Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 53417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
It reminds me of my apartment building. Graham’s building isn’t quite as tall as this one, but it has a vibe to it that says important people live here, and they love it. You would love to live here, too.
I try to blink away the thoughts of him as Suzette rambles on about the company.
“The company’s housed on the tenth floor, so you’ll have a view when you’re at work.” Suzette counts the floors with a fingertip in the air, then points. “That’ll be nice, right?”
“Really nice.” Even if all I can think about is the view from my very own apartment. Every time I look at the windows, I think of Graham, and the way he feels when he’s inside me. I wonder if I’ll think of him the same way if I get this job and head to the office every morning. I wonder if I could even stay in that apartment…or if I should.
Suzette and I stare up at the building together, taking it all in. She’s right. This is going to be it. This is going to be the job that puts me on the path to a life I want.
She would know. I watched Suzette accidentally fall into love, too. It was a sizzling scandal and I freaking loved that for her. Miss prim and proper and all business, doing the deed in her boss’ office…apparently against the skyscraper window too. She knows a thing or two about unorthodox relations. Years later, it’s easy to see how happy she is. Everything turned out just the way it was supposed to for her.
And it’s going to turn out that way for me, too.
Hope warms itself in my chest. I’ve been called naïve plenty of times in my life. People want me to be more cynical about the world. For some reason, it bothers them that I want to be optimistic. And yes, sometimes I’m not. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, I forget that worrying doesn’t help anything.
Action helps. Doing things helps. Meeting handsome men and asking them for help with the rent helps.
There I go again.
A soft laugh from Suzette pulls my attention away from the building and back to her.
“What’s so funny?”
“You,” she says gently. “I can tell you’re thinking about him.”
I blush violently and then blatantly lie. “I’m not. I was thinking about how this job could help me get my life back on track. And after that, I’m never letting it get off track again.”
“That’s my girl,” Suzette says, and loops her arm through mine. “Call this afternoon to set up an interview. He’s waiting for the call.”
“Call? Shouldn’t I submit a separate application? Send some emails or something?”
She shakes her head. “I told you, I asked around. They’re going to be ready for you. Just call, and I’d bet anything you’ll be headed in to work on Monday.”
Suzette lets out a satisfied sigh. “In the meantime, I want to hear all about this man you’re having a torrid affair with.”
“A torrid affair?” I squeak. “It’s not an affair at all, Suzette. We’re both very, very single, and I—”
“You needed help with the rent,” she says simply.
I needed help with the rent. I nod, and then that unsettling feeling sets in again. “Which is in the past and the whole thing is over,” I assure her.
She gives me a skeptical look and I shake my head. “It’s done. No more. One-time deal.”
She corrects me. “I thought you said it was twice.” She peers at me from the corner of her eyes with a smirk.
“Twice and done.”
She laughs. “Said no one ever.”
Graham
Days go by, and I don’t hear from Maddie.
I suppose I’didn't expect to hear from her. There’s a possibility that by the end of the month she may be in need of another…deal. But likely she’ll have found work and given our encounters, she may avoid me.
It’s unsettling how much that bothers me and how often I think of her and wonder if when the clock strikes midnight, she’ll call. The one thing I’m sure of is that she hasn’t moved out. Not that I’m stalking her, but I am aware of her comings and goings from the security cameras.
I check them throughout the day as it stands, so I’m not doing anything out of the ordinary. I’m making sure my residents and my building are both safe and protected.
The third time I check this morning, I find her. I lean back in my seat, holding the cup of black coffee and watch her gorgeous curves sway as she walks. She’s so fucking beautiful. How I wasn’t obsessed with her for the entirety of her residence here is beyond me.
She heads out of the building at a quarter after eight, wearing a skirt suit that makes me instantly hard at my desk. Maddie leaves with her hair swept back into a bun and her head held high, looking confident and beautiful.