“Hi,” he whispers, his eyes dropping to my lips.

There it is.
The air crackles between us. “You look fucking
beautiful.” He takes my hand and kisses the back of it. He
turns my hand over and his tongue darts out to slowly lick
my wrist.
Oh, he’s just so…
“Thank you,” I murmur, distracted by the feel of his
tongue on my skin.
“Maybe we should stay home and eat English instead,”
he whispers darkly.
My insides melt. He means he wants me to eat him
instead.
I lean forward and take his face in my hands. I kiss him,
softly at first, then deeper. I kiss him with everything I have
because, damn, he makes me feel everything.
Spencer inhales sharply, his hands coming around to my
behind. “Don’t kiss me like that, angel, not unless you want
to be flat on your back with your legs over my shoulders
within the next thirty seconds.”
I giggle against his lips. “So romantic, Mr Spencer.”
He chuckles as he holds me close. “Four nights,” he
murmurs into my hair.
“What?” I frown.
“This is the fourth night in a row that we’ve seen each
other.”
“You say that like it’s a rarity for you.” I smirk.
“It is. I’ve never seen a woman four nights in a row
before.”
I smile up at him and straighten his tie. “I guess I’d
better make this a perfect date for you then, hadn’t I?”
His eyes twinkle with something I haven’t seen before.
“You just have to turn up for my night to be perfect.”
We stare at each other and something runs between us.
I don’t know what it is exactly. Affection? Closeness?
Electricity? Love?
 I lean up and kiss his big soft lips. “You make me happy,
Spencer Jones,” I whisper.
He grins brightly, almost looking bashful. It makes my
heart melt.
“Do you want to go eat some Italian now?”
“What about eating my English?” I smirk.
“Oh.” He chuckles. “It’s your English now, is it?” He
grabs my behind and pulls me against his erection.
“Yes, you’re my English. And no to that. We’re going
out.” I take him by the hand and lead him to the door. He
tries to grab my behind and I swat him away. “We are going
out, Spence,” I repeat.
He laughs. “Yeah, yeah, fine. Italian it is.”

Four hours later and I am being twirled around the dance

floor while smiling dreamily up at my gorgeous date.
We’ve talked, laughed, and eaten. It’s really surprising
how well we actually get along. Even without the crazy
attraction and mind-blowing sex, we have something
special going on between us.
“I told Sarah about us today,” I admit.
He smirks down at me and raises his eyebrow. “And
what did you tell her, exactly?”
One of my hands is resting in his, while his other hand is
resting on my hip. As usual, we’re the only ones on the
dance floor. I love how he doesn’t care if anyone else is
dancing. I think he likes it because he gets to hold me in his
arms.
“I told her I was seeing you… casually.”
“Oh?” His eyes hold mine as he waits for me to
elaborate.
“Although there was that thing you said yesterday.”
He spins me. “What thing?”
 I hesitate. “When you told Wyatt and Anthony that I was
your girlfriend.”
He frowns. “I did, didn’t I?”
I smile goofily up at him. “Uh-huh.”
“What possessed me to say that?”
“At a guess, I would think that if you told my bodyguards
you were my boyfriend, it was probably because you didn’t
want me to see anybody else.”
“Really?” He smirks.
I nod. “Uh-huh.”
“Do you want to see other men?” he asks.
“No.” I frown. “Do you want to see others?”
“What would happen if I did?”
I stop dancing. “Then I would leave you to it!” I snap,
annoyed. “I don’t share, Spencer.”
He laughs as he pulls me closer. “Are you getting
possessive of me, Prescott?” I pull out of his arms, but he
brings me right back to him. “I’m joking with you.” He
leans down and whispers in my ear, “I don’t want to see
anybody but you.”
“That wasn’t funny,” I whisper back.
I feel him smile above me as he holds me close.
“What is this?” I ask.
“What’s what?”
“This,” I murmur. “Between us. What is it?”
He smiles down and me and then kisses me softly. “I
don’t know, but it’s fucking good.”
I smirk, mollified for the moment, and we continue to
sway to the music.
“Maybe we should try this boyfriend girlfriend thing,” he
finally says.
I press my lips together to hide my smile. “Are you sure?
I’ll be a high maintenance girlfriend. I’m not entirely sure if
you’re up to the job.”
He spins me as he chuckles. “No?”
 “I’ll need lots of massages with oil, and...” I exhale
heavily. “There’s the whole teaching me about sex thing.
That’s a full-time job in itself.”
He smiles mischievously.
“And my family are a nightmare,” I add.
“I don’t want to date your family.”
“And I’m setting up my own business soon, so I’ll be
working a lot.”
He stops dancing. “You’re going to do it?” he asks,
suddenly falling serious.
“Do you think I can?”
“I know you can.”
My eyes search his. “You know, you’re the only person
who believes I’m strong enough to do this.”
He starts swaying us to the music again. “Isn’t that what
boyfriends are meant to do? Believe in their girlfriends.”
I smile against his lips. “I’m glad we met, Spencer
Jones.”
“Me, too, angel. Me, too.”

We’re in bed facing each other. It’s late but we don’t want
to sleep.
We’re holding hands and staring at each other in the
semi lit room.
It’s my sixth day with Spencer, and it’s been six days of
utter bliss.
Six days of having this wonderful new person in my life
who pleases me beyond anything I’ve ever dreamt of.
Tonight, over drinks in a bar, we wrote a business plan
together. He helped me with costings, and we worked out
steps in order of what I needed to do.
I think I’m really going to do this.
I feel like I’ve met the other half of myself.
 I smile softly at him, and he reaches up to brush his
thumb over my bottom lip. “What are you thinking about,
Angel Leroo?”
I giggle at him remembering my lie from the other day.
“I’m thinking that being a ballerina is really hard work.”
His eyes dance with delight. “What other job would you
consider doing?”
“Maybe I could be your private call girl?”
His eyes flicker with arousal. “We would have to do a lot
of training to get you up to call girl standards.”
I crawl over him and rub my sex along his length. His
eyes hold mine as the electricity buzzes between us. “Can
we start now?”
“As a matter of fact, we can.”

“Just a few more stores,” Spencer says. He’s leading me

through the shopping centre on Thursday night.
“I’m tired,” I moan as he pulls me along. God, the man is
on a shopping spree from Hell. We’ve looked in at least a
hundred shops in the last two hours… at least that’s how it
feels.
“Stop whining, woman. You’ve got hours to go before
bedtime.” He gestures to Wyatt and Anthony, telling them
that we are going across the street. He’s grown
accustomed to having them with us a lot more easily than I
thought he would.
“We’re not having sex tonight,” I warn him.
“So you say.” He smirks. “You’ll do as you’re told.” He
cranes his neck. “I just want to look in this toy shop up
here. I think they might have what I’m looking for.”
I smile as I walk behind him. Who knew that Spencer
Jones, the player, would be so worried about getting just
the right gift for his five-year-old niece?
 He can act tough all he wants. I know better. The man is
a pussy cat.
“Spencer?” a man says from somewhere behind us.
We turn on the street, and Spencer’s face falls
immediately. He steps back as if he’s just received a
physical blow.
The man is in his mid to late fifties. He’s good-looking
and well dressed.
“You got a hug for your old man?” the man asks.
Spencer stares at him, but he doesn’t reply.
The man turns to me and smiles, holding his hand out to
shake mine. “Hello, I’m Arthur.”
My eyes widen. He is the mirror image of Spencer… or
vice versa.
His father.
Spencer grabs my hand and pulls me behind his back, as
if I need protecting from his dad.
“Don’t speak to her. Don’t you dare fucking speak to
her,” Spencer growls.
The man’s face falls. “Son…”
“Don’t call me that!” Spencer snaps.
I look between the two men as they stare at each other,
and my heart drops. Spence is so hurt. What on earth did
his father do?
“When are you going to forgive me?” Arthur asks.
Spencer glares at him. “When Hell freezes over.” He
turns and storms off, dragging me along behind him. I have
to practically run to keep up.
He’s physically shaken.
I stay silent as we walk, and once out of sight, Spencer
turns to Wyatt and Anthony. “That man is not to come near
Charlotte under any circumstances, do you understand
me?”
Wyatt and Anthony look back at Arthur to get a better
visual. “Okay.”
 Spencer clenches his jaw as he turns and powers
through the people.
“Where are we going?” I call.
“Home,” he says sharply. “I want to go home.”

I lie in the deep hot bath between Spencer’s legs. It’s late.
Spencer has said about five words since we saw his
father four hours ago.
He stares straight ahead, and his jaw is continuously
clenching.
His hands run over my breasts and back down to my
stomach again and again, while he remains lost in thought.
I turn and kiss his bicep softly.
“When was the last time you saw your father?” I ask.
“Ten years ago.”
I frown, that’s a long time.
Spencer takes the soap and lathers his hands before he
begins to wash my back without saying another word.
“You don’t get on?” I ask.
“I despise him.”
“Why?” I whisper.
He stares straight ahead for a long time, eventually
kissing my temple. “When my mother was pregnant with
her last child…” He pauses and frowns, as if it pains him to
say the next words out loud. “He got her baby sister
pregnant.”
My eyes widen. “He was sleeping with your mother’s
younger sister?”
“Yes.”
“How old were you?”
“Two.”
I frown as I process the information. “What happened?”
 “My aunt was seventeen…” His voice trails off. “She
killed herself before the baby was born.”
My mouth falls open. Dear God.
“How old was your mother?”
“Twenty-two with three children under three.”
I roll over to face him. He stares at me, his eyes cold.
“And you have always hated him?”
“Just the opposite. I loved him once,” he says sadly.
My heart drops.
“Every sports game, every school concert, I would look
for him.”
I lie down on his chest as I listen, I hate this story.
“For years I would lie in bed every night crying, and I’d
pray to God that I could be smarter so that Dad would
come back and love me.”
My eyes fill with tears as I imagine him being so small
and crying himself to sleep. “Spence,” I whisper.
“When I was twelve, my mother met my stepfather, and
for the first time in my life I had a man around who was
actually interested in me. Then, as I got older and I
understood the dynamics of what Dad had actually done, I
got angry and started to hate him for being who he was.
What kind of man sleeps with his pregnant wife’s sister?
My aunty was only seventeen when he started sleeping
with her.” He shakes his head in disgust. “What kind of
man walks away from his own children?”
He drops his head back to the edge of the bath, lost with
a faraway look in his eyes as if he’s transgressed to that
time. “Masters, Seb, and I found out where Dad lived when
we were fourteen. We went to his house and broke in when
he wasn’t home, and we smashed up everything he owned.”
“Did that make you feel any better?”
“No.” He clenches his jaw tight. “I hate that I’m like
him.”
I frown instantly. “What? You’re not like him, Spencer.”
 His sad eyes find mine. “Yeah, I am. All my life, all I’ve
ever heard is how much I’m like my father.”
“Only in the way you look,” I huff. “Spence, if you were
like your dad you would have taken my virginity without a
single thought for my wellbeing.”
He runs his fingers through my hair as he looks at me.
“Spencer, is this why you’ve never let yourself get close
to anyone?”
He blinks in surprise.
“You’re so scared that you’re like your father, the
thought of hurting someone horrifies you and you’d rather
be alone.”
He clenches his jaw, and I know that’s exactly how he
feels.
I crawl up over him. “Baby,” I whisper. “You’re nothing
like your father.”
His eyes search mine. “How do you know?”
I smile. “I just know. If you were like him, you’d be on
your fourth wife by now and have six kids to six different
women.”
He stares at me.
“You haven’t even had a girlfriend before, you big dope.”
A trace of a smile crosses his face.
“When I look at you I see an honourable man with good
morals—a man I am proud to be with.”
We stare at each other for a moment before he crushes
his arms around me and holds me close. I smile into his
neck.
I think I just found Spencer Jones’s baggage.

Big, warm hands slide around my waist from behind, and

the smell of his heavenly soap lingers around me.
 “Good morning, Mr Spencer.” I smile as he turns me to
him.
He’s wearing a navy suit, his hair messed up to
perfection yet again. Wearing his expensive shoes and
watch, he looks every bit the multi-millionaire businessman
that he is.
One thing I’ve learnt about my man over the last week is
that he has two distinct personalities. There’s the carefree,
funny Spence I first met who makes me laugh, and then
there’s the serious businessman of Spencer Jones. He’s
strong, deliberate, and he doesn’t take shit from anybody.
Both men are beautiful, and both men are mine.
He grabs my waist and sits me up onto the counter,
spreading my legs around his body. He holds my jaw,
angling me the way he wants me, and kisses me deeply as
he slides his hands beneath my robe.
“Let’s go away for the weekend.”
“Really?” I smile up at him. “Where to?”
“I don’t know, I’ll surprise you.”
“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?” I smile
playfully.
He pulls my hips forward so I can feel his erection
through his trousers. “How about I surprise you here on
the kitchen counter with a bit of hard dicking?”
I giggle. “I am completely dicked-out.”
“There’s no such thing.” He bites into my neck. Goose
bumps scatter up my arms.
It’s early on Monday morning, and after spending the
most wonderful weekend in the history of all weekends, it’s
time for us to separate and go back to work.
“I have to go, angel,” he whispers.
I smile and nod as our eyes search each other’s. I feel so
close to him, and I know he feels the same. There’s this
tenderness between us. I can feel it in his touch. When he
thinks I’m asleep, his hands roam over my body in
reverence, and he kisses me softly… continually… and he
doesn’t even know I’m awake.
He worships me.
He’s so beautiful.
Spencer runs his finger down my face. I feel like I want
to blurt it all out and tell him that, yeah, maybe I think I
love him.
But I won’t because it’s too soon.
We’ve been together for all of ten days. Maybe I’m
misjudging our closeness for love. I don’t even know what
the protocol for this is. When is it okay to acknowledge how
you feel? When is it okay to say it out loud?
His big blue eyes hold mine. He lingers, waiting, and I
have to wonder… does he feel it, too?
Whatever it is.
“Spence…” I whisper.
“Yeah.” He kisses me softly.
My stomach twists as I try to hold in the words. “I’m
going to miss you today,” I breathe out.
He gives me a slow, sexy smile. “Good.” He kisses me
deeply. “You can show me how much when I see you
tonight.”
His tongue slides through my lips, and he gently tugs at
my bottom lip with his teeth. We kiss again, only this time
he’s using the same force he uses when we fuck.
There’s no mistaking it, Spencer’s fucking-kiss is a hell
of a lot different to his relaxed-kiss. It has an edge that’s as
sharp as a knife. Not that I’m complaining, of course.
He lies me back over the counter, pulls my robe to the
side, and slides two thick fingers into my sex. His eyes drop
as he watches my body take him in.
My mouth falls open.
He gives a subtle shake of his head. “You’ll be the
fucking death of me, woman. I can’t get enough of this sexy
body of yours.”
I giggle quietly.
 He removes his fingers and puts them in his mouth.
When he sucks them, his eyes darken and he hums in
appreciation.
“I’m going to be late, Prescott.”
I nod. “Go…”
With one last kiss, he turns and picks up his briefcase.
“See you tonight.” He flashes me a sexy wink. “Behave
yourself today.”
I smile from my position on the kitchen bench. “Bye.”
The front door clicks closed.
I lie for a moment in a state of awe. How he can get me
from zero to gagging for it in five seconds flat is beyond
me.
Finally, I drag myself upstairs and make my way to the
wardrobe.
I look around and smile. It’s filled with Spencer’s suits
and clothes. Four shirts on hangers and three suits hang
there like they own the space. There’s also two pairs of
dress shoes, a watch, his deodorant, aftershave, a laptop,
and his earphones. He’s taking over this damn wardrobe.
He’s taking over me.
All of his things are mixed in with mine, so I begin to
hang his on the other side, organising him his own space. I
pick up a coat hanger with a pair of suit pants on it, and the
pants slide off the hanger. I catch them mid-air and feel
something in the pocket.
I reach inside and pull out a hotel key. I stare at it in my
hand.
The Corinthia.
Why would he have a hotel key to The Corinthia? That’s
weird.
I move around a few things and put them in their place,
but my mind is already in overdrive.
Who does he know that stays in London from out of
town?
Sheridan.
 Don’t be stupid.
I put the key back into his suit pants, and I hang them
back up in disgust.
Think about it, Charlotte, I tell myself.
He has everything dry cleaned. He’s almost OCD when it
comes to his suits, so that’s not an old key.
Why would he have a key to her room?
I begin to pace in the bedroom, back and forth, back and
forth.
He’s been seeing her for ten years. She comes to
London for business often. Has she been here this week? If
the suit pants are here, it means he’s worn them this week
while we’ve been together.
Has he met with her?
I pace for another twenty minutes with my mind in
overdrive. This is going to send me insane.
It’s an old key. It has to be an old key.
There’s only one way to find out.
Stop it!
More pacing.
“Why does he have that key?” I ask the universe, hoping
to get a reasonable response.
Damn this, I need to know.
I get dressed in record time and take the key from his
pants again. I grab my handbag and I run to the foyer,
hitting the elevator button as quickly as I can. If I go now, I
can be back before the boys come to get me for work.

Fifteen minutes later, the taxi I’m in pulls up outside The

Corinthia, and I tentatively step out.
What are you doing here, you fool?
Trust him!
 I walk in casually, and I make my way to the elevator. I
get in and scan the key, watching as it lights up.
My heart drops at once. The key is still active.
He’s seen her recently, he has to have to have gotten
this key.
I begin to hear my heartbeat ringing in my ears, and I
stumble out of the elevator and lean up against the wall,
unable to go upstairs. Knowing the key is active is enough.
The second elevator opens beside mine, and a beautiful
woman with long, dark hair steps out of it. She’s wearing a
navy skirt suit, and I can tell her figure is amazing. The
power she emanates is overwhelming. The hairs on the
back of my neck stand to attention as I watch her, and
somehow I just know.
I know it’s her.
“Here you are, Sheridan,” a woman calls as she steps
towards her and hands her a cup of coffee.
“Thank you, darling.” She smiles. “Do we have the
spreadsheets ready?” she asks in an American accent.
My heart drops again. That’s her. She’s here.
Spencer has a key to her room.
My eyes fill with tears. All I can do is stand still as I
watch her and her two assistants climb into the back of a
black cab and drive away.

I don’t remember getting back to the Four Seasons. My

mind is a clusterfuck of emotions. My heart is hammering
hard in my chest.
One side of me is unable to believe that my Spencer is
capable of cheating on me.
The other side is unable to believe that ten days with me
could ever compete with ten years with her.
She’s beautiful.
 Lara’s words come back to me from the first time we
saw him.
“He dates power women. CEO’s, fashion designers,
models, women like that.”
I stumble up the stairs and place the key back inside the
pocket of his suit pants. I sit on the bed in a state of shock.
I have no idea what to do.

It’s just gone 6:00 p.m., and I’m sitting at the kitchen
counter with a glass of wine in my hand. I’ve had a horrible
day.
Imagining him with her, all their years together, the
history they share… it’s driven me insane.
Does she satisfy him better than I do?
Of course, she would.
My phone rings and the name Spencer lights up the
screen.
“Hello,” I answer.
“Hi, angel.” His happy voice is practically singing down
the phone.
“Hey.” My nerves begin to swirl deep inside my stomach.
“Listen, baby, I forgot that I have a work dinner on
tonight.”
I close my eyes and get a lump in my throat. “Sure.” I
force the words past my lips.
“I don’t know what time it’s going to finish, so I’ll just
see you tomorrow night, okay?”
My eyes fill with tears. He hasn’t slept away from me
since we got together. “Okay,” I whisper.
“You okay?”
I shake my head as I screw up my face in tears. “Sure,” I
lie. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a nice night.” I hang up,
unable to hide my emotions from him for one moment
longer.
I drop the phone and walk up the stairs, my body
working on autopilot. I open the wardrobe door and go to
the suit pants to feel inside the pocket. I check the other
pocket and I check again.
The key is gone.
It was there this morning.
Spencer came back here today while I was at work to
get the key.
I drop to the floor of the walk-in wardrobe, and my face
creases with the agony of it all.
He’s with her now.
 12

Charlotte
I LIE IN THE DARK , sprawled on the sheets that still smell of
him.
But he’s not here.
I’m trying my hardest not to think the worst, but he
came back here to get the key today when I wasn’t home.
It’s the only explanation. Nobody else would have taken it.
Nobody else even has a key to this apartment.
I have an ache in my throat from holding back all my
tears. If I allow myself to cry, I will lose all control and howl
to the moon all night long.
Well, Charlotte, you wanted an adult relationship, and
you got one.
Warts and all.
Part of me wants to forget that I even know about the
damn key, to listen to my gut and trust him.
The other part of me, my brain, wants to get dressed
and go and wait at the bottom of the elevator so I can catch
the bastard red-handed when he slips out of there in the
morning.
If he wanted her, why isn’t he just with her?
 Why would he pursue me if he wanted her? Why would
he stay here every night? I don’t understand.
The sex. It has to be about that. The sex they have must
be incomparable to what he has with me. I get a sharp
twist of pain in my heart as I imagine him with her, naked
and hard. Does he kiss her the way he kisses me?
I angrily swipe the tears from my eyes with the back of
my hands. He told me that the last time he was with her he
imagined he was with me.
Does he imagine her when he’s with me?
I close my eyes, tasting bile. The thought is sickening.
My mind goes back to the conversation I had with Lara on
that first night when she told me who Spencer was.
“Mr Spencer. Don’t bother even looking at him,” Lara
said.
“Why not?”
“He’s the most eligible bachelor in London, and an
appalling rake.” She raised an eyebrow for effect. “He’s
loaded… and I don’t just mean his wallet.”
I close my eyes in disgust. I was warned. Many times, I
was warned, but like a moth to a flame, I had to have him
anyway.
Do they make gentle love, or does he fuck her hard? I
get a vision of him naked again. And her… she’s beautiful. I
bet she’s even more beautiful naked.
I clench my jaw so hard, my teeth ache.
My fury begins to pump, and I angrily swipe the tears
away again. How dare he do this to me? How dare he throw
me to the side as soon as she comes to town?
He made me feel so special, and then to lie to my face…
oh, this is a different type of betrayal than I’ve ever felt
before. This one hurts.
I roll over and punch the pillow hard, and that’s when I
hear the door downstairs. Huh?
I sit up to listen.
 I hear keys hit the side table, and I glance at the clock.
It’s 10:10 p.m.
He’s here.
I quickly wipe my eyes and lie back down, pretending to
be asleep. My heart is beating so hard, I lie in the silence
and I screw up into my pillows.
Stop it, stop it, stop it. Don’t let him see you weak.
I lie with my back to the door on my side. When he
walks in, I can feel his presence.
He stands still and watches me for a moment.
Does he feel guilty? I hope so. More tears fill my eyes.
“I’m home, angel,” he whispers as he sits beside me on
the bed. He leans down and kisses my cheek.
Unable to help it, I turn to him and his face falls. My
eyes are red and swollen. I’ve been in tears since I found
the key was gone.
“You’ve been crying.” He frowns. “What’s wrong?”
I stay silent because I don’t know what to say. I mean,
what is there to say? What can I possibly say that will make
this better?
“Charlotte?” he whispers as he flicks the lamp on to see
my face. “What’s wrong, baby?”
“You tell me.”
He frowns. “What does that mean?”
My eyes hold his. “Do you have something to tell me,
Spencer?”
“Like what?”
My traitorous tears fill my eyes again. Damn these
weeping bitches.
“Charlotte, why are you crying?” he demands.
I shake my head and roll away from him. I can’t even
look him in the eye.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he snaps.
I clench my jaw. “Get out.
“What?”
“You heard me. Go back to Sheridan.”
 “What the hell?” He stands, daring to look completely
outraged. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
Angry blood rages through my body like a rapid river.
Does he think I’m fucking stupid? I roll back onto my back
as contempt fills me.
“Did you come back to the apartment today, Spencer?” I
ask him calmly.
His eyes narrow, and he swallows a lump in his throat.
“Yeah, I did, actually.”
I smirk. “Did you imagine my face again when you were
fucking her tonight?”
His eyes widen and he shakes his head, connecting the
dots. “I didn’t… I don’t… it’s not what you think.”
“Get out,” I say coldly.
“It’s not like that.”
“Get the fuck out!” I cry as I lose all control. The stupid
tears break free again, stealing my bravery act. I wipe
them away with my forearm.
“She… she came to me last week,” he stammers. “She
wanted to see me. I said no.”
I stare at him.
“Someone came into my office just after she left, and I
shoved the key in my pocket to hide it from them. After
that, I forgot all about it.”
I feel my back molars nearly crack from me clenching
my jaw so hard.
“I remembered it this morning on my way to work.” He
runs his hands through his hair. “I panicked, Charlotte. I
didn’t want you to find it and think the wrong thing.”
I roll my eyes in disgust. Likely story.
“I came back here today, got it, and I threw it in the
bin.”
I fly out of bed like a madwoman. “Of course you did.” I
storm to the door. “Right after you fucked her.”
“Charlotte, I promise you, I haven’t been with
Sheridan.”
 I stare at him through my tears.
“I was at a work dinner. I have clients who have flown in
from China.”
“Why didn’t you tell me she came to you?” I cry.
“Because she doesn’t fucking matter to me!” he yells
back.
My face screws up in tears. “Do you love her?” I sob.
“No, I fucking love you.” He shakes his head. “And I
have no idea how that’s even possible. I’ve known you for
five fucking minutes.”
I stare at him, lost for words.
“People who love each other don’t tell lies, Spencer.”
I turn away and storm downstairs. I can’t be near him
right now. I have no idea what to believe.
“What about you?” he calls from the top step. “You
haven’t told me one fucking lie since we’ve been together?”
I turn to him sharply. “Never! I have not lied to you
once. Not once.”
“Bull-fucking-shit.” He charges down the stairs and
grabs my arm, dragging me out of the front door and into
the corridor near the elevator. “Look in the bin.”
“What?”
“Look in the fucking bin. I threw the key in there this
morning on my way out of the apartment.” He picks up the
bin in the corridor and tips it upside down like a crazy
person. The lid flies off, and a lone hotel key card falls out
onto the carpet. “Check the security footage from Mr
Wong’s in Chinatown, you fucking know it all. I was there
until twenty minutes ago.”
With that, he turns and storms back into the apartment,
leaving me to stand still as my heart beats hard in my
chest.
I close my eyes, instantly full of regret.
Shit.
I walk back inside the apartment to find him marching
up the stairs.
 I follow him carefully and quietly.
He’s furious, raging like a bull. He storms into the
wardrobe and begins throwing his stuff onto the bed like a
madman.
I fold my arms over my chest. “What did you expect me
to think?” I snap. “I find a key in the morning then I come
home and find it’s gone. Then you’ve conveniently had
something on all of a sudden and won’t be coming over.”
“While we’re talking about lies… I want to know yours.”
He sneers.
I wither. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You are pissing me off, Charlotte Prescott,” he growls.
“Get out of my fucking face before I lose my shit.” He
storms up the hall, and I find myself running after him.
“What lie?” I cry. “What are you talking about,
Spencer?”
“Don’t tell me that you don’t have feelings for the man
who took your virginity, because I know you do. It’s fucking
eating me alive.”
Huh…?
“Do you really fucking expect me to believe that you
wait twenty-five years to lose your virginity, only to give it
to someone you don’t care about?”
I roll my eyes.
“I’m not fucking stupid,” he barks, making me jump.
“Who is he?”
We stare at each other as we pant, both of us furious.
I’m not telling him like this, he’s too angry. He’ll go berserk
about me lying to him in the first place.
I go to touch him, but he flicks my hand off his arm.
“Don’t fucking touch me, you piss me off.” He storms out. I
hear him walk down the hall, and then the spare bedroom
door slams shut.
I drag my hands through my hair.
I walk up to the spare bedroom and stand outside the
door.
 I hear him kick off his shoes, and then I hear something
hit the wall. I hear the blankets get thrown back. “Fuck
off!” he mutters angrily to himself before something else
hits the wall.
I slide down the wall and sit on the floor in the hallway.
At least he hasn’t left me.
But what now?

Edward
I run through the profit and loss sheets for Macao,
checking the losses myself with a calculator. They’re two
percent higher than expected, and I want to find where we
are slipping. My father Harold is in his office next to me,
going through some refurbishment details with our interior
designers.
My phone rings and the name Alexander York lights up
the screen.
I smile and answer with, “Yorkie, how are you?”
“Good, good.” He laughs.
Alexander is one of my closest friends. The two of us
went to boarding school together and have only gotten
closer over the years.
“Why are you calling me at…” I glance at my watch.
“5:00 a.m. your time? Did you wet the bed?”
“Ha, very funny. I’ve been contemplating calling you all
week. It’s finally got the better of me.”
I frown, suddenly interested. “What’s up?”
“You know how I took Charlotte to the charity ball last
Saturday night?”
“Yeah.”
“There was this guy sniffing around her.”
“Who?”
“Spencer Jones.”
I immediately type the name into Google on my laptop.
 “Define sniffing,” I urge while I wait.
“Well, that’s the thing: I don’t know anything for certain,
but it’s left me feeling uneasy all week, so I thought I’d
better let you know.”
A collection of images appear, and I scroll through each
of them, reading the first headline.

Bad Romeo Caught with Three Women in the Same

Day.

I clench my jaw. “What happened?”

“That’s the thing, they seemed to know each other. They
were familiar when talking, and then he was kissing her
hand.”
“Kissing her?” I snap and sit forward in my chair.
“You’re fucking kidding me, right?”
“Afraid not. I approached Spencer at the bar when she
was out of her earshot and asked him what he was doing
with Charlotte Prescott.”
I continue to scroll through the images of him with
different women.
“What did he say?”
“He said, and I quote, Whatever the fuck I like.”
I narrow my eyes. “Do you know this guy?”
“Yes, and I fucking hate him. He’s a womanising cad
who sleeps with every supermodel in town.”
“Who is he?” I Google his bio.
“He owns a successful steel manufacturing company…
does all right for himself.”
“Why do you hate him?”
“The guy stole a girl off of me years ago and it escalated
from there. I’ve had run-ins with his friends, too. He hangs
out with Julian Masters and Sebastian Garcia.”
I narrow my eyes even farther. I know Julian Masters.
Our fathers have done business together in the past. I saw
him once at Madison’s when he was coming out of a suite.
He didn’t see me, though. If he goes to Madison’s, Spencer
would too.
“What happened at the ball?”
“Nothing while I was there. He talked to Charlotte, he
and I had words, and then later in the night, my mother fell
ill so I had to take her home an hour before it finished.”
“You left Charlotte there alone?” I frown.
“She was with my sister Mariella, and she knew
everyone at our table. Her guards were there, too, of
course. But here’s the thing, as soon as I left, she was back
at the bar talking to Spencer Jones again.”
My fury begins to rise. “Did they leave together?”
“No, separately.” He pauses, as if he has something else
to say.
“What?”
“Look, I don’t know if I’m imagining it, but I called
around to see her the next day unannounced and she was…
half-dressed, and she most definitely did not want me in her
apartment.”
I sit forward in my seat, glaring at the images of this
Spencer Jones with what seems like every beautiful woman
on the planet. “You think he was there with her?” I ask.
“No, but it was obvious she didn’t want me there.” He
pauses. “I don’t know, it just felt off, man. I can’t put my
finger on it.”
“Hmm.”
“Anyway, it’s been eating at me ever since so I thought I
should let you know. Spencer is the last fucking person that
Charlotte should be associated with.”
I glare at the computer screen with a sarcastic smile
plastered on his face.
“I can see that.” I inhale sharply. “Don’t mention this to
father or anyone else.”
“I won’t.”
 “I’ll check it out, thank you. You’re a good friend.” I
hang up and sit back in my chair, studying the Playboy in
front of me.
“Over my dead body will you get your hands on her,” I
whisper. “Over my dead body.”

Charlotte
I wake with a start, and I can tell by the light of the room
that it’s now early morning. I get out of bed, go to the
bathroom, and tiptoe down the hall.
My man didn’t come and get into bed with me when he’d
cooled down like I thought he would. I’ve been thinking
about it all night, and Spencer is right… I should have
asked him before I jumped to conclusions. But he should
have told me she came to him, and he was being deceitful
when he hid the key from me. We’re both in the wrong here
and I won’t take all the blame.
I open the bedroom door and my shoulders slump. The
crumpled up bed is empty.
He must have just left, although he normally leaves at
5:30 a.m.
Great.
I head downstairs and make myself a cup of tea, then I
sit at the kitchen counter as I drink in silence.
What the hell do I do now?
Damn this, I’m not spending the day worrying.
I take out my phone and dial his number.
“Hello,” he answers in a clipped tone.
“Hi.” I smile nervously. “Why didn’t you wake me up
before you left?”
“What’s the point?”
“Spence,” I sigh. “What did you expect me to think?”
“Exactly what you did.” He pauses. “I am my father’s
son, after all.”
 My heart drops. “Stop it and come back home. We’ll
work it out.”
“I can’t, I have to work.”
I close my eyes. Damn it, why did I fly off the handle
before talking to him?
“Will I see you tonight?”
“I’m busy.”
I frown.
“See you later.” He hangs up.

Five hours to stew on something is a long time. I sort

through the mail on the table like a zombie, my mind with
Spencer and how he doesn’t think he’ll see me tonight.
He said that he loved me.
“Are you okay?” Sarah frowns. “You’ve looked like shit
all day.”
“Not really, I feel sick,” I lie.
“Go home.” Paul tuts. “We don’t want it.”
“Yeah, go home,” Sarah says. “We’re entitled to sick
days. Just go, and we’ll tell them after you leave that you
were throwing up.”
“Really?” I could go and see Spencer at work. “Is that
okay?” I ask.
“Sure! Off you go.”
I can’t stand the thought of him thinking that I think
he’s like his father.
I need to fix this situation right now.
I’m worried sick about this.

Half an hour later, I’m walking into Spencer’s building with

Wyatt and Anthony close behind me. I read the lists of
businesses in the directory in the foyer.

Universal Steel — Fourteenth floor.

We take the elevator up, and my heart beats furiously in

my chest. Up until last night, I wouldn’t have thought
Spencer had a temper, but now I know that he does and it’s
a little scary. The doors open up to reveal a huge office
space. It’s modern and decorated black and white with
huge, brightly coloured abstract paintings along the walls.
The entire back wall is made of windows that overlook
London.
Wow, this is something else.
Wyatt and Anthony stand by the door. I turn and give
them a nervous smile. “I won’t be long.”
I walk through to the large reception area with my
stomach in my throat. What if he doesn’t want to see me?
“Can I help you?” the receptionist asks.
“Yes.” I smile awkwardly. “I’m here to see Spencer
Jones.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No.”
She looks me up and down, and I raise my eyebrow. Who
is this? The way she looks at me sparks something in my
brain, and I hear the words leave my mouth before my filter
kicks in. “Tell him that his girlfriend Charlotte is here.”
A frown crosses her forehead before she quickly
recovers. “Just a moment.”
She taps a number on the phone and speaks through the
headset.
“Yeah,” I hear Spencer’s bored voice say.
“I have a Charlotte here.” Her eyes come back to mine.
“She says she’s your girlfriend.”
He exhales heavily. “Send her in.”
 My stomach drops. It’s not exactly the enthusiastic
response I was hoping for.
Maybe this is it?
She fakes a smile. “This way, please.”
I follow her through the office and people stop what they
are doing to look over, at me. I keep my eyes on the floor.
I’m so nervous, I can hardly lift my head.
She opens the last door and fakes a smile.
“Thank you.” I look nervously into the office, and there
he sits behind a large black desk made of wood and glass.
He’s wearing a grey suit, white shirt, and a pink tie, looking
as edible as I’ve ever seen him. His eyes rise to meet mine
and his jaw clenches.
The door shuts behind me.
“Hi,” I say nervously, twisting my fingers in front of me.
His eyes hold mine, and he rolls a pen across the desk
with four fingers. “Hi.”
I walk around and sit on the desk in front of him,
watching as he leans back in his chair.
“I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”
He stares at me, devoid of emotion.
“I’m sorry.”
He nods once.
“But I’m not the only one in the wrong here,” I add.
He nods again.
“This is where you say sorry, too, Spence.”
“I was only trying to protect you.”
“From her?”
He shrugs.
“Do I need protecting from her?”
He shrugs again and remains silent. I don’t think he
knows what to say.
“I saw the key was missing, and then you called to say
you weren’t coming home.”
“I know how this looks.” He sighs.
“Then why are you angry with me?”
 “I’m not angry, I’m disappointed.”
“That I thought you were with somebody else?” I frown.
“Yes. Why would you think that? Have I given you any
reason to doubt me?”
“No, baby,” I whisper as I crawl onto his lap.
“This is about your ten years with Sheridan,” I say softly.
“I don’t know how to compete with that kind of history,
Spence, and it scares the hell out of me.”
He slides his hand up my thigh. “I told you I’m not in
love with her.”
I smile softly. “You said you loved me.”
His eyes fall to the desk, and I place my finger under his
chin to bring his face back to mine. “Is that still true?”
His jaw clenches as his eyes hold mine.
“Spencer…”
He stares at me.
I wrap my arms around him and hold him tight.
“Okay, well, I have something to tell you.” I run my
fingers through his stubble. “You were right, I could never
sleep with someone I didn’t have feelings for.”

Spencer
My heart sinks from her admission. “Who is he?”
She smiles softly. “He has white teeth and he wears
a size thirteen shoe.”
I frown.
“He’s on the navigation team for Santa Claus.”
My face falls. “What?”
“He likes naughty kittens because he’s a big
naughty kitten himself.”
“I don’t understand.”
She gives a subtle shake of her head. “There was
no other man, Spence.”
My eyes search hers.
 “Only you,” she says softly.
I frown in confusion.
“You’re the only man I’ve ever slept with—the only
person I have feelings for.”
My heart freefalls. “Are you serious?” I whisper.
She smiles and nods gently. “I wanted it to be you
—”
“Why would you lie to me about that?” I breathe
out, cutting her off.
I should have made it better for her. I try and
remember how I took her the very first time. Was I
rough? Did I hurt her?
“I knew that you were too scared to go through
with it because you thought I was going to fall in love
with you,” she admits.
My eyes hold hers.
She bends and kisses me softly. Her tongue gently
slides through my lips, and I feel my arousal roll in.
“And it turns out you had a good reason to be
scared of that… because I have,” she whispers.
I drop my head as emotion takes over, our
foreheads coming together.
This feels so… real.
She puts her finger under my chin and brings my
face up to meet hers. “I know this is crazy and we
don’t even know each other properly yet, but I was
devastated last night when I thought you were with
Sheridan.”
I shake my head and look up at her. “How does this
happen in ten days, angel? I don’t understand what’s
going on here.”
She smiles. “You always hear people say that when
you know, you know, right?”
Oh God…this beautiful woman.
“I know,” I whisper against her lips.
 “I know, too. I’ve known all along.” Her lips take
mine and our kiss is deep and passionate. It’s
everything I’ve never had. Suddenly, I’m desperate to
be alone with her—to show her what she means to me.
“Let’s go home,” I murmur into her hair.
“To your house?”
I stare at the perfect angel in front of me, and a
thought of pure horror runs through my mind.
She can’t stay in my bed.
I need a new mattress before we stay at my house. I
don’t want her sleeping where I’ve been with another
woman.
I want a new start… with her.
“Let’s go to your house. It’s easier for the boys,” I
lie. “We’ll stay at mine tomorrow night when we’ve
made arrangements for them.”
“Okay.”
I stand and take her in my arms, holding her tight.
There’s no other man.
Only me!
This feeling, this overwhelming feeling I get from
her is like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I can’t get
close enough.
It’s comforting, and yet it terrifies the hell out of
me. She’s not just anyone, and I know for certain that
her family are not going to accept me. I grip her
tighter as the reality that I may lose her sets in.
“Let’s go home, baby,” she whispers against my
shoulder.
I kiss her big, soft lips. “Let’s go.”
I pack up my desk and we walk out through the
reception area hand in hand.
“I’m leaving for the day,” I tell Rosalie, my PA.
“Okay, Mr Jones.” She smiles as she looks us both
up and down.
 “Goodbye.” Charlotte smiles to her. “Lovely to meet
you.”
“You, too!” Rosalie calls back.
We walk through to the foyer to find Anthony and
Wyatt waiting patiently.
“Hi, guys,” I say to them both.
“Hey,” they both reply.
The four of us get into the elevator and I push the
button.
I want to know why Charlotte is guarded. There has
to be something more sinister going on than she is
led to believe, and I intend to find out exactly what
that something is.
“My car is out on the street today. Where are you
parked?” I ask them. I don’t want Charlotte to be
without them with her for a moment.
“Around the block,” Anthony answers.
“We’ll just go down and wait in my car until you
come around, and then we’ll pull out in front of you,
okay?” I ask.
“Okay, good,” Wyatt replies.
We walk out of the building hand in hand, across
the quadrangle area.
“Charlotte?” a man calls out. “Charlotte
Prescott...”
We both turn and see a photographer smiling as
soon as he realises it’s her. Before we can do anything
he begins to take photos. The camera clicks away
picture after picture.
Charlotte’s step falters.
“Keep walking!” Wyatt snaps.
Charlotte puts her head down, and I drag her by
the hand as Wyatt approaches the photographer.
“Get the fuck off!” the photographer cries out
when Wyatt tries to take the camera from him. They
get into a struggle, leaving Charlotte and me to head
to the car as quickly as we possibly can.
“Meet us at home!” Anthony yells, turning and
running back to help Wyatt confiscate the camera.
I open the car door and Charlotte slides in. I run
around to my side and, once secured in, we take off
quickly.
I look out through the rearview mirror to see the
two guards in a full-on scuffle with two photographers
now.
“Oh my God,” Charlotte whispers, dropping her
head into her hands.
I grip the steering wheel with white knuckle force,
trying to concentrate on the road ahead.
Looks like the war is about to begin.
 13

Spencer
W E DRIVE IN SILENCE , but my eyes keep drifting back to
the road behind us to make sure we aren’t being
followed. Charlotte sits in the passenger seat, staring
through the windscreen.
I pick up her hand and kiss her fingertips. “We
have four or five days before those pictures go live
and that’s if we’re lucky.”
She glances over to me. “How do you know that?”
I clench my jaw. “I just know. If they want top
dollar, then they’ll have to approach several tabloids
to sell the images.”
She pulls her hand from my grip and gives a subtle
shake of her head, somewhat annoyed that I’ve been
through this before.
I hate that I have, too.
I exhale heavily as my eyes drift to the road behind
us, once again. They can’t find out where she’s
staying or her job is gone.
Great. It’s just my luck that a photographer who
recognised her was outside my place of work. What
are the chances? Nobody even knows who she is in
London.
“You’ll need to tell your father that you went out
with me,” I say. “Warn him of the images that could
be coming out.”
She runs her hands through her hair. “It’s not that
easy, Spencer.”
My eyes flicker over to her. “It is actually. You are
allowed to see people.”
“You don’t understand.” She rolls her eyes.
“Then why don’t you help me to.”
“Don’t get snappy with me. You think I like this
drama?”
“All I’m saying is that you are an adult, and you’re
doing nothing wrong. If they can’t be happy with our
relationship than it’s too bad for them.”
She folds her arms over her chest.
“Am I right?” I snap as my eyes flick between the
road and her.
She stays silent.
“You tell me right fucking now, Charlotte. What are
you going to do when they find out?”
She shrugs.
“I’m waiting.”
“I don’t know how to handle them.” She gets teary
and shakes her head. “It’s overbearing, Spence, and I
hate that they’re going to judge you without even
knowing you.”
I screw up my face in disgust. “I don’t give a fuck
whether they judge me or not. But they will not judge
you. I won’t have it.”
She stares at me blankly. “What’s that supposed to
mean?”
“It means that you’re an adult, and if they try to
stop me from seeing you—”
“Which they will,” she interrupts.
 “What are you going to do about it?”
She shrugs, her face sad.
It’s obvious that this is too much for her to take on
by herself.
“I’ll take care of it,” I tell her.
“Meaning what?” She frowns.
“I’ll take care of Edward and your father for you.”
She huffs. “You haven’t met them, Spencer. They
don’t get taken care of.”
I glance over at her. “It’s taken me thirty-seven
years to find you, Charlotte. I won’t be forced out of
your life by your family.”
“I don’t want you to be.” She softens and reaches
over to raise and kiss my hand. “They’ll push you
away, though. I know they will. They’ll make it so
difficult for you that you’ll eventually leave.” Her
voice cracks on the last word.
I pull the car over to the side of the road and turn
to her. “Angel…” I smile softly and cup her face in my
hand. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Her eyes search mine. “Promise me that they won’t
come between us.”
“I’m the one asking you to promise me that.”
“What do you mean?” She frowns, confused.
“We’ll go to Nottingham together and tell them you
are moving to London. Then you’ll leave with me, with
or without their permission.”
Her face falls and she shakes her head. “Spencer,
they’ll go insane if I do that. I can’t do it that way.
They’ll come after me with guns blazing.”
My eyes hold hers. “Charlotte...”
She stares at me through her unshed tears, already
terrified of their reaction.
“It’s time,” I say calmly.
She drops her head and stares at her hands in her
lap.
 “You are not a child. You are not a possession to be
owned. Stop allowing them this control over you.
You’re with me now. We’re happy, and we’re not
hurting anyone.”
“But…” She stops herself from saying something.
“But what?”
“What if I leave them and then…” Her voice trails
off.
“And then we don’t work out?” I frown.
Her eyes rise to meet mine, and I know that’s it—
that’s what she’s most afraid of.
“Then we make it work out,” I tell her.
“How do you make something work out?”
I smile softly at the beautiful woman in front of
me, and I lean over and kiss her, brushing her hair
back from her face. “I don’t know, I’ve never done it
before. We’ll work it out together.”
She wraps her arms around me, and we hold each
other close.
“Just give me the permission I need to handle this
for you… please,” I say into her hair. “You’re driving
this ship, angel, not me.”
“What are you going to do?” she whispers.
“Nothing sinister but I’m not taking their shit, and
I can’t stand by and let them have you living in fear
like you do.”
“They’re my family, Spence. I love them.”
I cup her jaw. “I know, angel, and they love you
back. Once they see you’re happy and taken care of,
they’ll ease up. They will accept us eventually.”
She smiles softly.
“But you need to let me lead us into battle, okay?
It’s not just going to happen without a fight.” I kiss
her. “You already know that, and you need to prepare
yourself for a few hard times.”
She stares at me.
 “They’ll tell you I’m not the man for you, and to
not rush into anything. They’ll refuse to let you move
to London if you let them, and what happens then?
You live in Nottingham miserable, and I’ll live in
London, unable to visit you. Your security will be
tightened, and we won’t see each other again.”
Her eyes hold mine and then she nods with
renewed purpose. “You’re right. That’s exactly how it
will go.” She turns and stares out through the front
windshield, deep in thought, and then she turns to me
again. “You take the reins.”
I lean over and kiss her softly, placing my hand on
her thigh. Once she’s calm, I pull back out into the
traffic.
That’s exactly what I’m going to do.

