Eric's POV
I woke up extremely late the next morning. Not even the blaring sound of my alarm clock could awaken me. I turned to my left where the curly-haired beauty from last night had dozed off and tried to reach for her but she was gone. I rubbed the blurriness off my eyes and sat up on my bed.I scanned the bedroom and noticed that her leather jacket that'd been lying on the floor beside my bed was no longer there. I got out of bed and put on a pair of black joggers. I strode to the guestroom in hopes that she was still lingering around but no, she wasn't. She was gone, probably long gone before I even woke up.It was true that I was such a heavy sleeper. I slept like dead man - my dad used to always say to me back then. One time when I was 8, our house caught fire at midnight. While everyone panicked and tried to get me out, I slept soundly in my room, completely unaware of the flames that'd engulfed the place. So I wasn't surprised that I didn't even hear the Tigress leave.I walked back to my room and plopped down on the sofa, causing a loud thud. Almost immediately, my phone rang. I groaned and got up begrudgingly to get the phone from my desk."Hello?" I answered."Good morning, Mr Donovan," the female on the line spoke. Her voice sounded quite familiar. "It's April Shea from the office," she added."Good morning, Miss Shea," I responded, trying to sound as formal as possible. April was the secretary at D'Writers. I knew why she was calling. I was supposed to have arrived at work over an hour ago."Sorry for the disturbance, sir but I'm just calling to let you know that all members of our staff are gathered, waiting for you. You did schedule the meeting for 9:00am," she said in a manner that seemed like she was counting every word.I exhaled deeply and said to her, "Miss Shea, I need you to inform the General Manager that I won't be coming today. So postpone all of the meetings till Monday.""But sir... Is there a problem?""No, not exactly. Tell him I wasn't feeling well and had to go see the doctor.""Are you really at the doctor's, sir? Is it something serious? But you don't sound..." And she was about to blabber on."Miss Shea!""Sir?""Goodbye," I said calmly, hung up and threw my phone on the bed.I'd recently acquired D'Writers all by myself much to my mother's dismay. She couldn't wait for me to get married so she could get her hands on my late father's wealth.When she found out that I sold my social media app, Tinzel, the very one that earned me my own billionaire title, she thought I was ready to settle down and hand the shares I'd inherited from my father over to her and couldn't have been any happier. But I shocked her and a host of others when I bought D'Writers.D'Writers was a popular online social platform for writers and readers. I'd long thought of acquiring it in memory of my father. My dad was an avid reader and lover of classic novels. He'd told me one day that he would've loved to author a book if he wasn't tied down by the burdensome responsibilities of Donovan Group.It was him who made me take a liking to novels. And before he died, he had plans of owning a novel publishing company though he was a bit skeptical. A year after his passing, I stumbled on the incomplete manuscript of a book he was working on and I promised I'd help him finish it.I stood beside my bed, arms akimbo. After what happened last night, I didn't feel like working today. I just wanted to rest and probably reflect on the wild night I had.I sat on the bed and accidentally dropped my phone. As I reached for it, a little red thing caught my eye. I picked it up. It was the Tigress' garter from last night. The garter that I'd taken off her thighs with my teeth. A smile formed on my lips as I recalled everything that went down.She'd come to me, clothed in her sexy leather jacket. The moment she'd entered my room, I wanted to pin her to my wall like a sports illustrated poster. But somehow I restrained myself and tried to be a gentleman; I didn't want it to seem as though I took advantage of a drunk, helpless woman.But she didn't make it any easy for me. She was such a temptress, a tigress. With those seductive eyes and luscious lips, I became the helpless one.And what was it she said? "Fuck sober! Oh, no don't fuck sober. Fuck me!" Fuck! I totally lost it when she said that while she looked me in the eye. That was all it took to unleash the beast in me, that wanted to ravage her. And it did.She was so beautiful. I wanted to tell her that a thousand times. Every inch of her body screamed perfection - from her dark, curly hair to her long, slender legs. The taste of her rich, brown skin on my tongue and the feeling of her bare body pressed against mine, those moments, I wanted them to last longer than they did.It was strange to think I felt this way about a woman I barely knew and even stranger to know that I got intimate with a woman whose name I didn't know. Why was she so appealing to me? Why couldn't I resist the