Part 1 (1/2)

Distorted.

Laura Dunaway.

This book is dedicated to my grandparents, all of whom have pa.s.sed on but have never left my heart.

Each of them left me unique examples to live by.

I hope I have made them proud.

distort (d-stort).

tr.v. distorted, distorting, distorts.

1. To twist out of a proper or natural relation of parts; misshape.

2. To give a false or misleading account of; misrepresent.

3. To cause to work in a twisted or disorderly manner; pervert.

”Therefore, ladies and gentleman, I humbly ask you for your donation, any amount you see fit. This is our biggest project and with your help, it can be our most successful. The residents of the Glendale neighborhood need our help and we are here tonight to give them just that. Let's band together and help give them a fresh start, a chance at a better life. Thank you so much for being here for helping Pierce Homes give back to communities in need. We couldn't do it without you.”

He stepped back from the podium, his emerald eyes excited at hearing the cheers from his audience. Paul Pierce just gave the speech of his career and nailed it. He ran a hand through his chocolate brown waves, messing them up and looking even s.e.xier, then stared out at the audience smiling. I could tell he was feeling the energy and knew he'd done it. He'd secured the funds we needed to finish building the new homes for the Glendale project. The residents would soon have safe places to live and second chances at better lives. He shrugged his broad shoulders, looking off stage for someone, then smiled when he found her. My heart lurched because I knew whom he saw, and again, I wished it were me.

I stood there watching him as he bent down and said something to the man next to him. The charisma he possessed never ceased to amaze me. The man oozed s.e.x appeal and seemed to know it. Having watched him say the speech I helped him write, I was drawn to his chiseled face again. The man was beautiful and I loved him. Unfortunately, he didn't love me. My heart still held out hope that his feelings for me would change, but then I caught sight of her in the wings backstage. Reality bit me in the a.s.s, again.

I sighed and forced myself to bask in the success of the evening. He had charmed the audience and I knew by the end of the night he'd succeed in securing the donations he was asking for. Paul Pierce was a man of his word, and without a doubt he'd come through with his promises. He would never let them down.

Paul was the son of Richard Pierce, founder of Pierce Construction. He took over for his dad when Richard became too ill to continue running his company a few years ago. Richard eventually recovered, but realized he didn't want to go back to running a company again. Instead, he decided to enjoy his golden years a few years early and he handed the responsibilities over to Paul. Paul was ready as he had been groomed his whole life for the job.

When Pierce Construction hit a net worth of ten million dollars back in the 1960s, Richard decided it was time to finally start the side of the business he had been dreaming of for so long. Pierce Homes was born and was a huge success. Each year, Richard would raise money for rundown neighborhoods to strip them down and start building from scratch, making them a safer and better place to live. More and more rundown neighborhoods were being brought to Richards's attention, so he continued to raise more and more money. Eventually Richard realized his heart was with building these homes and decided to make that Pierce Construction's sole focus. He dropped construction from the company name and it was officially known as Pierce Homes.

By the time Paul took charge, the company had a net worth of five hundred million and was growing strong. The homes that Pierce Homes had built through the years had a fantastic reputation and the charismatic Paul Pierce only helped that more. He was born to do this and it showed. Even though he was raised with wealth, he never let it get to his head and always wanted to do more for families in need. He worked tirelessly, going over the plans for these new homes and checking over and over to make sure they were being built to the highest standard. He wanted these neighborhoods to be the best they could be and wouldn't think of doing it any other way, no matter how long it took.

I took off my headphones and set them down on the chair next to me. I stood up and started to head for the door so I could find the man of the hour and congratulate him. I hesitated as I ran a hand through my long blonde hair and took some calming breaths; I was a little nervous to go into the big room off of the stage and talk to him. I didn't think I'd ever get used to working for such a big company, and such a well known boss.

I headed to the elevator where I encountered others who were coming out of the auditorium. From what I could hear, everyone was raving about Paul's speech and what a generous man he was. I smiled as I listened to all of the compliments, not being able to help the surge of pride I felt for him.

I finally reached the bottom level and headed toward the room behind the stage. Pulling the door open, I see my favorite security guard, Doyle. He smiled at me as I pa.s.sed him and I waved. It was obvious where Paul was by the crowd at the back, so I headed that way. I instantly spotted him smiling and shaking hands with a handsome older gentleman. It was easy to tell by their laughter and the warmth in their eyes that whatever it was they were talking about, it was good.

As I started to walk closer to him, I was stopped by an evil stare. Her evil stare. I smiled and waved to her, but continued on toward him. It was obvious she didn't like me and I didn't know why. I had never once acted on my love for her boyfriend and Paul had never made me feel that I was anything more to him than his friend and a.s.sistant.

He saw me approach and his eyes brightened as he drew me into a quick hug. ”Aly,” he said as his arms went around my waist. He picked me up a little, then set me back down with a laugh.

”Congratulations! I knew you could do it,” I told him, smiling up into his warm eyes.

”I'm glad you have so much faith in me. It means a lot,” he told me.

”Of course. I always have.”

I couldn't help but continually be dazzled by this man and I knew that it would never change, no matter what happened. The thought of quitting my job and never seeing him again was too much to bear, so I made the choice to torture myself by being around this beautiful man, this man who would never love me as more than his friend.

