“I NEED YOU TO KNOW I didn’t send you that letter.”
We’re lying in the most comfortable bed known to man at the Berkshire hotel, one of Chicago’s world class luxurious hotels. Damien brought us here after our very public fight and sexual outburst. He explained to me his original letter was to meet him at the planetarium.
I turn to him. “Well, I certainly didn’t send you a letter telling you to meet me in one of your porn rooms to whip me as you please.” What I saw still unsettles me…and what could have happened had I not walked in.
Damien pulls me to him and kisses my bare shoulder. “You’re not meant for those rooms,” he says, but his comment does nothing to soothe the painful memory.
“Then why did you go? You looked pretty content when I walked in. Would you have known—”
“Don’t even ask that. I would have known.”
“But how could—”
He places his finger over my lips and leans in, replacing the digit with his mouth. “I would have known. There’s not a single person who smells, tastes, and radiates beauty like you do.”
Okay. Fine. I’ll accept that answer if I have to.
“But Sylvia is beaut—”
“You are. In every single way.” He leans over me, pressing my back to the mattress. His lips touch mine, then travel down my neck to my breast. I wince as his tongue grazes my sore nipple. He was anything but gentle last night. The vibrations of his chuckle around my breast send a wave of sensations down my belly, awakening my entire body. My hands thread through his hair, and I close my eyes, enjoying the magic of his mouth.
“I don’t see how this is doing anything for you,” I hum, feeling a wetness build between my legs. “I’m not going to let you flog me or chain me up and choke me until I call you daddy.”
He nips at me, and I suck in a breath. “I’ve already flogged and tied you up. Not huge into choking, but feel free to call me daddy any time.”
Shit. He’s right. I’m making a failing attempt at convincing him I have no interest in his secret lifestyle. “Well then, don’t even think about anything else. I’m a good Catholic girl. I like to keep things old school. Ya know, traditional…” I stop talking because my tongue starts to malfunction. Two fingers thrust in and out of me. Shit, what was I saying?
“When I’m done with you, every part of you will belong to me.” Ahhh… I love when he adds finger number three. I’m so turned on, I’m almost embarrassed. “You will learn to love everything I do to you.” He pulls out, smearing my juices along my slit. They continue back further than normal, and I quickly squirm.”
He’s about to fill me once again, but this time, I stop him. “Damien, wait. We need to talk about something before we go any further. I need to know what we’re doing here. What about the contract?”
His hand halts at my entrance, and he sits up nervously. My stomach plummets. I feel like right now we’re in such a perfect place, but it’s nowhere near perfect with the contract hanging over us. God, please say something soon before I—
“I never planned on holding you to the contract.”
“But wait, you said—”
“I said a lot of things. Forced you to know who was in charge. I couldn’t allow you to think I was some weak schoolboy falling for the innocent little smart mouth girl.” He pauses for a few seconds. “I knew right away the contract meant nothing to me. Knew exactly when the thirty days was over. I kept quiet because I was afraid you’d walk away once it expired. I trapped you in this relationship, I didn’t know where you stood. I also couldn’t risk you leaving me just when I was starting to get a taste of something good.”
Okay, I did not expect this response. “I wouldn’t have left.”
“And I wouldn’t have let you. What we have, it’s not due to that contract. If I could take it back and start over with you, I would. But if that’s how I had to get you in my bed, then I wouldn’t have done anything differently.”
A sense of relief washes over me. Knowing everything we’ve experienced isn’t based on an arrangement fills me with such hope for our future. And the way he’s looking down at me reassures me we have just that.
“We good now, baby?” His soft smile sets off butterflies in my stomach.
“Yeah, we’re good.”
“Good. Now relax, pet. You’re in for a real treat…”
Twenty-four hours later…
“If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?” Damien asks, giving me the world’s most amazing massage. I’m lying on my stomach as he caresses my lower back with his hands, using his lips every so often on my skin as a special treat.
“I’d go to Rome. Be the basic tourist and tour the colosseum, Vatican, Piazza. Spend any time I could in Florence and Venice, which probably wouldn’t be much with my pocketbook, but then I’d disappear off the grid. Find a small town in the southern part of Rome and study art. Take as many photos as I can. Eat till I explode and have to come back home.”
“And what would you do if you didn’t have to return home? If you could stay as long as your heart desired?” he asks, kneading my butt cheeks.
“Ummm….” Did I mention we were naked and his hard-on is poking me in the butt? “I’m not sure…” God, he has magical hands. They lower just below my butt cheeks and I know I’m in trouble. “What’s with the inquiries? You going somewhere? Need travel advice?”
