didn’t know how much more I could take. “Come on, baby,” I murmured in his ear. But my words seemed to backfire on me as they snapped him back into business mode.

Just like that, the negotiator was back in full force as I realized I had met my match. Collin wasn’t going down without a fight.

All of a sudden, I felt his fingers on my clit and within seconds, he brought me to the edge both on the inside and outside.

Against my wishes, I started releasing from everywhere as Collin continued to pump me and caress me. I leaped from one orgasm to another. My insides ricocheted with pleasure, every cell in my body vibrated, and I was hardly able to breathe. Collin watched me, as he continued to rub my clit, and sent me into a total state of oblivion.

As my eyes rolled over and over, he released in me, and I collapsed forward on his shoulders, no longer able to stand or hold myself up from the violent tremors he had ignited.

In our aftermath, I clung to him, with my face buried in his neck, as my breasts heaved from the hurricane that had ripped through me.

When I regained usage of my limbs, I finally pulled back.

A cocky and satisfied face now replaced the negotiator and the thought that I had lost soared through my mind.

My face must have registered disappointment because Collin quickly dropped his cocky face. “Babe, you okay?”

That’s when I realized that I still had him chained to my bar stool. I grabbed the key off the counter and unlocked him.

He brought his arms around me and pulled me close. “Meg, you okay?”

I shook my head. “I lost,” I choked out. I hated losing, and I really wanted to win this one. My body had totally betrayed me.

“Is it that bad that you have to cook me dinner and stay over?” He had a gleam in his eye.

I shrugged, blinking back tears.

Collin pushed my hair off my face, “You know, the art of negotiation is that both sides have to compromise. Both sides have to win a bit.”

“You owe me dinner out,” I claimed my prize.

He took a deep breath. “Yes, I know. We will need to figure that one out.”

“You said my choice,” I reminded him.

“Meg, I want nothing more than to take you out in public. We just have to be careful and do this right.”

I nodded. I did understand.

Collin continued, “But a deal is a deal, so let me know when you decide where you want to go.”

I grabbed his face. “No more handshakes. Pecks on the cheek.”

He took a deep breath. “Pecks on the cheek it is.”

I smiled and kissed him again.

He was right. I didn’t totally lose. I would take my wins and be happy for now.

Collin

The secret was starting to get to Meg. I couldn’t deny that it was stressing me out as well. I wanted nothing more than to have her on my arm at every event, to date her as a regular person would, and she deserved that. We just had to get past the Turbo deal and then it was fair game. I wasn’t going to be able to keep this a secret anymore either.

She looked so disappointed when she didn’t win her ‘negotiation.’ I had to give it to her; she almost had me.

So much time had been spent on this deal, and now the two idiots were screwing it up again. It had taken every ounce of my control not to go full throttle on them at the fundraiser, but I knew that wasn’t going to help our situation.

If they had hurt her, God help them, because I would not have given one shit about their deals.

But we had a problem on our hands. The power had shifted. Turbo was now holding all the cards and I feared we were losing this deal. I wasn’t sure how to get it back on track. Never in my career was there so much to gain, yet so much to lose.

Meg was the only thing that took my stress away. I wanted to give her the world. I hoped she trusted me to make this up to her someday.

I had to save these deals. They needed to close and fast because I didn’t know how much longer either of us could hideout.

12

Meg

It was Friday, the day after the big fight, and Liv and I were trying to wrap things up so we could get to her wedding dress appointment with Vera.

We were in the conference room, going over the next week’s meetings when Lilly brought two massive bouquets into the conference room.

“Someone is popular,” Lilly joked, setting down the flowers.

Both cards had my name written on them.

“Thought you were on hiatus?” Liv teased.

I grabbed the cards, confused.

Surely, Collin isn’t sending me flowers?

The first card:

Meg,

I was out of line. I promise you I’m going to get my shit together. Please forgive me. I never wanted to hurt or embarrass you, and I know I did last night.

Love, Keri

I reread it. Then I handed it to Liv.

The second card:

Meg,

I had a ton of fun last night until the incident. I’m truly sorry about my actions. Please forgive me. I didn’t mean to break my promise to you.

Sam

I reread it as well and then handed it to Liv also.

She read it and gave me a knowing glance. We started laughing so hard we both had tears in our eyes.

The event from the night before was terrible, but it felt good to laugh about it with Liv.

“What are you going to do?” she asked me when we finally stopped giggling.

I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know. I guess I can’t stay mad forever. They are clients, after all.”

“We could fire them as clients if you want?” I knew she was serious.

“Liv, we aren’t going to lose millions for the firm because of me.”

Putting her finger in the air, “One, it’s not because of you. Two, I remember you telling me a while back that there are tons of other accounts out there.”

This was why she was my best friend. She always had my back. It threw the guilt of my secret with Collin, and the lies I had told her, in my face.

I put my hand on hers. “Thanks. I appreciate that, but I don’t want to fire them. At least not yet.” I winked at her. I didn’t need to fire Keri and Sam. It was a new day, and I knew in my heart that their actions from the night before would not be repeated. They weren’t horrible guys, just dumb at times.

“Well, you just tell me if the time ever comes.” She was serious, and I knew it. I got choked up that she respected me enough to risk losing millions.

Guilt about lying to Liv, once again, slapped me.

We hurried through our work and left to go to Vera’s.

I decided I was going to have fun and forget about last night’s events. It was Liv’s special time, and I was truly happy for her. The thought rushed through my mind that I wanted what she had. I wondered if I had found it with Collin, but with our current situation of secrecy, I didn’t know how we would ever get down the aisle, much less out in public.

In the car, a bottle of Cristal sat in an ice bucket with a note for Liv.

Liv,

Enjoy your day. I can’t

wait to marry you.

Love, Tom

I laughed. “Once again, your man thinks of everything.”

She just smiled at me, as her happiness radiated.

We popped open the champagne and had finished our glasses by the time we arrived at Vera’s. When we got inside, the sales lady promptly handed each of us another glass.

Vera came out, and after all the introductions, she took us back to a room and started asking Liv questions about embellishments and fabrics, and if Liv had any particular type of style in mind.

We were soon in a dressing area, and several gowns were brought out for Liv to try on, just to get an idea of what she liked.

Liv was getting ready when I received a text from Collin. “Hey babe, this situation from last night has created a bunch of issues with possible sponsors for both Keri and Sam. I’m not sure what time I’ll be home tonight. Can we reschedule dinner?”

My heart sank. There went Keri and Sam, once again, screwing up my life. I replied, "Okay, I understand.”

Collin sent back, “I’m still up for the sleepover if you are?”

I giggled out loud without thinking. “I think that could be arranged. Don’t try to think this gets you out of taking me out.”

“No way you’re letting me off the hook for that one. I’ll text you later tonight and arrange transportation.”

I replied with three heart emojis.

"Okay, you’re not on a hiatus. Spill it, Meg.” Liv was standing in front of me, in a white wedding dress that hugged her body perfectly with just the right amount of cleavage, and a veil on the back of her blonde hair that trailed down to the floor.

“Oh, Liv,” I said breathlessly. “You’re gorgeous!” I had tears in my eyes. She was absolutely stunning.

Liv smiled and had tears in her eyes too.

I jumped up and hugged her. “You have to have Vera design something like this. This is totally you! Tom will go batty!” I raved.

She twirled in the mirror. I briefly forgot about her comment, but I wasn’t going to get off that easy.

Turning back to me, she grinned and raised an eyebrow. “So? Who is he?”

My face flushed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I was a shitty liar. I always had been.

She gave me a hurt look.

I put my hands on my face as my heart raced.

She used it as an opportunity to grab my phone. I picked my head up and saw her shocked eyes.

Oh shit. Collin is going to kill me. Liv is going to hate me.

“Liv, I’m sorry—”

She held her hand up. After handing the phone back, she sat down on the couch next to me.

“Meg, why didn’t you tell me?”

A river of tears flowed down my cheeks.

“Hey.” She rubbed my back. “Meg, what’s going on? Tell me.”

It all came out. The kiss in Tom’s car the first night I met Collin, the meeting at Sam’s, and the entire night after I left. Dinner and the sleepover at Collin’s where Keri intruded, and finally, last night.

I was a babbling mess, and she kept handing me fresh tissues.

I took a deep, shaky breath. “I’m so sorry I lied to you. I didn’t know what to do.”

She gave me a big hug. “It’s okay. If anyone understands rules and secrets, it’s me.”

She had a point there.

“So, you forgive me?”

Liv waved her hand at me. “Already past it, girl.”

Fresh tears of relief ran down my face. I realized how much anxiety this secret had generated in my life.

“Meg, we have to figure out a way to get Keri to be okay with you and Collin. Otherwise, Collin is going to want you to keep this a secret forever. Secrets aren’t good. You’ll never be free.”

Tapping my fingers on my thigh, I admitted, “That’s what is scaring me. I’ve been wracking my brain, trying to figure out how to solve this, but I don’t know the answer.”

Liv sighed. “I bet last night didn’t help either.”

I shook my head. “Collin is going to be really late because of last night. Sponsors are already threatening to pull from both Keri and Sam.”

Liv’s eyes widened. “Meg, we have to go find Collin then.”

“No way! This is your day, and we aren’t going to let those two children ruin it by coming to their defense!”

“But they probably need some PR…” Liv had a strained look on her face.

I realized that she was never going to relax until I did what I had to do.

I called Collin and put him on speaker. “Hey, babe, miss me already?” He answered in a slightly cocky tone that would generally turn me on.

“Hey Collin, it’s me and Liv, and you’re on speaker.”

Silence ensued. Finally, he cleared his voice. “Hey, Liv.”

I realized that I owed him some explanation. “Listen, Collin, I’m not going into all the details right now, but Liv knows. Don’t stress out, though.”

Silence again.

Liv spoke up. “Your secret is safe with me, Collin, but that isn’t why we’re calling. You and Meg can talk later about this, but what is going on with Keri and Sam right now? Do we need to get some PR out there?”

Collin recovered quickly. “I’m not sure what that can do to help right now. The deals that Turbo had on the table for Keri and Sam are in jeopardy. I’m trying to mitigate this situation right now, but Turbo is not happy. They might have finally done irreversible damage. It may be over.”

“Collin, why don’t we get Keri and Sam together and notify the paparazzi? We should write some press releases as well. Get them doing some community service. Also, make them hang out together—in front of the press,” Liv suggested.

Collin was silent for a bit. “I think it makes sense, but those two are volatile right now. I’ve met with them both, and they still want to kick the crap out of each other.”

I had an idea. “I know what to do. Collin, set up community service for them, one in each of their old neighborhoods. Let’s give them a dose of reality.”

“They won’t go there, Meg. I’ve tried before to get them to do volunteer in their old communities, but they both refuse.”

Liv jumped in. “It’s too painful for them?”

“Yes,” Collin replied.

“Well, we know what will get them there,” Liv stated.

“What?” Collin asked.

“Me,” I replied.

Collin’s voice changed. “Absolutely not. The last time those two thugs were near you, they almost killed you. Not happening.”

Liv and I both snickered, a feeling of deja vu coming over us.

“I don’t see what is so funny. You could have been seriously injured.” Collin’s voice turned angrier.

Liv and I covered our mouths, trying to hide our amusement from Collin.

It felt like several minutes, but Liv finally suggested, “Collin, I think Tom can help you out with this.”

Collin’s voice calmed a notch. “That’s a nice offer, but I don’t want to involve Tom any more than I already have. I was grateful he stepped in last night, but I don’t want him involved in this mess. That’s not fair.”

“We protect our own, Collin,” I informed him quietly.

Collin didn’t say anything. I couldn’t read his mind over the phone.

“You’re already like family to us, Collin, but if you’re with Meg, then you’re definitely one of us now. If one of us has a problem, we all have a problem.”

I eyed Liv, remembering how we all came together for Tom last year. I smiled at her, and I knew she was thinking about it too.

This was nothing compared to that. We could do this, and maybe figure out a way to set Collin and me free as well.

“Babe, we’ll talk about this later, but I don’t want you near those guys.”

Liv and I smiled. We knew how this game played out.

Hanging up, Liv raised her brow at me, and a big grin appeared on her face. “Looks like you found your protector.”

C ollin

M eg had spilled our secret. I tried to stay calm as I put the phone down and reminded myself that I didn’t know the entire story. Meg would never intentionally harm us.

Liv was trustworthy, and I knew it was hard for Meg to lie to her repeatedly, so I took a little happiness in the fact that at least it was Liv and not Keri or Sam. Meg could at least talk to her about us now. Maybe that would give her some comfort until this Turbo deal closed... If it ever closed.

We were in a shit show. Not only Turbo, but all their sponsors were talking about pulling the plug, and I was quickly losing leverage. I had been fielding phone calls and putting out fires all day long. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like it was going to stop anytime soon.

My meetings with Sam and Keri weren’t helpful either. They were still acting egotistical. While they were upset about how they had put Meg in the middle of their feud, they both still wanted to kill the other and weren’t taking responsibility for their actions.

They were being arrogant assholes, and I wondered if I should even be fighting for them anymore. It would serve them right to have me pull out, but I knew that if I did that, it would be the end of any chance they had left with Turbo and send a signal to all my other clients that when the going got tough, I didn’t have their backs.

I currently was in a losing position, and I didn't like it. On the one hand, I had to keep hiding with Meg. On the other, I had to keep representing two clients who's actions had cut my negotiating power.

My stress was at an all-time high, and I wracked my brain about how to save this deal and get it done and over with, once and for all.

There were no clear answers on what it was going to take, but for Liv and Meg to suggest that Meg would even be in the same room as those two thugs set my veins on fire.

I was trying to keep business and personal separate, but it was getting harder and harder. The events of the previous night kept playing through my mind. Mostly guilt about how I hadn't been there to protect her. No way would I let her put herself in any more dangerous situations with those two.

My phone started going off again. I sighed, “Stephen, what can I do for you…”

13

Meg

By the time Collin finished his workday, it was after 9 p.m. He texted me, but I was still out with Liv and didn't see it. We spent our afternoon at Vera's, then decided to go to happy hour and dinner at La Tease.

Several drinks in, Liv and I both felt pretty good.

Tom's foster brother, and world-renowned chef, Kip Carter, was the owner of La Tease. We sat in the kitchen, at the chef's table explicitly reserved for Tom, which now included Liv.

Kip drank a glass of wine with us. He told us stories about Tom that we would no doubt hold over his head one day.

Tom texted Liv that his jet landed on his way back from D.C., and he was on his way over to La Tease.

"I better go get his grub going." Kip grinned.

My phone rang. It was Collin.

"Hey, babe," I answered with a giggle.

Collin's sultry voice oozed through the phone. "You still want to see me tonight?"

"Duh," I giggled some more.

"Where are you?"

"I'm at La Tease. Come get me."

"You're with Liv and Tom?"

"Only Liv. Oh...and Kip!"

He laughed. "Good thing I know who Kip is, or I might be jealous."

"Ha, ha."

"I'm on my way." Collin hung up.

I set my phone down.

"I'm glad you're with Collin. I've always liked him." Liv finished her glass.

"Really?"

"Yes. Tom will be happy too." Liv smiled.

Tom snuck up on us, bent down, and kissed Liv. "Tom will be happy about what?"

She pulled him in for a fiery kiss.

"Get a room, you two!" I teased them.

Tom sat down next to Liv. "What am I going to be happy about?"

Liv and I sobered up a bit as the conversation became a tad awkward.

Confusion flooded Tom's face. "What?"

Silence continued. Then my phone rang. Collin's number popped up on the screen.

I froze.

The phone rang again. Tom saw Collin's name on my screen, gave me a puzzled glance, and grabbed the phone.

"Collin."

Liv and I stared at each other, frozen.

"I just returned from D.C. and decided to meet up at La Tease with Liv and Meg. If you're in the neighborhood, you should come in."

Tom motioned over to Kip, two fingers. "Yeah, Kip's cooking my grub now. Come in and get some dinner. You can talk to Meg in person."

Liv and I started to laugh. We couldn't help it.

Tom gave us a bewildered face. "What's going on with you two?"

Again, not sure what to say, we continued to laugh.

Ben, the waiter, walked over.

"Can we get some waters?" Tom pointed.

"No problem, Mr. Marko." Ben smiled.

Liv put her hand on Tom's. "We should wait for the water until we get home." Then she gave him her fuck-me eyes.

Tom licked his lips and chuckled softly.

I laughed. "Is that a sex game you two play?"

Tom and Liv gave each other a guilty glance, then burst out laughing.

I snapped my fingers at them. "I knew it!"

The chair next to me moved, and I turned to see Collin. "Looks like I've been missing all the fun." He sat down.

"Collin." Tom gave him a fistbump.

"Liv." Collin nodded. He wore his negotiator's face.

I stopped laughing and realized Collin had walked into an unknown situation. Worse, I let him. I dropped a big bomb on him about our exposed secret earlier that day, and we hadn't discussed it yet.

I put my hand on his leg under the table. The negotiator gazed at me. I realized he was not comfortable with this situation and sobered up quickly.

"Does Tom know?" Collin point-blank asked me.

I shook my head.

Tom questioned us. "Know what?"

Collin cleared his voice and shifted in his seat. "Well, since Liv knows, I think it's only fair that you know."

Tom stared at him, waiting.

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"Someone, please, tell me what the hell is going on here," Tom said in frustration.

I blame the alcohol, but I stood up, turned to Collin, bent down, and gave him a hot and heavy kiss.

Collin grabbed me and kissed me back.

I turned toward Tom and Liv.

"Collin and I have been secretly seeing each other since we made out in your car the first night we met...because of Keri's obsession with me...since he's Collin's client and ours..." I grinned at Tom.

Tom chuckled. "Besides the Keri issue, I think this is great news."

"You do?" I asked in surprise.

Tom grinned. "Yes. Two of my favorite people."

Collin released a deep breath. He had worried about what Tom would think, too. I was clueless as to why we’d both worried about what Tom thought, but apparently, we had.

"This still has to stay on the down-low." Collin pointed out.

Tom nodded. "Understand, but, at some point, Keri will get over it. I don't think you have to worry about it. I know him pretty well. After he blows up, he will come to his senses. It would be suicide for him to fire you. Or the ladies, for that matter."

Collin exhaled.

I leaned into his chest and he kissed me on the head.

"We have another situation too." Liv turned to Tom.

"What's that?"

We filled Tom in about the current issues with sponsors, including Turbo, who threatened to pull out of deals with Keri and Sam. Then, we told him about our plan.

"I'll be the bait," I volunteered.

Collin's head whipped toward me. "I said no to that. I'm not letting you near those animals."

Tom started laughing. Collin shot him a surprised glare. "You could support me on this, man."

"I'm sorry, Collin. We have a history with Liv and Meg liking to be the bait." He told Collin the story about how Liv had to be the bait to set him free from his secret.

Collin sat and listened while Tom finished the story. "Well, I didn't know the entire story, but I think that fills in the gaps now."

"Now that you know my dirty laundry, why don't you let us all help you out with this?"

Collin was unsure. "I don't know, man. I don't want to involve you. You already stuck your neck out the other night when you helped me pull those two thugs off each other."

"They drank too much. You know that they aren't thugs," Tom stated.

Collin took a deep breath. "You're right. But I still can't believe they did that with Meg between them. She could have seriously been injured."

"Total dumbasses, yes, but not thugs," Tom declared.

Kip brought the guys’ dinner to the table. We proceeded to talk about our plan to rectify the current sponsor issues.

Collin finished his dinner and sat back. He put his arm around me and rubbed his thumb on my arm.

I rested my head on him, thrilled to be out in public with him and not hiding. We needed to come clean with Keri. One-hundred percent, this was the relationship I wanted with Collin, I thought.

Around midnight, we decided to head home. Collin put his hand on the small of my back and guided me out of the kitchen. We were almost out of the restaurant when we spotted Keri at the front entrance.

I stepped out of Collin's grasp and hoped Keri wouldn't see us. We weren't that lucky.

He jumped up and ran over to us. He seemed sober enough, but then again, I had consumed a lot of alcohol, so my judgment wasn't the best.

"Meg, did you get my flowers?" Keri asked.

I rolled my eyes. "If you think flowers are going to make it right, Keri—"

He grabbed my hand. "Meg, please, forgive me. I'm so, so sorry."

Collin stepped forward, but Tom pushed in front of him.

"Keri." He fist-bumped him.

"Hey man, I'm just trying to get Meg to forgive me." He gave Tom his puppy dog eyes.

Tom shook his head in understanding. He put his arm around him and guided him back to his table. People in the restaurant snapped pictures and stared.

Liv grabbed me. "Come on, Meg." She steered me out of the restaurant, and Collin followed.

The car pulled up as Tom walked out.

Liv waved for Tom to join us. "Let's get into the same car, so Keri doesn't think anything is going on between Meg and Collin."

We all jumped in the car.

I frowned. "This is a tad ridiculous. Surely, we don't have to go to this extreme."

"Collin, have your driver meet us up a few blocks," Liv instructed.

Collin picked up his phone and did as Liv instructed. We drove a few blocks up the road. Collin and I switched cars.

"Collin, this is ridiculous," I repeated, once we were in the car.

"Meg, I don't know the entire story, and why you told Liv, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt about that, but this doesn't change our situation. This is not the time for Keri to know. Tom and Liv know. Fine. They will keep our secret. But nothing has changed."

I stared at him and realized I'd had my taste of freedom with him. I wouldn't—couldn't—go back to hiding out. And it wasn't the alcohol talking.

Our eyes met. I saw Collin holding firm to our secret.

The truth hit me like a brick in the face. "Take me to my house, Collin."

"You want to stay at your place instead of mine?"

I shook my head, on the verge of tears, and tried to keep it together.

Confusion filled his face.

"Just me, Collin," I quietly said.

Hurt flashed across his face, and he jerked his head back. He briefly rolled down the window and told the driver to go to my address. Then, he rolled the window back up. "Want to tell me what's happening here?"

