All I Want is You (Hearts on Fire Book 1) by Ashley Mullins Page B

do.”  
    “Can I at least get—” she says.   
    But it’s too late.  Isaac’s no longer there.  
    Ellie slumps to the floor, her back against her apartment door.  She pulls her knees to her chest, hangs her head over folded arms.  Whatever relief she felt is gone.  
    She has twenty-four hours

Chapter 2
     
    Ellie’s friend Naomi wears a white robe over her dark, wet skin and holds a tube of red lipstick in her hand.  Even without makeup or formal dress, she’s gorgeous.  At five-eleven, she towers over Ellie’s five-seven frame.  She’s thin, buxom and has a body that Ellie would kill for.  They’ve been friends since Ellie moved to New York six months ago.    
    “You’re sure you want to do this?” She asks Ellie.
    “Not want to, have to,” Ellie says.
    “Okay, but as your friend, I have to advise against it,” Naomi says.
    “What do you mean?  You’ve been asking me to go to work with you for weeks now.”
    “Not because I want you to go,” Naomi shifts her stance.  “The new owner won’t shut up about you.”
    “I’ve never even met him,” Ellie says.  “Don’t even know what he looks like.”
    “Well he sure acts like he knows you.  Maybe he just wants to fuck you, then.”
    “GOD.  Shut up, Naomi.  Not every guy just wants to have sex, you know.”
    “Maybe in your world,” Naomi laughs.  
    “Well, it’s not important, anyway.  I might not even be available,” Ellie says.
    “Yeah, well, as your friend,” Naomi pauses, “you’ll want to wait ‘til you see him to make that decision.”
    Ellie’s eyes fix on her.  “I already met a guy, actually.”
    “Ha!”  Naomi stops applying a line of black mascara, turns to her and raises a brow.  “Details?”  
    Ellie flashes a mischievous smile.  “Tall.  Dark.  Handsome...  All-American back end.”  She smacks her own backside.  
    “Where?”  Naomi asks.
    “Moving in next door.”
    “Mm-hm,” Naomi shakes her head.  “There you go.  Will never work... way too close.”
    “You’re probably right,” Ellie forces the words out.  “He wouldn’t go for a girl like me, anyway.”
    Naomi turns and puts her hands on Ellie’s shoulders.  “Nonsense,” she says.  “He’d be crazy not to!”
    “I can’t even keep an apartment, never mind a boyfriend,” Ellie says.
    “We’re about to fix that,” Naomi says.  
    “Right…” Ellie sighs.  “Do you still have the gift?”  
    “The what?”  
    “The bag you gave me for my twenty-first birthday.  The clothes?”
    Naomi walks out of the bathroom to her closet and returns with the bag.  She smiles and hands it to Ellie.  “This is going to look killer on you.”
    Moisture builds in Ellie’s eyes.  She takes a deep breath, reaches in, and shuffles the contents around.  “It’s all here?”
    “Stockings and all,” Naomi says.
    Ellie wipes a tear, before it has a chance to meet her cheek.  “Good,” she lies.
     
    ***
     
    Ellie’s legs tremble as she eyes the stage.  Everything about this scene feels cheap and disgusting to her.  At best, the men will only stare and wonder what went wrong.  At worst, they’ll point and laugh and humiliate her because of her inexperience.  Her white button down shirt conceals her now, but she knows what’s expected.  There’s no turning back if she wants to keep her apartment.  
    She stands, next in line, looking down in disbelief at the short plaid skirt and long white stockings she never imagined she’d wear in public.  Now, she’s using them to pay her rent.
    Palms sweaty, she slides her hands down the sides of her skirt.  As she does, the single button that holds it together releases.   Holy crap, her mind races .   This can’t be happening.  
    But it is— and her skirt falls to ruins on the floor.  All that’s left, below the knotted tails of her shirt, is a tiny thong that barely covers… anything.  
    She can feel the eyes of men upon her, can hear their