urge to have sex with her? This, I wanted to know.I admit that I was a bit of a Casanova but I'd never had a one night stand before - for no reason in particular. I did date but they didn't last a month. I was quick to change women like I changed cars. So I reminded myself of this and decided to stop thinking about the tigress.Later that day, my friend, Theo stopped by my house. We talked for a while and when he asked about how my night went, I told him about the tigress."So you didn't get her name?" He asked with amusement clear in his tone."No.""Eric my man! You're finally learning from the master!" He laughed and I shook my head.If you thought I was a manwhore, then you obviously hadn't met Theo. He was an embodiment of promiscuity. He didn't care who or what he fucked. As long as it had a pretty face, boobs and a vagina, he was good to go.There were times I even suspected he was screwing his stepsister but who the hell was I to judge? And other than his promiscuousness, Theo was a great guy."Do you think she's a hooker?" He asked me."No, I don't think so. She didn't charge me for anything. Like I said earlier, she left before I woke up.""Did she steal anything? You can never be too sure with these girls nowadays.""Nothing in my room seemed to be missing.""Are you sure about that?""Dude! My wallets, credit cards and wads of cash were just the way I left them on my desk. Even my $5 million Rolex Bao Dai was laying carelessly on my sofa. So drop it!" I yelled though I wasn't exactly sure why I did."Okay, okay, she's not a thief or a hooker but why are you so worked up? Oh wait! Don't tell me...you've fallen in love with her!" He gasped dramatically and put a hand over his mouth, feigning surprise. Theo was an utter clown."Stop talking nonsense. How could I be in love with her? I barely know her. Might not even recognize her if we ever cross paths." That last part was a blatant lie. Her face was still fresh in my memory and would not be getting erased anytime soon."Yeah, sure. Don't forget you brought her to your house. You've never brought a girl to your house before let alone screw them in your bedroom.""Circumstances...""Sure, I hear ya, lover boy.""I'm not, you retard! I don't love her," I said, more to myself than him.Sapphire's POV June 9th 2022 – the worst day of my entire life. Well, the second worst day actually. It was nothing compared to the day my family, my world was shattered. At any rate, it was still a day I'd rue for as long as I lived or so I thought.How could I have been so stupid? How? How did I even let myself get so wasted to the point where I was completely dazzled by alcohol so much so that I had sex with a stranger? Like it wasn't enough that Austin, that bastard, cheated on me, that same night, I went on to sleep with a man I knew nothing of, a total stranger. Just thinking about it made me gag. I was enraged, disgusted and hurt. All I wanted to do was drink and forget about my problem, not add to it. But I did!I remember waking up with a hangover, naked in the arms of a man I'd never seen before. His arms went around my waist and my head was resting on his chiseled chest. The moment I opened my eyes, I screamed and fell so hard on the floor. I w
Eric's POVMonday arrived rather quickly. Too quick, if you ask me. I got out of bed very early and got dressed for work. I was decked in a grey Kiton K-50 suit with the first two upper buttons undone and a pair of Testoni's alligator skin, Moro monk-strap shoe. It would be my first day at D'Writers and I couldn't wait to get it over with.I sat down in the dining room for a quick breakfast of Greek salad omelette and coffee that'd been prepared by Nana Belinda, the cook and head maid. She was a 57-year-old woman, kindhearted and caring. She was more of a mother to me than my sorry excuse of a mother. I guess it's because she practically raised me as a child while my mother was too busy to care. "How was your night, Eric?" She asked me with a warm smile on her face as she poured me my coffee. "It was great, Nana." "Did you sleep well?" "Of course, I did," I replied, taking a slice of the omelette. "But not as much a
Sapphire's POV "You have got to be fucking kidding me!" That was the first thing I screamed inside of my head when I saw who sat before me. The very same man with whom I had a one night stand, the strange man that I slept with in a drunken state, that man was none other than my new CEO? He was New York's most talked-about billionaire, Mr Donovan? Creator of Tinzel? Who would've thought? I wasn't expecting to see the man so soon and worse, here of all places! The universe really played a trick on me, a wicked one at that. There he was, seated, wearing a million dollar suit I suppose, with his stupid jet-black hair stylishly combed and an idiotic smirk plastered on his face. What the hell was he smirking at anyway? I wished I could walk over there and wipe it off his ugly face. Okay, well that was a blatant lie. He was a thousand miles far from ugly. As a matter of fact, he was devilishly handsome just sitting there. But it didn't matter. Handsome or not, I was still irked by the me
