“Lane, southern boys are mamas’ boys. They eat fried chicken and take their mamas’ advice. Whatever you do, charm the shit out of his mother.”
“Fried chicken?” I ask, doubting her source.
“Yes, trust me.” I sigh, giving into her.
“Okay…so charm mom, check. Anything else, old wise one?”
“Yes, as a matter-of-fact. Boots. Wear cowboy boots.”
“What? She’s going to think I’m mocking them or something.”
“No way. Plus, I bet you look fucking hot in cowboy boots.”
I chuckle as I recall the phone conversation Carissa and I had last night. I miss her like crazy, but I love being here with Eric. He and his father finished their shifts in Santa Fe and now the three of us are flying to Dallas to go visit his family.
I look down at my navy blue summer dress and brown cowboy boots. I want to fit in with his family. I want them to become my family, too.
“Are you ready, sweetheart?” he asks, grabbing our luggage. He looks stunning in a blue plaid button up shirt and tight, worn jeans.
“Yes! I can’t wait. I hope…she likes me.” I wrap my arms around his waist, looking up in his eyes.
“Are you kidding? She’ll love you.” He kisses my forehead, making my whole body quiver. Looking around, I see how happy I finally am. Taking back control of my life is the best decision I’ve ever made. Carissa and Eric are the only reasons my life finally feels normal—complete.
We check our bags and grab our tickets. Mr. Reilley is a nice, older man who won’t let me carry a thing. He’s sweet, charming and likeable, just like Eric. It’s easy to see the resemblance.
“You’re sweating,” I whisper into Eric’s ear as we sit in our seats, waiting for the plane to take off.
“Not a fan of planes, that’s all.” I grab his hand and squeeze it, letting him know that I’m here for him.
He leans in and kisses my lips softly. I love the taste and feel of his lips on mine. I don’t ever want to lose that. Lose him.
We brace for takeoff and ease smoothly into the bright blue sky. Mr. Reilley is staring out the window while Eric and I are playing a crossword puzzle. The flight is short, but I can’t hold it in any longer.
“I have to use the bathroom, I’ll be right back,” I whisper, breaking our hands apart.
“Want me to come with you? We could join the mile high club.” He winks, smirking at me.
“I don’t think that’d be appropriate…with your father being here and all,” I tease back, winking.
“Party pooper,” he grumps back, letting go of my hand.
“I’ll make it up to you later,” I promise, standing up and walking down the aisle.
I snicker at him as I turn back and glance at his pouty face. It makes me chuckle, making me love and adore him even more.
We’re seated up front so I make the uncomfortable walk down the long aisle of people staring at me. There are a variety of people on board—children, husbands, wives, grandparents and babies. I’m not sure why, but it’s comforting.
I squeeze into the tiny stall they call a bathroom and lock the door. When I’m finished, I wash my hands and face as I try to keep it together. I’m not sure why meeting his mother scares me so much, but perhaps it’s because I want her to love me as much as Eric does. I’ve not had to worry about meeting someone’s family before, so I want to make a good first impression.
I give myself one more look-over and comb my fingers through my hair. I squeeze sideways out of the door and shut it behind me. As I quietly make my way down the aisle, I see something peculiar…someone familiar.
Oh, holy hell.
I stand for a moment and stare, to make sure I see what I think I see. Someone from behind me murmurs, “Excuse me,” and I realize I’m blocking the aisle.
“Oh, sorry.” I move to the side, letting them through. My feet almost feel frozen in place. Just as I’m about to continue walking to my seat, he turns around and stares at me.
Aiden.
I can barely catch my breath as we lock eyes. What the hell is he doing here? My mind starts thinking a million miles an hour…has he been in Santa Fe this whole time?
I panic as I begin to realize he’s after me. Or Eric. He’s after…revenge.
Eric
I’ve never brought a woman home to meet my mother. No one’s ever been worthy enough or been serious enough to go that far. The truth is, I love my mother more than life itself. I would never want to introduce her to someone I wasn’t serious about. She gets attached easily, and it would break her heart to meet someone that I wasn’t planning to marry.
“I have to use the bathroom, I’ll be right back,” she whispers in my ear, breaking our hands apart. She has the sweetest, most sincere smile. I love watching her blush, even though she never notices she does.
“Want me to come with you? We could join the mile high club.” I tease, winking at her. I never knew being with someone would makes every part of me better, would feel this good. I can hardly keep my hands off her, but I know I have to control myself. She’s not fragile, but she deserves to have those intimate moments be special—treasured.
I glance back at her as she walks down the aisle to the back. She’s perfect—in every single way—if that’s even possible, but she is—perfect for me that is. Her tiny hands fit perfectly in mine, my arms wrap around her just right and her head tucks into my chest just below my collarbone.
I know Velaney’s the one for me—I’ve known for a long time now, although we’ve been dealt many challenges in our short time together. Her innocence…her heartbreaking past…the way she overcame her fears—are all reasons that I love her. Despite what she’s gone through, the way she deals with things just shows me how strong she truly is. She may think she’s weak, but she’s the complete opposite.
