LOGIN~ SIENNA ~Another deep breath. “One time, my parents had to hire security for the family. I think they were being blackmailed or something. Anyways, one of the bodyguards tried to… he tried to get improper with me. I was lucky to have my nanny walk into our garage at the time she did.”“Nanny?” he asked. “How old were you?”I understood the confusion on his face. People were always surprised whenever I mentioned having a nanny in my later years. “A mid teen. My nanny lived with us almost until I left for college.”“Oh. So what happened to the guard?”“My father nearly sent him to jail but I pleaded with him not to. He was disgracefully sacked and blacklisted for all jobs though.”Gavin let go of my shoulders and his hands balled into fists at his side. “I really want to find the fucker and make him taste his blood. Imagine being assaulted by someone paid to protect you.”I didn’t need to imagine. I had almost lived it. Margo nearly unfriended me when I shared the story with her and
~ SIENNA ~I quietly followed Todd along a corridor, the only sounds to be heard were our footsteps and my own uneven breathing. “The boss is in his art room,” he said, as if he sensed my discomfort that we were going to a part of the house I had never been to. A rage room.An art room. What other rooms did Gavin have in this soulless mansion of his? An audacity room? That would be the room he visits every day before leaving the house, fitted with floor-to-ceiling mirrors so he could look into them, remind himself how much of a gift he was to humankind, and decide what he’d do that day to remind everyone else of it. We stopped in front of a door. Todd opened it and stepped aside to give me space to enter. I nodded my thanks to him and took a step in. My eyes found Gavin immediately because of course, they did. He sat on a high stool with an easel in front of him, concentrating hard as he flicked his brush on a canvas. It seemed the rest of the world had disappeared to him. To
~ SIENNA ~ You should call him, a part of my brain said to me. “No, I’m not speaking to him,” I replied out loud. You’re in potential danger and he’s most likely to know what’s going on. And reach you much faster.“Yes, but…”But…???I dug my fingers into my palm until it hurt, just to get me out of my head. Having a whole debate with myself was a new and very unwelcome development. Still, the logic remained hard to ignore. If this was connected to Gavin — and the probability of that was not small — I needed to know. And I needed to let him know about it. The journey to my block list felt like a walk of shame, especially since he hadn’t ever tried to reach me since the block. Did he even notice I blocked him? Damn. I scrolled past the numbers of cold-calling salespeople, and friends of Harry and I who seemed to care a little too much about how I was doing after the divorce, and some others I couldn’t recognize.It didn’t take long to find ‘Mr. Selfish 😈’With a sigh, I unbloc
~ SIENNA ~I caught her wrist an inch before it smashed into my face. It was pure reflex, nothing more. She jerked against my grip. I held on tight.She wretched harder, twisting herself until she tore herself free — and immediately reached for my hair. “Ow!” Pain exploded across my scalp as she buried her fingers in my roots. Without thinking, I grabbed a fistful of her hair in return. My bag slipped to the floor as I used both hands to yank back.What followed was not in any way graceful. We both tussled until we found ourselves bent at ridiculous angles, each locked in the other's grip. I twisted my arm between our bodies, trying to pry her hand off my hair while she craned her neck, desperate to relieve the pressure at her scalp. “Bitch—““Let go!” I screeched. “You first.”Neither of us could. She raked her nails down my chest. I answered by wrenching her hair even harder and sinking a bite into whichever unfortunate body part of hers happened to be in front of my mouth
~ SIENNA ~ “Nicole…” I started, then stopped, unsure what to say next. I couldn’t remember ever being insulted so blatantly. Harry and his mother would at least hide theirs in layers of euphemism so that I had to unwrap them like presents in my free time. “Nicole,” she mimicked, making a stank face while holding up her fingers like talons. “Oh shut up! You got my fiancé to call off our engagement and you thought I would ever forget you?” My tongue sat heavy and useless in my mouth. I couldn’t move it. At all. The whiplash from my excitement this morning to the disaster facing me right now was dismantling my senses. I was lucky I could still hear her. “No, silly,” she hissed. “I recognized your name right from the pathetic application mail you sent. There and then, I decided to take you on a jolly little ride. The role you’re applying for has been filled since last month.” So that’s what this was — revenge. The interview I had spent days preparing for was Nicole’s reve
~ SIENNA ~At the reception, I gave my name and reason for my visit. The receptionist — pleasant and efficient — asked me to wait while he made a call. When he turned back to me, there was a faint note of confusion in his expression though he was trying to be professional about it. He set the receiver back on the landline’s cradle. “I’m not aware of any roles being filled at the moment,” he said carefully. “But evidently, the HR manager is expecting you.”He finished with directions, clear enough that I could have followed them blindfolded and in the dark.I thanked him and walked into the described corridor, stopping in front of the door marked ‘Human Resource Manager’. I stood there for just a moment, drew a slow breath, ran my best opening line one final time before pushing the door open and stepping in. The office was small and warmly decorated, with lots of wood panelling that had been left to look like wood and sunlight spilling in from open windows. The space felt welcoming.
~ SIENNA ~ I shot up from the tattoo bed like it burned and held up the phone to Gavin. “What’s this?” He returned to his chair and lounged lazily on it, my panic obviously lost on him. “Your new tattoo. Like it?” “Why… why,” I stammered. “Why is it a tattoo of your name?” “Because I thought it
~ SIENNA ~I managed to cover his entire length, even if it left me gasping for air. Then I sucked hard, hollowing my cheeks, tongue flicking the piercings relentlessly as I tasted more of that salty essence, bitter at the edges like his personality.My mouth watered uncontrollably, thick strands o
~ SIENNA ~Really? This douche was going to make this even more humiliating than it already was for me. I matched his speed. “I thought it was obvious. First time?”Gavin roared in laughter. “No, babygirl,” he said, amusement still lingering in his voice. “I simply prefer clarity. I hate being cau
~ SIENNA ~The air hit me first — thick with the smell of leather and something metallic. There were no windows, creating an illusion of nighttime even though it was early afternoon. I found the light switch on the left wall, two scones flooding the space with a deep red light when I flipped it on