I sip my scotch as I sit at the bar of the hotel. I’m

waiting for Wyatt and Anthony. When we got back
here, I took Charlotte up to the room and called the
two of them, asking them to meet me here instead of
at the apartment. I need to talk to them without
Charlotte hearing.
I dial Seb’s number while I wait for them to arrive.
“Hey.” I sip my scotch. “Man, I need a huge
favour.”
“What is it?” Seb asks.
“Can you go to the shops for me in the morning
and buy me a king-size orthopaedic mattress and get
it delivered to my place by tomorrow?”
“Erm, why?”
“Because Charlotte is coming over tomorrow night
and I have meetings all day tomorrow. I’m snowed
under with crap over here.”
 “What the fuck do you need a new mattress for?”
“I can’t have Charlotte sleeping on that mattress.”
“Why not?”
“Do you know how many women I’ve had in that
bed?” I whisper angrily as I try to keep my voice
down.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” he snaps. “You’re being
ridiculous. She won’t know.”
“I’ll know. I need a new fucking mattress. I won’t
have her sleeping in it.”
“What the fuck is happening to you?”
“I don’t know!” I snap. “Just do it.”
“Why don’t you get one of your PAs to do this shit
for you?”
“Oh, yeah, like I can say, Can you get me a new
mattress so my new girlfriend won’t have to sleep on
my sex-stained old one? You just don’t say that shit to
your personal assistant, Sebastian.”
He chuckles. “Spence, you’re the most fucking
ridiculous man I know.”
I smirk at the sound of his laugh. “Right?”
“This is like the Princess and the Pea fairy tale.”
I roll my eyes and sip my scotch. “Yeah, and the
fucking villain is about to come home. Paps
photographed us together today.”
“You reckon the old man’s coming home to cut
your balls off?”
“Without a doubt.”
“Ha. The fun’s about to begin. I’ll get popcorn.”
“Can you help me tomorrow or not?” I sigh.
“Why do I get to do all your shitty jobs when you
have staffing of four-hundred?”
I smile broadly. “Perks of being my best friend.”
“Stop sucking up, asshole.”
I sip my scotch. “What have you been doing,
anyway?”
 “Angela called me today.” I close my eyes and pinch
the bridge of my nose. “No. Get that shit out of your
fucking head… right now.”
He laughs. “I knew you’d love that one.”
Angela is his ex-wife’s sister. She’s a widow with
kids, and Seb has had a soft spot for her for years.
“What did she want?” I ask.
“Just to check in on me.”
I roll my eyes. “I bet she did.” I huff. “I’m sure she
has venom in her veins like her sister. It probably
runs in the family, like a witch thing.”
He laughs again. “Good Lord, if Prescott doesn’t
kill you first, I’m quite sure one of your cellmates will
fuck you to death once you go inside for my ex-wife’s
murder.”
I roll the scotch around in my mouth with a smirk.
“It would be worth it to rid you of that wench.”
He exhales heavily. “So, what am I buying?”
“King-size orthopaedic cushion-top mattress. Make
it hypoallergenic.”
“Okay, I’ll call you from the store.”
“I have these Chinese clients in town so I’ll be with
them most of the day. I can be home from four for the
delivery.”
“I’ve never heard of a bed being delivered on the
same day as the purchase.”
“Can you just make it happen?” I sigh, holding my
forehead. “Fuck the saleswoman in the back room if
you have to.”
He chuckles. “Where are you? It sounds noisy.”
“In the hotel bar. I’m waiting for Charlotte’s
guards. I want to talk to them with her not around.”
“Why, what’s up?”
“I want to know why she’s so guarded.”
“Yeah, me and Masters were talking about this the
other night. Something must have happened in the
past, we reckon.”
“I agree.” I sigh.
The stool next to me shifts, and Anthony and Wyatt
slide into the seats. “Got to go,” I tell Seb. I hang up
and turn to the boys. “Did you get the film?”
Anthony exhales heavily. “Nope, there were two of
them with cameras. If we were caught manhandling
them, it would have all been caught on camera.”
“Shit.” I sigh. “You guys want a drink?”
“No, I’m good,” Wyatt says.
“We’re off the clock now. You’ve finished for the
day,” I urge. I want them relaxed.
“Okay, just a beer. Make it two Coronas,” Anthony
replies.
“Can I have two Coronas and another scotch,
please?” I ask the waitress.
“Sure.” She smiles as she moves away to grab the
drinks.
“Well.” I sigh. “Those pictures will be live in a few
days. They’ll be selling them to the highest bidder as
we speak. You’re both going to have to call your boss
and let him know that Charlotte and I have been on a
date if you want to keep your jobs.”
Anthony nods. “Looks like it.”
“I’ll take care of Edward,” I tell them.
Wyatt smirks. “Edward Prescott is not someone you
can take care of.” The waitress puts the drinks down
in front of us. “Thank you,” they both mutter before
taking a sip.
I rub my fingers through my two-day growth.
“What makes you so sure that he won’t approve of me
seeing Charlotte?” I ask.
Anthony shrugs. “Nobody will ever be good enough
for her in his eyes.”
“I can see why,” I mutter under my breath. “Most
certainly not me.”
 Wyatt smirks and sips his beer.
“Tell me, for interest’s sake, why is she so
guarded?” I ask.
They exchange looks.
“I won’t say anything to her or anyone else, of
course. I don’t want her frightened.” I sip my beer.
“But I would like to know what we’re dealing with
here.”
Their eyes meet again, and Wyatt shrugs.
“There was another car involved in Francesca
Prescott’s fatal car accident.”
I frown. “Her mother?”
“Yes, but it’s never been known who was driving
the other car.” I think for a moment. “Does Charlotte
know this? Are they sure the other car was there
intentionally?”
“No, not at all. Charlotte’s not to be told. The tyre
marks suggest that she was run off the road by
another vehicle. No trace on who, though, and no
proof that it is actually sinister, but it’s just enough
for the fear of God to have been put into them about
Charlotte’s safety.” Anthony drinks his beer. “She’s
adored.”
“By all that know her,” I agree.
They nod.
“And that’s it?” I ask. “The car accident five years
ago is what keeps you two in a job?” I shrug.
Anthony exhales, and his eyes hold mine. That’s
when I know there is more. “What else?” I ask
sharply.
“I’ve been with the Prescotts for ten years,”
Anthony says. “I’ve witnessed a lot of meetings going
on, and there is bad blood around the family… a lot of
it.”
“Such as?”
 “When it comes to business, they’re ruthless.
Nobody stands in their way.”
I frown. “Just Edward?”
“Both of them. If someone wanted to hurt them,
Charlotte is the way to do it.” He sips his beer. “The
only way to do it.”
“Do you feel she’s in danger?” I ask, my eyes
holding his. “I mean amongst the people you’ve seen
them deal with, in your honest opinion, is Charlotte a
target?”
“Massively,” he answers flatly. “Why do you think
she has two guards on her all the time? Why do you
think they keep her hidden at the estate and away
from paparazzi?”
I exhale heavily, and my mind begins to race. We
remain silent as we fall into our own thoughts.
“Can you do me a favour?”
“What?” Anthony asks.
“Give us a few days before you tell them, if you can.
I’ve organised to sublet an apartment in my building
for you two. Charlotte will be staying there with me
from now on.”
The boys exchange looks, and Wyatt smirks. “You
really think they’re going to let her stay with you?”
My eyes hold his. “They won’t have a fucking say in
it.”
Anthony raises his eyebrow and sips his beer.
“What does that look mean?” I ask.
“That means you should watch your fucking back,
man. I wouldn’t want to be on the bad side of Edward
Prescott.”
“I’m not scared of Edward. Charlotte is the only
person who matters to me.” I stand and take my
wallet out, throwing some money onto the bar. “Catch
you guys tomorrow.”
 I walk through the bar and out into the foyer. I
take out my phone and scroll through my numbers.
Alan Shapiro
I dial his number and nod at a woman as she walks
past me.
“Hello, Spencer,” Alan answers cheerfully.
“Hi.” I smile. “How is my favourite lawyer this
afternoon?”
“Good, good. I haven’t spoken to you in a long
time. How can I help you?”
“I need a contract written up urgently.”
“Sure thing. What kind?”
I frown, not knowing how to put this. “I have a new
girlfriend and we may be moving in together.”
“Oh, okay. You need a cohabitation agreement.
How much are you prepared to give her when you
break up?”
“We won’t break up, and it’s not for my protection.
It’s for hers.”
He pauses. “I don’t understand. What do you want
to give her?”
“I want a contract drawn up saying that I want
none of her money if we separate.”
“I doubt she’ll have more money than you.” He
scoffs.
“Trust me, she does.”
“Okay, so you want the contract stating that you
both leave the relationship with no financial
crossover. What you both came in with, you leave
with.”
“Yes.”
“What’s her name.”
“Charlotte Prescott.”
There’s silence on the other end of the line.
“You there?” I ask.
“Not Harold Prescott’s daughter?”
 “That’s her.”
“Fuck.” I hear him typing, and I know he’s
Googling her estimated wealth. “Spence, you need to
cover yourself. Don’t be stupid and walk away from
that fortune. If you marry her, you’re entitled to it.”
“I don’t want it.” I roll my eyes as I feel my anger
begin to bubble. “Just write me up the fucking
contract, okay?”
He exhales heavily. “Think this through, will you?”
“No. Can you do me the contract, or will I get
someone else to do it? I don’t want a single penny of
her fucking money.”
“Four billion pounds, Spencer.”
“I don’t give a fuck. Get the contract to me as soon
as possible.”
“You’re an idiot if you sign this.”
“Stop pissing me off,” I snarl.
“You pay me for advice. My advice to you is to not
sign a cohabitation agreement. Not if she’s not asking
for one.”
“Goodbye, Alan. Email me the contract tomorrow,
please.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He sighs.
I hang up and stuff my phone into my pocket
angrily. For fuck’s sake, why can’t Charlotte be a
broke orphan? My feelings for her would be the same
and I wouldn’t have to deal with all this fucking
bullshit that goes with her name. I inhale heavily to
try and calm myself down, and I take the elevator up
to her floor and apartment. I walk in and close the
door behind me, and suddenly I feel calm.
It’s a peaceful calm that I only get from being
alone with Charlotte.
It’s just me, her, and all the rest of the bullshit is
on the other side of that door.
“Angel?” I call.
 “Up here.” I hear her sweet voice call from the
bedroom upstairs.
“I hope you’re naked.”
She laughs, and I know she is. I smile and take the
stairs two at a time.
I walk into the bedroom to find her lying in bed.
Steam is flowing from the bathroom, and I know she’s
freshly showered.
“Hi,” she whispers.
“Hi.” I feel the blood start to rush to my cock.
“Everything all right?”
“It is now.”
“Now?”
“Now that I’m here with you.”
She smiles softly and holds her arms up for me to
go to her. She’s in her robe, lying on her back which
is propped up against the pillows. The smell of her
soap floats through the air.
“Are you naked and in bed for any particular
reason?” I ask.
She smiles and gets up onto her knees, crawling
over to the side of the bed. I bend and kiss her. Her
lips are big and soft, and all coherent thought begins
to leave me.
I can’t think when she’s naked near me. I lose my
ability to think clearly.
“I’m naked for my man.” She pulls me to her by the
suit pants. I watch on as she slowly slides down my
zipper and kisses my cock through my briefs.
I run my fingers through her hair as I watch her.
She’s blossoming before my eyes.
Every day, a little more of her sexuality comes out.
She becomes a little more daring and I feel myself fall
that little bit harder. She kisses me through my black
boxers. I kick off my shoes and push my trousers
down. She takes off her robe and then goes up onto
her knees, unbuttoning my shirt as I smile down at
her. I’m conscious that I need to let her take the lead
whenever she wants to.
Slowly but surely, she’s getting there—getting to
the place where soon I’ll be able to take her as I want
to. It took her a week just to be comfortable being
naked in front of me.
It’s been hard holding myself back, to consider her
needs before mine, because I’m petrified of hurting
her.
She slides my shirt over my shoulders, and then
her hands drop to my boxers, and she slides them
down my legs. Her hand goes around my cock, and a
deep rumbling begins in my balls. I put my hand over
hers to guide her, slowly stroking myself as she
watches on in wonder. Pre-ejaculate beads at the
head.
“Lick me, angel,” I whisper, brushing her hair back
from her forehead. “Taste me.”
She smiles and in slow motion bends. I watch as
her tongue slides out and over my end. I clench my
stomach in appreciation.
Every time, every fucking time I’m with her, I have
to concentrate not to blow too soon.
She’s too perfect.
This, what’s between us, is too perfect.
She takes me into her mouth, and with her eyes
glued on mine, she takes me deep down her throat.
Fuck.
My mouth falls open as I watch on. Her eyes are
closed.
No man has ever had her before. I had my
suspicions. I thought I felt her hymen break but I
wondered if it were wishful thinking on my part.
Thank God it wasn’t.
She’s mine. All mine.
 As she sucks, I close my eyes, and drop my head
back. It’s so good.
I need it harder… so much harder. I put my hand
over hers as it follows her lips, and I stroke myself
harder. “Like this,” I whisper to show her.
She nods and follows my lead, making me hiss in
appreciation.
I lift my foot to rest it on the bed next to her.
Watching her naked and sucking my cock is too much
to bear. I push her back to the mattress and hover
over her.
“Open your legs.”
She smiles and arches her back off the mattress.
My eyes roam down her body, to large, firm breasts,
hourglass hips, and a small patch of perfectly
groomed, light pubic hair. Her legs are long, toned,
and currently spread wide just for me. But it’s the
look of hunger in her eyes that turns me on. She
wants me, she wants what I can give her… and only
me. Nobody has ever touched her.
She’s every man’s fucking wet dream.
Unable to help it, I take my cock back in my hand
and begin to fist it hard. My jaw is clenched as I work
myself.
“Touch yourself,” I instruct.
Her eyes widen as I jerk my cock harder. Fuck, I
want to come. I want to come looking at her. I want to
come on her… in her.
My shoulder flexes as I grip my cock with white
knuckle force, and her back arches again off the
mattress again.
“Spence,” she pleads. “I need you.”
I grab the lube from the wardrobe as quickly as I
can, and squeeze it out onto my fingers then through
her soft, wet flesh. It’s practically pulsing beneath my
fingertips.
 “You feel so fucking good, angel,” I whisper as I
bend and take her nipple into my mouth. I suck it
hard and slow, just how she likes it.
“Hurry,” she moans.
I smile. This sense of urgency from her is new.
I like it.
“I’ve got to warm you up, baby,” I whisper as my
fingers circle through her swollen lips and over her
clitoris.
“No, now.”
All I can see is her.
I roll a condom on, climb over her, and spread her
legs wider so that they touch the mattress. Then I line
myself up at her opening.
“For God’s sake, hurry up, Spencer,” she gasps,
frustrated.
I chuckle and lift her right leg, placing her foot
onto my chest. Her eyes widen. “This one’s going to
be deep, baby,” I whisper. “That okay?”
I see fear flash in her eyes before she disguises it
and nods softly.
I pull the end of my cock back and forth through
her lips, enjoying the way she hums in appreciation.
Don’t hurt her, don’t hurt her, don’t hurt her.
The usual mantra runs through my mind. Every
time we have sex, I repeat this in my head over and
over again. I never want her to be scared of me. I
push forward at once, and she cries out as searing
pleasure sucks my cock in.
So… wet. So fucking tight. I can feel every muscle
inside of her as it contracts and ripples around me.
Mine. I pull out and her eyes dilate. My breath
quivers in appreciation.
So.
Fucking.
Good.
 I press my hands above her shoulders to pin her in
position, and then holding myself up with
straightened arms, I pull out and push back in again.
My knees are wide to give me better traction.
She moans and her hands go to my behind.
I do it again and again, and soon we have a rhythm,
and she begins to thrash beneath me.
“Spence,” she moans.
I clench my jaw to try and hold it, to stop myself
from coming, but she’s too beautiful.
I can’t.
The bed begins to hit the wall with force. I bring
her other leg up to my chest and we both stop
suddenly as our eyes lock.
Her eyes search mine, and she brings her hand up
to cup my cheek.
“I love you,” she whispers.
My eyes roll back, and I drop to my elbows to take
her lips with mine. Our kiss is soft, hungry, and
prolonged. Her hands move to my shoulders as her
legs wrap around my waist.
This is what happens with her every time.
She blows my mind with this intimacy thing she
has going on. I can’t get enough.
I’m addicted.
She begins to thrash. “Now, Spencer.”
I smile, knowing this is the first time she has
begged me for an orgasm. I lift myself and slam in
deep. She cries out, so I do it again, and she contracts
and clenches around me. My cock jerks and I blow so
fucking hard, I roll my head back and moan loudly.
Damn this fucking condom.
And then we kiss, and it’s just the two of us.
Nothing else matters in my world but her.
I hold her tight and I smile against her lips.
“What?” She smirks.
 “You’re getting very good at that.”
“I have a good teacher.” She giggles as she kisses
me again.
“Baby, we haven’t even started yet.” I pull out and
roll onto my back, bringing her body over mine. I kiss
her temple as we lay close. I can feel her heart still
beating hard in her chest.
“What are you making me for dinner, Jones?” She
looks up at me.
I run my hand down and over her ass. “Whatever
room service is delivering.”

I sit at my desk and stare at the plans in front of me.

It’s late in the afternoon and I’ve been hectic all day,
taking endless meetings with clients.
My phone rings and the name Seb lights up the
screen.
“Hi.” I smile and lean back in my chair.
“The mattress is in your room and waiting for the
princess. Completely sex-stain free… for now.”
I chuckle. “Thanks, man, I owe you one.”
“And I may have fucked the sales assistant to
guarantee your delivery.”
“What?”
He chuckles, and I know he’s joking.
“Where’s my old mattress?” I ask.
“They took it away. It caught fire as soon as it saw
daylight.”
I laugh. “I don’t doubt it.” I hear the door click,
and I turn to see Sheridan walking in. She turns and
locks the door behind her.
I frown. Oh, shit.
“I’ve got to go,” I tell Seb.
 “Hey, so you know how Angela called me...” he
continues, ignoring me.
Sheridan sits on the desk in front of me. She leans
down and kisses me, and I pull away quickly, shaking
my head in disgust.
“Stop,” I mouth at her.
“Angela wants me to go over tonight,” Seb
continues.
I frown. “What for?”
Sheridan drops to the floor in front of my chair and
I shake my head. “Stop,” I mouth again.
“She wants to talk to me about something,” Seb
says.
Sheridan grabs my fly and begins to unzip my
pants. “Will you cut it out!” I snap, quickly closing my
legs.
“What?” Seb asks.
“Mate, I have to go, sorry,” I snap. “Shit’s going on
here.” Sheridan grabs my cock through my pants and
strokes me. I swat her hand away.
“Call you later,” I snap and hang up. “What the
fuck, Sheridan?”
“Oh, darling. Don’t act like you don’t love it when I
do this.”
My phone buzzes and my receptionist’s voice rings
out. “Mr Jones?”
I push Sheridan away. “Fucking stop it, will you?”
She drops her head to my lap and bites me through
my pants. “Get up!” I snap. I push the intercom.
“Yeah?” I say.
“I have an Edward Prescott here to see you.”
My eyes widen.
Oh fuck.
 14

Spencer
O H HELL . This is the worst timing ever. I exhale
heavily.…. shit, what does he want?
“Tell him I’ll be a few minutes. I’m with a client,” I
splutter.
“Okay.”
I hang up and stand in a rush. “Fucking hell,
Sheridan.” I drag her from the floor by the arm.
“What the hell are you doing?”
She smirks. “Pleasing my man. What does it look
like?”
“I’m not your man, and you need to stop coming in
here unannounced and touching me.”
She rolls her eyes. “Are you still going on with this
nonsense?”
“Yes.” I grab her biceps. “Fucking listen to what
I’m saying. This has to stop.” I gently push her away
from my body. “Please,” I urge.
Her eyes search mine, and realisation sets in that I
actually mean this. Her eyes fill with tears. “Spence,”
she whispers.
My heart drops and I sigh. “Shez… don’t.”
 “But you said it would always be us.”
“I know I did.”
“I love you,” she whispers through tears.
“What?” I frown. What the fuck… she did not just
say that?
“For years, I’ve loved you, Spence.”
My eyebrows rise. “And you didn’t think to say
something to me before now?”
“Because I didn’t want to lose you.” She shrugs.
“But if you’re ready to settle down, I’ll move here, and
we can try to make it work. Maybe you can have the
house in the countryside and the two-point-four
children… but with me.”
My shoulders slump, and I tuck a piece of hair
behind her ear. “It’s not that easy.”
Tears fill her eyes even more, and damn, if it isn’t
the worst thing I’ve ever seen. Sheridan is the
toughest chick I know.
“Please,” she murmurs helplessly.
My heart constricts at the sight of her begging.
“Shez.” I take her in my arms and hold her tight as
her tears roll down her face. “Don’t be upset.” I kiss
her temple. “I can’t stand seeing you like this.”
“Then give me a chance. We can try. I’ll move here.
You know I can make you happy, Spence.”
I glance at the door. Edward is still out there. I
completely forgot about him for a moment.
“Sheridan, my next appointment is here,” I whisper
in a panic.
“Can I see you tonight?” she pleads.
“No.”
Her face scrunches up. “Ten years together, and
you can’t even have dinner with me to talk about
this?”
Fuck, I’m a selfish prick.
 “Tomorrow night,” I whisper. “We’ll meet tomorrow
night.” Right now, I just need her out of here. I’ll deal
with her tomorrow.
She smiles, mollified for the moment. “Okay.” She
leans in and kisses me softly on the lips, rubbing her
fingers through my stubble. “I’ll call you tomorrow?”
Fuck, why is nothing fucking easy? “Sure. Now I
have to see my next appointment. Clean yourself up,
you look like a mess.”
“Then stop upsetting me.” She huffs as she walks
into the bathroom.
I pinch the bridge of my nose in frustration. Jesus
fucking Christ, how do I get myself into this shit? I
exhale heavily as she washes her face and redoes her
makeup.
“Will you hurry?” I snap.
“Stop it,” she scolds me. “I’ll be ready to leave
when I’m ready to leave and not a minute before.”
She reappears with her power suit firmly back in
place, and I smile at the sight of her. “That’s better.”
She smiles bashfully. “What have you done to me,
Spencer Jones?”
Sadness fills me. I do love Shez, just not in the way
I love Charlotte. I don’t know how to make this right
for her.
Ten years is a long time.
“I’ll see you tomorrow night?” She smiles
hopefully.
I nod. “You will, speak tomorrow.”
She kisses me softly on the lips, and I wrap my
arms around her, holding her close. There is a
familiarity in her touch that comforts me. My eyes
close with sadness because I know that this is our last
embrace. As if sensing it, too, she squeezes me tight
and we stay in each other’s arms for an extended
moment. I pull back and cup her face in my hand,
rubbing my thumb over her bottom lip.
“I do care for you, you know that, right?” I whisper.
Her eyes fill with tears anew. “But not love?”
“Baby, don’t…” I sigh.
She breaks from my arms and stares at the floor
for a moment while she pulls herself together. I see
her transform back to the power woman the world
knows. She picks up her bag and heads for the door.
“Speak tomorrow,” I say.
Without another word, she leaves, and the door
clicks shut behind her. I know I don’t have to worry
about her saying anything to anyone or looking upset
out there in reception. She would rather die than
show any weakness. I hate that after ten years she
just opened up to me and I kicked her out.
Such an asshole.
I press my eyeballs with my fingers and pace back
and forth for a moment, trying to calm myself down.
Fuck, Edward is here and Sheridan loves me.
This is one fucked up day.
I go to the bathroom, wash my hands and face, and
take a seat back at my desk as I prepare myself. Once
ready, I press the intercom. “Send my next client in,
please.”
The door opens and a man in a navy suit comes
into view. He’s tall, dark, and good looking. Not what
I was expecting at all. I thought he would be fair like
Charlotte. Anyway, whatever.
I stand and hold my hand out. “Hello, I’m Spencer
Jones.”
He shakes my hand. His grip is strong as he holds
direct eye contact.
“Mr Jones,” he says flatly with a forced smile. “I’m
Edward Prescott.”
I gesture to my desk. “Please, take a seat.”
 He sits and I fall into my chair at the same time.
I’m not exactly sure why he’s here. I asked the guards
not to tell him yet. Have the images of our kiss been
released already? No… because for him to get here so
quickly, he would have had to leave Vegas or wherever
he was yesterday. The flight is fourteen hours. I’m
just going to keep quiet until I know what he’s doing.
“How can I help you?” I ask calmly.
“Do you know who I am?”
My eyes hold his. “Should I?”
He raises an eyebrow, sits back in his chair, and
crosses his legs. He has a distinct air about him,
although I can’t quite put my finger on exactly what
that is.
Is he arrogant or entitled? Or perhaps just
misunderstood.
“I understand you met my sister recently,” he says.
“And your sister is…?” I ask as I play along.
“Charlotte Prescott.”
I smile. “That I did.”
Our eyes are locked.
“Where did you meet?” he asks sharply.
“I’m sorry, why are you asking me questions about
Charlotte?” I interrupt.
He smirks. “Let’s stop fucking around and get
straight to the point, shall we? I have reason to
believe that you are sniffing around my sister.”
I chuckle. “I’m not sure what kind of dog you’re
used to, but I can assure you I don’t sniff around.”
“That’s not what my friend Alexander York told me.
You were kissing her hand and didn’t take your eyes
off her all night long at a recent charity ball.”
Ah, he’s here because Alex told him about us. What
else does he know?
“I wouldn’t be throwing the name Alexander York
around and connecting him as a friend, if I were
you?”
He glares at me.
“I think you and I both know what his character is
like,” I add. “A reference of any sort from him doesn’t
mean much.”
He raises an eyebrow in a silent dare. “No, why
don’t you tell me?”
“The man’s a snake and there is no love lost
between us.” I stand from my chair and walk over to
the window, placing my hands into my trouser pockets
before I turn back to him. “But you already know
that, don’t you?”
“Alexander is not my concern, Mr Jones.”
“Please, call me Spencer.”
“Spencer.” He nods once.
“What exactly is your concern?” I ask. “Why are
you here?”
“Charlotte.”
I raise an eyebrow. “And why is she a concern to
you?”
“She is not the kind of woman you are…
accustomed to.”
I smile. “Is that what York told you? Ah, he said
that I’m a scandalous rake and that I can’t be trusted
anywhere near your sister, didn’t he?”
We glare at each other for a moment.
“Have you contacted her since you met?” he asks
me boldly.
I smile. The fucking nerve of this guy.
“Let me tell you this, Mr Prescott.” I exhale heavily.
“If I were to contact Charlotte at any point, it is none
of your damn business, only mine and hers.”
“The hell it isn’t my business.” He jumps up from
his seat and moves to stand in front of me. “My job is
to protect her from men like you.”
 “I thought your job as her brother would be to love
her?”
He raises his chin in defiance, unimpressed with
that hidden accusation I planted there. “I protect her
from everything. Sleazy arseholes like you being one
of the more specific threats.”
“Is that what you think I am?”
He steps forward until our faces are close. “Stay
away from my sister, Mr Jones.”
I glare at him. “Or what?”
“Or you’ll deal with me.”
“Do you really think that you could keep me away
from her, if she was truly who I wanted?”
“Is she?”
I smirk. “I will not discuss my intentions with you,
but I will say that you underestimate her greatly. She
is intelligent and old enough to make her own
decisions.”
“She is not accustomed to men like you.”
“And what kind of man would you have her go out
with?” I fire back. “Alexander York, perhaps?” I smirk.
“I’m quite sure he would love to be a part of the
Prescott family.”
His face falls before he quickly masks it. “Don’t be
ridiculous, he’s a friend to her.”
“Does he know that?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.
“Have you seen him with her?”
The best form of defence is attack. I’m going to
throw him off the scent.
“Maybe you should ask Charlotte about Charlotte
and stop jumping to ridiculous assumptions. Have you
really driven all the way from Manchester to London,
just to see me?”
Satisfaction flashes across his face, and that’s
when I know he’s just fallen for my fake ignorance of
his family. If I knew her well—which he doesn’t need
to know I do… not yet—I would know Manchester isn’t
where they live, or where he has just travelled
thousands of miles from.
“I was in town doing business,” he lies.
“Well, it was nice meeting you, Mr Prescott.”
His eyes hold mine and we glare at each other.
“I don’t want to have this conversation again. Stay
away from Charlotte. Do I make myself clear?”
I smile broadly. I would just love to throw it in his
face right now for being such a conceited prick, but I
won’t. I won’t… for Charlotte’s sake. Edward doesn’t
respect her, but I do.
“Perhaps next time we meet, you will be a touch
more well-mannered, Mr Prescott.” That’s the only
answer I give him. “Or at least have some idea what
you are talking about. I don’t have time for childish,
half-thought out assumptions. I’m a very busy man.”
His eyes blaze with anger, and he steps forward so
his face is only millimetres from mine. “I don’t like
you.”
Our eyes are locked.
“You don’t have to.” I smirk. “Now get out.”
We stand toe-to-toe as fury boils between us.
Eventually, he turns and leaves without another word.
The door clicks closed, and I inhale a deep breath as I
drop into my chair.
Fucking hell, this really is going to be World War
Three.

Charlotte
I push the heavy mail cart though the office. “Lottie!” Scott
calls as he leans back on his chair.
“Yes?” Scott is the cheeky man from level six. He’s good
looking, and so, so much fun.
 “Are we on for tonight?” he teases with a wiggle of his
eyebrows.
I hand him the wad of mail for his department. “No,
we’re not on for tonight. I tell you that every day.”
He winces and tips his head back to the Heavens. “Oh,
come on, you don’t know what you are missing out on. I’m
every woman’s dream, you know?”
I chuckle and keep pushing my trolley.
“Call me!” he cries out in a girl’s voice. I smile as I walk
along and continue handing out the mail. Who knew that
this shitty job could make me so happy? I look up ahead
and see Sarah swinging on a chair as she talks to three
girls. She glances over at me.
“This cart is heavy, you know…” I huff.
She ends her conversation and skips over. “Oh, I was
just getting the gossip. Apparently Tiffany broke up with
Zane because she caught him having sex with Brittany from
level two. They were doing it in her car in the basement car
park.”
I wince. “Oh shit.”
“But apparently Tiffany gave Darren a blowie the other
night in his car when he drove her home, and that’s why he
fucked Brittany. It was his payback.”
My mouth falls open. “Who told you that?”
“Darren told Paul, Paul told me, and I just told them.”
“God, it’s so sleazy. Who gives other guys blowies when
they have a boyfriend?”
“I know.” She takes the cart for me. “I told you, this
place is Hot Dick City, and every woman is here for herself.
Women can’t control themselves.”
I giggle as I walk beside her. “Have you ever given
anyone here a blowie?”
“Yeah.” She nods. “Last year at the Christmas party I
had a threesome in one of the offices on level eleven.”
My mouth falls open. “Sarah,” I gasp. “What the hell?”
 “I know, right?” She shrugs. “Weirdest night of my life.
It was like the twilight zone, and it was totally shit.”
“Why?” I frown. I’ve been watching this stuff on YouPorn
and it looks anything but shit.
“Frigging hell, there was just too much going on, you
know? One minute I’m riding, then I had a dick getting
shoved down my throat at the same time. Then the other
one is flipping me around and doing me doggy, while the
other one is pulling my hair so I can suck his dick just how
he wants it. I couldn’t concentrate on any one task enough
to do a good job of it.”
I burst out laughing, imagining her getting flipped
around like a ragdoll while trying hard to concentrate.
“Honestly, threesomes are like some kind of Olympic
pentathlon except you have to do all the events at the same
time. Good in theory.” She puffs air into her cheeks and
shakes her head. “Not so much in practice.”
I put my hands over my face and laugh. I’m never going
to think of Olympic pentathlons the same ever again. I love
this girl, but a sadness fills me. I’m going to miss her when
I leave.
Maybe she could come with me?
Enjoy every day while I can.
My phone rings in my pocket and I take it out, the name
Spence lights up the screen.
“I’m just going to take this,” I whisper.
“Sure thing.” She continues pushing the cart.
I step into the stairwell. “Hello.”
“Angel.” His deep voice purrs, and a broad smile crosses
my face. Even his voice makes me giddy.
“How are you?” I ask dreamily.
“Missing my girl.”
“Well, you get to see her in...” I glance at my watch,
“approximately five hours.”
“I’m counting the minutes.”
I swoon. He’s so gorgeous.
 “I’m calling to give you my address.”
“Oh.” I bunch my shoulders together in excitement.
“That’s right, we’re having a sleepover at your house
tonight.”
“We are,” he purrs. “What time will you be here?”
“I’ll finish at five and go back to grab my stuff, and then
I’ll be over.”
“Bring a few days clothes.”
I smile. “Is this an extended sleepover?”
“Mmmhmm, it is. Don’t shower before you come.”
“Why not?” I frown.
“Because that’s fifteen more minutes that I don’t get to
see you. Besides, I like to wash you.”
My heart sings in my chest. He does love to wash me.
I’ve never felt so adored in all of my life.
“Okay,” I whisper. I’ve told him I love him a few times,
and he hasn’t said it back yet, not since that first time he
said it when we were arguing about Sheridan. I’m trying
not to be needy.
“Goodbye, Spence,” I say.
“Where’s my I love you?” he asks.
Relief hits me. “I love you.” I smile.
He inhales sharply. “And now my day is complete. See
you tonight, angel.” He hangs up and I frown. I stare at the
phone in my hand for a moment. Why does he notice when I
don’t say it to him, but then he never says it back to me?
Men.
Well, that’s it, I’m not saying it again until he does. I
walk back into the office to find Sarah laughing out loud
with a group of girls and I find myself smiling broadly.
Who’s slept with who now?
I’m sitting in the back of the Mercedes wagon that Wyatt is
driving. Anthony is sitting in the passenger seat beside him,
texting Spencer to let him know we will be arriving in a few
minutes. It turns out that Spencer has called them about
the details of where they will be staying tonight, too. The
two of them have overnight bags with them as well. It
seems surreal that he looks after the boys as if they’re his
own staff. If I’m being honest, he seems more caring about
their welfare than Edward has ever been. I’m usually the
only one who worries about them.
“Where is it exactly?” I ask, craning my neck to look up
the street.
“Just up here around the corner.”
“Do we have a key?”
“Spencer is meeting us in the foyer. He has to take us
up.”
“Okay.” I look out the window at the bustling streets as
we drive. It all feels so surreal, that I’m with him and he’s
with me when only a month ago I was completely alone and
still a virgin. What a difference a month can make. Finally,
we get to a tall, swanky looking building.
“This is it,” Anthony says as we pull in.
Wow, this looks nice.
Wyatt parks the car, and Spencer walks out through the
large double front doors. His face lights up when he sees
me. I have to stop myself from running and throwing myself
into his arms.
“Hello, angel.” He smiles.
“Hi,” I beam. I hate that I can’t touch him in public yet.
“Hey, guys,” he says to the boys as he takes my bag from
me.
“Hello, Spencer,” they say as they walk behind us.
We walk through a marble reception with a concierge
and two doormen, making our way over and into the
elevator. The door closes and Spencer immediately takes
my hand in his and smiles. His eyes stay fixed on the back
of the closed door.
I love that he’s so touchy with me.
The doors open on level two and he strides out with
purpose.
“This way.” We walk down a corridor until Spencer stops
and opens a door, handing Wyatt the keys. “This is your
apartment. It has three bedrooms and everything you
should need while you’re here. I sublet it. It’s one of the
other resident’s staff members, but they’re out of the
country for a few months,” Spencer tells them both.
Wyatt and Anthony walk in and look around.
“It’s nice.” I smile.
The boys smile, seemingly impressed with their new
hangout.
“Everything is still the same. Once Charlotte and I are in
for the night, you’re off duty but you should continue to be
with her when she is out and about please.”
“Of course,” Anthony replies.
“Would you like to come up and go through my
apartment?” he asks them.
“Please,” Wyatt says.
Spencer takes my hand again and strides back down the
corridor to the elevator that’s still waiting. We ride in
silence to the fifteenth floor.
We arrive at two huge black double doors. Spencer
swipes his key and they click open. When he reveals his
room to me, my heart catches in my throat.
Holy cow!
I look up at a mezzanine level that hangs over the main
living space and I smile to myself.
The room I’m in has polished concrete floors, with a
beautiful pale timber ceiling. It looks like something out of
a trendy home magazine. Perhaps a ski lodge in Aspen.
“This is your house?” I ask.
He winks at me.
 Wyatt and Anthony look around, back at each other, and
then back to Spencer as if shocked.
“What?” Spencer smirks. “Not what you were
expecting?”
“You’re rich, too?” Wyatt frowns.
Spencer smiles. “I do all right for myself.”
I bite my bottom lip to hide my stupid smile.
Spencer walks through the apartment. “I’ll give you the
tour.” He holds his hand out as he walks past us. “This is
the kitchen.” He points to a stainless-steel kitchen with a
huge timber island bench sitting in the middle. He then
points to the glass wall. “City of London, obviously.” We all
peer out to see an expansive view of London before us.
Wyatt rolls his eyes, as if completely unimpressed.
Spencer chuckles. “I do love showing off my house, I
have to admit.”
“Couldn’t tell,” Wyatt mutters dryly while Anthony and I
giggle.
“This is the dining room.” There’s a large, rustic, oval
dining table that seats ten around it. There are differently
upholstered chairs there, all of which kind of match but
don’t really. “Living room.” That’s a huge living area with
chocolate, slouchy leather couches and a big gas fireplace
sitting in the middle.
Wow.
“This is the guest bedroom.” He points to it as we walk
into the hallway, and I stop in my tracks.
“Oh my God,” I gasp.
The whole length of the hallway is lined with black
bookshelves filled with thousands of books. It’s a lot wider
than a normal hallway, and it gives off the feel of a library.
It even has one of those rails with a ladder going up to the
top shelves.
“You do read?” I ask in surprise.
He smirks over his shoulder, grabbing my hand to lead
me along. “I told you I did. I don’t lie, Lady Charlotte,” he
teases. “My office.” He continues with the tour, and I peer
inside to see an office with a large mahogany desk facing
the door, a big high-back, black leather office chair sitting
behind it.
“Laundry, gymnasium,” he says as he points to several
rooms we walk by.
I peer in and see a large room with a treadmill, rowing
machine and weights. A television is mounted on the wall.
I can hardly wipe the goofy smile from my face. I
thought my hotel room was nice.
It has nothing on this place.
“Upstairs.” Spencer gestures as he continues to play
tour guide. We all peer up to see a floating staircase that
hangs out of the wall. The bannister is nothing more than a
sheet of glass.
“This place is beautiful, Spence,” I tell him.
He smiles proudly and looks around. “I do love it.”
We all follow him up the stairs. “Spare rooms,
bathrooms, and then at the end is my bedroom.”
We get to his room and I smile so wide that my face
nearly splits in two. It’s a huge white bedroom with all
different textured fabrics. There’s a king bed covered in
white linen, white wingback chairs, a black and white
charcoal artwork piece on the wall. The floors are a
herringbone timber, too.
“Look around as much as you wish,” he says to the boys.
They walk past him and open the walk-in wardrobe
doors, and then they go into the bathroom, leaving me to
wrap my arms around Spencer’s waist and smile up at him.
“I like your house,” I beam.
He kisses me softly. “I like you.”
From the corner of my eye, I see Wyatt roll his eyes at
Anthony, and I giggle. What must they think?
“Let yourself out, boys, we won’t be needing you again
tonight.”
 “Okay,” Anthony says before they disappear out of the
door. “See you in the morning.”
“Thank you,” Spencer calls.
I would love to be a fly on the wall to see what they say
when they’re in private.
“Alone at last.” Spencer smiles down at me before
kissing me softly. His lips linger over mine and his tongue
sweeps through my open mouth with just the right amount
of force.
Dominant, caring… the man is as hot as hell.
“Well, Mr Jones.” I look around his room. “I did not
expect this.”
“Expect what?”
“A house that looks like a Vogue home living shoot. You
are full of surprises.”
“I’m an architect, what did you expect?”
I shrug. “I don’t know.”
“I designed this building.”
My eyes widen. “You did?”
“Yes, and this apartment was always going to be mine.”
His hands run down over my behind. “Just like you were.”
I frown up at him in question.
“You were always going to be mine, Charlotte.”
I giggle against his lips and I walk him backwards
towards the bed until he stops me. “Not yet. I’m starving,
woman.”
“Party pooper. What are we eating?”
“I’m cheating. I had my housekeeper pick up some
Indian food for us. It’s in the fridge.”
“Sounds perfect.” He leads me back down the stairs and
out into the kitchen, sitting me at one of the bench stools.
“Red or white?” he asks.
“White, please.”
I watch as he pours our wine and then hands me mine.
We clink our glasses together and we smile stupidly at one
other. “I like having you here,” he says.
 “I like being here.” I reach up and drag him to me. We
kiss and my eyes close to absorb every second of it. I really
am pathetic when I’m around him.
He pulls out of our kiss. “Stop distracting me, I’m about
to pass out from lack of sustenance. Do not kiss me again
unless you have a defibrillator in your possession.”
I giggle. “Always so dramatic.”
He takes the Indian food out of the refrigerator and
grabs a few saucepans.
“Why don’t you just microwave it?” I frown.
“You must be kidding. Have you ever had reheated
Indian food that way?” He frowns.
“Many times.”
He rolls his eyes. “And here I was all this time thinking
you were cultured.”
I giggle against my wineglass and watch on as he pours
the food into the three saucepans.
“Have you thought about where you are going to live
when you move to London?” he asks.
I shrug. “Not really. I guess I’ll have to start thinking
soon, though.” I watch him for a moment. “What are your
thoughts?”
He continues stirring. “I have a few.” He sips his wine.
“The Spencer Jones in me wants you to get your own
kickass apartment and decorate it however you want. To
have your own things and come and go as you please.”
I smile and wait for him to go on.
“He wants you to gain your independence and live life
without the restraints from your family.” He thinks for a
moment. “I mean you should. That’s what you should do.
That’s the smart thing to do.”
It’s clear he has something else on his mind, though.
“And what do you want?” I ask.
His eyes find mine.
“That’s what Spencer Jones wants me to do,” I say.
“What do you want me to do?” I ask. “The selfish little boy
inside of you… what does he want?”
“Well…….” He pauses, his eyes hold mine as he decides
whether to share. “The selfish little boy in me can’t stand
the thought of spending even one night without you, and he
wants you to move in here.”
 15

