Valeria sighed bitterly as she watched Alice playing alone at the farthest table of the restaurant, in a corner almost nobody used. “Val, stop thinking.” Her friend Emma approached her and hugged her with a sigh. “Alice is going to be fine.” “That's what she says, but she's six years old, what can she know?” said Valeria trying to hold back her tears. “Well, she's a child genius,” said Emma smiling. “At six years old she is already smarter than you and me”. “She's a child genius who doesn't like to be touched, who barely eats, who suffers from social anxiety, and I don't know how many other disorders she has been diagnosed with precisely because she's too smart,” replied Valeria. “She should be in a specialized school for children like her, where they help her... where they help her be happy, because it's obvious that I can't!” Valeria hid her face in her hands and sobbed in despair. Alice was a child who required special care; and a job as a waitress, even working full time and d

Valeria smirked. Her mother had taken it upon herself to make her a strong woman, even if sometimes, like at that instant, she did not measure her words. “Let me get this straight, Mrs. Bennet. This is what exactly for you? A wager against your son... or against me?” she asked. “No, my dear, this is a desperate attempt to see joy and sexiness walk down these halls again!” Layla assured her. “But you can call it whatever you want. The point is that if in three months you turn out to be just another one of those submissive designers then—” “Then I'm no good to you,” Valeria finished. “Ok, I accept the deal.” She stood up and extended her hand with determination. “Really? Are you sure?” Layla seemed afraid to get too excited. “On one condition: If I am going to confront your son, I must at least have your support. Otherwise, he can fire me whenever he wants.” “Don't worry,” Layla smiled. “I have a special contract waiting for someone like you. Take everything to Human Resources. I'

To say that it had been embarrassing for Nicholas Bennet to walk out of the women's restroom of his company cafeteria shirtless, wearing only his jacket and the face of a serial killer, was an understatement. He had resisted the temptation to trash his office, because in the end the poor office was not to blame for the existence of women like her. He took deep breaths all the way to his apartment, but by the end of that night, he couldn't stop three or four ornaments from going crashing into the wall. It was true that he was stupidly distracted on his cell phone, and he had been quite ready to apologize until his eyes had met those of that woman. She was of medium height, beautiful as a goddamn mermaid and with the voice of one, even while angry. She had long, curly, brown hair, brown, defiant eyes, and a body to stare at until the end of time. That was what had bothered him. He could smell it, feel it, sense it: she was one of those women capable of dragging a man's heart under th

He was going to explode. Nick felt as if he couldn't fit into the suit he was wearing due to the helplessness he was feeling. That girl was shameless. And she had left him unable to say anything else! Him! He went to his desk and furiously pressed the intercom button on the phone. “Oli!” That scream through the phone made the girl jump in her seat. “Yes?” “Get me Valeria Williams' contract right now!” “Right away, sir.” What Oli found when she opened the office door was far worse than a caged lion, so she put down the contract and almost ran out. Nick was fuming out of his ears. That insolent... shameless... brazen... girl! How dare she threaten to sue him! He just felt like choking her with his own hands... like this... around that neck... just above the chest... that chest... “Fuck, Nick, get a grip on yourself!” he chastised himself internally and sat down calmly, very calmly, to review that damned contract. Ten minutes later, his shout came over the intercom again: “Oli!”

Valeria had her head so buried in the designs that she barely noticed Oli gawking at the drawings. “Val, these are amazing,” she murmured, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Valeria raised her eyes and smiled. “Do you like them?” “I've never seen designs like these before! They're cute but... sexy... Is it even possible? I mean... one would feel virginal and naughty in these!” “Yes, that's the idea,” Valeria explained. “You know the CEO is going to collapse when he sees this, don’t you?” Oli warned her. “Well... if he drops dead in the middle of the meeting we'll save ourselves a lot of headaches,” Valeria said derisively. “Maybe I should have made them more provocative...” They both laughed, and Oli told her that the meeting was about to start. Valeria had spent the week locked in her cubicle, and Nick Bennet had spent the week in a fury because he couldn't get the legal grounds to fire her. They had avoided each other as much as possible, but the time had come to present th