She’s strong. Stronger than she realizes.
WANT MORE?
READ THE LAST INSTALLMENT TO VELANEY & ERIC’S STORY:
GRAB BURN ON AMAZON NOW
READ CARISSA’S STORY IN FLAME ON AMAZON NOW
From USA Today Bestselling author comes the first installment of a sexy romantic suspense serial about a girl who wants to find answers and a guy who won’t stop at anything to get the girl he wants…
She’s sexy, fierce, and a loud-mouthed know-it-all…and she’s completely off limits.
Cecilia isn’t your typical college student. Hell, she isn’t a college student at all, but that doesn’t stop her from applying for one of the biggest and prestigious enterprises in the Midwest.
She wants it. She takes it.
She doesn’t let anything get in her way when it comes to finding out the truth.
When Bentley Leighton, soon-to-be CEO of Leighton Enterprises, meets “Ceci,” he’s instantly impressed. He doesn’t have time to train a new intern. However, when he sees her that first day, his intentions begin to change.
He’s the boss. She’s the intern.
Nothing can happen. It’s against the company rules.
Then again, some rules were made to be broken.
What starts as innocent flirting becomes raveled up into so much more—secrets, lies, deceit.
*The Intern is a three-part romantic suspense serial.*
Not suitable for readers under 18.
Author’s Note
The Intern is a work of fiction. The story and events, including places of work and job descriptions are fiction and made appropriate for the storyline. Examples such as the Caylee Anthony murder case, though true, are used in a fiction storyline.
PROLOGUE
Cecilia
Every little girl has a hero, someone they look up to. To many little girls, their dad is everything to them. My dad was my everything. My hero, my role model, my best friend.
Laughing and living a carefree life is easy when you are oblivious to the world’s cruelty. I was eleven years old when my carefree world came to a crashing halt. That was when I had my first real life lesson: t
he world is a cruel place.
My little brother and older sister were outside with me, jumping in and out of the sprinklers on a hot summer day in Omaha. It was our favorite thing to do together, something we couldn’t fight about. My dad was sitting at the patio table, reading his newspaper and drinking his coffee like he did every Saturday morning. From the outside, we were the perfect suburban family.
On the inside—lies, hatred, and secrets.
I witnessed something that day that’ll always be embedded in my mind. I also have the evidence to prove it…on my very own skin.
CHAPTER 1
Cecilia
The Interview
After seven years, the memory is still seared into my mind. Everything about that day. That moment.
I rub my shoulder as I always do when I think about him. That’s where I have the scar—the memory—of what that day entailed.
I engross myself in every crime and detective show possible. I’m fascinated with everything related to murder or criminal cases. I know it’s an odd fascination, but it’s all I know. It’s all I’ve wanted to know.
I’m not your ‘typical’ high school girl. I don’t wave pom-poms around, wear short skirts to get boys to notice me, or even bury my head in a book studying. I’m not any of those, so if that’s what you’re hoping to get, it’s time to adjust your expectations.
I’m that girl in Chemistry getting an ear full right now. I’m the one that was so damn distracted that I blew up my Bunsen burner and nearly the entire school. I’m the one that’s fascinated with everything I shouldn’t be. The one who doesn’t have to work to get a guy’s attention or cares about popularity. The one distracted by my past, and it won’t ever go away until I know the truth of that day.
* * *
“Miss West, what a surprise to see you in here.” Principal Jamison smirks at me from across his desk. I cross my arms and legs as I prepare for another lecture.
“It was an accident,” I begin to explain.
“I’m sure it was, Cecilia. But you’ve been having quite a few accidents lately.”
I shrug as if I’m bored, which I am. I’ve heard it all from Mr. Jamison.
“Seeing as you didn’t intentionally blow it up, and you didn’t harm anyone I’m going to let this slide. But—”
I roll my eyes. There’s always a freaking but.
“I need your mother to sign this form.” He hands me a typed out form explaining what I’ve done and what matters are going to be taken for my actions. I grab it from his hands and stuff it in my purse.
“Fine. Anything else?”
“No, Miss West. But please, try not to burn anything else. I’d rather like to keep this place in one piece.”
I stomp up and grab my bag that’s hanging on the chair. I turn my back and head for the door without saying another word—instead I flash him the bird.
“Good day, Cecilia,” I hear him say with amusement.
I’m sure you’re wondering how a teenage girl like me gets away with shit like that, but when the principal is your aunt’s husband, who knows exactly the childhood you’ve had, you tend to get the sympathy card.
The tragedy of losing my dad—my hero, idol, and best friend—has forever altered me. I’m no longer his little girl—his princess. I’m a cold shell of a person forced to grow up in an instant and deal with the complexities his absence created in my life. I left childhood behind much faster than I should have ,I don’t know who I am, or who I should be, but I know one thing’s for sure—I can only rely on myself to find out the truth of that day.
“I heard what you did.” Simon appears next to my locker with a grin.
“Yeah, and what’s that?” I snap back as I turn the lock code on my locker.
“That you about burned off Montana Grayson’s fake eyebrows.”