Charlotte
W HAT ?
“I mean…” He shrugs as if embarrassed by my shocked
reaction. “That’s only if you wanted to, and I’d completely
understand if you didn’t.” He’s speaking way too fast,
tripping over his words as he tries to recover.
I smile and remain silent as I watch him.
He continues to stir the pot, shaking his head as he
thinks. “That was…” His voice trails off. “That was a bad
idea, forget I said anything.”
“Spence?”
He keeps stirring with his head down, unable to look at
me.
I get off the stool and walk around in front of him,
wrapping my arms around his neck. “Spence?”
His eyes meet mine.
“Why don’t we just see how we go?”
A frown creases his forehead. “What does that mean?”
“It means that we’ve been together for five minutes, and
I think that maybe we should stop moving so fast.”
“You don’t like the way things are going?”
 I kiss him softly. “I love the way things are going, but
this isn’t a race.”
He holds me tight. “It feels like it is.”
I pull back to look at his face. “Why?”
He shrugs. “I’m waiting for the shoe to drop and
everything to turn to shit.”
“Spence,” I breathe. “It’s not going to.”
“This is new for me, angel. All this.” He shrugs.
“Feeling...”
I giggle. “You think this is new for you? Try being me for
a moment. I’m getting used to having sex, falling in love, as
well as an ex-girlfriend of yours who is slipping keys into
your pocket.”
He smirks and pulls out of my arms. “Oh, I saw her
today.”
My face falls. “You saw her today?”
“Yeah.” He goes back to stirring his pot of Indian food,
choosing not to elaborate.
“And?” I frown.
“Long story.”
“I’ve got time.”
He dishes out our meals and places them on the counter
in front of us. He refills our wineglasses, too, leaving me to
just… watch him.
He sits down and begins to eat, as if he hasn’t a care in
the world.
“Spencer! Are you going to tell me what happened or
not?”
He blows out a deep breath. “It was the day from Hell.”
“Why are you always so dramatic?”
He chuckles. “No, seriously, today was a day from Hell.”
He shovels some food into his mouth. “Like… literally.”
I take a mouthful of food for myself. “Why?”
“So, Sheridan turns up and tells me she loves me.”
My mouth falls open in surprise.
Don’t say anything, don’t say anything.
 “She wants to move here and make a go of it with me.”
“I thought you said you were just having sex?”
He shrugs. “I thought we were, too. I was bowled over.”
“Well, what did you say to that?”
“I said no, that we were never like that.” He chews his
food casually, as if he has this conversation every day.
“And you’ve told her you’re with me?” I ask. Damn this
sneaky bitch.
“She knows I’m in love with you. I told her.”
“You told her that you love me. In those words?”
“I think it was in those words.” He shrugs. “Anyway, she
knows.”
“How come you tell her you love me, but you don’t tell
me you love me?” I ask.
He looks at me, deadpan. “Really? That’s all you got out
of that sentence?”
I raise my eyebrows. Hmm, his snarky attitude is pissing
me off tonight.
“Anyway, so I’m dealing with her crying and shit.”
“How were you dealing with her?” I frown. “Define
dealing with her.”
He rolls his eyes. “I was hugging her.”
I get an image of them in a passionate embrace while he
comforts her. “Did you kiss her?”
“No, I did not kiss her. Will you let me tell the fucking
story?”
I shovel food into my mouth with force. Do I have to? I
hate this fucking story.
“Anyway, so she’s crying and begging for two kids and a
house in the countryside.”
My anger begins to rise. Is she kidding?
“She asked you for two kids?” I snap.
“Because she thinks that’s what I want with you.”
I stare at him. “Is it?”
“Is it what?”
 “Is that what you want? Two kids and a house in the
countryside?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know, you’ve got me thinking all
types of crazy shit that I haven’t ever considered before. I
did just ask you to move in with me and got shot down in
flames for my trouble, didn’t I?”
“I did not shoot you down in flames.” I smile. “It more
like a gentle slingshot.”
He rolls his eyes. “Whatever you call it, you didn’t say
yes. So, Sheridan is in my office crying and shit, and then
my receptionist buzzes through to tell me that Edward
Prescott is there to see me.”
My eyes widen. “What?”
“Yep.”
“What the hell?”
He holds up his hands in the air. “Fucking crying ex-
girlfriend in my office. New girlfriend’s crazy ass brother in
the waiting room ready to kill me.”
“I thought you said she wasn’t your girlfriend.”
“Again with the pointless shit from that sentence.” He
rolls his eyes. “The part of the sentence you should only
have heard to was ready to kill me.”
I smirk. “You are an idiot.”
He gives me a sexy wink as he bites the food from his
fork.
“So, then what happened?”
“I got rid of Sheridan, and then I saw Edward.”
“And…?”
“Nothing really. Stupid Alexander York told him I was
sniffing around you.”
“Sniffing around?” I frown. “That’s uncouth.”
“I really did want to tell him how good you tasted. You
know… to infuriate him more.”
“Spencer.” I smirk. “Now you’re being uncouth. Will you
stop joking around and tell me what the hell happened?”
 “Nothing other than he warned me to stay away from
you. I told him that it was none of his business. He told me
he didn’t like me, and then I kicked him out of my office.”
I stare at him as my brain misfires.
He winks that cheeky boy wink again.
“Tell me you’re joking.”
“Nope. That’s exactly how it happened.”
“You kicked him out?” I gasp.
“He told me he didn’t like me.”
“You… you could have tried to be nice to him at least,” I
stammer.
“I’m not putting up with his shit, Charlotte. Nobody
comes to my office and makes demands without getting
kicked out.”
“Sheridan does,” I retort.
He rolls his eyes. “Don’t start that shit.”
“Don’t start?” I snap. “Oh, I haven’t started yet. How did
it end? What was the last thing you said to her?”
“I told her I would have dinner with her tomorrow night
to talk about it.”
“What?”
He shrugs casually. “It’s the least I could do. I won’t be
long. A few hours tops.”
“No.”
His eyes come to mine. “What do you mean, no?”
“I mean no. You’re not going.”
He frowns.
I point my fork at him. “If you think for one minute that I
am staying home while you go out with your ex fuck buddy,
you can think again.”
His eyes hold mine.
“I am inexperienced, Spencer, not a fucking idiot.”
“She’s just a friend.”
“Who wants two kids and a house in the country with
you.” I get up and scrape my plate of food into the bin with
force. “She will get there and want a goodbye fuck, and
then the two of you will fall back into this pattern of
sleeping together behind my back.”
“What?” He stands in an outrage. “I wouldn’t do that to
you.”
“But she would, and I’m not giving her the fucking
chance.”
“Since when do you swear every second word?”
“Since fucking sluts piss me off!” I yell.
“Don’t call her that.”
“If the shoe fits.” I storm upstairs.
“You don’t even know her,” he calls after me.
I turn and storm back down the stairs. “Oh, but you do.
Very well indeed. Isn’t that right, Spencer?”
He narrows his eyes and puts his hands on his hips.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means if you want any type of relationship with me,
you will cut all ties with her immediately… or else.”
“Or else what?” he fires back.
“Or else I’m out of here, and you can go back to sleeping
with her whenever you want.”
“I don’t want to sleep with her. Stop being a fucking
bitch about it.”
“A fucking bitch?” I yell. “You haven’t seen a fucking
bitch yet.”
“I think I just have!” he yells. “They can see your
bitchiness from space. NASA is picking you up on bitch cam
right now.”
We glare at each other.
“I’m going to have a shower while you decide which one
of us you want.” I sneer sarcastically.
He throws his head back in disgust. “And you reckon I’m
fucking dramatic.” He tuts. “You’re going for a fucking
Oscar here.”
“If it’s not me, Spencer, then get out,” I say. “Go stay
elsewhere tonight.”
 He puts his hand on his hips. “This is my house. You
can’t kick me out of my own house.”
“I just did, and guess what? I am moving in.”
“Maybe I don’t want you to move in now.”
“Tough shit!” I yell as I storm up the stairs. “You have no
say in it.”
“And you think I’m fucking crazy,” he calls after me.
“Can you hear yourself, Charlotte? You don’t want to move
in with me until someone else does.” He laughs
sarcastically.
“You’re not going out with her!” I yell down to him.
I walk into his bedroom and slam the door shut. I can
feel the adrenaline pumping through my body.
Calm down, calm down, calm down.
I shake my hands to try and expel some of my negative
energy. I am so angry right now. I walk into the bathroom
and inhale deeply. I turn the shower on hot, and the water
begins to stream down heavily.
I handled that badly, but honestly, what did he expect? I
look around for a towel and can’t see any. There are none
on the towel rails, none folded anywhere. I go to the top of
the stairs.
“Where are the towels?”
“In the linen cupboard. Where do you think?”
“You’re an idiot. And the worst host ever.”
“I thought you fucking lived here now. That makes you
the host.”
“You’re lucky this is an apartment building, or I would
bury you under it.” I hear him laugh out loud in surprise,
and I turn and stomp back up the hall.
I’m not even joking, I probably would.
Twenty minutes later, I’m standing under the hot water,
feeling my anger running down the drain along with the
water.
At least he told me about Sheridan coming to him today.
He didn’t try to hide it, I suppose.
Maybe I overreacted?
He walks into the bathroom a second later, flashing me a
lopsided smile. I can’t help but give him one back. He takes
a seat on the side of the bath and watches me.
“Sorry for screaming at you.” I sigh.
He exhales heavily. “I’m sorry for calling you a bitch.”
I smirk and pick up the soap.
“What are you doing?” He frowns.
“Washing myself. What does it look like?”
“I told you that I wanted to wash you.”
“Well, you’re not doing a very good job of it.” I widen my
eyes. “Are you?”
He chuckles. “Jesus Christ, where is the shy, sweet
Charlotte I first met?”
“To be honest, I don’t know. What on earth have you
done to me, Spencer Jones?”
He stands and begins to unbutton his shirt.
“Don’t bother taking off your shirt until you decide what
you’re doing tomorrow night.”
He frowns.
“I mean it, Spence. I don’t want you seeing her.”
“Angel.” He sighs. “I gave her my word, and I’m a man
of my word. If I make a promise to someone, I keep it.”
“And you made a promise to me that we are exclusive
and making a go of this. Meeting with your ex does not fit
in with that, Spencer.” My eyes search his. “Please try and
see this from my point of view. If I had an ex, would you
want him coming into my office and me comforting him
about our breakup, then making plans to see him at night?”
He walks to the edge of the shower and watches me for
a moment. He runs his hand down my cheek, and then cups
my breast, deep in thought. His thumb dusts over my
nipple and it hardens beneath his touch. “No, I wouldn’t.”
I rise on my tippy toes and kiss him. My face is wet as it
rests up against his, and his big hand drops to my naked
behind.
“Keep your promise to me, Spence,” I whisper. “No
matter how many times you meet with her, it isn’t going to
get any easier. Just the opposite. It will get harder, and you
will end up either in bed with her or having a huge fight.
There is no in between with the two of you, you know that.”
He drops his eyes to the floor. “I just feel bad, you
know?”
I smile softly. “I know.” I begin to unbutton his shirt.
“That’s because you’re a good man.”
“I didn’t know that she felt like this.” He sighs.
I push his shirt over his shoulders, and it falls back to
the floor. “Of course she would feel like this. I imagine all
women you meet fall madly in love with you.”
“I can’t comment.” He gives me his best cheeky smile
and shrugs. “I know you do hate a show off.”
I giggle. “Lucky I like idiots though, hey?”
“If you don’t want me to see her, I won’t.”
“I don’t.”
He exhales heavily. “Okay.”
I pull him in under the shower, and he wraps his big
arms around me. His lips take mine and his tongue slides
slowly through my open mouth. He towers above me and
his large frame takes over the space.
He smiles as he kisses me.
“What?”
“You do know I concocted that whole story just to get
you to move in here with me, right?”
“You’re a terrible liar.”
“You’re terrible at finding towels.”
I laugh out loud. “Is that the best you’ve got?”
 “For now, yeah.” He grabs my behind and pulls my
cheeks apart. His open mouth drops to my neck and I feel
his large erection up against my stomach.
His open mouth ravages my neck, and he bites me hard,
forcing me to wince.
And there it is.
The perfect moment where Spencer Jones loses control
and he returns to his primal, natural instincts. Where his
body needs to orgasm, and he’ll take it whether I want to
give it to him or not. He switches from the sweet, lovable
man I know, to a hungry predator who needs to fuck.
There is always a bite, a subtle hint that he’s reached his
limit. Some days it comes faster than others, but it’s always
there. I’m addicted to this man of mine and the way that he
makes me feel.
He gets out of the shower and disappears into the
bedroom, reappearing moments later as he unwraps a
condom. I watch on in awe as he slowly rolls it on. It
doesn’t matter how many times I watch him do this, it
always fascinates me.
When his eyes rise to mine, I see the hunger in them,
and my stomach dances with nerves.
Then he is on me. I’m pushed up against the wall as his
open mouth takes mine. His hand holds my jaw just the way
he wants me, and he grinds his hard cock up against my
hipbone.
“We need to fuck, angel.”
“Yes,” I whimper against his lips. He lifts me and wraps
my legs around his waist. I’m pinned between the wall by
his hard body. He kisses me slow and deep as he slides his
hard dick through my swollen wet lips.
“You want my cock?”
“Hmm.” I hold onto his shoulders for balance. His
tongue slides through my open lips again as he takes what
he needs. Does he honestly think I can string two words
together when he has me like this?
 With two hands, he brings me down onto him hard, and I
feel the familiar stretch as his body dominates mine.
My eyes close and I release a whimper.
He smiles darkly and circles himself deep inside of me.
“You like that?”
“God, yes.”
He lifts me and slams me back down again, knocking the
air from my lungs.
I throw my head back against the tiles and he builds a
rhythm. The room is steamy and hot. Water is streaming
down over his face, yet the way he is looking at me might
just set me on fire. He goes faster and deeper, lost to his
own concentration. He stares straight ahead as our skin
begins to slap together.
“So. Fucking. Good,” he pushes out.
My body convulses forward, and he sees that as his
signal to really let me have it. With both hands over my
shoulders, he slams into me again and again, and I screw
up my face and cry out as a freight train of an orgasm
steals my breath.
He lifts me like a feather on and off his large muscle.
“Oh, that’s it. Clench that beautiful cunt for me, baby. I
want to feel it.”
Slam.
Slam.
Slam.
“Clench!” he growls.
So, deep… too deep.
“Charlotte, fucking give it to me.”
My face creases up as I try and deal with him. He’s like
an animal when he gets to this point. The only thing he’s
thinking about is the orgasm his body craves.
My head begins to hit the tiles as he really loses control,
and the sound of our skin slapping is deafening around us.
“Fuck, yeah,” he cries as he holds himself deep. His
whole body lurches forward, and I feel the telling jerk of his
cock as he comes in a rush deep inside of me.
I can hear my pulse ringing in my ears.
And then he kisses me, and it’s soft, tender, and a
reminder that my gentle man has returned. He smiles
against my lips, his body still having me pinned to the wall.
I can feel his heart beating hard in his chest, and I bury my
head into his neck as he holds me tight.
This is it. This is what I’ve been searching for all this
time.
He stays deep inside of me. I smile against his neck with
my legs still wrapped around his waist.
“I thought you were washing me,” I pant.
“Hmm.” He kisses me again. “I thought I should get you
dirty first. This is the deluxe car wash.”
I giggle and our lips linger over each other’s. “Did you
just call me a car?”
“Maybe?” He smiles and he pulls out, gently lowering
me to the floor. “You’re not dirty enough, though.” He pulls
his condom off in disgust. “I hate these fucking things.” He
huffs as he puts it in the bin beside the shower. We stay in
each other’s arms under the hot water. The room is quiet
with the sound of the shower the only sound to be heard. I
can feel myself begin to relax.
“What are you going to do about tomorrow night?” I ask.
“I guess I’ll call her when I get out.”
My eyes hold his.
“You can listen, if you want?”
“No. I don’t need to listen.”
He smiles down at me and fixes my hair in a bun on top
of my head. “You know, you’re kind of hot when you’re
angry.”
“Can I have that on tape, please?”
He chuckles and picks up the soap to lather my body.
“Except for the death threats and all.”
“It wasn’t a death threat,” I say. “Only a burial threat.
There’s a big difference.”
 His soapy hand goes down to between my legs. “Should
I be sleeping with one eye open, Prescott?”
I laugh out loud. “Seeing as you kicked my brother out
of your office today, I think you should.”

It’s late and I’m in bed alone. I can hear Spencer

downstairs on the phone…
To her.
He’s been on the phone for forty minutes and he seems
to be listening a lot. She obviously has a lot to say.
The green-eyed monster in me is fuming and wants to
stomp down there and make him hang up, but the woman
in me feels sorry for her. I can’t imagine what it would be
like if he told me he was in love with someone else. But
then, I could never imagine sleeping with him for ten years
casually. Did she get the same Spencer that I get?
Or was he different with her? How did they meet in the
beginning? Was it always about the sex? My mind begins to
go off on a tangent as I imagine him going to her hotel
whenever he met her.
Did they have a routine?
Would they go straight to bed and fuck? Or did they
spend time with each other like we do? Having dinner,
talking, and laughing.
I close my eyes in disgust with myself.
Stop it! He’s ending it.
My mind keeps picking up speed, though. When they
had sex, was it better than what we have? Did she do what
I don’t know… anal?
My stomach flips imagining him fucking her. I wonder,
do they kiss while they do it like we do?
Did he look at her after it was finished the way he looks
at me?
 I get a vision of her from the hotel that early morning—
her and her power suit, with a figure to die for. She was
confident in every way, which is the exact opposite of me.
I close my eyes as the disgusting taste of bile fills my
mouth.
I can’t stand the thought of him with her… touching her.
I can hear his voice rise, and I sit up. What’s he saying? I
get out of bed and sneak out of the bedroom, down the hall,
and sit on the top step. He’s in the dining room and can’t
see me from where he is. He, thankfully, has no idea I can
hear him.
“Because she’s right!” he snaps. “We both know she’s
right. If we meet up, we’ll either end up in a huge fight or
in bed. That’s how we are.”
My heart drops.
“But I don’t want to end up in bed, Sheridan. Fucking
listen to me. I’m going blue in the face here.”
He listens for a moment.
“No, I don’t want that.”
He listens again.
“No. Look this is going nowhere. You’re not fucking
listening. I’m changing my phone number and I’m telling
my receptionists that you are not to come into my office
unannounced again.”
He listens.
“Because of you dropping to your knees under my desk
today!” he snaps. “You can’t fucking touch me. I’ve asked
you multiple times to stop and you won’t, so it’s quite
obvious to me that we can’t be just friends.”
What the hell? She dropped to her knees under his
desk? Did she go down on him?
Oh my God, what the hell happened in his office today?
What if Edward hadn’t interrupted them?
My heart begins to hammer
“For fuck’s sake, stop it!” he snaps. I can tell by the tone
of his voice that he’s beginning to get angry. “No, you listen
to me: you do not go near Charlotte or there will be hell to
pay.”
She says something that makes him pause.
“She makes me happy, Sheridan. You always said you
wanted me happy.” He listens again. “There is a big
difference between the two, and besides, have you
forgotten that you have a fucking boyfriend?”
She has a boyfriend. What the hell?
“I don’t care if you’re in an open relationship. No. I don’t
want you to end it with him. For the first time in my life I
don’t want an open relationship. I want Charlotte all to
myself and I can’t think of anything worse than having sex
with someone else who isn’t her. This is why I can’t be with
you. I don’t physically want to be. I’m not into it like I was
before I met her.”
I smile to myself.
“Don’t you fucking dare bring this back on me,” he
whispers angrily as he tries to keep his voice down. “I’m
blocking you, and if you dare to go near Charlotte, you see
what fucking happens.”
I hear a bang and it sounds like his phone has been
thrown across the room.
Shit.
I get up and run back to bed, diving under the covers.
After a brief bout of silence, I hear ice being poured into
a glass from his refrigerator.
I lie in the darkness as fury pumps through my bones…
How fucking dare she?
She goes to his office, drops to her knees even when
he’s told her that he’s in love with someone else, and now it
sounds like she threatened him that she’s going to come to
me.
And say what?
Well, she’s got another thing coming if she thinks I’m
taking her shit.
 I’ve waited a long time for Spencer to find me, and I’m
not handing him over to a woman who fucks at the drop of
a hat.
I’ll be waiting, Sheridan.
Come at me.

I blow into my coffee cup while sitting at the kitchen

counter. It’s now 7:00 a.m. and I’m up and dressed for work
early.
Spencer didn’t come to bed until very late last night. I
was fast asleep by the time he did, and the last time I
checked the clock it read 3:00 a.m.
What was he doing downstairs?
Did he call her back? Was he having second thoughts?
My mind is in overdrive but I’m not falling into the
insecure trap. Well, I’m trying my best not to, anyway.
I’m not sure about this love thing. It’s like you hand your
heart over to someone and hope to God that they don’t
break it.
Part of me feels sorry for Sheridan. I can only imagine
how she must feel to have lost him. But part of me is
terrified that one day I’ll find out for myself. I exhale
heavily and stare out of the window to look out over
London.
Stop thinking like this! It’s destructive to both of us.
Nobody needs an insecure girlfriend.
“Good morning, angel.”
I turn to see him walking into the kitchen, his CEO attire
firmly in place. Today he’s wearing a navy suit, crisp white
shirt, and a paisley tie. His golden hair is just washed, and
he’s freshly shaven, too. Spencer exudes opulence…way
more than I do.
 The expensive watch, the shoes, the ridiculous good
looks… he’s the whole, delicious package. Lara’s words of
warning come back to haunt me. He’s heartbreak in a hot
suit.
His big blue eyes meet mine before he kisses me softly.
“I missed waking up with you this morning.” He smiles
down at me.
“Good morning, Mr Spencer.” I smile and wrap my arms
around him. His tongue slowly slides through my open lips
and he sucks on me with just the right amount of pressure.
The way he kisses me is just so…
His eyes drop to my toes and then back up to my face.
“You look fucking edible today, angel.”
I force a smile. “Thanks.” I’m wearing a tight grey skirt
that hangs just below my knees, and a white silk shirt with
a matching grey suit jacket. It’s a power suit… the kind I
know he likes.
Stop it.
Damn it, I hate this insecurity nonsense. This isn’t who I
am at all.
His eyes drop to my feet again and then up over my
hips. I feel the heat from his stare burn my skin, and he
readjusts himself in his suit pants.
“What time did you come to bed?” I ask.
He licks his lips as his eyes drop to my breasts and he
cups one of them, fascinated. “Late.”
My eyes hold his. “Did the phone call go well?”
His lips drop to my neck and he holds my jaw in his
hand. He bites me and I feel goose bumps scatter up my
spine.
“Yeah,” he murmurs against my skin.
“What did she say?”
He bites me on the base of my neck and his hand drops
to my behind as he grinds me onto his hard cock.
“Spencer…” God, the man’s an animal. Is sex all he
thinks about?
 “Hmm, why are we talking about Sheridan?” He kisses
me again. “I only want to talk about you in this fucking
edible outfit.”
“Because I want to know what she said.”
He pulls away from me and my body instantly hates it.
“She was pissed off and carrying on.”
“What do you mean?”
“She wants to meet you.”
My eyes hold his. “Why?”
“Because she wants to intimidate you and make you feel
insecure.” He grabs me by the waist again and drags me to
him.
It’s too late, she already has.
“You fought?” I frown. He begins to unfasten my buttons
one by one.
“A bit.”
“Did you call her back? Is that why you came to bed
late?”
“No.” He concentrates on my buttons. “I stayed up
because I was angry, and I didn’t want you to have to see
me like that.”
I pull his face to meet mine. “I don’t want you to hide
your emotions from me.”
His eyes darken and he puts his hands under the hem of
my skirt, lifting it up over my hips. “You want to know what
emotion I’m feeling right now?” He sits me up on the
counter and slips my high heels off.
I nod, although I have a pretty good idea already.
He kisses me, all suction, all domination, and he lies me
back over the counter. With his eyes locked on mine, he
pulls my panties to the side and slides two thick fingers
deep inside my sex.
“Oh.” My eyes close involuntarily.
He pumps me hard and then lifts my legs up so that my
feet are resting up on his chest in front of me. He begins to
work me, deep and aggressive, his eyes dark and holding
mine.
“You want to know what I’m feeling right now?” he
whispers as his hand begins to really work me. My body
begins to move on the counter from the force of his hand.
“I’m feeling like I can’t let you go to work looking like
that without feeding that beautiful cunt of yours.”
My stomach flips.
God, he’s filthy. “She’s a very hungry girl,” I whisper.
“Starving.”
He curls his lip in arousal, and his fingers work me so
hard that I wince from the sting.
He unzips his fly, drops his pants and briefs, pulls my
panties to the side, and then he lifts my legs over his
shoulders and slides in deep.
The sheer size of him takes possession of my body, and I
lose all coherent thought. His eyes flicker with a dark
arousal.
“Fuck, yeah,” he hisses.
He pulls completely out, and then he uses his hand to
bounce his hard cock onto my pubic bone a few times
before he slides back in and repeats the delicious
movement.
My body ripples around him. The man is a god.
He adds a deep circular movement that makes my eyes
roll back in my head.
He pulls completely out again and bounces his cock back
onto my pubic bone. When he slides it deep inside me
again, my insides melt. What must we look like? Him
dressed in a suit and ready for work, me laid out for his
pleasure.
That’s what this is: his pleasure, and I’m just the lucky
woman who gets to give it to him.
Spencer Jones takes what he needs. He doesn’t care
about the rules. When he wants it, he takes it.
This is the best breakfast date ever.
 Within moments, he has me arching my back as he fucks
me with his thick, weeping cock. I lurch forward, coming
hard. I’m going to have bruises from this kitchen counter
tomorrow on my spine but I don’t care. Every second of
pain is worth it.
He tips his head back, groans, and comes deep inside of
me. He closes his eyes as he slowly empties himself, and
then he stops and pants, looking down at me the whole
time.
He smiles as he licks my ankle and then kisses it
tenderly before he slowly pulls out. His eyes drop to my sex
and he smirks. He puts his fingers back into my sex and
then takes them out, rubbing his fingers across my bottom
lip.
He licks his lips and smiles darkly.
“What?” I smirk.
“You look really good all freshly fucked with your legs
open like that.” He pushes my hair back from my forehead.
“Especially with my come on your lips.”
“You are a filthy bastard, Spencer Jones.”
He chuckles and zips up his pants in one quick
movement. “I am, and now I’m a satisfied filthy bastard.”
I wrap my arms around him and we kiss. It’s unrushed
and perfect.
“I booked us a weekend away while I stayed up last
night,” he says as he looks down at me.
“You did?’
“We’re going to Greece for the weekend, so you’ll have
to take Monday off.”
My face falls. “Greece?”
“Uh-huh.” He leaves me and picks up his phone and
briefcase.
“But I can’t take Monday off.” I frown, rising up to rest
on my elbows.
“You need to.” His eyes drop down my body like he’s
hungry for it again.
 “What?” I smirk.
“Just taking a photographic picture to remember you by.
I’m going to jerk off today to the thought of how hot you
are like this.”
“Spencer,” I gasp. “You’re going to jerk off at work?”
“I’ll be in my office bathroom, of course.” He gifts me
with a very sexy wink. “You’re the main star of many a
lunchtime fantasy.”
I laugh out loud and throw my forearm over my eyes.
“You’re an animal,” I huff.
He kisses me softly. “Agreed.” He walks towards the
door. “See you tonight, angel.”
I drop my head back and look up at the ceiling. A huge,
goofy grin spreads into my cheeks. Holy hell…. I’m in love
with a sex maniac.
And he’s taking me to Greece.
 16

Spencer
I STRIDE into the restaurant with my racing heart,
spotting Masters and Seb in our usual seats. I fall
into my position around the table.
“Hey.” I pick up a glass of water and drain it. I
refill the glass and drink it all down again
immediately.
Masters and Seb frown as they watch me and then
exchange looks.
“Can I get you a coffee?” the waitress asks.
“I’ll have a beer. Actually, no, make it a Scotch.” I
circle my fingers over my temples. “On the rocks.”
“Jesus Christ,” Masters mutters under his breath.
“What now?”
The waitress walks off to the bar, looking a little
perplexed.
“Have you even been to bed yet?” Seb frowns.
“Yes, of course,” I bark.
“You know it’s seven in the morning, right?”
“Yes! I know what fucking time it is!” I snap. “I’ve
fucked it. I fucked the whole thing.”
“What thing?” Masters frowns.
 “Charlotte’s pregnant.”
“What?” they both gasp, widening their eyes.
I drag my hand down my face. “Oh God, she was all
sexy and shit, and I didn’t see her last night because
of fucking Sheridan. One minute I was saying hello,
the next minute I was finger fucking her with her legs
over my shoulders, and the minute after that, I’m
giving it to her on the kitchen counter. I forgot all
about a fucking condom,” I blurt out.
They both stare at me, horrified. “When was this?”
Seb asks.
“Twenty minutes ago.” I sigh with a sad shake of
my head.
“Oh God, you idiot. So, she’s not really pregnant?”
Masters throws his head back and laughs out loud,
placing his hand over his heart in relief. “You had me
there for a minute.”
“Well, she soon will be. This isn’t fucking funny,
Masters, you prick.” I put my head in my hands.
“She’s young and never been on the pill before.” I try
to think of an analogy. “She’s like a giant, golden
uterus, just waiting to be fertilized.”
They chuckle together.
I shake my head in disgust. “Seb, Google what age
a woman is most fertile,” I whisper in a panic.
He takes out his phone and consults Dr Google.
The waitress arrives with my drink and hands it
over. “Thank you,” I whisper and take it with a
shaking hand.
Masters winces as he watches me. “Bring him
another, please.”
The waitress frowns and looks between us. “Is
everything okay?”
“No!” I splutter. “I’ve fucked it, I fucked the whole
thing. And everything was going so great, too.”
She purses her lips, unsure what to say to that.
 “Thank you,” Seb says to the waitress, obviously
trying to get rid of her.
I drain my glass of scotch while they watch on.
“Why would you have unprotected sex?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. It was so good that I
completely forgot I was a mere human with super
potent bodily fluids.”
“Fuck’s sake,” Seb mutters in disgust. “I need sex
that good. I have fucking repetitive strain in my wrist.
I think I’m going to have to start going back to
Madison’s.”
“Did Charlotte forget, too?” Masters frowns,
ignoring Seb.
I shrug. “I don’t know.”
“Did she remind you?”
“No.”
“Did she freak out after?”
“No.” I shake my head.
“Fucking hell.” Masters rolls his eyes. “I thought
you said she was all pure and wholesome. Surely she
would have thought of this.”
“Ah.” I point to them. “She isn’t pure at all,
though. She’s as fucking dirty as I am and she didn’t
even know it.” I run both of my hands through my
hair. “Give it a few months and she will be running
rings around me, I’m telling you. She loves it.”
“Or waddling like Bree with a huge pregnant baby
bump.” Masters smirks.
Seb interrupts us with his search results. “Okay. It
says here that a woman is most fertile at the age of
twenty-four.”
My eyes widen in horror. “Charlotte is twenty-five”
I gasp.
“Oh fuck, you’re doomed.”
Masters laughs again. “What’s the problem,
anyway? I thought you said she was perfect?”
 “She is.”
“So…” Seb frowns. “Masters is right, what is the
problem?”
“I can’t have a kid. I only just got my first
girlfriend. I can’t even have a dog yet.”
“You’re thirty-seven, Spence,” Seb says, deadpan.
I put my head into my hands. “It’s just a fucking
number, okay! And you sound like my mother.”
“When is her period due?” Masters asks.
“I don’t know.”
“When did she have her last one?”
“I don’t know.” I look between them. “Should I
know this?”
“Uh, yes.” They both look at me as if I’m stupid.
“You should definitely know this.”
I think on it. “She definitely hasn’t had one since
we’ve been having sex.” I shrug. “I know that much
for sure.”
“How long has that been?”
“Umm.” I frown and try to remember. “About three
weeks or so. Maybe longer.”
“Which means she’s probably due around about
now,” Masters tells me.
“Has she been feisty over the last few days?” Seb
asks.
My eyes widen. “Yes.” I point to him. “Very fucking
feisty, in fact. She threatened to bury me under my
house and all.”
They both laugh. “You’re safe,” Masters tells me
just as our breakfast arrives.
We all thank the waitress when she puts our meals
in front of us.
My nerves temper a little. “You reckon it’s okay?”
“I know it is.” He takes a bite. “Hormones turn
women into the devil. Death threats definitely
qualify.”
 “Right,” Seb mutters.
“Good, good,” I mutter under my breath, and I
drag a hand down my face. “What a fucking
morning,” I huff. “Best sex ever followed by a
complete freak out in the elevator.”
They both chuckle. “You didn’t even realise what
you’d done until after?”
“Nope.” I shake my head. “I’m slipping, man.”
Seb giggles. “It’s a good thing you’re off the
market. You’re getting sloppy, Spence.”
“Or perhaps just happy.” Masters smirks, cutting
through his toast. “Children with the woman you love
are a blessing.”
I exhale heavily as the scotch begins to warm my
blood. “How is my breezer?” I ask.
“Huge.” Masters smiles. “Fucking beautiful.”
“How long have we got?”
“A few weeks or so.”
“Tell her to keep her legs crossed until I get back
from this weekend.”
“Why, where are you going?”
“Greece.”
“I take it this thing with Charlotte is going really
well then.” Masters smiles.
I shrug as I chew. “I asked her to move in with
me.”
Seb’s fork hits the plate with a clang, and they
both stare up at me, shocked.
“Are you joking right now?” Masters frowns.
“No, why?” I ask, surprised by their reaction.
“You’ve known her for six weeks.”
“I know, and in such a short time I’ve become
completely pathetic. I can’t stand a night away from
her. Her idiot brother came to my office and warned
me away from her. On top of that, Sheridan
threatened to pull the account from me if I refuse to
keep seeing her.”
“What?”
“Yeah, get this. Sheridan comes to my work when I
was on the phone… to you, actually, Seb.” I take a sip
of my scotch. “She drops to her knees on the carpet
and tries to give me a head job while I’m on the
phone.”
Seb frowns as he chews. “When the hell was this?”
“The other day, when you called me about the
mattress. So, she’s on her knees, and she tells me she
loves me. Then she starts crying and shit. All this is
going down the exact same time the receptionist
buzzes through to tell me Edward Prescott is there to
see me.”
Masters chuckles and pinches the bridge of his
nose. “Only fucking you, Spence. You have the best
stories.”
I roll my eyes. “Then I get rid of Sheridan with the
promise of having dinner to discuss our relationship.
Edward waltzes in and proceeds to tell me that
fucking Alexander York has been spinning tales to
him about Charlotte and I being together—”
“Well, it is true,” Seb interrupts. “So, it’s not really
a tale.”
“What did you do?” Masters frowns.
“He’s so fucking arrogant.” I shake my head. “We
instantly despised one another. In the end, I kicked
him out of my office.”
“Jesus Christ,” Masters mutters. “You don’t do that
shit to the future in-laws, Spence.”
“Yeah, well, what am I supposed to do? I’m not
putting up with his entitled shit. He doesn’t give a
fuck about Charlotte, and unfortunately for him, I
do.” I take an angry bite of my breakfast. “You know
what pisses me off the most about the cockhead? He
flew here yesterday from wherever the fuck he was,
and he didn’t even call Charlotte to see how she was
doing.” They both frown.
“He doesn’t give a fuck about her feelings or
wellbeing. All he cares about is his fucking self.” I
chew my food as my anger begins to rise. “I mean,
who the hell does he think he is? He doesn’t fucking
control her. How dare he even think that he does.” I
put my hand up for another drink.
Masters looks down at my two empty scotch
glasses. “Are you working today?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re going to work drunk?” Seb asks carefully.
“Looks like it!”
“What did Charlotte want to bury you for?”
“Oh.” I throw my hands up in disgust. “That’s a
whole other story. Sheridan wanted me to have dinner
with her to discuss our relationship. I said yes just to
get her out of my office because Edward was in the
waiting room. Last night, I told Charlotte and she lost
her ever loving shit over it. Like, she went full mode
crazy bitch on me, saying it’s her or Sheridan from
now on.”
They both smile at me.
“Not funny. Then I had to go to Sheridan and tell
her that I wasn’t able to see her. That’s when she
pulled the whole, if you won’t see me, how are we
supposed to work together bullshit? Maybe I need to
find another steel company to do business with.”
Their faces drop. “How much is her contract worth
to you?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Fucking millions.
But I don’t care, she’s not blackmailing me into being
with her.”
“God.” Seb sighs.
“Anyway, that’s my week in a nutshell.” I sigh.
 “Sounds fucking hectic.” Seb winces.
My eyes widen when I remember that there’s more
to the story. “Oh, and some pap took a photo of me
and Charlotte together. I’m assuming that will be
everywhere soon, too.”
Masters bursts out laughing while Seb shakes his
head in disbelief. “I thought that once you got a
girlfriend, things might be quieter for you.”
“So did I.” I huff as my next scotch arrives. “So.
Did. I.”

Charlotte
Beth smiles at me. “Tell me everything.” The two of us have
met for lunch today. She’s been on a work conference for a
week, although it feels like she’s been gone a month. I have
so much to tell her.
“Oh, Beth, he is…” I shake my head. “Words just don’t
do him justice.”
“Here we go. What happened to you playing it cool and
not falling for him?”
“I couldn’t help it.”
She sips her drink, unimpressed.
“We had the talk.”
“What talk?” She frowns.
“He wants to be exclusive and—”
“What?” she interrupts me.
“Honestly, I’m telling you, it really is something special
between us. From his side, too.”
“Ugh, okay, so he’s fucked you into submission. I get it.”
I giggle. “Ah, the sex. How have I been missing out on
this for so long?”
She laughs. “I told you. And you do look stupidly happy.”
I take her hand over the table. “I am, Beth. I’m so
happy.”
 “Good for you, Lottie Prescott.” She glances over and
makes eye contact with Anthony, slowly turning her
attention back to me. “Could you give Anthony my phone
number?”
I glance around, and Anthony looks away guiltily. “Has
something happened?”
“He just looks at me like he wants to eat me.”
I roll my lips to hide my smile. “That could be kind of
good… couldn’t it?”
“Fuck, yes. Pass him my number and just say, I’m setting
you up with Beth, so here’s her number. Give her a call and
she’ll fuck you real hard.”
I laugh. “I am not saying that.”
“Fine, say whatever you want. Just make sure he calls
me.”
“Okay.”
“Now tell me what’s happening tonight.” She smiles.
“I’m cooking Spencer dinner at his house,” I announce
proudly.
Beth smirks. “Look at you, being all domesticated.”
“Do you want to come over?” I ask.
“Hopefully I will be occupied with Anthony’s dick in my
mouth. Give him my number straight away when you leave.
Don’t forget, will you?”
“He might not even call you.”
“As if he won’t.”

