by Raquel Belle
The NYCE Girls
Book #1 – Boss Zoned!
Book #2 - The Boston Wedding
Book #3 - I Really Love to Hate You!
Book #4 – Just for the Holidays?
Raquel Belle
Copyright © 2020 by Raquel Belle. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations or excerpts for review purposes.
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental.
Belle, Raquel. The NYCE Girls.
Belle, Raquel. Boss Zoned!
Belle, Raquel. The Boston Wedding.
Belle, Raquel. I really love to hate you!
Belle, Raquel. Just for the holidays?
Table of Contents
Book #1 – Boss Zoned!
Acknowledgements
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
More from Raquel Belle
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my amazing team at Naughty Bird Publishing. Avi, Andy, Deb. You guys are amazing. Thank you to Teykia, Alison, Melia and Kerry. Thank you to all of our friends and family for being there for us through this incredible journey. And an extra special thank you to our phenomenal ARC group. You guys went above and beyond! Enjoy!
The NYCE Girls
Book #1 – Boss Zoned!
Raquel Belle
Chapter One
Nick
Four years ago…
It’s Friday night and O’Sullivan’s—the Irish pub down the street from the DA’s office—is in full swing. This pub is the unofficial hangout spot for all the cops, lawyers and other public servants in the district. It’s just an unspoken rule that this is where we all come to blow off steam. Grace sits beside me at the bar, somehow managing to look regal in jeans and a tank top, with her hair piled in a loose bun on top of her head. I’m dressed casually too—for once I’m not in a suit.
Grace turns to me, her green eyes swirling with excitement. I’ve always loved Grace’s eyes. The almond-shaped, forest green orbs give her an exotic look. When I look into them, sometimes it feels as if I’m being hypnotized. She’s a beautiful woman and I often find myself admiring her—though, with as much subtlety as possible. I once asked her about the hint of Mediterranean in her appearance, and she told me her mother is Italian. She said she looks exactly like her mother. I’ve never even seen a picture of the woman and I guess I’ll never meet her. Grace said she disappeared when she was a kid. Coincidentally, my father disappeared from the picture when I was a kid too. We bonded over that pain. The only difference is, Grace had a doting father and loving brothers who rallied around to nurture her, resulting in the compassionate, warm woman sitting beside me. I wasn’t so lucky.
“Hey, why are you so quiet? We’re supposed to be celebrating.”
Her voice filters into my wayward thoughts. “Just taking everything in,” I lie. I was mostly taking her in.
“Do you think this is our last night here?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you’re leaving the DA’s office—”
“We’re leaving the DA’s office.”
She smiles. “Fine, we’ll no longer be public servants. We’re going private.”
I look around, seeing plenty of non-cop, non-firefighter, non-public servant faces. There’s Cara Conley, an acquaintance of mine, and Grace’s best friend. She works at a private law firm. There are two women with Cara, Jasmine and Beth, great friends of Grace’s as well. They’re not employed by the government either. There are plenty of others sprinkled in with the public servants. “I don’t see why we wouldn’t keep coming here.”
“Good, because I love it here.”
I grin. “Me too, and this place has become our spot.”
“Our spot.” Sh
e inhales and glances around. “It is, isn’t it? We’ve had a lot of good times here.”
“Let’s make tonight another good time. Let’s celebrate properly.” Lifting my shot glass, I roar, “Here’s to us, making it to the big time.”
“To the big time,” Grace echoes and we shoot back the tequila. She grimaces and shudders but then shouts, “Keep ‘em coming!” It makes me laugh. I don’t laugh much but Grace manages to draw them out of me like no one else.
Grace and I are indeed leaving the DA’s office. After three years, I’m no longer an assistant district attorney. I got an offer from one of the biggest law firms in New York, Davis Michael Porter. I had a great run as assistant DA and before that as a defense attorney. I’ve never lost a case and already my reputation precedes me. The private firm wants to take me on as a corporate lawyer. The partners are all approaching retirement and they need young, fresh blood. They sought me out—and honestly, I didn’t know I was being watched by so many people in the professional sense. After hearing the offered salary, I was more than ready to leave the gruesome court scene and go corporate.
