Her Familiar Stranger

Ceylan pulled her Mercedes into the underground parking lot of Aslan Consolidated at eight in the morning. She felt different today, and she couldn’t pinpoint whether it was Vintage or Liam causing this shift.

Liam had been on her mind since she left the mansion yesterday. “But I don't want you to move on.” His words echoed in her head.

She quickly shook off the odd sensation creeping into her chest. She wasn’t mistaken—Liam was trying to get into her pants, exploiting the fact that she once had feelings for him.

Or maybe she still did.

Ceylan was sticking to her guns, just like she told Savvy yesterday—she wasn’t going to get involved with Liam.

She wasn’t going to be one of those women who sat around crying because their man was out there sleeping with countless women.

Savannah didn’t trust her to stay away though, and a part of her feared she might be right. “The kiss I saw screamed ‘I want you so bad, Liam'.” And she hadn’t missed the advice at the end. “Take a risk, Ceylan. Life isn't always smooth. Who knows, maybe you would be the one to tame that sex-deprived beast.”

Ceylan stepped out of the car and smoothed her deep V zipper long-sleeved bodycon cream dress.

Her black stilettos with silver straps clicked and clacked as her hair bounced with every step she took towards the elevator.

“Good morning, Miss Aslan,” the guard standing near the elevator greeted her.

“Good morning, Rob.” She smiled at him and stepped into the elevator.

“Have a good day, miss.”

“You too.” She pressed the button for the thirtieth floor, and as the numbers began to change, she found herself closing her eyes.

The image of her kissing Liam flashed in her mind. Her body melting into his, her hands exploring his body, feeling each crevasse, each line of his perfect physique…

“No, Ceylan, not with him.”

Her thoughts shifted to Vintage. She felt herself becoming wet with just the mere thought of him. It would be years until she could get him out of her head.

The elevator doors opened, and Ceylan walked directly to her office. Chloe, her assistant, met her along the way.

She was wearing an O-neck slim pencil official navy blue dress that beautifully highlighted her golden almond skin. Her black hair was in a perfect bun as always.

“How was your weekend, Ceylan?” Chloe never addressed her formally. She had been her assistant for two years, and Ceylan liked to think of them as friends.

“A hot mess,” she said, and before Chloe could ask more, Ceylan asked, “Did you go see your father this weekend? How is he doing?”

Her expression fell, “Not well. The doctor says his cancer is in a pretty bad stage now.”

Ceylan stopped to gently touch Chloe's arm. “If you need anything—money, a break—just let me know.”

“Thank you, Ceylan. You've already done so much. What more could I ask for when Dad is getting the best medical care for free in the company's hospital? The least I can do after what you have done is be here to help you with anything you may need.”

St. Monica Hospital was one of the many establishments in Aslan Consolidated, and as an employee, her dad deserved this medical cover.

Ceylan didn’t feel she deserved the praise Chloe was giving her, but she had given up telling her assistant to stop—the woman never learned.

Inside her office, Ceylan settled into her seat behind her desk, and Chloe took her usual place. “So, what's new?” Ceylan asked.

“Marilyn Fashion House sent another budget. There have been some last-minute changes?”

“What last-minute changes? The yearly Fashion Exhibit is in two weeks; changes will definitely cost us.”

“These changes are a good thing,” said Chloe, handing Ceylan the documents she was holding. “I've gone through it. The new venue will refund us the non-refundable deposit we lost to the previous venue, then pay for half the preparation cost.”

“And who is this generous business person?” Ceylan shook her head as she flipped through the document.

“Liam Chase.”

Ceylan's head jerked up. “Liam Chase?” She needed to confirm she heard it right.

“Yeah. The Fashion Exhibit will take place at Chase Grand's ballroom.”

What was Liam up to? Was this some kind of game? Was he trying to get her closer to him?

But no matter what he did, Ceylan wasn’t going to play his game, and he needed to know that.

She was about to ask Chloe to get his number, but she stopped herself. Calling him would mean she acknowledged his effort.

“Is my brother in?” Baris would talk him out of it.

“No. Do you want me to let you know when he arrives?”

“I'll just call him.” She dug in her purse to take out her forgotten phone. That was always the case with her personal phone. Only specific people called her on it (the rest called her business phone), and considering she had been with her special people last night, it had gone silent.