I laugh. “That should teach her to be ninety-five percent fake then.”
“I could hear her screaming from outside the girl’s bathroom. She was cursing and crying.”
I roll my eyes. “What a fucking drama queen.”
“Well, to be fair, she wasn’t blessed with your perfect skin and naturally-straight hair,” he teases, pretending to give her an excuse.
“True.” I smirk. “But I don’t care about those things.”
“It’s a shame you don’t see how freaking gorgeous you are.” I scowl as his eyes wander up and down my body like a dog in heat.
I quickly look in the tiny magnetic mirror that’s hanging in my locker and shrug unapologetically. “I see it. But I only care when it gives me an advantage,” I respond playfully.
If he only knew that’s exactly what my plans are…
I slam my locker shut after putting my bag away. “Well, I’m out. Tell Cora I’ll call her later if you see her.”
He flashes me a disgusted face. “Yeah, like I’m going to purposely run into Cora.”
I laugh at his expression. “Fine, whatever. I’ll talk to you later, babe.”
After this morning’s incident, I’m ready to get the hell out of there. I have somewhere else to be anyway.
My older sister, Casey, is living at home while she attends college. It’s cheaper and that way she has our mom to do her laundry still. If it were me, I would’ve gotten the hell out of here long ago.
She’s only three years older than I am, but we look a lot alike. At least I hope people think we do, because I’m planning to be her for the next sixteen weeks.
After showering and getting dressed, I peek into her room where she’s studying on her bed.
“Hey, Casey. I need your student ID.”
Her eyes never lift from the book. “It’s in my wallet.”
I walk over to her purse and pull out her tiny Coach wallet. I’ve been in it numerous times, usually to borrow her license to get into clubs or to buy alcohol. She never questions it, either.
“Thanks, I’ll bring it back later.”
I wasn’t dressed in my usual clothes. Instead, I’m wearing a navy blue pencil skirt, white silk blouse, and nude pumps. I look like a librarian, but I need to look the part.
My hair is up in a tight bun with a few loose curls. I wrap my late grandmother’s pearls around my neck for added effect. My face is naturally pale, so I add a touch of makeup—nothing extreme. My body is slender—a gymnast’s body—but I haven’t trained in years. Not since I was fourteen and could no longer deal with the memories each practice brought.
It used to be a passion of mine, but now it was only a reminder of my dad and the times we spent together every Sunday afternoon at the gym. I loved it before dad died, but now it was only a painful memory—a painful passion.
Who the hell dresses like this? Someone who needs to pretend to be someone else, I suppose. And that’s exactly what I’m doing.
I walk into the building marked Leighton Enterprises and then take the elevator to the third floor. Confidently, I step off and walk straight to the secretary’s desk.
“Hello, may I help you?” She looks up at me, bored.
“Hi, I’m Casey West. I’m here for an intern interview.”
“Welcome, Miss West. Mr. Leighton and his colleagues are a few minutes behind. Please take a seat, and they’ll be with you shortly.”
I nod. “Thank you.”
I hold the manila envelope in my lap as I take a seat. It contains my ‘college transcripts’ along with a lengthy essay on why I deserve this unpaid internship.
I forged all of it, of course. It wasn’t difficult, actually. I used Casey’s college email and found her school schedule so I could look up her professor’s names. A few phone calls and I had “my” transcripts and recommendation letters. Add in Casey’s student ID, and I was now a college student, provided you didn’t look too close or fingerprint me.
I made sure to do extensive research on this company. It’s one of the largest investigative criminal reporting companies in the Midwest. They do a little bit of everything, but the part I’m interested in is the criminal cas
es. They hold files to every unsolved murder in Nebraska, which is exactly my reason for being here in the first place.
“Miss West? They’re ready for you now.”
I stand up and smooth my skirt, thanking the receptionist as I walk down the short hall to a boardroom.
The internship process is extensive, due to all the private information held here. I had to go through an extensive questionnaire online as well as a phone pre-interview, but I’m prepared. I’m going to nail this interview head on.
One thing my dad always said about me was that I was a real charmer. I’ve had the ability to manipulate and deceive people for as long as I can remember, and I fully intend to use that to my advantage. Armed with charm and seduction—my two secret weapons—I confidently walk in the room.
“Welcome, please take a seat.”
Three men sit in a row behind a long cherry table. They all have files lying on the table and shuffle through them as I make my way to the chair.
“Hello, gentlemen.” I lean over and offer my hand to first two men. I shift my body so I’m angled toward the last one, whom I assume is Mr. Leighton from the pictures I found.
Oh my God. He’s intimidatingly attractive. I try not to stare, but it’s impossible not to when I’m trying to put on a show of confidence.
He hesitates, but grabs my hand anyway and shakes it. It sends a chill down my body, and I immediately jerk back.
I smile as I slowly sit down and set my folder on top of the table.
“You are Miss Casey West, correct?” The one in the middle asks.
“Yes, sir.” I remind myself to keep eye contact while controlling my facial expressions.
Alphas & Millionaires Starter Set Page 43