I shook my head, afraid of what I would say.

"Is this the alcohol talking or you?"

I blinked tears out of my eyes. "I can't live like this anymore."

His face changed from negotiator to confused again. "Like what?"

"This..." I moved my hands between us in frustration and tried my hardest not to cry.

Collin's voice made his hurt apparent. "You don't want to be with me?"

I shook my head. "Not how you want me."

"How's that?" He angrily tipped his head to the side and squinted at me in confusion.

"Hidden. A secret."

"Meg, we've been through this," Collin ran his hands through his hair as the car stopped outside my building.

"You're either all in or all out, Collin. I can't do this anymore." I opened the door, as tears fell down my face. I hoped he would follow me as I raced inside my building, but he didn't.

Inside my apartment, I collapsed on the floor. Pain surged through my chest like never before.

My heart was broken. I was broken. No doubt, Collin Corwin was my soulmate. But it could never be real the way he needed it to be.

Collin

M y worst nightmare came true. Meg no longer wanted me.

I sat in the car, shell shocked, and wondered if it had really happened or if I was so stressed out and tired, I'd imagined things.

No, it happened. Meg left me.

I wanted to go after her, to beg her to reconsider, but she made it clear she didn't want me.

The car stopped outside of my building. Like a zombie, I walked into the elevator, down the hall, and into my apartment.

As the shock wore off, it sank in that Meg broke up with me. My stomach churned. I began to cry for the first time in years.

How could I have my dream girl and then lose her? Surely, this was a sick joke?

When I walked into the bedroom, I saw her clothes in my dirty clothes bin. I grabbed her shirt, laid down on the bed, and curled up to it. It smelled like her and I sobbed harder.

No matter how screwed up the situation was, I knew we could figure out how to close the Turbo deal. I thought we would figure it out together. We were so close, but she didn't love me enough to wait a little bit longer.

Foolish. That's what I was. I should never have allowed us to begin as a secret in the first place. How stupid could I have been? From day one, I knew she would always be more than just fun and games.

I started to get angry. Not at her; at myself. She deserved to have my love shouted from the rooftops, not hidden like a dirty secret. How could I have done that to her?

Desperate, I tried to call her, not sure what I would even say. Her phone went straight to voicemail.

I hung up.

Then I called several more times just to hear her voice. God, I was pathetic.

My phone rang. I hoped it was her. I laughed when I saw the screen.

The universe must love playing these sick games on me tonight, I thought.

It was Keri. I let it go to voicemail.

My shock started to wear off, and my heart quickly broke into more pieces. Tears streamed down my face, once more. Why couldn't she wait a little bit longer?

Over the weekend, exhausted from not sleeping and crying on and off, I tried to field calls from Turbo and other sponsors but didn't know if I made any sense or not.

It hadn't been twenty-four hours since Meg broke up with me when I heard the buzzer. New hope surged through me that she had come to her senses. Maybe she forgot her key?

I answered it and prayed I would hear her voice, but it wasn't her. I hit the buzzer. A few minutes later, Tom handed me a beer and a pint of Ben and Jerry's.

Like a little kid, I cried my eyes out in front of him. I loved her, but she didn't want me anymore, I told Tom, not even sure what else I blabbed to him. I didn't hear a word he said. The entire conversation was one big blur.

I was a blubbering fool, in so much pain that I wasn't even embarrassed about it.

Twenty-four hours earlier, I had everything. Now, I had lost it all.

14

Meg

L iv called the next day, around 11 a.m. "I've been thinking about your situation—"

"There's no situation. It's over."

"What?"

The waterworks started once more. I hadn't slept all night and felt exhausted.

"I'm coming over."

"No, don't."

She arrived within thirty minutes.

I explained what happened.

"Meg, you know it won't be forever, right? Collin's only trying to give Keri some time to move past you and figure out how to tell him."

Adamantly, I shook my head. "I can't do it anymore. Last night was perfect—the four of us, out in public, having a real life. I don't want to have to hide. I'm tired of going to events by myself and being alone in the real world."

Liv rubbed my back. "You two seem perfect together. I think, if you give it a bit more time, this won't even be an issue."

"I can't. I…just can't anymore."

"Okay," Liv pulled me into a hug, and I cried my eyes out some more.

The entire weekend I spent in an exhausted state of tears, eating pints of Ben and Jerry's that Tom had dropped off, and watching multiple showings of Bridget Jone's Diary. When Tom came over, I didn't let him stay long and hardly heard a word he said.

Monday came too fast. I knew it was coming and was going to be horrible. Back-to-back meetings with Keri and Sam were on the schedule. Collin would be there. We set the meetings up Friday afternoon while Liv and I were at happy hour.

My swollen face had dark circles under my eyes, and my nose was bright red. I applied my makeup but realized nothing could fix my new look.

The power suit I wore didn't make me feel more any more confident. I felt and looked like utter shit.

I arrived at the office around 7 a.m. My meetings with Collin were at 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. I prayed for a miracle that they would be canceled, but I knew they wouldn't be, and there was no way I couldn't go. It would be unprofessional, and that wasn't me.

Liv walked in around 7:30 a.m. and came to my office. I could tell by the look on her face that she thought I looked like shit. "Meg, want to talk?”

I held up my hand. I didn't want to break down in tears at the office.

She sighed and left me in peace.

Eleven a.m. arrived quickly. When I walked into the conference room, unable to help myself, I snuck a glance at Collin.

He looked like he hadn't slept either. His negotiator face couldn't hide the dark circles under his eyes.

As if he could feel my stare, he turned to me. I saw the negotiator leave for a moment, and his expression was replaced with pain.

My heart shattered once more. But I reminded myself that he insisted on keeping me a secret. I can never be what he needs.

I jerked my eyes from him and over to Keri, who sat surprisingly calm and quiet. For the first time, he didn't try to talk to me or run his mouth.

Liv started the meeting. "Keri, we have to do some damage control, or Turbo is going to say bye-bye to you."

Keri sighed. "My actions are inexcusable, and I wish I could take it back. Meg, I'm sorry. Liv, whatever you need me to do to try and fix this, I will."

He caught me off guard. Is this the same Keri James I know?

Liv continued. "Good. I'm glad to hear that. We've set up an event at the Community Center in your old neighborhood—“

"No way, Liv. Anything but that."

"I'm not done."

Well, Liv is in her 'I'm not taking any shit' mood today.

Keri once again surprised me when he didn't argue.

"We've also set up an event at the Community Center Sam used to belong to, and you will both go to each other's events." Liv paused and waited for Keri to interrupt.

Keri's face turned red with anger. He glared at Liv but kept quiet.

"You and Sam will also hang out. If you want to have some drinks, that's fine, but only if you can keep your head on straight. We also have a dinner scheduled for you," Liv informed him.

Keri gazed over at me. "Meg, you agree with this?"

"If you want your shoe, and to merchandize, then yes, this is what you need to do."

He turned to Collin. "And you?"

I expected to see the negotiator, but he was nowhere to be seen. I saw a man who had been put through the wringer by his client but somehow still cared about him. It hurt more because I loved that about Collin.

"You've always trusted Meg's opinion before...because it's always been right. You don't need my advice on this."

I gaped at Collin, as my heartstrings pulled so tight, I reminded myself to breathe. His laser stare focused directly at Keri.

Keri stared at me. Then Liv. Next Collin. Finally, he turned back to me. His eyes paralyzed on my face.

I walked over and sat down next to him. This time, there were no sexual innuendos, no tricks, only Keri and me—two friends.

"If you want it, Keri, you gotta be all in. No more shenanigans. No more drunken escapades. Just one-hundred percent focused on your future. Leave the boy and morph into a man." I could feel Collin's stare pierce through me. Without a doubt, I knew he recalled my requirement to be all in with me.

Keri had fear in his eyes, but for the first time, I could see an understanding.

Slowly, "Okay, Meg. I trust you."

Nodding, I turned to Liv and Collin. "Can I talk to Keri privately, please?"

"Meg…" Collin's expression was the same as in the restaurant when he insisted he didn't want me being bait.

I glared at him. He didn't have that right anymore.

He closed his eyes, looking defeated. Slowly, Collin stood up and walked to the door. He hesitated for a moment before he left the room with Liv.

Keri waited for me to start talking.

"Keri, I want you to know something."

"What's that?"

"I don't want you to take this the wrong way, so can you try to understand what I'm saying and not go down the wrong path?"

He took a deep breath and nodded.

I took my fingers and tilted his head, so his eyes were right on mine. "I love who you are as a person—this person—right now, in this room. You're showing maturity, respect, and humility, and I really love this person."

"But you aren't in love with me," he stated more than asked.

I nodded. "I want to be friends with you forever because I love this person. I also know, if you show the world this person, you can get whatever it is you want in life. You'll have Turbo and any other company eating out of the palm of your hand. But you need to let them into this person, not the arrogant, egotistical player you normally let everyone see."

"I understand what you're telling me."

I smiled at him.

"Meg, can I ask you something?"

"Yes."

"Will you try not to take it the wrong way?"

I smiled and appreciated that he used my own words to communicate with me.

"Are you okay? You look like you've been up all night crying and I'm worried about you. Do I need to go hurt some dude or something?" He put his hand on my arm.

Fresh tears flowed down my face.

He quickly put his arms around me. "Meg, tell me what's going on," he demanded.

I shook my head. "I can't."

"I won't judge you ever. I promise. If there is another guy, it's okay. I only want you to be happy. I know that you won't be with me. I've come to realize that, and if all I can be is your friend, then at least I get that."

His admission made me cry harder. Keri pulled me tighter to him and let me sob on him, and told me everything would be all right.

At that moment, I thought about the irony. I should have run out to Collin and told him that Keri didn't care. But Collin hadn't been man enough to choose me, and I wouldn't beg him to love me.

I realized that I had soaked Keri's shirt. "I'm sorry, I'm a total hot mess."

He smiled at me with his cocky smile that initially made me attracted to him. "You're the hottest hot mess I've ever seen."

I laughed through my tears.

We walked out to the lobby. Keri stepped on the elevator, and I assured him I would let him know the details for the next steps. After giving me a final hug, he left.

I turned to see Collin, staring at me through the glass of the other conference room. Without a doubt, he had been watching Keri and me. Our eyes met as I walked past him. I thought I saw tears in his, but I couldn't be sure because there were still some in mine.

Quickly, I scurried to my office and shut the door. Fifteen minutes until our meeting with Sam and then I could get past Collin Corwin...at least, for the day.

F ifteen minutes passed fast. When I walked back into the conference room, Sam sat in the same chair where Keri had sat. "Meg," he nodded like a schoolboy in trouble.

What on earth is going on with these boys today?

Collin glanced at me, then over to Liv, and waited for her to start.

"Sam, damage has been done." Liv sternly told him.

"Meg, I'm sorry again. I'm willing to do whatever is needed to fix this." He gave me apologetic eyes.

Liv jumped back in, "If you want any chance of getting Turbo back on board, so you get your shoe and can merchandize, then you need to do exactly what we say."

"Okay. Tell me what to do,” Sam said.

Liv repeated to him what she told Keri about the Community Center events. Not surprisingly, he reacted the same as Keri.

"Anything but that, Liv."

Once again, Liv wouldn't take his shit.

She explained about the hangouts and dinner with Keri. Sam shook his head and rolled his eyes.

I pointed at him. "Roll your eyes and let your ego do all the talking. There is no money in eye rolls or ego."

He processed my words.

I walked over and sat down next to him. "Were you bullshitting me about wanting to evolve, so you don't end up where you started?"

"No, that wasn't bull shit."

"Well, now is the moment you need to evolve—the most important moment. You will never get another. Turbo doesn't go for anything but all in. So you're all in and evolve, or you're all out. There's no in between. Decide." I snapped at him, and felt the stare of Collin's eyes, as I remembered, once again, how I required him to be all in.

Sam stared at me for what seemed like forever. He didn't speak. No one else spoke either. We all knew that he had to decide.

He finally said, "I'm all in, Meg."

"Good, but this is the final chance." I patted his shoulder, walked back to my seat, and let Liv take over the rest.

I felt Collin's eyes on me. I gazed up, and once again, Collin's anguish flooded his face, and I had to turn away.

The meeting went quicker than Keri's. I shook Sam's hand, turned, and walked out of the conference room. Liv could send Collin and Sam off.

I sat down at my desk and took a deep breath. I had made it through two of the toughest meetings of my entire career.

Emotions flooded me. Happiness that Keri finally understood how to morph but also bitterness that it would never be between us. I realized that as much as I was over Keri, there hadn't really been closure for us.

His friendship overwhelmed me in a time when I needed it. And his unselfish behavior surprised me and showed me another layer I didn't know existed.

Grief over Collin rushed back. Seeing him suffer made my pain reach a new level. Devastation I had never felt before reeled through me.

If only he would have fought for me.

Clearly, the 'what if' of keeping a client trumped being in a relationship with me. It stung. Our relationship hadn't been that long, but it had been intense, and I had assumed wrong about us.

There was a knock on my door. "Come in."

Liv came through. "Collin wants to know if he can talk to you for a minute?"

I inhaled sharply, thought for a bit, then shook my head.

"Meg—"

I held up my hand and shook my head again.

"Okay." She turned and left.

I worked for the rest of the day. Around 5:00 p.m., Tom stood in the door of my office. "Hey, can I come in?"

I motioned for him to sit down. He shut the door and sat in the chair across from my desk.

"Heard the kids played nice in the sandbox today," he joked.

I grinned. "Seems that way. Whatever you discussed with them before the meeting worked. Thanks for that."

"No problem. You and Keri are okay, too?"

"Surprisingly, yes. What exactly did you say to him?"

Tom winked. "Sorry, can't reveal my secrets." He paused and searched for the right words.

I waited.

His leg started to twitch. "Did you talk to Collin?"

"No point. If Collin can't be all in then he's all out."

Tom jerked his head.

"What?"

"Did Liv ever tell you that I gave her an ultimatum about being all in or all out?"

I shook my head.

Tom nodded as he remembered it all.

"Liv's all in," I pointed out.

"Yes, but there was a lot of trusts broken and a lot of past baggage. It wasn't easy."

From what I knew of Liv's past dating history, I had a feeling I knew who had the most baggage and trust issues.

"I don't know all the dynamics of Collin and your relationship, but I know that the guy was dying this weekend," he revealed.

"What do you mean? You saw him?"

"Quite a bit."

Hmmm... Liv didn't fill me in on those details. Thinking back, though, I didn't give her a chance today.

I waited for him to continue. Tom didn't have the personality to stick his nose in other people's business, so the fact he made an effort to talk to me told me that I needed to listen.

Tom's leg started twitching more, "So...it's not my business, and whatever you decide I will support you, but love doesn't come very easy. From what I can tell, Collin is in love with you."

"Then why didn't he go all in?" New tears welled up in my eyes.

Tom shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe he needed a minute to process. Maybe you two thought different things in the conversation. Maybe he has baggage that came up. Maybe he didn't understand the extremity of the situation. I don't know. All I know is that the guy is dying, and if any part of you still wants him, I think a conversation might solve a lot of your pain."

Now I felt a bit guilty. Panic started to seize my chest. My self-preservation hadn't allowed me to speak with him earlier, as I tried to keep it together at work. But, at that moment, I realized that I hadn't been fair to Collin.

My broken heart had allowed me only to see my version of our relationship, and I hadn't looked at possible scenarios of how Collin may have perceived things.

"Collin tried to talk to me after the meetings today, but I wouldn't let him back."

Tom raised his brow.

I let out a huge breath.

"Go talk to him. It won't hurt to talk. At the very least, you'll get closure." He stood up and patted my hand.

I thought of the closure I felt today with Keri. Tom was right. At the very least, both Collin and I needed closure.

Tom turned around in my doorway. "Hey, Meg?"

"Yeah."

"We always have Ben and Jerry's, if you ever need to come to stay." He winked at me again.

I laughed. "Thanks, Tom, you know exactly what every girl needs."

He gave me a wave and left.

I sat at my desk for a minute. Panic rushed through me—I needed to talk to Collin.

I grabbed my purse, threw on my coat, and left. I prayed it wasn't too late, and we could figure things out.

15

Meg

I hailed a cab to Collin's. I didn't know if he would be home or not. A rational person would have texted or called, but not me. I avoided him all day and told myself we were done, but new hope surged through me.

Please let us be able to work it out.

I was trying to find the key in my purse when I heard a hoarse voice. "Meg, what are you doing here?"

I turned. Collin stood behind me on the front step. His bloodshot eyes stared curiously at me.

"Can we go inside and talk?" I asked. Suddenly, I wasn't sure what he would say. Thoughts raced through my head.

Maybe rejecting him earlier today pushed him too far.

Maybe he was ready to move on.

Maybe my new sense of hope was too late.

I stood on the stoop, my heart racing, and waited for him to answer me.

I expected to see the negotiator, but he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes they looked defeated, full of pain; he merely nodded.

My heart hurt to see him this way. I wanted to grab him and hold him, but I didn't know if we would make it back or not. All the anger I harbored towards him at the office, left. I realized at that moment how much I still loved him. It sent my anguish to a new level.

Collin unlocked the door and led me to the elevator. We rode up to his floor, silently. When we got into his apartment, he helped me take my coat off and then hung it up in the closet.

My instincts were to reach out and stroke his face. I yearned to put my lips on his, but I knew that we needed to talk, and there were only two outcomes.

I went and sat on the couch. Collin looked at me, debating where he should sit. "Collin, sit down, please," I gently patted the seat next to me.

He hesitantly sat down, and an uncomfortable silence followed while I tried to figure out where to start.

Collin saved me. "Meg, I'm so sorry." Fresh tears welled in his eyes.

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have ignored you today."

He moved closer to me. "I wanted to tell you that I want to be all in. No matter what the consequences, I want you in my life. Keri, Sam, whoever—I don't care if they stay with me or not. I one-hundred percent want to be all in with you."

Tears of relief fell down my cheeks, and I pulled his face into my hands and kissed him. He kissed me back and pulled me on his lap.

He pushed the hair off my face. "I should have followed you. But I kept hearing you say you didn't want me."

"Collin. I didn't say that!" I cried out. "I've not wanted anything except you since the moment I laid eyes on you."

A tear rolled down his face. I kissed his tear, tasted the salt, and pulled his face closer to mine.

I realized that Tom assumed correctly. Collin had baggage. Things in his past played a role in our pain.

Collin Corwin was a gorgeous, strong, powerful negotiator—while he could battle with the best of them and win, he had been hurt, and the pain stuck with him.

"There will never be a day where I don't want you, Collin Corwin—never!"

Another tear fell down his face. "I'll call Keri right now and tell him about us if you want. I should never have allowed you to be hidden. I'm so sorry."

I put my finger to his lips to quiet him. "We both made that decision. It was my idea. Looking back, it was necessary at the time."

"But I shouldn't have allowed it," he insisted.

I kissed him again. "We're both adults. You're not the only one to blame. And don't worry about Keri, he won't be a problem as of today."

He swallowed, hard. "I thought maybe you got back together. It seemed pretty intense in there."

"No. Keri and I are friends and always will be. I needed a friend today. He only wants me to be happy and will be fine when he finds out about us."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Collin let out a big shaky breath.

"You really thought I got back together with him?"

"I saw him holding you, and it drove me crazy all day."

I smiled at him and realized the hell I must have put him through at the office. "Just friends."

"All right."

I kissed him, explored his mouth with my tongue. The heat of our first kiss rushed back again, and I straddled him, trying to get as close as possible.

"I love you, Meg," he whispered to me.

I bit on his ear and whispered back, "I love you too, Collin."

"Please don't ever leave me again," he whispered.

I kissed him harder. "I won't." I meant it. Never in my life had I needed anyone. There was no doubt now. I needed Collin Corwin like I needed air to breathe.

His mouth pressed against mine urgently as he picked me up and walked through the apartment. He gently set me on the bed, kissed me more, and removed my clothing ever so expertly.

I grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head as I kissed his chest and grabbed onto his strong shoulders.

He started to make his way down my body, but I stopped him.

"Collin, don't. I need all of you."

He hesitated.

"Please," I begged.

He gracefully slid out of his pants, so we were both naked.

I rolled on top of him, slid onto him, and pushed my body as close as possible to his. He crushed his mouth to mine, and I didn't take my lips off his. I felt his desire and love for me as each of our tongues explored the others.

Our bodies moved together in perfect unison. We gripped each other like never before.

I clung to him and moaned. I wanted every inch of his soul and never took my eyes off his.

For the first time in my life, I didn't have sex—I made love.

As we climaxed together, my body cascaded in total pleasure along with Collin's, and I knew that there was no going back.

Collin and I were both all in.

Collin

M eg slept in my arms, exactly where she was meant to be. We made love, on and off, all night. I said another prayer of thanks.

Meg's red hair rested on my chest, her body curled into mine, and my hand softly stroked her curves. I had almost lost her. The gut-wrenching pain I had felt hurt more than the pain of my divorce, or when I lost my pro basketball status.

I gazed down at her as she slept peacefully. I vowed never again to hide her from the world. I knew in my heart and soul that I loved Meg Grail more than anything or anyone on earth. I would spend the rest of my life, making it up to her.

Nothing mattered more than her. Not the Turbo deal...not my clients...nothing. I lost her once, and I would be damned if I ever lost her again.

I took a deep breath at the thought of the Turbo deal. Meg was convinced that Keri would be fine. I now trusted her enough to know if she thought that, then I wouldn't worry about it. For any reason, if Meg were wrong, then I would handle it.

There was still so many ifs around the deal. Both Sam and Keri needed to do their part, to close this up. If they could do it, we could make this happen. However, should either of them not deliver, then this deal was without a doubt over.

If we lose Turbo, then life will go on.

