Wicked Honey (18+)

Chapter 1

My sister had been right; getting out of the city for a few days was exactly what I needed.

I didn't want to leave. Not at all. I wanted to stay forever. Wandering around where the people were faceless and nameless. It was so much easier this way. Whoever said ignorance is bliss was right... they just didn't mention that it couldn't last forever.

When I pulled up my AppleMaps I clicked on the option to avoid highways. Hoping the long country roads would somehow make my stay seem like it wasn't over.

Reality was a bitch.

My phone buzzed with a text and I glanced at where it was sitting in its holder on my dash. My assistant texted me, asking me what time I planned on being in tomorrow morning. I thought about pulling my phone from the dash and letting her know I'd be in around 7am to catch up but I wasn't ready to talk work yet. So I pushed the urge down and settled back into my seat, silently watching the tall beige grass fly by.

A little bit ahead, there was a large farm with a small wooden shack beside the road that read "Homemade Honey".

Honey was my favorite. We didn't have money growing up, not until my mother married Jared, and she couldn't afford candy bars for us so she'd buy honey sticks.

Smiling at the memories, I flicked on my blinker and turned into the farm. Parking off to the side of the shack, I slid my sunglasses down my nose. There didn't seem be anyone out here. Approaching the shack, I noticed that there was just a small jar for cash.

Country folks were awfully trusting.

Aside from the tip jar, there were jars of fresh honey and an array of honey sticks.

I was looking around for something that showed prices when I heard gravel crunching. The women trudging towards me is tall, when she sees me look, she smiles and waved. I give a little wave back and turn to her.

"Hello there," She says coming close, a large straw hat sat on top of her dark black hair. It was hard to make out the color of her eyes under her hat but they were dark. She was very beautiful. Maybe Brazilian. "Can we help you?"

"Yeah," I push my sunglasses on top of my head. "I just wasn't sure how much to leave for this." I hold up the jar of honey I grabbed.

She waves a tanned hand. "Whatever you feel is fair." She smiles again and I'm blown away by how beautiful she is. She's probably in her late 50s but she looks incredible. The manual labor had done her well.

I push a twenty into the jar and give her a grin."Thank you. This is such a cute stand." I compliment, toying with the jar of honey in my hand.

She gives it a sad smile and then looks over her shoulder. I follow her gaze and see what she's locked on. A foreclosure sign. My stomach twists. "Thank you, dear. Are you from around here?" She looks back at me and forces the smile back on her face.

I tear my eyes from the sign. "No- sort of," I shake my head, feeling my thoughts muddle together. "I live in Sin Sity. It's a few hours from here."

She nods. "I know it," she glances down at the honey and back up at me. "Have a safe drive back, alright dear?"

"Yeah, I will." I say, tugging my keys out of my purse. "Thank you again."

Her eyes soften a moment and she nods, turning and heading back to her farm.

I walk back to my car, clicking the unlock button and slipping into the leather interior. It's gotten hot since I got out. Clicking on the AC, I pull out of the parking lot and turn back onto the backroad.

***

"Kelly?" My assistant pops her head from around the corner. Her blonde hair falling into her eyes as she leans her head in the door. I lower my readers. "Can you find me the address of an hold farm out in Olive that sells honey?"

Her dark eyebrows furrows. "There's probably tons... can you give me anything else?"

I close the manuscript I was reading and push it aside. "I think I was on route 62," I push away lock of my dark hair that's fallen from my bun. "Can you just email me the ones you find and I'll figure it out?"

"Of course!" She disappears out of my office again.

A half an hour later, I receive an email with four farms on route 62 out in Olive. It's not hard to decipher which one is mine. I type a "thank you" to Kelly and pick up my office phone.

I felt a little bad doing personal shit on company time but I was my own boss and I'd been here since 7am. It'd been 11 hours. Well past a normal workday. At least for most people working in publishing.

My financial advisor picked up on the 2nd ring. I'm sure she's shocked to see my name pop up on her caller ID.

She was thrilled to hear I wanted to purchase property... though she was less than thrilled when I told that I was putting it back in family's name immediately. Linda spent an twenty minutes trying to talk me out of it, explaining it wasn't my problem to pay off other people's debts and they should've kept track of their finances better in the first place. By the end of it, she was spent and I was still set on paying off the property. She promised me she'd get the details in order and call me when the papers were ready to be signed.

"Kelly," I called again. She stepped into my office this time. She looked adorable in her jumpsuit. I envied her feminine face and body, all delicate and perfect. Mine was sharp, angular and it made me look angry if I wasn't forcing a smile. "What did you think of Ryan Haglar's manuscript?"

I knew that Kelly read every manuscript that came across my desk. She may act like she didn't. But she did.

A small blush crept up her neck. "It was darker than I expected for a Dystopian novel, which is saying something." She admitted. "But I think it could catch readers by surprise too. In a good way."

I nod, looking back down at the manuscript. She was right and I'd agreed. The book was dark. Ryan was awfully cryptic and cynical. And he didn't make any attempt to tone it down in this novel. He tore society apart left and right. But who knows, maybe that's what we needed.

"Thank you, Kelly." I give her a closed lipped smile. "Now please, go home." Her blush deepens and she disappears, only to return with her purse and jacket.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Ms. Lancaster."

I nod. It'd been nearly a year and Kelly still refuses to call me by my first name as I asked her to. But I respected it, and she was well overdue for a raise. Especially, working for me.

After typing an email out to my editor about Haglar's book, I shut down my computer and left the office.