Not that I’m desperate for money. At thirty-three, I’ve got a hefty bank account thanks to more than a few wise investments and savings which I started when I was eighteen and in the military. I’ve always had a head for business. I absolutely welcomed the change from fighting in the courtroom to sitting behind a desk and overseeing business contracts and mergers instead.
Watching Grace tip back another shot, I lift a brow, “Someone’s going hard tonight. I’ve never seen you like this.”
“Of course not. I can’t make it a habit to get hammered in front of my boss. But tonight is a special occasion so what the hell. I’m happy for you, Nick.”
“What about you? You’re moving on up right along with me.”
“Well, yeah, but it’s different. I didn’t—”
“You helped me get here.”
She stares at me for a while and I hold her gaze, suddenly wondering what her lips taste like. Don’t go there, Parker. You’ve kept your hands off of her for three whole years. I’m damn proud of myself for that particular feat. As disciplined as I am, Grace is pure temptation and she doesn’t even know it.
I clear my throat. “So, aren’t you happy for you too?”
“Moving to a posh law firm and an even posher apartment in Manhattan? Hell yeah, I’m happy for me too!”
Grinning, I lift my shot glass and she clinks hers to mine. We were both offered accommodations from Davis Michael Porter. Well, I was offered a penthouse suite close to the office…and after letting them know that Grace and I are a package deal, and I’m not going anywhere without her, they gave her an apartment not too far from mine. I have to make sure my right-hand woman is taken care of and happy. Right now, she looks happy and that makes me happy.
“So what’s next, Mr. Parker? You’ve made it big. Where do you go from here?”
I shrug and throw out, “My name on the building within five years.” I say it just to say something in response to Grace’s question. But, now that it’s out there...alright. That’s officially the new goal. “Makes sense. I mean, Porter is an old man and he’ll be retiring soon. I’ll just work my ass off to replace him in a few years. Nothing too hard.”
“Let’s drink to that then.”
Grace is all giggles after another shot. Damn, she’s actually getting wasted. As adorable as she is right now, I don’t want her suffering a massive hangover tomorrow. “Water,” I shout to the bartender and point to Grace.
“Hey, I can have a few more shots,” she pouts.
“Yeah, shots of water.”
“Just because you’re my boss doesn’t mean you get to boss me around.”
“That’s exactly what the definition of a boss is, Grace,” I grin.
She pauses, appears to consider it, and then bursts into laughter. “Right.” Just then a leggy blonde comes sauntering over.
“Cara! My bestie!” Grace squeals.
She studies Grace with narrowed eyes. “You know she’s a lightweight right?”
“She’ll be fine.” I point to the bottle of water which has replaced the shot glass.
Cara smiles and glances from me to Grace with a twinkle in her eyes. “You two look pretty cozy.”
I guess we do. We’ve been leaning in close—just to hear each other over the music and chatter in the bar—while laughing like hyenas. I glance at Grace and she smiles broadly. I can’t help but smile back.
Cara’s brows shoot up. “I feel like I’m interrupting something here.”
“You’re not,” Grace and I chorus.
Seemingly unconvinced, Cara murmurs, “Uh huh. Anyway, I just came over to congratulate you two on your big move. Another shot on me? Well, water for you,” she points at Grace who sticks out her tongue.
Cara and I take the shot together and she takes my hand in a firm grip. I do like a woman with a firm handshake. “Congrats again.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll catch you two later.”
“Later,” Grace sings.
“Are you sure you don’t want to join your friends?” I nod to the table with Cara, Beth and Jasmine.
Eyes unfocused, Grace glances at the small group of women. “I’ll catch up with them another time. Tonight is our night. No way am I leaving your side,” she slurs with a hiccup.
“You have got to be the cutest drunk I’ve ever seen,” I say under my breath.
Her glassy eyes swing back to me. “What was that?”
“Nothing.”