My priorities had been screwed up. I had put Turbo, Keri, and Sam, all before Meg. I had been a straight-up fool. The most important priority in my life was Meg, and I would never put anything but her first again.

I kissed the top of her head. She stirred and snuggled into my body further. I grabbed her tighter. If anyone deserved this deal to go through, it was Meg. She had taken on so much that wasn't her responsibility. I felt guilty I had gotten her so involved. The truth was, we were still in the game only because of her willingness to help.

I knew it was because she cared about her clients professionally, but also personally. Most men would have been worried about her friendship with them, but I wasn't that guy. Sure, I thought maybe she got back together with Keri, but she assured me they were only friends, and I knew she wouldn't lie to me.

She cared so much for others. I loved that about her.

If anyone deserved this Turbo deal, it was Meg. I needed to make it happen. If it fell through, we would deal with it, together, but I felt it would be a more significant blow to her than me. The thought of her being disappointed, should that happen, crushed through my soul.

Those two better not fuck this up.

16

Meg

I woke up the next day, and lovingly stared at Collin, who slept peacefully.

The thought of how close we came to losing each other made me reach over and kiss him.

Collin’s eyes opened. A grin formed on his face. “So much better waking up with you in my bed,” he pulled me closer to him.

I stroked his cheek and was about to kiss him some more when my phone rang.

I rolled my eyes at Collin and wondered who was calling me so early.

I looked at the screen. “Great. It’s Keri.”

Today was the Community Center events and a pit grew in my stomach. Keri better not be drunk.

Collin motioned for me to take the call.

“Hey, Keri.”

“I don’t know if I can do it, Meg. I don’t want to go back there.” Panic engulfed Keri’s voice.

I sat up. “Keri, it’ll be okay. You can do this.”

I heard a deep, shaky breath. Had Keri been crying?

I sat up even straighter. “Keri, you all right?”

“I’ve been up all night. I don’t think I can do it, Meg. If I lose my shoe, then I lose my shoe. I just can’t.”

“Keri, have you been drinking all night?”

Anger crawled up Collin’s face.

“No, Meg, I promise. I haven’t drank since the charity event the other night.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I promise you. I realized I can’t be drinking right now after what I put you through.”

"That’s good, Keri.” I mouthed, ‘he hasn’t been drinking,’ to Collin. “Look, you can do this. It’s only a day in your life. You’ve done harder things.”

“Meg, I can’t. I don’t want to let you down, but I don’t want to relive it,” Keri whispered.

“Where are you?”

“Home.”

“Don’t move. I’m coming over.”

"Okay, Meg.”

I hung up and turned to Collin. “Keri is seriously losing it. I have to go over there. He hasn’t drank since the charity event.”

Collin was about to speak when my phone rang again.

I looked down. I blew a big breath out of my mouth and looked at Collin. “It’s Sam.”

Collin started to shake his head and looked up to the ceiling.

I pushed the button and answered.

“Meg, I’ve been up all night. I can’t do it,” Sam’s voice came over the phone.

“Sam, it’s one day. You’ve done harder things,” I repeated what I told Keri. Collin got up and walked out of the bedroom.

Shit, we just got back together, and he’s mad at me already?

“I can’t go back there, Meg.” Sam let out a shaky breath.

Had he been crying too?

“Sam, have you been drinking?”

“I haven’t drank since the charity event,” Sam repeated Keri’s words.

So maybe Keri and Sam learned a lesson from their behavior?

“Sam, you can do this. It’s only one day,” I repeated.

“I don’t think so, Meg. I want my shoe, but going back there…” his voice trailed off and sounded haunted.

“Sam, where are you?”

“At my condo.”

“Don’t move. I’ll be there in a few hours.”

"Okay.”

I hung up and took a deep breath. This was not happening. I threw Collin’s shirt from last night over me.

I didn’t need this. We were so close to the Turbo deal, and I didn’t need Collin upset with me. I walked out of the bedroom in slight panic mode. “Collin...” I started.

He was in the kitchen and came around the counter with a cup of coffee. “I think you’re going to need this today.” He reached down to kiss me.

“You’re not mad at me?”

Collin’s head jerked back. “Irritated that those two interrupted our morning? Yes. Mad at you?” He put his hand on my face. “The fact you care is one of the things I love most about you.” He kissed me again, then pulled back. “Sit down and have a cup of coffee first. Keri and Sam can wait a few extra minutes. Tell me what’s going on.” He patted the bar stool and sat down next to it.

I sat and sipped the hot coffee. “They are both freaking out about today, and would rather lose their shoe deals versus going back.”

“What happened to them, Meg?”

“I don’t know, but something bad,”

“This is my fault. I shouldn’t have set this up. If they don’t show up, this will be the last straw for Turbo.”

I knew it was the truth. Turbo was barely holding on. If Keri and Sam didn’t pull this off today, then we were all done. But it wasn’t Collin’s fault.

“You couldn’t have known. I should have known it was too much.”

Collin put his arm around me. “Babe, are you going to be all right? I don’t want you to have to relive your situation.”

“I’ll be fine. But, Collin, I have to go get ready.”

He kissed me. “What can I do to help you?”

I stood up. “Keep all plans moving forward for today. We’re too close for this to fall apart.”

“On it. I’ll have my driver ready for you to go wherever you need. Go get ready.”

I quickly took a shower and pulled my makeup out of my purse. When I came out of the bathroom, Collin laid one of my dresses in a dry-cleaning bag on the bed, next to a fresh set of undergarments.

I looked at him.

“There are a couple of dresses in my closet if you don’t want that one. You left them here, and I had them cleaned. ”

I smiled and walked over to him. “This is perfect. Thank you.”

I could tell he wanted to say something else.

“Collin, what is it?”

He shuffled nervously. I hadn’t seen Collin nervous before. “I cleaned out a section of my closet and drawers before...” he stopped.

I waited.

“I thought it was time you kept your stuff here, but honestly, I want you to move in, Meg. Or, I’ll move in your place. Or, we can get a place together. Whatever you want—you pick. I don’t care. I just don’t want to keep worrying about whether I’ll see you or not.” The negotiator was nowhere in sight, only vulnerable Collin.

“You worry about seeing me?” I raised my teasing brow at him, not able to hide the grin on my face.

He wasn’t smiling. “Every day, all day long. In the morning, when I wake up and see you, I start all over again.”

I smiled and reached up and kissed him hungrily. He stirred, but I knew I needed to get ready or today would be a bigger disaster.

“That’s the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me.”

“It’s true.”

I kissed him again. “Let’s talk tonight, Collin, and figure it out, okay?”

He let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "Perfect.”

I threw on my clothes, gave him another kiss, and left.

I stepped into Collin’s car and shifted my mind to Keri and Sam. Today was my biggest career challenge ever.

We pulled up to Keri’s, and I called him. “Keri, I’m outside. Come get in the car.”

“Where are we going?”

“Just trust me and get down here, Keri.”

A few minutes later, Keri sat in the car, “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

“Meg—”

I held up my hand. “Wait, Keri. Take some deep breaths, calm down, and wait.”

He started to speak but stopped. We rode in silence.

About ten minutes later, we pulled up to Sam’s condo.

“Where are we?” Keri questioned me.

“You’ll see.”

I called Sam and told him to buzz me in.

Keri and I rode up the elevator in silence. I knocked on Sam’s door.

Sam opened the door. He saw Keri and glared at me. “Meg—what’s he doing here?”

Keri huffed, “Meg, what are you playing at?”

I put on my own pissed voice and pointed. “Inside now. You two owe me that, at the very least.”

Sam sighed, stepped back, and opened the door wider. “Come in then.”

Keri reluctantly walked in.

I pointed to the couch. “You two. Sit. Now.”

Like, little boys, they sat down and looked at me like they were in trouble.

I chose the armchair across from them. I took a few moments and sat and stared at them. Both of them shifted uncomfortably but didn’t say a word.

You get one chance, Meg. Don’t screw this up.

I took a deep breath and decided to soften my tone.

“You two have more in common than you think.” Disbelief flooded both their faces.

I laughed. “Oh, no? You both are willing to give up shoe deals instead of spending one day of your life at the Community Centers?”

They stared at each other, a bit in surprise.

“If anyone gets not wanting to relive the past, it’s me. But it’s time you both faced your pasts, or you’re going to let it screw up your future. So we are going to do that right now, here, the three of us.”

They both disagreed with me—I could tell—anger and fear overshadowed their faces.

What is their truth they don’t want me to know?

I held up my hand. They quieted. “I’ll start.”

“I grew up poor and the daughter of a drunk, drug-addicted violent man. Not only did he beat my mother repeatedly in front of me, but when I was nineteen, I hid in the closet while he beat my mother to death.” A single tear fell down my face.

Keri and Sam were silent in shock.

“I’ve lived with the guilt of doing nothing but hiding my entire life. And then, to top it off, I left that house and got into my own abusive relationship. I had the shit beaten out of me for three years until I finally fled to New York.”

Once again, I didn’t discuss that Matt had also repeatedly raped me.

“Who is he? I’ll kill him,” Keri stated.

“Count me in on that one, man.” Sam nodded to Keri.

I took a deep breath and continued. “I came to New York with nothing—literally a backpack stuffed with a few pieces of clothing. I worked four jobs and met Liv by accident. I have no education, no trust fund, no family except Liv. My jailbird father doesn’t count. I got lucky.”

“Meg, you’ve worked hard to get where you are,” Keri stated adamantly.

Sam piped in, “And you’re damn good at it.”

“I‘m lucky. I have a great life because I got lucky and ran into Liv by accident. You both make over a million dollars a year because you have the talent and have never gotten injured. You’ve worked hard to get where others never will.”

I paused to let them think for a minute.

“What happened to you that you are willing to give up your future?” I pleaded with my eyes for them to tell me.

Neither wanted to tell me.

“Keri, after everything we’ve been through, you’re going to sit and listen to my story and not tell me yours?” I called him out. Our history went deeper than Sam and mine, and I decided to use it.

That did it. Tears started falling. “My sister died in that community center by a thug who raped her. I was too late.”

Sam inhaled sharply and mumbled, “Well, we do have some things in common.”

Keri and I both waited for Sam to expand.

After he realized he said it out loud, he had no choice but to tell us. “My brother died in that club—assaulted by a gang. I was too late.” Tears fell out of his eyes at lightning speed.

It all made sense now. I closed my eyes for a minute. That is why they drank and fought. They were always trying to beat their demons.

I treaded lightly. “I understand why you don’t want to go. But somewhere in that building, there is at least one kid who needs you there today—probably more, but at least one. The shoe doesn’t even matter. You need to go do this for that one kid.”

I could see their minds racing a thousand miles a minute. Fear. Rage. Sadness. It was all there.

I walked over and sat between them, put my arms around them both, and pulled them into me. We all sat there and cried.

Keri slowly pulled away. “Meg, will you go with us?”

“Yes.”

Sam took a deep breath and sat up. "Okay.”

“Go get ready, Sam. Keri, we will stop at your house, and you can change on the way.”

I texted Collin. “Plans are moving forward. I’ll meet you and Liv there.”

Collin responded right away. “You okay, babe?”

“Yes. See you soon.”

Keri sat across from me. “Meg, are you and Collin together?”

I looked at him in shock. How did he know? I was caught off guard and tried to find the words.

Sam raised his brow, as if he knew, too.

“It’s okay. Are you?” Keri pushed.

“Yes. How did you guess?”

Keri smiled at me and tapped the window. “You’re in his car with his driver.”

“I thought something was up at Baracade,” Sam pointed out.

“How?”

“Oh, please. He was on me like a hot potato as soon as I touched your arm. And I thought he was going to cut my eyes out with his laser stare when I tried to get you to dance,” Sam admitted.

So we hadn't been as secretive as we thought.

Sam laughed. “He didn’t like me giving you attention the first night I met you, either, now that I think about it.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“So yesterday, you were upset about Collin?”

“Yes.”

“Do I need to hurt him?” Keri was calm but serious.

“No, Keri. We’re good now.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Hurt crossed his face.

“I didn’t want to hurt you, Keri. Collin didn’t either.”

Keri scanned my eyes. "I’ll let this one pass, but no more secrets from now on, okay?”

“I promise.”

“Well, we know she keeps her promises better than we do, so I think you can trust her on that, man,” Sam joked.

We all started laughing. It felt good after the emotional day we had already been through.

The car pulled up to Keri’s place. “I’ll go change and be right back.”

He left, and Sam stared back at me.

“What?”

“Collin’s a good guy, Meg. I’m happy for you guys.”

I gave him a grateful smile. It felt good not to have to hide anymore, and for the people, we were most worried about to be okay with our secret.

Sam shifted. “You know, Collin and I have been through a lot. He stuck by me during a lot of craziness. He’s always fighting to get me the best, and I don’t make it very easy on him.”

“Maybe you should make it a little easier for him and see what he can really do for you.”

Sam laughed softly. “Maybe, Meg, maybe…”

“It would make Liv and my lives easier too, you know.”

“Okay, girl, I get it. Hearing you loud and clear.”

“Sam, you have the world by the balls if you want it. I only need you to trust us and do what we say.”

“You talk about trust all the time, but I trust you more than anyone. I have since you stepped through my door the first night. You get me.” He looked at me, very vulnerable and very raw.

I did get him. “So morph. Use your brain, not your fists. Show the world this guy. Be an animal on the field and an unstoppable, smart guy off of it.”

Keri opened the door. “What did I miss?”

Sam winked. I smiled back.

Am I getting through to these two, finally?

I stared at Keri. “You look great, Keri.”

He smiled at me, his player in full force. It was the smile that I had loved, hated, and now loved, again.

“You two ready?”

Sam and Keri both glanced at each other, a bit uncomfortable, then back at me. They both slowly nodded.

“If you don’t try, you can’t win!” I winked, rolled down the driver’s window, and told him to go.

17

Meg

We pulled up to Keri’s old Community Center. A drop of sweat rolled down his face.

Sam reached over and patted him on the back. “Come on, man, we got this.”

Keri took a deep breath and stepped out. Collin, Liv, and Tom stood at the door of the building.

“Tom, what are you doing here?” Keri asked him.

Tom gave him a wink and a fist bump. “Man, you got some crazy secrets, huh?”

Keri and my first date at Club D flooded back. I saw Keri relax a bit, as he remembered the night when he learned Tom’s secret.

“Thanks, man.”

“I got you, Bro.”

Collin walked over to me. I realized he didn’t know that Keri and Sam knew about us. Even though he didn’t know, he put his arm around me and whispered, “You okay?”

“All good.”

Keri walked up to Collin. “You could have told me.”

Collin took a big breath. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“I know. I told Meg I’m giving you both a pass, but for the record, if you ever hurt her, I’ll kill you.

“I’ll help him,” Sam jumped in.

Collin nodded, the negotiator in full force. “Deal.”

Liv cleared her throat. “Guys, it's time to do this. You both ready?”

They nodded hesitantly.

I stepped away from Collin and grabbed Keri’s hand. “Let’s go.”

He turned to me in surprise.

“Put your player face on; you’re Keri fucking James.” I winked at him.

He laughed, “All right, Meg, just for you,” and he put his player face on.

We walked through the doors; I gripped Keri’s hand harder. He was about to face his demons, and I was proud of him but also nervous.

Steven, the Turbo rep, shook everyone’s hands, along with the Director of the Community Center, Marla.

Collin introduced Keri and Sam.

I felt Keri’s hand start to shake. “You okay?” I whispered to him.

“It’s so different,” he stated.

The hallway was a fun mix of different colors—bright and inviting. Marla gave us a tour and showed us the different areas for the kids. Then, she explained how their funding worked and what the needs were.

We were close to the gymnasium. Marla was about to show us the new video game lounge when Keri stopped. The hair on my neck stood up, and I knew this was the room that his sister had been raped and murdered in.

His palm turned clammy—his face white. I thought he might throw up.

To my surprise, it was Sam who took over.

“Breathe, man.” He put his arm around Keri.

Keri took a breath.

“Good. Walk with me, buddy. It’ll be over in a minute.”

I caught Collin’s shocked face over what was happening.

Keri and Sam both walked into the room. Keri let out a breath. “It’s not like how it used to be.”

The room was full of warmth and cheer. Kids played video games. They saw Sam, Keri, and Tom and jumped up, ran over to them, and wanted their autographs.

The three guys gave their autographs and talked to the kids. They gave them high fives and asked what games they were playing.

Collin put his arm around me and pulled me in close. I hadn’t realized that I had been holding my breath. I exhaled and leaned into Collin.

We eventually moved into the gymnasium, and the kids erupted in shouts and screams when they saw the three players enter the gym.

Marla stood at the microphone and told everyone to quiet down. Once the gym quieted, she introduced Tom, Keri, and Sam. The gym erupted again.

Tom gave the speech that he often gave through his foundation about why the kids needed to stay in school and speak up if they felt unsafe in any way.

In the middle of his speech, Keri walked over and stood next to Tom. Tom stopped talking. Keri grabbed the microphone.

He nervously glanced around the gym. “This is where I grew up. Right here in this room. I spent so many hours here—I can’t even tell you how many.”

Keri paused. “Some of you have a tough life. I grew up with a tough life. Someone reminded me today that it’s important that you all know that whatever you want to be—or do—it’s up to you to go get it.”

Sam walked over to Keri and put his hand out for the microphone. He cleared his throat, “It’s also up to you not to screw it up. You have to take the opportunities you are given and maximize them. You can be a beast on the field, but you gotta be smart and use your brain when you're off it.”

Keri took the microphone back. “You’re going to have a lot of temptations: drugs, alcohol, gangs, sex. They’re all going to try to keep you here, in your current situation, and away from what you really want.”

Sam leaned in. “People are going to try and stop you from achieving what you want. You must surround yourself with people who believe in you and fight for you, even when you are screwing it up.” He peered over at Collin, Liv, and me.

Tom took a step closer and took the microphone. “You only get one life. You gotta decide if you are in or out. If you’re in, then you gotta be all in.”

“So what do you want to be?” Keri shouted.

“All in,” the kids screamed.

“I can’t hear you,” Sam yelled, his hand to his ears.

The kids shouted louder, “All in!”

Tom put his hand to his ears, and the kids started chanting, “All in, all in,” over and over and stomped their feet.

Collin walked over to Stephen from Turbo, with his negotiator's face on.

Stephen shook his hand. “This is a good step forward.”

Collin winked at Liv and me.

There was still so much to be done. But we had just passed a significant hurdle.

A fter another great event, at Sam’s old Community Center, Stephen told us that he would give Turbo a good recommendation.

Step one was done. Now it was time for phase two.

Keri and Sam needed to go hang out, and the paparazzi needed to see it.

But they couldn’t get drunk. So this was the big test.

Keri and Sam seemed to develop a respect and friendship throughout the day. We no longer worried about a fight, but we still were concerned about alcohol being involved.

The news of the fight between Keri and Sam at the charity event had been in all the papers. The press had a field day and pitted the two against each other.

It had been a long day, and we were all ready to relax a bit.

We notified the paparazzi that Tom, Keri, and Sam would all be at Baracade and then La Tease. There was no way that the paparazzi would miss a story with the three of them.

As always, Tom hated the attention, but he insisted on helping us. Both he and Collin would run interference if needed.

We were leaving the second event in Collin’s car, and I leaned back on him. It was the first time we were alone all day.

“You did good, babe,” he murmured in my ear as his fingers grazed my arm.

“How much time do we have till we get to Baracade?”

“Probably an hour in this traffic.”

I turned toward him. “Great, let’s negotiate.”

He licked his lips; a sly grin appeared on his face. “Yeah, what are we negotiating for?”

“Car privileges.”

He wrinkled his forehead in curiosity. “Car privileges?”

“Yes, for the next week.”

“And?”

I batted my eyes. “I get the car on the way home. You can pick me up or find alternate transportation. Negotiations are over when the first person cums.”

Collin licked his lips with cocky eyes. “Deal.”

I reached up to kiss him; my tongue flickered in his mouth. It was only enough to make him want more, but I wouldn’t let him have it. I pulled back.

He tried to grab my head, but I ducked out.

“You’re not going to let me kiss you?”

I put on my sultry voice. “Well, what are you going to give me?”

“What do you want?”

“You have to take your shirt off.”

He took off his jacket, shirt, and tie. “Done. Now get over here.”

“Leave your tie on,” I ordered.

The negotiator raised his eyebrows and put his tie back on. “Come here.”

Like a good girl, I moved to sit on his lap and kissed him on his lips, digging into his arousal, then moving down his neck to his nipple, licking, and sucking on it hard. He moaned, and I moved to his other nipple.

Collin unzipped my dress and moved it off my shoulders. Jumping back, I wiggled my finger at him. “You didn’t give me anything.”

Frustration crossed his face, and then the negotiator was back. “What do you want?”

“Morning drop-offs, but you can’t wear your shirt or blazer once we are in the car. Only your tie.”

He tried to stifle a laugh, and then he put the negotiator back on.

I stroked his penis to give him some encouragement.

He gave me his cocky stare and stayed quiet.

As I continued to kiss and fondle him, he tried to push my dress off again. I stopped and wagged my finger again. “Are you ready to make a deal?”

“Fine. Done. Get that dress off.”

Licking my lips at him, I moved to the seat across from his and sat back on my knees. Slowly, I pulled my dress off seductively and shook my red hair all over my naked back, then pumped my ass a bit in the air to display my silver thong.

“You’re a tease.” Collin wore a smoldering look on his face, lunged at me, like a pouncing tiger, grabbed me, and turned me around, so I sat on the seat. Quickly, he knelt in front of me, threw my legs over his shoulders, grabbed my panties and ripped them off me. “I’ll have to buy you a new pair,” he muttered and threw them off to the side.

Go ahead and rip off my panties any day, I thought, as my vagina spasmed with happiness.

Collin didn’t hold back. He took two fingers, slid them into me and took his thumb and rolled my clit. His mouth caressed my inner thighs while he intensified the pressure and speed from his thumb.

