Page 1 of Room One Hundred and Eighteen

CHAPTER 1

Courtney

I sit in my office at MonroeTech, staring at the walls. Tears well behind my eyes but I just sniff and close them, refusing to let them fall.

“Miss Monroe, is there anything else I can do for you?”

Jumping, I suck in a startled breath. My assistant stands in the doorway, her eyes sad and swollen.

“No, Jen. Go ahead and head home. I’m going to head home soon myself.”

Her head tilts to the side, her brown hair sliding over her shoulder. “I’m so sorry about your parents.”

I turn my chair and close my eyes, forcing myself to stay calm even though I want to rage and throw things. Want to lose my mind.

But I can’t. Everybody here is expecting me to either lose it or to completely shut them down.

And the safest option is to just take myself in hand and work until I finally fall into an exhausted fucking sleep.

“Thank you, Jen. I appreciate it. Go home and get some rest. We’ll have a long day tomorrow.”

She nods and closes my door and I hear her heels ticking down the hallway.

As soon as she’s gone, I let my head fall back to the cushioned chair back and close my eyes, tears crowding past my lashes.

I hear the last little bit of busy movement before the office completely empties out.

I’m finally alone, the quiet curling around me and cradling me as I let the tears fall, let my heart ache.

I had every intention of taking over the company soon. Dad was readying the retirement paperwork for himself and he was in the process of turning it all over to me so he and Mom could take the vacations that he’d always promised her.

Their trip was the beginning of their dreams together. Their chance to stick their toes into the shallow end of their plans and just have fun before everything was turned over to me.

But, isn’t that how life goes? I know that Dad was worried about me and his company. Not that he didn’t think I could handle it. But he’s been in charge for decades. He was just nervous.

My eyes squeeze shut and I sigh, reaching up and rubbing my eyes with the palms of my hand. I stand up and walk into my private bathroom, running water into a towel and placing it over my aching forehead. My green eyes are red and tired and my face is pale, my usually golden skin tired and ashen.

I can’t continue like this. I need rest. I need to get myself together. I need…a distraction.

My body aches and roars with fatigue but I walk back out and sink back into my desk chair. And my eyes instantly land on the small card lying there on the dark wood. A discreet card with an address and when you turn it over, it says these words.

“Welcome to all your dirty fantasies come to life. Join us.”

My breath stills and I study it, looking for any indication of who it’s from and where it came from.

But there’s nothing beyond that.

I stand up and walk to the door, my eyes darting up and down the long hallway of closed doors and darkness.

“Hello?” My voice is soft and shaky in the quiet gloom but nothing and nobody appear.

I stand and grab my purse, slinging it over my shoulder and heading for the elevator, my eyes darting left and right.

I slip inside and wait with bated breath, sure that a hand is going to come up and slip inside the doors before they close.

But then it closes and there’s nothing.

I close my eyes and sink into the wall, my shoulders sinking as uneasiness drips off of me.

---