Corrupt

SNEAK PEEK

A sneak peek from Veiled, the sequel to Corrupt. I had to give you guys a little something so here is an excerpt from a chapter.

I balanced the plate on my rounded stomach, one hand clutching my fork. It seemed my cravings were getting worse with every passing day. This week it was burritos, the previous obsession had been was pickles.

The door to the office slammed open and one of the attorneys bustled in, one hand balancing a stack of thick Manila envelopes and the other gripping a travel-mug.

"You're glowing today!" Aubrey exclaimed, moving to hug me with the arm clutching her coffee. "My goodness, how is it fair that you look even better as your due date gets closer? When I was pregnant, I just looked more haggard with every month."

My cheeks flushed with embarrassment and I quickly shook my head in denial. My maternity skirts I had purchased for work weren't fitting too easily these days and I was slightly self-conscious about how much I had grown.

"I can't imagine that. You're gorgeous." I retorted, shoving a mouthful of rice into my mouth.

Aubrey was a young mother. At eighteen, she found herself pregnant and single. With the support of her parents and her strong work ethic, she had graduated with honors and quickly moved onto to law school.

"Rice this week?" Aubrey mused, glancing at her watch. It was only eight in the morning and I practically had a whole day's worth of food spread over my desk for breakfast.

"Yes," I moaned around the mouthful. The morning sickness wasn't so bad this morning and I took every chance I could get to eat.

And avoid thinking about a certain someone.

"Greg not here today?" Aubrey questioned, her eyes roaming over to where the door to his office was shut.

"Cynthia got food poisoning or something, so he's watching Alex while she rests."

Alex was his three-month old son. A month after we had moved to sunny LA, Cynthia had their child. They were pretty-much the only family I had now.

Greg and I had understandably grown close over the months and he was always my shoulder to cry on.

"Oh poor Alex." Aubrey cooed, moving towards her office. "I need to get started. I have a client coming in an hour."

"And another a noon." I reminded her, setting down my plate to flip through the contents of my calendar. "Busy day."

"Yes, it will be."

For a divorce attorney, Aubrey still managed to have a positive outlook on love. Though single, she was constantly going out on dates and rattling off to me about her men. She was gorgeous, with hair almost as light as mine now and dark eyes that always
caught the attention of every man she came across. She was tall and slim, able to catch the attention of anyone she walked by.

I envied her slightly. My pregnancy had definitely made me gain weight and I felt huge. Greg had been insistent that I change my look so my dirty blonde hair was now platinum and I had managed to get a tan. Glasses now rested on my nose, non-prescription, covering the dark contacts I always put in each morning.

I rested a hand against the bump, mixed feelings raising in my chest at the feeling of the baby kick. I couldn't help but feel slight resentment towards it. It was a constant reminder of what I lost and what could have been. I so badly wanted to not remember and with his child, I always would.

I had only just managed getting my own apartment, granted it was across the hall from Greg's. I was such a mess when we first left that he refused to let me live anywhere else. Cynthia had been extremely sympathetic and fussed over my constantly, but with their growing family I couldn't help but feel I was imposing.

The apartment had the basics, but it was nowhere near a home. I couldn't bear the idea of starting a life here still. I was seven months along and I had only just begun buying stuff for the little one on the way, with the pressure of Cynthia weighting on my shoulders.

"Any plans this weekend?" Aubrey called through her open doorway. The office was still pretty empty, most people would be arriving in the next hour. Aubrey was an early-bird. "I have a babysitter for Olivia, so I was thinking we could grab dinner tomorrow night."

"We could do that." I agreed, trying not to sound to eager at the distraction. Greg would be ecstatic at the news I would be going out. He was pushing me to start a life here and set some roots down, no matter how reluctant I was.

"Maybe we'll find some men."

I could imagine her eyebrows wiggling suggestively and I moaned. "I doubt any guy is going to want a woman in her third-trimester."

"Who knows?" She crowed, laughing a bit. "Maybe you'll meet the man of your dreams."

I already had, but she didn't need to know that.

Greg was very careful to not let on about any news he heard from Ricardo or about any of them. He wanted me to move on and he carefully avoided the sensitive topic. It didn't stop me from constantly wondering about it though and I made sure to not let him know that.

"Oh. My. God." Aubrey screeched, an unusual tone for the usually bubbly lawyer. "Holy shit!"

"What?" I cried, shoving away from my desk and starting over to her. The plate of rice tumbled to the floor, quickly making a mess of my desk. "What's wrong?"

"Someone bought out the firm." She muttered, her brows scrunched together as she read whatever was on her computer screen.

"What?" Anxiety began to whirl in my stomach, coupled with the beginning stages of nausea. "Who?"

"Kingston Enterprises. Whoever that is."

"Holy fuck." I gasped and suddenly the world was hazy. "When? How?"

"Yesterday. It was an offer that couldn't be resisted."

THATS IT! FIRST CHAPTER WILL BE POSTED SOON! KEEP AN EYE OUT. :)