A loud gasp escaped from my throat as I dug my heels into the ceiling of the car, and pushed my body further onto his long fingers.

Collin began swiping his fingers and thumb until I was panting. "If you want it, you can have it," he arrogantly purred.

I wanted it, but it snapped me back into reality.

We were in negotiations.

I shook my head.

"Really?" he rubbed faster.

"No," I squeaked out as I thought I might explode. He slowed me down. “If you want me to stop, then you take your underwear off in the car every morning.”

He's such a perv. And I fucking love it.

“Deal,” I panted.

He pulled his fingers out and stuck them in my mouth.

I sucked on his fingers and pushed him back to his side of the car. Then, I smashed my breasts into his face and unbuckled his pants.

He pulled my breast out of his mouth. “Not so fast. If you want my pants off, then you need to give me something.”

I definitely want his pants off.

“A blow job on the way to the Volts game Thursday night?” I offered.

Collin didn’t need to think about that one. “Done!” he exclaimed with a grin on his face.

Quickly, I unzipped his pants and pulled them down along with his underwear. I sat down right next to his big hard cock as my wetness dripped all over him.

He tried to move me on top of him, but I wouldn’t give in that easy.

“That’s a no-no unless you give me something,” I wagged my finger at him and gave him a little pout.

He put his mouth on mine in a passionate kiss and tried again.

I wanted his dick inside me, but I wouldn’t allow it without getting something in return. “If you want to be inside me, then you have to give me something.”

The negotiator came back. “After the Volts game, we’re going to go for a ride on the freeway, and I’m going to get some Cristal and lick it off every inch of your naked body.”

Collin is stepping it up!

"Done," I purred in his ear and sat on him hard as I gasped for air.

"Fuck, Meg!" Collin burst out. He didn't wait and started to move me up and down before I could even get used to him.

My knees sank into the car leather as I drove him deeper into me.

My breasts heaved up and down, and I shoved them in Collin's mouth. Shivers flew down my spine.

Adrenaline started to flow through my veins, and I realized that I needed to do something fast to make Collin cum before me.

If you don’t try, you can’t win.

Grabbing his tie and slipping it over his neck until it was over his eyes, I tugged his head slightly back, pushed my lips to his neck and ear, and moved faster.

He groaned. Hard.

Almost there.

My other hand reached around and began to gently squeeze his balls, while my pussy gripped him as I bounced on his dick.

Bye-bye negotiator! Collin panted as hard as I did. His face flushed with heat, and his chest heaved.

In one final move, I took my arms and steadied myself on the ceiling. I push myself as far down on Collin’s cock as I could go, and squeezed myself hard on him. His body erupted in convulsions, and took mine with him, as we both screamed out in ecstasy.

Clinging to his neck as my chest heaved, I quickly removed his tie from his eyes, gave him a peck on the lips and a big grin. “I win.”

He started laughing. “I think that was the best negotiation of my life.”

It took us a bit to put ourselves back together before we could go into Baracade. Collin was about to put his tie back on, and I grabbed it.

He paused, eyebrows raised.

“I think I want to see you in your freshly fucked look all night.”

“Oh yeah?” he questioned with a raised brow at me, a silly grin on his face.

“Since I’m not wearing any panties, you don’t get your tie back. These buttons stay undone,” I unbuttoned Collin's top few buttons and opened up his shirt to show off a bit of his chest.

He was amused. “Whatever you want, babe.” He opened the door, stepped out, and reached in to grab me.

The paparazzi had gotten the message. They swarmed outside the building.

Collin swiftly pulled me into him, guided me into the bar and led me to the back where the others were.

Liv eyed us.

I gave her a smirk.

She handed me a Cosmo, pointed to the guys, and told Collin, "Pitcher is over there."

Keri and Sam each held a pint, but neither was really drinking. As I surveyed the room, I saw people snapping photos with their phones. The guys were deep in conversation with Tom. Collin walked over, poured himself a drink, and took a seat.

Liv turned to me. “Good car ride?”

I licked my lips and smirked again at Liv.

She laughed. “So everything seems good between the four of you?” She pointed to the guys.

“Yeah. Keri and Sam both figured it out. It’s such a relief not to be hiding anymore.”

“I bet.” Liv understood that one.

“I’m happy Tom was there. I think it meant a lot to Keri too.”

“Did you find out what happened to them?”

“It’s painful. I’ll tell you another day.”

"Fair enough. And are you okay?”

Liv knew me well. Until I told Collin, she was the only person I ever told my story to. I don’t know if Tom knew or not, but I assumed he did, which I was okay with.

I thought for a minute before I answered her. “You know, until I told Collin my history, I had never told anyone besides you. I think it was really good therapy for me.”

“I can see how that might be good for you.”

“When I told Keri and Sam this morning, it came out a whole lot easier.”

“You told Keri and Sam?” Shock covered her face.

I shrugged. “How do you think I learned their stories?”

“Meg magic?” she joked.

I chuckled. “I wish it was that easy.”

“You did amazing, Meg. Honestly, we’re only back in the game with Turbo because of you. Regardless of what happens, you’re incredible.” She clinked her Cosmo to mine.

There was something I needed to say to Liv. “The luckiest day of my life was running into you in that coffee shop. Thank you.”

“Meg, you know that our firm wouldn’t be where it is without you, right?”

“You would be right where you are, Liv.”

She shook her head. “You don’t believe me? Meg, you run our firm. I would be completely lost without you, and many accounts would have left over the years.”

I smiled at her. “Still luckiest day of my life.”

“Mine too, girl.” She put her arm around my shoulders.

Tom walked over, “You ladies hungry? Kip called—the paparazzi are insane tonight.”

Liv and I laughed. “Gee, wonder why?”

Tom rolled his eyes. “Once again, a necessary evil.”

“Gather the troops,” Liv instructed.

Tom motioned to everyone that it was time to leave. I noticed that Keri and Sam had barely touched their beers.

Were they cutting back or just on their best behavior? Hmmm... I hoped they could stay that way.

Collin joined us and put his arm around me. “Ready to go?”

The six of us left. The paparazzi had a field day. Our cars pulled up. Liv and Tom first. Keri and Sam next. Then Collin and me.

When we were finally safe in the car, I breathed a sigh of relief.

“You all right?”

“Yeah, I can understand why it gets to Tom so much.”

Collin put his arm around me as I sank into his chest. His fingers started to stroke my thigh, and he moved them up.

I gazed up at him. “La Tease isn’t that far.”

He quickly dipped his finger in me, grabbed my wetness, and moved straight to my clit.

“I don’t need that much time,” he promised, his ego in full force.

“Oh, really?” I challenged him.

He nibbled my ear and whispered, “Relax, babe. Let me enjoy my panty win.”

Well, fair is fair. I sank back into him more, closed my eyes, and enjoyed his hands on me.

He quickly got into a rhythm. My breath increased as he started to speed up and then slow down.

Over and over, he played with my body as he drove me up and pulled me back down.

I laid on his chest. His long fingers were in my cunt; his mouth was on my neck. His other hand was on my breast as he squeezed my nipple.

“Collin,” I breathed, and grabbed his leg to steady myself.

He drove me back up, and I thought I was going to cum, but then he brought me back down.

“Please, Collin,” I begged.

Collin bit my ear. “Tell me what you need and I’ll give it to you.”

“I need you, Collin. Please,” I begged him.

Within seconds, he ricocheted me into pleasure. I shook and moaned while I gripped his leg and seat with all my might.

The car stopped outside of La Tease.

I was still breathing hard when Collin kissed me.

“Told you I didn’t need that much time.” Pure cockiness spread across his face. “Ready?”

I laughed. “I think I’m going to like not wearing any panties this week.”

18

Meg

I snuck out of Collin’s the next morning before he woke up and ran down to the newsstand. The paparazzi were in full force at La Tease, and there was no doubt in my mind it would be in the papers.

I arrived at the newsstand. “Hey, aren’t you this girl?” The newsstand guy pointed to the paper.

Gaping at him, I shook my head, grabbed copies of everything I saw, and began to run back to Collin’s as my insides shook.

Halfway back to Collin’s, a few men started to call my name and chase me. I ran faster and quickly got into the safety of Collin’s building. When I looked out the window, I realized they were paparazzi.

My insides shook harder, and I ran to the elevator and went up to Collin’s floor. When I got into the apartment, I sat down on Collin’s couch, put all the newspapers on the coffee table, and stared at the headlines.

The Girl in the Foursome

A picture of Keri and me from a long time ago, one with Sam at the charity event, and the freshly fucked Collin and me as we arrived at Baracade, took up the entire front page.

Who is Meg Grail?

There was a spread on the firm, in the business section, with my photo from the website.

Why Tom Marko is Leaving Olivia White for Meg Grail

In the bottom corner of the front page was Tom giving me a hug when we arrived at the charity event.

Corwin Losing James and Quinto over Grail

Splashed on the front page was a picture from the fight with Collin, between Keri and Sam, as I fled the charity event.

James and Corwin in Love Triangle with Grail

In the photo, I was holding Keri’s hand at the Community Center, as Collin gazed at us with his negotiator's face on.

I don’t know how long I sat there. My insides shook. I felt sick. I didn’t know how this could have happened.

We had a plan. It was a good plan—a plan so good, the paparazzi should’ve been eating out of our hands.

At some point, Collin must have woken up.

“Meg, you okay?” He sat down next to me and put his hand on my leg.

My hands were shaking, “I... I…”

Somewhere in the room, a phone rang.

“Yeah, I think she is in shock.” I heard Collin’s voice.

Then, “All right, Liv.”

I felt Collin next to me again. “Babe, look at me.”

“Breathe,” I heard him say.

I didn’t realize it, but I was holding my breath. I took a deep breath with Collin.

“It’s going to be okay, I promise.” Collin stroked my cheek.

I mustered out, “None of this is true.”

Collin moved over and put his arms around me. “I know, babe.”

“This is going to screw up the Turbo deal, and it’s my fault,” I whispered.

Collin pulled me onto his lap. I didn’t realize it, but tears had already started falling. He wiped my tears away and pulled my face up. “No, Meg. None of this is your fault.”

The phone rang again. “Hey, Keri.”

“No, she’s right here, hold on.” Collin handed me the phone.

I shook my head. I blew Keri’s deal. I didn’t want to face him.

Collin pushed the phone at me again. “Talk to him.”

I hesitantly took the phone. Tears fell again, “Keri, I’m so sorry.”

“Meg, this isn’t your fault. I’m calling to make sure you’re okay.” Keri sounded worried.

I took a shaky breath and didn’t say anything.

“I’m used to the press making personal attacks, but you don’t deserve this. I’m so sorry. This is Sam’s and my fault, not yours.”

“No, it’s not—” I stammered.

“It is. We are the ones who fought.”

“Keri, if you lose your shoe—”

“Meg, did you see all the press?”

“What do you mean all the press?”

Keri quieted for a minute. “For every story about you, there are three or four stories that are good. Almost everything on the news is about the Community Centers and about how Sam and I are trying to give back. There are lots of pictures of Sam, Tom, and me as well. I don’t think we are going to lose anything.”

“Really?” I didn’t believe him. All I saw on the newsstand was myself.

“Turn on the TV. I need to get into practice or I’ll get fined. I’ll call you later.”

I hung up. “Collin, Keri said to turn on the TV; it’s not all bad.”

Collin grabbed the remote and turned on the television. Every news channel was about Keri, Sam, and Tom.

I started to feel better, but then Collin flipped the channel. “Who exactly is Meg Grail?”

A full story about me popped up.

“Before Meg Grail came to New York and became the right hand of Olivia White, she lived in New Jersey. We did some digging into her background and found that her father, Daniel Grail, is serving life for the first-degree murder of her mother,” the female anchor reported.

The male news reporter chimed in, “It’s amazing what Ms. Grail has accomplished when you consider that she has a high school diploma and a background of crime in her family.”

Collin turned the screen off. Horror filled me. The entire world now knew my past. It had caught up to me, and no matter how much I wanted to pretend it didn’t exist, I could no longer hide from it.

Tears of shame fell silently down my cheeks, and Collin held me tight and stroked my hair.

I don’t know how long Collin held me, but the doorbell rang. He threw a blanket over me and walked to the front door and hit the intercom. It was Liv. He buzzed her in, and she was soon knocking on the door. Collin opened it.

Liv rushed over, put her arms around me and I once again sobbed. “Shhh, it’s okay, it’s all going to be all right.”

“Everyone knows,” I whispered to her.

She hugged me again. “Meg, who cares? It doesn’t change who you are or what you’ve accomplished.”

I shook my head and closed my eyes.

Collin came over and set down a cup of tea for me and coffee for Liv as my phone rang.

Collin picked it up. “Hey, Sam.”

“She’s right here, hold on.” He handed me the phone.

I shook my head again, but like before Collin made me take it.

“Meg, you okay?”

“Not the best day of my life.”

“I’m used to this crap, but you don’t deserve this. I’m so sorry. This is Keri’s and my fault.”

Well, at least they were on the same ‘falling on the sword’ page.

“It’s not your fault or Keri’s.”

“Look, I know this feels terrible right now, but eventually, this will blow over. Try to focus on the positive; that’s how I get through it.”

Wow. Sam gave me good advice. I smiled for the first time since I woke up. “Thanks, Sam.”

“I have video recaps, but I’ll call you later to check on you. Head up, girl.”

“Thanks, Sam.” I hung up.

Liv sat down in the armchair across from me. Collin picked up my feet and sat down with them in his lap to give me a foot massage.

Another call came in on Collin’s phone.

“It’s Turbo. I have to take this.”

Liv and I nodded.

“Stephen,” Collin answered.

Liv and I both sat up straighter.

“Correct.” The negotiator was back.

Liv took her finger and pointed at Collin and then made a circular motion around her face. I smiled and quietly laughed.

Collin shot us a quick ‘be quiet’ face. “It’s only the beginning of what they want to do. Marko is getting his foundation involved to help as well.”

I gave Liv a ‘what’s this about’ stare.

Liv gave me her ‘I don’t know’ look.

“Yeah, well, you know how the paparazzi like to make shit up out of thin air.” The negotiator was calm like it was no big deal.

Damn, how did he stay so calm all the time?

He gave a short laugh. “None of our lives are that interesting.”

I thought our negotiations last night were pretty interesting.

“You’re gonna have to go up for both of them; you know that. You can’t offer the same for more.” Collin told Stephen in his non-negotiable tone.

Collin started to pace. “Five times.”

I jerked my head in shock at Liv. Five times was unheard of.

Collin laughed sarcastically. “You heard me right. Five times.”

Liv held up her hand to me. “Five times,” she mouthed.

The negotiator walked over to the window. “You heard me correctly. Five times.”

My head moved quickly back and forth between Collin and Liv.

Collin looked out over the skyline. “What I know is that Turbo’s return is going to be a thousand times plus. So five times, or we walk over to your competitor.”

Liv raised her eyebrows at me.

“That’s a good point because I sat down with every single one of your competitors last week.” Collin put his hand through his hair.

My pulse quickened just watching him. I wondered again how he managed to stay so calm.

Collin turned and stared at me. “Forty-eight hours.”

My body pulsed. Damn he’s hot.

“No, I think that is totally fair.” Collin paced again, licked his lips, and paused to listen.

Liv and I shot each other nervous glances.

“Enough is enough. We’ve proven it. You got what you wanted. It’s time for Turbo to pony up. Forty-eight hours. All in or all out. Decide, or we move on.” Collin hung up and took a deep breath.

Liv and I exchanged more glances, then stared at Collin.

Collin paused a moment. “It worked. They love the marketability. They want full lines of apparel in addition to the shoe for both Keri and Sam. They also want to do cross-marketing since they work so well together.”

“Five times?” Liv asked.

“Yes.” Collin nodded.

Liv’s phone rang. She walked to the door and released the buzzer.

Soon, Tom came in and handed me a pint of Ben and Jerry’s. “I thought you might want this for breakfast since we’re together now.”

I laughed. “Go get me a spoon.”

He handed Liv a pint. “You get one since I’ve dumped you.”

She pulled him down for a kiss.

“So, what did I miss?” Tom asked.

Liv jumped in. “Collin told Turbo forty-eight hours, for five times, for Keri and Sam.”

Tom whistled.

“Why five times, Collin?” I asked him.

“Three reasons. I’m tired of their charades, they can afford it, and my guys deserve it. Grab me a spoon too, Tom.” Collin grabbed my feet, sat back down, and rubbed them.

I licked my lips at him.

“What?”

“You’re pretty sexy when you negotiate and get all fired up like that.” I licked my lips again and winked.

Collin gave me a smoldering look.

Tom came over with four spoons. “So, what now?”

Collin took a deep breath. “We wait.”

19

Meg

It was early evening when I showered and fixed myself up; that included half a bottle of eye drops to get rid of my red eyes. Collin had gone to a meeting he couldn’t reschedule and it had been a few hours.

Standing in the closet, I looked at my small pile of clothes. I realized that I hadn’t been to my apartment in a few days.

The thought entered my head that Collin and I hadn’t discussed moving in together again. We were supposed to talk the night before, but the car ride wasn’t any cooler than the previous two. After dinner at La Tease, we hadn’t made it past the family room before all our clothes were off, and we were fucking again.

Deep in thought, I replayed our sexual escapades in my head and didn’t hear Collin come in.

I stood in the closet, in a towel, and stared at the dresser drawer which contained a few of my bras and panties. Collin snuck up and grabbed me from behind, which made me jump.

“Well, that’s a site I’m going to keep in my mind,” he teased.

“Ha, ha.”

“I brought some things back for you, from your apartment.”

I reached up and kissed him, “Thanks, babe.”

He held up a bag and shook it. “This is for you.” Mischief filled his eyes.

“What is it?”

He put on his negotiator's face. “Open it.”

I grabbed the bag and pulled out a very expensive, very delicate Carine Gilson, copper bra and underwear set, along with a matching kimono.

Collin had a mischievous look on his face. “Put it on. I want to have the visual all night in my head.”

“Well, aren’t you naughty?” I laughed.

He stepped to the side and pointed to a Neiman Marcus garment bag I hadn’t noticed. “Got you that too, for tonight.”

“Tonight?”

He grinned. “I made reservations at Zizi’s.”

Panic surged through me. “Collin, I can’t go outside. The paparazzi…”

He stepped forward and put his finger on top of my lip. “Shh…”

I stopped. My heartbeat started to go up.

“We aren’t going to hide. We’ve done enough of that. Tom is sending over two of his bodyguards. I’m taking you out.” He stepped back, unzipped the garment bag, and pulled out a gold cocktail dress, and slung it over his shoulder. He pointed to the lingerie. “Put it on, then come out and get your dress.”

I took a deep breath. “Collin—”

“We’re going out, Meg.” He turned and left.

I sighed and started to put everything on, including my kimono.

I had to hand it to Collin—he made a good choice. The colors were perfect with my red hair and green eyes.

When I walked out, Collin gave me a low, sexy whistle. I blushed.

He sat on the bed, and I stood between his thighs. He wrapped his mouth around mine, and his hands grabbed my ass through the kimono.

Slowly, he untied my kimono and removed it, then pushed me back so he could check me out. “Turn around,” he commanded in a sultry voice.

“What are you going to give me?”

He raised his eyebrow at me and put his negotiator face on.

“What do you want, Meg?”

I paused, took a step forward, and put my arms around his neck. “A real estate agent. We need our own closets.”

His face did a double-take. I had caught him off guard. As he started to realize what I meant, his negotiator face changed into a schoolboy grin. “Done.”

I crushed my mouth into his and he hardened.

He pushed me away. “Turn around,” he growled.

I turned. Then, to be a tease, I slowly extended my arms into the air and then bent down and stretched my fingers to my toes, tossing my hair as I came back up.

I turned back to Collin and licked my lips. “Unzip my dress,” I instructed him.

He unzipped my dress and held it open as I stepped in it. Then he moved my hair to one side, zipped me up, and kissed my neck.

Maybe we can skip dinner and go directly to dessert? I pushed my ass into him and felt his erection. Well, at least I’m not the only one getting turned on, I thought.

“Put these on,” he mumbled. I opened my eyes. A pair of Gucci stilettos dangled from his fingers.

I turned around. “Nice touch, Mr. Corwin.”

He laughed, slapped my ass, and looked at his watch. “We need to get moving. Get your shoes on.”

“You put my shoes on.”

Collin gave me a cocky grin and bent down. He reached up to grab one of the shoes, pulled my dress up, and exposed my thigh, then kissed from my inner thigh down to my foot as he put on my shoe.

It's official. I'm going to be super wet all night.

I handed him the other shoe.

“What are you going to give me?” he asked.

I didn’t have to think about that one. “Dessert,” I said in a naughty voice.

Collin licked his lips. “Done.” He grabbed my shoe, then repeated the same move.

After my shoes were on, he led me to the door and put on my coat.

We stood together in the elevator, his arm around me, his hand on my hip, and my head on his chest.

It was crazy how much we had been through, and this was our first real date in public.

We walked outside, and the bodyguards quickly led us to the car. The paparazzi were in a frenzy as they shot photos and shouted.

I had briefly forgotten about the paparazzi who no doubt would also be outside of Zizi's.

He opened the door for me to get in. I climbed in, and he quickly followed me. I took a deep breath. Collin put his arm around me. “Don’t think about it. Think about my dessert,” he said naughtily.

I slowly ran my tongue across my lips. “It’s about time you finally took me on a proper date,” I teased.

Collin smiled, then turned serious. “I’ve always wanted to take you on a proper date.”

A thought hit me. “I forgot, I’m not supposed to wear panties in here,” and started to pull my dress up.

Collin stopped me. “Not tonight, Meg.”

I looked at him, surprised. Was Collin nervous?

He leaned in and gave me a soft kiss.

I suddenly had butterflies. Collin was taking this first date thing seriously.

