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He pushed me against the wall and kissed me harder now, pinning my hands over my head. Our tongues danced. My breath became his breath as I cooed into his mouth and kissed him back.

You sure you know what you’re doing?

Yeah, I was sure. I was about to fuck my boss. Probably.

Probably?

As quickly as everything was progressing, this really wasn’t much of a snap decision for me. I’d decided weeks ago that I’d jump Chase whenever I was given the chance. Yes, it was risking a client. Three good clients, actually. Even so…

The truth of the matter was, I just really didn’t care.

“We’ll have to be quick,” Chase said, glancing over his shoulder.

I sighed dramatically. “Just the words every girl wants to hear.”

“No,” he laughed, “I mean — they’ll be back soon. Nathan and Burke. Nathan for sure, and—”

“Chase?”

“Yes?”

“Shut up and take me to bed?”

He laughed again, and this time he blushed. “Well when you put it that way, I—”

We froze as the front door suddenly banged open and closed. There was the resounding KLACK of the heavy iron lock latching itself, and then Nathan strode straight into the kitchen.

SHIT!

“Hey!” he called out cheerily. “What’s for dinner?”

He sniffed around a bit before finally spotting us, standing not-so-innocuously in the hallway. His face broke into a handsome smile.

“Do I smell onions?”

Two

KAYLEEN

“Let me cook for you then,” I pleaded. “Whatever you want. Whatever you like, I’m sure I can—”

But my landlord was already shaking his head. He had his hairy arms folded across his big, barrel chest.

“Clean for you?”

Ugh. I hated cleaning. I could barely keep my own apartment clean, much less someone else’s.

“I don’t need cooking,” said Jerry. “I don’t need cleaning. What I need is the rent.”

It was a timeless tale; girl gets apartment, girl works her fingers to the bone, girl still can’t make rent. It had happened a million times to a million other women. Only now it was happening to me.

“Look, I can get you three-hundred by tomorrow,” I said.

“Rent is eight-hundred.”

“And another two—”

“Eight-hundred,” Jerry grunted. He looked past me, into my little rat-trap of an apartment. I swung the door shut just a little bit more.