Ember - the Sandstone Affair Part 2

"There is more than one way to be strong, Julia. You know one of them, I can teach you the other."Julia Sharp has lost the company that she built with her own blood, sweat, and tears, but she isn't ready to give up yet.Partnering with the dark and handsome Mark Stone, they start on a risky plan to get her company back. However, Mark isn't entirely what he seems and Julia soon finds it difficult to give him what he wants -- complete and total surrender of her body, mind, and soul.Excerpt:I immediately chide myself. Where did that come from? I was raised to make my own way, and given a liberal education that impressed on me women weren’t required to have a man to be successful. In fact, that was one of the problems with Greg -- my constant drive to succeed made him turn to some down-and-out floozy to make himself feel better. Okay, so down and out is a little strong. An opera mezzo at the start of her career. But still, he was paying her bills, and with my money.In fact, my eyes narrow as I look around, if Mark and Blake hadn’t stolen my company and totally fucked up my life I could afford to live on the Upper West Side too. Well, maybe Upper East. Or Tribeca.“What the hell kind of game are you playing?” I spit out at Mark, unable to hold my tongue any longer.“Seems like you’re the one rolling the dice these days, not me.”“Oh yes, you were conveniently out when Blake was spewing filth out of his mouth. You have been purposefully absent for the last three days and when I finally take the matter into my own hands, you aren’t around to help me, save me or bail me out in a decent amount of time.”I fight like an old harpy fishwife, standing in the center of the room blurting out accusations while he quietly makes a drink at the bar.“I’d ask what you were thinking but you clearly weren’t thinking,” he says sharply.“What do you know about it, ‘Mr. Show Up When it’s All Over’? You’re too busy to help, even though you promised.”“I have been busy doing just that – helping you. But how am I supposed to keep a very secret and important plan in motion when you are running around like a banshee mucking everything up? Imagine how I feel. I was out today digging up useful information and I return to the office to discover everyone gabbing, Blake shrieking, Kenneth plotting and cops all over taking statements and I find out it’s because Julia Sharp has attacked my partner!”“I didn’t attack him.”“The red hand-print I saw on Blake’s cheek would suggest otherwise,” he says. “Why don’t you tell me what happened and we will regroup from there.”Mark guides me to the couch and sits a vodka tonic down in front of me. I start slowly, holding the heavy glass with both hands.