“You want to stay on our side of town or find a place closer to Liv and Tom’s?” he asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders. “Don’t care, as long as you come with the place.”

“Done.” He grinned.

“Hey, Collin?”

“Hmmm?”

I took a deep breath. “Do you want kids?”

His face turned serious. “If you want kids, then yes. If you don’t, then no. I never really thought about it, to be honest, because I have never had anyone that I would want them with before.”

Collin’s fingers stroked my arm. “Do you want kids?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know.” I honestly didn’t know. But now that we were free to be together and this was real, I thought I should ask in case he adamantly wanted them.

We pulled up to Zizi’s. As I assumed, the paparazzi were in full force.

One of the bodyguards came and opened our door; the other one stood next to him.

“We just have to get inside,” Collin whispered. “Stay close to me.”

You don’t have to worry about that.

He stepped out and reached in to grab me. Our bodyguards cleared the way and shooed the paparazzi back.

As soon as I stepped out, I heard them screaming my name.

I clenched my hand in Collin’s as he pulled me up to him. Swiftly, he moved me through the crowd of flashing lights.

Once inside, the hostess quickly led us to our private booth. Collin motioned to the bodyguards, and they left. He helped me get my coat off, and I sat down.

Collin took a seat across from me, and the waiter came up, introduced himself, and asked if we wanted sake.

“Meg?”

“Sure.”

Collin held up two fingers to the waiter.

“How did your meeting go?” I inquired realizing I hadn’t asked him earlier.

Collin gave me a dirty smile. “I didn’t have a meeting. I went shopping.”

I blushed and remembered the sexy lingerie underneath my dress that he was imagining.

“You’ve gone to a lot of effort to take me to dinner,” I took my foot out of my shoe, put it on his ankle, and scandalously moved it up his leg.

A smile crept onto Collin’s face. “I did owe you a new pair of panties.”

I licked my lips, bit my lip slightly, then moved my foot until it was almost to his crotch, then down again.

The waiter came back with the sake and started discussing the specials.

As Collin tried to concentrate on the waiter, I smirked at him and continued to move my foot back up and grazed his dick. His erection hardened as I squeezed him with my toes.

He inhaled sharply, with his negotiator face on, while I continued massaging him with my toes. I felt him respond and saw his jaw tightening. The waiter kept talking.

Collin asked the waiter if we could have a few minutes.

I took my foot and moved it back down his leg but stayed between his ankle and mid-calf.

“Did you catch any of that?” I smirked at him.

Collin burst out laughing. “Not a word.”

“Maybe we should order from the menu?” I suggested and moved my foot slightly higher onto his thigh and back into his groin.

Quickly, he grabbed my foot and firmly rubbed the ball of it before interlocking his fingers between my toes. I let out a gasp as a bolt shot through my leg and straight into my vagina.

Cocky Collin gave me a look of satisfaction.

I tried to pull my foot away, but he had me on lockdown. He continued the motion, and I inhaled sharply.

“So what should we order?” His cockiness was still all over his face as I continued to breathe heavily.

I bit my lip, sucked on my index finger for a minute, and pushed my heel into his dick. “You decide.”

The waiter magically appeared. “Ready to order?”

Quickly, he let go of my foot with one of his hands and pulled it from under the table. “Bring us the special, please,” he requested, while he still gripped between my toes.

I took the opportunity to pull my foot away. I needed to cool down.

The waiter left, and Collin took a sip of his sake. He stared at me.

“What?”

“You’re really beautiful, Meg.”

I blushed for the second time that day and got butterflies in my stomach. How was this possible when we already knew each other so intimately?

Collin’s negotiations with Turbo, earlier that day, came into my mind. “Question.”

“What’s that?”

“How did you learn to negotiate? Was it in college?” I genuinely wanted to know.

Collin seemed surprised. “You don’t study that in college, Meg. The firm I wanted to work with had a Bachelors requirement. I knew I couldn’t open my agency without learning the ropes first, and I wanted to learn from the best. That’s why I went back.”

“Then where did you learn?”

His eyes searched mine. “Where did you learn?”

I was confused.

Collin reached out for my hand. “You don’t realize how much you negotiate, do you?”

I shook my head.

“Keri, Sam, all your other clients? Anytime you get others to do what you want, it involves some negotiation. What you did to get Keri and Sam to do what they needed to yesterday was nothing short of a miracle. The first meeting with Keri, when you knew exactly how to get him to pay attention, that was...” Collin shook his head.

“What?”

“Well, for one, the sexiest thing I ever saw in a conference room.”

“Ha, ha!”

Collin wasn’t done. “But it was one of the smartest. That’s when I knew you were a force.”

“I thought you were upset with me.”

Collin smiled, stroked my hand with his fingers, “Jealous that you had that kind of relationship with Keri...oh, and totally trying to hide my hard-on.”

I giggled.

Collin became serious again. “Meg, you seem to think you’re worth less because you don’t have a college degree. Most people who have one can’t do an eighth of what you can do. It’s just a piece of paper. Stop attaching your worth to it.”

I sat there quietly. I never viewed it that way before. I always saw my lack of education as a reminder about how I grew up.

The waiter came over and put our food down. Collin ordered us another round of sake then sat back. I could tell that he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure.

I waited for him to speak. After a few minutes, I said, “Whatever you want to say, just say it.”

He hesitated.

“Go on,” I encouraged him.

He grabbed both my hands and rubbed his thumbs on them, “I know that those articles are unfair and full of lies, but maybe the truth being out there about your past is a good thing.”

I tensed up. “How could it possibly be a good thing?”

“Maybe you’ll realize that everyone has baggage of some sort and people love you for you. What happened wasn’t your fault. It’s not a reflection of who you are. It doesn’t diminish your light in any way.” Collin’s eyes were so intense, with so much belief in me that I needed to look down.

He reached across the table and gently pushed my chin up. “Now you can be free.”

I didn’t say anything. I needed to process what he was suggesting.

We ate in silence for a bit.

Was Collin right? My past was embarrassing. Could having the truth out in public possibly set me free?

“So what’s your baggage?” I realized he knew mine, but I didn’t know his.

The negotiator came out, then as quickly as it appeared, it left, and was replaced by vulnerability.

“I had a great childhood, mine’s adult baggage.”

I grabbed his hand, “Go on.”

He shifted in his seat and took a heavy breath. “Accomplishing my dream then realizing that I wasn’t good enough for it anymore. Marrying someone I knew wasn’t right because I was too big of a coward to call it off. Being a shitty husband and ignoring things for so long because I wasn’t in love, but I didn’t want to fail again.”

“Weren’t you cheated on?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t play my role in our marriage issues. I did my part to drive her to cheat on me.”

“What do you mean?” How could he blame himself for his ex-wife cheating on him?

Collin sighed. “I was never home. When I was, I wasn’t present. She didn’t want me, and I could see that. But instead of fighting for her, I stopped giving her attention. It was as much my fault she cheated as it was hers.”

Never before had I heard a man take responsibility for his part in a failed marriage, much less for cheating. I tried to process everything Collin had shared.

After a few minutes, I asked him, “Do you still miss basketball?”

He smiled. “Everyday. I’ll always have a love for the game.”

“I can understand that. But you’re good at what you do. You’re the best, and everyone knows that.”

Collin smiled. “Meg, do you know why I was so afraid for Keri to find out about us?”

“Yes. You didn’t want to lose him as a client.”

“But why I didn’t want to lose him as a client?” Serious Collin was back.

I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head.

“Part of my baggage about losing my pro status is what drives me to want to be the best. I don’t want to fail. Yes, I want to be successful for myself, but I don’t want to fail my clients. The path Keri was going down was going to eliminate his chance to merchandize, and I knew that if I couldn’t get it done that he was going to struggle to find another agent who could. I'm not being arrogant when I say this, but if he walked away from me, then I don’t think another agent would be able to fight for him. He had too much going against him. Does that make sense?”

“One-hundred percent! It’s one of the things I love about you. You care. Most of the agents we deal with only want to get the deal done for the money.”

Collin agreed.

The waiter came back and inquired if we wanted dessert.

I shook my head and smiled at him. “Not here."

“Check, please.”

The waiter handed Collin the bill, and Collin pulled out his credit card. After Collin signed the receipt, we stood up, and he helped me into my coat.

We walked arm and arm, to the front of the restaurant where the bodyguards were waiting.

Collin grabbed my hand and put his arm around my shoulders, then guided me through the sea of paparazzi. We made it to the car quickly.

“You okay?”

“Yes.” I moved closer to him and put my hand on his thigh.

He put his arm around me.

“Thanks for dinner. I’m glad you made me leave the house.” I meant it. He was right. We didn’t need to hide.

He leaned down and kissed me. “You make me so happy, Meg.”

I kissed him back.

Unlike the day before, our tongues lazily moved as we explored each other. There were no negotiations; only Collin and me, two people in love who enjoyed one another.

"I like going out with you," I whispered between kisses.

"I'm sorry I didn't take you out before. I always wanted to," he whispered back.

"Shh," I whispered, not wanting to think about anything in the past that could have kept us apart. The only thing I wanted to think about was our future together.

I straddled him and pulled him into me. I felt his body on mine and enjoyed the way his hands stroked my back. A happiness I hadn't felt with anyone else before surged through me, and I knew, without a doubt, that Collin Corwin was the only man I would ever want.

We made out the entire way home, whispering our love for each other in slow, drawn-out kisses. We hardly realized when the car finally stopped. Collin smiled at me, stepped out, grabbed my hand, and pulled me out after him. But he had forgotten to wait for the bodyguards.

The paparazzi were everywhere, and Collin quickly realized his mistake. He put on his negotiator's face and grabbed me close to his body. As he pulled us through the shouting crowd of lights, I kept my head down to the ground. When we got near the stairs, I thought we had made it, but then I picked my head up and saw his face.

Standing at the top of the stairs, with a black hoodie over his head, was my ex-fiancé, the abuser, staring back at me. His eyes lit up like the night sky, high on evil, and who knows what else. My smile fell from my face, and I tugged at Collins's arm. I stopped, totally paralyzed, and stared at him in horror.

Still on the stairs, he pulled out a gun, “Meg, I’ve been looking for your slutty ass,” and pulled the trigger.

The last thing I remember was Collin pushing me down. I heard the blast of the gun before everything turned black.

20

Meg

L iv's voice was repeating my name, and I slowly opened my eyes, then shut them when fluorescent lights glared back at me.

My head pounded against my skull, and I tried to figure out where I was. The bright whiteness continued to blind me, and I closed my eyes several times as Liv, and the room came into focus.

"Liv, where am I?" I grabbed her arm as panic flew through me.

She was crying. "Meg!" She hugged me.

"Liv?"

I tried to sit up and it felt like someone slapped my brain.

"Shh… Don't move too fast."

"Liv, tell me what's happening." My heart raced.

She rubbed my arm. "You're in the hospital."

Hospital? Why am I in the hospital?

"You don't remember?" Her blue eyes panicked.

I took a large breath and closed my eyes. Images of Collin as he put my shoes on rushed to me. Then dinner, paparazzi, and our heavy makeout session in the car.

Then, I saw the face in the black hoodie and remembered the gun.

"Did I get shot?" I put my hands on my head and wondered if that was why it hurt so bad.

Liv shook her head; fresh tears fell from her face. "No, you have a concussion from when you hit your head on the pavement...when Collin..."

She couldn't finish. A wave of cold rushed through my body.

"Collin," I whispered.

Liv shook her head as tears fell.

I sat up in bed. Severe pain rushed to my head, and I grabbed Liv. "Where's Collin?"

"He's in surgery. Three bullets hit him before the bodyguards took down the shooter." She put her arms around me again.

My shaking hand flew to my mouth, and my chest tightened. I felt like I couldn't breathe. Liv pulled me into her. I started sobbing and shook my head. "No!"

She tried to hold me tighter, but I pulled out of her grip. "Where is he?"

"In surgery," she repeated.

"Take me there."

"You can't go into the operating room. You need to stay here. You're seriously injured."

I moved off the bed and quickly sat back down as dizziness overtook me, and a freight train shot through my brain.

"Meg lay back down."

"No. Get me wherever the waiting room is. I mean it, Liv."

"You can't—"

"What if Tom was in surgery right now?"

She paused and thought. "Let me find a wheelchair at least. And you need some blankets."

"I'll wear my clothes."

She stared at me.

"What?" I asked as dizziness rushed to me again.

"You can't wear those clothes ever again, Meg. They’re covered in blood."

"Collin's blood?" I whispered.

Her eyes scared me. She quietly stated, "He's lost a lot. The entire Volts and Zags teams are here giving blood right now."

My insides crumbled. I tried to stand up again, but dizziness overcame me.

"Meg, you need to lay down."

I glared at her. "Collin's in surgery. I'm not staying here."

“You really should stay here and rest. You can’t do anything while he is in surgery,” Liv tried again to convince me.

I thought of Collin, and started crying again just as Keri walked in. He quickly rushed to my side and pulled me into his arms while I sobbed. "Keri, you have to get me to Collin."

He didn't argue with me. He grabbed a blanket, wrapped me up in it and carried me down the hall, onto the elevator, and through some other halls. I buried my head in his neck. I prayed this was a nightmare. Liv stayed by my side.

We finally arrived in the waiting room. I was overwhelmed at the sight of so many people, all there to do what they could to help Collin.

Charlie Cantor, and a few of the Volts sat on a couch. They moved so Keri could lay me down. Charlie's eyes were bloodshot, and he gave me a sympathetic smile. I stared at him, as memories about Collin teaching him, in our first meeting, flooded my brain. Fresh tears came to my eyes.

Liv brought the pillows, and I curled up on the couch in a ball, as terrified thoughts ran through my head, along with extreme pain.

Sam pulled up a chair next to me and stroked my hair.

Tom sounded angry on the phone. "Phil, the bodyguards should have been there. Find out how they were out of the car without them. Someone fucked up, and I want to know who."

He turned and saw me. He hadn't realized that I was in the room. "Meg, I'm sorry…"

I closed my eyes. I wasn't sure if it was my nerves or head, but I shook with cold.

"Liv, more blankets. Keri, go to the gift shop and get Meg whatever you can find that is warm," Tom instructed.

Everyone did as they were told.

It wasn't too long before I wore a sweatshirt and yoga pants, and more blankets were piled on me. I eventually stopped shaking and sat up.

I sat half in shock, half fuzzy with my concussion.

This was my fault. I had escaped Matt years ago, but I should have known that the crazy bastard would come after me someday. And Collin jumped in front of bullets for me.

More tears fell. I imagined Collin's body, lying on a cold metal table in surgery because of my past. It caused my stomach to flip once more, and I tried to stand up. Sam picked me up and raced me to the trash can, but I contained my nausea.

I leaned back against Sam. I was dizzy, sweating, and my head pounded. I felt like I was going to collapse.

"Easy there," he whispered.

I heard Liv say, "She has a serious concussion and shouldn't be out here."

"I know," Tom replied.

"Don't make me leave," I whispered to him. "Please, Sam, don't make me leave."

"I got you," he whispered back. "Let me get a doctor to check on you though. Don't worry. I got your back."

“Okay. Thanks,” I whispered.

Sam led me back to the couch. He wrapped me in blankets, put my pillows on his lap, and laid me down.

Keri came back and sat in the chair next to the couch.

Liv and Tom walked over. "Meg, I think you need to go back to your room. You can't do anything here. You need medical attention and—"

Keri cut Tom off and gave him a stare down. "The doctor is on her way."

Tom glared back at Keri. "Good."

A doctor came out. "Mrs. Corwin?"

My head snapped and sent a fresh rush of pain throughout my brain.

"Easy," Sam whispered.

"Ms. Corwin," a pretty brunette corrected her.

Confusion engulfed my face.

"Collin must have forgotten to change his emergency contact," Sam whispered. "They called her when he was brought in. Breathe."

I took a big breath.

"Dr. Connor." He took his hand and shook hers.

"Stacey Corwin."

"Your husband—"

"Ex," she corrected him.

The doctor cleared his throat. "Sorry. We've taken one of the bullets out of your ex-husband. He has two more lodged in his muscles that we need to remove. He's lost a lot of blood, and we are trying to remove them, so we don't damage the nerves. We've already given him several transfusions, and he will need more. He's stable right now, and we are hoping to keep him that way. We will keep you informed on his progress."

"Okay. Thank you."

Tom walked over to where the doctor stood. "Is there anything we can do?"

"Keep the donations coming in." He pointed to the players.

Tom picked up his phone. “Ryan. Did you hear about Collin?"

Pause.

"Yeah, I need you to get your guys down here now to donate blood."

More pause.

"Thanks, man. See you soon."

Stacey walked over to Tom. "Collin's family should be notified. We aren't on the best terms..."

"Give me the numbers, and I'll call."

She put her arm on Tom's in an appreciative way. "Thanks."

Seriously? Collin is in surgery, and she can't even call his family? What a bitch.

I glared up at Sam.

"Keep breathing," he muttered and stroked my hair.

A female doctor came out and walked over to me with a chart in her hand.

"Ms. Grail?"

I raised my head slowly.

She pulled up a chair and put out a hand to shake mine. "Dr. Nemmer."

I put my hand in hers.

"Looks like you have a pretty bad concussion and some bruises on your body. We are worried about internal bleeding from how hard you hit the ground."

I stared at her. I hadn't realized that I was bruised. My head hurt so bad it was all I could think about.

"You really should go back to your room."

Sam cleared his voice. "All due respect, doctor, it isn't going to happen. What can we do out here to help Meg?"

The doctor glared at him. "A concussion isn't anything to play around with—you should know that from football. And she is at high risk for internal bleeding."

"What will you do for her in her room that you can't do out here?" Keri asked.

The doctor let out a big sigh. "Any abdominal pain or swelling can be a sign of internal bleeding. At the very least, we should check on her every hour on the hour. Light-headedness, dizziness, or fainting can also be a sign, but that can happen from the concussion as well."

Liv was behind the couch. "Meg, Collin wouldn't want you risking this."

"I'm staying here."

"Where can we get the hourly checks?" Sam asked.

I turned to give him a dirty look.

"You want to stay out here? I'll help. But no way you aren't getting checked hourly."

"Agreed,” Keri chimed in.

I shot him a nasty look as well.

Tom chimed in. "Appreciate your help, Dr. Nemmer. Any way we can get a rollaway out here?"

She eyed Tom, then Keri, and Sam. I think she realized she was fighting a losing battle.

"I'll get you the bed, but don't miss the hourly checkups. They can do them from the rollaway." She stood up, not happy with any of us.

"Thank you, doctor." Tom turned to Keri and Sam. "Set your alarms—I want her checked every forty-five minutes."

A fter several checkups, Collin was still in surgery, and we were all antsy. So many people were coming and going.

Tom had called every professional and amateur team he had connections with, and athletes from every sport all over the New York area had rushed to the hospital to donate blood.

Derek ran in and hugged me. "Meg, I just heard about Collin."

I started crying.

"Hey now, he's gonna be okay. Collin's a fighter."

My crying progressed into sobbing.

"What about you? Are you hurt too?"

"I'm fine."

"She has a concussion and is being checked for internal bleeding," Liv updated Derek.

"Meg, if you need anything—"

"I'm fine," I repeated.

Tom walked over. "Sorry D didn't know you were still in town or I would have called."

"What's the current status?"

"Waiting, man. They have two more bullets to remove still, but they're lodged in his muscles."

"Shit, man."

"Hey D, go give blood. All we can do right now is give blood."

"Show me the way." Derek kissed me on the head.

I don't know how much time passed. So many people arrived and left. Tom made calls, and Liv sat in a chair next to my roll away.

"It's been a long time. Why aren't they coming out?"

Liv stroked my hair. "They are lodged, so I think that means it will take longer."

I closed my eyes. I was so tired.

"The doctor mentioned it was safe and good for you to sleep. Why don't you take a short nap?" Liv suggested.

I shook my head. "I need to know how Collin is."

Liv bent down, so she was eye to eye with me. "I'll wake you up. You need to sleep."

Exhaustion set in, so I closed my eyes and drifted off.

I dreamed that Collin and I lived in our new place and made love in his bed. I saw him in the car shirtless, except for his tie. We were on a beach and got married.

Then, I dreamed he pushed me to the ground, and his body fell on mine, as blood gushed everywhere, and he slipped away from me. I tried to grab his hand, but he floated farther and farther away.

I started screaming, completely hysterical, as sweat poured out of me. Tears dripped down my face, and I begged Collin not to leave me.

Tom raced over and woke me up. He held me in his arms, "Shh… It's only a dream, Meg."

Relief surged through me. I had finally calmed down just as the doctor walked in.

"Ms. Corwin?"

She was nowhere to be seen.

Tom walked over to the doctor. "She's outside getting some fresh air."

"He's out of surgery and in intensive care. He lost a lot of blood. He's stable right now but not out of the woods."

I stood up and walked over to them, grabbing Tom's arm to steady myself.

"Can I see him?"

"Are you family?"

"I'm his girlfriend."

He gave me an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, but only family or emergency contacts are allowed in the intensive care unit. You'll have to wait until he wakes up or gets moved to a different unit."

I looked at Tom in panic.

"Doctor, Meg is his family."

The doctor gave me another sympathetic smile. "I'm so sorry, but it's a strict hospital policy.” He turned and walked away.

Liv came up and put her arm around me. "Let's go sit down, Meg."

I let her lead me to the couch. "I can't believe this."

I heard Tom say, "Keri, Sam, come here."

Stacey appeared back into the room. "Did I miss anything?"

"Only the update that he's out of surgery," I snapped.

She jumped back, eyes wide.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap."

She cautiously came over and sat down next to me. "Meg, right?"

"Yes."

"How are you feeling?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Probably better than Collin."

She smiled. "Collin's tough. I'm sure he's going to be okay."

Liv jumped in. "You're the only one allowed back."

"What?"

