Black Ties and White Lies

Copyright © 2023 by Kat Singleton All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Printed in the United States of America. This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, and incidents portrayed in the novel are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. ASIN: B0BHL1JX9P Cover Design by Ashlee O’Brien with Ashes & Vellichor Edited by Victoria Ellis of Cruel Ink Editing & Design Formatted by Kat Singleton For all my besties who are just looking for the simple things in life—a hot billionaire to spoil you with gifts and orgasms. Beck is for you. Black Ties and White Lies contains mature content not suitable for all audiences. Please go to authorkatsingleton.com/content-warnings for a list of content warnings for the book. CONTENTS 1. Margo 2. Margo 3. Beck 4. Margo 5. Beck 6. Margo 7. Beck 8. Margo 9. Margo 10. Beck 11. Margo 12. Beck 13. Margo 14. Beck 15. Margo 16. Beck 17. Margo 18. Beck 19. Margo 20. Beck 21. Margo 22. Beck 23. Margo 24. Margo 25. Beck 26. Margo 27. Beck 28. Margo 29. Beck 30. Margo 31. Beck 32. Margo 33. Beck 34. Margo 35. Beck 36. Margo 37. Beck 38. Margo 39. Beck 40. Margo 41. Beck 42. Margo 43. Margo 44. Beck 45. Margo 46. Beck 47. Margo 48. Margo 49. Margo 50. Beck 51. Margo 52. Beck 53. Margo 54. Margo 55. Beck 56. Margo 57. Beck 58. Margo Epilogue - Beck - 3 Months Later Want More Kat? Founded on Goodbye Acknowledgments About the Author Also by Kat Singleton Links “Margo, Margo, Margo.” A familiar voice startles me from my computer screen. Spinning in my office chair I find my best friend, Emma, hunched over the wall of my cubicle. Her painted red lips form a teasing grin. Pulling the pen I was chewing on out of my mouth, I narrow my eyes at her suspiciously. “What?” She licks her teeth, flicking the head of the Nash Pierce bobblehead she bought me ages ago. “Who did you piss off this time?” My stomach drops, and I don’t even know what she’s talking about. “Are you still drunk?” I accuse, thinking about the wine we consumed last night. We downed two bottles of cheap pinot grigio with our roommate and best friend, Winnie. Split between the three of us, there’s no way she’s still tipsy, but it’s the best I could come up with. She scoffs, her face scrunching in annoyance. “Obviously not. I was refilling my coffee in the lounge when Darla had asked if I’d seen you.” I stifle an eye roll. Darla knew I’d be at one of two places. I’m always either at my desk or huddled in front of the coffee maker trying to get the nectar of the gods to keep me awake. Darla knew exactly where to find me. She just didn’t want to. You accidentally put water in the coffee bean receptacle instead of the carafe and suddenly the office receptionist hates you. It’s not like I’d meant to break it. It’s not my fault it wasn’t made clear on the machine what went where. I was just trying to help. “I haven’t heard from her,” I comment, my eyes flicking to Darla’s desk. She’s not there, but her phone lights up with an incoming call. Darla rarely leaves her desk. It isn’t a good sign that she’s nowhere in sight. The sky could be falling, and I’m not sure Darla would leave her perch. Emma rounds the wall of my cubicle, planting her ass on my desk like she’s done a million times before, even though I’ve asked her not to just as many times. “I’m working.” Reaching out, I smack her black stiletto, getting her foot off the armrest of my chair. She laughs, playfully digging her heel into my thigh. “Well, Darla, that amazing woman, told me the boss wants to see you.” “I thought Marty was out for meetings all day today?” Emma bites her lip, shaking her head at me. “No, like the boss, boss. The head honcho. Bossman. I think it’s somebody new.” She opens her mouth to say something else, but I cut her off. “That can’t be right.” “Margo!” Darla barks from the doors of our conference room. I almost jump out of my chair from the shrill tone of her voice. Emma’s eyes are wide as saucers as she looks from Darla back to me. “Seriously, Mar, what did you do?” I slide my feet into my discarded heels underneath my desk. Standing up, I wipe my hands down the front of my skirt. I hate that my palms are already clammy from nerves. “I didn’t do anything,” I hiss, apparently forgetting how to walk in heels as I almost face-plant before I’m even out of the security of my cubicle. She annoyingly clicks her tongue, giving me a look that tells me she doesn’t believe me. “Obviously, I knew we had people higher up than Marty, they’re just never here. I wonder what could be so serious…” “You aren’t helping.” There’s no time for me to go back and forth with my best friend since college any longer. Darla has her arms crossed over her chest in a way that tells me if I don’t haul ass across this office and meet her at the door in the next thirty seconds, she’s going to make me regret it. I come to a stop in front of the five-foot woman who scares me way more than I’d care to admit. She frowns, her jowls pronounced as she glares at me. Despite the dirty look, I smile sweetly at her, knowing my mama told me to always kill them with kindness. “Good morning, Darla,” I say, my voice sickeningly sweet. Her frown lines get deeper. “I