Swoony Mr Spencer.
It’s funny how quickly things become a habit.
And by things, I mean Spencer Jones.
Every night, we talk and eat dinner together, and then
we lounge about and laugh all night, before he takes me to
bed and makes me feel like the most beautiful girl in the
world. Well, it’s not always sweet lovemaking. He mostly
fucks me like he hates me, but man, I love it when he hates
me hard.
I never dreamed that it could be this good or that I could
feel this satisfied. For the first time in a long time, I’m
living completely in the moment. I laugh all day at work
and then my nights are full of Swoony Mr Spencer.
Things are good—really good.
I’m sprawled on the sofa, reading my book. My feet are
in Spencer’s lap and he, too, is reading. He wasn’t joking in
that email. He really is an avid reader.
“Can you turn the television off?” Spencer asks, never
letting his eyes stray from the page.
“No, I have to have it on.”
He looks up from his book. “What do you mean you have
to have it on?”
“I hate silent houses, haven’t you noticed? I have the TV
on all the time.”
He frowns. “But you don’t even watch it.”
I know.” I turn the page of my book. “I need the noise.” I
can feel his eyes on me, so I glance up. “What?”
“Why do you need noise in the background?”
I shrug. “It keeps me company.”
“Why would you need company from the television?”
“Well, I don’t now that I have you.”
“When did you need company from a television in the
past?”
I roll my eyes. “Fine, if it’s that big of a deal.” I hold up
the remote and switch it off. I go back to reading.
“Charlotte.”
I glance up at the tone of his voice. One thing I’ve
learned about Spencer is that he only calls me Charlotte
when something is on his mind. The rest of the time I’m his
angel. “What?” I ask.
“Will you answer my question, please?”
“What was the question?” I sigh.
 “When did you need company from the television?”
“Ever since my mother died.” He stares at me, and I can
practically hear his brain ticking over from here. I drop my
attention back to reading some more.
“Have you heard from Edward this week?” he asks.
I shake my head. “No.”
He glares down at his book.
“Why?” I ask.
He turns the page so hard he nearly rips it. “No reason.”
“Tell me.”
“I’m just wondering why your brother flew across the
world to accost me about spending time with you, and yet
he didn’t even fucking bother to see you for himself.”
I shrug sadly. I’ve been thinking about this all day, too.
Disappointed is an understatement. “He’s very busy.” I
sigh.
“So busy that he has all the time in the world to scare
everyone away from you, but none to actually spend time
with you himself.” He turns the page angrily again. “Makes
me fucking sick,” he mutters under his breath.
“Spence.” I sigh. “Just drop it. It’s not like that with
Edward and me. William is the one I’m close to. Edward
loves me in his own way, he’s just misunderstood.”
“Or perhaps just a selfish prick.” His eyes hold mine for
a moment and then, as if feeling guilty, he asks, “When do I
get to meet this beloved William whom you talk so fondly
of?”
“Soon,” I beam, and then I quickly go back to reading
my book. But, once again, I can feel his eyes on me. I
glance up. “What is it now?”
“When is your period due?”
I smirk. “Why?”
“Because we had unprotected sex and you don’t seem to
care.”
I smile and go back to my book. “It will be here early
next week.”
 “How do you know?”
“Because I’m on the pill.”
“You’re on the pill?” he gasps.
“Why wouldn’t you tell me that? This is need to know
information. Why have we been using condoms?”
“Because I don’t know where you’ve been.”
“In condoms, Charlotte,” he snaps. “In condoms.”
“You can stop stressing.”
“I wasn’t stressing.”
“You were, you’ve been stressing all week over it, I know
you have.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I’m getting to know you, and I know when
something is bothering you.”
“Why didn’t you say something to put me out of my
misery?”
“Because I wanted you to ask me when my period was
due and have this conversation.”
He narrows his eyes and crawls over me, holding
himself up on his elbows. “I have a good mind to punish you
right now for freaking me out about impending fatherhood.
That was evil. I’ve been fucking frantic.”
I laugh out loud. “You idiot. Why didn’t you just ask?”
He kisses me, and that’s his only answer.
“We’re going to Greece tomorrow, remember?”
He smiles broadly. “We are.”
“What are we going to do in Greece?”
“Eat, drink, swim, and fuck.”
I laugh out loud. “You are a born romantic, Spencer
Jones.”
My phone dances on the table, the name Dad lighting up
the screen. “You need to be quiet.” I jump up and get it.
Spencer rolls his eyes, unimpressed.
“Hello, Dad.” I sit back down beside Spencer.
“Hello, darling.” My father’s kind voice drifts down the
phone.
 Spencer’s eyes light up with something, and he drops to
the floor between my legs. My eyes widen and I shake my
head, mouthing the word, “No.”
He smiles mischievously and begins to tug my pyjama
pants down. I push his head away. “What’s been happening,
Dad?” I ask, trying to sound casual.
“Just working, as usual. I went to a Broadway show this
week. I have business dinners a few nights this week. What
are you doing? What’s new with you?”
Everything.
Spencer nips my sex with his teeth, and I slap the top of
his head. “Just lounging around, getting ready for bed,” I
lie as I widen my eyes at Spencer. “Stop it,” I mouth.
He tears my pyjama pants down my legs and pulls me
forward to the edge of the couch where he spreads my legs.
“Oh my God,” I mouth. “What’s the weather like, Dad?”
If only he could see what I’m doing now.
“It’s been very hot. Vegas is muggy.”
Spencer’s thick tongue slides through my flesh, and I
tremble as I try to hold it together. “I can imagine,” I
breathe out.
Spencer slides two thick fingers into my sex, forcing me
to close my eyes.
“How’s work going, love?” Dad asks.
Spencer pumps me hard, and I clench around him. Our
eyes are locked, and I can hardly hear what my father is
even saying. “So good,” I murmur.
“Great.”
My father’s voice snaps me out of my moment.
“Dad, I-I have to go to the bathroom. Can I call you back
tomorrow?”
“Of course, dear, speak soon. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
I hang up, chuck the phone, and grab Spencer to drag
him to me. The minute our lips touch, I kiss him deeply. A
thought runs through my mind. Shit. I scramble up and run
across the room to pick my phone back up to check it’s
definitely off. I don’t want my father to hear me say the
next sentence.
“Fuck me,” I breathe.
“That’s exactly what I’m about to do. Get those fucking
legs up.”

We walk into the airport, hand in hand. Spencer has a

trolley with our bags while Anthony and Wyatt trail behind
us with theirs. There are people everywhere and when I see
all the queues, my eyes instinctively go back to Wyatt for
reassurance.
“It’s okay,” he says.
Spencer frowns down at me. “What’s wrong, angel?”
“Nothing,” I lie.
Spencer looks at Wyatt in question.
“She gets a bit overwhelmed with crowds,” Wyatt tells
him.
Spencer’s face falls. “Oh. I didn’t know. Are you all
right?”
I force a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine, lead the way.”
He leads me by the hand, and we make our way to stand
in the back of the check-in line. I look around at all the
people, feeling very out of my comfort zone indeed.
Spencer stands behind me with his hands on my hips. He’s
talking to the boys. He’s wearing a navy blazer and blue
jeans with a white T-shirt. He’ll look delicious in any
country. I feel his lips come to my temple while I
concentrate on staying calm among the crowd.
“Have you ever caught a commercial flight before?” he
whispers.
I shake my head, embarrassed by my stupid lifestyle.
“As you will see, airports suck.”
 I smile and nod.
“Does your father have a plane?”
I nod. “Three.”
He rolls his eyes. “Only three. The poor fucker.”
I smile bashfully. We make our way through the check-in
and eventually walk through all the security and out into
the restaurant. The boys take a seat at the bar and we sit in
a booth.
“What do you want to drink, angel?” Spencer asks as he
looks through the drinks menu.
“I’m easy.”
His eyes rise to my lips. “You’re only easy for me,” he
whispers darkly.
The air crackles between us.
I lean forward, resting my elbows on the table between
us. “I really can’t wait to suck your big dick tonight, Mr
Spencer,” I whisper.
He winks. “I’ll look forward to it.”
I find myself smiling again. Who would have ever
thought I would have it in me to be like this?
“What drink do you want?”
“Margarita.”
“Good choice. I’ll join you.” He closes the menu and
goes to the bar.
As I wait, I glance over and see a bookstore just across
the way. I might get a new book for by the pool. I get up
and walk over to the boys.
“I’m just ducking into this shop to get a book. I won’t be
a moment. You stay here.”
Wyatt, ignoring me, immediately stands and follows me.
He waits outside while I walk in and look around. I pick my
book and stand in the line to pay, when I look down at the
magazine stand and my heart drops.
A picture of Spencer and me with the heading:
 Bad Romeo Strikes Again.

What?
I pick up the magazine with the sound of my blood
pumping hard in my ears.
How humiliating…. Bad Romeo.
“When did this magazine get released?” I ask.
The bored shopkeeper looks up. “Oh, it’s not due out
until tomorrow. We got it early.”
I force a smile. “Thanks.” I pay her and storm back to
the table to find Spencer sitting with our two margaritas in
front of him. He smiles cheekily up at me. “Here you go,
sustenance for your cock-sucking duties tonight.”
I slap the magazine on the table, and he looks down at it
immediately. It takes him a few seconds to realise what he’s
looking at before he frowns.
“What the hell?” I fall into the seat and flick through the
pages until I get to the story.
Spencer begins to drink his margarita and watches on.
Wishing he was anywhere but here.
There are about twenty images of him and me together.
There’s even some of Wyatt and Anthony struggling to get
the camera off of the photographer. I read the story out
loud.

“Renowned Playboy Spencer Jones is at it

again.
Caught with the enigmatic and fiercely
private billionaire Charlotte Prescott.
The two were captured on a lunch date
hand in hand on Tuesday. Once spotted,
her bodyguards physically attacked
photographers to try and retrieve the
film.
Two days earlier Spencer was snapped with
model Tiffany Boland on a yacht in
Ibiza. He has also been linked in recent
weeks with reality TV star May Allywell.
Charlotte Prescott is most definitely new to
our radar.
We sense fireworks are coming when Daddy
Megabucks finds out.
Watch this space!”
 17

Charlotte
“W HAT THE FUCK ?” Spencer splutters, wide eyed. “They’re
fucking liars. I wasn’t in Ibiza. You know this shit is made
up, I was with you the whole time. And I don’t even know
May Allywell.”
I glare at him.
“This isn’t my fault,” he wails.
I sit forward in my seat. “Spencer, go to the bar and get
me another drink, please. Why couldn’t you just keep your
fucking dick in your pants all these years?” I whisper
angrily.
“Believe me, I wonder the same thing,” he splutters in a
fluster as he stands. “How many drinks do you want?”
I glare at him, feeling like red steam is shooting out of
my ears.
“I’ll just get the whole bottle,” he mutters under his
breath.
I continue my glaring and he scurries away to the bar to
escape my rage.
I inhale deeply to try and calm myself down.
This is not going to plan.
Three hours later, and I’m reading my book on the plane.
The engine is droning out all sound. On a normal trip I
would be fast asleep by now.
“Are you still angry with me?” Spencer whispers.
“I’m not angry with you,” I say, deadpan, my eyes firmly
on my book. I’m not even reading, I’m too mad to see the
words. I have no idea how I’m going to explain this
situation to my father and Edward once they see this story.
What’s worse is that this is exactly what they didn’t want to
happen. I feel like a fool knowing everyone thinks he’s
playing up on me, even though I know that’s not true.
“You seem like you’re angry with me. You’re not exactly
being friendly. You haven’t said a word in three hours.”
I look at him deadpan. “I am allowed to be angry with a
situation. The whole world doesn’t revolve around you, you
know.”
He widens his eyes. “Jeez.” He thinks for a moment. “Is
this your PMT talking?”
I stare at him.
“I mean, what would you say to me if you didn’t have
those bitch hormones running through your blood right
now?”
Steam shoots from ears once more, this man can’t be
that stupid, surely.
“What I would say to you is shut the hell up.”
He chuckles and lifts my hand to kiss the back of it.
“You’re hot when you’re angry, Prescott.”
I exhale heavily and turn back to my book.
“You know it’s not true, right?”
“Yes.”
“So why are you still mad with me?”
“Because I look like a fool.”
“No, you don’t.”
 “I do.”
“But we know the truth.” He frowns.
“Nobody else does.”
He exhales heavily. “Why are you so worried about what
everyone else thinks? Care about what I think.”
I stare at him for a moment. “Okay, what do you think?”
“I think these people who work for the media and the
magazines are idiots, and like I told you before, half of the
shit they put out there is completely fabricated.”
“A picture tells a thousand words.”
“But does it? I’ve even been photographed with Seb’s
girlfriends in the past and been in the stupid tabloids for
it.”
“Why do they target you? I don’t understand why they
target you specifically.” I do actually. He’s gorgeous,
wealthy, and has enough boyish charm to light up the
world… but I’m not letting him know that.
He shrugs. “It started about five years ago when I dated
a girl who also happened to be a model. It was her they
were after, and they got a few images of us together. Then I
met another girl who, unbeknown to me, was an actress.
We were photographed leaving a club together and they
just assumed I was seeing both woman at the same time.
That’s when they began this whole love rat bullshit.”
“Were you seeing both women at the same time?”
He smirks. “Possibly, but each of them knew we weren’t
exclusive and they were seeing other people, too.”
I stare out the window and a wave of disappointment
runs through me. Unable to stop it from happening, my
eyes fill with tears.
“Angel,” he whispers, wrapping his arm around me.
“Don’t be upset.”
“This isn’t how I wanted to announce my first
relationship to my family, Spence,” I whisper.
“I know, baby.” I sit back and rest my head on his
shoulder. “It’s shitty.” He kisses my temple. “But don’t let
this crap affect our relationship. I don’t care what everyone
else thinks, I don’t care if they hate me, but if I lose you
because of shitty lies from people who don’t even know
me…” His voice trails off.
He’s right. This isn’t his fault.
“Can we start the weekend again, please?” I ask
hopefully.
He smiles down at me, his eyes filled with empathy. “We
can do anything you want, angel.”

The car pulls into the private garage and I hunch my

shoulders in excitement.
We’re in Santorini, Greece.
“Your villa is two doors down from ours. You have your
own pool,” Spence tells the boys. “The key is in the mail
box at the side.”
“Thank you.” They both smile, and I think that, secretly,
they’re just as excited as me.
I love how Spencer always books their things and looks
after their welfare, making sure they are well looked after.
They have taken to him well and look to him for guidance
now. It means a lot to me, and it says a lot about the type of
man Spencer is.
“We’ll just check out your place first, if that’s okay?”
Anthony asks.
“Of course.”
The boys grab our bags and then disappear inside,
leaving me to bounce around in the car. I can’t remember
ever being this excited. Spencer opens my door and holds
his hand out for me to take.
“You ready, angel?” His face is alive with mischief, and I
already know the place he’s booked is incredible.
 “I am.” I beam at him as I take his hand and get out of
the car. “Thank you for organising this. It’s amazing.”
“You haven’t even seen it yet.” He chuckles. “This isn’t
our place. We’re camping on the beach with no bathroom.”
He throws me one of those sexy winks he does so well. “I
thought we could rough it. Really get to know each other.”
I laugh. “That would be amazing, too.”
He takes me into his arms and kisses me. “You are very
easily pleased, Charlotte Prescott.”
“As long as I’m with you, I’m happy.”
We kiss again as the air around us swirls, our tabloid
disaster has thankfully been left behind on the plane. We’ve
decided not to think about it until Monday when we return.
There’s no use worrying and ruining our time here over
something that’s already done.
We are on the side of the mountain in Santorini, just
near a village called Fira. All the houses and villas are
white and overlook the sea. It looks like it’s straight out of
a travel brochure.
“Let’s go inside,” I urge.
“Wait for the boys to finish first.”
Oh, he wants privacy. I love it when he wants privacy.
I giggle up at him and he holds me in his arms. “Greece
agrees with you.” He smiles lovingly at me.
“I know.” I laugh. “It really does.”
He chuckles, and a few moments later we hear the
words we’ve been waiting for. “All clear.”
“Thank you,” Spencer says as they walk back out into
the garage. “I’ll call you in the morning. No plans, we’re
just here to relax.”
“Okay.”
He slaps Wyatt on the back as he walks past him.
“We have our phones if you need us,” Anthony calls.
“Thanks.”
Spencer guides me through the huge timber double
front doors, and my mouth falls open as my eyes bounce
around the space.
“Oh my God,” I gasp.
It’s all white and minimalistic. The walls are made from
rendered cement, and the floor has a beautiful terracotta
tile to it.
The room is glowing pink and I’ve never seen anything
more beautiful.
The sunset.
The entire back of the villa is made of glass that
overlooks an exotic infinity pool and the most beautiful
view. The sun is just setting over the water. Spencer leads
me out through the French doors to a balcony that is
decorated with exotic day beds and deckchairs. Beautiful
cushions are scattered around the pool and I can’t help but
smile as I take it all in.
“This is like some crazy movie scene,” I breathe, feeling
the pink glow on my face. The sea breeze blows my hair
around, and I look up to see Spencer smiling at the ocean.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
He takes me in his arms and pushes the hair back from
my face. “I’m sorry about today.”
“It’s not your fault.” I wrap my arms around his broad
neck, and his lips touch mine. “Let’s go swimming.”
“Okay.” He immediately begins to undress, lifting his
shirt over his shoulders. “What are you doing?” I ask.
“We’re skinny dipping.”
“I don’t think I want that on the front page of a
magazine.” I hold my arm up to gesture to the villas above
us on the hill. Who knows who can see us from up here?
“Didn’t think of that.” He kicks off his shoes, slides his
jeans down, and he steps out of them. I’m rewarded with
the sight of his tight, white boxer shorts. My eyes drop
down his body and back to his face.
“Get your bikini on. Now.” He smirks darkly. “I’m about
to fuck you in this pool.”
 Goose bumps scatter up my arms and I giggle like a
schoolgirl. I run inside and grab my bag, taking it through
to the main bedroom.
This is the best weekend ever.
I stop dead in my tracks when I see the room.
Once again, I’m rendered speechless. There’s a king size
bed made out of a pale timber that has beautiful white
netting surrounding it. The back wall is made of glass
windows, and it also has magnificent views of the ocean.
Through a large mint green barn style door is a gigantic
bathroom with a triple shower and a sunken spa bath in the
middle.
I put my hands over my mouth in awe. I’ve never been
anywhere so beautiful. I scramble through my bag and find
my gold bikini. I throw it on and run back out to the pool.
Spencer is sitting on the step and he smiles when he sees
me.
I hold my hands out wide. “Ta-dah!” I announce.
Spencer’s eyes twinkle with a certain something I
haven’t seen before. He stands and takes my hand, leading
me into the pool.
“Look at you, you’re blossoming before my eyes.”
I frown in question.
“A month ago, you were self-conscious and shy, and
now...” He holds his hand out to my bikini. “Sexy and
confident as fuck. Exhibit A.”
I giggle as I wrap my arms and legs around him in the
water. “Well, I have a very good teacher.”
He looks down at me, the sinking sun lighting his face.
The water is still, and suddenly, it’s as if the whole world
stops. Our eyes are locked, our bodies snuggled up tight
together, but it’s his heart I’m here for. His big, beautiful,
caring heart.
This is a tenderness I’ve never known—one that a lot of
women will never know.
The closeness between us is everything.
 His eyes search mine as if he feels it too, and for a long
time, we just stare at each other in the twilight. Finally, he
takes my face into his hands and his lips gently brush over
mine.
“I love you, Charlotte,” he whispers.
“I love you, too.” I smile softly. Oh…. this is so perfect.
He is perfect.
We kiss, long and slow, and I can feel his erection up
against my stomach.
“You didn’t have to bring me all the way to Greece to say
that?” I smile down at him.
He gives me that cheeky, boyish grin I love. “I did. I
fucked up the condom first, didn’t I?”
“Well, if you had just asked.”
“Can we not go back to that nightmare? I had visions of
myself driving a minivan with five scruffy kids in the
backseat.”
We laugh out loud, and then quickly fall serious again.
“We came to Greece because I wanted the first time I said
it to be special.”
I smile at him.
“This is a big fucking deal in my life, you know? I’ve
been going on TTT therapy trips over this for years.”
I laugh against his lips and I squeeze him tight.
“Promise me that Edward won’t come between us,” he
says.
“He won’t, baby.” I push his hair back from his forehead
as I look into his big, blue eyes. “I promise.”
His lips take mine, and this time there’s an edge to his
kiss. I know the times when I’m going to get it hard, and
tonight is one of them. With his hands on my hips, he
guides me back and forth over his hard length. The water
begins to ripple around us.
“Bring your legs up,” he orders huskily, his focus shifting
to my mouth.
 I love it when he fixates on my mouth. I know he’s
imagining how I would feel around him.
I bring my legs up onto the step on either side of him,
and he inhales sharply as he grinds my body down onto
him. “I’m going to fuck you right here, angel.”
“Hmm.”
He pulls my bikini to the side and begins to rub his thick
cock through my wet flesh, back and forth, back and forth.
I feel myself quiver already.
Damn it, I’m hopeless.
“Hold it,” he whispers. “Don’t come.”
I smile. “Like it’s a choice.”
With his hands on my behind, he guides me down onto
him and we both moan at the burn as he goes a little way
in.
He grabs my hand and puts it over his heart. I can feel it
beating hard in his chest.
His eyes hold mine. “Every time, angel. Every time I’m
with you my heart races.”
He grabs my jaw and kisses me hard and uncontrolled.
He’s only an inch in, but I swear I’m going to come.
“I can’t get close enough to you,” he whispers. “I can’t
get enough of you. Do you know how long I’ve waited to
feel like this?”
My eyes fill with tears. I’m so in love with him.
Our kiss turns desperate, and he grabs my shoulders
from behind, slamming me down onto his cock. It’s so hard,
the air is knocked out of my lungs.
He’s thick, long, and hell, I’m blessed that the man I
love is so virile and strong. His cock is rock hard… just for
me. He slowly slides my body up and down onto him and
circles himself deep inside.
His eyes are dark when he licks my open mouth. “I’m
going to try something, okay, baby?”
His hand goes around to my behind and he puts a finger
over my back entrance.
 My body instantly tenses up.
“Shh.” He calms me as his dick moves in and out of my
sex to its own rhythm.
“Lean forward,” he whispers.
I stare at him, and I know this is it—the moment he’s
asking me to try something new.
And I want to, I want to be adventurous for him.
With my lips locked on his, I lean forward, and he slides
a finger deep into my back entrance, slowly sliding me
down onto his cock at the same time.
My eyes widen as they hold his. The look on his face is
one of pure satisfaction.
“Feels good, angel, doesn’t it? I’m going to fuck you here
one day.”
Hearing him say such filthy things does something to
me, and I convulse immediately, my body spiralling into a
throbbing orgasm. I moan loudly and completely lose
control.
“Oh, my girls likes it,” he whispers in an unrecognisable
voice as he begins to let me have it hard.
The water slams into the side of the pool, and it feels
like the closer he gets, the deeper his finger and cock feel.
“Lift your legs!” he barks.
I’m half scared to, but I lift my legs higher. He throws
his head back and holds himself deep inside of me. I feel
the telling jerk of his cock as it empties.
“Fucking… hell,” he moans. He continues to pump me
full, and finally stills at once.
With his eyes locked on mine, his finger continues to
move in and out of me. He’s fascinated.
He’s unable to stop.
I kneel over him, completely transfixed as he explores
my body to satisfy his needs.
“Fuck, you turn me on.” He bites my nipple through my
bikini top, his finger slowly sliding in and out, and I know
he’s making the most of it while he has me like this. “Can
we fuck here now?” he whispers up at me in awe.
I kiss his big beautiful lips. “One day.”
He smiles softly and continues to work me, and damn, it
feels so intimate and raw.
So unexpectedly good.
Who would have ever thought that this would be a
special moment?
He bites my nipple hard. It makes me wince and I wiggle
away from his over exploring finger. He’s so naughty.
“You may just be The Devil himself, Mr Spencer.”
He smiles mischievously and fakes a bow. “At your
service, My Lady.” He tips me back and bites my neck. “I
look forward to our one day.”

The sun peeks over the horizon, and I smile in awe, sucking
in a slow breath.
It’s early and I’m out on the deck watching the dawn of
a new day. It’s too beautiful to go unwatched. I wrap my
robe around me and smile as the golden glow bounces onto
my face and the sea breeze swirls around me and whips my
hair.
Heaven.
This place is something else. It’s so exotic and
gorgeous… other worldly. I look down at all of the white
villas on the cliff below us and I wonder who’s inside of
them. Are the women down there as lucky as I am?
My beautiful Spencer is still fast asleep in bed, unaware
he’s missing the most perfect sunrise ever. He’s also
blissfully unaware of the fear that I have deep in the pit of
my stomach. I don’t want Spence to know I’m worried
about that stupid magazine story on our weekend away. I’m
acting as hard as I can, but honestly, how can I not be
scared? I’m shaken to my core.
I imagine Edward and my father reading the story and
what they would be saying—or screaming—and I close my
eyes with regret.
This is not how I wanted to tell them about Spencer. It
couldn’t be farther from how I wanted to tell them, but of
course, that choice has been taken out of my hands now. He
will be judged before they even meet him. I have a feeling
he already has been.
At least by Edward.
My mind goes to him visiting Spencer at work this week
and how Spencer was annoyed that Edward didn’t make
time to come and see me when he was in London.
If I’m honest, it did hurt my feelings but I would never
let on to Spence that it did. It would only infuriate him, and
I need to try and make the two of them get along. It will
make my life so much easier.
But why didn’t Edward come and see me? I just don’t
understand.
A boat is loading down in the water, and I watch the
people board. Then as it slowly pulls out, I watch it
disappear across the water. I wonder where they are going
today? What adventure are they about to have?
I feel two large hands snake around my waist from
behind and lips gently dust my temple. “Good morning,
beautiful,” his deep voice purrs.
I smile and place my hand up on his face. “Morning,” I
whisper. “How did you sleep?”
“Like a log.” He wraps his arms around me and holds me
tight.
“God, it’s so beautiful here, Spence.”
He smiles as he looks out over the horizon. “It is, isn’t
it?”
We stand in each other’s arms for a moment as we drink
in our surroundings. “What are we doing today?” I ask.
 “Sightseeing.” I smile broadly.
“On mopeds.”
I flick around to face him. “Mopeds?” I gasp. “I’ve… I’ve
never…”
Spencer laughs at my sheer terror. “Don’t worry, I’ll be
driving. You’re just being my biker bitch.”
“Biker bitch?” I frown. “What the hell does a biker bitch
do?”
“Me.” He winks. “You sit on the back of my bike all day,
and then you sit on my cock all night.”
I burst out laughing. “You’re an idiot.”
With a huge smile, he bites at my neck and walks me
backwards inside the house.
“But first you have to earn your leathers.”

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” Wyatt frowns.

I glance over at Wyatt as Spencer puts my motorbike
helmet on. I don’t think this is a good idea, either, if I’m
honest, but I’m trying my hardest to act braver than I really
am.
Spencer frowns while he concentrates on fastening the
strap under my chin.
“This makes me feel claustrophobic,” I say.
He smirks, choosing not to respond verbally.
“How much experience do you actually have on
motorbikes?” I ask. I look at the nippy little machine
parked in our garage.
“Heaps.” He knocks on my helmet three times. “I’ve only
been to hospital three or four times. A few broken bones
have been the worst of it.”
“What?” My eyes widen.
“Both legs, both arms,” he teases. “Fractured skull.”
“Tell me you’re joking.”
 “I swear, if you crash with her on the back of that
bike…” Wyatt interrupts.
Anthony laughs as he watches on.
“Stop laughing, Ant,” Wyatt warns. “This could be the
last trip we ever come on.”
“Or last trip we ever make,” I mutter flatly.
Spencer’s eyes widen with delight. “Will you all fucking
relax? I’m an excellent driver and…” He throws his leg over
the bike and leans down, pretending to ride fast. “You
won’t be able to keep up with Charlotte and me.”
Good grief, I may actually die today. “Spencer, I don’t
know about this.”
“Get on, woman.” He gestures to the back of the bike
with his chin.
I put my hands on my hips and smirk at him. He’s said
that to me before, although the context was completely
different. “Get on and wrap your legs around me.”
I do as I’m told, enjoying the way he helps me onto the
seat behind him.
“You boys all right with everything?” Spencer asks them.
Wyatt starts up his engine, followed by Anthony. Spencer
starts our bike up, too.
“Go slow,” Wyatt warns him. “Don’t drive stupid.”
Spencer rolls his eyes. “You nag me to fucking death,
Wyatt.”
Anthony chuckles. “Right?”
Spencer turns around and flips my little glass screen
down over my eyes. “Hold on tight, angel.”
He pulls out slowly, and I scrunch my eyes tight and hold
on.
He begins to pick up speed, and I squeeze him so tight
that I’m afraid he may pop.
We pull out into the street and down the hill.
“You okay?” he calls.
I nod, too scared to reply. We ride on the cobblestone
streets for a while, and I watch the people flash by us in a
blur.
He runs his hand along my thigh. Hmm, maybe this isn’t
so bad after all.
We pull out onto a wider road and he speeds up a little.
Wyatt appears on his bike beside us out of nowhere,
holding his hand up for Spencer.
“Slow down!” he calls to us.
Spencer shakes his head, flips him the bird, and
accelerates away.
“Ah!” I scream as I am pushed back from the G-force.
I look behind us to see Wyatt and Anthony chasing us
with a look of sheer terror on their faces. I giggle and shout
out to Spencer, “Lose them.”
Spencer nods and twists his wrist to send us faster.
“See you later, motherfuckers,” he cries.
I hear Wyatt’s horn blare to life, and I put my head down
on Spencer’s shoulder and laugh.
Being naughty is so much fun.

Three hours later, we pull into a beach and I smile goofily

as I take my helmet off.
That was the most fun I think I’ve ever had. We’ve seen
so much of the island and had a great time doing it, too.
Wyatt and Anthony pull in beside us, and Spencer laughs
as soon as Wyatt takes his helmet off.
“I just aged fifty years thanks to you.” Wyatt huffs.
“You’re a maniac driver.”
Spencer holds his hand out at the beach. “But look at
your reward.”
We look around and see the most beautiful beach of
black sand. It has deckchairs lined up in pairs with straw
thatched beach umbrellas above them. The water is bright
blue and crystal clear. There’s a beach bar, too, and people
are sitting out the veranda drinking cocktails.
“May I present Perissa Beach on the Aegean Sea.”
“Wow.” I smile. “Impressive.”
“And, an added attraction of this beach is the
spectacular view.” He gestures to the deckchairs where
there are rows of beautiful women all oiled up and topless.
“This beach is also known as Juggernauts Hangout.”
We all laugh, and I roll my eyes. It’s such a Spencer
thing to say.
“See, boys, I have your best interests at heart.” He
winks mischievously.
“Excellent.” Anthony smirks.
Spencer helps me off the bike and he rests our helmets
on the handlebars.
“Charlotte and I are going to have some lunch before we
take a swim and lie around for a few hours. Do whatever
you like,” Spencer tells them.
“We will be close,” Wyatt assures us.
“Not too close.” Spencer takes my hand in his. “Take the
hint and go look at some boobs or something.”
I smirk at the boys. Being told to go and look at some
boobs is not something I imagine that they have ever heard
from their employer before.
“This way.” Spencer takes off towards the restaurant.
Anthony walks beside him, and Wyatt gives me a lop-sided
smile, as if he has something on his mind.
“What’s that look?” I ask as I link my arm with his and
we turn to follow the other two.
“I like seeing you like this,” he says, stuffing his hands in
his pockets.
“Like what?”
“Happy.”
I bump my shoulder with his. “Does it really show?”
“Like a beacon.”
 We walk for a moment, and I see Spencer up ahead
laughing out loud at something Anthony has said. His laugh
is childish and carefree. “This is a lot better than
suffocating in Nottingham, isn’t it?”
Wyatt smiles as he looks at our surroundings. “For all
concerned.”

The late afternoon sun is warm on my face and I smile at

the sky. We’ve been at Perissa Beach for hours. It’s simply
too good to leave.
The boys are up the back somewhere, and we are down
by the water on our deckchairs in our swimwear.
We’ve eaten, swam, drank, and I even had a little nap.
Spencer has gone to the bar in search of some cocktails
while I lie here in my bliss.
The sound of the waves, the seagulls, the laughter, and
music in the distance… I think this may just be my most
favourite place I’ve ever been to. And I’ve been to a lot of
amazing places, but I think it’s because of who I’m here
with.
Spencer is my favourite place. Anywhere with him is
Heaven.
He reappears with two very pink and exotic looking
drinks in his hands. I sit up with a frown. “Wow, what are
these?”
He passes my tall glass, bright pink and bubbling with
fancy straws placed in it. “A Pinky Sweetheart for my pinky
sweetheart.”
I smile as I look at the glass suspiciously. It’s probably as
toxic as all heck. “How am I a pinky sweetheart?”
He sips his drink and narrows his eyes. “Well, you’re my
sweetheart, and your bits are a delicious shade of pink.” He
shrugs. “Pinky sweetheart.”
 I laugh and take a sip. He falls into the deckchair beside
me. “This is delicious.” I nod. “Good choice.”
He raises his glass to me. “Not just a pretty face.”
Isn’t that the truth?
Spencer is so far from being just a pretty face that I
don’t even notice he’s so good looking any more. It’s what’s
inside him that I love. The two parts of him that make him
so different to anyone I’ve ever met. He’s playful, honest,
and sweet, but then he has this dominant side that only
ever comes out properly when we’re in the bedroom. I
remember how he was when he first met Wyatt and
Anthony, and I know he’s no pushover to people who don’t
know him.
Like Edward.
“Can I ask you something?”
He nods as he sucks through his straw. “This drink is
lethal by the way. Don’t let us swim, we may die.”
I giggle. “You said that you went on a Triple P trip. What
does that mean?”
“Oh.” He frowns. “Triple T?”
“Yes, that’s it. What’s a Triple T trip?”
“It’s a time to think trip. You know, when things get too
much and you can’t handle it anymore, you have to escape
life to have time to think.”
“So, what do you do?”
“I go away on my own for two to three weeks. Do
nothing, speak to nobody, reflect.”
“Where do you go?”
“The Four Seasons in Maui. It has to be the Four
Seasons in Maui.”
“You did this?”
“I’ve done it every year since I turned seventeen.”
My face falls. “Every year? You can’t handle things every
year?” I ask, oh this is news…. what can’t he handle?
“The first time I went I was a hormonal teenager and my
mother was at her wit’s end with me. She sent me to Maui
in the hope that I would calm down.” He twists his lips. “I
didn’t know anyone, and I didn’t talk to anyone.”
“Were you upset about your father?”
He shrugs. “Yeah. I would start the year off going mad
and getting into trouble. My birthday is on the 31 st of
December, so I would spend the last day of every year
waiting for him to call me.” He pauses and stares into
space. “And then I’d spend the first day of every new year
devastated that he hadn’t.”
“Your birthday is on New Year’s Eve?” I ask.
He smiles softly and nods. “That’s how the TTT trips
started. As I grew older, I would go for a different reason.”
“What was the reason?” I reach over and take his hand
in mine. “You can tell me. I won’t judge.”
“I thought I was broken. I never felt attached. I would
meet all these great women and sleep with them, and
then...” He shrugs. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“Seriously, nothing. I would be in bed with them after
sex, thinking about work and watching the clock tick to see
when it was acceptable to leave without looking like a
prick.”
I squeeze his hand and he gives me a sad smile.
“Every year it got worse. I began to beat myself up
about being like him. I didn’t want to be near anyone on my
birthday. I hated who I was becoming, and I would pretend
to my family that I was away so I didn’t have to act happy.”
“Spence,” I whisper sadly. “So, you spent every New
Years alone?”
“I did for a long time, until Masters’ wife died. Then Seb
and I would spend it with him and the kids. He was in a
darker place than I was.”
I smile softly. They are such good friends to look after
each other. “What did you do last year?”
 He smirks. “Played board games at Masters’ house.
Such party animals.”
I pick up his hand and kiss the back of it again. “Can we
come back here to Santorini for your birthday this year? We
could bring Seb, Masters, and their family, if you like?”
He reaches over and cups my face in his hand, dusting
his thumb over my bottom lip. “Do you know that I love
you?”
I climb beside him on his deck chair and hold him tight.
I get an image of him all alone for so many years on his
birthday. New Year’s Eve! It makes me so sad.
“From now on it will be different, Spence,” I whisper as I
hold him tight. “Now you have me, and I will never leave
you alone.”
He crushes me to him and holds me close. “All this time,
I thought I was broken. It turns out I was just waiting for
you.”
My eyes fill with tears and we kiss. It’s long, tender, and
perfect. “You should take me home for some intimate
relations,” I whisper.
He smiles and his eyes widen. “Is it one day?”
“Don’t push your luck.”

We stumble into the bar on our last night in Santorini. It’s

late, and we are messy. By messy, I mean we’ve had way
too many cocktails and we’re laughing like fools.
Everything is hilarious.
I can’t remember ever being this relaxed and carefree. I
don’t think I’ve looked in the mirror for three days. I don’t
need to. Spencer makes me feel like I’m the most beautiful
woman in the world just as I am.
I’m wearing a short yellow beach dress, with my hair
down and messy. I have a red flower tucked behind one ear
—a flower Spencer picked from a garden for me. He’s
wearing a white linen shirt with the top buttons undone,
and pink shorts with white hibiscus flowers on them. He’s
also donning a bright green dinosaur cap that he bought
for his niece.
The bar is practically empty, and there’s a one-man band
playing on a small stage. He has a harmonica on a stand, a
set of bongos, and a guitar. His long brown dreadlocks give
him the ultimate hippy vibe, and his voice is beautiful.
Spencer’s eyes light up and he drags me to the dance
floor. He grabs my hands, pushes me out, and then slams
me back to his body. “I love this song.” He smiles down at
me.
“I’ve never heard this before in my life.”
“Me neither.” He pushes me away and spins me again.
“Then how do you know you love it?”
“I love everything I do with you.” He smirks down at me,
and the air swirls between us. Even drunk and disorderly,
he’s the most perfect man in the entire world.
The song finishes, and we both clap and cheer to make
up for the lack of enthusiasm from everyone else.
“What do you want me to play?” the singer asks in his
thick accent.
Spencer points at him and his eyes widen. “Aussie?” he
asks.
“Yeah, man.” The guy laughs.
Spencer high fives him as if they are long lost best
friends. “I fucking love Australians.”
I turn to see Wyatt and Anthony snickering from the
corner. They can deny it all they want but I know they like
Spencer, too, now. How could anyone not? He’s the
friendliest person I’ve ever known.
“What’s your name?” Spencer asks the singer.
“Reg.” The guy smiles.
“That’s a great name!” Spencer cries, as if it’s the most
exciting piece of information he’s ever heard.
 I laugh out loud again. Oh man, we are so drunk.
“Play us a song, Reggie.” He picks up my hand and
kisses it, waiting for the song to start.
Reg takes a sip of his drink and picks up his guitar. “This
song is called ‘Dream Catch Me.’”
Spencer smiles down at me and gives me one of his
swoony winks. The song starts, and he begins to move me
side to side to the beat. As the words pour out of Reggie,
Spencer sings them to me, but with a delay. He’s listening
to them first and then repeating everything clearly.
His timing is completely off.

There’s a place I go when I’m alone.

Be anyone I want, be anyone I want to be.
But it is us I see.

We begin to really sway side to side as our dancing gets

a bit out of control and I’m laughing as Spencer sings the
wrong words as he dances and swings his hips.
His big beautiful smile covers his face as he sings to me
and I laugh up at him in the goofy dinosaur hat as he
swings me around like a ragdoll.

I cannot believe I’m falling.

Hold me close, don’t let this go.
Dream catch me when I fall.

The chorus breaks out and Spencer lets go of me. He

begins to bop, jumping up and down, having the time of his
life.
“Jump.” He laughs.
I find myself mirroring his dancing, bopping along with
him with a huge goofy smile across my face. What must we
look like? Who even cares?
This is so much fun.
 The music begins to wind down. “Great song.” Spencer
claps. “Play it again.”
“Yes.” I laugh. “Again.”
Reg laughs with us and begins the song from the
beginning. This time Spencer sort of knows the words and
sings to me as he holds me in his arms.

Be anyone I want to be,

But it is us I see.

There is nobody else on earth tonight.

