This book is work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book contains sexually explicit material and is intended for readers 18 years or older.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages embodied in critical articles or in a review.

All requests should be forwarded to:
[email protected]

www.AdeleHuxley.com

The complete Playing with Power Series for sale on Amazon!

Playing with Power - Book 1

Playing with Power - Book 2

Playing with Power - Book 3

Playing with Power - Book 4

Playing with Power - Book 5

Prologue

Bent over the glass computer desk, he used the bottom of his phone to crush two white pills into a fine dust. He slid a business card from his wallet and used it to cut the powder into three straight lines. He glanced at the card before tossing it behind his back.

Parker Jarvis
StyleSpur
CEO

“If you want a bump, get your ass over here.”

The blonde stumbled from the bed, naked except for a pair of pink lace panties. She put a hand on Parker’s shoulder to steady herself as she bent and snorted a line deep into her sinuses. He casually fondled her ass when she stood, coughing and sputtering as the drug burned through her body. She crawled back to the bed and collapsed on her stomach, one arm dangling over the side.

Parker sniffed the last lines in quick succession, rocking back in his computer chair as it hit. When his eyes snapped open, the dark room looked different, sharper around the edges somehow. For a moment, he focused on the glowing daylight coming from behind the dark curtains. Time meant nothing in this place. They slept when they were tired, ate when they were hungry, and fucked...well, they fucked pretty much all the time.

He rolled his head onto his shoulder to see the young girl sprawled out and realized with disgust that he was already growing bored of her. It took him a minute to realize the slight vibration in his lap wasn’t a side effect from the pills, but his phone. His chin rolled to his chest and he cursed when he saw the caller ID.

“Fuck you, Faith. Can’t you just give me some fucking space for once?” He threw the phone across the room, hitting the wall and falling unharmed in a pile of old takeout boxes.

Running his tongue along his teeth, he made his way to the semi-conscious form on the bed. Admiring her for a moment, he started tugging her panties down.
She’ll do for now,
he thought. She tried to swat his hands away with a few feeble swings but by the time her panties were around her ankles, Rochelle had acquiesced. She knew it’d be over quick enough and could get back to sleep.

Crush Your Enemy Totally

All great leaders since Moses have known that a feared enemy must be crushed completely. If one ember is left alight, no matter how dimly it smolders, a fire will eventually break out. More is lost through stopping halfway than through total annihilation: The enemy will recover, and will seek revenge. Crush him, not only in body but in spirit.
-
The 48 Laws of Power

Sundays were an unofficial day off in the My Best Friend’s Closet offices, so Lauren found the main area quiet and empty. She went online to her favorite brunch place and ordered a massive amount of pancakes, waffles, fresh juice, and fruit. Her empty belly grumbled and she felt a sweet soreness all over her body. Resisting the urge to open a few work files, she relaxed at her computer and checked Facebook for the first time in over a week. These quiet moments were rare and she knew she had to savor them.

About twenty minutes later she heard the distinctive squeak of her bedroom door and looked up to see Landon walking from the hallway. He pulled a gray shirt over his disheveled hair, yawning as he came near. He bent down and kissed her softly, the electricity between their lips still new and exciting. It was amazing that after so many kisses, he still left her so weak in the knees.

“How’d you sleep?” he yawned again, dropping into another chair and kicking his feet up on the desk.

“As well as can be expected. You snore, you know,” she said with a mock glower.

“Yeah, and you thrash like someone with epilepsy. Good thing I have a king size bed back home,” he winked. “Are you hungry? I can make breakfast.”

“Sweetie, we’re in Manhattan. People don’t
make
breakfast. I’m having it delivered.” Lauren laughed as he threw a celebratory fist in the air.

“Oh thank you. I want to be as lazy as possible today. We’ve got so much coming up, I just want to spend the day doing next to nothing with you. You didn’t order coffee, right?”

“No, I remembered you bought that special stuff yesterday.”

“Awesome, I’m gonna go make it now!” he said jumping to his feet.
So this is his lazy, huh?
He stopped and kissed her on the top of the head. Lauren’s heart fluttered at the familiar gesture, so casual it was as if they’d been together for years.

What are we? Are you my boyfriend, Mr. DeWitt? Am I your girl? Do we even have to classify it?
she wondered as she watched him walk away.
Maybe if we can stop screwing long enough to actually talk about it...
That thought made her chuckle.

The intercom buzzed. “Well, that was quick,” she muttered to herself as she went to let the person in. “Yes?”