His hands dig into my thighs and massage deep into my muscles. It feels absolutely wonderful after the position he got me into last night. The body sure is flexible.
“No, but soon. The club will be sold, and I’ll be free.” I lift my head to catch his eyes, then attempt to flip over because this is big news, but he doesn’t allow it. “Not a chance. I’m not done with you.”
“So, the sale is really happening? You’re just going to walk away?”
“That’s what I wanted to tell you. Yes, I’m done. In two weeks, it’ll be out of my hands and I’ll be free to live my life the way I’ve always wanted. And it’s because of you.”
I now fight to turn around, needing to see him. “I looked at some numbers. I don’t even think they were accurate. Don’t make it because of me—ouch!”
He slaps my ass and maneuvers me back onto my stomach. “What have I told you about listening?” He caresses my stinging butt cheek.
“To listen? I don’t know, but for real…don’t do it on my—ouch! Dammit.”
Another smack, and this time, my legs open and he adjusts himself to where I want him to be. “It’s happening. You’ve given me the power I need to make decisions—moves I would have never made if I hadn’t met a beautiful, talented girl. I see myself in you—see what I could be with you next to me.”
“You mean under you?” I say, because it’s either be sarcastic or cry, his words touched me in so many ways.
“Take it as you will, pet. Can we finish your massage now?” he asks, pushing just past the brink of my opening. I don’t say another word, but smile, knowing I’m about to get myself a happy ending as he thrusts into me.
God, I love his massages.
Two days later…
Damien
“I dread having to see them in class.”
“Who?” I ask, sliding my tongue down her breastbone. Her skin is smooth as silk and I can’t get enough of it.
“Sylvia and her gang,” she replies, followed by a sad sigh.
The name makes me cringe. Any mention of that little twit sends a fireball of anger up my spine. My blood instantly boils. If I could snap her little neck and get away with it, I would.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of her.” I drop down to her taut belly when her fingers tangle into my hair, brushing against my scalp.
“Wait. What do you plan on doing?”
Ruining her entire being. She won’t get away with what she’s done. “I just plan on having lunch with the dean of the university. He’s a close friend of mine, not to mention a member, and I plan on having a friendly conversation about a student who attends his college.”
She throws me off her and sits up. She’s so damn sexy when she pouts. “Nooooo way. You’re just gonna make it worse for me. You don’t get it. She’s vile. She’ll find a way to—”
I’m back in her personal space, putting my finger over her cute swollen lips. The quick flashback of them around my cock earlier has me swelling in my briefs. “No one fucks with what’s mine. Better get used to it.”
“Yeah, but—”
“No one.” I get back down to business and jerk her hips forward, making her fall back on the mattress. I place my mouth over her naked flesh, my tongue stroking her clit. She’s beautiful. Everywhere. I lick at her already building juices as my cock jolts at the thought of being so far inside her. I shove my tongue inside her cunt just as my phone alerts me to a text.
My spine stiffens.
The notification sound is the one I set for Kade. I left him in charge of the club and told him to contact me only if there was trouble. Jensen’s little moans distract me, and I ignore the text. My thick finger finds her entrance, and I begin to tease her. Every sound she makes turns my cock to stone. I’m so hard, I doubt I’ll get much farther before I’m shoving myself inside her. I take two fingers and slide them—
Ding.
“Fuck.”
“What, is everything okay?”
I take a quick nip at her sweet cunt and pull away. “Yeah, gotta check that. It’s about the club and might be important.” I sit up, regretting my decision the moment I catch Jensen’s glossed over eyes. They’re filled with lust, my little naughty pet. Kade better have a damn good reason for interrupting me or he’s gone.
I get up and search for my phone, making sure my dick doesn’t knock anything over in the process. Fuck, I should just fuck her first. Grabbing it off the TV stand, I look at the message.
Kade: We have a problem.
His second text is an attachment. A few snapshots of Fredrick and Patricia. What the fuck are they up to? I zoom in to see there’s a third person with them. I hit call. “What the fuck is this? When were these taken?”
“About twenty minutes ago,” Kade replies. “And it doesn’t look good. They’re up to something. I know the guy to the right. He’s a heavy hitter in the real estate industry. But not the legal kind. If they’re meeting with him, they’re planning to strong-arm a sale. And by strong-arm, I mean do whatever possible to get what they want.”
That son of a bitch.
I look at the time. It’s well past one in the morning. “Are they still there?” I ask, walking and grabbing my slacks.
“Yeah, they’re sittin’ tight.”
I throw my legs into my pants and grab for my shirt. “Do they suspect anything?”
“That I’ve notified you? Nah. I had a chick hand me my phone, so it looked like I was giving directions to someone. Which means I gotta drop off here quickly.”