“I'll be at my desk in case you need anything.” And Chloe walked out, leaving Ceylan alone in the grey-painted office with one floor-to-ceiling window facing the busy Los Angeles street.

As the screen lit up, a message came into view.

Vintage.

Her hand flew to her neck, realizing what had given away her identity. The necklace was missing.

Her heart pounded as fear coursed through her. What if this guy blackmailed her? What if he decided to share the information with the rest of the world? What would her family think of her?

They would be disappointed for sure.

Her fingers trembled as she replied to Vintage.

Ceylan waited impatiently for the reply. She hoped she wouldn’t be kept waiting for long. She was eager to know the consequences of her action. Only then would she know what to do next.

She didn’t take her eyes off the screen, and when the text popped up, she saw it immediately. She held her breath as she read it.

She let out a breath. Just a little sexual blackmail from the only man who's ever made her climax. No big deal.

She had to figure out if there was more to this.

She took a moment before responding. If she told him she didn't want to sleep with him, he might use her secret against her.

She had to play along, get the proof he had on her, then cut him off, never to see him again.

Or she could handle this another way. She could come up with a plan to deal with the blackmailer.

But something inside her disagreed; she was willing to be blackmailed for another unforgettable night with Vintage.

Her phone buzzed.

***

Savvy’s eyes lit up. “Vintage texted you?”

Ceylan nodded, passing her phone to Savvy. Savannah set her takeout box on the home bar counter, then settled back onto the stool.

She stared at the screen for a few seconds before looking up. “Well, this is… complicated and… thrilling.”

“And risky too,” Ceylan added. “I'll do it just this once. I have to get my pendant, take the evidence.”

Glancing at the texts again, she said, “He seems harmless. I don't think he means any harm. He just loved sleeping with you and he wants more. You want more too, right?”

Ceylan couldn't hide her desire from Savannah. “I do. One last time.”

“What if he wants to keep this going? If he wasn't done with you once, I doubt he'll be done after a second time.”

“I don't want to be someone's mistress, Savvy. This has to be the last time.” Ceylan said firmly. She then took a sip of her drink, letting the red wine wash over her tongue with a fruity bitter taste.

“O-Okay. But if he tries anything, Gabriella needs to know about this, she's probably dealt with stuff like this at the club. Besides, you have someone else interested in you. You don't need Voluntas Tua services. Liam Chase is the whole package, or so I've heard, you wouldn't need Vintage.”

“Where do you get all this gossip?”

“The guy has slept with half the socialites and models in LA, so it was bound to get out.”

“That's exactly why I don't want to get involved with him. And I had to make that clear to him today.”

“There's more.” Savvy's voice had a teasing lilt. “What did you do to Liam today?”

“I don't know what he's trying to pull. He convinced Marilyn to make last-minute changes and let him host the Fashion exhibit when we've been planning for months. He offered to pay for half the venue preparation costs and refund our other venue's non-refundable deposit.”

“That's crazy.”

“That's what I thought too. So I called Marilyn, told her I didn't like Chase Grand for the event and that I wasn't going to sign the new budget. I'm not playing Liam's games.”

“This is a good deal though. You should have considered it.”

Her friend was right. Aslan Consolidated would save a lot of money, and as the CFO, this was the kind of deal she should be rooting for.

“I'm not going to let him throw money around for something stupid. He's Baris's best friend, it's only decent for me to look out for his interest.”

Savannah's eyebrows shot up, and a curious smile played on her lips. “Is that just decency talking or something more?”

“Nothing more.” She got up from her stool. “I'm going to shower and go to bed. It's been a long day. Good night.”

“Okay. Goodnight.” And Savannah went back to her Chinese takeout.

Thirty minutes later, Ceylan was under her covers with no hint of sleep in her eyes but only one thing on her mind: Vintage.

Ceylan picked up her phone and texted him.

It wasn’t that she was excited to sleep with him again, it’s just that she needed to put this behind her. Voluntas Tua was supposed to be a one-night experience, not a drawn-out ordeal.

That was just what she had disagreed with. She wasn’t excited.

She pressed her knees together tightly because what he was saying was true. Was he an empath? She had been wet the moment she thought of texting him about their meeting.

Ceylan stifled a groan of frustration as more juice trickled out of her. She would need to go back to the bathroom and clean up.

Another text from him came when she didn’t respond for a while.

This was a tempting offer but she wasn’t going to accept it. This had already gone too far.

And she put away the torturous device.