“Sorry to disturb, but this is Hank down at the front desk. A courier just dropped off an envelope for you and said it was urgent. Thought I’d let you know.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll, uh, be right down to get it. Thanks.” Lauren scowled as she tried to remember if they were expecting anything important. It cost a pretty penny to send something urgent on a Sunday. “Hey Landon, I’ll be right back,” she called out as she stepped into the elevator.

Once downstairs, Hank handed her a manila envelope and she let him know to send the food straight up. Getting back into the elevator, Lauren examined the envelope before opening it. There was no address, no stamp, just her name scrawled in a nearly illegible hand. She flipped it over and squeezed the two metal tabs together, reached in, and pulled out two large glossy photographs.

Still a little foggy with sleep, she didn’t quite understand what she was seeing at first. One photograph showed a smoky, blurry nightclub scene with a couple dancing in the crowd. It was only when she flicked to the second photo she recognized her red dress. They were photos of her and Landon at the club in Brooklyn. She could hear the blood rushing in her ears and her fingers began to tremble.

“What the fuck...” she whispered. The elevator came to a halt and the doors rolled open. She stepped into the apartment without looking up, eyes burning into the two photos in her hands.

“Hey babe, where’s the foo—what’s wrong?” Landon asked.

“Someone just sent this to me. What the hell is this supposed to mean?” Lauren said, her voice cracking. She held the photos out to him, her fingers shaking so badly they nearly fluttered to the floor.

Landon took the large prints from her hand, his eyebrows furrowing as he examined both sides. He read the message scrawled on the back out loud.

“‘You two make a great pair.’ These are from—”

“From Friday night, yeah.”

“Whoever took it couldn’t have been more than a couple feet away from us. There was nothing else in the envelope?” Seeing the worry on his face made her feel even more panicked.

“No, nothing,” she replied tipping the manila envelope upside down. “There’s no address either, only my name. The doorman said a messenger dropped it off.”

“Do you think it’s your ex? Would he do something like this?”

The idea hadn’t even occurred to her but Lauren instantly shook her head. “I don’t think so. Nick’s not that kind of guy but then again, I never thought he was the sort to screw around. He’s pissed off about us but what does he have to gain by sending a photo like that? It’s freakin’ creepy.” She involuntarily shivered.

“Maybe he just wants to screw with you,” he paused for a moment. “I thought he didn’t know where you were living now though.”

“I never told him,” she shrugged. “Maybe Jess did, our old roommate. I still don’t think he’d — seriously, what’s the point of this? I honestly don’t even know what it’s supposed to mean.”

He tossed the photos into the garbage can and rubbed her back, his dimples faintly appearing as he smiled. “There really isn’t a whole lot we can do. We don’t know who sent it or why. There’s no point getting worked up—”

“No point, are you kidding? You’re leaving tomorrow and now I have to look over my shoulder all the time because I’ve got a fucking stalker who may or may not be my ex-boyfriend.”
I don’t know how can he be so calm? Someone fucking followed us, knows about us, and is what...threatening us?

“You’re really cute when you’re flustered,” Landon said with a half smile. He wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her against his hip.

Lauren huffed, feeling exasperated. “I’m not flustered. I’m scared and pissed off and upset.”

She jumped as the elevator dinged and the doors rattled open, nearly shouting as the delivery man walked in with their breakfast. Landon took the bags from him and then handed her the food.

“I’ll go down and talk to the doorman, see if I can get any more information out of him okay? Hold up, man. I’ll ride down with you.”

Lauren walked to the kitchen on shaky legs, feeling far from hungry. She just couldn’t understand what Nick was trying to do or gain from following them. Wouldn’t she have noticed him at the club that night? Had he actually followed them there? As she methodically unpacked the breakfast, she felt a lump rise in her throat. She slammed the plastic bowl of pancakes on the counter and stormed into her bedroom to retrieve her phone.

Her fingers trembling she typed out her message to Nick.

You petty little man. I can’t believe you’d do something like this. You couldn’t just let things go, could you? Seriously, go fuck yourself.

Her thumb hovered over the send button, hesitating, the blinking cursor urging her to write more.
Maybe I don’t want to do this,
she thought.
Maybe provoking him will just make things that much more difficult.
Regardless of the compromising position she’d found him in, she still felt guilty about him discovering her relationship with Landon. She certainly didn’t feel like she had the moral high ground.

The elevator rattled open and Landon strode confidently toward her. She smiled at him as she deleted the text.
No good would come of that, I’m sure.
“Figure anything out?”

“No, the doorman couldn’t remember anything specific about the courier. I wouldn’t worry, seriously. He’s probably just blowing off some steam.”

“Those photos
are
pretty sexy.” Lauren couldn’t help but grin at the memory of their sweaty dancing.

BOOK: Playing with Power - Book 5: New Adult Office Romance

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