“I’m on my way in. Let me know if they leave.” I hang up and shove my arms into my shirt. The sale of the club happens in less than two weeks. Everything is in place. What the fuck are they up to? They clearly want me to know by meeting at my club. Fredrick knows how it works. My employees are trained to notify me of anything suspicious. This meeting would be no different. They want me to know.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing. An issue at the club I need to attend to.”
“I thought you had it taken care of?”
I did, until Fredrick thought he could overpower me. I should have cut ties with him years ago. Thinking I owed him for his dedication to my father was a mistake. He should have walked away and stayed away. Now, I won’t hesitate to destroy him. “I did too. I won’t be long. I need you to sit tight. Don’t even think about putting any clothes on until I return. When you get hungry, order room service.”
I lean over and kiss her lips.
“Food sounds tasty. Not sure about answering the door naked, though.”
Jealousy flares inside me. The thought of anyone else seeing her naked body makes me want to explode and kill someone. “Fuck room service. I’ll be back before you get hungry.” She laughs, and I give her another quick kiss before I walk out.
I call the valet on my way down. Fredrick better be ready for the storm brewing inside me. If he thinks he’s going to take Exquisite from me, then he has another thing coming. The goons he’s hired don’t scare me.
I climb into my car and speed off, ready to put an end to this all.
No one fucks with me, or my girl.
My girl.
That thought empowers me. She may be a bad fucking mistake, but there’s no way she’s leaving my side. She’s changed me. I know there’s so much shit to work out. She’s so young. God, she’s too young. There’s a small pinch in my gut. The little warning that tries to tell me she’s too good for a man like me. She has her entire life ahead of her. I should fucking walk away.
But I won’t.
She’s so embedded in me, I would fight her even if she tried to leave. The last image of her lying in bed, beautiful and naked for me…I should just let Fredrick do his worst and go back to her. My gut tells me to turn around. With everything that’s happening I shouldn’t leave her alone. I swear if anyone touches her, I’ll put them six feet under.
The traffic is light this early in the morning, so I whip through the dark streets as I make my way to Exquisite. Taking a sharp turn down Madison, my phone dings, indicating a text from Kade.
Kade: Had the waitress snap a pic of the documents on the table. You might be interested in them.
I look down, and the attached photo almost has me slamming into the vehicle in front of me. It’s the contract to Exquisite I left on my desk, but between the stacks of papers, is a photo of Jensen standing outside a school building.
“What the fuck…?”
My defenses go up instantly. I’m suddenly on high alert. I quickly dial Jensen’s number, but it goes to voicemail. “Fuck.” I hang up and redial, getting the same thing. I shouldn’t have left her. Unease settles in, and I pull a quick U-turn and head back to the hotel. I throw my car in park for the valet, jump out, and run inside. I call Jensen again, and hang up when her voicemail sounds.
“Goddammit.” She better be taking a shower, or sleeping, or fucking meditating, I don’t give a shit. She just better be okay. Dark thoughts swirl through my mind, and I try to talk myself down, convince myself she’s just in the shower. When I get to that room and see her, I’m going to take my hand to her sweet ass for making me worry.
I get to our floor and swipe the key past the lock, then push through the door. “Jensen!” I yell, but my words die off at the scene before me. The room is trashed. “Jensen!” I race into the bathroom, but she’s not there. The chaise is laying on its side and there’s glass shattered all over the room. There was a struggle. My heart beats out of my chest as I search for—shit, I can’t even think it. Fuck. I search for any sign of foul play. Blood. The panic inside me builds until I’m shaking uncontrollably.
“Jensen!” I scream her name and rage erupts inside me like a volcano and explodes. I pick up the chair and hurl it across the room. Whoever thinks they can mess with me is going to fucking die.
Sudden fear has me buckling over. My chest is too tight. Where is she? Who has her? Did they hurt her? Will they? The sheer white comforter lays at my feet crumpled on the floor. The more I focus on it, the sharper the pain as the recognition guts me. God no. Fuck no! My mind doesn’t want to accept what I see, but I force my grip to latch around the bedding and lift causing my stomach to almost expel.
Blood.
“No…” I scan the side of the bed. More blood. Shattered lamp. “No…” My hands are shaking as I pull my phone out and call 9-1-1.
God, what have I dragged her into?
“I just fucking told you, I have no idea what happened. I left her for twenty minutes tops, and when I came back, she was gone. Stop fucking wasting your time with me and do your job!” I snap at the rookie cop trying to overcompensate. The police showed up before Stephens did. They’ve been grilling me the entire time as if I hurt and kidnapped my own girlfriend. My frustration is at an all-time high. I’m about to fucking lose it.
