Chapter One
VALENTINES IN FOXTOWN .
Tassy told herself this was good progress, never mind if she had needed a good 20 minutes just to come up with the title of her report.
Progress was progress, period.
3 words down, 997 to go, but who was counting? She was only forty minutes into her two-hour layover in Dallas, and that was usually more than enough time for her to finish writing, editing, and proofreading her report.
Usually being the operative word, but after everything that happened...
Maybe she should just quit?
Wasn't it a sign for her to move on when the things she normally found easy...now seemed impossible to accomplish? Even her own body didn't feel right; half of her struggled with lethargy while the other half of her battled against jittery, high-strung nerves.
Surely all of these had to mean something?
Anything?
Tassy fell back against her chair with a sigh, but even though its plush leather cradled her with the kind of comfort that was almost nurturing, it still wasn't enough to completely eliminate the tension coiling through her body.
Every embarrassing moment of yesterday's... incident... was still agonizingly imprinted on her mind. Tassy only had to close her eyes, and everything would come back to her in a flash.
The way everyone struggled but failed to hide their pity—-
And how the whole place would suddenly go quiet wherever she showed up—-
But the worst thing of all was how everyone seemed to be just waiting and expecting for her to...just give up and leave.
So what now?
Is that what I should do, God?
Is that what you want me to do?
Her workplace might have been like a second home, but she couldn't pretend not to see the writing on the wall.
Poor, poor Tassy.
That was how everyone thought of her now, and she had a feeling it was how things would always be.
Tassy pulled her legs up and tucked her knees inside her oversized sweater, but it still wasn't enough to keep her warm. Her skin prickled with goosebumps that had nothing to do with the temperature. With the cold bite of fear coming from within, there was obviously nothing she could do to ward it off from the outside.
Tassy opened a blank document on her iPad and forced herself to start typing.
Letter of Resignation
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard as she stared at those three words. Quitting her job was the logical thing to do. One of them had to go, but since Tassy highly doubted such a notion would even occur to Xylan...
It's going to be fine, Tassy tried to convince herself. Change was the only constant thing in the world, and it was something to be embraced.
Right?
The soft whir of the lounge's air conditioning was a sound Tassy usually found relaxing, but all it did this time was twist her heart in agony. The A/Cs in her workplace made a similar hum, and the thought of not hearing it again suddenly felt foolishly unbearable.
Oh, man.
I'm really going to miss working there.
Is there no other way out of this mess?
Tassy loved everything about her job, and she loved everyone at the office.
Well, mostly everyone, but still.
Tassy hated having to think of how her resignation would look when she had just been promoted. It would reflect badly on Samantha, to say the least, and make her department VP seem incapable of determining the right person for the job.
Tassy wanted to think there was a way for her to make it up to the older woman, but... what if there was none, and that was just pride and wishful thinking on her part?
Doubts and fears warred inside of Tassy as she continued typing, and she could practically see her best friend Stella shaking her head in loving reproof. Her fingers trembled against the keys, betraying the turmoil beneath her composed exterior.
Pray, Tas.
It's supposed to be our first resort, not our last.
So pray .
Stella had been telling her that countless times over the years, and since Tassy did mean it about taking her faith seriously...
Tassy sent her iPad to sleep before slipping it back into its keyboard folio, and her short dark hair fell forward as she bowed her head.
Hello, God.
Praying like this suddenly seemed too intimate, and it made her feel terribly vulnerable and exposed.
I'm sorry if I'm doing this wrong.
I'm still not sure how this works.
Stella keeps saying you're 'our' Father in Heaven, but I don't really know much about dads...which, of course, you already know since you know everything.
...
I just really don't know how to do this, God.
All I know is that my life has changed, and I don't know what I should do next.
Or what you want me to do next.
But I do remember Stella telling me that it's okay to ask for a sign, so...
When I open my eyes, I'll have my sign.
Right?
...
I think I'm supposed to hear your voice by now, but maybe the line's choppy?
But since you're God, I'm assuming you can hear me, and so, okay...
Ask and receive, right?
And I asked for a sign when I open my eyes, so...
THREE.
TWO.
And... whoa .
Tassy's body reacted before her mind could process what she was seeing. Heat burst in her cheeks, and it was as if a jolt of electricity had struck her body and made her tingle all the way at her fingertips.
I think I'm having hallucinations.
Or the Devil's out to trick me.
Tassy quickly closed her eyes even as her heart began to hammer against her chest. Every nerve ending in her body seemed to be working overtime, and just the slightest touch would have her...
Well, she wasn't quite sure what would happen, but she was sure it would be something...unexpected.
Deep breaths, Tas.
She did her best to calm herself before counting to three one more time.
Three.
Two.
And... oh no .
Billionaire Lucius Young was still standing in front of her, which meant he was neither a hallucination nor an illusion from the devil.
He was real.
All 195.58 centimeters of him that radiated with power, wealth, and overwhelming virility—-
It was all real and within touching distance and so...
Why was he standing in front of her still?
There was no man in this world whom her boyfriend ex more admired...or resented. There were times that Xylan would even spend the entire dinner just talking about the billionaire, praising and dissing him in one breath as if he had yet to make up his mind on whether Lucius was his idol or rival.
The relationship between the two, if it could be called that, was complicated...just like how Tassy herself had something to work out.
Am I really going to do this?
To allow her mind to dwell on him even for a single second was to reach a point of no return. But with Lucius Young still standing in front of her like some Greek god who was graciously giving her time to gaze at him adoringly—-
Okay, why not?
