Page 46 of Break Me Not

I was all about the arts. So if anyone asked me what would be featured at MOMA for the next three months, I would be able to recite it by heart. I could tell them about the newest up-and-coming artist or give them the numbers for the most expensive item sold at auction in the previous week.

Technological advances different companies were going through or what the newest trend on social media was? No, I wouldn't be able to answer that.

But I knew the company where Claire worked had consistently grown quarter after quarter, and unlike many of the money-hungry billionaires out there, the big boss of this one wasn’t laying off their employees.

At least not yet. I knew that might happen in the future, but for now, my daughter was safe.

And she even got promoted.

I shifted on my feet, cursing the fact that I decided to wear kitten heels to work today. I’d been so flustered by everything that happened when I moved into Jax’s apartment that I hadn't realized I would need actual walkable shoes.

And I can’t be thinking about Jax right now or else I’m going to be going back to last night and the way she looked. Fuck, so perfect and willing to be used by me. Her noises. How perfectly she bent to my will.

I’d wanted to ravish her. It took all my strength to leave her. And even then I couldn’t stop my hands from wandering between my legs and getting myself off while hearing her moans still running through my mind⁠—

“Mom?”

I turned to see my daughter to my right. She had her strawberry blonde hair up in a messy bun with a few braids falling out from the top, cute sunglasses on the tip of her nose, and a sweater and skirt combo that made me wonder if she got it from my closet.

My baby is so cute.

In her hands was a takeout bag from our favorite Thai place.

I gave her a smile and held up my bag with the newest matcha lattes from her favorite overpriced cafe.

“Great minds think alike.”

She gave me a smile and jerked her head to the side.

“Follow me, I’ll give you a tour and take you to my favorite spot.”

For some reason, a sense of panic washed over me, but she was already walking toward the building before I could stop her.

Me? She wants me to go inside?

I rushed after her just in time to catch the door before another group of people came out.

The lobby was large and very chic. The floors were glittering as if they’d just been polished, and the windows on all sides let sunlight in.

Claire went straight to the reception desk, and a girl with short hair and glasses beamed at her.

“I'm taking my mom in for lunch. Can you get her a visitor pass, please?”

The girl’s eyes shifted to mine, and she gave me a bright smile.

“Yes, of course!”

I watched as my daughter filled out the information just before I was handed a yellow sticker to place on my dark shirt. It stuck out like a beacon, but the moment I put it on, a sense of pride washed over me.

She's really taking me to her workplace.

The wave of emotion that swirled through me threatened to clog my throat. She was sharing this with me. It might seem so little to other people, but to me, Claire bringing me into her life was a huge step.

Especially being able to see just how successful she was at such a young age… It made me emotional. I was so glad she wasn’t held back by anything that had to do with her father.

Claire turned to me and waved me into the elevators, and that was when I saw my daughter come alive.

“This whole building belongs to Novak Enterprises. This is one of three in the city and holds all product, tech, and even some marketing teams. Each product has their separate design team, but they all roll up under one head.”