As I was about to ask him his thoughts on something he'd mentioned in his speech, she waltzed her way up to us and immediately pulled him in for a kiss. Standing there, I knew she'd done that for my benefit, so I did not let my discomfort show one bit. I had plenty of practice in hiding my feelings and not even the likes of Ms. Casey Hammond was going to unravel me.

”Fabulous job, darling,” she told him when she finally released his lips. ”I knew you would do it. I'm very proud of you.” Turning her head towards me, she gave me an icy smile. ”And I know you are a part of this too, Aly. Congratulations to you, as well.”

You could have blown me over with a feather at her words.

Was this Casey Hammond, girlfriend of Paul Pierce, the woman who intentionally makes my life a living h.e.l.l by repeatedly a.s.suring me the man I love will never be mine?

While I shouldn't have been shocked - she always put on a show in front of Paul - it still surprised me that she even acknowledged my part in the evening's success. I'd better enjoy this moment while I had it because I knew it would be gone in a heartbeat.

”Thank you, Casey,” I said quietly.

”I am so happy, Case! This night has gone better than I ever could have imagined,” Paul said, wrapping his arm around her slim shoulders. Looking at me with a knowing glare, Casey brought her gla.s.s of champagne to her lips and snuggled closer into his broad chest.

I felt my heart sink. Feeling like an idiot continuing to stand there, I congratulated Paul once more and made an excuse that I was needed elsewhere. He gave me a kiss on my cheek, thanking me again. The spark I felt from his lips touching my skin was nothing I hadn't felt before. This man could look at me funny and I'd still feel it throughout my body.

I didn't miss the smirk on Casey's face as I turned to leave. Feeling more dejected than I should, I stopped at the bar and ordered a vodka tonic. Turning around and perusing the room as I took a sip, I couldn't help it when my thoughts went back to Paul, wis.h.i.+ng it was me he was holding under his arm and not her. She didn't deserve him and I would never understand what it was he saw in her.

I looked over to him again. I smiled as I took another sip, feeling grateful that I worked so closely with him. Landing the job as his a.s.sistant really was a dream come true. My heart has always been with helping those in need, so when I heard Richards longtime a.s.sistant decided to retire when he did, I eagerly applied for the job. My uncle was the architect who had helped Richard on many of Pierce Homes projects, so I unashamedly used my connections. When I told him I'd applied for the job as Paul's a.s.sistant, my uncle was more than happy to make a phone call to Richard, singing my praises. While there was no question I was qualified for the job, having my uncle's help didn't hurt.

That was three years ago and as I now looked out at Paul among the crowd, I couldn't believe how far we'd come. I knew we had so much more to do, and I was looking forward to it. Being a part of Pierce Homes was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and I was determined to not let my feelings for him interfere in any way.

I pushed myself away from the bar and felt a hand grasp my arm. Turning, I saw my best friend Ethan Baker before me and I smiled with relief that he had finally found me. Ethan was an executive at Pierce Homes, getting the job with my help. It was fun working with him, even though I swore we'd get into trouble one day because of how silly we could be together, but I couldn't help it; he brought my inner child out of me. Ethan had many of our fellow female employees after him. He had light brown hair cut short with spikes on top and warm hazel eyes. If I weren't so head over heels for Paul, I'd be in line with the rest of them.

”Hey, beautiful. Great job tonight,” Ethan said with a lazy smile.

”Why thank you, Mr. Baker. I'm very happy with how things turned out. This new neighborhood will benefit greatly from Paul's service.”

”And yours as well. Don't be so modest. I know all of the hard work you put into making Pierce Homes what it is. You deserve the congratulations too.”

I smiled at his words and nodded. ”Thanks. I do my best to make it what it is. I know these new homes Paul is pledging for tonight will be our best yet.”

Ethan lifted his hand and lightly brushed my cheek. ”You are incredible, Aly,” he told me. Blus.h.i.+ng, I turned my head and immediately heard Paul's laughter. Remembering it was Casey who was with him, and not me, I downed the rest of my drink. I scowled at Ethan when I heard his chuckle.

”What?” I asked in a bitter tone.

”Oh, Aly, I can tell you're upset. Let me get you another one?” he offered, pointing toward my now empty gla.s.s. Laughing, I nodded and told him what I was having. He took the gla.s.s from my hand and winked.

”I know what you're having. Last I checked, we were best friends,” he teased as he walked to the bar.

I spotted an empty table close by, so I walked over and sat down with a sigh. I told myself I had to be satisfied with only being Paul's a.s.sistant, that it was rewarding enough. Deep down all I really wanted was to be his, to be working on these homes as a couple with the same dream. Paul had been with Casey for as long as I'd worked for him. I'd give him credit- she was pretty, but her personality stunk. When you got past her perfect white blonde hair and ice blue eyes, there wasn't much. She came from wealth as well and flaunted it every chance she got. Her perfect body came from countless hours at her father's gym, working out with her personal trainer. She was on her fourth one, last I heard. The previous trainers quit on her because of her less than charming personality. I couldn't help but smile at that.

”Here you go. Glad to see you smile,” Ethan said as he sat down across from me. This time I winked at him as I took a sip from my refreshed beverage. Normally I'd share the reason for my smile with him, but all I wanted to do at that moment was forget all about Casey Hammond.

The alcohol started to work its magic in me, so I sat back in my chair and relaxed. The band finally started playing and I felt the beat right away. Ethan started chuckling and extended his hand at me.

”Let's dance,” he said.