Secrets of Bliss: An Office Romance: The Billionaire's Assistant, #3

By Michelle Love

After the newspapers announce Max's impending marriage to Kate, Alexis loses all hope they'll ever be together again. 

Max's ex from New York, Ashley Sinclair, goes crazier than she'd been before and kidnaps Alexis. 

Max decides Kate's plan is too cruel and tries to contact Alexis to tell her the wedding announcement isn't true and that he and Kate are sorry. 

He thinks she's refusing to answer him so he and Kate go to the apartment she and Marcos share. 

There they find she's gone, but took none of her things and they all begin to worry she hasn't simply run away this time. 

Max and the rest of the people who care for Alexis find she's been taken by Ashley, and they try to find her. 

But can they find her before it's too late?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Michelle Love
• Release date: May 23, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393978831

Michelle Love

Mrs. Love writes about smart, sexy women and the hot alpha billionaires who love them. She has found her own happily ever after with her dream husband and adorable 5 year old. Currently, Michelle is hard at work on the next book in the series, and trying to stay off the Internet. "Thank you for supporting an indie author. Anything you can do, whether it be writing a review, or even simply telling a fellow reader that you enjoyed this. Thanks!" Sign up for her mailing list to receive advanced notifications before she launches her next book so that you can get it at a discounted and most times FREE! Use the link below to subscribe and enjoy your copy of "Dirty Little Virgin:  A Submissives Secrets Novel" https://dl.bookfunnel.com/3s2x148uer  Follow me on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100014912882501 

Book preview

1

Alexis

Light streams through the window and I rub my tired eyes. I slept like puppy poop last night after my encounter with Kate. She wants Max, and I told her to go for it. But I tossed and turned as I dreamt of a life without him in it. It was awful and I know I need him in my life.

The words Kate said about me being someone who was supposed to be something else keep running through my head. Maybe those girls who beat me nearly to death when I was a teenager did break something in me.

I never got any therapy after the incident. When my parents didn’t press any charges, no one seemed to think about the fact it might be something I needed. Now I think I might need some, so I think I’ll find me a therapist today and go see Max.

I can’t lose him. I need to keep him around until I fix what’s wrong with me. I roll out of bed and a banging comes on my bedroom door. Oh my God, Lexi, you have to see this! Marcos screeches.

---

Moving quickly, I open the door and the newspaper is in my face. Max and Kate are on the front page and she’s holding up a monster engagement ring. I turn and run back to my bathroom as I start crying.

---

Marcos comes in and wraps his arms around me. Lexi, sweetie, don’t cry. If he really is marrying her so soon, he wasn’t the one for you.

I was going to go see him today, I say as I feel a bout of nausea welling up in me. I’m going to get therapy so I can stop being so crazy.

What a great idea, Marcos says and gets a wet washcloth and taps it all over my face. After your horrible experience, you really should.

I love him so much, I say as I fall apart and cry on Marcos’s shoulder.

Perhaps there’s still a chance for you two, he says.

I shake my head as I sob, knowing I did this.

---

I told her to take him and she did! And he let her!

2

Max

My stomach aches with what Kate had me do. I know it’ll break Lexi’s heart no matter what she’s said. Kate assures me Lexi will be running to me by the end of the day. She said sometimes that great love comes with great pain. It’s the pain that lets us know what we have is real.

If that’s true, then what we have is very real as this is killing me to do to her. Kate took my cell phone so I couldn’t get weak and call Lexi to tell her the engagement isn’t true. That little chic is hard as nails.

I think I should take a run to put this out of my mind and see what happens. If she doesn’t contact me by tonight, I’m calling her first thing in the morning and telling her it isn’t true. It’s not in me to torture someone.

---

Apparently the French are ruthless!

3

Alexis

Ilie in my bed and cry as Marcos has left for a shoot I couldn’t bring myself to go to. I cried all day yesterday when I saw the news and this morning I woke up crying again. It’s crazy how awful I feel. I want to call him so bad, but feel so dumb for telling her to take him. And I’m pissed at him for saying he’d marry her so quickly. I’m sure he still loves me.

---

Why’d he do that?

---

Something slams outside my room and I sit up. Marcos is gone and I’m here alone. I jump up and run to open the bedroom door.

---

It might be Max!

---

As I throw the door open a fuzzy flash comes at me. I don’t have my contacts on yet and someone is grabbing me by my throat. I choke as I’m pushed back onto the bed. The blur sits on top of me, holding my flailing arms down. A woman’s voice says, You bitch, you fucked it all up for me and now Max is marrying someone else. You should’ve stayed out of his life. You’ve made my life Hell and now I’ll make sure to repay the favor.

I blink as I try hard to see who’s doing this. Then she leans in as I find I can struggle no more with no air coming into my lungs. I can see her.