Sapphire's POV I tramped all the way to Mr Donovan's office with a big scowl. What could he possibly want with me? Why couldn't he just let me be for now? Didn't he realize how awkward seeing his face made me feel? I didn't even deem it fit to knock before I stormed in. I stood facing him as he sat behind his desk, working on his laptop computer. "You sent for me, sir?" I tried to sound as polite as possible. "Weren't you taught to knock before entering someone's office, Miss Smith?" He asked, still fixated on the screen. "Oh, I was taught to knock, alright. Want me to give you a demonstration using your head?" I muttered to myself. I would be more than happy to show him how good my knocking skills were. "Did you say something?" His voice was somewhat cold and unwelcoming. "No, sir." "And what are you still standing there for? Go back and knock," he ordered, laying emphasis on the 'knock'. I shot him a cold glance and turned towards the door. I stood outside and knocked on it
Sapphire's POVMr Donovan came forward till he was just a few inches away from me. He moved closer and cupped my hand in his."I'm sorry if you think I took advantage of your intoxication. I'm sorry I couldn't resist you. Have you seen yourself though? Who could resist an enchantress like you?"Could there ever be a more cringe-worthy apology than this?"Anyway, I'll try harder next time, Tigress," he added."Next time?" I arched one of my brows. What the hell did he mean by that?"I was just kidding," he said nonchalantly. "But if you're up for it, I wouldn't mind." He shrugged.Just as I was about to respond, a knock on the door interrupted and I quickly pulled away from him. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to find out about what went down between us both, especially here at the office."May I come in, Mr Donovan?" April asked and I watched as Mr freaking Donovan calmly took his seat."Come in." He turned to me and gave me a look that said, "See? Etiquette!" and I rolled my e
Sapphire's POVThere he was, standing so close beside me with his strong arm wrapped around me. The intense look he gave me and the burning touch of his fingertips on my cheek was capable of rendering any girl spellbound. And even I was no exception. I couldn't help but stare at him in awe as he did what he did.But I had to focus and not let my guard down. Only foolish girls would let themselves be swayed by his charm. And I had to remind myself that just hours ago, I was showering him with abuses because I thought he was an asshole and he was.But right now this asshole was here to save my ass from a much bigger asshole who just couldn't take no for an answer. And I was more than happy to play along."I'm sorry, I was actually on my way to meet you but was suddenly held up by this crazy guy," I said to Mr Donovan as I gently rested my hand on his broad chest, my eyes never leaving Austin.Austin had a pure look of shock, confusion, anger and hurt spread all over his face. I'd never
Sapphire's POV "How many times has he cheated on you?" Mr Donovan commenced his interrogation. "How did you know he cheated on me?" "Lucky guess." "I only caught him red-handed once, why?" "You really want to throw your relationship away because he cheated on you just once?" "He's probably been doing it for a long time. And besides, isn't that enough reason?" I furrowed my brows in confusion. "Jay Z cheated on Beyonce, Offset cheated on Cardi, Kevin cheated on Eniko, Jada cheated on Will..." "What's your point?" I cut him off sharply. "They got past it and are still together." "You're unbelievable! You want to preach to me about relationships? What would someone like you know about relationships?" I scoffed and looked away. "Someone like me? I'd like to think I'm more experienced than you in that field. I'm a pro and you're..." He glanced at me and finished his sentenc
Sapphire's POV Mr Donovan had called me to his office the next morning, much to my surprise. He'd said he'd be coming late to work but he was already there even before I arrived. I wasn't done with the assignment he gave me. Hell! I hadn't even begun yet and given his irritable personality, I knew for a fact that he'd be anything but happy when he found out. So I mentally prepared myself for his usual annoying talks. He always had something vexatious to say to me. However, I wasn't prepared for what happened as I stepped into his office. I was definitely not expecting to be pulled into a tight embrace. Mr Donovan hugged me so passionately that I was completely stunned, I stood like a post. What the hell was happening? – my thought exactly. When he finally released me, he gazed at me for what seemed like a minute and then without warning, his lips fiercely captured mine. I was just too dazed to react and my brain couldn't register anything at t