"They will only let family or the emergency contact in to see him. They won't let Meg or anyone else."

"I see. Meg, do you want me to go check on him?"

I picked my head up. She was Collin's ex, but it wasn't her fault that this happened or that they wouldn't let me see him. I wanted to go back, but at least she could confirm to me that he was okay. "Please."

She patted my hand. "I'll be back soon." She turned and walked away.

"Well, she seems nice," I mumbled to Liv.

"I think under a different situation, you two would get along well."

I rolled my eyes.

It seemed like forever, but Stacey finally returned. She showed us her phone. "He's sleeping. I took a picture of him for you. Do you have your phone?"

I glanced at Liv. "I don't know where it is."

Liv pulled my phone out of her pocket. I gave her a grateful smile.

Stacey air-dropped the picture to me. An image of Collin popped up. Tears flooded my eyes. He slept peacefully, with blankets pulled up under his arms, and a bandage wrapped around his left bicep.

I thanked Stacey. She gave me a nod and walked over to Tom.

The nurse came out for my checkup. "So far, so good. Did you get any sleep?"

"A little."

"That's good. Try to get some more if you can. I heard that Mr. Corwin is out of surgery. I'm sure he will be sleeping for a while."

I nodded so she would leave. I was over this song and dance and needed to figure out how to see Collin.

I laid down on the rollaway and stared at his picture. It was now early in the morning. I couldn't believe that just a few hours earlier, Collin and I were making out in the car. Now he was fighting for his life.

A thought occurred to me. I walked over to Liv. "What happened to Matt?"

Liv fidgeted with her fingers.

"What?"

She cautiously scanned my eyes. "They shot him."

"Better be dead."

She slowly shook her head.

I stared at her and waited.

"They shot him in the shoulder, and he was out of surgery hours ago. He is handcuffed to the bed and in recovery."

Anger flew through me. I glared at Tom. "Your bodyguards let him live?"

He stood up. "Meg, calm down."

"No! Collin was shot three times, and Matt gets a shot to the shoulder? Are you kidding me?" I yelled at him.

Tom ran his hand through his hair; his leg started twitching. "Meg, I would have killed the guy myself. I wish they would have. I'm still getting all the details of what happened."

"What room is he in?" I sneered.

Tom pretended he didn't know.

For the first time since I met him, Tom Marko lied to me. And I knew it.

I pushed his stomach. "You're a shitty liar, Tom. What is his room number?"

He grabbed me by the shoulders. "His room is being guarded by the police. He is under arrest and will be processed once he's out of medical danger. You can't go down there."

"Room number. Now."

He shook his head.

"Four-twenty-eight," Sam spoke up behind me.

"Sam!"

"I'll go with her."

Tom put his face next to Sam's. "Not a good idea, man."

Liv came up. "Let her go. Sam, go with her."

Tom jerked his head at Liv, surprised. She reached out and put her hand on his twitching leg. "Let her go."

"One condition," Sam told me.

I waited.

"Wheelchair or I carry you? Which one?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Pick, Grail."

"Wheelchair."

He grabbed a wheelchair down the hall.

I didn't have a plan, but I needed to face him.

Sam wheeled me down the hall and into the elevator. Once we got to the fourth floor, it was easy to know which room, because there was a policeman stationed outside his door.

It was soon apparent the officer was a huge Sam Quinto fan. Sam put on the charm, thanked him for his service, and asked him about himself. After a few minutes, his voice got quiet, "Hey man, I need a huge favor. Do you think you could help me out?"

The officer smiled at him. "What do you need?"

Sam leaned closer to him. "That piece of shit you have laying in there shot my agent, Collin Corwin."

"Collin Corwin, the former Volts player?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, that's my boy."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm not sure I like where this is going." The officer shifted in his chair.

He pointed to me, "This is Collin's girlfriend, Meg." Then he pointed to the door. "That douchebag used to kick the crap out of her and is laying in there while our guy is fighting for his life, so what I need from you is to give my girl a few minutes to get some closure, if you know what I'm saying."

The officer exhaled. "I'm not supposed to let anyone in there."

"I understand. Sometimes though, officers need to go to the bathroom, or get some coffee."

The officer stayed silent.

He raised his eyebrows at him. "Do you think you can help me out?"

The officer peered at Sam, then me, then back at Sam. He finally held up his hand, "Five minutes—I was always a Collin Corwin fan. He's a tough baller, so I hope he has that on his side. Don't leave any major bruises." He walked away.

Sam helped me up and opened the door for me. I stepped into the room, turned, and looked at Sam. "Stay here."

He hesitated, then nodded. I shut the door.

I stood near the doorway and looked at Matt, who slept peacefully, handcuffed to the bed. After years of trying to erase the memory of him and all the abusive things he did to me from my head, I now stood in front of him no longer wanting to hide.

As I thought of Collin, who fought for his life, the idea to put a pillow over Matt's head and suffocate him flew into my mind. Then, I saw a pillow in the chair and grabbed it. I walked over to him slowly.

It would be so easy.

When I was in the waiting room fighting Tom, or as Sam wheeled me through the halls, I didn't have a plan. Now that I stood in front of Matt, I felt a fear growing inside me.

I wasn't scared of him anymore.

I was scared at what I would do to him.

Flashbacks of being beaten in my younger years popped up in my mind. The night he held a gun in my mouth and played Russian Roulette...the time he made me go three days with no food and barely any water, just for fun...the time he broke my ribs… I walked closer to him.

My face was inches from his, and I watched him as he slept calmly, exactly like he used to after he would beat or rape me.

Pain. That's what he needed to feel first before I killed him. So I pulled my face away and took one of my hands and slapped him as hard as I could.

He woke up, yelled, and tried to move his hands, but they were chained to the bed. Then he realized it was me.

"Meg, I'll kill you," he sneered.

My hand automatically hit him again, as adrenaline raged through my veins in revenge.

He screamed in pain.

"No one is listening; yell all you want," I taunted him as I remembered when he used to say that to me.

"You whore!"

All the anger, pain, and fear I ever felt went into my next slap, as I slammed my hand into his face again.

He yelled again and called me a dirty bitch.

Without thinking, I took my fist and pounded it on his dick. He screamed in pain, and a tear fell down his face.

Now we are getting somewhere.

I sneered at him. "Nobody cares about you. You can live or die, and no one will care." More things he used to yell at me flew out of my mouth.

His legs flew all over, as his hands desperately tried to escape the shackles.

His nose started to bleed on the next round of slaps I gave him. "What are you bleeding for, bitch?" I yelled at him and remembered all the nosebleeds he gave me over the years, and how he would say that to me.

He screamed again.

Do it now, Meg. Do it while you can.

I grabbed the pillow and stepped up to him. There was fear in his eyes I had never seen before, and I started laughing, happy for the pain and fear I had inflicted on him.

Without even thinking, I put the pillow over his face and pushed harder as he moved his head and tried to escape. The entire time, I thought about how many times he would wake me up by half-suffocating me.

"What's wrong, bitch, you can't breathe?" I hissed at him, just as he used to say it to me.

I pulled the pillow back to slap him again, but Sam grabbed my hand.

I didn't realize I was crying.

Sam pulled me into him, as my legs weakened, and I lost the ability to stand. My head was a firecracker of pain, and the adrenaline quickly left my body. Sam picked me up and carried me back into the hall to the wheelchair.

The police officer was nowhere around.

"Stay here." Sam turned around and shut the door.

I heard more screams, and then I heard Matt's desperate pleas.

I don't know how long I sat there. It wasn't too long, but it wasn't too short.

Sam came back out. I heard Matt's sobs.

I caught the police officer out of the corner of my eye. Sam nodded to him and pushed me away. As we passed the nurses desk, a petite blonde stood up, and I saw Sam nod to her as well. She smiled back and walked toward the room.

Neither Sam nor I talked about what happened. Back in the waiting room, Tom, Liv, and Keri watched us as we approached.

Liv's eyes scanned us both. "Let me help you with your hands."

I hadn't noticed the blood on Sam's hands nor mine.

We followed her out of the waiting area and into the family restroom. There were no questions, no judgments, no explanations. Silently, Sam and I allowed Liv to clean both of our hands.

21

Meg

L iv convinced me to take a shower at the hospital, and Keri brought me clothes from my apartment to wear. I let the nurse give me a painkiller, and it must have knocked me out.

I woke up on the rollaway, but it was now the next day, sometime in the afternoon.

Keri and Tom had a game that night. Liv made them go home to get some rest before they had to play. No matter what, the Volts didn't stop for anyone.

I thought about Collin, our negotiations, and how we made plans for the game. It seemed like so long ago.

Collin still wasn't out of ICU, and they still wouldn't let me see him. It was torture. Stacey went home to rest, so I couldn't even get a report.

Liv stayed with me and fell asleep on the couch. Sam went to practice and told me he would be back after.

A nurse came up to me. "Are you Meg Grail?"

"Yes." I figured I was probably due for another check.

"Mr. Corwin is awake and asking for you."

My heart soared. I sat up a little too fast, and dizziness flooded me.

"Whoa! Let's go slow."

I slowed down. The last thing I needed was to pass out.

She walked me down the hall to Collin's room. I started crying the instant I saw him.

"Hey, babe." He smiled at me.

I raced over to him and threw my arms around him.

He winced. "Come on this side," he patted the bed with his right arm.

I walked around, laid down on the bed, kissed him, and cried.

"Shh… It's okay, babe. I'm okay."

When I pulled back, he drew in a sharp breath. "Meg, what happened to your head?"

"It's not a big deal."

"You have a bruise on your forehead."

I rolled my eyes. "It's only a concussion. I'll be fine."

"A concussion? That's serious."

"Not a big deal."

He put his hand on my back, and I winced. "Meg, what happened to you?"

"Collin, you're in the ICU. You had three bullets removed, and I don't know how many different pro athletes' blood transfused into you. My little wounds aren't a big deal."

"Let me see your back."

I shook my head.

"Meg, I swear to God, if you don't let me see your back I'm going to get off this bed and turn you around myself," he spat out.

I wasn't going to win this one. I sat up, and Collin lifted my shirt. "Oh, my God. Meg, what happened to you? Your back is covered in bruises."

I cuddled into his chest. "I'm just a little hurt from you saving my life."

"I did this to you?" Horror filled his face.

"No, Collin, you saved my life. If you didn't throw me on the ground, I probably wouldn't be alive."

He leaned down and kissed me. "Babe, I'm so sorry."

"Collin, you saved my life," I repeated. "Besides, it's my fault this all happened."

He quieted. "That was your ex-fiancé, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"Did they find him?"

He didn't know. I took a deep breath. "The bodyguards shot him, and he's recovering. The police have him handcuffed to the bed and are guarding his room."

"He's here?"

"Yes."

Collin's body tensed up. "What's his room number?"

"Don't worry, Sam and I handled it."

He gazed at me in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Can we discuss this later? I don't want to talk about him. I need you to hold me."

He paused and wrestled with his mind. "All right, babe."

"Oh, and can you add me to the list so I can see you whenever I want? They wouldn't let me back because I'm not family or Stacey."

"Stacey?"

"She's your emergency contact."

He rolled his eyes. "I never thought to change it. I'm sorry to put you through that. I'm sure she wasn't too happy."

"Actually, she was nice to me."

Collin grabbed a box and hit a button on it. "Well, that is good to hear."

"Besides your bicep, where were the other bullets? I can't believe I never asked."

Collin gave me a naughty grin. "Maybe we should play nurse, and you can discover it on your own."

I bit my lip and grinned. "Slow down, cowboy. You just woke up."

He kissed me. "All on my left side—the back of my waist and thigh."

A nurse came in. "Mr. Corwin, what can I do for you?"

"Can you bring me the papers to change my emergency contacts and next of kin please?"

"Sure."

"Is there anything I can sign now to add Meg to the visitor's list?"

"Let me go get the forms." She turned and walked out.

I gave him another kiss.

He pulled back, "What's your room number?"

"I don't have one. I left it when I woke up and have my rollaway."

He looked at me funny. "I don't understand."

"I've been waiting for you with the others."

His face turned red with anger. "They let you do that? You're seriously injured."

I laughed, "So I keep being told. No one was going to stop me, Collin. So Tom made them bring me a rollaway, so I was off the couch. Keri carried me, so I didn't have to walk. Sam convinced the police to let me in so we could beat the crap out of Matt."

Horror filled Collin's face.

"Oh yeah. Keri found me a doctor. Tom made me get checked every forty-five minutes for internal bleeding."

Collin's head whipped around. "Internal bleeding? Meg, what is going on?"

"Calm down. I'm not in the ICU. You are. Remember?"

Collin pulled my face up to his. "Meg, I'm not playing here. Concussions and internal bleeding are life threatening. This isn't to be made light of. You need to rest."

"I'll rest here, now that I know you're awake. Although I'll feel a lot better when you're out of the ICU."

He smiled. "They didn't tell you?"

"I don't get any information and Stacey left, so…"

He gave me an 'I'm sorry' look then, "I'm being moved to a private room today. I got the all-clear before you came in here."

"Collin, that's great!" I reached up and kissed him again.

As my tongue explored his, I rolled slightly on top of him and felt him start to get aroused.

Good thing those bullets didn't affect that area.

He kissed me harder. I reached under the sheets as the nurse came in and cleared her voice.

As I rolled back, my face turned bright red.

She seemed amused. "Here are the forms you requested, and if you add the names of those you want to be able to visit on this sheet, I'll make sure the system gets updated."

"Thank you." Collin gave her an appreciative smile.

A thought entered my mind. "I forgot to tell you; the police officer is a huge fan of your baller skills."

A big grin formed on his face. "Oh, really?"

"Yup. It's why he let me in."

"You need to fill me in a little more about this." He pressed again.

I grabbed the blanket and snuggled into Collin. "I promise, I will later, but I'm tired and need some sleep."

"Okay, babe. Whatever you need, you can have."

I smiled. I was back where I belonged.

22

Meg

We stayed for four days in the hospital before they would release Collin. They gave me a rollaway, but I slept curled up into him. I was cleared by the doctor that I was no longer at risk of internal bleeding, and my head started to feel a bit better. My back, breasts, and hips were still bruised, but I didn’t care. I was happy that Collin and I were back together and he was on the mend.

We were finally allowed to go home.

When the car pulled up to Collin’s, there were paparazzi camped out everywhere.

Tom and Liv had warned us how bad it was, but I had forgotten about their warning. This time, we didn’t open the door and waited for security to open it for us after they cleared a path.

We stepped out of the car. The paparazzi shouted at us as they all tried to get some story. I kept my head down and was shocked to see blood. Even though the city washed the sidewalk, you could still see traces of it all over.

Collin glanced around with his negotiator's face on. He shook his head, grabbed my hand tighter, and led me up the stairs and into the building.

We went straight to the bedroom, exhausted and ready to be home.

“I’m going to shower,” I told Collin.

His cocky smile appeared. “I think I’ll join you.”

I smirked at him. “Are you having your nurse fantasies again?”

“Did they ever go away?” He licked his lips.

“Ha, ha!”

We went into the bathroom, and Collin undressed. I removed his bandages. It was the first time I saw the full extent of his wounds.

“The surgeons did a great job stitching you up.” I admired his naked body.

He kissed me and started to get aroused. He grabbed my shirt and pulled it over my head and gasped.

My bruises had turned a yellowish purple color. They extended from right above my breasts down to my upper thighs. While Collin saw my back the first day, he didn’t know about the rest.

“Meg, why didn’t you tell me about this?”

I shrugged. “It isn’t a big deal.”

“Are you kidding me? I can’t believe I did this to you. I’m so sorry.” Tears welled up in his eyes as he spun me around and gasped.

From my neck to my knees, I was a bruised mess.

“Babe, you have to be in so much pain.” He spun me back around.

I rolled my eyes. “You don’t get it, do you?”

He pinched his brows. “Get what?”

“When I say that this isn’t a big deal, it’s not. I’ve had much worse done to me.”

“You think that makes this okay?”

“You saved my life because you love me. You didn’t beat me or hurt me on purpose. I’ve had bruises before, and they were bruises of evil. These are bruises of love. There’s a big difference.” I wouldn’t let Collin go down a guilty path because he saved my life.

Collin closed his eyes, shook his head, and tried to process what I was saying.

He opened his eyes. “You’re hurt. It is a big deal. I don’t want you diminishing this.”

“And I don’t want you obsessing over this and how it happened.”

I turned on the shower heads and stepped into the hot water. The pressure of the water hurt my body, and as much as I tried, I couldn’t stand in it without wincing.

Collin observed me.

He reached in and turned the water off, grabbed my hand, and pulled me out of the shower.

“What are you doing?”

He walked over and started a bath. “Get in.”

“I need to wash my hair.”

“Get in.” He repeated and pointed to the tub.

I stepped into the tub. Collin grabbed my shampoo and conditioner from the shower.

“Scooch up.” He stepped into the tub but sat on the top ledge behind me.

I moved forward as he grabbed the sprayer and gently pulled my head toward him so he could wet my hair.

He kissed my neck, then my mouth, and grabbed the shampoo. He rubbed it into my hair and gave me a scalp massage that could have given the best salon in New York a run for its money.

Collin rinsed my hair, conditioned it, and when he was done, grabbed my claw clip. He twisted my hair and secured it, then kissed me again. “Relax, Meg.”

Before he stepped out of the bath, he turned the water off and grabbed me by the armpits, to slide me back so that I could lay in the tub.

“Why don’t you get in?”

He wagged his finger. “That’s a no-no. Wounds.”

Oh yeah, I had forgotten about his wounds.

He turned the shower back on and jumped in.

I sat in the tub and watched him. Water spilled all over his sexy body. I started smiling.

He finished showering and put a towel around his lower body. “What are you smiling about?”

“The show I got to watch.”

“Ha, ha.”

I unplugged the tub and stood up. He came over, wrapped a towel around me, and helped me out.

“Time to dress up your wounds,” I grabbed the stuff the hospital gave us, bandaged him up, and kissed him.

Collin pulled open the drawer, reached in, and pulled a tube out. “Your turn.”

I slyly licked my lips.

He laughed. “Not that, dirty girl. Arnica, for these bruises.” He squirted a bunch on his hands.

I rolled my eyes.

“Don’t roll your eyes at me. I can’t believe the hospital didn’t give you something for this.” He gently started to spread the arnica on my chest and over my breasts.

Well, they may have, but I wasn’t about to use it in the hospital and have to show Collin my bruises.

I winced as he rubbed the arnica on my breast.

He stopped. “Meg, when is the last time you took a painkiller or ibuprofen?”

I thought for a minute and shrugged my shoulders. I had been released three days before Collin.

Collin shook his head, not happy with me. “Hold on. Stay here.”

He left the room and came back with the pills that I hadn’t taken in over three days. Collin handed me a glass of water.

I took the pills, and he continued to put the Arnica on me, as I tried not to wince.

“Sorry, babe.” He kissed me. “I know this hurts, but it’s going to help you heal faster.”

I nodded. I was tired, sore, and didn’t want to argue.

He turned me around and put the arnica on my backside.

“I missed this…us being home.”

“Me too.” Collin grabbed my pajamas and dressed me. “Sleep. We need to sleep.”

I didn’t argue. I slept until the next day. I woke up periodically when Collin gave me my medicine and put more arnica on me but always fell back asleep quickly.

Collin

It killed me that I had injured Meg. I was so stupid to get out of the car without the bodyguards. I cursed myself again.

There was so much I still didn’t have a grip on, and I needed answers. I wasn’t happy that Meg sat in the waiting room with a concussion and possible internal bleeding, but I understood that when she put her mind to something, no one could stop her. And I was grateful that all her closest friends were there to take care of her.

But the fact that she was allowed to be in a room with Matt had my veins pulsing. I called Tom.

“Hey man, can you fill me in on something?”

“Sure, what’s up?”

I paced the room. “How did Meg get to be in Matt’s room? She won’t tell me what happened, and I’m feeling a little bit upset over this if you know what I’m saying.”

I could hear Tom breathe. “Collin, I wasn’t going to tell her. Sam found out and told her his room number and was more than happy to go with her. I tried telling them it wasn’t a good idea, and then Liv came up, shocked the hell out of me, and told me to let her go.”

Somehow, I could see that happening.

“So what happened in that room?”

“No one knows. They came back with blood all over their hands, and no one said anything. Liv took them into the bathroom and cleaned them up.”

I closed my eyes. The thought of Meg with blood on her hands made me feel sick. “So I need to call Sam on this one?”

“If you want answers, yes.”

I told Tom thanks and hung up.

What the hell were Sam and Liv thinking? My mind raced, and my blood boiled, as I thought of Meg in a room with that vile man.

I dialed Sam’s number. He picked up right away.

“Sam, I need some answers. What the hell were you thinking when you took Meg to see Matt?”

Sam exhaled hard. “I figured I was eventually going to get this call.”

“Well?”

“He was handcuffed to the bed. You were still in bad shape. I had already assessed the situation because I was going to kill him myself for what he did to you both. When Meg demanded to know his room number, I knew she would find it some way… If she was going to go, then at least I could help her get what she needed and keep her safe.”

I put my hands in my hair. I really couldn’t be mad at Sam. He was right. It was safer for her to go in with him than on her own, and she surely would have found out where he was. “So, what happened?”

“He did some horrible stuff to her, Collin. She hit him in the face and punched his dick, which I was happy to see, by the way. But she yelled out all the things he must have said to her when he used to hurt her,” Sam admitted.

I closed my eyes. “What kind of things?”

“Honestly, Collin, you don’t want to know. I’m having a hard time getting the thoughts of what that asshole did to her out of my head. I stopped her from putting a pillow over his face.”

“I need to take care of her.”

“I know, man, but let her tell you what she wants. Hopefully, it helped her to beat the shit out of him.”

“How bad was he hurt?”

Sam let out a small laugh. “Well, imagine this. He was handcuffed to the bed. Meg slapped him around good enough his nose bled and punched him in the balls.”

