Page 2 of City of Sin (Men of Manhattan 1)

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"Patrick, I..."

"I know, okay? I know your parents are divorced. And I know that you're scared to get married. But I'm not your dad, Bee. I'm not going to run off. I'm so in love with you. I love you with everything that I am. I'm never going to leave you. Marry me, Bee."

I didn't think he was going to propose, not yet. But it felt so right. I never wanted to live a day without him. "Okay."

"Okay? Does that mean yes?" He smiled up at me.

"Yes that means yes. Of course, yes!"

He slid the ring onto my finger.

"Oh my God, Patrick." I could feel tears start to stream down my cheeks. I looked down at the ring on my finger.

"Why are you crying?" He wrapped his arms around me. "You're so cute."

I pressed the side of my face against his chest. "I just never thought I'd be this happy."

Chapter 1

Bee

18 Months Later

The subway car screeched as it came to a stop. I quickly stood up and squeezed my way past the people boarding. It seemed like common sense to let people off the subway before getting on. But that philosophy somehow got lost when people were underground. Maybe it was similar to how I was somehow now immune to the smell of pee in the subway terminal and the loud sounds of the city. If I left the city now, it would probably be hard to fall asleep to the silence of the suburbs. Cars honking always put me right to sleep.

I slowly climbed the stairs. Luckily the office was only a block away from the subway station. The cold wind nipped my cheeks as soon as I emerged above ground. I pulled my jacket tighter around myself as I avoided tripping over a pile of trash on the curb.

In the distance, I noticed a homeless person sitting on the sidewalk outside my office building. Just don't look at him. I grabbed the handle of the door. Damn it. I didn't know why I couldn't walk past him. It just wasn't in me. And it was so cold this morning. I hadn't realized how harsh the winters were going to be in New York. I backtracked and handed the man a few dollars out of my purse. If I kept doing this, I'd be the next one on the street. I was barely scraping by as it was. Giving money to every homeless person I walked by really added up.

"Thank you, miss."

I smiled at him and retreated into the building. I kept my coat on as I walked toward the elevator. My teeth were still chattering.

"Bridget, I'm glad I caught you."

I turned around and looked up at my boss. He was at least ten years old than me, but that didn't seem to stop him from flirting with me constantly. "Oh, hi, Mr. Ellington."

"I told you to call me Joe." He smiled at me and put his hand on my shoulder.

Nope. "What can I do for you?"

"Coffee. Please."

"Sure. As soon as I get upstairs, I'll get you a cup."

"No, the good stuff down the street. Thanks, Bridget. See you in a few." He let go of my shoulder and stepped onto the elevator.

I wanted to tell him that it was 15 degrees outside. And that there was perfectly good coffee in our office. Instead, I bit my tongue and went back out into the cold. The place my boss was referring to wasn't exactly nearby either. It was three blocks away. I folded my arms across my chest and walked as quickly as I could.

When I finally arrived at the coffee shop, I could barely feel my nose. I got into the back of the line and rubbed my hands together. A woman walked up behind me. She was talking really loudly into her phone. I rolled my eyes to myself.

"What can I get for you?" the barista said with a big smile when I reached the front of the line.

"Could I have a 12 ounce cappuccino with soy milk and extra foam to go please?" I hated how pretentious Mr. Ellington's order sounded. I felt my cheeks blush.

"Sure thing. That will be $3.99."

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