With a small frown, she picks up her water bottle and sips. We linger for a bit longer...until Grace’s words are no longer slurred at least. She manages to walk in a straight line out of the bar and I joke while we wait for a cab, “Look who’s sober again.”
“Haha. I wasn’t drunk.”
“You were pretty close.” Grasping her chin, I peer into her eyes. “Look at that, your pupils are back to their normal sizes too.” I didn’t even think about it before I touched her—and it was meant to be innocent—but staring into her eyes, standing so close, something charges between us. Pure sexual energy. Grace inhales sharply and her lips part as if inviting me to place mine over them. It’s tempting and I almost give in, but I drop my hand as quickly as if I’d been burned and take a step back.
There’s a feeling of nervous tension in the air between us while we wait silently for a cab. Finally one arrives and we slide in. I give the driver Grace’s address first. It’s quiet until she asks, “Nick?”
“Yes, Grace?” I glance at her.
“Would you have accepted the job with DMP if I couldn’t come with you?”
Random question, but I don’t hesitate. “Absolutely not. We’re a team.” I shrug. “Besides, with the wins you and I have racked up over three years, we would have gotten another offer in no time.”
I can see her features soften in the semi-darkness of the cab…and she shuffles closer to place her hand over mine. Nothing strange about that. We touch each other in a friendly manner all the time. “Thank you, Nick. You always think about me.”
“Of course.” Not only are we co-workers, but I also consider us great friends. I gaze at her, wondering where all of this is coming from.
I don’t get to ask because she sighs and says, “This is nice. I haven’t been on a date in forever.”
Now that’s strange. Eyes swinging to her I grin. “Date? That’s an interesting title for tonight.”
Pulling her hand away from mine, her eyes widen. “Not that this is a date. I just...us going out for drinks, this whole scenario is kinda like a date but not really a date…you know what I mean,” she scoffs. She stares straight ahead and begins to nibble her fingernails, meaning she’s nervous. It’s a habit she’s been trying to break for years. I don’t understand why she’s suddenly so agitated.
“Do you want it to be a date?” I don’t know why I even ask that, but I foolishly continue, “If you do, I’m all for it. B
ut, what about your number one rule about not mixing personal lives with work?” She’d adamantly declared that three years ago. I guess it has something to do with her parents. I haven’t gotten the full story. Whatever happened has her super cautious about blurring the lines between us. In my opinion, they’ve already been blurred—our personal lives have already been mixed with work, but I’ll keep that to myself.
My comment was meant to tease so I wasn’t expecting Grace to turn to me and purr, “Well, Nicholas, technically you’re not my boss right now. Today was our last day at the DA’s office and we don’t start at Davis Michael Porter until Monday…”
Surely she’s teasing as well. So, I reply, “I guess we’d better make the most of it then.”
I hear the hitch in her breath and see blatant desire flicker to life in her eyes. Holy fuck she’s serious. Well, so am I. I hold her gaze for a moment before turning to the driver to give him my address instead.
Chapter Two
Nick
Grace is wrapped around me, practically devouring my mouth while I clumsily try to unlock my door. The distraction of her soft body pressed against mine is making even this simple act tremendously difficult. She breaks our kiss to nip playfully at my ear lobe, rolling her hips against me and giggling in the process. Her breath brushing my skin makes me inhale sharply. I can tell she’s going to be a wild cat in bed, I always imagined she would be. She’s always been so passionate about everything—of course she’d have the same energy between the sheets. The thought of her in my bed causes my cock to twitch excitedly.
Finally getting the door open, I drag her in and kick it shut. My new penthouse hasn’t been properly moved into yet and there are boxes everywhere. I nearly trip over one, once again distracted by Grace, shoving her hand down my pants while she feathers kisses along my jaw and neck. She grasps my hardening shaft and I hiss, “Fuck.”
Grabbing her wrist to stop her wandering hand, I groan, “Grace, slow down.” I set her on her feet so I can really look at her. I’m horny as hell and apparently so is she, but one of us has to keep our head on straight...for the time being at least. “Are you sure about this?” If she says no, I’ll be taking cold showers and jacking off for the next month. I’m so hard right now it hurts.
