Naughty Nice [chapter 3] Link

Elena felt the last of her hesitation dissolve, replaced by a cold, sharp adrenaline. She pulled the folder toward her and clicked her own pen.

She thought about her reputation—the "Nice" girl who volunteered at the animal shelter and never missed a Sunday dinner with her mother. Then she looked at Marcus, the man who had shown her just how easy it was to break the rules when no one was watching. Naughty Nice [Chapter 3]

Marcus reached out, his hand covering hers. His grip was firm, grounding, and entirely too comfortable. Elena felt the last of her hesitation dissolve,

Elena sat in the corner booth of 'The Daily Grind,' watching the snow turn to gray slush against the windowpane. Opposite her, Marcus was doing that thing with his pen—clicking it in a rhythmic, agonizing pulse that matched the ticking of the wall clock. To anyone else, they looked like two coworkers finishing a late-shift project. To Elena, they looked like a crime scene waiting to happen. Then she looked at Marcus, the man who

Elena looked at the file folder sitting between them. It was labeled Project Kringle —a name so wholesome it made her stomach turn. Inside were the routing numbers that shouldn't exist and the signatures she had forged with a shaking hand just three hours ago.