He Knows When You’re Awake: A Naughty or Nice Novel

by Alta Hensley

I started monitoring loan rejections from major banks after noticing a pattern—brilliant women with innovative ideas getting shut down by old, outdated men too stupid to see past their own biases. It became almost a hobby, finding these diamonds in the rough, proving the banks wrong.

“I think there’s room in the market for different interpretations of beauty. My designs speak to women who want something sharper, something that reflects the duality of their own nature.”

A sleek black car waits on the tarmac, its driver holding a sign with my name in elegant script. I nearly trip down the airstairs, catching myself at the last moment. The driver doesn’t even blink, which makes me wonder what kind of training they go through. “How to Maintain Stoic Professionalism While Escorting Disaster-Prone Americans” must be a required course.

“You know this is insane, right?” I say as we near the bar. “This whole situation is completely insane.” He leans close, his breath warm against my ear. “Wait until you see what I have planned next.”

“If I were a serial killer, I’d have much better pickup lines than ‘Come live in my tower and make pretty things.’” “That,” I said, pointing at him, “is exactly what a serial killer would say.”