---

It’s Ashley Sinclair!

4

Max

The time has come to stop this charade which is surely causing my love so much pain. Lexi never called, so I know she’s hurting and this scam of Kate’s didn’t work. I found Kate and got my cell phone back. She apologized for her plan not working and told me I should give it a few days, but I can’t do that.

I call her number, and it’s ringing. And now it’s going to voice mail, so she isn’t going to answer me. Okay then I guess I’ll leave her a text, telling her it’s not true and then call her in a little while. Maybe she’ll call me then.

---

A man can hope!

5

Alexis

Iopen my eyes and find I’m handcuffed to a small bed. The room is dark, but I can make out the red light of a cigarette. It smells awful and a grey swirl of smoke encircles the head of someone with blonde hair as the small amount of light reflects on the platinum shade of it. I try to speak, but find it hard as my throat hurts so much. I swallow hard and manage to whisper, Why are you doing this to me?

Her laugh is low, and it sounds more like a growl. Miss Mathews, you should know why. You ruined my life. I told you I’d get you and you wouldn’t know when or where.

The crazy woman still holds a grudge. Ashley, I don’t have him either, so why do this?

I would’ve had him securely in my possession if you hadn’t shown up in that park that day. And you could’ve left him alone. You did see he was with a woman after all.

He loves me, I say then remember he’s marrying Kate. Well, he did love me, but I messed that all up. Believe me, I’m being punished enough.

I’ll decide when that’s happened, Miss Mathews. She takes another puff and the red light brightens.

You shouldn’t smoke, it can kill you, I say.

---

I’m not worried about that, nor should you be, she says and takes another hit. That isn’t how you’ll die, don’t worry. I’m trying to figure out just how I’ll make that happen. I just about choked you to death, but changed my mind in the last moment and decided that would be too easy.

Let me guess, I say. You want to see me suffer.

That I do, she says and stands up, moving closer to me. So you hate cigarettes?

Don’t even think about it, Ashley, I say as I try my best to remain calm. You’re not a bad person, I know you aren’t. Think about things before you hurt me, please think about things.

---

She pauses and laughs like a maniac. Think? That’s all I’ve done is think. I thought about you and my Max fucking the nights away. I’ve thought about you and my Max laughing together about me and how you both made such a fool of me.

We never did that. I swear it to you, Ashley.

I hear a knocking sound and Ashley turns and runs from the room. I see light as she runs out the door and think I may be in some type of hotel suite. Maybe if she leaves I can make a lot of noise and someone will come see what it’s about.

6

Max

Icannot believe Lexi has not even bothered to text me back. I’m sure she’s pissed at what we did, but come on. At least a text telling me to go fuck myself or something is in order!

It’s nearly nine at night and Kate and I are going over to the apartment to tell her how sorry we are and let her know we only did it so she’d see how much I really mean to her. At least I know Marcos will let us in.

I punch in the gate code and we park. Kate looks up at me as we walk up to the door. I’m so sorry, Max. This woman is much more stubborn than any I’ve ever known.

Kate, maybe you need to know a little about Lexi’s past to understand her better. You see, when she was a young teenager, a bunch of girls got her to go with them to a park. She was hoping they wanted to be friends with her as she had none. Instead, they led her down by a river and beat her, leaving her for dead.

Kate’s hands fly over her mouth and she pales. Oh, my!

---

I nod. To make things worse, they pulled all her clothes off except her underwear and when she made it out of there alive they said she went down the river bank with some boys they’d never seen around before and they must’ve done that to her. They accused her of being a slut which she was nothing of the sort. Nothing was ever done to the girls and Lexi got a nasty reputation.

Kate’s eyes shine with tears. I should’ve never handled this the way I have.

I pull her into a hug. It’s my fault. You didn’t know.

How horrible I feel, Max. she says as she cries. I hope she can forgive the foolish girl I am.

---

I let her go and ring the doorbell. Both cars are here, hers and Marcos’s so I know they’re home. I ring it again and Marcos answers the door. He’s a little inebriated as he stumbles back and gestures for us to come in. Well, if it isn’t the happy new couple.

Kate bursts into sobs. I’m so sorry this was all my idea. Max only went along because I told him it would get Lexi to come to her senses.

Well, guess what? he asks then plops onto the sofa. She’s run off. Imagine that, Max. You’ve run her off again.

Her car’s here, so tell me how she’s run off, Marcos? I say as I make my way back to her bedroom, sure the two of them came up with a plan to hurt me right back.

I throw open the door and she isn’t there. I make my way to Marcos’s bedroom and throw that door open too. She’s not in either room so I check both bathrooms and make sure she isn’t hiding in the dark on the patio. It did take him a while to open the door after all.

I stride back into the living room where Kate still cries and Marcos looks quite odd as he’s wearing a T-shirt and blue jeans and running