I smiled. The dickhead deserved so much more. Another thought occurred to me. “Tom told me that your hand was bleeding too...when you returned?”

“You didn’t think I was going to let our girl instill all the pain on him, did you? And don’t worry, I put Meg outside the room and back in the wheelchair, so she didn’t have to watch.”

“Thanks, man.”

My beautiful Meg. She had been through so much and always tried to be so strong. But it wasn’t healthy for her to keep all this bottled up.

Exactly like her injuries: she blew them off, and it killed me inside. She knew how to survive and deal with bad situations. Her ability to downplay serious situations astounded me.

She had to have been in so much pain all week. While I laid in the hospital bed, on pain meds, she did nothing to take care of herself...so I wouldn’t know.

I cursed myself again. I should have paid better attention. She was hurt, and I needed to figure out how to help her heal—not only outside, but inside as well.

23

Meg

It was around noon the next day when I was finally ready to stop sleeping. I walked out to the living room to see Collin on the phone.

He was pacing. “Don’t take me getting shot as a sign of weakness. The number is five times, not three times.”

The negotiator’s jaw clenched as he listened.

“Go back to your people. You have twenty-four hours to get to five times, or we sign with your competitors. This is final.” He hung up the phone and gazed out the window.

I walked over to him and put my hands around his waist, steered clear of his bullet wound, and kissed his back.

He turned around and smiled. The negotiator was gone.

“Hey, babe.” He bent down and kissed me. “How are you feeling?”

“Better.”

“You hungry?”

“For you.”

He laughed. “I meant food.”

Actually, I was starving. “Feed me.”

Collin laughed. “Coming right up.”

I sat at the counter and drank coffee while Collin made me breakfast. “So Turbo is at three times?”

He flipped the eggs in the pan. “Yeah, but they need to go higher.”

“Three times is amazing. You think they’ll get to five times?”

“We’ll see. They’re going to come up though.”

“Well, if you don’t try, you can’t win!” I winked at him.

“And that’s why I love you.”

I smiled and thought about the night I wore only lingerie and my trench coat.

Collin brought two plates over and sat down next to me. We ate in silence for a while. I think it was the first decent meal since our date night.

I thought about our ‘first date.’ Collin went to a lot of effort to make it special. ‘Hey, I had a really good time the other night on our date.”

“It was pretty nice, wasn’t it?” He smiled at me then put his hand on mine.

“I talked to Sam this morning. Do you want to talk about what happened in the hospital?”

I put my fork down. Why did Collin have to ruin my breakfast? I shook my head.

“You sure? Sam mentioned it was pretty intense.”

I took a big sigh, slightly irritated. “What do you want me to say, Collin? I had the chance to end his life, and I pulled the pillow off too soon? Is that what you want to hear?”

Collin shrugged. “Don’t have any expectations, Meg. I want you to tell me whatever you want about it.”

“I don’t want to talk about it or him ever again. The only thing I want to hear is that someone made him their bitch in prison for the rest of his life,” I spouted off in anger.

Collin put his arm around me, his fingers stroked my shoulder, and he made sure he didn’t touch my back. "If you change your mind, I’m here.”

I nodded, relieved he was letting it go.

We sat in silence. I moved my eggs around on my plate as feelings of anger popped up when I thought about Matt. And I wondered how much Sam saw.

Collin’s phone rang. “Hey, Liv.”

Why is Liv calling?

Walking over to the window, he gazed out. “It’s pretty intense outside. They’re still swarming.” He paused and ran his hand through his hair nervously. “You think it will help them back off?”

My gut churned. I had a feeling I knew what Liv was telling him.

Collin turned to me. “Why don’t you ask her? Hold on.” He walked over and handed me the phone. “Liv needs to talk to you.”

I rolled my eyes but took the phone. “Liv, what’s up?”

“Hey, how are you feeling?”

I rolled my eyes again. I was tired of the constant reminders about my injuries. “Fine, I wish everyone would stop asking me.”

Liv quieted. “Sorry.”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to snap.”

“It’s okay. So…”

“What is it, Liv?”

“Listen to what I have to say before you make any decisions, okay?”

I knew I wasn’t going to like this. I shook my head and glared out the window. “Go on then.”

“I think the paparazzi will back off a bit if you and Collin have a press conference. They want to know your side of what happened, and until they do, they aren’t going to back off.”

“Absolutely not.” The last thing I wanted to do was go on TV.

“You remember when you told me that Tom needed to go on TV?”

I didn’t say anything.

“Just one press conference. You know this needs to happen.”

I wondered why I bothered to get out of bed. I should have stayed asleep.

“The sooner you do this, the sooner you can start to get back to normal.”

I still didn’t say anything.

“You know I’m right.”

Damn Liv. I knew that she was, but I still didn’t like it.

Collin stood and waited for me to make a decision.

“I’ll think about it.”

I handed the phone back to Collin and stomped into the bedroom, pissed off, not really at Liv, but at the situation. I knew that we did need to make a statement, but I would have to reveal more about my past and tell the entire world that I had been a victim of domestic violence.

In the last several days, I had gone from the world viewing me as a successful woman—then being portrayed as a slut—and now a victim. It made my stomach churn. I wanted to hide.

I laid down on the bed on my stomach, put my head into the pillow, and tried to figure out how to go back to the way things were.

Collin came into the room. I could feel him sit down on the bed. Other than when he rubbed arnica on me, he hadn’t touched me since he had seen all my bruises. It occurred to me that maybe I no longer was attractive to him. I represented a battered woman, a fragile and weak person, not the woman who was independent and sexually confident… And he didn’t even know what Matt used to do me sexually.

The longer he sat on the bed and didn’t touch me, the more my fear took over.

Sadness ran through me. Fear and anxiety took over. I glanced up at him. “This isn’t going to work anymore, is it?”

He stared at me, confused. “What isn’t going to work? Not doing a press conference?”

I shook my head. “Us.”

His face turned into surprise. “Meg, what are you talking about?”

“You don’t want me anymore. I’m tainted.” I was surprisingly calm.

Confusion filled Collin’s face, and he said in a very stern voice, “Meg, what in God’s name are you talking about?”

I took a deep breath, rolled over, and sat up. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault.”

“I’m seriously not following this conversation. You’re going to have to be a little more clear.”

“You don’t see me the same as before. I’m not the fun, sexual woman that I used to be in your mind. I’m a victim of domestic abuse and bruised. But my bruises you can see now, and that turns you off.”

Anger crossed Collin’s face. “What the fuck are you talking about? Where is this coming from?”

“We haven’t had any sex since you were shot. You don’t find me attractive anymore. It’s okay.” I didn’t want him to feel bad. I couldn’t blame him, as I didn’t love this part of my story either.

Collin glared at me like I had three heads. “Are you for real right now? You have bruises all over your body. You’re swollen and in pain. It has nothing to do with attraction. I’m not going to touch you and hurt you so I can have an orgasm for God’s sake.”

“I’m fine.”

“No, you aren’t!”

“I—”

“Stop. Right now, just stop.”

I stopped. Collin was officially pissed.

“I’ll be damned if I’m going to listen to this. I realize that you’re going through a lot of emotions right now, but everything isn’t about sex, Meg. You’re hurt—the sooner you admit it, the better—and not only on the outside. It’s okay to have people take care of you. It’s called love.” Collin got off the bed.

Collin had never been angry with me before. I realized how stupid I had sounded.

He walked to the door and turned around. “For the record, I’ve always been attracted to you...since I laid eyes on you. That will never change. But our relationship is deeper than just sex. If you can’t let me take care of you when you are hurt and let me in, then you aren’t all in. So decide, but don’t you dare blame your inability to let me in, on me not being attracted to you.” He walked out of the room, pissed off, as he threw my own words in my face.

Shit, now I had done it.

I sat in the bedroom for a long time. I let Collin’s words sink in and grappled with my emotions because I knew he was right.

No one had ever taken care of me. I acted like I wasn’t hurt because it was how I protected myself. Collin had only tried to protect and care for me, and I threw it all in his face. He took three bullets for me, and I refused to show him how hurt I was.

The truth was, my entire body ached, even with all the pain meds that Collin religiously gave me. But I knew how to hide my pain and deal with it. When I had seen Matt again I re-lived all the times I was assaulted and hurt; the emotions rushed to the surface. The current pain I experienced in my body made me feel like the weak girl I once was, and not the strong woman I had become over the years.

Dusk set in. I had sat there, numb from the pain and emotions, all afternoon. Collin walked in with a glass of water and my meds.

He hit the switch to turn the fireplace on and the room transformed with a soft glow. Collin sat on the edge of the bed, handed me my pills, and put the glass up to my mouth. After I took my meds, he pulled my pajamas off me and started to apply the arnica all over my bruises.

“Turn over, Meg.”

I didn’t argue and rolled over.

When Collin finished, he instructed me to roll back, and he put my pajamas back on me.

“Thank you.”

He bent forward and kissed me.

I kissed him back and told him I was sorry.

“I know. Move over.”

I carefully moved over so he could lay on the bed next to me, and I snuggled up to him. “How are you feeling?” I realized I hadn’t even checked on him today.

“Like I was shot.”

I quietly laughed while he stroked my arm and kissed my forehead.

I locked eyes with him. “I’m in pain, Collin. Everywhere. My head down.”

“Rest, babe. Let me take care of you.”

"Okay, you win.”

He reached down and pulled the blankets over us. I fell asleep in his arms.

The next morning, I felt a lot better. Collin woke me up to give me more of my pain meds and ibuprofen, and he applied more arnica.

“Your bruising is getting better. The arnica is helping.”

I kissed him. “Thanks for taking care of me. It didn’t hurt for you to rub that on me today.”

“You can repay me later.” He winked at me.

I sat up a bit. “Do you need your bandages changed?”

“I already did it this morning.”

"Okay.”

Collin read his watch. “Turbo is going to be calling in a few hours. Is it okay if Sam and Keri come over, so I don’t have to leave? I’m not sure if they are going to be needed for any decisions.”

“Sure. I’ll go get in the shower.”

“Are you going to be okay in there?”

“I think I will, but if not, I’ll call in your head massage skills, okay?”

“Deal. I’ll go make some breakfast.”

In the bathroom, I assessed my naked body in the mirror.

Collin was right. My bruises were much better.

I stepped into the shower and didn’t feel any pain. As the hot water cascaded all over me, I wished Collin was with me, so I stepped out of the water, grabbed a towel, and walked out to the living room.

Collin had pulled out bagels, lox, and cream cheese, and was slicing the bagels.

“Babe, can you help me?” I asked him.

He wiped his hands on a kitchen towel, threw it back on the counter, and walked over to me.

I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the bathroom.

The shower was still on, and the bathroom had turned into a steam room. The mirrors were fogged up, and it was nice and warm.

Collin assumed I needed a bath but quickly realized that I wanted to play. Unsure if I still was hurt or not, the negotiator came out and raised his eyebrow at me.

Dropping my towel, I stepped toward Collin. “My bruises are a lot better, aren’t they?” I coyly asked him.

His chest rose with his breath. He scanned my body.

My hands reached out and unbuttoned top. “I think we could make some rules with safe zones.” I ran my finger from his mouth down the middle of his chest to his drawstring, then over his pants, and stroked him lightly.

“Safe zones?” he asked huskily.

“Yes, safe zones,” I whispered as I nibbled on his earlobe.

His penis pulsated against my body, and I stuck my hand down his pants. I grabbed his balls and massaged them. Then, I stuck a finger from my other hand in my mouth and sucked on it.

He groaned and closed his eyes.

“Safe zone?” I took my finger out of my mouth and rubbed it across his lips.

“Safe zone,” he muttered.

“That’s a good boy.” I released his pants to the floor.

He touched my breasts, and I winced. He stepped back in fear.

I stepped forward, took his fingers, put them on my erect nipples, and rubbed them.

“Safe zone?” he growled.

I nodded.

I pushed his shirt off him, so he was naked and kissed his chest, rubbing my hands across his chest. “Safe zone?”

Collin nodded and put his hands on my ass and gently squeezed it. He leaned down, found my mouth, and teased me with his tongue. He pulled back and squeezed my ass again. “Safe zone?”

I smiled, “If you do it like that.” He spun me around, nibbled my neck, and put his hands on my hips, then squeezed me slightly harder.

“Safe zone,” I whispered, as my breath inched up, and my heart beat faster.

His nakedness was against my body. I excitedly grabbed his hand, pulled it into my wetness, and bent my knees to drive him deeper into me. I moved my body up and down on his fingers, with my ass against his hardness. He sucked on my neck and took his other hand to play with my nipple.

I moaned out how good he felt as he took his thumb and rubbed my clit. As he moved around me, I knew I had to have him inside me.

“Come here, Collin,” I instructed and grabbed his hand. He willingly allowed me to pull him into the steamy shower. I pointed for him to sit on the seat.

I kissed his face and then turned around, careful to avoid his wound on his left leg. I sat on him backward as his body filled me.

“Safe zone?” I whispered.

“Safe zone,” he growled, grabbed my hips, and moved me gradually on him.

Up and down, I slowly moved as I enjoyed the sensations of him in me.

Collin leaned forward and whispered in my ear, “Let me see you touch yourself.”

I reached down below and started to rub as I bobbed up and down on his shaft. With every stroke, he got harder inside me.

"That's it, baby," he murmured as his luscious lips kissed my back and sucked on my neck.

Collin pushed me deeper onto him and moved me with more intensity.

Waves of pulsating pleasure rippled through me.

"Rub yourself faster," he commanded.

I increased the speed of my fingers and let out a slight groan.

As I continued our rhythm, he reached up to my nipples. Collin carefully stayed away from the bruise on my breast. He rolled his fingertips, over and over, on me.

Shudders raced from my breasts down to my toes.

"Collin," I whispered, as steam whirled all around us. I was barely able to see anything. "So hot…"

Lava. My body was a volcano of lava about to erupt.

"Squeeze me, baby," he commanded me.

I squeezed and released over and over, as my vagina became a vice, gripping him as he moaned.

Panting, I continued to rub myself as my adrenaline started to speed through my body and pump through my veins. My eyes rolled as I grabbed behind Collin's head with my free hand and pulled his face into my neck.

"Tell me what you need, baby." He rolled my nipples some more.

I leaned back on him, squeezed even harder, and continued to rub myself in my orgasm. "You... I only need you, Collin."

It was true. The only thing on earth I needed was Collin Corwin.

He erupted in an explosion in my vagina, as his muscles shattered against me.

Violent tremors of delight surged through my body, and I screamed Collin's name as it echoed throughout the shower.

When our trembling subsided, his head leaned against my shoulders, my head fell back against his, and our breath synced up. He held me tight as we came down from our high together.

When my legs regained their strength, I stood up under the water.

Collin sat and observed me as I shampooed my hair.

"I love looking at you like this," I admitted to him.

"What's that?"

"Freshly fucked." I grinned at him.

He chuckled, and his muscular body rose to stand under the water. He bent down to kiss me. "I'm happy you're healed up, but bruises or not, you're still the most beautiful woman on earth."

"I have an excellent caretaker." I winked, then ripped his soaked bandages off so I could carefully wash his wounds.

He turned off the water, grabbed a towel, wrapped me up, then grabbed more arnica. He gently rubbed it into my body.

When Collin finished, I dressed his wounds and grabbed his ass. “Safe zone?” I bit my lip and tried not to laugh.

“Safe zone.” He gently rubbed my butt cheeks and kissed the top of my head.

24

Meg

K eri, Sam, Collin, and I sat around the table with Turbo’s representatives on the speaker.

They agreed to four times, but the negotiator held out for five times and wouldn’t back down.

“Four times won’t cut it, and you know it.”

Stephen wouldn’t go down without a fight either. “Collin, you know that four times is more than any player has ever received...and we are giving it to two.”

“Two players that will each increase your revenue by a thousand times your investment.”

“You can’t guarantee that,” Stephen fired back.

Collin sat back in his chair. Calm, cool, and in charge. “You’ve never rolled a partner out with a return less than that. You know that James and Quinto will bring that if you do only an average job on your part.”

Stephen couldn’t deny it.

“Five times or we walk to Lemara, your biggest competitor, who are more than happy to give it to us. I’m still talking to you out of professional courtesy, due to our past.” The negotiator calmly glanced at Sam and Keri, who both had beads of sweat on their foreheads.

Four times was unheard of. Collin demanding five times was really pushing it.

Stephen barked back, “You think I’m falling for that bluff?”

“Have you not seen the press recently? You might want to do a Google search...”

We heard Stephen punch away at his keyboard.

Earlier that morning, with a little help from Tom and his foundation connections, Sam and Keri went to a Lemara press conference. They were presented with a $100,000 check to start the new foundation they were inspired to create, after their visit to the Community Centers.

Liv made sure that press releases were all over the internet. Speculation they would sign with Lemara for shoes and apparel was everywhere.

Sam and Keri posted their gratitude to Lemara on their social media pages. They made a joint video, which had gone viral, to make sure athletes partner with corporations who support their philanthropic efforts.

Apparently, Stephen hadn’t checked the internet. The phone silence lasted for so long that Keri and Sam both mouthed a question to Collin to see if he was still on.

The negotiator held up his hand and motioned for them to remain silent.

Stephen finally spoke. “Five times has never been done, Collin. You have to give me something to take back to Turbo. I can assure you we don’t want to lose this partnership.”

“If I give you something, are you authorized to make this happen today?”

“Yes. Fully authorized, Collin,” Stephen assured him.

The negotiator sat back. “Final offer and then I have to go to Lemara. We are on their deadline, Stephen.”

“I understand.”

The negotiator cooly licked his lips. “Four times to Keri, four times to Sam, and two times to their joint foundation.”

“That’s still five times, Collin.” Stephen sounded annoyed.

Keri and Sam watched Collin; both freaked out. Collin put his hand up again, to warn them to calm down.

“Think about it, Stephen. Think of the press and goodwill that Turbo gets for the two times. My guys get happy and excited to work with Turbo over Lemara. Turbo gets its next largest revenue stream, along with incredible benefits for their philanthropic efforts.”

“I don’t know, Collin.”

The negotiator struck back. “You know it makes sense. It’s a good deal. Do you want to lose this when we are so close? Especially to Lemara…”

You could have heard a pin drop. A drop of sweat dripped down Keri’s face. Sam buried his face into his palms. The negotiator stayed calm, cool, and in control. He continued to hold his hand up and make sure that his clients didn’t say a word.

“Damn it, Collin. You have a deal.”

Collin continued to hold up his hand. Keri’s mouth dropped to the floor, and Sam bit his knuckles. “Smart move, Stephen. You’re going to be a hero once this is rolled out. Send the contract we already agreed upon with the correct numbers over in the next hour.”

“You got it, Collin.”

Collin hung up and smacked his hands together.

“Holy shit, did that really happen?” Keri asked as Sam jumped up and let out a loud holy shit.

I sat in awe. Collin landed the biggest deal ever in the history of the sports branding world, and he did it for not only one, but two of his clients.

I gave him a massive victory kiss.

Collin sent a text to Tom and Liv that it was done.

They texted back they were in the car outside and to buzz them in.

A few minutes later, Liv and Tom arrived.

“Tom, that was such a smart idea. Thank you, man.” Collin slapped his back.

Tom grinned, “Happy to help. It was a good deal for everyone, including Lemara.”

I beamed at Liv. “Perfect press releases, girl!”

“Hey, I learned from the best!” She hugged me.

“Sorry for snapping at you the other day.”

She waved her hand, “Already forgotten.”

Tom glanced at me. I hadn’t spoken to him since the incident at the hospital. I mouthed, “I’m sorry.”

He mouthed it back to me and winked.

“Collin, did you have Lemara lined up, or were you bluffing?” I asked him.

Collin paused and glanced at us all. “Lemara would have gone to three times.”

“Collin, you’re officially crazy!” Keri grinned at him.

Collin gave me a wink. “Hey, if you don’t try, you can’t win!”

The next few weeks were chaotic. Collin and I healed up well. My bruises were gone, and Collin’s wounds no longer needed bandages. Neither of us were in pain anymore. I went back to the office. Liv and I started working hard to create the new brand campaigns for Keri and Sam. Turbo sent out press releases about their new partnerships, and we were ready to piggyback off it.

Collin’s services were more in demand than ever. Athletes flocked to him, and they all wanted to fire their current agents.

The paparazzi was still in full effect. Bodyguards became our new way of life. Sam and Keri received extra attention from the Turbo deal, and when word got out that Collin was the negotiator, it fueled their fire even more.

They were camped outside everywhere. New articles continued to show up in the media. Story after story was spun, with daily pictures of us posted on the internet and in print.

A few weeks after the negotiation, I was in my office when Tom gave me a surprise visit.

“Hey!” I waved.

“You busy?”

I motioned for him to sit down and wondered why he was there.

He shut the door, sat across the desk from me, and smiled. “You seem to be feeling a lot better.”

“I feel normal again.” I meant it too.

“Good.”

I sat and waited; I knew he wasn’t visiting to check on me, and I could see his brain trying to figure out where to start. His leg started to twitch.

“Tom, what do you want to tell me? Out with it.”

His smile turned serious. “You and Collin need a press conference. They won’t move past this until you do.”

I took a deep breath, staying silent.

“You won’t be free until you do.”

I sighed. I knew he was right, but I still didn’t want to face it.

Tom put a card on my desk. “I saw Sarah this past year. I think it would be good for you. She’s expecting your call.”

I looked down at the card: Sarah Shepard, Domestic Violence Counselor.

My head snapped up, “You saw a Domestic Violence Counselor?”

“Kip did too.”

I blinked, surprised by his admission, once again.

He found his words carefully and hesitated briefly. “The weaknesses and guilt I’m assuming you feel when you think of your past needs to be dealt with.”

“What made you decide to go see her?”