It would have been a lie to say that the slap hadn’t hurt, that unruly girl had a heavy little hand, but the tears running down her cheeks caused a greater impact on him. They were tears of sincere and silent rage, the kind that overflowed and destroyed what was in front of it, and he knew it perfectly well because his was exactly the same. Valeria did not say another word. She left that office crying, leaving him with the horrible feeling that he had made a big mistake, that he had done something wrong, very wrong. He took some time to cool off. He had to calm down because in the last week he had completely lost control. What the hell was happening to him? He wasn't like that! And she wasn't the first easy woman to cross his path. So what was exactly bothering him so much about her? He paced around the office, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, and saw the folder Valeria had brought him with the designs lying in the corner. He hadn't even seen them properly the first time

Nick closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. “Come on, let's sit down,” he said softly. “As you say, we can yell later, but now there are more important things.” Valeria didn't say anything. She just walked to one of the seats and filled out the form she already knew by heart. Not even twenty minutes had passed when a doctor came into the waiting room and Valeria got up quickly to meet him. “Alan!” Valeria hugged him for a second and he smiled with an expression that felt like a kick in Nick's stomach. “Alice...” “Don’t worry. I saw her. It’s all right. She's going to be fine,” the doctor assured her. He was in his thirties and seemed to be a serious, educated man, and more attractive than he should have been for a physician. “It's been a long time since she'd had a fever like this,” said the doctor. “Has she been under stress? Were you able to change schools? Nick saw that Valeria was looking at the floor and hugging herself. “No... I haven't been able to do it. I'm working on it

Nick closed his eyes. She was absolutely delicious. He could feel the heat rising up her body, tingling in his fingertips when he touched her. She felt small against him. Her body gave off an exquisite smell, and her sex felt hot even through the fabric. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and heard her stifle a moan, but it was obvious she was enjoying that kiss. She wasn't wearing a bra under her pajamas and Nick could feel every instinct awaken in him all at once as she pressed against his body. “Val...” he murmured. Kissing her, having her... it felt like it was the right time, the right place, the right woman... but she wasn't! She wasn't the right woman... not for him. Nick stopped that kiss before things got out of hand. He picked her up, standing up as he turned away from Valeria, and without even saying goodbye, reached for the door and left. Valeria stood in the middle of her kitchen. Trying to analyze what had just happened. Did she even like Nick Bennet? She put a hand

Valeria sat in her office, facing her small window through which she could see the sky. To the left, on one of the extensions of her desk, was a picture of her mother, her little sister, and her. The three of them looked happy... very happy. It had been happier times. She couldn't say that everything had changed since her mother's death, because they had never had much money, but at least Alice didn't get so sick before. She sighed, looking up at the sky. “Is it wrong to be strong, Mom? Is it wrong to want to feel powerful even though I'm not? I get trampled on enough, can you imagine if I were a submissive woman on top of that?” She shook her head, looking at the photo. “No, Mom, you taught me to be a warrior. I'm not going to keep quiet, I'm not going to lower my head, and if he has his tastes, I have my character and I'm not going to change for anyone, no matter how handsome he is.” She rubbed the glass with her fingertips and kissed the photo before returning it to its place.

Valeria had never been to a fashion show for distributors before, but it was obvious that it was considered a very important event, because twenty-four hours earlier they had put a huge clock with a countdown in the middle of the Design Studio break room and the real commotion began. The models were going back and forth, the Production girls were fitting everyone, and the designers were doing last minute alterations. Valeria and Oli looked at each other excitedly that they had both been asked to participate. All they talked about was Andrew Davies and the multimillion-dollar contracts that his visit always represented. He was one of the most coveted distributors by any design studio because his department stores were in more than fifty countries. “Are you ready for this?” Oli asked, adjusting Valeria's beautiful wide-sleeved blouse. “Are you ready?” “The worst thing that can happen to me is getting fired. You, on the other hand...” laughed Oli. “The CEO will choke me with his bar