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Back First Comes Love Save as PDF
Chapters (92)
  1. First
  2. Love Connection
  3. Zero
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. Six
  10. Seven
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. One Month Later
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Six Months Later
  21. Sixteen
  22. Seventeen
  23. Eighteen
  24. Nineteen
  25. Twenty
  26. Twenty-one
  27. Twenty-two
  28. Twenty-three
  29. Twenty-four
  30. Six Months Later
  31. Twenty-five
  32. Twenty-six
  33. Twenty-seven
  34. Twenty-eight
  35. Twenty-nine
  36. Thirty
  37. Thirty-one
  38. Thirty-two
  39. Thirty-three
  40. I Have Never
  41. One
  42. Two
  43. Three
  44. Four
  45. Five
  46. Six
  47. Seven
  48. Eight
  49. Nine
  50. Ten
  51. Eleven
  52. Twelve
  53. Thirteen
  54. Fourteen
  55. Fifteen
  56. Sixteen
  57. Seventeen
  58. Eighteen
  59. Nineteen
  60. Twenty
  61. Twenty-one
  62. Twenty-two
  63. A Christmas Date
  64. One
  65. Two
  66. Three
  67. Four
  68. Five
  69. Six
  70. Seven
  71. Eight
  72. Nine
  73. Ten
  74. Eleven
  75. Twelve
  76. Thirteen
  77. Fourteen
  78. Fifteen
  79. Sixteen
  80. Seventeen
  81. Eighteen
  82. Nineteen
  83. Twenty
  84. Twenty-one
  85. Twenty-two
  86. Note from the Author
  87. Sneak Peek – To the Stars and Back
  88. Two
  89. Three
  90. Four
  91. Also by Camilla Isley
  92. About the Author

What choice do I have? A college graduate’s pay that just about covers my half of the rent and food is better than no salary at all. At least until I can find another job.

Or maybe I should wait and see what else is out there on the job market. After all, I was let go only two days ago. If I’m careful on what I spend, I could survive on my severance check for a couple of months. That’s when two nasty little words invade my brain: student loans.

No, I can’t afford a single day with no income. And I’d rather be homeless than ask my parents for help.

Feeling like a trapped animal, I stare at Richard and ask, “Where do I sign?”

Four

Never Believe Gossip

Offices have a distinct and constant background noise. Especially open-space offices. The clacking of other people’s keyboards, the clicking, the shuffling of paper, and the hum of whispered conversations. The background clatter is there, always. So much so, that a sudden silence is deafening.

I jerk my head up from the computer screen. I was right—everyone has stopped working. All my colleagues’ heads are turned in one direction. Their expressions range from shell-shocked to mildly interested to unadulterated worship—this last one seems to befall the male population in particular. I follow the stares to the main entrance where silhouetted against the threshold is none else than Saskia Landon.

I join the staring contest. Saskia Landon? She is the model of the moment. Fashion editors all over the globe would claw each other’s eyes out to have her in a photo shoot. Designers have to book her two years in advance for a catwalk. And she topped Forbes World’s Highest-paid Models list, bypassing the runner-up by over thirty million. Saskia is the top one percent of A-list celebrities. What is she doing here?

“Is that Saskia Landon?” I hiss at Indira. “Am I seeing right?”

“In the flesh.”

“Do we have a photo shoot with her? How did we manage that? Why wasn’t I informed? I’m the Fashion Editor!”

“Relax.” Indira rolls her eyes. “The lady is not here to work.”

“Why then?”

“I suspect she’s the boss’s date for the night.”

“Saskia Landon going out with Richard? Impossible!”

“You’d be surprised how well-connected Richard is. How else do you think he managed to pull together this”—she uses her pen to point around the office—“in less than six months? And then make it cash positive after only one year in business.”

I want to reply, by underpaying over-qualified employees like myself, but I refrain. Instead, I say, “Okay, Richard knows people. But Saskia is supposed to be dating actors, NFL stars, or billionaires. What is she doing with Richard?”

Indira sighs. “They don’t make for a bad couple.”