Page 1 of Completely Captivated
Part I
Completely Captivated
A.D.JUSTICE
COMPLETELY CAPTIVATED.
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This is a work of fiction.Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination.If the location is an actual place, all details of said place are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to businesses, landmarks, living or dead people, and events is purely coincidental.
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Copyright © 2017 A.D.Justice.
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Prologue
The End…Or Not
July, Present Day
This isthe story of two very different men who are in love with the same woman.To grasp the full impact one person has on another’s life, I’m starting at what seems to be the end of the story.But don’t be deceived by appearances.I’ll just be getting started with my plans for them by the time you catch up with me.
Who gets the girl and lives happily ever after is yet to be seen.My part in this story will be made clear soon enough.Until then, I’d like to introduce you to Christa, Aaron, and Jared.How they started.Where they fell apart.Then you and I will see how they end up—together.This is their past.Their future is still to come.
Buckle up, buttercup.We’re all going for a ride.
Christa and Aaronwalked hand in hand into the ultrachic, urbanely modern downtown office building.She was still reeling from their whirlwind weekend.Reality hadn’t yet set in, leaving her to question if she’d hallucinated everything that had happened.A beautiful, life-changing, dream-come-true hallucination.
If I am, don’t ever let me wake up, she thought.
As they crossed the marble floor of the lobby, she glanced over at Aaron for the hundredth time, convinced she was dreaming it all.A recurring unease ran through her mind repeatedly and plagued her thoughts.She was desperate to ask if he felt as shocked with their new life as she did.Part of her wanted to know if the extreme mixture of excitement, fear, and exhilaration, immediately followed by sheer terror, overwhelmed him as much as it did her.But she didn’t want to bethatgirl—the needy, clingy, “What are you thinking?” type of girl.
Her thoughts drifted to how different everything she’d ever known was compared to just a few short months ago before she’d met Aaron.Even at her young age of twenty-two, she’d learned firsthand how life wasn’t fair.Her parents had made sure to teach her that valuable lesson.
She’d also accepted she’d never be lucky in anything.She’d been unlucky in having the big, loving family she’d dreamed of her entire childhood.As the only child of a deadbeat dad and a neglectful mother, the only people she could lean on were friends she’d made along the way.The Miller family had all but adopted her, giving her the only stability throughout her childhood.
Luck in money had escaped her, since she had scraped by on her very last dime for anything she’d ever had.She’d worked tirelessly to start her own business, rising early in the morning and remaining in her shop until late at night to get her café off the ground.
Finally, she’d most decidedly been unlucky in finding love.The few men she’d made time to date turned out to be less stellar than she’d initially thought.Or dared to hope.But after the last three days, she was finally convinced her luck had changed for the better, that true love could happen, that happiness could last.
As they walked into the posh office building, nausea washed over her in repetitive waves when she realized she was completely out of place and notably underdressed.Elegant, professional women clicked by in their stiletto heels, with their hair perfectly coiffed and their nails fashionably manicured, wearing their expensive designer business clothes.Unlike everyone else, she was dressed in faded jeans, off-brand Ugg-type boots, and a generic name sweater.Her long, straight blond hair usually refused to cooperate, preferring to hang loosely on her shoulders.
She was grateful Aaron held her hand tightly in his, paying no attention to the beautiful women surrounding them.His strength flowed into her through their connected hands, giving her the courage to face whatever awaited them.
The security guard noticed her first and stood as though to stop her.The moment he realized she was with Aaron, his demeanor changed.“Good morning, Mr.Rivers.”
“Good morning, Ty.”Aaron dismissed the guard with a nod.
Aaron pushed the up button, and they were soon joined by several other people in the morning rush to their posh offices.Neither spoke as the elevator climbed to the twenty-sixth floor, where he led Christa to an expansive corner office.
The space was professionally decorated, with pictures and sculptures arranged to be both visually pleasing and modernly chic.The large, dark cherry wood desk was strategically placed in the corner, facing the door but not obstructing the impressive view of the city from the floor-to-ceiling windows on each side.Her back was to the door, staring out at the sights, until the angry male voice behind her caught her attention.
“Hold all my calls, Barbara.”His command resembled an irritable growl when he entered the office and all but slammed the door shut behind him.
