In this Fifth Avenue prequel by USA TODAY bestselling author Maisey Yates, enter the exclusive world of New York’s scandalous elite…where everything is about to change.
Where it all began…
As the son of a high-powered attorney, Travis Beringer has never wanted for anything…except the elusive Sydney Davis. But everything changes in an instant with the shocking death of her roommate, Sarah Michaels, and suddenly Sydney is in his arms, desperately seeking oblivion.
Encased within a sensual web of desire, Travis and Sydney delight in every erotic touch they’ve fought for so long. But what will happen when the dust has settled and the harsh light of day ushers in a reality neither is prepared to face?
Dear Reader,
High society, and the glamour that comes with it, has a particular allure. I find the world of the rich and the famous fascinating. But not necessarily for the pieces of it that we, the general public, are allowed to see.
It’s the gilded, glittery underbelly that I find most intriguing. The tarnish on the silver, if you will.
That tarnish is the focus of the Fifth Avenue trilogy.
Where beauty, power and glamour conceal deadly secrets. And desperation reveals the characters’ darkest, most passionate desires. And where ultimately, love prevails over the darkness.
One tragic night changes everything for Sydney and Travis. It’s the beginning of a new chapter in their lives, and in their relationship as their friendship turns to something more.
The same night also starts a chain of events that will reveal how much of this solid high society is built on a foundation of shifting sand. And when the lies start to give way, everything begins to crumble.
This book is only the beginning. The gunshot at the starting blocks.
I hope you enjoy the journey.
Happy reading!
Maisey Yates
USA TODAY bestselling author Maisey Yates lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffeemaker is a true example of her pioneer spirit.
In 2009, at the age of twenty-three, Maisey sold her first book. Since then it’s been a whirlwind of sexy alpha males and happily ever afters, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances set just about everywhere on earth and light, sexy contemporary romances set practically in her backyard. She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world.
Take Me
Maisey Yates
For everyone stuck in the middle of their darkest night. The sun always rises.
Contents
Chapter One
Christmas 2004
The party was a glittering affair. Every Treffen event was. From the immaculately dressed waitstaff, to the lilting strains of Christmas carols being played by a string quartet, all the way down to the golden marble floors of the ballroom.
Sydney Davis wondered, idly, how common it was for a law firm, even one as prestigious as Treffen, Smith and Howell, to have a ballroom. But she decided it didn’t really matter, since she was here, and she was just going to soak in all the fancy. And it was dripping with fancy.
She’d been exposed to most of this stuff at some point during her life, but it was only these past few years she’d been included in it.
Thanks to Travis Beringer. Who had wandered away from her at some point during the party. Probably looking to get kissed under the mistletoe. Which was the hazard of bringing a date who would never really be your date.
Travis was her best friend in all the world. Had been from the time they’d first seen each other in the hallowed halls of his family mansion. Her mother had been on the housekeeping staff, but that hadn’t stopped Travis, or his family, from treating them like equals. So much more than any of her mother’s other employers had ever given them.
Then they’d gone the extra step and actually taken interest in her, recommending her for a scholarship position at a very prestigious, private, all-girls school, which had led to her entrance into Harvard, and eventually to the annual Treffen Christmas party.
Not that the party was that important. But she had been excited to be included. It was a chance to make some professional connections, and with graduation on the horizon, it was particularly important.
She knew Austin Treffen, law student, and son of their host, through her former roommate, Sarah Michaels. And also through Sarah she’d met Hunter Grant and Alex Diaz. Powerful connections that she knew would serve her well later on. Hunter was a star athlete, making a name for himself in the NFL, while Alex was on the cusp of a prestigious career in journalism.
Every inroad forged was valuable for someone with an eye for politics. As long as none of them were too salacious.
But there was nothing salacious here. Here, there was nothing but glitter and diamonds. Old money, with a sprinkling of people like her. People who had been lucky enough to have been given the assist that allowed them to crawl up from nothing and into a world of endless possibilities.
She looked across the crowded room and saw Jason Treffen, who was, for lack of a better term, holding court. He wasn’t only the host of the party, but the focus of it. Wherever Jason was, he drew a crowd. He was so magnetic, it was almost off-putting.
Sarah had been working part-time for him for a while and her comments about her boss always left Sydney feeling a little uneasy. Sometimes Sarah seemed to verge on an obsession with him. Other times, she seemed fearful and edgy. And lately she hadn’t said much at all. They’d drifted apart a bit since Sarah had moved into the city, but Sarah had been even more distant recently. Sydney had mostly put that down to her recent breakup with Hunter, which had thoroughly devastated her friend.
Tonight Sarah didn’t look devastated. She looked stunning, if exhausted. Though, Sydney hadn’t seen her since they’d first arrived.
Jason suddenly broke away from the crowd, his eyes meeting hers, a smile on his lips. And she found it hard to look away. There was something about him. Sheer charisma. He would be an excellent politician, and yet he seemed content to stay a lawyer, devoting most of his time to high-profile cases of women who suffered injustice in the workplace.
He was an idol for someone with her ambition. A man who’d built an empire, and managed to make a difference at the same time.
“You must be Sydney,” he said.
“Yes,” she said, holding out her hand. When he shook it, she felt a vague whisper of disquiet and she wasn’t sure why. “Mr. Treffen, it’s very nice to meet you.”