Only him.
The chorus rings out again and he begins to bop once
more.
I throw my head back and laugh, unable to stop myself
from joining in. He looks utterly ridiculous in that dinosaur
hat, yet he’s the happiest I’ve ever seen him. His huge
smile is infectious. I glance over to see the boys are
laughing out loud at the spectacle we are making of
ourselves.
Spencer spins me around the entire dance floor. “Be
anyone I want to be!” he sings to me. “But it is us I see…
and I cannot believe I’m falling.” The song begins to wind
down and he pulls me close. Our lips touch and he dips me
back.
“You know what else I’m going to do one day, angel?” he
whispers.
“What?” I smile up at him.
His eyes hold mine. “Marry you.”
My heart stops.
“What?” I whisper.
The chorus kicks in again, and Spencer kisses me
quickly, pulling me up to bop around, once more.
“Jump!” he cries.
 This isn’t even a song you can jump around to. It’s a
ballad, and I begin to laugh so hard that I can hardly stand.
He begins to dance like he’s crazy, jumping from side to
side with his hands in the air like he’s at a rock concert.
This is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. I laugh so hard I
have to rest my hands on my knees to hold myself up.
The song finishes, and we both clap with our hands in
the air.
“Bravo, bravo.”
I laugh as I continue clapping.
“Brilliant, mate,” Spencer cries in excitement. “Best
fucking song ever.”
Reg laughs and shakes his head at the lunatic in the
bright green dinosaur cap. “You’re hectic, man.”
I’m laughing when Spencer drags me from the dance
floor and signals to the door to the boys.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“We need to go home.” He turns and puts the dinosaur
hat on my head. “That dream song made me horny.”
“You’re always horny.”
He turns and takes me into his arms. “I’m only horny for
my dreamcatcher.”
I smile up at him and my heart swells. He could say the
word potato and I would find it romantic.
“I love you.” He smiles down at me.
“I love you more.” I run my hands through his hair.
“Oh, Jesus,” Wyatt moans behind us.
“Dream catch me when I fall,” Spencer sings at the top
of his voice. “Or else I won’t go home at all.” We stumble
outside the front steps and Spencer raises his hand like
he’s drawing a sword. “To the kebab shop!” he cries.
We’re waiting in the boarding lounge, and I’m staring at
the beautiful man in front of me. He’s more dishevelled
than I’ve ever seen him and hungover like nothing else. I’m
dreading going home and back to reality. We’ve had the
most beautiful weekend in paradise, and I want to stay here
in our little love bubble.
Spencer rebooked the villas for two weeks over New
Year’s. I can’t think of anything more perfect.
My phone begins to bounce around the table as it
vibrates. The name Edward lights up the screen.
My stomach drops.
I stare at it as it rings for a moment, and Spencer frowns
in question when he looks over at me. I know I can’t avoid
this call for forever.
“Hello,” I answer.
“Where are you?” Edward growls.
I close my eyes, hearing the obvious anger in his voice.
“Greece.”
“Get your fucking arse back to Nottingham now!”
He hangs up, and my heart constricts. I look over at
Spencer with fear running through me. I swallow the lump
in my throat.
They’ve seen the magazine story.
“I need to go home to Nottingham,” I whisper. “Tonight.”
 18

Charlotte
“W HO WAS THAT ?”
“Edward.” I rearrange the napkin on my lap, trying to
calm myself. “They’ve seen the story, I have to go home.”
“We’ll go this weekend,” he says flatly.
I frown. We?
“No, that’s okay, you can come up at the weekend to see
me.” I pull my fingers through my hair, trying to sound
casual. “I’m going to head back tonight.”
His eyes hold mine. “No.”
“What do you mean… no?”
“You’re not going on your own.”
“Spence,” I sigh. I need to go and see them alone first. I
don’t need him coming in like a bull in a China shop. He’ll
ruin everything.
“This is my mess, Charlotte. I’ll be the one to clean it
up.”
“Spencer, I want to see them alone first.”
“That’s not happening.” He clenches his jaw and stares
at me. “You stay in London and I’ll go alone.”
“What?” Has he gone mad? “You’re not going alone. We
haven’t even discussed this.”
 “We’re discussing it now. I go with you, or I go alone.”
He stands, and without another word, he walks off to the
bar.
I begin to hear my frantic heartbeat in my ears, what a
mess. My worst nightmare is for him to go there and face
them alone. He has no idea who he’s dealing with here. I
just want to keep them apart so I can live in peaceful denial
for the rest of my life.
Spencer orders two drinks and returns to the table. He
hands me a glass of wine and I glance down at his.
Scotch. Gone are the cocktails and fun drinks, he’s back
onto the hard stuff. I exhale heavily, unfortunately life is
back to the hard stuff.
Spencer grabs the leg of my chair and pulls me closer to
him. He rests his hand on my lap under the table, and I
force a smile his way.
“I don’t want you to fight with them,” I whisper.
“I don’t want to fight with them, either.”
“I think it’s better if I see them alone first.”
He sips his scotch and then swirls it around in his glass.
“And I told you the answer is no. I’m not leaving you alone
to deal with this. The story is about me, let me defend
myself. Why should you take all the heat alone?” He
squeezes my thigh in reassurance. “Why wouldn’t you want
me to deal with them?”
My eyes search his. “I’m terrified that they are going to
scare you away,” I whisper.
He puts his drink down and takes my face in his hand.
“Angel, I will not be forced from your life against my will.
Not by anyone. You are the only person who can end what
we have.”
“Promise?”
“I don’t need to, you already know it’s true.” He kisses
me. “Don’t you?”
I smile softly, knowing he’s right. I do know he wouldn’t
cower to Edward like everyone else.
 Spencer Jones may be a lot of things, but a coward isn’t
one of them.
“Do you love me?” he asks.
I nod.
“So, trust me. Tonight, we deal with your brother,
whether he likes it or not.”
He makes it all seem so simple.
“Okay?” he asks.
I nod. “Okay.”

I’m freshly showered and dressed back in my sensible

clothes—black Capri pants and a cream woollen jumper
that sits off my shoulders. My hair is in a high ponytail, and
I’m wearing black ballet flats. Gone are my sundresses
from Santorini, along with any relaxation I had while I was
there. My father and Edward have cut their trip short by
two weeks to come home, and I know they mean business.
Spencer is upstairs getting ready while I am sitting at the
kitchen counter of his apartment, looking at the stories on
my laptop.
The more I read, the sicker I feel.
Every tabloid has reported us over the weekend. There’s
headline after headline about how the love rat Spencer
Jones has struck again, how he will break my heart, how he
is after my money, how there’s a huge Prescott family
divide.
How he has been pursuing me for months. It’s complete
rubbish. I didn’t even know him months ago.
I know my family will have read all these stories, and
what hurts the most is the niggling little voice in my psyche
screaming at me to listen to the warnings.
What if it’s all true?
It’s not. I know Spencer. I love Spencer.
 This is what they do. They poison your thoughts with
false stories.
My mind is in overdrive. I have no idea what’s going to
happen tonight when I walk into my father’s house with
Spencer in tow. I don’t know whether to call my father and
pre-warn him, but then they’ll be ready and they’ll attack
him with all guns blazing.
I’m confused what way is the right way to go about this.
I still think it would be better if I went alone. But Spencer
won’t allow it. What the heck happened in his office that
day when he kicked Edward out, anyway? I want to know
what was said, word for word. I pinch the bridge of my
nose as I try to calm myself down.
“You ready?” Spencer asks.
I look up to see him dressed in a navy suit, white shirt,
and a tie.
“You’re wearing a suit?” I ask.
He smooths his tie and shoves his hand into his pocket.
“I feel more comfortable in a suit.”
My heart drops. What he means is that he feels more
equipped to fight in a suit. “You said you didn’t want to
fight with them?”
“And I don’t.”
“So why are you wearing a suit?”
“I’m not taking any shit tonight, Charlotte.”
“They’re my family, Spence.”
“I know that. But they need to know that you’re my
future and you won’t be kept from me. I won’t stand for it.”
“Promise me you won’t fight with them.”
He picks up his keys. “Let’s go.”
“Spencer, promise me.”
His eyes meet mine. “I can’t do that. Let’s go.” Without
another word, he walks towards the front door. I stare at
the kitchen counter for a moment with my heart
hammering hard in my chest.
Please let this go well.
Two hours later, we pull up at the large stone gates of my
father’s estate, and Spencer punches in the security code.
It was so long ago that he was here. How on earth does he
even remember it? Wyatt and Anthony are in the car
behind us, and I know they are feeling my nerves right
along with me.
Their heads are about to roll, too.
The gates slowly open. “Main house?” he asks, keeping
his eyes on the road.
“Yes.” I nod and stare down at my hands in my lap.
We’ve said two words to each other on the whole trip here.
Actually, we’ve said five. He asked me if I needed the
bathroom when he stopped for petrol. It’s like he was
already angry before he even got here.
I have a bad feeling about this. “Just let me do the
talking,” I say.
Spencer’s jaw clenches as he looks through the
windshield.
I watch him. “Spence? Did you hear me?”
“Yeah, I heard you. I didn’t agree with you, that’s all.”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t fight with them. In time, they’ll
calm down and be reasonable. If you fight with them
tonight, you’ll start a war and I’ll be so mad with you.”
His tongue comes out and trails over his bottom lip.
He’s arrogance personified.
“I mean it, Spence. Please, for me. Don’t fight with
them.”
He reaches over and picks up my hand to kiss my
fingertips, his eyes still glued to the road.
“Why aren’t you answering me?”
“Because I’m not promising you anything.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, let’s turn around and go home then.
I don’t even want to go in if you have this attitude. This is
my family, of course they are worried. How do you expect
them to react to these magazine stories?” I snap. “I’m not
exactly thrilled about them myself.”
He tilts his chin to the sky in defiance and gives a subtle
shake of his head.
“What?” I snap.
“And there it is. You haven’t even seen them yet and
already you’re beginning to side with them.”
“I’m not,” I snap angrily.
He smirks. “Whatever you say.” He pulls in and parks
the car. My heart begins to thump hard in my chest. I grab
his hand and look over at him as panic begins to set in. Is
he right? Are they going to change the way I see this?
“I love you,” I whisper.
His dark eyes hold mine. “Prove it.” He gets out of the
car and slams the door. I close my eyes.
Fuck.

Spencer
I open Charlotte’s car door and nearly rip the damn
thing from its hinges.
I’m fucking furious.
Get your fucking arse back to Nottingham.
Nobody gets to speak to Charlotte like that.
Nobody.
I take her hand and drop my head. I can hardly
look her in the eye.
“No fighting,” she whispers again. I glance over to
Wyatt and Anthony who are parking in the bay beside
us.
I inhale through my nose to try and calm myself as
Charlotte walks up to the front door and slowly opens
it.
“Hello!” she calls. “I’m home.”
 “Darling.” I hear a man’s voice greet her. “Edward,
Lottie’s home.” The man comes around the corner,
and the second he sees me, his face falls. He’s an
older man, obviously her father. He’s good looking,
too—distinguished and wreaking of money.
Charlotte looks between us. “Dad, this is Spencer,”
she whispers nervously.
I nod. “Hello.” I force a smile and put my hand out.
“Spencer Jones.”
He shakes my hand, his face expressionless. “I
know who you are,” he replies flatly. “Harold
Prescott.”
We stare at each other.
“Dad,” Charlotte whispers. “I want to speak to you
alone, please.”
“Not now, Charlotte.”
From out in the hall, I hear someone say, “What
the hell is going on, Charlotte? Have you seen the
headlines?” Edward appears from around the corner,
and just like his father before him, his face falls when
he sees me. “What the hell are you doing here?” he
snaps.
Unable to help it, I smile sarcastically. “Nice to see
you again, Edward.”
“Go to Hell.”
“Edward, please,” Charlotte whispers. “I wanted
him to meet you.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m in love with him.” She takes my hand
in hers. “We… we’re… we are in love,” she splutters
nervously.
Harold gasps, clearly shocked, and I have to fight
the urge to smile again.
Edward’s features curl together in disgust. “Don’t
insult my intelligence now, Charlotte. You’ve known
him for a week.”
 “No.” She shakes her head. “I’ve known him for
much longer.”
Edward’s cold eyes meet mine, filled with
contempt. “I warned you to stay away from her.”
“And I told you it’s none of your business. The only
person I will answer to is Mr Prescott.” I nod at
Charlotte’s father in acknowledgement.
Harold raises his chin as he watches the two of us
carefully.
Charlotte picks up her father’s hand. “Can we have
some dinner, Dad, and talk about this… please?”
My anger boils seeing her having to beg on my
behalf.
I don’t want to have dinner here. I don’t want her
to have to beg for me to be accepted.
They don’t even fucking know me.
Fuck them.
Harold’s eyes hold mine, and then he turns to her.
“Of course, dear.” He kisses her hand. “I have missed
you so much.” He turns and leads her up the hallway.
Edward and I stare at each other until he takes a
step forward. “You may have her fooled… but you
don’t fool me.”
I raise my eyebrow and smile. “It’s a good thing
that I’m not sleeping with you then, isn’t it?”
“You fucking prick.” He loses control and pushes
me hard in the chest.
“Hit me.” I smile. “I dare you.”
He pushes me again, and I grab the lapels of his
shirt. “Stay out of my fucking way,” I growl into his
face.
“Oh, I’m in your fucking way, all right.”
“Edward!” Harold calls from the other room, as if
he knows exactly what is about to happen. “Here.
Now!”
 Edward glares at me, and without another word he
pushes me away and walks into the other room.
I exhale heavily as adrenaline courses through my
veins, and I run my hands through my hair.
My blood is boiling.
“Spencer?” Charlotte calls. “Can you come here,
please?”
I turn and follow her voice, walking into a large
living area. The room is filled with expensive
antiques. It looks more like a museum than a home.
“Let’s have something to drink.” Charlotte smiles
hopefully, gesturing to the dining table for us all to
sit down.
My heart swells with empathy. My poor angel.
“That would be nice.” I fake a smile and take a
seat.
“Abigail!” Charlotte calls.
A middle-aged woman in a uniform appears
immediately. “Yes, Charlotte.”
“May we have some drinks, please?”
“Of course. What can I get you?”
She looks around at us, twisting her hands
nervously in front of her. “Three scotch on the rocks,
and a ….” She frowns to herself. “Make it four scotch
on the rocks.”
Abigail nods. “Very well.”
Edward frowns. “You don’t drink scotch.”
Charlotte nods nervously. “I do tonight.”
“Charlotte and her guest will be staying for
dinner,” Harold says.
“Yes, sir.” Abigail smiles, and with a graceful nod
she disappears from the room.
Harold sits at the head of the table, Charlotte next
to him, and I sit beside her. Edward is opposite
Charlotte. Who the other twenty-four seats are for is
anyone’s guess.
 Who has a dining table this big?
Edward sits back in his seat, eyes fixed on me. “So,
where did you two meet?”
“It was through work,” Charlotte immediately fires
back.
What’s she doing? We didn’t meet through work.
“We’ve known each other for a long time. We’ve
become good friends,” she says softly as our drinks
arrive.
“Thank you.” I take my drink from the male waiter.
How many staff do they have?
“It should stay that way,” Edward retorts.
I roll my lips to keep myself from getting up and
hitting this fucker in the head.
“You don’t even know me,” I say calmly.
“I know I don’t like you. That’s all I need to know.”
I turn my attention to Harold. “Mr Prescott, with
all due respect, I would like for Charlotte and myself
to talk to you without Edward here.”
Edward slams his hand onto the table. “Go to
fucking hell, this is my house.”
“And you’re acting irrational.”
Harold pinches the bridge of his nose. “Edward,
enough!” he snaps.
Charlotte slides her hand into mine on my lap.
“The stories you have read in the magazines are
mostly untrue,” I begin.
“Mostly.” Edward huffs. “Un-fucking-believable.
You were with another woman last week in Ibiza, for
Christ’s sake.”
“No, he wasn’t,” Charlotte interrupts. “Those were
all lies.”
“Charlotte, you cannot be that gullible,” Edward
cries. “I’ve worked too damn hard to protect you from
shit like this to have your reputation ruined in an
instant by a cad like him.”
 I glare at Edward as I swirl my Scotch around in
my mouth. I get an image of myself diving over the
table and strangling him ‘til he turns blue.
Charlottes face falls. “He’s not a cad, and I’m in
love with him.”
Harold rolls his eyes. “You are not in love,
Charlotte, you are in lust. He’s your first boyfriend.
There is a big difference, darling.”
“You’re wrong,” I tell him. “We are very much in
love.” I reach into my inner pocket of my suit coat
and take out the folded piece of paper in there,
handing it over to Harold.
He narrows his eyes, opens it and begins to read.
“What’s that?” Edward whines.
“It’s a prenup of sorts,” I reply. “A co-habitation
agreement.”
Charlotte’s face falls as her eyes search mine.
“What?” Edward roars, standing immediately. His
chair falls back and hits the floor with a thud. “Over
my dead fucking body are you moving in here.”
“Charlotte’s moving to London with me.” I take a
sip of my scotch. “Tonight,” I add.
Edward’s eyes narrow and he marches across the
room and stands over me.
“Edward, stop it,” Charlotte whispers. “Dad, do
something.”
“You’re not going anywhere, Charlotte. He’s a
player, and he’s using you,” Edward seethes.
I lose my grip on my temper. “For what?” I yell.
“I’m in love with her. How is that using her?”
“Her bank balance is an incredible incentive, isn’t
it, Mr Jones?” He sneers.
“I don’t want your goddamn money. It’s there in
black and white in that contract.” I gesture to the
contract in Harold’s hands. “I’m successful all on my
own, and I have enough money for both Charlotte and
I to live forever without touching a penny of your
inheritance.” I stand angrily. “I didn’t come here to
justify my character. I do, however, have some serious
doubts about yours. Tell me, Edward, why is it you
travelled halfway across the world to see me, but not
once did you contact your sister to see how she was?”
He narrows his eyes.
“She is not a fucking possession. She is a beautiful
woman who deserves to be loved, and I will not allow
you to keep her here as your trophy for one minute
longer,” I yell as I completely lose control.
“Wyatt!” Charlotte calls, sensing that this is about
to get out of hand.
Harold frowns at what I’ve just said.
I turn to Harold. “She is a prisoner of your fucking
bank balance!” I yell.
Edward pushes me, and I quickly grab the lapels on
his shirt.
“Edward!” Harold yells, standing abruptly.
“Stop it!” Charlotte cries. “Stop it, both of you.”
Wyatt and Anthony appear and run to break us up.
“You’re both fucking fired!” Edward yells to them
as they drag him back from me. “How did you let this
happen?” He breaks free from their grip. “You were
supposed to guard her from men like him.”
I suck air into my lungs and glare at him.
Contempt for him drips from my every pore. I don’t
think I’ve ever hated anyone as much. I step back and
straighten my suit.
“Anthony and Wyatt, you work for me now,” I tell
them breathlessly. “You guard Charlotte for me. To
hell with this Prescott bullshit. They can stick their
precious money up their arses.”
Harold’s face falls.
“Let me tell you this,” I say. “I’m in love with
Charlotte. I’m marrying Charlotte, with or without
your permission. Get used to it.”
I turn and take Charlotte’s hand. “We’re leaving.”
“Spencer,” she whispers.
“Now,” I growl.
“Don’t you fucking go anywhere with him,
Charlotte,” Edward hisses. “I’m warning you.”
I turn to Edward and point at him. “Don’t you dare
warn her. Nobody speaks to her like that. Do you
fucking hear me? If you upset her or disrespect her in
any way, I will come here and personally knock you
the fuck out.”
Edward’s eyes blaze with anger.
I turn to Harold and nod. “Mr Prescott, you are
welcome in my home anytime. I’m sorry that tonight
didn’t go as well as Charlotte and I had hoped it
would.”
“Goodbye.” I take Charlotte’s hand and lead her
outside. Harold follows us. “Don’t go,” he begs her
softly.
Charlotte wraps her arms around his neck. “I’m
sorry, Dad, I have to.”
I shake his hand. “I will hopefully see you soon.”
He drops his eyes to the ground, unable to make
eye contact with me.
I lead Charlotte out and open her car door for her.
She hesitates and looks up at her father on the porch,
silently begging him to accept me.
“Let’s go, angel.” I put her in the car and then
drive out the gates, unable to miss the way her eyes
fill with tears.
I run my hand through my hair when I see Wyatt
and Anthony pull out behind me onto the road. My
heart is beating so hard in my chest.
What a fucking disaster.
I grip the steering wheel with white knuckle force.
I can’t believe what just happened. Why the hell do
they hate me so much when they don’t even know me?
Fucking Alexander York is getting a visit tomorrow.
What’s he told them about me?
Charlotte begins to cry, and my stomach drops. I
instantly feel like shit.
“I’m sorry that didn’t go to plan, angel.” I reach
over and take her hand in mine.
Her face screws up in tears as she watches me.
“That’s it, isn’t it?” She begins to really cry. “I’ll never
see them now, will I?” She sobs.
“What did you want me to do?”
“Be nice, Spencer. I wanted you to be nice. You said
you were going to be nice.”
“I was fucking nice. I should have knocked him
out, that’s what I should have done.”
She throws up her hands in despair and begins to
wail.
I roll my eyes as I drag my hand down my face.
Great. Just fucking great.

Two very silence-filled hours later, and I pull into the

Four Seasons. I hand the car keys to the valet.
Charlotte wanted to sleep here tonight and not at my
house.
She’s angry with me for fighting with them, but
honestly, what was I supposed to do? What would any
man do if he were under attack like that?
I hold her hand as we take the lift in even more
silence. I don’t even know what to say to her to try
and make this better.
I know more than anyone how much a parent’s
rejection hurts.
First mine, now hers.
 They don’t even know me.
We walk into the apartment, and she heads
straight for the stairs. “I’m going to bed.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m having a drink.”
“You don’t have any scotch left.”
“I’ll go down to the bar to get some.”
“Whatever,” she replies flatly.
Whatever? For fuck’s sake. I’ll give fucking Edward
whatever when I see him. He’s done exactly what he
wanted to do by causing trouble between us.
I leave and head straight for the hotel bar.
“What will it be?” the waitress asks.
“I’ll have a bottle of Black Label to take away, and
a scotch on the rocks for now.”
She smiles as she wipes the bar down. “Sure.”
Moments later, she hands me my drink and I sip it
sadly. I go over the conversation with Edward in my
head.
“You’re not going anywhere, Charlotte. He’s a
player, he’s using you.”
I run my hands through my hair in disgust. I hate
that I’m perceived this way.
I honestly love her.
Wyatt and Anthony walk in, and I gesture to the
seats beside me.
They sit and both look at me like I just killed a
man. “Don’t.” I sigh as I sip my drink.
“Where’s Charlotte?” Anthony asks.
“In bed.”
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I dig it out to
see a private number flashing up on the screen.
“I’m going to the bathroom,” Anthony says before
standing and disappearing around the corner.
“Hello,” I answer.
“You hurt her, and I’ll fucking kill you,” Edward
snarls. I listen for a moment and then the phone goes
dead.
Adrenaline surges through my body.
Fuck me, what next?
I exhale heavily and stare straight ahead.
“Can I ask you something?” Wyatt says.
“Yeah.” I sip my scotch.
“Have you ever fucked a guy?”
I turn to him and wince. “What?”
 19

Spencer
H E LOOKS me dead in the eye. “I mean… have you ever
had sex with a man?”
My eyes widen. “Why are you asking me this?”
He shrugs and sips his beer.
I stare at him for a moment, my mind a clusterfuck
of emotions. What the hell is he asking me this for?
“No,” I say. “I’ve never fucked a man.”
“Ever been fucked?”
“No.” I frown. “Mate, I like vaginas.” He stares at
me.
“Vagina.” I shake my head in disgust that I’m
discussing Charlotte’s body parts with him. This day
is way too much. I feel like my head’s about to
explode. Why the hell would he ask me that now?
“I’m going back upstairs.” I stand in a rush.
Anthony comes back to the bar. “What did I miss?”
he asks, looking between us. “Also, can we talk about
our new terms of employment?”
Wyatt stares straight ahead and sips his beer,
clearly uninterested in the terms of employment.
“Tomorrow. I’m going upstairs.”
 “Okay.”
I walk to the elevator and hit the button with force.
The doors open, and I text Masters and Seb.

Breakfast at seven. I need to debrief.

Day from fucking hell.

My eyes drift over the beautiful woman sleeping in my

bed. Her blonde hair is splayed across her pillow, and
her eyes flutter while she sleeps. I reach down and
slowly bring the blanket up to cover her, and I gently
kiss her face.
She tossed and turned all night.
We both did.
Her mind was on her family, my mind was on
Wyatt.
Why did he ask me if I’ve ever fucked a man? It was
so random… and the timing was weird. Has he heard
something about me that’s about to be released to the
magazines?
Another fucking lie.
I wouldn’t put it past these fuckers, they’ll do
anything for a story—anything that causes shock
value and will make people buy their trash. I feel sick
to my stomach and totally out of control of the
situation.
Charlotte deserves better than this. So much
better.
I pick up her phone and set her alarm to go off in
an hour. She was so upset last night, she forgot to do
it. I lean down and brush the hair away from her face.
“I’m going, angel,” I whisper. “I love you.”
 She smiles sleepily with her eyes closed. “I love
you, too.” She wraps her arms around me.
I hold her tight, and with one last look at my love, I
kiss her cheek and leave her in peace.
I’ve got a mountain of shit to sort out today.
First on my hit list: Alexander fucking York.

I walk into the restaurant right at seven and take a

seat at our table. The boys aren’t here yet so I order
our coffees and regular meals. I’m on high alert, as if
on a drug that makes me super aware of everything
and everyone around me. The adrenaline in my
system is at an all-time high, making my leg bounce
under the table uncontrollably.
Have you ever fucked a guy?
I get a vision of Charlotte’s face if a story ever
came out saying I fucked a man. Her family…
“Hey,” Masters says, falling into his seat beside
me.
“Hi.” I force a smile. “How’s Bree?”
“Good, good. I saw you all over the tabloids. Dirty
bastards.”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t remind me.”
Seb comes into view and waves merrily.
“What’s he so fucking chirpy about?” I sigh.
Masters chuckles as he watches our friend bounce
in.
Seb falls into the seat. “Hello.”
“What are you so happy about?” I ask him.
He grins and places his napkin on my lap. “Oh, I
don’t know.” He raises his brow.
“Maybe because I spent the weekend in bed with
Angela.”
 I look at him, deadpan. “Tell me you’re joking…”
“Nope.”
Masters pinches the bridge of his nose. “Jesus
Fucking Christ.”
“You fucked your ex-wife’s sister?” I frown.
Seb winks. “Every which way I could.”
I drag my hand down my face. “Are you fucking
crazy? You know she’s going to go postal and take you
to the cleaners.” I put my hand up for more coffee.
“You can say goodbye to Bentley. Should I make this a
scotch breakfast again?”
“She’s already taken me to the cleaners, and
besides,“ Seb smirks, “it was well worth it. I’ve always
had a thing for Angela. Felt good to finally fuck it
out.”
I roll my eyes. “Oh God, do not fall for Angela.” I
point at him. “I’m warning you.”
“I’m not falling for her, just having some fun. But I
can confirm that my suspicions were right and she’s a
lot better in bed than her witch of a sister.” He
smiles, obviously very happy with himself. “Anyway,
what happened with you yesterday?” His eyes widen.
“That’s right, your weekend in Santorini. How was
it?”
“Perfect.” I sigh. “Should have stayed there.”
“Why?” Masters asks. “Is she pregnant?”
God, I haven’t even thought of that. “She says not.
We were at the airport coming home yesterday and
she gets a phone call from her brother demanding
she get her fucking arse back to Nottingham. So, we
went there last night… together. The brother is a total
cockhead. He and I end up fighting, and her father is
completely gutless. He didn’t say a fucking thing. We
leave, Charlotte and I get into a fight, and she won’t
speak. She was crying the whole two-hour car ride
home. Then she goes to bed alone. I nip down to the
bar at her hotel to get some scotch, and Edward, her
brother, calls me to tell me that if I hurt her he is
going to kill me.”
They both wince.
“Then.” I widen my eyes.
“God, so many thens.” Masters smirks.
“Get this, her bodyguard asks me if I’ve ever
fucked a guy.”
They both frown and then exchange looks and then
look back to me.
“What do you mean?” Seb asks.
“He asked me if I fucked a guy!” I snap. “Why the
fuck would he ask me that?”
“Have you ever fucked a guy?” Masters frowns.
“No.”
“Head?”
“Fuck, no! You know that.”
“Anything dick related?” Seb frowns.
“No! But I laid awake all night worrying that he’d
heard something through the grapevine, and now the
tabloids are going to make up even more fake news
about me and splash it everywhere.”
Their faces both fall as they connect the dots.
“Once you’re reported as ever being with a guy, the
whole fucking world believes you’re gay and acting
straight.”
“And you think this story is going to come out, and
then Edward will officially kill you?” Masters sighs.
“Or worse… I’ll lose Charlotte.” I put my head into
my hands. “This whole thing is a disaster.”
“I don’t think it’s that,” Seb says. “I reckon he just
wants you to fuck him.”
“What?” I frown. “He’s not gay, Sebastian.”
“How do you know?”
“He’s all buff and big. This is the guy that I
thought liked Charlotte in the beginning. He’s not a
bad bloke, actually. He’s definitely not gay.”
“Well, my guess is that he’s thinking about sucking
your cock,” Seb mutters into his coffee.
“He’s fucking not. Eww.” I scrunch up my face in
disgust at the mental visual. “Don’t even say that out
loud.”
Our breakfasts arrive, and we begin to eat in
silence.
“So, what are you going to do?” Masters asks.
My email pings on my phone, and I pick it up to
read it. “First thing this morning, I’m going to cave in
Alexander York’s skull.” I open my email.
“Oh, great.” Masters rolls his eyes. “That will fix
everything, you have a great chance of keeping her
from jail.”

Spencer, I hope this finds you well.

You are required to attend a tender meeting to negotiate
new contracts for Universal Steel.
The meeting will take place in the office of Sheridan
Walters in NYC on the 17 th of October at 4pm.
Speak soon Kellie Anderson, Personal Assistant to Sheridan
Walters

“Are you kidding me?” I snap as I read the email.

“What?”
“Oh, this just keeps getting better. Sheridan has
pulled a tender meeting in NYC on the 17 th.”
“That’s next week.” Seb frowns.
“I know her game. She wants me to go to New York
in the hope that she can seduce me.” I feel my
heartrate begin to escalate. This is turning into a very
stressful day already.
 “Jesus,” Seb mutters. “Diabolical.”
“Yeah, like screwing your ex-wife’s sister.”
“No, that’s just fucking stupid,” Masters grumbles.
I put my hand up immediately, and the waitress
comes over. “Yes, how can I help you?”
“Can I have a scotch, please?”
“I’ll have one, too,” Seb says. “Do you want one,
Masters?”
“No. I have a feeling you two are going to need
legal representation very soon.” He shakes his head.
“Preferably from someone who’s sober.”

Charlotte
I scramble around in the bottom of my closet and throw
everything to the side. “Where are they?” I can’t find one
single pair of work shoes. They must all be at Spencer’s
house.
Great, now I’m going to have to call in there on my way
to work. I storm out of the closet and call Wyatt.
“Hello,” he answers.
“Hi. I’ve left all of my shoes at Spencer’s. We’ll have to
leave early and call past on our way through.”
“That’s fine. We’ll be in the foyer.”
“Okay, thanks.”
I quickly finish getting ready, and twenty minutes later
I’m in the back of the Mercedes and on our way. While on
the journey, my phone rings. It’s my father. My stomach
flips.
“Hi, Dad.”
“Hello, darling.”
I smile at the sound of his voice.
“Where are you, sweetheart?”
The car pulls into Spencer’s apartment. “I’m at
Spencer’s.”
 “Is he home?”
“No, he’s at work.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
I frown. “Where are you?” “In London. I came in this
morning. I want to talk to you.”
“Is Edward with you?”
“No.”
I think for a moment. Oh, who cares? I’ll just have the
day off work. This is more important.
“Okay, Dad.”
“What’s the address?”
I give him the address while the boys both get out of the
car and wait for me to finish my call. When I do, Wyatt
opens the door.
“My father is on his way here.”
The boys exchange looks, and without another word
they follow me into the elevator and up to Spencer’s floor.
They know that they’re supposed to stand outside my
door at all times. I’ve always wanted the privacy, so I finish
them early, and as long as they are around or close by, I
don’t feel I need them with me twenty-four seven.
My father is different. He has no problem with eight sets
of eyes on me at any given time.
We arrive at Spencer’s apartment’s floor, and they take
their place on either side. “I’m not going to work today,” I
tell them.
“Okay.” Wyatt nods.
I walk in and close the door behind me. I straighten up
the cushions on the sofa and fold the throw that I had left
out over the back of it. I walk into the kitchen and put the
coffee cups from the dryer away. I check everything is neat
and tidy, and then I run upstairs to get my shoes. I walk
past a mirror in the hall and stop when I see myself.
My eyes are sunken. I look terrible.
“What a mess,” I whisper to the girl staring back at me.
I quickly go into our bathroom and apply some makeup and
lipstick. I grab my shoes and hear a knock downstairs. I
quickly slip my shoes on and run downstairs to open the
door in a rush.
A warm familiar face greets me. “Hi.”
My father smiles softly and leans in to kiss my cheek.
He’s wearing his customary suit and tie. “Hello, dear.”
I hold my arm out. “Please, come in.”
He turns to his guards and nods. He eventually walks in
and closes the door behind him, taking a good look around
the expansive apartment.
I hold my hands out proudly. “This is Spencer’s place.”
“Very nice.” He nods, impressed. “Although, I’m here to
see you, not Spencer’s apartment.”
I exhale, knowing I’m about to be lectured. “Would you
like some tea?”
“That would be lovely.”
We walk out into the kitchen and he takes a seat at the
kitchen counter.
“What’s going on, love?” he asks softly. “I hardly slept
last night.”
My eyes fill with tears. “Me, either.” I take his hand in
mine. “I love him, Dad.”
He smiles softly. “I know you think you do...”
“No.” I shake my head. “Dad, I do.”
His eyes hold mine. “Tell me everything.”
I feel my nerves rise, because I know how important it is
that I get this right.
“We met a while ago and…” How much do I actually tell
him? All of it. “We went on a few dates.”
“How did I not know you were dating anyone?”
“Dad, you don’t know anything about me. I’m alone most
of the time. You and Edward are so busy with work that you
would have no idea what’s going on with me and my life.
Not really.”
His face falls with disappointment.
“Spencer’s not what he seems, Dad.”
 “Surely you can understand my fears.”
“I know, and I hate his reputation, too, but he’s not like
that.” I shrug. “He used to be, but he’s changed, and a lot
of the stories about him are untrue. That story said he was
in Ibiza last week when he was here with me the whole
time. He doesn’t even know the models named in those
stories.”
He raises his brow sceptically.
“I know some of it’s true, and I have no doubt he was a
player,” I add. “I’m not stupid.”
His eyes hold mine. “You are a target for someone like
him. You’re young and innocent. He’s a lot older than you,
Charlotte.”
“I know, but thirteen years isn’t that bad. I just don’t
seem to like men my own age.”
“You haven’t dated any. How would you know?”
I shrug. “I just know.”
“I feel like he’s taking advantage of your inexperience.”
“Dad, he rejected me at first because of my
inexperience.”
He frowns. “What do you mean?”
Oh Hell, why did I say that? I hesitate.
“Go on,” he urges.
“After a few dates, when we got closer, I told Spencer
that I was… inexperienced… and he immediately broke it
off with me. He said he didn’t deserve me.”
His eyes hold mine as he listens intently.
“Weeks later, I lied and told him that I wasn’t a virgin
anymore in the hope that he would relax and take me out. I
know he didn’t want me if he had to take that innocence
away from me.”
“Charlotte,” he whispers in horror. “What on earth were
you thinking?”
“Dad, don’t you see? I pursued him just as much as he
pursued me. It’s special between us.”
 He exhales heavily and puts his head into his hands.
“I’m just…” He pauses. “I’m just asking you to slow down.
I’ve already lost one son to a bad relationship. I couldn’t
bear to lose you, too.”
“Dad, Penelope is different.”
“Is she, Charlotte?” He shakes his head. “When William
met Penelope, we were warned by numerous people what
she was like.”
I listen as I watch him.
“Both mine and Edward’s instincts told us that she was
all wrong for him, but we trusted his judgement. Edward’s
closest friend Alexander York came to us in the very early
stages of their relationship and told us that he had seen
Penelope with another man at a club.”
I frown. “When was this?”
“Before William even moved in with her.”
“I didn’t know this.”
“Edward blames himself for his brother’s heartbreak. He
hates the fact that she holds Harrison hostage to William.”
Sadness fills me.
“Your brother cannot leave that relationship without
leaving his son.”
I drop my head.
“He’s effectively trapped if he wants his son to grow up
in the same house as him.”
“I know,” I whisper.
“Alexander York came to us again last week… to warn us
about Spencer.”
I frown as my eyes rise to his.
“Charlotte, just as you feel now is exactly how William
felt in the early stages of his relationship. He fell madly in
love, rushed in and got burned badly. I just don’t want the
same fate for you. And to make it worse, the press are
involved in this now. Spencer Jones gets attention wherever
he goes.”
“He didn’t ask for it, Dad.”
 “Where there is smoke, there is fire, Charlotte. He gets
attention for all of the wrong reasons.”
“He’s not Penelope. He’s a good man.”
“I’m not saying he isn’t. To be honest, he impressed me
last night. I like the way he stood up for himself with
Edward. I like the way he had a prenup contract drawn up
to protect you, and I like the way he was offended by
Edward’s lack of time for you. It showed me he has a
backbone and that he genuinely cares.”
I smile, suddenly filled with hope.
He takes my hands in his. “But I cannot, with a clear
conscience, let you move in with him just yet.”
I sit back in my seat.
“Charlotte.” He cups my face in his hand. “If you want to
move to London, that’s fine, sweetheart. But get your own
apartment and make an informed decision about your
relationship. When he’s had time to prove himself… to all of
us.”
I stare at him and exhale heavily. “Dad.”
“Don’t Dad me. You know I’m making sense. If you show
me that you are not being led like a fool, and that you keep
your independence, I will happily support anything you do,
or any man you choose.”
“What about Edward?” I ask.
“Edward will listen to me, and you must know that your
brother acts out of love. He couldn’t stand to see you hurt
like William is—it would kill him.” He smiles over at me.
“You honestly can’t blame him for being concerned about
Spencer when he has that appalling reputation of his.”
I smile softly.
“To be honest, I think he was impressed with Spencer,
too, although he would never let on.” He winks. “Nobody
will ever be good enough for you in his eyes.”
“I don’t want to be a fool for anyone,” I whisper. “I’m not
stupid and I’m not blind.”
 He smiles and leans forward to kiss my forehead. “I
know, darling, and I know that deep down, you know I’m
right. Step back, take your time, and breathe. If he loves
you and does the right thing by you, you have my blessing.
I hope that he proves Edward and I wrong in every way. I
want to see you happy. More than anything, I want you to
be happy.”
I smile.
“It isn’t a race, Charlotte. If he loves you, he will wait.”
I nod. “I know.”
His eyes hold mine and I know there’s more.
“What is it?” I ask.
“What have you been doing with your security while I’ve
been away?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, have you been clocking them off at night?”
I drop my head.
He puts his finger under my chin and brings my face to
his. “What have I told you about that, Charlotte?”
“Well, I don’t need them at night when I’m at home in
Nottingham,” I argue.
“Our estate is completely enclosed. We have guards
there at all times. They don’t need to stay at your door
because they are patrolling the grounds every minute.
Nobody can get in. Edward watched the security tapes last
night, and Wyatt and Anthony have been at the bar of your
hotel on most nights.”
“I told them I didn’t need them anymore. It wasn’t their
fault. They stay close.”
“Do you understand how vulnerable you are? Why would
you put yourself at risk like that? I trusted you to do the
right thing, and here I find out you are dismissing your
guards mid-shift so they can go to a bar?”
I roll my eyes.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me, young lady. You’ve been very
irresponsible.”
 “No, Dad, I just fell in love.”
“Love is one thing, Charlotte. Stupidity is another.” He
stands. “You are a target because of me. You have four
billion dollars in the bank. Take the security threat
seriously. I’ve brought four more guards with me to leave
with you. You will not be photographed with Spencer Jones
at all from now on. They’ve been instructed to take the
cameras off of anyone who tries. I will not have you become
a trashy tabloid heading… not under any circumstances.”
I exhale heavily, knowing this is non-negotiable. “Okay.”
“Now.” He smiles down at me. “Where on earth is my
tea? You really are a terrible host.”

It’s just gone six in the evening when Spencer walks in, and
my nerves tumble around in my stomach.
I’m in the kitchen cooking dinner. His face lights up
when he sees me, and he smiles broadly.
“Hello, my beautiful girl.”
I practically run and jump into his arms and we kiss
slowly. “I’ve missed you today,” I whisper.
He holds me tight. “Why are there a load of guards in
the hall?”
I roll my eyes. “Long story.” I pour us both a glass of
wine. “My father came over today.” I try to sound casual,
even though I’m a nervous mess.
“Oh.” He smiles. “And?”
I sip my wine and look into his eyes. “He wants me to
get my own apartment.”
His face falls, and then he frowns. “And what did you
say?”
“I said that I would.”
 20

Charlotte
S PENCER ’ S CHIN immediately rises in annoyance. I can see
he’s clenching his jaw.
“It’s just semantics, Spence. We’ll stay at your house
together or at my house together. It won’t change a thing.”
“Then why do it?”
“Because my father doesn’t want me to rush into
anything. He said that he will accept our relationship if I’m
not living with you straight away.”
He stares at me.
“Please try and understand, my family are so important
to me and they’re just worried that I’m going to get hurt.”
He licks his lips, and I know he’s choosing his words
carefully.
“You even said yourself that if you were me you would
get your own apartment. On some level, you know what
they’re saying is true.”
He rolls his eyes.
“But I won’t have my own apartment—not really. We’ll
just have two apartments between us. Six months down the
line, after a little independence, I’ll officially move in here.”
 He sits on a stool and then scratches his head,
remaining silent.
“What do you think?” I ask.
“Does it matter what I think?”
“Of course it does.”
He shrugs and pours a glass of wine.
Just say something… anything.
I sit down beside him. I think that at any moment he’s
going to go crazy, watching as he sips his wine.
“Do what you want,” he eventually mutters.
I frown. “What does that mean?”
“I mean do what you want.” He shrugs.
“Are you angry with me?”
“Angry, no. Disappointed… yes.”
My heart drops. “You’re disappointed,” I whisper. I think
I would prefer him to be angry.
He cups my cheek in his hand. “Yeah, I’m disappointed.”
He exhales heavily. “I wanted to start our life together right
now, but I also understand.”
I’m losing track of this conversation. “What do you
understand?”
“I understand that your family comes first, and that you
will always, on some level, do what they want you to do.”
I frown.
“It’s okay.” He brushes his thumb over my bottom lip
and stares at me for a moment. "I’ll just have to learn to
deal with it.” He shrugs. “As long as they’re happy, you’ll be
happy, right? I’m going to take a shower now.” He turns
and, without another word, he walks away to make his way
upstairs.
I stare at the refrigerator, his words playing on repeat in
my mind.
As long as they’re happy, you’ll be happy, right?
Is that true?
Will I only be happy if my family accept Spencer?
 What if I do this for them, and then they never accept
him anyway? What if I let them drive a wedge between the
two of us?
I do want to keep my father happy. It’s how I am… but
should I want that at Spencer’s expense?
They don’t even know him. What gives them the right to
judge him?
We’re so happy together.
He did everything right. He got a prenup to protect me,
he tried to be civil while Edward was just attacking him
non-stop. What was he supposed to do? Of course he was
going to fight back eventually.
I drop my head into my hands.
I’m so confused.
I’m going to have to think about this. I don’t want to just
push Spencer’s needs aside because my family doesn’t
want to be embarrassed by the tabloids. It’s what he does
from here on in that matters to me. I don’t care about his
past, I want his future.
I finish my wine and head upstairs to find Spencer in the
shower. He’s washing himself when he turns to me and
smiles sexily. He has no idea of the turmoil I’m in.
“You getting in?” he asks.
I give him a lopsided smile, undress, and get in under
the hot water. His big arms come around me and he holds
me tight.
“I love you.” I smile up at him.
“I know you do, angel.” His mouth takes mine, and his
tongue slowly slides through my lips.
“I don’t want to disappoint you, Spence,” I whisper.
“Baby, you could never truly disappoint me. I know
where they’re coming from, and to be honest, I would give
anything to have a father who loves me as much as your
father loves you. It’s a blessing.”
My eyes fill with tears, My poor man.
 My heart breaks for him and the pain he has been
through at the hands of his so-called father.
We kiss again, and it’s long and deep and tender and I
feel my arousal burn deep inside me. His erection is up
against my stomach. He motions to lift me, but I stop him.
“Spence, I can’t.”
“What?”
“I have my period.”
His face falls and he drops my feet back to the floor.
“Oh.” He frowns.
I smile softly up at him as I push the hair back from his
face. “I thought you couldn’t wait for my period to come.
Remember, you thought your life was over last week.”
He chuckles. “Hmm.” He holds my face and kisses me
again. “After my initial freak out, I kind of liked the idea of
having my baby inside of you.”
My heart stops, and my eyes search his. This is it,
everything I ever wanted is here with me.
The water runs down over his face. I’ve never seen a
more beautiful man.
“I’ll give you a baby one day,” I whisper.
He smiles. “Promise?”
I nod and wrap my arms around him tight. Oh, this
feeling of closeness between us is so strong.
It’s a tangible force...all encompassing. We hold each
other close for an extended time.
His hand eventually slides down and grabs my behind.
“Is it one day today?” he asks, his playful tone returning.
I pull back and frown. “That depends on which one day
you’re meaning.”
“The one day when you give me anal?”
I laugh out loud. “You idiot.” I flick water at him. “This is
a romantic moment and you’re wrecking it.”
His eyes blaze with mischief and he pins me to the wall.
“I’m deadly serious. We need to fuck, angel. You have three
choices of where you get it.”
 He bites my neck and I laugh as he ravages me.
“Spencer Jones, you are a sex maniac.”
He growls, causing goose bumps to scatter up my spine.
“But I’m all yours.”

