Iris arrives late to a job interview, mocked by glamorous women—until the cold, powerful CEO, Jared, takes sudden interest in her. He hires her instantly and drags her into a world of danger, desire, and cruel mind-games. Jared dresses her up, tests her pride, and pulls her closer with every dark secret he hides. Iris can’t tell if he wants her… or wants to break her.
The groan that came from Jared undid me. Heat curled deep in my core, and I spread my knees to let him nestle between them, loving the weight of his hips against mine. He lifted his torso off, brows drawn. “I don’t want to crush the baby.” I grinned. “Guess I’ll be on top.” Jared…
We’d started working on a campaign for one of Wilbur’s subsidiary companies that had expanded into health foods. “The campaign is fine,” I told him, taking a seat at the two-seater table in the corner of the restaurant. I smoothed my tie and touched the edge of the white tablecloth, dreading this conversation. But it…
“Thank you for being here.” “Of course.” He’d rushed from work to the hospital when I called him. I was two days past my due date, so it was no great surprise, but it still felt like a shock to feel contractions coming on, and an even greater shock to be told to push. Over…
I’m the one who’s marrying the perfect girl, the one they wanted me to. And still, she thinks I need you to make sure I do it properly.” “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” “Oh, fuck you, Jared.” “I’m making you a coffee. You need to sober up.” “Perfect Jared with his perfect…
I took a step back, studying Ophelia. “How much has my mother pumped you for information about my company?” Ophelia lifted a shoulder in a subtle shrug. “Only as much as I wanted to tell her.” “What did she promise you in return?” I sneered. “A ring on your finger?” Ophelia watched me, then lifted…
“Goodbye, Joanne.” I began to walk away. “People will find out about that contract, Jared. Your company won’t survive the bad press.” I paused and turned. “Is that a threat?” “It’s the truth.” “I don’t think anyone will find out, actually,” I said, coldness creeping into the edges of my words. My mother scoffed. “How…
He looked…distraught. “Iris,” he said, stretching his hands out toward me and quickly pulling them back. “I-I wanted to apologize. The way I treated you… You deserve so much better. I’m sorry.” I blinked. “Oh. I-thank you.” “I’ve realized a lot of things over the past twenty-four hours, and one of them is how precious…
“The baby is a gift,” I said simply. “I can’t wait to meet her.” Roseanne smiled at me. We finished our drinks while we talked about fashion, and then she left me sitting there, feeling exhausted and wrung out. I’d turned down the opportunity of a lifetime, and that was okay. The last opportunity of…
Her words were soft, but they hit me like blows. I could hardly get my response out through the gravel that had taken residence in my throat. “Yes.” She dropped her bare feet back onto the floor, and I noticed her toenails were painted a soft shade of pink. “Understood,” she said, standing to cross…
Things like that didn’t happen to people like me. At some point, when the light changed and I realized I’d been on the floor for hours, I picked myself up and shuffled to the kitchen. I stared at the sink for a while, then went to the bathroom. A shower made me feel more human,…