Something seemed to click in her mind, unlocking the door, and flooding out of this once-hidden place were all the memories Tassy had suppressed of Lucius Young.
Tassy and Xylan had just started dating when the billionaire was invited by their then-university as a speaker. That was, what? Six or so years ago? And yet the memory was still enough to affect her right this very moment, with her body already throbbing with the most forbidden sensations.
Tassy remembered how his brief speech had everyone in the hall eagerly getting to their feet to give the billionaire a standing ovation.
Everyone that was...except her.
She remembered feeling panicky and dizzy at the same time, wondering why the mere sight of a stranger had her heart pounding...like it didn't already belong to someone else. Her hands had also grown mortifyingly damp and her breath short, her skin flushed with heat even though the auditorium's air conditioning was on full blast.
The giant screens had magnified his every chiseled feature and amplified how his whole being pulsed with intoxicating sexuality. It had made his presence inescapable, and Tassy could feel her cheeks burning when she remembered how the mere sight of him that day had been enough to enslave her entire being.
Each time his image appeared, her body responded like a tuning fork struck at the perfect frequency. The camera would zoom in on the gorgeous features of the billionaire's face, and her lips would start to tremble, her mind unable to stop wondering how it would feel to have his mouth cover hers. The camera would zoom out to give the audience a chance to appreciate the full impact of his towering height, and her breasts would start to swell, and...
Stop it!
Tassy remembered mentally yelling the words out that day when she realized what was happening, and she hadn't wasted another moment after that. She had simply gotten up from her seat and walked out of the auditorium with no intention of coming back.
It was just science at work , Tassy still remembered forcefully telling herself at that time. Sometimes, complete strangers simply had chemistry that had an effortless time... chemistrying.
That was all there was to it.
Science .
But because Tassy had been so bothered by her body's scientific reaction, she had also promised herself to never have anything to do with him. She remembered having dinner with Xylan that same day, and how Xylan had derided the time she "wasted" in listening to Lucius Young speak.
He's only successful because he was born rich!
That's the only reason why he's got all those women after him.
I'm just as good-looking as he is, don't you think?
Tassy had only nodded and changed the subject, not even allowing herself to glance at the photos that Xylan had pulled up on the Internet. She had meant to keep her promise, and it had carried over to her career, with Tassy making a quiet but painstaking effort to avoid accepting any projects that could have her crossing paths with Lucius Young in any way.
While her understanding of God was still terribly vague at that time, Tassy already knew even then that the only way to beat temptation was to flee from it.
Out of sight, out of mind.
She loved Xylan.
She didn't love the billionaire.
Ergo, she would prioritize seeing more of the first, and none at all of the latter. That had been her guiding principle about all things Lucius Young, and that was why...
Huh .
Tassy had reviewed her calendar for the month just last week, and there shouldn't have been any chance for her and Lucius to...
Oh .
Right .
Her not-so-private breakup had made Tassy forget to do her due diligence in checking if today's unscheduled flight would have her accidentally crossing paths with the billionaire. Then again...why should she even bother checking? It wasn't like she still owed any other man loyalty, and so—-
"Do you mind if I join you?"
Years had literally gone by since she had allowed herself to hear the silken familiarity of his voice, so why had the mere sound caused her breasts to swell achingly in response? It was as if her body was insisting to be heard, after being silenced for so long a time, and what it wanted to make clear was what her mind had subconsciously known all this time...but her heart had refused to acknowledge out of loyalty.
She was attracted to Lucius Young.
And every sleek, hard inch of him so easily captivated her senses...
To the point that she couldn't quite remember what he had said.
"I'm, um, sorry..." Tassy cleared her throat. "What was that again?"
The billionaire gestured to the seat closest to hers, separated only by a tiny side table. "May I?"
She nodded without thinking, but she was still stunned upon seeing the billionaire fold his length into the armchair next to hers.
The Vermillion could comfortably accommodate a hundred passengers in their main hall alone, and there were only less than ten of them right now. So why sit next to her when he could enjoy far greater privacy somewhere else? Better yet, why not book one of the lounge's private suites? Didn't people like him hate being around common folk like her?
Tassy's head started to hurt as she struggled to make sense of the billionaire's presence. Her heart had yet to stop aching while her pride was still in tatters. A fully functioning brain was all she had left, but right now, that brain was betraying her with images she'd never allowed herself before.
His large, strong hands cupping her face—-
Her own smaller hands running over the hard expanse of his chest—-
His big, hard body pressing hers against the wall as he—-
STOP!
Tassy seriously wondered if she had lost her mind.
Billionaire or not, the insanely confounding six-foot-five threat that was Lucius Young had to go. His presence was too overwhelming and disturbing in this quiet space, too dangerously tempting for her peace of mind.
Be polite but firm , Tassy reminded herself as she took a deep breath. She also smoothed imaginary wrinkles from her dress in a futile attempt to distract herself, but this only backfired horribly as warmth pooled in her belly at the thought that maybe...
Maybe there would come a time when it would be his hand under her dress—-
WHAT WAS WRONG WITH HER?
It was as if having from zero to infinite thoughts of Lucius Young had fried her brain cells out of order, and she had become hypersensitive to just about everything because there was no longer a rational mind capable of governing the reactions of her body.
The way her cotton dress was clinging against her skin was suddenly like a premonition of his caress, and having him seated so near had her throat so dry that she had to lick her lips, and... why did she suddenly feel like he was staring at her?
Her bemused gaze flew to his, and oh!
Lucius was staring at her.
And when her lips parted in shock, his gaze slowly lifted to hers, and oh no.
The chemistry between them...
It was chemistrying.
Again .