Playing with Power - Book 5: New Adult Office Romance by Adele Huxley Page A

before? I have to tell Landon about all this.
    She tucked her chin a little deeper into her knit scarf. The temperatures were still warm during the day, but autumn was quickly creeping in at night. The nights came on a little faster, the cold cutting through her clothes. The two-for-one cocktails swimming through her system were doing a good job of keeping her warm, providing an invisible jacket that fought the chill. She made her way down the steps of the station, the stale warm air welcome for once. Slipping on her headphones, Lauren gripped the pole in the rocking car and yawned.
    I’ll grab some soup on the way home, watch something on Netflix, and give Landon a call when I crawl into bed. Maybe we can even give phone sex a try...
    A few minutes later, a cup of scalding hot chicken soup in hand, Lauren was walking the rest of the way to Damon’s building. She gazed up at the soaring high rises, feeling a little like a woman falling in love again but having to say goodbye. The city always felt a little more magical in the night. The darkness kept at bay by the myriad of lights, all the glowing windows representing thousands upon thousands of people she’d never meet. I don’t care if I look like a tourist, she thought as she tilted her head up and all around. Screw ‘em if they can’t find the beauty in their own city.
    Suddenly, her scarf tightened around her neck and she was yanked backwards into the darkness of a bottom floor apartment entrance. A scream choked in her throat as the invisible assailant looped the ends of her scarf around their hands, pulling the fabric even tighter around her neck. With a strong hand holding her shoulder, Lauren was pushed into the darkness. She twisted and fought her attacker but couldn’t move much.
    “Take whatever you want. I have money in my purse. I haven’t seen your face, just take it and go.” Her voice came out in a rasp, from fear and constriction. The attacker paused and Lauren immediately jumped on the hesitation, sensing that perhaps the person was having second thoughts. “Please, don’t do anything...take whatever you want and let me go.”
    With a sudden and hard shove, Lauren toppled forward. A dizzying flash of pain shot through her head as she collided with a metal door. She landed in a heap at the entrance, her head throbbing, and consciousness fading away for a moment. She shook her head, not knowing what had happened. Did I faint? Oh Jesus, my soup. Did I spill my soup? Shaking herself a little to clear her head, the danger of the situation came flooding back. Fuck, no, someone just hit me. As her panic returned, she immediately saw Nick in her mind’s eye.
    Her hands were covered in a warm liquid that she briefly thought was blood. On quick inspection, she realized it was the chicken soup slowly leaking through the lid. The hot container was still clutched in her hands, tucked against her body. She heard the rustle of leaves behind her as the attacker approached, the sound of their heavy breathing became her entire world.
    Suddenly, an overhead light flicked on, bathing the dark foyer in light. The tenant had obviously heard the commotion outside and was looking to investigate. Lauren heard the attacker gasp and step back. This was her chance. Tearing the lid off the soup, Lauren quickly twisted onto her knees and threw the contents towards the person’s face. So sure her attacker was Nick, she was shocked to hear a feminine voice scream out.
    “You fucking bitch!”
    Lauren shimmied back and pounded on the door, but heard no sounds coming from inside the apartment. It was the first time she’d gotten a good look at her assailant. Dressed in all black with a hoodie pulled up, the figure clutched at her face and cursed. Lauren scrambled to her feet and hesitated. Although she seemed incapacitated, her doubled-over body still blocked the stairs to the street. I’ll have to go through her, she thought with startling clarity. Quickly closing the