2

My scream echoed loud enough that a few passersby turned to look.

Caught between a panic attack and a heart attack, I compelled myself to inhale deeply.

I had to act swiftly.

Sinking down against the wall, I placed my forehead in my hands. It was unavoidable. I had convinced myself that I left my past behind, but had I truly? Quinton's number remained undeleted, and I suppose a part of me held onto it, anticipating a situation like this.

He served as the support I required.

Swiftly, I texted him, inquiring about potential jobs.

His reply was prompt. "Well, look who it is."

"Yeah, yeah, I've returned. But just for one last assignment."

I've been through this scenario before.

I released a deep breath.

"I need a significant one, Quinton. The most substantial you can land me."

The text indicator flickered for nearly four minutes. Four minutes of contemplation on when my life had taken this turn—when I shifted from self-pity to anger, guilt, and hope. Please, Quinton. Provide me with something substantial.

The text notification buzzed, and I eagerly opened it. "Meet me at the corner of 5th and Main in twenty."

5th and Main? A district known for upscale restaurants where only the affluent dined. This promised to be intriguing. "I'll be there in fifteen."

Upon arrival, Quinton was already waiting. A slender man with a face marked by pimples and greasy black hair, his smile revealed crooked, stained teeth. "Tsk, tsk, Ophelia is a bad girl."

I rolled my eyes, secretly pleased to see him. He wasn't just a means to a paycheck; he was a friend.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Good to see you, O."

I gave him a brief side hug. "So, what's the job?"

He nodded toward the restaurant across the street. "See that table by the front window?" The glass provided a view of two men whose faces were obscured by the glare.

"Yeah, I see it."

"The larger one is hosting a party this weekend. I need you to find a way in. I'll guide you once you're there. Break into his study, log into his computer, and hack a video."

I raised my eyebrows. "What's on the video?"

Quinton grinned. "You've been at this long enough to know it's better not to ask those kinds of questions, right?"

I shrugged. "Just feels like an easy job."

His smile deepened. "You're my best hacker, O. It'll be a challenge, even for you."

"How much?"

"Ten grand."

My heart skipped. "T-ten grand?" I stammered.

"Ten grand upon delivery. Another ten as a bonus if you can secure it this weekend at the party. There's a chance you might not get into the party, and you'll need to find alternative ways. The sooner you can get it, the better. If successful, twenty grand."

I felt overwhelmed. Twenty grand. That could cover six months of rent and Cecilia's scholarship payments. "I'm in."

"Maybe you should check out your target first."

The two men finished their meal and exited the restaurant. As the sunlight shifted, my stomach sank. The larger of the two—my target—was none other than the mayor of Boston.

Yet, it was the second man who captured my attention. More muscular, older, but even after a decade, he still looked the same.

My mind drifted into the past.

It had been a Friday night, and after enough seltzers at the football game, I was tipsy enough to invite him back to my dorm. Despite having had sex before, I was still working on building up my confidence when it came to being intimate with him.

We stumbled into my dorm, our arms wrapped around each other, his tongue dancing in my mouth. He flicked on the lights, and I immediately reached out and turned them off.

"Ophelia, you're so beautiful," Lorenzo whispered, leaning back. "I want to look at you when I fuck you."

My cheeks warmed at his words. Despite losing my virginity in high school, college introduced a different level of intimacy. I wasn't accustomed to explicit language. Lorenzo, being three years my senior, was evidently more experienced.

His confidence could be intimidating, yet he never once made me feel inadequate.

"Hold on," I smiled. Reaching over to the nightstand, I turned on a softer, dimmer light. "Compromise?"

Lorenzo grinned, his bright blue eyes twinkling. "Deal." He lifted me so swiftly that I couldn't help but cry out in excited glee. As he gently placed me on the bed, Lorenzo turned me over onto my stomach and unzipped my sparkly dress. Assisting me in slipping out of it, he leaned over and traced his tongue down my spine.

Gripping my buttocks, he parted them and licked from my rear down to my intimate area. "Oh, fuck," I cried, my hands twisting into the mattress.

*"Do you want me, baby?"

"Please, Lorenzo, please make love to me."

Swiftly turning me onto my back, he gazed down at me with a smile and sighed. "You don't realize how beautiful you are, do you?"

I couldn't conceal my smile even if I tried. Unbuttoning his shirt and lowering his pants, he hovered above me, his fully erect and pulsating manhood on display.

No man had ever evoked such feelings within me. The way he could become aroused merely by looking at my body filled me with a sense of excitement and wonder, stirring an unfamiliar emotion in my chest.*

*With Lorenzo, I felt seen. Loved. I even felt brave enough to reciprocate with some dirty talk.

"Make love to me, Lorenzo."

"Yes, baby."*

Sex remained a novel experience for me, and the anticipation was almost unbearable. I moaned before he even entered me.

Leaning over me, the head of his penis glided into my wet intimacy. My eyes squeezed shut, and I cried out even louder, arching my back as I dug my fingernails down his back.

My prior experiences with sex had been awkward at best. With Lorenzo, it was beyond comfortable. It was thrilling, breathtaking—it was—

"Can you guys shut the hell up?" My roommate pounded on the shared wall.

Lorenzo and I burst out laughing.

With Lorenzo, sex was simply a delight.

Lorenzo kissed me to muffle our moans, and as we shifted in bed, his arousal still inside me, he paused and grinned.

"Ophelia?" he whispered. "I love you."

My heart sank, and I fought back tears. "I love you, Lorenzo."

And I've never loved anyone as deeply since.

"What do you think?" Quinton asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I looked again at Lorenzo Kensington, my ex-boyfriend and Cecilia's father. He turned to shake the mayor's hand.

I smiled. "I'm completely on board."