Chapter 3 The Morning After

Merritt POV

The fluorescent lights of the architecture firm were a brutal punishment for my hangover.

I sat at my drafting desk, staring blankly at the CAD software on my monitor. It didn't matter that my head was pounding, my mouth was dry, and I was running on exactly two hours of sleep.

Every time I closed my eyes, my mind flashed back to the hotel room. The way his hands had moved gently on my skin, it was almost as though he was scared to hurt me. He didn't tease me when I told him I was still a virgin at twenty three, in fact, he wanted to pull way. I stopped him because I was too far gone and drunk to care.

Even his thrust were gentle and deep despite my attempts to make him go faster. I kept thinking about how rough and full with lust his voice had been, the way he had looked at me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered.

I had slipped out of his bed at dawn, grabbing my dress off the floor and sneaking out of the hotel before the sun even had the chance to fully rise. I didn't leave a note or even know his name.

It was the most reckless, out-of-character thing I had ever done. And God help me, I didn't regret it.

"Merritt!"

The sharp, nasal voice sliced through the quiet hum of the office. I flinched, my shoulders instantly tensing.

Valerie Thorne, the senior partner and my absolute nightmare of a boss, marched out of her glass-walled office. She was holding a rolled-up set of blueprints like a weapon. The entire floor went dead silent as she moved.

"My office. Now," she snapped, not even looking at me as she turned on her heel.

I let out a slow breath, grabbed my tablet, and followed her.

Valerie slammed the blueprints onto her massive glass desk. "Care to explain why

the load-bearing specifications on the elevation of the downtown project are off by two inches?"

I blinked, leaning over to look at the paper. "Valerie, those are the rough sketches from last week. I updated the structural files on the server yesterday afternoon."

"I don't look at the server, Merritt. I look at what is printed and put on my desk," she said coldly, crossing her arms. "You are a junior architect. Don't forget that you are completely replaceable. If you want to ever see your name on a real project in this city, you need to stop making careless mistakes. Do you understand me?"

My jaw tightened. I was the one doing the actual design work while she took the credit, but pointing that out would get me fired. And I couldn't afford to get fired. Not with my student loans, and not when I was so close to building enough of a portfolio to start my own firm.

"I understand," I said quietly. "I'll print the updated files right now."

"See that you do." She waved a dismissive hand. "Get out."

I walked back to my desk, my blood boiling. I dropped into my chair and buried my face in my hands. I needed a breakthrough. I needed a massive, undeniable project that Valerie couldn't steal from me. If I didn't get one soon, I was going to lose my mind.

My phone buzzed on the desk, vibrating against the wood.

I picked it up. The caller ID flashed: Hayes.

My stomach gave rolled into knots and twist. Last night, I had sworn I was done with him. I was done being his backup plan. But five years of habit was hard to break. I swiped to answer, pressing the phone to my ear.

"Hey," I said, keeping my voice flat.

"Mer! Finally," Hayes’s loud, energetic voice came through the speaker. He sounded completely fine. No guilt. No awareness that he had abandoned me at a club. "Where did you go last night? I looked for you around two, but the guys said you took off."

I left at midnight, Hayes.

"I was tired," I lied smoothly. "I had to work early."

"Right, right. Listen, I need a massive favor."

I closed my eyes. "Hayes, I'm at work..."

"I know, I'll make it quick," he interrupted, his tone shifting from casual to deeply annoyed. "Conrad is forcing a family dinner tonight at the estate. He's threatening to pull some of my PR funding if I don't show up and play the happy

stepson."

Conrad Mercer. Hayes’s billionaire stepdad. The man was a notorious control freak who treated his family like corporate assets.

"Okay," I said cautiously. "What does that have to do with me?"

"My prick of a stepbrother is in town," Hayes muttered, the hatred clear in his voice. "Conrad is making him come too. You know how Stellan gets under my skin. If I go alone, I’m going to end up throwing a punch and making the tabloids again. I need you there, Mer. For moral support. Please."

I rubbed my temples. This was exactly what I had promised myself I would stop doing. I wasn't his emotional shield.

"Hayes, I don't think..."

"Mer, come on. You're the only one who keeps me from losing my temper," he pleaded, using

that soft, boyish tone he knew always worked on me. "Just two hours. Free food. And then we can get out of there. I promise."

I stared at the updated blueprints on my screen, feeling utterly exhausted. I was tired of fighting Valerie, tired of my own guilt from last night, and tired of Hayes.

But maybe this was exactly what I needed. One last dinner. One last time playing the supportive best friend before I finally drew a hard line and stepped back from him for good.

"Fine," I sighed. "Two hours. But I'm driving myself."

"You're a lifesaver, Mer. Seriously. Wear something nice, Conrad is being weird about the dress code. See you at seven."

He hung up before I could say another word.

I tossed my phone onto the desk and leaned back in my chair. A family dinner with Hayes, his terrifying stepdad, and the stepbrother he despised.

What was the worst that could happen?