I punch the code into the security gate.

1105

The large metal gates slowly open and I feel my nerves

rise. The boys are in the car behind me. I’m driving
Spencer’s car today. I wanted to drive myself to
Nottingham this time.
Don’t ask me why, because I don’t even know what
significance me driving myself here even has.
But it matters somehow.
Spencer doesn’t know I’m here. I dropped him off at
work this morning and told him I would pick him up. He
didn’t ask questions as to why I wanted his car but that’s
Spencer for you. He’s supportive of my every decision, even
if he doesn’t know the reason behind it.
I didn’t sleep last night. I watched the beautiful man
beside me instead, going over his childhood and the way he
suffered at his father’s lack of conviction.
The way he cares for me, the way he makes me feel, the
way he’s tenderly teaching me about myself and my body…
I love him.
And sometime in the middle of the night, I had an
epiphany.
I will never lack conviction in my love for him. I will
never put him second… not even for my family.
I’m here to move my stuff out. I’m moving in with
Spencer today, and if they don’t like it, they can lump it.
 I will not be held responsible for their fears.
Because I have none.
He is my soul mate. He is the man I’ve been waiting for,
and I won’t cower to their demands. Not for anything.
I crawl up the driveway and park outside the front of my
house. I have no idea what I’m going to take, but I just
know I had to come home to make it final.

Three hours later and I’m sitting on the grass of the

manicured garden in the family graveyard of my father’s
estate. I stare at the tombstone.
I’m with my mother and a feeling of deep sadness fills
me. I wish she could meet Spencer. I wish she were here to
see how happy he makes me.
I’ve packed all of my things and loaded them into the
back of the cars. I know my father is home, but he hasn’t
been down to see me. He knows.
“He’s got blonde hair, Mum, and blue eyes,” I whisper
through a lump in my throat. “He’s tall and handsome, and
if you could see the way he looks at me, you would
understand.” Tears roll down my face. “I love him.”
I just want to hear her voice, just one more time.
I want her to tell me that’s it’s okay—that she
understands why I’m doing this.
But she can’t. She never will.
She’s gone.
Sometimes the pain of her not being here is too much.
It’s like I have to fight for my next breath.
How am I supposed to live without her?
I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I jump in fright. “Are
you all right, darling?” my father asks.
I stand, and I wrap my arms around him. “Not really,” I
whisper against his shoulder. “I miss her, Dad.”
 “I miss her, too.”
“I need her to tell me that this is okay.” I lift my chin and
his eyes search mine. “Because I’m moving in with him,
Dad. I love him and I’m not waiting.”
His face falls. “But you said—”
“I know what I said,” I cut him off. “But I’ve thought
about it.”
“He talked you out of it, you mean.”
“No.” I shake my head. “Not at all. He doesn’t even
know I’m here. It’s time for me to grow up and make my
own decisions, Dad.”
His eyes fall to the ground.
“I love Spencer. In time, you will come to love Spencer,
too, because he’s a wonderful man.”
“Charlotte,” he whispers. “I can’t support this
relationship.”
“Then you won’t see me.”
His face falls. “Don’t say that.”
“Remember when you fell in love with Mum and the
whole world was against you… but you knew it was right?”
He frowns.
“I know this is right. In my heart of hearts, I know this is
right.”
“Charlotte, you are so young and naïve. What’s the rush,
darling?”
“Why would I wait?” I whisper. “Why wait when he
makes me happier than I’ve ever been?”
Dad drops his head.
“I’m moving in with him today. My things are already
packed, and I would like you to come and visit me.”
He stays silent.
I scowl and swallow with regret. I feel like my heart is
being ripped out of my chest. “I love you, Dad.”
“I love you too,” he whispers.
“Will you come and visit me?”
He stares at me blankly. “No.”
 I blink as my vision becomes blurred.
“I cannot accept this relationship if you move in with
him. I’ve told you that already.”
I frown and step back from him, shocked, but not
surprised by his coldness. “This is goodbye then.”
He stares at me, his face blank and emotionless. I wait
for him to say something, but he doesn’t.
I can’t stand this, I need to get away.
I turn away with tears streaming down my face. I walk
as fast as I can and get into my car, wasting no time in
pulling out of the driveway.
I watch the property disappear in the rearview mirror,
feeling the pain in my chest.
I thought he loved me more than that.

“Angel?” Spencer calls. “Are you okay, sweetheart?” he

whispers as he sits down beside me.
“Huh?” I push up onto my elbows. “Oh, I must have
fallen asleep.” I sigh as I look down at myself sprawled
across the sofa. My face falls. “Oh my God, I forgot to get
you from work?” I whisper in a panic. “What time is it?”
He brushes my hair back from my forehead and smiles.
“That’s okay, I called Wyatt when I couldn’t get you and he
came to pick me up. We guessed you were asleep.”
I lie back down and put my forearm over my eyes. I just
want this day to be over.
Spencer looks around at the boxes of my things spread
everywhere. “What’s all this?”
“I moved in.” I give him my best attempt at jazz hands.
“Surprise!”
He smirks. “I thought you were getting your own
apartment.”
“I wanted my own Spencer instead.”
 He leans down and kisses me. “I told you I didn’t mind.”
“I know.” I wrap my arms around his shoulders. “But I
minded. I’m not coming into this relationship with anyone
but you as my priority.”
“I love you.”
“Lucky. Because my father doesn’t want to see me
again.”
“He’ll come around.” He sighs as he pulls me up by the
hand. “Come on, get up and get yourself ready.”
“Why, where are we going?” I sigh.
“We have to celebrate. This is a big day. We just moved
in together. Let’s see if we can find a bar that will play our
song.”
I laugh. “There are no Australian one-man bands in
London who know the song “Dream Catch Me,” Spence.”
“Karaoke it is then.”

Five hours later, and I’m smiling up at my handsome dance

partner, rearranging his tie. “Thank you.” I smile.
“For what?”
“For dancing with me in a deserted bar at 1:00 a.m. on a
school night. I know you’re trying to take my mind off of
things.”
He spins me around. “You’re wrong about that, Prescott.
I’m putting your mind onto things. This is a strategic move.
I’m playing the game of champions.”
I fake amazement and narrow my eyes. “Oh, really? Tell
me, Mr Spencer… ” I reach up and brush his hair back
from his forehead and kiss him softly on the lips. “Is your
brain in your dick tonight?”
“No, my brain is in my heart.” And what a beautiful
heart it is.
“My erection is in my dick.” He kisses my temple.
 I giggle at his ridiculous answer, and we sway to the
music.
“Will you love me when I’m poor, Lady Charlotte?”
“Why would you ever be poor, Mr Spencer?” I smirk.
“Sheridan wanted me to go to New York next week for a
tender meeting.”
I stop dancing.
“I said no.”
“What does that mean?” I frown.
“It means she has the right to pull my company’s
contract.”
“Do you think she will?”
He shrugs and starts to sway us again. “I don’t think so.
She’s ballsy but she’s not a bitch. She isn’t vindictive.”
I stare at him.
“My company supplies her with good quality steel, she
knows that.”
“Why don’t you just go?” I say.
“Because I don’t want to leave you.” He kisses me again.
“It’s okay, Spence, I trust you. You can go. I don’t want
you to lose business over us.”
“Angel.” He smiles down at me. “I will not be held for
ransom from an old lover and risk fucking up what I have in
this room. She can jam the fucking contract up her arse for
all I care.”
I look around at our surroundings, unable to stop myself
from grinning. “We have two drunks in the corner of this
room. I’m happy to sacrifice them,” I offer.
He laughs as he looks around at the two old men sitting
drunk at the bar. “I wouldn’t even give up them.”
Spencer looks over and spots Wyatt, and I see a frown
crease his brow. “What’s wrong?” I ask.
“How well do you know Wyatt?”
“Why?”
“Nothing.” He frowns. “Just something he said to me the
other night has me weirded out a bit.”
 “What did he say?”
“He asked me if I’d ever fucked a guy.”
I stop dancing again. “What?”
He widens his eyes. “Weird, right?”
“Seems I haven’t been the only thing he’s been watching
then.”
“What does that mean?” He frowns.
“Wyatt is into men and women.”
“What?” he gasps.
I giggle at his surprise.
“How do you know this?” he whispers.
“We’re friends, of course I know this. He was in a three-
way relationship with a woman and a man for over twelve
months. They broke up last year.”
“You think he’s checking me out?” he whispers,
completely terrified.
“No, I think that was his way of trying to tell you that
he’s bisexual without coming out and actually saying it.
When he said that to you, did you ask him the same
question back? Because I know that’s how he told Edward.”
“What do you mean?”
“He asked Edward if he’d ever fucked a guy, and Edward
said no, and then Edward asked him if he had. Of course,
Wyatt said yes… that he swings both ways.”
Spencer’s eyes close, relief pouring out of him. “Thank
fucking God. I thought there was some sinister paparazzi
story being concocted about me. I was freaking the hell
out.”
I laugh out loud. “Spencer, why don’t you just ask me
these things instead of brewing on them for days?”
“Hell, woman.” He rests his cheek against mine. “I’ve
aged thirty years since I met you.”
I smile up at him. “Spence?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t sing our song to me.”
 “Hmm.” He closes his eyes. “There's a place I go when
I'm alone.” He rocks us to his whispered song. “Do
anything I want, be anyone I wanna be. But it is us I see,
and I cannot believe I'm falling.” He pushes me out by the
hand and twirls me under his arm, slowly bringing me back
to him. “Dream catch me when I fall.”
“Or else I won’t come back at all,” I whisper.
We smile at each other, and it’s like he’s the only person
on earth.
My person.
“I love you.” He smiles as he holds me tight.
“I love you.”
Our moment is interrupted when his phone vibrates in
his pocket. He digs it out and reads it. His eyes light up in
excitement.
“Bree’s in labour.”
 21

Charlotte
M Y PHONE VIBRATES across my desk and I answer it quickly.
“Any news?” I ask Spencer.
“She’s five centimetres dilated.”
“Is she all right?”
“In Masters’ words, she’s a champion.”
Excitement sweeps though me. “How many times have
you spoken to him today?”
“Every hour on the hour.”
I love these men, they’re so close. “Were you this excited
when he had his other children?’
“Yes,” he gasps. “Babies are fucking exciting,
Charlotte.” I smile dreamily as I imagine the day that
Spencer becomes a father, and how excited he will be. I
hope it’s to my children.
“Are you going to go see them tonight?” I ask.
“If the baby is here, we will.”
“We?” I frown. “I don’t want to intrude.”
“Don’t be stupid. You’re part of our gang now. Don’t you
want to see the baby too?”
I smile goofily. “I do.”
 “I also organised for us to look through that office space
I found. The estate agent is meeting us there at six.”
“You… did?”
“What’s with the delay?”
“Spence,” I whisper. “Do you really think I can do this?”
“I know you can, angel,” he replies without hesitation.
“You know you can, too.”
I nod with renewed determination. “You’re right, I can
do this.”
“The building may not be what you’re looking for,
anyway. We’re just getting a feel for it at this stage.”
“Again, you’re right.”
“I’ll pick you up from work at five.”
“Can’t wait, see you then.”
“Bye, angel.”
“Love you.”
“I love you, too.”
He hangs up, and I stare out the window. How this
beautiful, thoughtful man loves me above all other women,
I’ll never know.

“And through here is the kitchen.” The estate agent smiles.

Spencer leads me from the office to a large kitchen area.
I’m fighting the huge smile.
“And the rental terms?” Spencer asks her casually.
“We could do a five by five.”
“We’re only after a two by two at this point.” He looks
around. “We plan on expanding within three years, and this
space won’t be big enough for us then.”
“I’ll go outside and call the owner now; see what she
says.”
“Thank you.” We walk back out into the main office area.
 The door closes behind her and he turns to me. “What
do you think?”
I look around at the expansive modern space on the
tenth floor, right in the middle of London. There are six
offices, all with glass walls and views that look out over the
city. The reception area is large and modern. It has a
kitchen, a conference room, and its own private bathrooms.
“Spence,” I whisper. “It’s perfect.”
“Right?” He smiles, proud of himself for finding it.
“Are you sure I can do this?”
He kisses me softly. “You can do anything you set your
mind to, angel. Stop doubting yourself.”
I imagine how I could make this place look and
excitement fills me.
“Don’t act interested,” he says. “Play it cool while I
negotiate the rental terms.”
“Okay.”
I walk over to the offices and start looking through them
again. The agent returns.
“When would you want to consider beginning your
rental agreement?”
I think for a moment. “Probably after Christmas. It
would be hard for me to find suitable staff at this time of
the year.”
“The owner said that should be fine.”
Spencer nods. “Okay, we’re going to look at a few other
buildings this afternoon, so I’ll let you know.”
My face falls and Spencer gives me the look. Oh, that’s
right, we’re playing it cool.
“The rent is rather high,” he says casually.
“Let me see what I can do about that,” the agent replies.
“If we can get the rent down a little, we may be able to
work something out.”
I shake her hand. “Thank you for meeting us.”
“My pleasure.”
 We follow her outside, and I take one last look at the
space and fight to hold back a huge smile.
I think we just found an office for me.

I follow Spencer as he strides down the hospital corridor.

He’s carrying the biggest bunch of flowers I have ever
seen, and I’m loaded up with gifts, too. I think Spencer
bought half of the store today.
“Hurry up,” he whispers.
He’s so excited.
I’m seeing this other part of him I never knew existed…
the paternal part.
My ovaries have exploded to smithereens.
Playboy Spencer is hot, fuckable, funny, and the entire
world wants a piece of him. But family Spencer, the one
that only a few select people get to know, is caring and
considerate, swoony and beautiful… I could go on and on.
All I know is that I’m a very lucky woman to have him
love me.
The way he looks at me, the way he loves me, it’s all I
need.
We get to a door and he turns. “You ready?”
“I’m not the one having a baby, Spencer.”
He chuckles and knocks on the door.
“Come in!” someone calls.
Spencer tentatively opens the door. Bree is in bed and
Julian is sitting in a chair beside her, holding their newborn
baby.
Spencer places the flowers down and rushes to Bree’s
side. “Are you okay, darling?” he whispers as he kisses her
temple and takes her hand in his.
She laughs at him. “I’m fine, Spence.” She turns to me.
“Hi, Lottie.”
 “Hello.” I bounce with excitement. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” She smiles proudly. “He’s just perfect.”
Spencer turns to Julian and lets out a quiet chuckle.
“Congratulations, man.” He shakes Julian’s hand and then
pulls the little blue blanket down to look at the baby.
“What’s his name?” Spencer asks softly.
“Henry.” Julian looks like he’s about to burst with pride.
I find myself getting teary watching the two men swooning
over this little baby boy.
I turn back to Bree. “Was the birth okay?” I ask softly.
“God.” She sighs. “It was fucking hell.”
I bite my bottom lip to hold back my smile. I love Bree.
She’s so normal.
“You know how they tell you your whole life that it’s
bad?”
“Yeah,” I answer cautiously.
“It’s worse than bad. It’s times ten worse.” She widens
her eyes. “I thought I was going to die.”
I giggle and my attention goes back to Julian and
Spencer who are staring at the bundle in Julian’s arms.
They are utterly awestruck.
“Where are the kids?” Spencer asks.
“They’ve just gone home. They’re coming back in a few
hours,” Julian tells him. “Bree hasn’t even showered yet.”
“Oh.” My face falls as I glance between them. “I’m so
sorry to intrude.”
“Don’t be silly. Seb was trying to come into the delivery
room.” Bree smiles. “He’s just gone to get us some dinner.”
“Can you two watch Henry while I help Bree shower?”
Julian asks.
“Of course.” Spencer stands and takes the baby from
Julian. I watch on as he lifts him up to his face and gently
kisses his little forehead, and then I melt into a puddle.
I can’t deal with this. Spencer with a baby is frying my
brain.
 Julian helps Bree up and leads her into the bathroom. I
walk over to Spencer as he holds the precious little bundle
and I pull the blanket back and stare at the perfect chubby
little face.
“I can’t wait to have a baby of my own one day,” I
whisper.
Spencer smiles, leans down and kisses me softly. “Me,
too.”
We both smile at little Henry who is staring back at us.
“You’re going to make a wonderful father, Spence.”
“One day.” His eyes rise to meet mine. “This, angel…
you and me.”
Emotion overwhelms me, my eyes fill with tears. “What
a perfect day that will be.”
We kiss. It’s soft and intimate, a celebration of life and a
promise of things to come. “I love you,” I whisper.
“I love you, too.”

Edward
We’re sitting in the car watching Charlotte as she walks
down the street.
“This is killing me.” My father sighs.
“It’s for the best.” I watch Wyatt and Anthony follow her
into a café. “She’ll come around. She won’t stay with him, I
know it.”
Dad exhales heavily, a mutual sadness rolling over us.
We’re so close yet so far away.
“Every week we’ve travelled to London to watch her this
way. I miss her, Edward.”
“Me, too, but I have no idea what this Spencer Jones
wants with her, and until I know for certain we cannot, with
a clear conscience, encourage this relationship.”
Ten minutes later, Charlotte reappears with a fresh juice
and a brown paper bag containing her lunch. She
disappears down the street. I start the car and pull out into
the traffic.
“At least she’s okay.” I sigh.
“I’m not okay, Edward. We need to start thinking about
making peace with this. She’s not coming home.”
“Trust me, he will hang himself… we just have to wait.”

Charlotte
“Anthony called me,” Beth says casually as she sips her
cocktail.
I gasp and look over at him standing up against the wall
with Wyatt. “Oh my God, when?”
“Last night.”
“And?”
“Shh, I don’t want Lars to know.”
“Why not?”
“Because if she is getting it on with Edward like we
suspect, she’s going to tell him.”
“Hmm, good thinking.” We’re in a cocktail bar on a girl’s
night out. Spencer and Sebastian are at our place watching
football. Lara is in the bathroom of the bar right now, but
she’s staying at our place tonight.
“What did Anthony say?” I whisper.
“He asked me if I wanted to go out some time. He told
me that Spencer warned him away from me a few weeks
ago—said he didn’t want us to date because if we didn’t
work out then he didn’t want my friendship with you to
suffer.” My face falls. “What?”
“Apparently, Spencer knew that Anthony had the hots for
me all along.”
My mouth falls open. “You’re kidding, he said that?”
“You know, Spencer is more like Edward than you
think.” She huffs.
“God.”
 Lara smiles warmly, arriving back at the table. “Another
round?” she asks.
“Please.” I smile.
“Sure,” says Beth.
We both watch as Lara saunters to the bar. “I think she’s
definitely sleeping with Edward,” I whisper.
“But why wouldn’t she tell us that? We tell each other
everything. I don’t get it. Why is she hiding this?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug. “All I know is that in the last
month my family haven’t talked to me, Lara has been to
stay at Spencer’s house five times. That’s more than she’s
ever seen me. It’s as if she’s checking on me for Edward.”
“But surely she can see how happy you two are
together.” She frowns. “He dotes on you, for fuck’s sake.”
Lara arrives back at the table with three drinks.
“Thank you.”
“Tell me all about your new business venture.” Lara
smiles. “Where are you up to with it?”
“It’s not a business, it’s a charity.” I smile proudly. “So
far, I have the office space I wanted, and I hired two people
who I was working with at the mailroom in my old job.”
“Who?”
“Sarah and Paul.”
“Isn’t Sarah a loose cannon?” Lara frowns.
“No. She’s smart, intelligent, and I adore her. As for
Paul, well, he is just Paul. He’ll be good for the place until
his next trip.”
“Who else is going to work there?”
“Two young lawyers straight from university—both guys.
They start in February.”
Beth bounces in her seat. “This is so exciting,
Charlotte.”
“I know.”
“Don’t let Sarah bonk the solicitors,” Lara warns me.
“Or Paul, for that matter.”
I laugh. “I already warned her: no sex with the staff.”
 “What did she say?” Lara asks.
“She told me she was hoping for a threesome on their
desk.” I smirk.
“Charlotte.” Lara gasps. “You’re going to have pubes on
your desk, too.”
We all burst out laughing. “How are my father and
Edward?” I ask.
“Good.” Her eyes meet mine as she catches herself,
shrugging casually. “As far as I know.”
“Have you seen them?”
“I ran into Edward the other day. He asked me how you
were.”
“What did you say?”
She shrugs again. “I told him you were happy.”
I watch her.
“Did you tell him to fuck off from me?” Beth asks
casually, lifting her drink to her mouth. “I’m so fucking
annoyed with him.” She tuts. “If he took the time to get to
know Spencer, he would see how wonderful he is. He pisses
me off to no end.”
“Edward just wants you to have your own place,
Charlotte. It’s not unreasonable, if you ask me.”
Beth’s eyes meet mine. Always defending him.
“I’m old enough to make my own decisions, Lara. I love
Spencer. I want to live with him. My family should accept
that and stop judging him like they judge Penelope.
Spencer’s done nothing wrong and I won’t stand for him to
be treated the way that they treat him.”
Lara rolls her eyes at me, clearly unimpressed.
“Have either of you ever tried bondage?” Beth asks. “I
met this new guy and he wants to tie me up.”
I bite my lip to stop myself from smiling. I can’t believe
Beth. She’s fishing for information for me.
Lara smiles darkly. “Being tied up is fucking hot.
Handcuffs are a personal favourite of mine.”
 Beth looks at me again. I swear that was her in
Edward’s room that night.
“Have you ever fucked Edward, Lara?” Beth blurts out.
Lara chokes on her drink. “What?”
“Have you ever fucked Edward?”
My eyes widen in surprise. I’ve never asked because I
didn’t want to force her to lie to me.
“What on earth?” Lara splutters. “Why would you ask
me that?”
“It’s a yes or no question, Lars,” Beth states.
Lara waves her hand around in the air. “Don’t be
ridiculous. Oh, look, there’s Charlie.” She stands. “Back in
a minute.” She takes off and nearly runs to the other side of
the restaurant to get away from us.
Beth and I stare at each other.
“She’s totally fucking him,” Beth says.
I sip my drink. “Yep. I know.”

The car slows to a stop, and I peer in at the house through

the window.
I’m here to meet Spencer’s family, and I’m nervous as all
hell.
Family meetings haven’t gone that well for us so far.
Spencer opens my door and practically drags me from
my seat. “I’m nervous,” I admit in a rush.
“Don’t be nervous, they’ll love you.” He takes me by the
hand, leading me towards the house.
“What if they don’t?”
“Then we’ll be even.”
Oh, God.
The house is nice, neat, and of average size, sitting out
in the countryside. I smile as I look around at the
neighbourhood. I get a vision of Spencer, Seb, and Julian
hanging around here riding their bikes as kids, and I smile.
“Hello!” Spencer calls as he opens the front door. The
smells of something amazing cooking wafts through the
house.
“Hey!” I hear a woman call from another room before
she rushes in. “Spence.”
I clasp my hands nervously in front of me when she
comes into view. She’s attractive and in good shape. She
has blonde hair that sits just below her shoulders, and blue
eyes that shine like Spencer’s. She immediately wraps her
arms around me and pulls me close. “Hello, my dear
Charlotte.”
“Hi,” I whisper nervously.
She takes my hands in hers, smiles, and looks me up and
down. “So, you’re our Spencer’s girlfriend? Beautiful.”
“Thanks.”
She turns her attention to Spencer and kisses his cheek.
“Hello, sweetheart.”
“Hi, Mum.” He smiles. “Where’s Dad?”
“Out in the garage.”
He calls his stepfather his dad? I didn’t know this.
Spencer takes off outside, returning only moments later
with a big, burly mechanic-looking guy. Spencer presents
me like a prized pig.
“And here she is. This is my Charlotte,” he says proudly.
My Charlotte.
The man wipes his hands on a tea towel before he
shakes my hand. “Hello, love, nice to meet you.”
He looks like he has some kind of Italian or European
heritage. He has big, brown, kind eyes. He puts his arm
around Spencer, and I smile at the two of them. It’s obvious
that they are very close.
“I hope you’re hungry, I’ve been cooking up a storm.”
His mother smiles.
I nod nervously, unsure what to say.
 Spencer rolls his eyes and wraps his arm around me.
“She’s nervous.”
His mother laughs. “That makes two of us. You’re the
first girl Spencer has ever brought home. I’d almost given
up hope.”
“About time, Son,” his dad interrupts. “And she’s so
pretty, too.”
I giggle, feeling a little more at ease.
His mum takes me by the hand and pulls me into the
kitchen. “If Spencer loves you, we love you.”

I’m in bed staring at the television, but I’m not watching it

or even listening.
My mind is in Nottingham with my father.
I miss him… desperately.
Spencer is reading beside me and things couldn’t be any
better between us. We laugh, make love, fuck, and talk
about the charity I’m creating. He’s become my best friend
and my partner in crime.
We’re hopelessly in love.
But I have this thorn in my side that won’t go away.
It was one or the other: my family or my love. Why
couldn’t I have both? I know if they just gave him a chance,
they would love him.
Spencer reaches over and slides his hand up my thigh.
“You okay?” he asks.
I nod, unable to speak past the lump in my throat.
He puts his book down and wraps his arms around me.
“What is it, angel?”
I shake my head because I don’t want him to know that
I’m grieving the loss of my family.
“I’m just tired, baby,” I whisper as I kiss him softly. I run
my fingers through his two-day stubble, and I stare into his
big, beautiful eyes. He kisses me slowly, his tongue sliding
through my open mouth. For a long time we lie in each
other’s arms and kiss. It’s tender, unhurried and intimate
and when he kisses me like this there is nobody else on
earth but us.
His lips drop to my neck and he bites me with just the
right amount of pressure before his hands slowly slide my
panties down my legs.
He bites my nipples, kissing each one in reverence, and
then he drops lower and lower. He spreads my legs and
pulls me apart for his pleasure. I hold my breath as he
looks at me. His lips gently kiss my inner thighs.
It always feels so intimate when he looks at me like
this…the intimacy I crave from him, the entrée to
perfection.
His thick tongue slides through my flesh, and I arch my
back as the pleasure takes over. Spencer rests my legs over
his shoulders. His hands are splayed on my lower stomach,
and I watch him lick me like I’m a goddess.
His goddess.
With every swipe of his tongue, I love him just that little
bit more. My hands rest on the back of his head.
“Baby, come up here,” I whisper. “I want you close
tonight.”
He crawls up and over me. His lips glisten with my
arousal. “Do you know how much I fucking love you,
angel?” he whispers.
I wrap my legs around his waist. “Why don’t you show
me?”
In a perfectly practiced move, he slides his thick cock
deep inside me, and we both moan in unison. I feel my
pulse throbbing in every part of my body. Our lips crash
together, and we kiss as his body withdraws and slowly
slides in home once more.
“Spence…” I murmur against his big lips.
“Yeah, angel.”
 “I want you to roll me over and fuck me hard.”
He bites my bottom lip and tugs on it with his teeth.
“I’ve created a monster.”
He flips me over and slams into me with a hard slap on
my behind. He grabs my nipple and squeezes it, causing me
to cry out in pain.
“Fuck me,” I moan as my sex clenches around him. This
is what I love—a certain kind of craziness that comes over
me when he awakens the animal inside of my soul. “Fuck
me hard.”
 22

Charlotte

Eight weeks later

“H OLD the keys up to your face as if you’re going to kiss
them,” Spencer instructs.
I roll my eyes with a smirk, secretly loving his
directions. I do as I’m told and hold the keys up while he
clicks away on his phone.
It’s early on a Monday evening, and we’re standing at
the front door of my new office, having just picked up the
keys. Spencer is in his element being the event’s
photographer.
“Okay, babe.” He gestures towards the lock. “Open your
new office.”
I turn the key and open the big heavy door, seeing the
huge, bronzed letters on the wall hanging over the
reception desk.

A.L.A.
 “Angel’s Legal Assistance,” Spence reads aloud, gently
poking me in the stomach. “That’s you.”
“Oh my God, Spence. I can’t believe we did it.”
“You did this.” He smiles proudly and takes me into his
arms.
I smile up at the gorgeous man in front of me. “Thank
you, I couldn’t have done this without you.”
He kisses me softly. “Yes, you could have.”
“I really couldn’t. You’re the most supportive man I’ve
ever met, and you’ve helped me every step of the way.”
He wrinkles his nose. “I was aiming for the hottest lover
in history, but whatever.”
I giggle. “That, too.”
“I think your desk arrived today. Go and take a look.” He
smiles.
I skip down the hallway and open the door to my office.
My mouth falls open.
My desk did arrive, and on the top of it are vases and
vases of beautiful flowers. “Spence,” I whisper as I look
around at them all and see a card is pinned to one. I open
it.

To my beautiful Charlotte
Congratulations.
I am so very proud of you.
You are the light of my life.
I love you,
Spence
xox

My eyes instantly fill with tears and I turn to him.

“I love you.” He smiles tenderly down at me.
“I’m the luckiest girl in the world,” I whisper, overcome
with emotion.
 I turn back to the desk and notice a black briefcase.
“What’s in there?”
“That’s your office supplies.” He smirks with a
mischievous look in his eyes.
I frown and click open the catch. All set out and
strategically placed inside black foam are a large
assortment of dildos and sex toys.
“What the hell?” I gasp as my eyes fly up to his.
“Spencer!”
He chuckles at my shocked reaction.
“What on earth would I need this for?”
“To keep in your desk in case of an emergency.”
My mouth falls open. “You think I’m going to masturbate
in my office? Are you crazy?”
He shrugs. “It’s a great stress reliever. Being in business
is tough, babe.”
“Oh my God.” I roll my eyes. “You are a sex maniac.” I
slam the briefcase closed. “We’re taking these home.
There’s no way in hell I’m doing that in here.”
He licks his lips, arousal flickering in his eyes.
“Threesome tonight, it is.”
“You want to have a threesome with me and a dildo?”
“That’s right.”
“Spencer Jones, you are a sexual deviant.”
He grabs me by the behind and sinks his teeth into my
neck. “One who likes to watch.”

Spencer
I’m staring at the diamond rings beneath the glass
cabinet in Tiffany.
Nothing stands out to me.
This is the fifteenth jewellery store I’ve been to.
How could a diamond set in gold possibly show how
I feel about her?
 There aren’t enough words in the dictionary to
describe it.
This woman, this perfect angel, has swooped into
my life and changed everything I thought I knew
about myself.
I thought I was happy. I thought I had life all
figured out, but I was fucking miserable before I met
her. I just didn’t know it because I had nothing to
compare it to.
I couldn’t bring Masters or Seb shopping with me.
This is just so deeply personal and something I never
thought I would be doing.
I need to do it alone.
“Can I help you, sir?” the shop attendant asks.
“Uh.” I frown, still looking at all the rings on
display. “I’m just trying to get some ideas, although
I’ve no idea what I am looking for.”
“You’re getting engaged?”
“Hopefully.” I smirk to myself.
“Soon?”
“I plan to ask her on Christmas Eve.”
“What a wonderful time of the year. Does she
know?”
I shake my head. “No, it’s a surprise.”
“How wonderful. I’ll leave you in peace, but please
call me if you see anything that catches your eye. We
also have a jeweller who can help you design the ring
of your dreams.”
“Okay, great. Thank you. If he has a moment to
spare, I’d like to speak to him, please?”
“I’ll see if he’s around.” She disappears out of
sight.
I keep looking through the cabinets. I wish I could
ask Sheridan for her opinion. She’s always been my
confidant.
I miss her.
 Not the sex, I don’t miss sleeping with her. I miss
her friendship but I know that one comes with the
other and it’s not possible to have her in my life
anymore.
But at moments like this, when normally she would
be the first person I would call for an opinion, her
absence is all around me.
It makes me sad, if I’m honest.
Ten years is a long time.
“Hello, sir.” A man smiles, appearing behind the
counter. He holds his hand out to shake my hand.
“I’m Cyrus, the designer.”
“Hello.” I smile.
“Stephanie tells me that you’re looking for an
engagement ring.”
“Yes. It has to be a perfect diamond and extremely
feminine, not chunky. It can’t be too big, she hates
flashy. It needs to be understated and classically
beautiful… just like she is.”
He smiles brighter. “She sounds special.”
“She is.” I smirk, my heart swelling with pride.
“How she loves me, I’ll never know.”

Six hours later, I walk out of the elevator on my floor

and see the ever-present guards by my door. I passed
another two on the bottom floor, and there is
someone with our cars in the basement parking bay
at all times now.
“Hello, Spencer,” they greet me.
“How long has she been home?” I ask just to make
conversation.
“She left work early today, so she’s been home for a
few hours now.”
 I frown, that’s strange. “Have a good night,” I say
to them before I walk into my apartment.
The television is on, the lights are off, the
apartment in darkness. A feeling of unease fills me.
“Angel?” I call.
No answer.
I walk out into the living room to see her sitting on
the floor, tears streaming down her face. My face
falls.
“What’s wrong?” I crouch beside her and notice
that there are boxes of Christmas decorations sitting
next to the Christmas tree box I got out of storage
yesterday.
I pull Charlotte onto my lap and hold her tight,
listening as her quiet sadness turns to loud sobs.
“Baby?” I whisper as I rock her.
After a moment, she speaks quietly. “I just don’t
think I can do it.”
“What?”
“Can we go to Santorini now?”
“What… why? What’s happened?”
“How can it possibly be Christmas without your
family?” she whispers through her tears. “Can we just
skip it this year? I promise, next year I’ll make it up
to you.”
My heart drops. She can’t stand the thought of
having a Christmas with her family not talking to her.
“What did you do today?” I ask, looking around
helplessly.
“I bought Christmas decorations.”
“Do you want to put the tree up?”
She shakes her head. “No.”
I watch her for a moment. I remember how hard
this time of year used to be for me, too. “Do you want
me to put the tree up naked?” I tease. “You can drink
wine and watch.”
 “No.” She wipes her eyes. “I just don’t want to have
Christmas this year, Spence. Let’s just leave it.”
She doesn’t want to have Christmas?
We remain silent, both of us lost in our own
thoughts until I can’t stand the quiet a moment
longer.
“Why don’t you go home to Nottingham for
Christmas, babe?”
She frowns up at me in question.
“Go home for Christmas and spend it with your
family. I’ll see you after,” I offer.
“I’m not having Christmas without you.” She gasps,
as if shocked by the mere suggestion of it.
“There’s no other way around it, Charlotte. They
don’t want me there and I hate seeing you like this.
I’d rather spend Christmas alone than see you hurt.”
“I’m staying with you, Spencer. Don’t you see?”
“See what?”
“This is a no-win situation. I can’t be without you,
so I have to learn to live without them.”
She curls herself into my chest and holds me tight
as she cries. Loud, uncontrollable sobs make her
entire body shake.
All I can do is sit and hold her.
The room becomes a shady haze of red as I feel the
adrenaline begin to pump through my veins.
“What can I do?” I whisper. “I’ll make you some
dinner.”
“I’m not hungry, thanks.” She kisses me as she
tries to pull herself together. “I’m just going to go to
bed, baby, is that okay?”
I brush her hair back from her forehead. “Of
course, it is.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” I kiss her. “I’ll be up to tuck you in in a
minute.” I help her off my lap and watch her walk up
the stairs until she disappears out of sight.
I pour myself a scotch and drink it down. Anger is
coursing through my veins like wildfire. The only
thing she ever did wrong was fall in love with me.
I drink my scotch with a shaky hand.
Who the fuck do they think they are?

1105

I punch in the code to the gates of the estate and

drive through to the main house. I shouldn’t be here
but I’m past caring what they think of me.
I hardly slept last night. I stayed awake watching
my angel cry.
I can’t do it anymore. I have no patience and no
fucks left to give.
I park the car, and Harold’s guards appear out of
nowhere. “What do you want?” one asks me.
“I want to see Harold,” I announce, despite it being
early morning. The earlier my arrival, the more
chance I had of them being home.
“He’s not here.”
“Then I’ll wait. Or… find him,” I snap. “Better still,
get Edward out here.”
One of them scurries into the house leaving me to
stand at the bottom of the porch steps. It seems a
lifetime ago when I was at the bottom of Charlotte’s
steps on that first date, begging her to let me in.
If only I knew what kind of Heaven awaited me, I
would have stayed that night and saved us both a lot
of time.
The front door opens, and Harold’s face comes into
view. I glare at him and storm up the stairs, brushing
past him to enter his house.
 The guard tries to stop me but Harold holds his
hand up. “He’s fine.”
I soon find Edward in the living room. “You fucking
prick.” I growl and I push him hard in the chest.
“What the hell?” He staggers back before
regaining his composure and pushing me in return.
“Stop it.” Harold growls. “I’ve had enough of you
both!”
“Are you happy?” I yell at Harold.
“Get the hell out.” Edward sneers.
“Don’t push me, cunt, or I’ll fucking knock you out.
Explain to me why Charlotte, a woman who you’re
both supposed to love, spent the night crying because
you two won’t see her?”
Harold’s face falls.
“She’s fucking heartbroken!” I cry. “And why? All
because neither one of you has enough guts to trust
me?”
Edward glares at me. “You’re no good for her.”
“She doesn’t want a fucking Christmas because of
you. I came home from work last night to find her on
the floor sobbing over her fucked-up, selfish family.”
Edward’s eyes drop to the floor.
“I don’t give a fuck if you don’t like me,” I shout.
“But you will not punish her for loving me.” I’m so
angry, my eyes fill with unexpected tears.
Edward lifts his chin in defiance. “She needs to
come home. It’s where she belongs.”
My temper hits an all-time high. “Nobody can love
her more than I do. Nobody! I’ve done some fucked-
up things in my life, I’ll admit, but I love her and I’m
marrying her whether you like it or not. If you keep
going like this, the hurt you inflict on her will be way
too deep for you to ever repair.”
Harold watches me, and I turn to him. “Do you
think your wife would be proud of the way you’re
treating your beloved daughter?” I whisper in
contempt.
His haunted eyes hold mine.
“I wouldn’t treat a fucking dog the way you’ve
treated her. You, of all people, should understand how
she feels.” I sneer. “You fell for the hired help, for
Christ’s sake.”
“You leave my mother the fuck out of this,” Edward
snaps and throws a punch at my jaw. I stagger back,
recover quickly, and then I punch him in the face as
hard as I can. We grab each other turning it into a
scuffle. Punches are thrown and the table tips over in
the foyer. A guard comes rushing in from outside.
We struggle on the floor until I’m dragged to my
feet by my biceps.
“Get him outside!” Edward yells.
“You make this right!” I yell at Harold with hot
blood trickling from my lip. “Do you hear me? You fix
this.”
I’m pushed out of the front door and down the
stairs before I’m thrown into my car by the guards.
I’m so angry I can’t even see straight.
I take off and speed out the gates, glaring at the
estate behind me disappearing quickly. I wince as I
touch my eye, I think it’s already black.

