She was halfway out the door when she turned back.
“I bite, by the way.”
Lucas dropped his pen.
Chapter 4
Late Night Confessions
“I got the job!” Maddison shouted, bursting into her apartment, barely kicking the door closed behind her.
“Tell me everything,” Remy said, already on video call, eyes wide with curiosity. Maddison collapsed onto the couch, unzipping her boots with a satisfied grunt.
“Okay, first of all, I was late. Walked in like a hurricane. There were all these blonde Barbie clones in the waiting room, all tiny and polished and silent.”
“And you?”
“Sat down, legs wide, tits up, red lipstick, and dared someone to say something.”
Her friend snorted. “Icon.”
“But the CEO of Lucas Creams? He was… weird. Shy. Tall. It looked like he belonged in GQ but panicked when I spoke. Like I short circuited him just by existing.”
“God, I love when rich men crumble.”
“I think I like him,” Maddison said, smiling. “I don’t know why, but it felt like he saw me.”
***
Lucas was supposed to be reviewing contracts.
Instead, he was scrolling.
Again.
He’d pulled up her Instagram, her old college Tumblr, even her Goodreads. He wasn’t proud of himself or maybe he was, just a little. The rabbit hole had a name now:
Maddison Parker.
But what gnawed at him was the feeling.
The way she smirked at him. The timing. The tone.
He'd felt it five years ago, in his DMs.
booklover69.
God, the name. It had started as a joke. He read every single message. Every thirst trap. Every confession. Every filthy line about the man she thought he was.
He clicked open the inbox.
Hundreds of messages.
One stood out the very first one.
***
FLASHBACK – 5 YEARS AGO