He didn’t hesitate. “I knew I couldn’t be the best man I could be for Liv if I didn’t face it and learn how to move past it.”

I gaped at him. Tom Marko had always been nothing but an amazing man with Liv.

“It’s going to bite you in the ass with Collin someday if you don’t deal with it.”

I gazed at the ceiling, mostly in fear. “I don’t know if I can go down that road, Tom.”

“Call her. And think about that press conference.” He patted my hand and stood up.

"I’ll think about it.”

He nodded, turned, and left the room.

I sat back. A million thoughts ran through my head. I stared at the card he had given me.

Slowly, I picked up the phone and dialed the number to set up an appointment.

A  few months passed. I regularly saw Sarah but hadn’t told Collin. I don’t know why I kept it from him, but I did.

We still hadn't done a press conference, and the paparazzi wouldn’t let up. Both Collin and I got daily requests from different media outlets. Even Radio Host Zaxby Zane called me and reminded me of when I begged him at the Volts game to be on his show. But I declined his invitation. The more time that passed, the more I realized it wasn’t going to go away.

It was a Monday morning, and Collin and I were on our way to work when a thought occurred to me.

I turned to Collin, pushed his jacket off, and started to loosen his tie.

He gave me a cocky grin. “Didn’t get enough this morning?”

“I think you forgot about our terms.”

“Our terms?” He looked at me in question, as I continued to unbutton his shirt.

I smirked at him. “Don’t think that just because you were shot, our negotiated terms don’t stick.”

His face registered that he remembered.

I removed his shirt, left his tie on, and sat back on the seat across from him. I licked my lips at him. “That’s more like it, Mr. Corwin.”

He gave me a sultry look. “Take off your panties.”

I turned, faced the window between the driver and us, and knelt on the seat. I inched up my dress and revealed my thigh-highs and garter. Skillfully, I unbuckled my garter and slowly slipped my panties down over my legs before I reattached my garter and moved my dress back into place.

I spun back around, sat across from Collin, and bit down on my bottom lip. I took my foot and slid it up to his leg.

Near his inner thigh, he grabbed my leg, knelt on the floor, and threw his tie over his shoulder. Hungrily, he kissed my leg through my hose, got past my thigh-highs, and finally made direct contact with my skin. I took a deep breath as his lips inched their way toward my womanhood, and his hand pushed my dress up.

So much sex.

I didn't know how many orgasms Collin and I had given each other, but he still had the same effect on me.

Butterflies.

Heat.

A never-ending supply of wet panties...

Collin's talented tongue flicked across me, and his flexible fingers moved into my heat.

Teasing me.

Taunting me.

Tasting me.

He rotated his finger, picked up speed with his tongue, and slid an additional finger in me. I inhaled deeply, and gasped, as he started to gently suck me, with his ego eyes drilled up at me.

My breath sped up, my hands were already in his hair, and I pushed his head into me more. "Harder," I begged him.

He appeased me, but only a little, then quickly flicked against me as I moaned and begged on the edge of my climax. A heat intensified through me and teased me in anticipation.

Collin's fingers pushed inside me further. "Collin," I cried out and pushed his head as hard as I could into me.

He bent his fingers inside me, swiped my G-spot over and over, and I groaned loudly.

My cells burst into millions of pieces, as my body shattered into a convulsive state of ecstasy, and my eyes rolled into the back of my head.

The car stopped as I continued to erupt.

"That's it baby," he cooed against me, kissed me around my womanhood, and sent fresh tingles to my nerves.

When I stopped trembling and found my breath, he slowly pulled my dress back over me.

I grabbed his tie over his shoulder, pulled him closer to me, and dug into his naked back with my other hand. "Told you I didn't need more time." He boasted with a smoldering arrogance in his eyes.

"I never questioned your talent," I giggled against him, then bit down on his lip as his arousal stiffened. “But I think you need a prize for your exceptional talent," I whispered and nibbled on his ear.

Before I could give Collin his exceptional talent prize, we were bolted into reality when someone tried to open the locked door. Collin and I both jumped as we saw the paparazzi had swarmed our vehicle.

My eyes widened in fear, and I saw anger in Collin's eyes.

His phone rang, and he quickly picked it up. "What the hell is happening out there?" He shook his head in frustration.

They are never going to leave us alone.

"Okay, we will circle." He hung up and slid the window that separated us from the driver down an inch. "Go up four blocks then circle back to the side entrance. The bodyguards will meet us there." He rolled the window back up.

I threw his shirt to him, and he quickly buttoned it up. He tightened his tie and put on his blazer, then let out a big sigh.

At that moment, I knew I couldn't hide anymore. I picked up my phone and stared at Collin.

"Hey girl, what's up?" Liv answered.

Collin's gazed at me curiously.

I let out a big breath. "I'm ready. Can you set it up for today?"

Liv quieted as she realized what I was asking her.

Collin froze and watched me intently.

"Consider it done," Liv confidently told me.

"Thanks, Liv." I hung up and moved to the seat next to Collin.

Collin scanned my eyes, waiting for me to speak.

I grabbed his hand. "I have to tell you something."

"What is it, Meg?"

I bit my lip and tried to figure out how to tell him. Please, don't be mad at me, Collin.

He stroked my head. "Meg, whatever it is, just tell me."

I blurted out, "I've been seeing a domestic violence counselor for a few months."

He paused, then rolled the window down an inch, and told the driver to keep going until he told him to circle back.

Collin rolled the window back up and gently stroked my cheek. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know. I think I wasn't sure if I was going to continue to go or not. The only person who knows is Tom."

"Tom?"

I nodded. “Both Kip and Tom saw the same counselor. He was the one who encouraged me to go.”

Collin was quiet; I could see his mind spinning.

“Are you mad I didn’t tell you?”

He put his face closer to mine. “No, Meg. I’m glad you are telling me now, but I’m not mad. Is it helping?”

Relief flew through me. I thought for a minute before responding. "I wasn't sure at first, but yes, I think it is."

His thumb moved over my lips. "Good, I'm proud of you."

I leaned in and kissed him. "All right. I have a ton to do at the office this morning." I winked at him.

He rolled the window down, told the driver to circle back, and put his arm around me.

I sank back into his chest. More relief that he wasn't mad at me for not telling him and that I wasn't hiding it from him anymore passed through me.

We didn’t say anything else and soon pulled up to the side entrance of the building. Security quickly was on the door. Collin, like always, stepped out to guide me inside.

Instead of leaving, he escorted me up to my office. Liv waited for us in the office lobby.

“Good, you are both here. I scheduled the conference for noon in our press room.”

“Thanks, Liv.”

Liv looked at Collin. “You want a conference room to work from?”

“That would be great, Liv. I’ll have the driver bring my laptop up.”

“Coffee?” I asked him.

He nodded, put his phone to his ear, and walked down into my office.

A few minutes later, I was in my office with two cups of coffee. Collin was on my couch. I set them down on the table.

“Shut the door,” the negotiator instructed.

I eyed him curiously, shut the door, then walked over to stand in front of him. “What’s up?”

He pulled my panties out from his suit jacket. “I want to see you put these back on.”

I smirked. “Oh yeah? What are you going to give me?”

“What do you want, Meg?”

Hmm. We hadn’t ever gone dancing. “A night out at Club D.”

Collin grinned. “Done. Now get your panties on.”

I grabbed them and turned around right in front of his legs. I put my arms behind my red hair and flipped it over my head. Next to his knees, I bent down in front of him, stepped into my panties, and inched them up my legs. I unbuckled my hose and idly moved my dress up, then skillfully buckled my hose, before I pulled my dress back down. With a final ass wiggle, I flipped my hair dramatically back.

I spun around to see an aroused Collin lick his lips as Lilly’s voice came through the intercom. “Mr. Corwin, your laptop is here.”

Collin stood up, slapped me playfully on the ass, and kissed me. As he walked out the door, he promised, “I’ll call Derek for a VIP room.”

I sat in my office and thought about what I wanted to say at the press conference. The last few months, I did a lot of work around how I grew up and what happened to me with Matt. I picked up the phone and called Sarah Shepard.

“Hey Meg, you all right?” Sarah sounded worried.

I had never called her before. All our work was in our sessions. “I’m having a press conference at noon today.”

“Meg, that’s good.”

“Would you speak a bit on domestic violence?”

“Yes, I can do that.”

“Thanks, Sarah. Can you get here by eleven-thirty?”

“No problem. I’ll see you then.”

I texted Keri and Sam and asked if they would come. They both agreed to be there.

I sent Tom a text. “I told Collin about Sarah.”

“That’s good. I heard about the press conference.”

“It’s time.”

“I agree. Proud of you.”

“Thanks. You coming?”

“Duh. Like I would miss it.”

“I asked Sarah to talk.”

“I think that is an excellent idea.”

“Okay.” I paused and deleted it, then wrote, “I haven’t thanked you. So, thank you.”

Tom didn’t hesitate, “You can bring me some Ben and Jerry’s soon.”

“Deal!”

“See you soon.” He added a fist-bump emoji.

I sent him one back.

I walked down to Liv’s office and knocked.

She glanced up from her desk. “Hey.”

“You have a minute?”

She pointed to the seat. I sat down across from her. “I don’t know if Tom told you, but I’ve been seeing Sarah Shepard.”

Her face registered surprise. “He never told me.”

“I asked him not to tell anyone.”

She patted my hand. “It’s all right.”

“I’ve asked her to speak at the press conference about domestic violence.”

“I think that is a great idea, Meg.” She paused. I waited for her to continue. “I created speeches for you both; not sure if you want them?”

I nodded in appreciation. “Thank you.”

She winked, “Got your back, girl.”

I smiled, “You always have.”

N oon came quickly. When we walked into the press room, it was stuffed to capacity.

Liv, being Liv, wrote perfect speeches for us. Collin spoke first, and pretty much stuck to the script.

Then it was my turn. Liv touched upon my past but was good not to dive into it too deep. I started talking, then stopped.

I turned to the side to see Liv, Tom, Keri, Sam, and Sarah, who gave me encouraging nods. Then, I focused on Collin. He wore his negotiator face for the public, but I could see concern and nervousness in his eyes, for me.

I studied the press and recognized lots of familiar faces. Some of the people I respected and some I didn’t. I took a deep breath and threw away the script.

“The last few months, I’ve been portrayed as a lot of things in the media. A slut...” I paused, and surveyed Keri, Sam, and Tom, “...a victim,” I nodded over at Sarah, “...an uneducated woman,” I looked over at Collin and thought of our first real date when he told me to stop putting my worth on a piece of paper, “...and a successful businesswoman.” I stared at Liv.

I pointed to the press. “You can all write your stories and make accusations, but this is the real truth.”

I paused and took a deep breath. “I grew up poor in a violent house. Like many other people out there, I was going down the same path as my mother, because I didn’t know any different or how to get out. The final straw was when he shoved a gun in my mouth and forced me to play Russian Roulette.” I closed my eyes and opened them. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Collin gape at me in horror.

I haven’t told him. I haven’t told him anything really.

Sarah gave me an encouraging nod, which gave me the courage to continue. “The morning after, when he left, I fled to New York with a backpack of clothes and hardly any money. A few years later, I met Olivia White by accident. She saw my talent and gave me a chance.” I saw Liv with tears in her eyes.

“To clear up the rumors, I have an amazing friendship with three amazing men. Keri James and I dated for a while and became great friends. Sam Quinto and I developed a professional, and then personal, friendship because, well, we get each other. Tom Marko is like my brother, and is devoted to and in love with Olivia White, and won’t be leaving her anytime soon.”

The press laughed; all three guys smiled at me.

I pointed to Collin. “Then there's this guy, who you all know as the negotiator—the man who took three bullets for me, who loved me way before that night, who continues to love me even when I'm difficult. This is the man that I love and who I’m in a relationship with, so get your story straight.” I grabbed Collin’s hand.

Collin blinked back tears.

“I may have come from nothing, and I don’t have a college degree, but that doesn’t define me. I represent one of the top PR & Marketing firms in the country...because I’ve earned my spot. I’ve also been a victim and experienced the shame and guilt associated with that. I now stand before you, proud of the fact that I’m a survivor, and I encourage others who are victims, female or male,” Tom gave me a wink, “to flee and seek help. I’ve invited my counselor, Sarah Shephard, here. I want her to talk about how you can leave and what resources are there if you are in a violent situation. Sarah…”

Collin and I stepped away and walked over to our friends, who I realized at that moment had all become my family. I didn’t need blood. I had something much stronger. They had chosen me, and I had chosen them.

Collin held me around the waist and whispered how proud of me he was. We stood between Keri and Sam, and I held their hands while we listened to Sarah.

I looked over at Tom, who had his arm around Liv. He had been right. At that moment, I truly became free.

EPILOGUE

Meg

O ver the weeks, the press started to ease up. The paparazzi gradually left our doorsteps.

Liv and I decided that we should throw Keri and Sam a shoe-signing party. In our typical fashion, we blew the PR up for it. Anyone who was anyone would be there, and our office fielded calls with clients who begged to get on the list.

The party was at Club D. I was in Collin’s closet, getting ready. I realized, through all the craziness, we hadn’t contacted a real estate agent yet. I had moved in unconsciously. The closet was stuffed full of both our clothes. It occurred to me that we needed to find a new place.

I was in my underwear and bra and had just hooked my garter belt to my hose, when I saw Collin staring at me, intensely.

“What?”

He came over and gave me a kiss, which turned me on like always.

I came up for air. “We can’t be late tonight. You’ll have to wait,” I teased him. “Oh, and I think it’s time we called a real estate agent.” I pointed to the chaos in the closet.

Collin nervously stared at me. It sent a flock of butterflies through me.

I reached up and stroked his face. “Collin, you okay?”

“I think we should negotiate.” He put on his negotiator's face and gave me a challenging stare.

“About the real estate agent?”

He shook his head and gave me his smoldering look.

Okay, I guess we are going to be late.

“What do you want, Collin?” I put on my sultriest voice.

The negotiator left, and nervousness took over instead. He stood quietly for a minute while I glanced at him in question.

That’s when he knelt and pulled out a ring. “I don’t want to only live with you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you as my wife. Will you marry me?”

Tears formed in my eyes. I stepped forward and wrapped my body around him. I kissed him with all my love as I tried to find words. Finally, I whispered, “Done.”

Happiness and relief washed over his face. He kissed me some more, and traced the outline of my undergarments with his fingers, as his massive hands cupped my butt cheeks. Then, he stood up and slid the gorgeous ring on my finger.

It was a single diamond that fit perfectly.

“It’s beautiful, Collin,” I gushed.

“You’re beautiful.”

He grabbed my dress, helped me step into it, and turned me around to zip it up. Then, he held my shoes for me to step into. “Come on, Meg, you can’t be late.” He grabbed my hand and led me out and into the car.

I sat in the car, and Collin had his arm around me. I traced my finger over the diamond and smiled. I gazed up at him. “I dreamed we were getting married when you were in surgery.”

“I was going to ask you the night I was shot,” he blurted out.

I did a double-take.

“I’ve been trying to find the perfect time, but everything has been so hectic. I couldn’t wait any longer.”

I leaned in and kissed him. “Tonight was perfect.”

Colin grabbed a bottle of Cristal out of the ice bucket, popped it open, poured me a glass, then picked up his phone.

“Hey Liv, we’re gonna be a bit late.”

My head snapped up, confused. It was early enough to get there in time.

Collin looked at me, negotiator in full force. "Thanks for understanding, Liv. I’ll tell Meg you have everything handled.”

He quickly rolled down the window to the driver. “Freeway, until I tell you to turn around.” He rolled the window back up.

Collin took a sip of my Cristal, handed it back to me, moved me forward, and started to unzip my dress. “There are some things I was supposed to do to you with Cristal...”

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THE CRIME

ALL IN BILLIONAIRES-BOOK THREE

An adventurous writer on a spur-of-the-moment vacation. A wealthy entrepreneur with a dark secret.

O n the first night of Maddie Burns’ vacation, she meets fellow New Yorker Jack Stevens. The chemistry is instant and overwhelming. Jack doesn’t do relationships, but Maddie is different. He wants her for his own—and not just on vacation.

M addie, fresh out of a six-year relationship, needs to figure out who she is. But she can’t deny the way her body responds to Jack’s presence. She wants him. She needs him.

Except Jack and Maddie soon discover they share more in common than friends. Turns out, their pasts connect them to the same horrific crime. If they don’t fight the fallout, they’ll lose their safety, freedom, and each other.

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Flip the page for the Prologue and sneak peak of Chapter One!

THE CRIME PROLOGUE

Jack Stevens

C overed in sweat, full of terror, I woke up as the visions of what I saw were still fresh in my mind.

Women and children wept; tears streamed out of their fear-filled eyes. My ears rang with the echo of their cries and the sinister laughs that mocked them.

Nausea overcame me, and I ran to the bathroom and violently threw up. As I hugged the toilet, a cold sweat rushed through my body. I closed my eyes as the tears rushed out, and I began to sob.

I wanted to help them, I really did, but the gun pointed at them suggested that if I tried, I would have been shot. So I chose the coward's way out.

After telling the men in charge, that it wasn't my scene, I left as fast as I could.

Those sick assholes are my business partners. The thought sent my stomach pitching again.

I must have been in shock because my mind was a black hole. Somehow, I arrived back at the hotel even though I don't remember the drive. When the valet opened my car door, it snapped me back into reality.

I felt like a zombie as I walked to the elevator and pushed the button to my penthouse suite. I'm not sure how long I sat on the chair and stared out into the black night. My body shook (probably from shock), as their faces played on repeat in my mind.

At some point, I must have dozed off. When I woke up from the nightmare, the sun peeked out over the bay. The water sparkled and glistened with different-colored blues as if everything was right in the world.

Would anything ever be right again?

In the morning light, it became clear what I needed to do. It didn't matter if they were connected to me. If I was held responsible for their crime then so be it, but they needed to be stopped.

I picked up my phone and googled the number.

The phone rang a few times. "FBI," a woman's voice answered.

"I need to report a crime..."

Get Jack and Maddie’s story here.

Read The Crime now.

MORE BY MAGGIE COLE

All In Billionaires

The Rule - Book One

The Secret - Book Two

The Crime - Book Three

The Lie - Book Four

The Trap - Book Five

The Gamble - Book Six

It’s Complicated Series - Chicago Billionaires

My Boss the Billionaire- Book One

Forgotten by the Billionaire - Book Two

My Friend the Billionaire - Book Three

Forbidden Billionaire - Book Four

The Groomsman Billionaire - Book Five

Secret Mafia Billionaire - Book Six

Brooks Family Saga

Kiss of Redemption- Book One

Sins of Justice - Book Two

Acts of Manipulation - Book Three

Web of Betrayal - Book Four

Masks of Devotion - Book Five

Roots of Vengeance - Book Six

Behind Closed Doors - Former Military Now International Rescue Alpha Studs

Depths of Destruction - Book One

Marks of Rebellion - Book Two

Haze of Obedience - Book Three

Cavern of Silence - Book Four

Stains of Desire - Book Five

Risks of Temptation - Book Six

Club Indulgence Duet - A Dark Billionaire Romance

The Auction (Book One)

The Vow (Book Two)

Mafia Wars - A Dark Mafia Series

Ruthless Stranger (Maksim’s Story) - Book One

Broken Fighter (Boris’s Story) - Book Two

Cruel Enforcer (Sergey’s Story) - Book Three

Vicious Protector (Adrian’s Story) - Book Four

Savage Tracker (Obrecht's Story) - Book Five

Unchosen Ruler (Liam's Story) - Book Six

Perfect Sinner (Nolan's Story) - Book Seven

Brutal Defender (Killian's Story) - Book Eight

Deviant Hacker (Declan's Story) - Book Nine

Relentless Hunter (Finn's Story) - Book Ten

Mafia Wars New York - A Dark Mafia Series

Toxic (Dante's Story) - Book One

Immoral (Gianni's Story) - Book Two

Crazed (Massimo's Story) - Book Three

Carnal (Tristano's Story) - Book Four

Flawed (Luca's Story) - Book Five

Mafia Wars Ireland - A Dark Mafia Romance

Illicit King (Brody’s Story)- Book One

Illicit Captor (Aidan’s Story)-Book Two

Illicit Heir (Devin’s Story)-Book Three

Illicit Monster (Tynan’s Story)-Book Four - October 15, 2023

Standalone Holiday Novel

Holiday Hoax - A Fake Marriage Billionaire Romance (Standalone)

STAND ALONE NOVELLA

Judge Me Not - A Billionaire Single Mom Christmas Novella

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amazon Bestselling Author

Maggie Cole is committed to bringing her readers alphalicious book boyfriends and fiercely strong heroines.

She’s been called the literary master of steamy romance. Her books are full of raw emotion, suspense, and will always keep you wanting more. She is a masterful storyteller of contemporary romance and loves writing about broken people who rise above the ashes.

Maggie lives in Florida with her son. She loves tennis, yoga, paddleboarding, boating, other water activities, and everything naughty.

Her current series were written in the order below:

- All In (Stand Alone Billionaire Novels with Entwined Characters)

- It's Complicated (Stand Alone Billionaire Novels with Entwined Characters)

- Brooks Family Saga- A Dark Family Saga – Read In Order (Each book has different couples)

- Behind Closed Doors-A Dark Military Protector Romance – Read in Order (Each book has different couples))

- Mafia Wars (Stand Alone Novels with Interconnecting Plot and Entwined Characters)

- Mafia Wars New York (Stand Alone Novels with Interconnecting Plot and Entwined Characters)

- Club Indulgence Duet A Dark Billionaire Duet – Read in Order (Same Couple)

- Mafia Wars Ireland (Stand Alone Novels with Interconnecting Plot and Entwined Characters)

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Email: authormaggiecole@gmail.com

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Epilogue

CAN I ASK YOU A HUGE FAVOR?

THE CRIME

The Crime Prologue

More by Maggie Cole

About the Author