It’s late afternoon and I’m just tidying up for the day.
I had to buy a new shirt before I could come into the
office. The one I was wearing got ripped this morning
in Nottingham. I have no idea how I’m going to
explain this black eye and cut lip to Charlotte, either.
I’ll think I’ll say it happened in the gym while boxing.
 My phone rings and the name Angel lights up the
screen.
“Hello, my beautiful girl.”
“Hi,” she breathes, and I can tell that she’s
smiling. “Thank you for being so wonderful.”
I frown, wondering what she means. “How are you
feeling?” I ask. Does she know about my little psycho
attack in Nottingham this morning?
She exhales heavily. “Better. You won’t believe it.”
“What?”
“My father just called me.”
I frown. “He did?” I hesitate. Shit. “What did he
say?”
“He wants to repair this rift between us. He wants
to start again.”
My eyebrows rise in surprise. “What?”
“He invited us to go to dinner with the family in
London on Saturday night.”
“He did?”
“William is coming home, too, and Dad wants to
have dinner with everyone there. I’m so excited,
Spence. I was hoping he would come around, and now
he has,” she gushes happily.
I blow air into my cheeks. To be honest, the last
thing I want to do is go to dinner with those fucking
pricks.
“That’s okay, isn’t it?” she asks with obvious hope.
“You will come with me and try to get along with
them, won’t you? Start afresh.” I scratch my head. “Of
course. I’ll do anything for you, you know that.”
“You have no idea what a relief this is to me. I feel
like a weight has been lifted, and once they get to
know you, I know they’ll love you as much as I do.”
I roll my eyes. If she only knew what had gone on
this morning. Actually, I don’t care. As long as she’s
happy, that’s all that matters.
 “And you’ll get to meet William and his wife.
They’re back from Switzerland. Oh, this is going to be
fantastic.”
“Okay, babe,” I sigh. Fantastic, another brother.
I’m already dreading it. “Sounds great,” I lie.
“I’ll see you soon. I’m leaving work now. Let’s put
the tree up tonight.”
I smirk. “I thought you didn’t want to have
Christmas this year?”
“Christmas is officially back on. I love you.” She
smiles.
“Lucky.” I smirk as I touch my throbbing eye
socket. “See you soon.”
I hang up and exhale heavily, staring at the phone
in my hand. I swing my chair from side to side. Maybe
my little visit this morning worked, after all.
Interesting. I’m going to find out exactly what is
going on here.
I dial Harold’s number. He answers on the first
ring. “Hello, Spencer.” “What’s the catch?” I ask
“No catch. I want to move on.”
“And Edward?”
“Edward wants his sister to be happy. This dinner
will be a starting point.”
I stay silent on the phone.
“Thank you for coming to me with your concerns
for Charlotte. I appreciate it.”
“Does she know I came to you?”
“No, and I don’t want her to.”
“I only want for her to be happy.”
“As do we. Charlotte is my only concern. So, will I
see you Saturday night?” he asks.
“Sure, I’ll see you there.”
“Don’t bring up anything about the fight we had.”
Charlotte smiles. She’s holding my free hand even
though I’m driving, her eyes are on me while I watch
the road.
It’s Saturday night and we’re on our way to meet
her family. Charlotte is buzzing. Me? I’m trying my
hardest not to roll my eyes.
“Yes, got it.”
“And ask William about his job as a doctor. He
loves speaking about that. It’ll break the ice.”
“Okay.”
“And ask Edward about work. Try to make casual
conversation with him, even though he’s quite abrupt
at first.”
No shit.
“Do you think I look okay?” She straightens out
her dress.
I glance at her and then frown. “You look
beautiful.”
“And just—”
“Will you stop telling me what to say?” I interrupt.
“I am perfectly capable of holding a civilised
conversation.”
“I know,” she sighs. “I just really want this to work
out.” She leans over and kisses my cheek as I keep my
eyes on the road. “It means so much to me that you’re
willing to forgive and forget.”
I force a smile because it’s kind of cute how
excited she is. Honestly, I just want this night over
with.
This is for her.
We soon arrive at the restaurant, and I can already
see four guards at the door. I park the car and take
Charlotte’s hand in mine, and then we make our way
inside.
 Charlotte spots them quickly and waves happily. I
can see Edward, Harold, and another man who I’m
assuming is William… and then...
The blood drains from my face.
“Who is that woman at the table?” I whisper.
Charlotte smiles and drags me though the
restaurant. “That’s Penelope. William’s wife.”
I feel the floor move beneath me. No, it can’t be.
Oh my God.
I’m the man Penelope fucked behind her husband’s
back.
 23

Spencer
I STAND STILL ,
my feet frozen to the spot.
The air drains from my lungs.
William glances up and sees me as we approach
the table, and his face quickly falls.
He recognises me.
“Charlotte,” I whisper, coming to another stop. “I
need to talk to you. Outside… now.”
“This way.” She keeps dragging me to the table.
“You fucking dog.” William sneers as he stands.
Penelope’s eyes widen in horror. “Oh my God,” she
whispers the second she sees me.
Charlotte’s face falls in confusion as she looks
between us. “William?” she asks.
“What’s wrong?”
“Get the fuck outside, now!” William growls.
My jaw feels like it’s on the floor. What are the
chances?
I’m completely speechless. What the fuck do I say
to this?
“You know each other?” Edward asks, confused by
our interaction.
 William glares at me. “Oh, we know each other, all
right.”
Charlottes glances between the two of us. “I don’t
understand.”
“Last time I saw him he was in my bed, balls deep
inside my wife.” William lunges for me, connecting a
fist to my jaw which forces me to fly back.
“Oh my God!” Penelope yells when the table goes
flying.
I glance over to see Charlotte’s hands are over her
mouth as she connects the dots.
Harold holds onto the table to stop himself from
falling over and, of course, Edward erupts like a
madman. “What the fuck?” he yells.
“No!” Charlotte cries. “That can’t be true.” Her
haunted eyes meet mine.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“No!” she whispers. Her face screws up in pain as
she realises it’s true.
“Charlotte,” I whisper as she begins to cry
hysterically. “I didn’t know she was married. I swear
to you.”
Edward grabs me and pushes me towards the door.
I see the flash of a camera hit my face.
“That’s not true!” Penelope yells. “You knew
exactly who I was married to, and you were after his
money. You pursued me for months until you wore me
down.”
“What?” I cry. “You fucking liar. I didn’t even know
you as Penelope. You told me your name was
Stephanie.” I’m hit from the side by William again.
The whole restaurant is watching, and the guards
suddenly seem to come running from every direction.
Edward drags me towards the door to pull me away
from Charlotte.
“Charlotte,” I cry. “She’s lying, I swear to you.”
 I struggle to break free, but I still see Charlotte
crying hysterically in Harold’s arms.
No!
This can’t be happening!
More cameras flash in the distance.
I grab the doorframe to try and stop them from
dragging me away from her. “Charlotte!” I cry.
“Charlotte, come here. Listen to me!” I beg.
Charlotte’s haunted eyes hold mine for just a
second before she shakes her head and turns her
back on me.
I dig my heels in to try and stop them dragging me
away from her. “Charlotte!”
“Just leave, Spencer,” she yells into her father’s
shoulder. Harold wraps his arms around her,
shielding and protecting her from me.
I’m dragged outside and I struggle to break free.
All at once, Charlotte is rushed out of the restaurant,
the clicks of cameras flashing everywhere until she is
put into the back of the Bentley.
“Charlotte!” I scream, and the car speeds off into
the distance.
Edward walks up to me, his stare cold and full of
hatred. “Are you happy now?”
“I swear to you, Edward, I didn’t know.” His guards
hold me by my arms.
Edward punches me in the stomach and the wind is
knocked from my lungs. I double over and fall to the
ground on the cold, grey pavement.
Blood fills my mouth.
I hear footsteps, cars, and the flashes of more
cameras. And then there’s a cacophony of car tyres
screaming in the distance. After a short while, I feel
myself being lifted from the ground. I look up to see
Anthony and Wyatt.
They’ve stayed with me.
 The only ones.
I look around to see everyone else has gone.
“Come on, let’s get you home,” Wyatt sighs sadly.
“Charlotte,” I whisper.
“She’s gone mate,” Anthony says with regret.
I stammer in a panic. “We… we have to go get her.”
Wyatt looks at me, his face is sad and full of
sympathy. “She doesn’t want to see you, Spence. She
told me to keep you away from her.”
I wince and drop my head.
This can’t be happening.

I stare at the television on the wall of the bar I’m in.

Masters and Seb are beside me, staying silent.
What is there to say?
I’ve fucked it. I’ve completely fucked it.
“She’ll come around.” Masters sips his beer.
“I don’t think she will,” Seb mutters. “Have you
seen the papers today? This scandal is fucking
everywhere.”
“You’re not helping, Seb!” Masters snaps. “Try
calling her again.”
I pass my phone to him. He dials Charlotte’s
number and, once again, it goes straight through to
voicemail. Her phone has been turned off since
dinner last night. She hasn’t been back to our
apartment. If I try to drive to Nottingham, they won’t
let me see her, anyway.
I’ll wait here in London for her to come home.
Please come home.
“I don’t understand how you didn’t know this.”
Masters frowns. “How do you fuck a married woman
and never find out who she was married to?”
 “It’s not something I wanted to know, all right?
Fuck.”
Seb smirks and stares down at the table.
“What?” I say deadpan.
“You do have to admit, it is a little bit funny. What
are the chances?”
“It’s not funny, Sebastian, you fucking idiot. What
will be funny is when I rearrange your ugly face,” I
growl.
Masters chuckles. “Now, that will be funny. I’d pay
good money to watch you do that.”
A text comes in from Bree.

Spence,
I can’t get a hold of her.
I’ll keep trying.
Bree
x

I drag my hand down my face in despair.

“She’s not seeing anyone or taking any calls. Beth
called me this morning, and Charlotte won’t even see
her. I don’t know how the fuck I’m supposed to fix
this when she won’t even speak to me.”
We all fall silent.
“She’ll come home.” Masters sighs. “She’s just in
shock.”
“Join the fucking club,” Seb grumbles. “I’m in
shock, too.”
I glare at him. “I swear to fucking God, your face is
so punch-able right now, I can’t even stand it.”
The both laugh at me.
“Can you two just fuck off and leave me alone?”
“Nope,” Masters answers without hesitation.
“We’ve been through tougher times than this, and we
always stick together.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. A memory of
Charlotte’s face when she realised I’d slept with
Penelope takes over, and my heart hurts.
I can’t believe I slept with Penelope.
What have I done?

Charlotte
Thirty-seven hours since he held me.
Thirty- seven hours since I had my heart completely
ripped from my chest.
I’m in my bed, staring at a wall.
I can’t drink, I can’t eat, I can’t think.
I wish I couldn’t feel…
I keep seeing Spencer’s face as they dragged him away
from me—the fear in his eyes.
He knew…he knew then, in that moment, what our
future was.
We aren’t a love story. We’re a tragedy.
Tears roll down my face. The hysterical tears are over,
replaced with numbness—a cold, dead feeling now taking
over my heart.
I’m an empty vessel, broken beyond repair.
Everything I thought I knew was a lie. The life I planned
with him is over.
Love with him will never be the same.
The man I fell in love with doesn’t exist.
In his place there’s a homewrecker, a man who I
despise, and everything he stands for.
A man with different morals than me, and one I couldn’t
possibly be in love with.
The pain is deep, real, and I feel like I’m grieving
someone’s death all over again.
It hurts.
 I hear a car horn in the distance.
Beep, beep, beeeeeeeeep.
What’s that?
Beep, beep, beeeeeeeeep.
I hear a door bang, and then footsteps as someone runs
past my house down the gravel road.
What on earth is going on out there?
I drag myself to the window and peer through the sheer
curtains only to see Spencer’s car outside the gates. He’s
standing next to it, pushing on the horn through his open
door.
Beep, beep, beeeeeeeeep. “Charlotte!” he yells. “Come
out here.” Beep, beep. “CHARLOTTE!” he screams.
I wince and feel more tears fall as I watch him. He’s
frantic.
“Angel, please,” he begs. “I promise you, I didn’t know.”
I slap my hands over my ears. “Stop it,” I whisper.
“Leave me alone.”
“Charlotte?” I turn and see Edward. I crash to his chest
as he wraps me in his safe arms. “It’s okay, Lottie, they’re
taking him away now.”
I howl against his chest; this pain unbearable.
The worst thing is, I know that Spencer will be hurting
just as much as I am.
But what’s done is done.
He can’t change the past, and this will never be
something I’ll be able to live with.
He slept with my brother’s wife. Penelope.
I taste bile, imagining him in William’s bed with
William’s wife, and I cry harder and harder until I can’t
breathe. I can’t see him.
I don’t ever want to see him again.
There is nothing he can say that will take away what
he’s done or the hurt he’s caused my beloved brother.
A new rush of pain seeps through another layer in my
heart.
 “Spencer,” I cry. “My love. Why?” I howl. “Why did he do
this, Edward, why?”
“Shh.”
I hear the car horn again and Spencer screams my
name. “Charlotte!”
“Make him go away,” I cry.
“They’re taking him now. Dad is at the police station
taking out a restraining order against him as we speak. He
won’t be able to come here at all without being arrested
soon.”
The thought that he can’t legally come here anymore
breaks my heart even further, and I cry uncontrollably.
“I’m sorry I let this happen,” Edward whispers against
my hair. “This is all my fault.”
“Charlotte!” Spencer screams again, and I slap my
hands over my ears.
“Make it stop, Edward, make it stop.”
“Charlotte, please… I love you,” Spencer yells, his voice
breaking. “I love you.”
The guards begin to shout, and then there’s a
commotion. I know that Spencer is struggling with them to
try to get to me.
I pull out of Edward’s arms and roll into a ball on my
bed, holding my hands over my ears as I cry hysterically.
Make.
The.
Pain.
Stop.

Spencer
I stare at my computer, looking at pictures of myself
outside the restaurant.
But all I see is Charlotte’s hurt face.
 Every tabloid, every magazine, everyone knows I
slept with Penelope—Charlotte’s brother’s wife. Her
damn sister-in-law.
To make it worse, someone even filmed what
Penelope was saying in the restaurant. It’s been
played over and over and over.
Everywhere.
It’s not even true.
Did I sleep with her? Yes.
Did I know she was married? No.
I had no idea what her real name was. I hooked up
with her a few times and she told me she was
divorced. I saw her at a club one night and we went
back to her house.
What I thought was her house, anyway.
Then a crazed husband burst in on us midway
through sex, and he completely lost his shit. I picked
up my clothes and ran. I never saw her again.
I still remember the devastation on his face when
he caught us. It’s something I have thought of often
over the years.
It’s the kind of thing you never forget.
There was no way in hell I would have been there if
I’d have known the truth. I wouldn’t knowingly sleep
with a married woman unless she was in an open
relationship. I know what Seb went through. I would
never inflict that pain on someone else.
My chest constricts as I remember the only person
that matters in this story.
Charlotte. My beautiful Charlotte.
I’ve lost her.
She won’t answer my calls, she’s not opening my
texts. She won’t see me.
She’s heartbroken, and who can blame her?
I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to say.
How do I salvage this?
 A little voice from deep inside my mind tells me
that it’s impossible.
I click out of the story on my screen and run my
hands through my hair in disgust.
I’m sick to my stomach.
This is God punishing me. I’m being punished for
being promiscuous before I met her.
My love… gone.
I hear my office door open and I look up and see a
familiar face. Unable to help it, tears of relief fill my
eyes and I stand quickly.
“Spence,” Sheridan whispers, taking me in her
arms.
I cling to her as if my life depends on it. After a
long time, she pulls back to look at my face, holding
it in her hands.
“Are you okay, darling?” she asks softly, her eyes
searching mine.
“No,” I whisper. “I am not.”
She takes me in her arms again and holds me
tight. “It’s okay. I’m here now, baby. I’ll look after
you. We’ll get through this together.”

Charlotte
I wake from my groggy sleep and lie in the darkness.
It’s Christmas Day—the day I was dreading spending
without my family. That pain pales into insignificance now. I
get a vision of my Spencer waking up alone in his
apartment and my bottom lip quivers.
Is he okay?
I will not cry today. I will not cry today, I chant in my
head.
Penelope and William had a huge argument and she left
the estate last night.
 She took Harrison with her… it’s Christmas.
It’s been ten days since I saw Spencer. Ten days without
his love…. his touch.
I feel like a part of me has died and I’m trying to learn
how to live without a limb.
I’ll get through this, I know I will.
I need to talk to Spencer, but I feel too weak to do so at
the moment. I know if I see him now, he will somehow talk
me around. I don’t have the strength to say what I need to
say without crying and begging for him to turn back time.
To be honest, I don’t know if I ever will.
His love was perfect. It was something I feel I was
meant to experience.
But that was before.
We were supposed to be leaving for Santorini in three
days. I get a vision of us laughing and driving around on
motorbikes the last time we were there, and I close my
eyes, hating the way my chest constricts.
How do people do this? How do they bounce back?
I’ve always heard of people going through a bad
breakup, but until you’ve actually had your heart ripped out
and stomped on, you have no idea of the enormity of it.
It’s like the world is ending.
William needs me today. He’s spending Christmas
without his son.
I know the fight they had last night was over Spencer. I
heard his name called out as they yelled at each other from
upstairs.
I think seeing Spencer opened a can of worms for
William. How do you move on when you’ve seen another
person making love to your wife? When that person turns
up years later as your baby sister’s new boyfriend? It would
have to mess your mind up.
I know mine is completely scrambled.
The bitter taste of betrayal fills my mouth.
He had sex with Penelope… more than once.
 I could never look at him the same again. He is forever
tainted in my eyes.
I keep getting a vision of them naked together, again
and again, as if I saw it with my own eyes.
It’s making me sick.
“Charlotte,” my father calls from the hallway of my
house. He’s been staying with me since this all happened. I
think he’s scared to leave me alone. Scared of what, I’m
unsure.
“Yes, Dad.”
He comes into view, peeking around the door. “Merry
Christmas, my darling.”
I smile and my eyes fill with tears. He’s the one man I
can always rely on.
“Merry Christmas, Dad.”

“You know what?” Lara says. “I’m glad this happened. At

least now we have proof of what Edward and your father
have been saying all along.”
I roll my eyes. “Not helping, Lars.”
We’re sitting out on the front porch of my house on
December 26th.
Lara and Beth have come over to try and cheer me up…
I think at Edward’s insistence, although Lara is not doing a
very good job of it. I had one of the worst days of my life
yesterday.
Christmas without Spencer.
“Bullshit. How could you say such a thing?” Beth snaps
at her.
Lara shrugs. “They thought something was off and they
were right.”
Beth rolls her eyes. “Did Edward tell you that while you
were sucking his dick?”
 I smirk.
“Will you drop it with the Edward crap?” Lara whines.
Beth is now openly ribbing Lara about Edward, and Lara
is avoiding the topic by not answering a direct question. I
really do think they either are fucking or have fucked in the
past. Which one, I’m not sure. It’s something I don’t like to
imagine.
“Will you stop making Spencer out to be the evil villain
in this story, because he’s not?” Beth grumbles angrily. “It’s
fucking Penelope and her loose vagina that’s caused all this
heartache. Spencer wasn’t married. Spencer didn’t have a
girlfriend. Who cares who he fucked before he met you?”
“When it was my brother’s wife, I do actually, Beth,” I
hit back.
She rolls her eyes at me, choosing not to respond.
“Everybody will know. For the rest of my life, everyone
will know that he fucked my brother’s wife. It’s been in
every tabloid for a week.” My eyes fill with tears. “I can’t
be with someone who’s done that, no matter how much I
love them. I can’t get past it.”
“Then go talk to him and break up with him like a real
adult.”
Guilt fills me.
“Why are you hiding from him?”
“Because if I see him, he’ll talk me down.”
“Because you know he’s fucking right!” Beth snaps.
“Oh, just shut up, Beth.” Lara sighs. “She can’t be with
him after this. She’ll be the laughing stock of society.”
Beth scowls at us both and stands in an outrage. “Lara, I
would expect you to bow down to society and suck their
balls. But you...” she points at me, “are being fucking
ridiculous. Spencer is a wonderful man, and I don’t care
what he’s done before he met you because I see how happy
he makes you now. If he fucked her now it would be
different. But he didn’t, it was years ago. Wake up and
smell the damn coffee.”
 I stare at her through tears.
She points at me. “You’re going to lose him, and in ten
years’ time when Penelope is long divorced from William,
and Spencer is happily married to someone else, you’re
going to kick yourself for throwing away the best thing that
ever happened to you.”
We both stare at her and fear runs through me. What
she’s just said is a real possibility.
“Now, I’m going to bed, because you two and this
society-shame bullshit is pissing me off.” Before she leaves,
Beth turns to me. “I thought you wanted to marry for love,
Lottie?”
“I do.”
“You’re not acting like you love him. You’re acting like a
selfish little girl—”
“Fuck off, Beth. She is not, she’s being smart, for once,”
Lara interrupts.
“Imagine how he’s feeling right now.”
Tears roll down my cheeks.
“You know what? I wish Spencer Jones had fallen in love
with me because there is no way in fucking hell I would be
sitting here in this fucking prison with you.”
I stare at her.
“Your father didn’t talk to you for eight weeks because
he didn’t get his own way, Charlotte.” She throws her
hands in the air. “What does that tell you about this fucked
up situation? How can you not see it?”
“Stop it, you’re upsetting her,” Lara demands.
“Where was Spencer?” Beth snaps. “Where was Spencer
when you needed him?”
I drop my head into my hands as my emotions boil over.
“That’s right, Lottie, Spencer was right by your side the
whole fucking time. Never once have you doubted his love
for you.”
Wyatt walks around the corner after hearing our raised
voices. “What’s going on here?” he asks.
 “Nothing.” Beth sighs in disgust. “I’m going to bed.
These two and their lack of priorities are making me sick.”
The door slams behind her as she disappears.
Wyatt frowns, and his eyes flick to me in question.
“You go to bed, too, Lars. I’ll be up in a minute.” I sigh.
She kisses my cheek and walks inside the house.
“Are you okay?” Wyatt asks softly.
“I hardly know anymore,” I whisper.
He sits on the step at my feet, and we both stare out
over the property and into the darkness of the night. He
doesn’t say anything, and he doesn’t try to talk me into his
way of thinking.
He just stays, and in this moment, that’s all I need.

Spencer
Bang, bang, bang!
What on earth?
It’s two days after Christmas, and after possibly the
most depressing Christmas I’ve ever had, I’m packing
for Santorini.
She’ll come.
I know she will. Our love was too strong. She won’t
forget that, no matter what’s happened.
She’ll come.
I have to believe that. I have to believe that she’ll
be able to move past this because the reality is that if
she doesn’t, it’ll be more than I can bear.
Bang, bang, bang!
I open the door in a rush.
“Where is she?” Edward growls, looking past me
and into the room.
“What?” I frown. Him and Harold barge past me
and walk into my apartment. “Please, do come in,” I
mutter with an eye roll.
 Assholes.
“Where is she?”
“What are you fucking talking about?”
“Don’t act dumb, you know exactly where she is.”
“I haven’t seen her since the restaurant, you know
that.”
Harold pinches the bridge of his nose. “She could
be anywhere. She’s taken off.” He falls onto the sofa.
“Her guards aren’t with her?” I ask in confusion.
“She’s… Charlotte is completely alone,” Harold
stammers in a panic. “She snuck out in the middle of
the night.”
“This is all my fault.” Edward groans. “Why did
I…?” His voice trails off.
“What?” I frown. “What happened?”
He shakes his head and drops next to his father on
the sofa. “We fought.”
“You fought with her?” I snap. “She’s hurt enough,
why the fuck would you fight with her?”
“I don’t know. I was angry with Penelope for taking
off and I...” He shakes his head at himself.
“What did she say?” I begin to freak out.
“She left a note saying she would be back soon,”
Harold tells me quietly.
“What note?”
He digs around in his suit pocket and pulls out a
piece of paper. He hands it over.

Dad,
I’m confused and I need time alone to think.
I’m taking a TTT Trip. Don’t worry, I’m safe.
I’ll see you in two weeks.
I love you, Charlotte.

My heart swells with hope and pride.

That’s my girl.
 24

Spencer
I F SHE ’ S GONE for a TTT trip in its truest form, I think
she’s gone to Maui and will be staying at the Four
Seasons. If she left in the middle of the night, she
won’t even be there yet.
She’s at my special place.
I want her to have time to think. I want her to be
able to make this decision on her own. But then… I
look at the worry on Harold’s face and I can’t do that
to him.
“Just a minute.” I walk to the kitchen, grab my
phone, and Google the hotel. When it pops up, I dial
the number.
“Aloha, Four Seasons,” the receptionist answers.
“Hello, can I be put through to Maxine, please?” I
ask. “Tell her that it’s Spencer Jones calling.”
“Of course, sir.”
I wait on the line until the phone connects to
another line.
“Hello, Spencer.” Maxine laughs excitedly. “It’s
been a long time.”
 “It has, and I’m due for a trip very soon.” I glance
up to the two men in front of me. “I have a friend
arriving there tonight. Can you check if she’s arrived
yet for me, please?”
“Sure thing. What’s her name?”
What would she have used? I think for a moment
while Harold and Edward watch on.
“Lottie Preston.”
“Just a minute.” I hear her tapping away on the
keys at her computer. “Ah, yes. She won’t arrive until
later tonight. Can I leave a message?”
“No, thank you. I’ll call back later,” I say before
hanging up.
I turn to them. “I know where she’s going.”
They both place their hands over their chests in
relief. “Thank God. Where?”
I stare at them for a moment. This is my only
leverage and I need to use it.
“I want to speak to William,” I say steadily.
“Fuck off,” Edward growls. “He doesn’t want to
speak to you.”
“Fine. Then get out.”
Harold’s face falls. “Please, Spencer, tell us where
she is. She’s in danger out there on her own.”
“I’ll tell William where she is.”
“Why would you want to speak to him?” Edward
snaps. “Haven’t you done enough to him already?”
“I need to apologise.” I pause. “I had no idea she
was married.”
“Bull-fucking-shit. She told us everything.”
I raise a brow. “And you believe anything that
comes out of that lying bitch’s mouth, right? I knew
her as Stephanie, and it gets worse. She’s actually
contacted me a few times over the last few years and
begged to see me again.”
Harold’s face falls.
 “Every time she’s in London, she tries to see me.
I’m telling you, she’s fucking other guys all the time.”
“I knew it.” Edward narrows his eyes. “I need
proof.”
Harold frowns as his watches me. “Have you
ever…?” “Fuck, no.” I wince. “I’m mortified that she
put me in the position she did that night.” I drop my
head in shame. “I’m not proud of it, I’m telling you.” I
exhale heavily. “The look on William’s face will haunt
me forever.”
Edward glares at me.
“I love Charlotte. I would never have pursued her
had I known that she knew Stephanie.”
“Penelope.” Harold glares at me. “Christ, you don’t
even know her fucking name.”
“That’s right, I don’t. Now she’s telling all these
lies to protect herself at the expense of Charlotte’s
heart.” I sigh sadly. “She makes me fucking sick.
Charlotte doesn’t deserve to be hurt like this. I can’t
stand that she is.”
“It’s your word against hers,” Edward says. “Give
me proof. I need concrete evidence that she’s come to
you. If I can prove that she’s still sleeping around, he
can divorce her and get custody of Harrison.”
“I don’t have any. Maybe my phone records can
show the times she’s contacted me?” I offer. “I don’t
know.” I hold Edward’s stare. “Bring William to me
and I’ll tell you where Charlotte is.”
“Why should we?” Harold snaps.
“Because you both need to realise the truth. I was
a player. Hell, I’ve fucked around for years, I’m the
first to admit it. But as soon as I met Charlotte I
stopped immediately. I don’t want anybody else. I
have no secrets and Charlotte knows everything about
me. I haven’t lied to her once, and if I knew about
Stephanie, I would have told her. Do you honestly
think I would want her to go through this? For
Christ’s sake, I don’t even speak to my own fucking
father because he’s an adulterous prick.”
They both watch me as they listen.
“I’ve never even been in a relationship before
Charlotte because of this exact reason. I couldn’t be a
two-faced liar. It’s not who I am.”
Edward rolls his eyes.
“You know what fucking pisses me off the most
about this?” I say.
“What?” Harold sighs.
“If you had just given me the time of day back
when we met instead of treating me like dirty
Stephanie or whatever her fucking name is, you would
have seen the truth. You would have known how I feel
about Charlotte.”
Harold raises his chin.
“I’ve done nothing wrong.” I hold my hands up in
front of me. “I promise you, and you know I haven’t.
You probably have people watching me, hoping to
catch me out.”
Edward rolls his lips, and I know that I’m right.
“My poor Charlotte is on her own on the other side
of the world with a broken heart, and you two haven’t
supported her at all. You’re all so fucking poisoned by
that bitch that you’ve taken her sins out on me
instead. But it’s Charlotte who has taken the brunt of
this.”
“What a mess.” Harold exhales heavily. “Please,
Spencer, tell us where she is.”
“Not until you bring William to me.” I stare at
them and I open my front door. “Now, please leave.”
“You’re kicking us out?” Edward gasps.
“Yeah, I’m kicking you out. You’ve kept Charlotte
from me when I’ve wanted to try and explain. I’m sick
of your power trip shit.”
 Harold shakes his head as he walks towards the
door. “William will be here soon.”
“Good.”
Edward’s eyes hold mine, and for the first time ever
I see empathy in them. “She won’t be able to take you
back after this. You have no idea how much she hates
Penelope.”
I clench my jaw and nod. That’s my biggest fear. “I
know.” I sigh sadly. “I understand why. I’m not sure I
could if I were her.”
With one last look, they both turn and leave. A
wave of new sadness overwhelms me. That interaction
with them seemed so final, and it felt like they knew
it, too… like I’ll never see them again.
Maybe I won’t.

It’s dusk when I hear a knock at my door. I close my

eyes in regret. William.
I’ll never forget the look on his face that night, the
pure devastation. I felt sick about it for weeks, and
what made it worse was that she kept calling me,
wanting to meet up. She had absolutely no remorse.
I put myself in his shoes now and imagine how it
would feel if I walked in and saw another man having
sex with Charlotte.
I couldn’t cope. I would completely lose my shit.
I open the door and his face comes into view. He’s
tall and good looking, similar looking to Edward but
with a softer edge and more refined. I don’t
remember much about that night, but I remember his
face. How could I ever forget it?
“Spencer,” he says flatly.
He doesn’t want to be here either, it’s obvious.
 “Hi.” I hold out my hand. “Please, come in.”
He walks past me and into the apartment.
“Do you want a drink or anything?” I ask. “What
would you like?”
He shrugs. “Whatever you’re having.”
I inhale deeply and pour two glasses of scotch. I
hand him one.
He takes a sip. “So, you fucked my wife,” he says
calmly.
I nod. “Yes.”
His cold eyes hold mine. “That’s it? That’s all you
can say?”
“Nothing I can say would ever make up for that.”
He inhales sharply and walks to the windows to
stare out over the city, deep in thought.
I have no idea what to say, so I remain silent.
“How many times?” he asks with his back to me.
“Three occasions.”
He turns back to look at me, and I know the real
question he wants answered.
“Many times on those three occasions,” I admit
shamefully.
He turns back to stare out of the window.
“Can I ask you something?” I say. “Why didn’t you
leave her?”
“It would have been easier to.”
“Why did you stay?”
“I have a son.” He drains his glass. “I don’t want to
take him away from his mother, but then I don’t want
to leave him with her, either.” He walks over and
refills his glass. “The only way I can assure his future
is to stay with her until Harrison is older.”
I frown as I watch him. He seems strangely
detached from all this. “Do you love her?”
“I did.”
“Not anymore?”
 “Love and I don’t mix, Mr Jones.” He looks up at
me. “I learnt that lesson the hard way.”
“Does she know this? Does she know you don’t love
her?”
“Yes.”
“Then why does she stay?” I frown. “I’m confused.”
He narrows his eyes as if it pains him to say it out
loud. “I think we both know why she stays.”
The money.
I drop my head as disappointment on his behalf
fills me.
“I’m sorry. I know you don’t believe me when I tell
you this, but I thought she was divorced, and I knew
her as Stephanie. I had no idea when I met Charlotte
that she was your wife… or that you were Charlotte’s
brother.” He smiles as he stares out of the window.
I frown. “What’s to smile about?”
“I always blamed you for our demise—blamed
myself, blamed everyone but her when, deep down, I
knew the truth. A month ago, another doctor at the
hospital I work with told me he met a woman called
Stephanie on the Ashley Maddison dating site… the
one for married people to have secret affairs. They’d
been sleeping together for a while.” He scowls lightly.
“I had a sixth sense go off and I asked to see a picture
of her.”
I close my eyes. Fuck.
“You can imagine my surprise when I see an image
of my own wife, all messed up and just fucked, asleep
in his bed. She had no idea that the image was even
taken.”
“Jesus Christ.” I tip my head back and drain my
glass. This is un-fucking-believable.
“I have lawyers tightening the prenups as we
speak. She doesn’t know that I know about my work
colleague. He doesn’t even know she’s my wife. Every
time we argue, she threatens to take Harrison. I can’t
risk that.” He sips his drink. “I have to wait until all
my ducks are in a row.”
“And when will that be?”
“That’s where I need your help.”
“What?” I ask.
He turns to me. “You can testify.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“You can testify for me in a court of law that you
slept with her while she was married to me.”
“Jesus Christ, you can’t ask me to do that. It would
kill Charlotte,” I whisper. “The tabloids would go into
overdrive.”
“They already are, and I need proof that Penelope
is an adulterer or my prenup is void.”
“What do you mean?’
He smiles. “I was so stupidly in love with this
woman I wavered the prenup.” I close my eyes.
“The only stipulation that voids me giving her half
of my estate is her infidelity.”
I stare at him.
“I don’t really fancy giving her two billion dollars,
Spencer.” He smirks as if amused. “It’s not like she
deserves it.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Fucking hell.” I
think for a moment. “Does your family know any of
this?”
“Yes.” He rolls his eyes. “But Edward has his own
agenda. He doesn’t give a fuck about my feelings.
When she first slept with you, I thought it was a one
off. I blamed myself for being a workaholic and
leaving her alone all the time. We went to marriage
counselling and I tried… for the sake of my son. But
Edward wouldn’t give up. He was sure she was staying
with me for the money and he became nasty and
abusive towards her. It caused a great rift between
him and me. If I wanted to try and repair my
marriage, it was none of his business.”
I exhale. I know what a fucking cock Edward can
be.
“He hated her so much and made it unbearable for
her to be around my family. Her and I would fight
about it, and it made things so much worse. So, in the
end, I just stayed away. We moved to Switzerland to
try and make a new start.”
“I’m sorry.” I sigh.
His eyes meet mine. “Me, too.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Divorce her. Now… where’s Charlotte?” he asks.
“I’ll tell you on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“You have to go to her yourself.”
He frowns. “Why?”
“Because she needs you, and only you.”
His eyes hold mine.
“She told me that she’s closest to you.”
His eyes drop to the floor. “I haven’t been around
for her lately.”
“You had your own shit going on. She
understands.”
He thinks for a moment. “Okay. I’ll go.”
“Thank you.” I force a smile. “She’s at the Four
Seasons in Maui.”
“If you know where she is, why didn’t you go to her
yourself?”
“Because it was her decision to leave.” I pause for
a moment. “She needs to come back to me of her own
free will. I would never force her into something that
she doesn’t want. I love her too much to try and
control her. She’s been controlled enough in her life
already.”
 He exhales heavily. “You know, under different
circumstances, I’d probably think you weren’t a bad
bloke.” He shakes his head. “This is fucked up.”
“I know.” I smirk.
He turns to me. “So, will you help me?”
“I’ll lose Charlotte if I do. She won’t deal with that
kind of publicity.”
His eyes hold mine. “I hate to tell you this,
Spencer, but you’ve already lost her. She’s gone,
man.”
I drop my head and stare at the floor.…what if he’s
right?
“I’m sorry, I really am.” He sighs. “But I can’t stay
married to this woman, and I can’t lose my son.” His
eyes search mine. “Say you’ll help me.”

Charlotte
The eagle hovers over the water watching her prey.
What must it be like to be a bird? To have no
responsibilities, no expectations.
No heartbreak.
I’m on the deckchair under the big umbrella, staring out
at the ocean. It’s nearing 4:00 p.m. and the sun is still
warm on my skin. I have a cocktail beside me and have just
been for a swim. Maui is beautiful—the perfect place to
escape.
If only he were here with me.
I close my eyes, stop it, stop thinking about him.
It’s over.
It’s been a long few days. I bought my ticket with cash
at the Heathrow airport so that they couldn’t track me. I
had a lot of time, and stupidly, I bought all of the
magazines, just to see what they were saying about us. I
don’t know why but I needed to know.
I shouldn’t have. I should have listened to Spencer and
stayed away. It resulted in me crying silent tears for most
of the trip, London to LA with a four hour wait for a
connecting flight to Maui. Headline after headline about
Spencer sleeping his way through the Prescott family
assaulted me. Images of him have surfaced with every
woman on Earth, and I know that they are old pictures but
it just adds to the insult.
The footage of the horrific moment has been played on
TMZ, too. It was uploaded by a person who was eating in
the restaurant at the time. William’s anger, my horror, and
then my hysterical tears as Edward went ballistic…
I’ve never been more ashamed.
A sinking feeling of regret sits deep inside my stomach.
Disappointment and sadness all rolled into one heavy lead
ball rest there. I let myself fall in love with him. I knew he
had earned his reputation and I didn’t care. I jumped in
head first, ignoring every warning that was given to me. I
never thought his past could hurt me the way that it has.
Never in a million years did I see this coming.
My boyfriend slept with my brother’s wife….it doesn’t
get more headline worthy than that.
I miss him, still. I miss him so much, it physically hurts
my chest. How am I supposed to live without his love?
But every time I get a vision of my beautiful Spencer, I
see him with her. It’s all I can see. A dark black cloud hangs
over him. It’s like my memory of him isn’t just him
anymore. She’s intertwined like a poisonous vine strangling
the life out of our love. I’ve relived every sickening moment
he spent with her, over and over in my mind. I get visions,
vibrant visions of him naked… with her.
Hard… for her.
Did he fuck her the way he fucks me? What positions did
they do it? Penelope is beautiful and she has an amazing
body. It’s a body I’m sure pleasured him immensely.
How many times did he come?
Oh God….
I blink, knowing there is no cure for this heartbreak. I
can’t get my head around it. I will never get my head
around it.
Spencer Jones is forever tainted in my eyes, I’ll never
look at him the same again.
And it hurts….so much so, that it’s unbearable.
My phone buzzes next to me and I glance over to the
table. An unknown number is calling.
It’s him.
I blocked Spencer’s number on that very first night
when he was calling me nonstop. But every day he has sent
me a message from a new phone number. I don’t know if
he’s buying new phones each day or going through every
one of his friends’ phones.
Either way, his texts hurt.
I sip my cocktail and stare out over the water, just in
time to see the eagle make her move and swoop down. She
reappears a few seconds later with a large fish in her beak.
Success, I smile sadly. At least someone around here is
getting what they want. I exhale heavily and open the
message that’s waiting for me.

Dream catch me when I fall.

Tears well in my eyes.

The words are so fitting now.
I wish I could text him back, but I’m angry. I’m angry at
him, angry at myself for not being able to move past this…
just so angry.
He has fallen and I can’t fucking catch him.
How dare he ask that I do?
 I frown and stare out at the sea, and a second text
arrives. Damn it, I forgot to block the number straight away
like I normally do. I click it open.

Don’t leave me.

You said you loved me.

I hit block caller and I drain my glass.

“I did love you, Spencer,” I whisper angrily. “But that
was then and this is now.”
This is not going to stop. These texts are doing my head
in and are no good for me right now.
I take the SIM out of my phone and put it into the glass
of iced water that sits beside me. I watch it float from side
to side before it sinks to the bottom.
He can go to Hell.
I’m done.

