The Pact (Winslow Brothers 2)

The way his big hands felt on my body.

The multitude of bad and dirty things he said into my ear.

How insanely good his cock felt inside me.

How deep he was inside me.

Holy hot-sex-sundae-with-a-cherry-on-top.

When a persistent throb tries to set up shop between my thighs, I shift in my seat and cross my bare legs beneath my black pencil skirt. It doesn’t do shit to curb the confusing discomfort, and it definitely doesn’t stop the warmth that spreads across my cheeks or the fact that I dig my teeth into my bottom lip so hard, I almost draw blood.

Holy hell, what am I doing?

Oh, you know, just fantasizing about having sex with your husband whom you barely know and married on a whim because you’re a desperate illegal alien in the eyes of United States law…

“Ugh. Stop trying to have a mental spiral, Dais. Now is not the time,” I quietly coach myself and run a frustrated hand down my face. “Just finish filling out the damn application.”

No matter how uncomfortable this whole ordeal is, I need to finish this application. My job, my life, it all depends on it. Also, you know, it’s imperative to avoid deportation.

My brain wants to fixate on that last word, the scary D-word that I’m refusing to give any merit to, but I shake it off and put my eyes back on the screen.

Part 3: Additional Information About You

A little bit of work history. Education history. Current and past addresses. It’s all easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy and done a few minutes later.

Part 4: Information About Your Parents

Well, hell. If only I knew who my biological parents even were…

Growing up in the Canadian foster system and not finding a permanent living situation and guardian until I was fifteen have made answering these questions impossible. I don’t know anything about my parents—who they were, if they’re still alive, where they live, why they put me up for adoption.

All I know is that I started in the foster system at birth, and while I did stay with a family for the first two years of my life, I mostly jumped around from foster home to foster home until Gwen took me under her wing as a teenager.

And to be honest, I don’t have a desire to find my biological parents. I know a lot of people might feel strongly about this, but to me, it’s not something I want to do or feel that I have to do.

I am the reason I am who I am today, and any information about my absentee biological parents isn’t going to change any of that.

“Uh oh, someone has a very serious look on their face.”

I pull my eyes away from the screen of my laptop to find Damien standing in front of my desk. He searches my face closely, tilts his head to the side, and opens his mouth again before I can find a reason for my studious expression that doesn’t revolve around the sad truth—letting my work visa lapse and putting my career at risk.

“What’s wrong?” he questions and starts to walk around my desk so he can take a gander at what has me looking so “serious.”

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Quickly, I tap my fingers against the track pad to minimize the application that sits front and center. The very last thing I need right now is my boss finding out that not only did I fuck up my visa, but I impulsively married an American in Vegas just so I could un-fuck it up.

“N-nothing,” I answer as he comes to stand beside my chair and places a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Everything is just fine and dandy.”

Just fine and dandy? Goodness.

“What’s that?” Damien quirks his brow, and his eyes home in on my computer.

“Uh…” My words fumble over my tongue as he takes a closer look, and a hummingbird’s wing is now my heart as I dart my eyes back to my laptop screen.

“Are those the staging plans for the Laurel Canyon bungalow?”

The staging plans for the Laurel Canyon bungalow EllisGrey will be listing soon are, in fact, what is front and center. Oh, thank hell.

“Oh…uh, yeah,” I respond and swallow past the uncomfortable knot my thumping heart has pushed up into my throat. “I…um…I just finished those up this morning.”

Technically, I finished them up before I left for Vegas, but he doesn’t need to know that. It’s better for everyone if he thinks I’ve spent my workday doing, you know, work.

“Daisy?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you okay? You look like one of those buildings on TV when they televise their demolition. All sad and tired because everyone knows the big bang that’s coming.” His eyes are back on me now, and I discreetly suck some much-needed oxygen into my lungs.

Damien Ellis is one of the best bosses on the planet. Kind, hilarious, understanding, and sympathetic to his employees’ struggles, he’s the kind of man you want to work for. The kind of man who inspires and motivates you to be the best you can be. The kind of man who encourages you, challenges you, and helps you evolve in your career.