“Mr. Cross, would you know anyone who would want to hurt Miss Stone?”
Yeah, my ex-employee. My father’s ex-mistress.
“Like I said, I don’t.” Where the fuck is Commissioner Stephens? I need to get to the club. This has Fredrick written all over it. “Listen, do your fucking job and stop focusing on me,” I snarl, looking at my phone for any updates from Kade. I texted him telling him not to let Fredrick leave the club and to take any measures to do so.
“Sir, I don’t think you’ve clearly explained why you were here with the young lady. You seem to be a bit out of her age—”
I jump at him, and my hands grip around his neck. “You watch who you’re talking to, you mother—”
“Damien!” Stephens shouts my name. He’s behind me pulling me off his officer. I fight his grip. How dare this asshole question my relationship with her. He should be worried about who fucking took her! “Damien, let him go. It’s not going to help anyone.”
I release my murderous grip and shove him away. My heart races and my hands shake uncontrollably. It’s been over an hour. She’s been gone over an hour. The things she may be enduring, and I’m not doing shit.
I turn to the commissioner. “She was taken from this room. It’s been over an hour. They need to stop looking at me and start pointing out real suspects.” My voice cracks at the end.
Fuck.
Kade’s words strike me again.
They’ll do whatever possible to get what they want.
Fuck!
The pain in my chest explodes. I need to get to the club. I need to do something. I drag Stephens away from his henchmen and give him the names of who I suspect, then tell him to keep it off the radar. I don’t want anything illegal connecting me to what happens next.
I race out of the hotel, texting Kade that I’m on my way.
The image of her smile and the sound of her laughter play over and over in my head while I break every single road violation. I have a death grip on the steering wheel when each beautiful image of her is tainted with the image of blood on the floor.
Fredrick is a dead man.
The alley that leads to Exquisite comes into view, and I throw my car in park and jump out, running like a madman inside. The club is closed. It’s close to four in the morning. The smell of booze and sex linger, and it makes me sick. I call for Kade but don’t get a response.
“Kade!”
“Over here, boss.”
My head snaps toward the bar. Kade is standing there, next to Fredrick, who’s tied to a chair. He already looks to be in bad shape, blood dripping from his nose and his left eye swollen.
My emotions erupt. “You son of a bitch!” I’m on him in three short strides. I rip my arms out of my blazer and toss it to the ground. My phone falls out from the inside pocket and slides under the bar. My fist goes up and slams into his face. Once, twice, three times. I can’t stop. He’s going to pay. For every single hair harmed on Jensen’s head, he will pay with a broken bone, a missing finger, his life.
“Where the fuck is she?” I bark, grabbing the lapel of his shirt and bringing my face up to his. “Tell me what you did, or I’ll kill you right here.”
My vision fogs over. A sense of madness resides in me. I’ve never been a violent man. Demanding. Controlling. But I have never used force on another person. The urge to rip his arms off until he talks takes over any sense of right and wrong.
“Tell me, you motherfucker! What did you do with—”
“Nothing! I swear, I did nothing!”
I cock my fist back and slam it into his face, satisfied by the crunch of his cheekbone under my fist. Fredrick howls, and I pull back to strike again. “You had her photo. Don’t fucking lie to me. You using her to get me to sell to you? All for the fucking club?”
“No!”
Crunch.
His lip splits open, and blood splatters against my shirt. I cock my hand back again.
“Fine, yes! It was meant to provoke you. We weren’t going to use it.”
Crunch.
“Who’s we? Who are you working with?”
“Patricia. It was her idea. She said you would cave for the girl. She’s the one who wanted to use her for collateral.”
That greedy bitch. Hearing her name makes my rage boil. I turn to Kade. “Where is she?”
Kade nods toward my office. I turn and lift my eyes to the window. “I locked her in your office. She was a bit to handle.” I turn back, now noticing the long scratch from her nails down his face.
“Damien, I swear, I wasn’t going to hurt her. It was all just to—”
“Have you been following her? Where the fuck is she?”
“No! I have no idea!”
Crunch.
“I swear! The information I had was only because of when you had me research her. Listen to me, Patricia orchestrated this whole thing. She’s obsessed. Your daddy made promises to her. The second she got wind of you selling, she lost her senses. She hired some goons. Bad guys to make sure the sale didn’t go through. Your life was a casualty if needed. I want the club, I’ve earned it, but not the way she wants it. I told her I was out. I was leaving when Kade grabbed me.”
