Sun City'
In Sun City, the name Crowne was law. It wasn't just a family but an empire.
Darius Crowne was the center of it all, the youngest CEO of Crowne Industries and the city's most eligible, cold-blooded bachelor. He was an untouchable billionaire with the kind of beauty that made women stare too long and think filthy, reckless things like: Beak me, wreck me, just fucking take me. Unfortunately for the female population, he was a walking red flag who cared about two things: business and sex.
Fine. Three, if you counted himself.
He was also a notorious playboy and who despite all the scandals he had faced, and according to every woman who had ever willingly ruined her life for him:
Darius Crowne was exceptional in bed.
Which was precisely why I found it ironic, borderline tragic, that I was sitting in the lobby of Crowne Tower, waiting to interview for the position of his personal secretary.
I was alongside twenty other women who looked more qualified than I did and whose resumes probably didn't whisper: Served caramel lattes with a fake smile while silently dying inside.
"Brielle Onyx," the intercom snapped.
I stood up, smoothed my blazer, and walked in.
"Why should I hire someone who has ever only worked in cafés and sweet shops?" Darius asked without looking up from what I am guessing was my CV.
'Guess there was no need for formalities.'
I swallowed and clasped my hands together to keep from fidgeting.
"Because I'm broke and starving."
He finally looked up. And dear God. Every photo of Darius Crowne had somehow failed to prepare me for the reality of him. He had the face of a man who could make you strip off your panties and beg him to fuck you right there on his desk.
"You're asking for a job out of pity?"
"No, sir. I'm saying I have more reasons to work harder than most."
He stood up. He was much taller than I expected. He loomed over me, radiating power and expensive cologne.
"You're honest. I need someone who can handle my life schedules. Scandals. Including the messier parts."
I wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but I nodded anyway.
"Can you handle a man who takes what he wants, Brielle?"
I didn't understand the underlying threat, but as long as we were in an office environment with security cameras watching every angle, he wouldn't actually try anything.
...Right?
So I said: "Yes, sir."
"The office outside is yours. You start immediately."
I nodded so fast I nearly gave myself whiplash and walked out. The second I stepped back into the lobby, all the waiting applicants looked up at me.
My face broke into a grin before I could stop it.
"I got the job."
The silence hit first and then came the whispers.
"He picked her."
"She must have been sucking him off to get the job."
"She looks mid. Her clothes are tacky."
"I wonder what he saw in her."
That wasn't the reaction I was expecting. I mean, sure, I hadn't expected confetti and a parade, but maybe a fake congratulations or a forced smile.
Still, I refused to let them ruin this for me, so I walked to my new office. It was a small room with a chair, desk, and pencil sharpener with no pencil in sight. But I had never had an office to myself, so I had no complaints.
–+–
By noon, I went down to the executive lounge hoping to get coffee or the cupcake I had seen earlier. I had just picked up an empty paper cup when a beautiful blonde woman with her hair tied back in a ponytail walked up to me.
"Non-staff aren't allowed here."
"I'm the new secretary," I whispered, clutching my empty cup.
She paused, then burst into a loud, mocking laugh that drew eyes from across the room.
"Secretary to who? The janitor?"
Heat rushed to my face.
"To Mr. Crowne."
"Who did you sleep with to get past the lobby, or did you go straight for Darius's zipper?"
A few people in the lounge snickered.
"No one. I'm just here to work."
"Sure you are. Don't get comfortable, honey. I'm sure you won't last long here."
She bumped my shoulders as she walked out and for the rest of the day, none of the staff attempted to talk to me.
–+–
By the time work ended, I was exhausted, but my heart was pounding with the need to celebrate with someone.
My first thought was Chloe, my best friend but decided I'd call her later.
The moment i stepped out of the building, my phone lit up.
[FINAL NOTICE: Rent overdue. Payment required within 24 hours or eviction process begins.]
I stared at my phone, then locked it ignoring the message.
"Not today," I whispered to myself.
First, I had to see Paul, my boyfriend.
I walked toward our apartment with a little more confidence than before. Using my key, I pushed the door open quietly, hoping to surprise him.
"Babe, you won't believe how the interview went," I called out.
The living room was empty, but the bedroom door was slightly open.
I walked towards it and the sound of heavy breathing stopped me cold.
"Harder,... Oh god, right there,"
"You like that, don't you? So much tighter than Brielle. She's so vanilla I practically fall asleep. It's like sleeping with a corpse."
"Maybe if she stopped crying about her life for five minutes, she'd learn how to actually move. Is that why you're still with her? Charity work?"
Then it clicked. And it hurt. A lot.
"I'm just waiting for her paycheck. One more month of rent, then I'm throwing her out. I'm tired of her basic starving face."
I heard the sharp smack of his hand against her skin, followed by a groan that Paul had never once made with me.
"Stretch me out Paul. I want to feel every inch."
My world tilted.