The candlelight flickers on my face and I sit in the warm

ocean breeze. I’m alone at a table for two outside on the
deck of the restaurant. My dinner was beautiful, and I’ve
just ordered my third margarita. Under normal
circumstances, this would be the perfect night.
I’ve been in Maui for two days, and I have to agree, it’s
the perfect TTT trip destination.
“Mind if I sit down?” a familiar voice asks.
I look up in surprise to see William. “What? Where…
how did you…?”
He pulls the seat out and sits down. “A little birdie told
me where to find you.”
“How did he…?” My face falls. “The letter.” I look
around in a panic.
 “I’m alone, don’t worry.” He smiles softly. “You really
need to up your hiding skills, though.” He takes my hand
over the table. “I suggest Switzerland if you don’t want to
be found.”
I lean over and kiss his cheek and smile. “I’m sorry
about all of this.”
He squeezes my hand. “Don’t be.”
The waiter comes over. William looks at my glass. “What
are we drinking?”
“Margaritas.” I smirk.
“Two margaritas, please,” he tells the waiter.
“Yes, sir.” The waiter disappears.
“Who sent you?” I ask.
“Spencer.”
The mere mention of his name brings tears to my eyes.
“Is he…” okay?
He shrugs and stares out at the ocean. “I don’t really
care how he is, to be honest.”
I nod and am quickly reminded of who I’m talking to.
“Are you okay?” he asks me.
I shake my head. “No, but I will be.” I get a lump in my
throat. “I just need some time.”
He nods as he watches me and his drink arrives. He
holds it up.
“Miserable in Maui.” He smirks as a toast.
“Isn’t that the truth?” I take a sip. “I mean, I wanted to
spend some time with you, but this type of bonding is a bit
extreme.”
He chuckles, and my eyes linger on his face. The wind
whips up and the sound of the gentle waves lapping the
shore echoes in the distance.
“What?” he asks.
“You seem different.” I frown.
“How so?”
“I don’t know, you just do.”
“I’m divorcing Penelope.”
 “You are?” I ask hopefully, and then my face falls as
reality creeps back in as to why. “Is this because of
Spencer? Has seeing him opened a can of worms for you?”
He stares out over the sea as he thinks. “No, we were
always going to end.” He sips his drink. “It took some time
to prepare myself to walk away. Although all this has forced
my hand. When you get married you just assume…” He
shrugs. “You assume that it’s all going to turn out, you
know?”
I nod as I listen.
“Finding out that the person you fell in love with doesn’t
love you back… it’s a tough pill to swallow.”
His words come a little too close to home, and my eyes
glaze over.
“I never aspired to be a divorcee.” He frowns. “She’s
been seeing someone else.”
“What?”
“I caught her out again just recently. She doesn’t know
that I know.”
I stare at him, my heart filled with sadness. “God, Will.”
He shrugs. “I asked Spencer to testify that he was
sleeping with her while she was married to me.”
“What?” I frown. “What did he say?”
“He said that he didn’t want to drag you through the
mud any more, and his only concern was you.”
My heart drops. My welfare has only ever been his
concern.
We sit in silence for a while as we both stare out to sea,
lost in our own sad thoughts.
“Are you going to take him back?” he eventually asks.
I bring my feet up onto my chair and tuck them under
myself. “I wish it was that easy.”
He raises a brow. “What do you mean?”
I run my finger along the edge of the table as I try to
piece together my jumbled thoughts. “Every time I think of
him, I see Penelope. He knew she was married, for sure.”
 He clenches his jaw. “I don’t think he did, to be honest.”
“He’s made a fool of both of us, William. Have you seen
the tabloids? We’re a laughing stock,” I whisper. “How am I
supposed to forgive him for that?”
I wipe a stray tear and smile sadly. “I’m not sure I like
this relationship thing.”
“It fucking sucks. Badly.”
I giggle at the irony of our situation. “Did you ever
imagine sitting here in Maui and having this conversation?”
He shakes his head. “Can’t say that I did.”
I giggle, despite my tears, and then some kind of sanity
band breaks and we look at each other and both burst out
laughing.
William puts his hands over his eyes. “This is the most
fucking ridiculous situation I’ve ever heard of.”
I laugh harder. “I know.”
“Poor fucking Edward.” He chuckles.
We suddenly fall serious as we think of the anguish our
brother will be going through over this. He’ll be having a
conniption from the disgrace of it all.
“He knew heartbreak was imminent for me,” I say.
“I know he did.” He sighs sadly. “He was only trying to
protect us both in his own fucked up way.”
“Maybe we should have listened when we had the
chance.”
Once again, we fall silent.
“Well, Charlotte,” he says with renewed purpose. “There
is only one thing to do in this situation.”
“Please.” I smirk. “Tell me what that is, because I have
no idea.”
“Drink all the alcohol on the island.”
He raises his glass and I smile as I lift mine to meet his.
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Bottoms up.”
The afternoon sun shines through my sheer drapes. I’m in a
sleepy daze.
William wasn’t joking, and he and I did practically drink
all of the alcohol on the island last night.
We’ve taken it very easy today. There’s been swimming,
eating, and now an afternoon nap.
I’m past being upset. Now I’m angry.
My hotel phone rings and I frown.
“Hello,” I answer.
“Hello, Miss Preston?” the concierge asks.
“Yes.”
“You have a visitor here in reception.”
“Who is it?”
“She says her name is Sheridan Myer.”
 25

Charlotte
“I BEG YOUR PARDON .” I sit up immediately. “What did you
just say?”
“A Sheridan Myer is here to see you.”
My blood runs cold. What the hell does that bitch want?
“Please tell her that I’m not accepting visitors.”
“Just a moment.” She puts her hand over the phone, and
I hear her relay my message in the background.
“What? Give me the phone.” Sheridan says before I hear
her voice directed at me. “Listen, princess, I’ve flown a
long way to come and see you, so you get your arse down
here right now.”
“I’ve got nothing to say to you.”
“Well, I’ve got plenty to say to you, and I’m not going
home until I do.”
“What do you want?”
“Come downstairs, for Christ’s sake, and I’ll tell you.”
She hangs up the phone before I can argue.
I slam the phone down in a fluster and stare at it for a
few moments.
What the hell?
 I run my hands through my hair and begin to pace as my
nerves go into overdrive. What does she want? I can’t deal
with her right now.
What if she’s been with Spencer this week and she’s
here to brag about it?
I feel sick to my stomach.
The phone rings again and I stare at it before
answering. “Hello?”
“Hello, it’s concierge again. Miss Sheridan wants to
come up to your room.” My eyes widen, and I swallow the
lump in my throat. I guess that would be less of a spectacle.
God knows I’ve had enough of those this last week.
“Miss Preston, is that?”
“No. I’ll come down now.”
I don’t want that witch in my damn room. I despise her.
Another one of his hareem.
I get dressed into a white linen shirt and navy shorts. I
quickly brush my teeth and put my hair back into a
ponytail.
I look so juvenile compared to her glamorous style, but I
clearly wasn’t thinking straight when I packed. I brought
the most ridiculous clothes with me. Somehow, all of my
winter clothes made it into the suitcase and nothing else. I
even had to buy a swimming costume when I arrived. I
guess that happens when you pack at two in the morning,
while crying hysterically like a madwoman and suffering
from a frozen heart.
With one last inhale and look at myself, I make my way
out into the corridor. Anthony is waiting for me, forever my
trusty, loyal companion who has never disappointed me. Of
course, when William turned up last night, so did my
security team.
“I’m going down to meet someone in the foyer,” I say as
I walk past him.
“Who?”
“You don’t want to know.”
 “Who are you meeting?”
“A woman.” And before I can stop myself, I blurt out,
“She’s one of Spencer’s old girlfriends. God knows what
she’s doing here.”
His face falls. “Oh… I…” He shakes his head. “I strongly
advise against it, Charlotte.”
“I’m only talking to her for five minutes.” I sigh. “If it
looks like it isn’t going well, come and get me.”
“Is Spencer with her?”
My eyes widen. I hadn’t thought of that. But he must
have told her where I was.
Damn it, is this an ambush?
Surely he couldn’t be so stupid.
Before I can second-guess my decision to talk to her, we
jump in the lift and travel downstairs. The elevator doors
eventually open and Sheridan comes into view with her
back to me and Anthony. She’s wearing black Capri pants
and a black fitted top.
Still a power outfit, and worse than that, still fucking
amazing.
She turns to face me, and her eyes find mine. Unable to
help it, she tilts her chin in disapproval.
She holds out her hand to me. “My name is Sheridan.”
“I know who you are.” I look at her blankly and walk
past her, through the hotel, towards the bar. I hear her
huffing behind me.
That was so rude of me not to shake her hand, but she
can go to Hell. I hate this woman with a passion.
We get to the terrace and she gestures to a table. “Shall
we sit here?”
“That depends. Are you going to drop to your knees and
try and go down on me to get your own way?”
Her eyes hold mine. “Well, well.” She smirks, and I know
I’ve surprised her. “You don’t have the right equipment for
me to want my own way with you.” She pulls the chair out
and takes a seat.
 “What do you want?” I snap as I sit down.
She smiles and puts her hand up for the waitress, who
immediately comes over. “I’ll have a Martini on the rocks.”
She turns her attention to me. “What do you want?”
“Same. Whatever.” I’m too angry to string two words
together.
“What type of Martini would you like, Miss?” The waiter
asks me.
“I’ll have mine perfect and she’ll have hers dirty.”
Sheridan’s face falls for just a second before she throws
her head back and laughs sharply.
“Oh, that’s a good one. And so fitting. I do actually
prefer a dirty Martini.”
I roll my eyes, unimpressed. “Of course, you do.”
The waiter leaves us in peace, and I glare at her. Her
long dark hair is down, and she has the perfect bone
structure. She really is beautiful. “What do you want?” I
ask.
“I want to talk to you.”
“Why?”
“Because someone that I love is hurting.”
“I bet you’ve been there to mop up his tears.”
She smirks and raises a brow. “I have, actually.”
Our eyes are locked and suddenly we are alone in the
world, the sky is suddenly red with my rage, and she is my
only target. “Of course, you wouldn’t miss the chance to
race in like a knight in shining armour and save the day.”
A cold smile crosses her lips. “I’m more like Lady
Godiva.”
Bitch.
Our drinks arrive, and I take a bit sip of mine. Ugh, I
hate these things. I hate her, too, so I guess the drink is
fitting.
“So, you flew all the way out here to tell me that you
slept with Spencer this week?” I ask.
 “No.” She reaches into her pocket. “I flew all the way
here to give you this.” She holds out her hand and holds up
a memory stick.
I frown as I stare at it. “What is it?”
“Well, while you’ve been over here playing the pathetic
damsel in distress, and Spencer has been at his sickening
pity party for one, someone around here has actually been
using their fucking brain.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Spencer has a PA who needs to be fired, and I was quite
sure she would try and sabotage him at some point. I
wanted to catch her out and protect him.”
I stare at her.
“I put security cameras in his office.”
“What in the hell does this have to do with me?”
“Did you know that Penelope came to him the day before
you saw her with William at dinner. Did you know that she
wanted him to meet her for sex that night?”
“What?”
“Did you know that they argued, and he kicked
‘Stephanie’ out of his office.”
“I don’t understand.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” She sits forward. “Because you’re a
selfish little bitch who won’t even listen to what he has to
say. You’re so caught up in your own fucking agenda that
you can’t see the forest for the trees.”
“Go to Hell. You don’t even know me.”
“I’ll tell you what I do know,” she whispers angrily. “I’ve
watched hours and hours of footage from Spencer’s office
this week, trying to piece together anything that will prove
his innocence.”
My face falls.
“That’s right, sweetie.” She sneers. “I’ve heard his
conversations with you. I’ve seen him defend your honour
to your brother. I watched your arguments over me, and
Hell, worst of all, I’ve watched him fuck you on his desk.”
 My eyes hold hers.
“And I would give anything to have him look at me the
way he looks at you. To hear those three words I’ve so
desperately wanted to hear for ten goddamn years.”
My eyes fill with tears.
“Don’t be a fucking idiot, Charlotte. If you leave him, it
will be the biggest regret of your life.”
I blink quickly, unsure what to say.
“The man I’m in love with is in Santorini as we speak,
waiting for you.”
I drop my chin to my chest as sadness overwhelms me.
“Did you sleep with him?”
“Time to go,” a voice snaps.
We both look up to see Anthony looming over us like a
gorilla.
“Who the hell are you?” Sheridan sneers.
“I’m her bodyguard, and I don’t appreciate you
upsetting her.”
“Oh, just fuck off, you idiot.” She sighs with an eye roll.
“We’re in the middle of something here.”
He looks at me and I nod. “Please go.” He walks off to
the other side of the pool.
Our eyes meet again, and hers are cold, while mine are
full of tears.
“You love him?” she whispers.
I nod. “Yes.”
“If you knew Spencer Jones at all, then you’d know
damn well he wouldn’t have slept with me this week. He’s
in love with you. He’s a proud man, and if you don’t go to
him soon, you won’t ever get the chance again. You’ve hurt
him deeply, Charlotte. Truth is, you may already be too
late.”
“I don’t know how to get past this. Every time I picture
him, I see her.”
She exhales heavily. “I can’t help you with that one. If
Spencer loved me, nothing else on this Earth would
matter.” We stare at each other. “Are you really going to let
Penelope take him from you, for something that happened
four years ago when he had no idea who she was or that
she was even married?”
I stare at her as a clusterfuck of emotions run through
me.
“Fuck the tabloids. Fuck your family. Take what’s yours
and hold onto it with two hands.”
“Is this your motivational speech?”
“This is your ‘wake up to your fucking self and get to
Santorini’ speech.” She drains her glass and stands, and
without another word, Sheridan walks off into the distance.
She flicks her hair over her shoulder, and I watch her
sexy little figure sashay out through the reception area.
I glance down at the memory stick in my hand.
What now?

Spencer
The sea breeze floats over my skin as I watch the
reflection of the moon dance across the water. I’m on
the balcony, high up above the ocean with the most
beautiful view at my fingertips. The fire pit is lit and I
stare back into it.
I can hear the celebrations in the distance. There’s
muffled music and coloured lights sporadically strung
from one property to another on the hill above me.
They all twinkle in the distance. Every so often, a
crowd cheers as they celebrate together.
Their giggles hang in the air with an eerie echo.
It’s New Year’s Eve. It’s December thirty-first. It’s
my birthday.
I’m in Santorini, and I’m very much alone.
She didn’t come.
 And here I am, scrolling through photos of
Charlotte on my phone, remembering the good times.
It’s Heaven and Hell all rolled into one.
Image after image, I see her smiling beautiful face
staring back at me.
It’s almost like I can feel her arms around me. I
remember back to when we first met and the way my
heart began to beat faster whenever she looked at me.
The way my stomach would flutter at her smile…
Her kiss… her perfect kiss.
I exhale heavily and pinch the bridge of my nose.
I’ve had some bad birthdays in my life but this one
takes the biscuit.
I haven’t left the villa all day, convinced if I did
that she would come while I was out. Maybe it’s me.
Maybe I’m destined to have the people I care about
walk away from my life.
My mind goes back to a time when I would be
feeling just like this—alone in my bedroom, waiting
for him to call me on my birthday. Waiting for him to
extend an olive branch, and desperate for the
smallest sign that he did, in fact, love me like my
friends’ fathers loved them.
I drag my hand down my face. This is fucked.
And then the doorbell of the villa rings out.
The doorbell? What?
She’s here.
I stand and run to the front door, opening it in a
rush. But it’s Wyatt who stands before me, not
Charlotte.
“Hi.” I look past him. “Where is she?”
Sympathy flares in his eyes. “Charlotte asked me to
bring you this.” He holds out a sealed cream
envelope. I read my name written on the front in her
fancy handwriting.
 My eyes search his. “Where is she?” I whisper,
pushing it past the lump in my throat.
He shakes his head. “I’m sorry, man, she isn’t here.
She wanted me to hand deliver you this.”
I don’t remember closing the door, getting back to
my place by the fire, or opening the letter.
I hold it in shaky hands.

My beautiful Spencer.
Happy birthday, my darling.
I wish I could be with you today to celebrate.

I frown and close it back up. I can’t do it. I can’t

read this fucking letter. I don’t want this fucking
letter.
I want her.
Somehow, I force myself to read on.

I’m so sorry for the pain you’ve suffered over the last two
weeks.
Please forgive me, my love.
Inflicting this on you is something that I will never recover
from.
We meet people at certain times of our lives for reasons
unknown.
But I know exactly why I met you.
You taught me how to love, and how to be loved in the most
beautiful way.
I cannot thank you enough for all of the times that we have
shared.
However…

“No.” My heart begins to race and I skim ahead on

the letter. “No, Charlotte.” My eyes fill with tears.
“Don’t you fucking do this to me,” I whisper angrily.
“Don’t you dare fucking do this to me.”

No matter how hard I try, I cannot move past your

relationship with Penelope.
It kills me that I can’t be a bigger person, and I can barely
see what I’m writing through my tears right now.
My heart is completely broken, and it will never recover.
It’s not fair for you to be with me when my love for you is
tainted this way.
You deserve better.
Not all love stories have a happy ending, my darling.
Some are beautiful, some are fearsome, and some are
tragic, Our love story is all of those things, I’m letting you
go, Spence.
You will always be the love of my life, the man who taught
me who I really was.
My soul mate and my everything.
Please remember me with love, sweetheart, and with time,
I know you will understand.
Love should never be tainted, especially not one as
beautiful as ours.
I love you.
Dream catch me when I fall.

I screw up the letter and stare at the flames of the

fire.
Dream catch me when I fall.
For some sick fucked up reason I need to hear it. I
need to hear our song one more time. I flick through
Spotify and hit play.
I sit and stare at the fire as the tantric beat of the
song plays all around me, and I listen on as the lyrics
tear open the last pieces of my heart.
She doesn’t love me enough.
 I throw her letter into the flames and watch it
slowly burn as the melody comes to an end.

Dream catch me when I fall.

Or else I won’t come back at all.

I dig in my pocket and take out the engagement

ring that I bought her. All I can do is stare at it.
I had so much hope and so many dreams for us
when I picked it.
Cheers erupt in the distance, and I look up to see
the fireworks going off over the water.
It’s midnight—the end of one year, the beginning
of another. A celebration for most.
The end of the world for me.
I walk to the balcony’s edge, and I stare at the
diamond ring through tears. The lump in my throat is
painful.
Anger surges through me, and I throw the ring as
hard as I can over the cliff.
I watch it bounce from the rocks and disappear
into the night. Emotion overtakes me, and I sob, my
breath quivering with every breath I suck in.
“Happy New Year. Happy fucking New Year.”
 26

Charlotte

Fourteen hours earlier

I LOOK up at the board and I read the dreaded words.

Flight delayed.

“No.” I turn to Anthony. “It’s delayed.”

“Fuck.”
“Find us another flight, please,” I say as I begin to panic.
“Why did I send that damn letter with Wyatt?” I whisper
angrily. “What on earth was I thinking?”
“Please try and call Wyatt again. He can’t deliver it. He
just can’t.”
“He’s in the air, he has no service.” Anthony shakes his
head, silently saying I told you this ten times already before
he disappears to the front desk to try and organise flights.
I drop to my seat with my head in my hands. I get a
vision of my beautiful Spencer alone on his birthday
waiting for me.
Why the hell did I take so long to get my shit together?
 What the hell is wrong with me?
I don’t have my phone because I threw my SIM in the
water during my delusional tantrum. Anthony’s phone isn’t
working here as we are in another country, so I can only
call Spencer from a payphone.
I’ve been trying for an hour but he’s not picking up.
Presumably because he doesn’t know the number.
Anthony reappears, his face solemn.
“Any luck?” I ask.
“I can get us on a flight in another hour and a half.”
“Oh, great, do that.”
“But it has another stopover, so it will actually get us to
Santorini later than the original one.”
“Oh my God. I’ve ruined everything,” I whisper in a
panic. “It’s his birthday today.”
“It’s only early morning there. We’ll make it.”
“We won’t get there in time. You know we won’t.”
Anthony exhales heavily, and I know that’s his way of
agreeing with me.
“Call my father. Send the jet. I need his plane urgently.”
“By the time it fuels up and gets here, the flight we’re on
will be quicker.”
“Why the hell are they delaying all the flights?”
He puts his arm around me. “Just calm down. We have
three hours until we board and then a fourteen-hour flight.
You’ll have a heart attack before you get there at this rate.”
“This is a nightmare. No wonder people complain about
flying commercial. I had no idea the delays were so bad.”
He smirks as he watches the flight board, and I know I
just sounded like a complete spoiled brat. “I think you need
a drink.” He sighs.
“No, what I need is to try and call Spencer again.” I
march over to the public phones and get in line. This is all
my fault.
Please pick up the phone, Spence. Please pick up.
Nineteen hours later
The cab pulls into the driveway, and a heavy sense of dread
rests on my shoulders as I stare at the darkened villa.
I missed his birthday. Wyatt was still in the air when we
boarded, so I couldn’t tell him not to give him the letter.
When I wrote it and sent Wyatt before Sheridan came to
me, I thought I was doing the right thing by setting him
free—giving him closure to start the New Year fresh.
In hindsight, I was just so hurt at his past that I couldn’t
think clearly, and I will never forgive myself for putting him
through that.
I squeeze Anthony’s hand. “Wish me luck,” I whisper.
He gives me a lopsided smile. “Good luck.”
We get out of the car and I walk up to the front door. I
turn the handle and realise it’s open. He’s here.
“Stay out here, please,” I whisper.
“I don’t thi—”
“Stay here,” I cut him off.
I walk through the villa. The small lamps are on, but the
main lights are off. It’s just as I remembered it, only a lot
sadder this time. He must be asleep. I walk into the
bedroom but the bed is empty, still made. He hasn’t been to
bed yet but his bags and things are here. I check the other
bedrooms and then walk out into the living area.
He’s on the balcony. My heart begins to race as I make
my way out there. It’s 4:40 a.m. local time, and the sky is
just starting to brighten.
It’s eerily quiet. The fire pit has glowing red embers as
the last of the fire dies out, and a bottle of scotch is empty
on the table.
Spencer’s not here.
I walk over to the balcony rail and look down at the view
over the cliff. All I can see is darkness as the sea breeze
whips my hair around. For a long time, I stand and peer
over the cliff.
I get a vision of him spending his birthday alone, and my
heart hurts.
Wyatt.
I hope he’s with Wyatt. Yes. My hope returns. Hopefully
Wyatt and him went out.
I hope they painted the town red.
I’m exhausted, so maybe I’ll just go to bed. He’ll be back
soon, I try to comfort myself.
Yes, shower and bed.
I turn to walk inside, and I stop dead in my tracks.
Spencer is sitting in the dark up against the wall, his
cold eyes fixed firmly on me.
He has a glass of scotch in his hand.
“Spence,” I whisper.
He glares at me as he sips his drink.
“Spencer.” I smile hopefully. “I’m here, baby. I’m sorry.”
“Get out.” He sneers.
My face falls. “What?”
“I said get the fuck out.” His voice is gravely and
distorted. He’s really drunk.
I step back, affronted by his tone. “I understand why
you’re angry,” I whisper through tears.
He sips his drink, the look on his face murderous.
“Spence, we can work through this,” I whisper.
He sips his drink again but remains silent.
“I love you.”
“Don’t!” he snaps. “Don’t. Don’t you dare fucking say
that to me.”
“It’s true.”
He steps forward and leans in so that his face is only an
inch away from mine.
“Get out of my fucking face,” he growls.
Fear runs through me. I’ve never seen him like this.
“Spencer.”
 “Get out!” he screams at the top of his voice.
My eyes fill with tears.
I go to wrap my arms around him, but he pulls away.
“Don’t fucking touch me.” He throws his glass at the
wall and it smashes into a thousand pieces.
I put my hands on my head in shock.
From my peripheral vision, I see Anthony sneaking
around inside, watching… waiting to see what happens.
Spencer is too drunk and way too furious.
“When you’re feeling better, we need to talk please,” I
whisper through tears.
“I’ve got nothing to fucking say to you.” He storms
inside and trips on the step, nearly falling over. Thankfully,
he doesn’t see Anthony, and he disappears into his
bedroom. The door slams hard.
I close my eyes as my heart races wildly.
What the hell was that?
Adrenaline is coursing through my body and Anthony
comes out. “You can go,” I tell him, embarrassed by what
he just saw.
“I’m not leaving you here with him in that state.”
I sit down at the fire pit and stare at the red embers. The
sun is coming over the horizon now. I pick up a blanket and
wrap it around me. It’s cold and chilly… just like my
welcome.
How hurt must he be to be acting like that? That is as
far from his personality as he could possibly be.
What have I done?
For half an hour, I stare at the fire, my mind in
overdrive. Eventually, as exhaustion begins to take over, I
can’t fight my eyelids any longer. I go inside to the bedroom
to find Spencer naked and fast asleep on his back.
I walk back out to Anthony who is on the sofa. “He’s
asleep. You can go sleep in the spare room at the end of the
hall. I’ll sleep in the other one.”
“You sure?” He frowns.
 I nod and take his hand. “Thank you for looking after me
so well.”
He smiles sadly and then smirks as if remembering
something. “Where the fuck is Wyatt?”
“Hopefully he’s having more fun than we are.”
He chuckles. “This is one fucked up New Year’s Eve.”
I smile. “Right?”
He gets up and walks in to check on Spencer before he
walks around and locks everything up.
“Goodnight, Charlotte,” he says.
“Goodnight.” I sit for a long time and watch the sun
slowly rise through the windows. It’s like the world has
gone into slow motion, and I know more than anything that
I need to make this right. I walk into Spencer’s bedroom
and take a long hot shower. Once clean and naked, I crawl
into bed beside him.
He smells like he’s tipped a bottle of scotch over his
body. I could get drunk from the fumes alone, but I don’t
care. I wrap my arm around him and put my head on his
shoulder, throwing my top leg over his. I gently kiss his
chest, and with the familiarity of his warm body up against
mine, I drift into an exhausted slumber.

I wake to the light beaming through the window. My eyes

flutter to fight against it.
Spencer is still fast asleep, flat on his back, and I roll
onto my side to watch him.
His large arms are up behind his head. My eyes drop
down over his broad chest and rippled stomach, and then
lower down over the well-kept pubic hair onto my favourite
body part of his.
His cock is standing to attention up against his stomach.
It’s big, beautiful, and ready to fuck. I smile at the sight of
it. Even in deep sleep he is the perfect specimen.
Unable to help it, I kiss his chest, and then his bicep as
my fingers trail down his abdomen and keep moving lower.
I feel my arousal creep in as my fingers run through his
pubic hair.
God, he’s beautiful. I’ve missed him so much.
My fingers wrap around his thick length, and his lips
part as he sleeps. “Oh, I could make you feel so good,
baby,” I whisper to myself.
I stroke him, and he inhales and spreads his legs as if
granting me permission. I stroke him again and pre-
ejaculate beads on the end of his head. “Do you need me,
baby?” I murmur against his chest. “Because I need you.”
His legs spread wider and I begin to feel my pulse
between my own legs. It’s been a long time since we
touched each other. I felt like a part of me was missing. I
slowly kiss down his abdomen and over his hip bones. I kiss
his cock, and it flexes under my lips. I smile as I lick up the
thick length of it.
He moans as he stirs, his knees parting and falling to the
mattress.
Oh, I need him. I know he’s angry with me, but what a
great way to make up. I take him into my mouth and my
tongue swirls around the tip. He inhales sharply in his
sleep, and I smile around him.
“You like that, baby?” I take him deeper and deeper,
building a rhythm, and my mouth becomes flooded with
pre-ejaculate.
I begin to lose control and take him deeper, when he
suddenly jumps awake with a start.
His eyes meet mine and I stop what I’m doing, waiting
for his reaction.
Is he going to push me away?
I smile softly around his cock, and he clenches his jaw as
he watches me, his hands still above his head.
 Okay, he didn’t push me away. I’ll keep going. I take him
deeper, and my hand begins to stroke him as it follows my
lips.
He inhales sharply, and I can tell he’s close. I can feel
his cock quivering under my tongue.
“I missed you,” I whisper around him.
His dark eyes hold mine. I begin to flick my tongue over
the end of him, something I know forces him to either come
or fuck. He has nowhere to go when I do this. He can’t
hide.
His body convulses. He grabs two handfuls of my hair to
hold me in place and he begins to fuck my mouth with deep
pumps. I gag at how rough he’s being and pull off him.
Saliva streams from my lips to his cock.
“Fuck.” He moans at the sight of it. “Fucking hell.”
Before I know what’s happening, he flips me and has me
pinned to my back, my legs spread wide.
His dark eyes hold mine as he slides in deep with one
hard thrust.
My body convulses, and he pulls out only to slam back
into me even harder. “Ouch, Spence,” I whisper. “Be
careful.”
He flips me onto my knees. “Famous last words,” he
growls as he slaps me hard on the behind and slams in
deep, driving me into the mattress.
Oh shit!
He has a handful of my hair in one hand, while the other
is holding my shoulder as he slams my body back onto his.
I can feel him so deep inside of me, and he’s so thick.
He’s getting faster and faster, and, oh God, I can’t deal with
how rough he’s being. But damn, I need this. The sound of
our skin slapping together is echoing around the room.
“Spence,” I moan as the air is knocked from me. “Oh
God.”
He grabs my shoulder and pushes me down to the
mattress. His cock reaches a new, deeper place. A guttural
moan leaves my body, and he slaps me on the behind again.
“Take it.” He hisses. “Take it.”
I clench and scream into the pillow as I see stars, my
body thumping as an orgasm tears through me. He keeps
working me at such a fast pace. I can only grip the sheets
beneath me and feel the stretching burn of his possession.
He holds himself deep and throws his head back, and I feel
the jerk of his cock deep inside of me.
But instead of the tender strokes he usually empties
himself with, this time is different. He continues to fuck me
hard, banging pumps, as if my body is only a tool that he’s
using to empty his pleasure into.
There is no emotion in his touch.
It’s as cold as ice.
With each hit, my tears form. This is foreign to me—so
different to how we usually make love.
It’s like he’s a stranger.
He slaps me on the behind once more, and then he pulls
out. Without a word, he gets up and walks into the
bathroom, slamming the door behind him.
I lie in shock, my body still quivering from the orgasm I
just had. My breathing is ragged as I gasp for air.
Dear God, what the hell was that?
I roll over onto my back and stare at the ceiling through
my blurred vision.
Fuck this.
I get up and storm into the bathroom. He’s in the
shower, soaping up.
“What the hell was that?” I demand.
He glares at me. “I’d like to fucking know, too.”
I scowl in confusion. “What do you mean? You just
fucked me like you don’t even know me.”
“That’s because I don’t fucking know you.”
My face falls. “Spence.”
“You’re too late,” he barks, and my heart drops. He’s so
hurt.
 “Baby.” I step under the water and wrap my arms
around him. “I love you. I’m so sorry. I had to work this out
by myself, and it took longer than I thought it would. I
couldn’t get a flight, and then I spent all day calling you.
Why didn’t you answer your damn phone?” I blurt out.
He stands rigid, his hands down by his sides.
My eyes search his and I cup his cheeks. “Can we talk
and work this out together?”
“The time for talking was last week, Charlotte. You’ve
put me though fucking Hell.”
“I know,” I whisper. “I’ve been to Hell and back myself.”
He gets out of the shower in a rush. “I don’t want to
fucking see you.”
“Don’t say that,” I plead as I reach for him. “I missed
you.”
He stares at me.
I stand on my tiptoes and softly kiss his lips. I take his
arms and wrap them around me. “I love you, Spencer
Jones. I’m going to spend the rest of my life making this up
to you.”
“How could you do this to me?” he asks quietly, his voice
breaking. “I didn’t know she was married. I swore that to
you.”
“I know.” My eyes fill with tears. “You have no idea how
hard this has been on me, Spence. I’m so devastated at how
things turned out.”
“You think I fucking liked it?” he cries.
“I know that, too. I don’t know how to get over this, but I
do know that I can’t live without you. I tried and I
couldn’t.”
He stares at me.
“Let me stay, spend the week with you, and we will try
and…” I pause as I articulate my feelings. “We’ll try and
work through this together.”
“No.”
 “No pressure to get back together. I just need time with
you,” I plead, and I try to pull us back under the water.
He frowns, as if remembering something.
“What?” I ask.
“I think I threw your engagement ring over the cliff.”
“What?” I frown. “You had an engagement ring?” My
heart freefalls from my chest as I imagine him waiting with
it and my eyes fill with tears. “Oh my God, Spence, I’ve
ruined everything.”
“Yes. You did. In spectacular fashion.”
I feel a tiny bit of his resistance begin to cave, and I lean
up and kiss him softly. Our lips linger over each other’s and
my tongue gently slips through his open mouth.
“I love you so much,” I breathe.
Our kiss deepens, and I feel the emotion run back
through us like a lifeline.
“Spence.” The bathroom door opens, and Julian comes
into view. His face falls when he sees me.
“What the fuck, Masters?” Spence yells.
“Oh, shit.” He turns his back immediately, although too
late. He’s already seen everything. “Sorry.” He winces. “I
thought you were alone.” He hunches his shoulders as if
excited. “Hi, Charlotte.”
I smile as I look up at my beautiful man and cup his face.
“Hi, Jules.”
“I was just coming to see if you… well, both of you now,
wanted to come to the beach. But I can see you’re busy.”
Spencer’s eyes hold mine. “We’ll meet you there.”
I can’t stop kissing him, even though Julian is still in the
room.
“Although Charlotte may be in a body bag by the time
I’ve finished with her,” Spencer adds dryly.
Julian chuckles. “Okay, well, just make sure that her
bodyguards don’t see you kill her. I’m not sure I could get
you off that one, and you’re way too pretty to go to prison.”
 I smile softly, and in that moment, I know it’s going to be
okay.
We are going to make it through this together. His
friends, my friends, and our families combined will make it
work… whatever it takes.
“See you later,” Julian says as he walks out.
I frown, confused. “Where’s Julian staying?”
“He, Bree, and the kids are three doors up, and Seb is in
town. They wouldn’t let me come alone in case you didn’t
show up.”
“Why weren’t they with you yesterday?”
“I wanted to be alone. I was waiting for you.”
I stare up at the beautiful man in front of me. “Can you
ask me to marry you now?”
“No.” He kisses my lips.
My face falls, and I think for a moment. “Fine. Then
Spencer Jones… will you marry me?”
“Again, no.”
“Spencer,” I whine. “You’re supposed to say yes.”
“And you were supposed to stay by my side when things
got rough.”
My heart drops. I hate that I let him down.
“I will now. I promise.” I pause and smile. “Do you know
what this is, Spence? It’s a new beginning for us.”
He exhales heavily and hangs his head. “The last two
weeks…” His voice trails off.
I stare into his big blue eyes, and the hurt in them
breaks my heart wide open. “Baby,” I whisper. He wraps his
arms around me and holds me tight. We stay in each
other’s arms for a long time and it’s like the longer our
bodies touch skin to skin, the more I can feel the emotions
run between us.
“Let’s go back to bed,” I suggest quietly.
He nods, and we step out of the shower. I dry us both
off, and then he leads us into the bedroom. I lie down
beside him.
 “I love you, Spence.”
His eyes close as if hearing me say that pains him, and
then he kisses me. He really kisses me with his heart on his
sleeve and without holding back.
It’s long and slow and deep and everything I’ve missed
about us.
He rises above me and slowly slides in deep. Our mouths
fall open in the overwhelming pleasure of each other’s
bodies. I’ve missed this. I’ve missed him.
“I love you.”
His eyes search mine.
“Spence…?”
“I love you too, angel.”
Our lips crash and we cling to each other as tight as we
can as we try desperately to banish the fear of losing one
another ever again. I don’t know what kind of Hell we’ve
just been through, but now I can see a glimmer of light at
the end of the dark tunnel.
If we hold each other tight enough, we might just make
it through.

“Are you ready to do this?” I ask him.

Spencer shrugs, and I take his hand in mine. We’ve just
landed at Heathrow Airport and we’re just about to walk
out into the arrivals lounge. I already know that the
paparazzi are waiting for us. Security have called the boys
to let them know, so I take my mother’s ring off my right
hand and slip it onto my wedding finger.
“What are you doing?” He frowns.
“Giving them something to talk about. If they think
we’re already married, they won’t notice when we do
actually get engaged. And besides, from now on I plan on
giving them as much bogus material to publish as possible.
I want the world to know that they can’t trust what they
read in this trash.”
He rolls his eyes. “We’re not getting engaged, Charlotte.
That ship well and truly sailed when I threw a quarter of a
million pounds over a fucking cliff.”
I smile up at him. Anthony, Wyatt and I searched that
damn cliff for two days looking for my ring… with no such
luck. Spencer wouldn’t help us, of course. He stayed on the
deck by the pool drinking cocktails. He said that the ring
was bad luck and a sign that he should never get married. I
plan on proving him wrong if it’s the last thing that I ever
do.
“Have you got a ring you can put on your ring finger?” I
ask.
He looks at me, deadpan. “No, because I’m not getting
married.”
We’ve had a good week in Santorini—a wonderful week
—and even though I know he’s still holding a grudge
against me, we’re together, we still love each other, and
every day we get a little bit closer to where we used to be. I
really messed things up between us, and every time he tells
me we are never getting married, I silently freak out.
“Okay.”
“I fucking mean it,” he whispers as we come into view of
the photographers.
“Charlotte!” the photographers all cry. “Over here, over
here.” I smile at the cameras as I grip Spencer’s hand with
my right hand and wave with my left. He keeps his head
down and concentrates on moving us forward.
“The car is out the front,” Wyatt says as he ushers us
forward towards the doors.
“She’s wearing a ring!” someone calls out, and they all
push forward.
“Charlotte, did you marry Spencer Jones? What does
your father think about this? What about William? Have you
seen your lover Penelope Prescott, Spencer? Were you on
your honeymoon?”
The black Mercedes wagon comes into view, and pulls
up by the kerb. Spencer opens the door, and then hesitates
when he sees my father and Edward already in the car.
“Get in,” I urge as the cameras are clicking away.
Spencer gets in and slams the door shut, and I hold my
breath. The car pulls away to escape the madness.
“Hello, Spencer,” Edward says.
“Fuck off,” Spencer mutters. “Drop me home now.”
Edward and my father exchange looks. “We want to talk
to you.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve got nothing to say.” He keeps his eyes
cast out the window.
I take Spencer’s hand in mine, resting it in my lap, and I
remain silent.
“We need your help,” my father says.
Spencer’s eyes rise to theirs and he smirks. “You’ve
made it quite clear where you and I stand. Don’t come to
me when you need help to get rid of her.” He shakes his
head in disgust. “I won’t be used.”
I grip his hand tightly.
“Charlotte, talk some sense to him,” Edward says.
“No. I won’t, and he’s completely right. Leave us alone.
I’m telling you right now that if you don’t accept Spencer
into our family, you will not see me, either.”
They both glare at me.
“Spencer and I are getting married. Whether you come
to our wedding or not is up to you.”
Edward clenches his jaw.
The car pulls up at Spencer’s building, and he gets out
in a rush. My father and Edward jump out behind me.
“What are you doing?” my father asks.
“I’m going home, Dad.”
“Your home is Nottingham.”
 “My home is with Spencer. Wherever he is is home to
me.”
Tenderness fills Spencer’s eyes as he watches on, not
saying a word.
“Now, if you would both like to come to London next
weekend and have dinner with us then that would be great.
If not, I’ll see you around.” I rise up to kiss Spencer, and I
take his hand in mine.
Edward inhales deeply, clearly trying to hold his tongue.
My father smirks and glances between us. He knows
that this is it. I won’t back down again.
“Dinner would be lovely, darling. See you both next
weekend. I’ll look forward to it.” He kisses my cheek, and
he holds his hand out to shake Spencer’s. For a moment,
Spencer just stares at him. I hold my breath as I watch on.
There’s so much history, so much heartache…
Please just shake his hand.
Eventually, good manners prevail, and Spencer gives in
and shakes his hand.
“Look after her,” my father whispers.
Spencer gives him a curt nod and turns, leading me into
the building. We get into the lift and the doors shut behind
us.
I smile at the beautiful man in front of me, grateful that
he is willing to move on from all of this.
“I love you,” I whisper.
He wraps his arms around me. “You can show me how
much in a minute.”
I giggle. “Swoony Spencer Jones at his romantic best.”
He gives me a sexy wink and we kiss as the elevator
takes us higher and higher.
It doesn’t matter what happens from here because I
know everything is going to be okay.
He loves me and I love him.
He is my everything.
THE END.
 EPILOGUE

Spencer
T WO YEARS later Beyoncé’s voice pours out the lyrics to
“Naughty Girl.”
I stand on the side of the dance floor with Masters
and Seb as we watch the girls. Bree, Beth, and
Charlotte are solid friends now. They laugh and giggle
at a private joke as they dance. Charlotte’s business is
booming. She now has six lawyers working for her,
and they just won an award for best charity of the
year. Sarah and Paul are still there for Charlotte’s
moral support, supplying her with plenty of laughs.
Apparently Hot Dick City is a real place. Who
knew?
Life is good. We still live in my apartment in
London. We’re also still madly in love and nothing
much has changed. Actually, nothing has changed.
Things between us have only gone from strength to
strength.
Charlotte got a grey and white kitten and we called
him Greyson. That cat is the most adored thing on
Earth and he runs rings around the both of us. He
rules our apartment.
 I testified in a private court hearing against
Penelope twelve months ago, and William and her
now share custody of Harrison. Strangely enough,
Edward and I now get along well. He’s not a bad bloke
underneath all the power tripping bullshit he has
going on. Harold is insisting on teaching me parts of
the business so that I could help Edward if anything
were to ever happen to him.
William and I are… complicated. He’s a great guy,
and I respect him immensely, but he will never forgive
me and I don’t blame him after what he walked in on.
It’s a guilt I have had to learn to live with. We are
amicable, and I know he’s happy that Charlotte is
happy, but that’s about it. He lives in London now and
Charlotte sees him regularly. I see him at family
events only.
I watch Charlotte’s sexy little arse move to the
music, and arousal sweeps over me.
This woman, this beautiful woman came into my
life and changed everything about who I thought I
was. I smile softly as I watch her laugh with her
friends.
She’s perfect. Inside and out.
“Is Charlotte still on your case about getting
married?” Masters asks.
“She hasn’t mentioned it for a while. Hopefully
she’s given up.”
“You’re fucking mad.” Seb scoffs in disgust.
I roll my eyes and sip my beer.
“Every time you’re in a room with her, you watch
her like an awestruck little schoolboy.”
“Yeah, well, we know what happened last time I
tried to propose. Getting married is fucking bad luck
for me.”
“Bullshit.” Masters huffs. “You’re just scared.”
 I sigh and continue to watch my angel’s behind.
I’m going to fuck that beautiful ass tonight.
“How much did you pay for that ring you threw off
the cliff like a madman?” Masters frowns.
“Way too much.” I smirk. I was going mad that
night, without a doubt.
“You know she wants a baby,” Masters says
casually as he sips his beer.
“What?”
“I heard her tell Bree the other day when they were
in my kitchen. She was holding Henry and she said
that she would love a baby.”
I frown. “She’s not mentioned anything to me.”
Fear swirls in my stomach. The thought of changing
the dynamics between us terrifies the fuck out of me.
“Why would she?” Seb snaps. “You won’t even
fucking marry her.”
“You know why I won’t marry her. It has nothing to
do with how I feel about her.”
“Does she know that?”
“She does know that.”
I watch her dance as my stomach clenches.
Marriage and babies… with Charlotte.
My biggest dream.
My greatest fear.
My true destiny?

Charlotte

Six weeks later

I wake to the feeling of Spencer curled around me from
behind, and I turn my head as he kisses my temple.
“Good morning, Mr Spencer.”
 I feel him smile against my skin. “Good morning, Miss
Prescott.”
“It’s Saturday.” I smile sleepily.
He pulls me closer to his body and I feel his erection up
against my hip. “My favourite day of the week. I get you all
to myself.” His lips drop to my neck.
I look around the room. “Where’s Greyson?”
“Hmm. Who cares? Probably ripping up the sofa
downstairs.”
I giggle.
We hear his little bell, and then something smashes
downstairs. “Fucking cat,” Spencer mutters under his
breath.
I laugh and climb out of bed. I throw my robe on and go
downstairs to investigate. A pot plant has been tipped over
and there is dirt everywhere.
“What are you doing?” I whisper to the naughty kitten
as he rubs against my legs as if proud of himself.
“Greyson,” I sigh, assessing the damage. Spencer
pretends to hate our cat, but I know he secretly loves him.
Every time I come in they are snuggled up together on the
sofa. I clean up the dirt, make us both a cup of coffee and
then head upstairs. I walk into my room to find Spencer in
the bathroom at the sink. I place the coffees down on the
bedside and walk in to put my arms around him. I glance
down his body in the reflection of the mirror, and I see he
has an erection.
The man always has an erection.
I smile and reach around to stroke him, and I feel
something. “What’s that?”
He turns to me and I look down. He has a red ribbon
tied in a bow around his hard dick. “What in the world?” I
laugh, this man kills me.
He smirks, with that mischievous look that he does so
well. “You better unwrap your present.”
 I giggle and bend to take him into my mouth. I begin to
untie the bow when I notice a ring on the ribbon.
I frown as I stare at it. It’s a huge solitaire diamond
sitting on a rose gold band. My eyes meet his.
“Marry me.”
“W-hat?” I breathe.
“Marry me, Charlotte.” He smiles.
“You tied my engagement ring to your dick and asked
me to marry you with your dick in my mouth? Spencer
Jones!”
“It was either tied to that or to your butt plug.” He
shrugs casually. “And I wanted a story to tell our
grandkids.”
I laugh out loud as he pulls me to my feet. “You are the
craziest man I know.”
Our lips meet in a kiss. “Marry me, angel.”
Our foreheads touch. “That depends…”
“On what?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” I stroke his dick and widen my eyes.
“Things.”
His eyes dance with delight, and he grabs me roughly
and slides the ring onto my finger. “I’m asking one more
time before I fuck you unconscious. Will you marry me,
Charlotte Prescott?”
I kiss his lips with a huge smile. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Now answer the damn question.”
“Yes, I’ll marry you.” I grin.
We smile broadly at each other; this proposal is just so
Spencer.
“Good. Now get on your knees and finish what you
started.”

Five years later

It’s 11:00 p.m. and I’m watching my beautiful man walking
around the living room with our daughter in his arms as he
tries to console her. Amelia is eighteen months old,
teething, and in a world of pain.
“It’s okay, baby. It’s okay, daddy’s here.”
If you thought Spencer Jones was swoony before, you
should see him with a daughter. He worships the ground
she walks upon.
I’m heavily pregnant with our second child, sprawled on
the sofa, defeated by exhaustion. It’s been a long week.
This teething thing is tough. We’ve had no more than
three hours sleep on any given night… and it’s about to get
tougher.
“Babe,” I whisper.
“Yeah, angel.” He sits down on the couch at my feet.
“Look how tired mummy is,” he says to Amelia as he rubs
my feet.
“I’m having contractions.”
His face falls. “What?”
I nod.
“Now?”
“Uh-huh.”
He looks at me, deadpan, and he rushes to sit on the
floor beside me, watching me for a moment.
“Lie to me,” he whispers. “Give me something to hang
onto here.”
I smile softly. It’s such a Spencer thing to say. I reach up
and run my fingers through his stubble. “We are on a yacht,
sailing around the Caribbean.”
He smirks. “Yes.”
“And I’m wearing nothing but a gold string bikini.”
He leans forward and runs his fingers through my hair.
“God, this sounds so good.”
“We’ve been having crazy sex all day,” I whisper.
“Yeah I like it. What am I doing now?”
“Sleeping uninterrupted.”
 He smiles and then bursts out laughing. “You’re right;
sleep is my ultimate fantasy at the moment.”
Amelia struggles in his hold and breaks out crying again.
He scoops her up into his arms. “Come on, baby, we’ve got
to take mummy to the hospital. You can have a sleepover at
Grandma’s.” He begins to take her upstairs to get her
ready.
“Spence!” I call.
He turns back to look at me.
“One day, we’ll go to the Caribbean just so you can have
your fantasy. I promise.”
He walks back over to me and kisses me softly, his hand
resting tenderly on my huge stomach.
“Every day with you is my fantasy, angel. Every single
day.”