I don’t believe him. I pull my fist back again, and Fredrick pleads, “Please! I swear. I told Kade the same thing. I had nothing to do with her kidnapping! You’re wasting your time with me. I just wanted what I felt was rightfully mine. I proved myself to this club. I wasn’t willing to let you sell without throwing my hat in the game. I just wanted the club. I had no idea until tonight what Patricia was truly capable of.”
I’ve known Fredrick for years. I know when he’s lying. My instincts are messing with me. He has to be the one who took her. But my gut is telling me he isn’t.
But if he didn’t take her, who did?
“Bullshit. You’ve been behind this the whole time. Trying to get Jensen out of the picture. Sabotage my relationship. I know you intercepted my letter. Gave her the one telling her to meet me at the club. You set us both up!”
“No! It was that girl. She sought me out.”
“What girl?”
“The ritzy blonde. She approached me the day you fired me. She was practically waiting for me when I left. She remembered my name from the night I kicked her out. I was angry and she was just…there…”
Guilt washes over him. “What did you do?” My voice is eerily calm.
“Nothing.”
I raise my fist.
“Okay! Okay. I was angry. She offered to take me somewhere and have a drink to help me calm down. I didn’t think past her perky tits. She was giving vibes that she was easy and wanted something from me. I’m a man, so I went.”
Jesus. Sylvia. “What happened?”
“I talked. I told her how you were being blindsided by some child. I was going to stop after that, but she came on to me. Fuck, she was rubbing my thigh, convincing me to keep going. I did. She smelled good, and the way she was looking at me—”
My hands go back to his collar and I shake him. “I don’t give a fuck about that! What happened!”
“She offered me sex if I helped her. She wanted me to help her get into the club.”
That explains how she got there. No one would have let her into those private rooms without a pass. “What else?”
“She gave me the best blowjob of my life.”
Jesus.
I release him, shoving him hard enough his chair falls backward. This has all been a waste. He knows nothing, then who the fuck has her?
“Fuck!” I roar, kicking the chair, and Fredrick grunts in pain. Too much time is passing. I have no idea where she is. How to find her. Where to start. My chest is so tight. I feel out of control. I grab at my scalp and yank roughly at my wild hair. If only I could figure out where she is.
Wait…
The phone. I have a tracker on her phone. I step away from Fredrick and dive for my blazer on the floor. I search through my inside pocket before remembering it fell out.
I’m on my knees searching when I see it way under. I stretch my arm—
“Boss, we have a problem,” Kade says, his voice etched with concern.
“I know how to find her,” I say, reaching but still finding an inch between my fingers and the device.
“No, we have a real problem. There’s smoke coming from the storage warehouse behind the building. I checked the monitors. Someone’s setting fires, blocking all three of the exits.”
His words barely register. I just need to get to my phone.
“Boss, I think we need to—”
Kade is cut off by a loud explosion. A blast of flames shoots out from the back room. A loud rumble echoes throughout the bar. The walls shake around us, and a large piece of the ceiling falls. I’m forced to dive to the side to avoid it crushing me.
“Fuck, what was that?”
“We gotta get the fuck out of here. Someone is setting the club on fire.”
Kade goes to grab for me, but I knock his hand away. “I need my phone.” Another loud explosion blasts through the dance floor. The windows above from my office shatter, spitting glass everywhere. I block my face, but it doesn’t stop shards of glass from stabbing into my forearms and legs.
“You’re gonna have to get a new one. We need to go. Now.”
I can’t. I need that phone. It’s the only chance I have of finding Jensen. I shove my arm under the bar. The bottom scrapes my skin, but I force my hand forward, to no avail.
“Damien. Leave it!” Kade’s hands are locked around my shoulders, pulling me away.
“No! Get the fuck off me! I need that phone!” I turn to throw a punch when another explosion sounds, and another chunk of the ceiling falls onto the bar, crushing the top. Flames explode, creating a barrier. I jump at it, not caring if I get burned, but Kade is on me. Fredrick is coddling his broken face as they both work together in dragging me across the dance floor toward the front exit. There’s so much smoke. My skin burns from all the surrounding flames. I start to cough and cover my mouth.
Kade stops and looks up to my office. “Fuck, Patricia. I can’t leave her locked in there.”
“Fuck her. She deserves to burn. Plus, you won’t make it out if you try,” Fredrick says through his own choked coughs.
“That’s for the police to decide. I can’t leave her. Get out. I’m right behind you.” Kade pushes me toward the door and takes off down the smoke-filled hallway leading to the private stairway. I take a step in his direction to go with him. Patricia might know where Jensen is. She might be my only way to find her. Just as I follow in the direction he disappeared, a ball of fire explodes from the hallway, throwing us both back.
Everything goes black.