Authors: Sedona Venez
What the fuck? A man like me?
My jaw tightened. “In your desperation to
finance your business, you obviously lowered your fucking highbrow
standards,” I ground out. I was disappointed she’d been so
judgmental without even digging deeply into the kind of man I
really was. “Now, the only thing I don’t own is your company name.
Other than that, I own ninety-seven percent of your precious
company.”
Sinthia went completely still, her eyes
locking with mine. “Impossible,” she denied, giving me a suspicious
look.
I gestured to the neatly stacked paperwork
on my desk. “The impossible became possible, Ms. Michaels.” I
crossed my arms as I waited patiently for her to comprehend that I
had her exactly where I wanted her—under my thumb.
She squared her shoulders before snatching
the stack off the desk. Folding my hands in front of me, I
projected an air of nonchalance I didn’t feel as she slowly scanned
the paperwork.
A thrill of excitement raced through my
body. Sinthia Michaels was all mine.
Come on, darling. Get with the program and
recognize the game is over. Checkmate.
She raised her chin once again. “This is a
huge mistake. This wasn’t supposed to be a loan. It was a deal for
seven percent of my future earnings.” She shook her head.
I knitted my brows. “Sinthia”—I tested her
name on my tongue—“is that your signature?”
Her mouth tightened. “I swear, this is not
what I thought I was agreeing to.”
I slightly inclined my head. “Let this be a
lesson. Read things thoroughly before you sign.” I looked coldly at
her. Her mistake was my gain. “Can you pay back my two million
dollars plus interest today?”
Kevin had given me a detailed report on her
finances. She was living within her means while digging herself out
of debt. There was no chance in hell she could raise the money to
pay me back.
She sputtered, “What the fuck do you want,
McKay? Because—” She stopped mid-sentence as I stared at her with
hooded eyes.
She swallowed hard while I allowed my gaze
to rake quite intimately over her. Our eyes locked. My groin
stirred.
Damn, I love her sexy toughness.
It
made me want to fuck her senseless.
“You don’t expect me to fuck you so you’ll
forget about this whole loan thing, do you?” Sinthia asked,
watching me with disgust.
My lips tilted into a brief small smile. As
much as I’d enjoy finding out if she’d be a hellcat in bed, that
wasn’t on the agenda—today.
“Do you really think I have to pay to get
fucked?” I replied.
She ground her teeth. “Then what do you
want?”
Sinthia was trying to bait me, but I
wouldn’t let her.
“Not a damn thing but my money plus
interest,” I countered. “I’m not sure you’ll be able to produce a
profit, darling. My sources tell me your retailers are getting cold
feet about the viability of your collection, and they’re pulling
out of your deals.”
She flinched as if I’d physically slapped
her. “Bullshit! I have concrete agreements with each of them.”
“You really don’t know shit about contracts.
Nothing in business is concrete. That’s what loopholes and a
shitload of well-paid lawyers are for.” I shot her an irritated
glare. “I can tell you don’t believe the shit I’m saying, so call
Lily Sanchez.” I pushed away from my desk and stood up.
“How do you know Lily?” she asked, disbelief
ringing in her voice.
I bit back a snort.
Lily was a pawn to maneuver any way I
wanted, and she was insignificant in the food chain of New York
City power. Lily had been blindsided when her bosses abruptly
decided to pull out of Sinthia’s deal. Just one phone call to my
shadowy connections—who were wealthy, deadly, and ruthless—had
killed the agreement.
I’d built alliances while doing things like
blackmail, coercion, and extortion, and that had made me one of the
wealthiest and most feared men in New York City. Billionaires would
quake in their custom-made shoes in fear of being exposed by the
cache of intelligence I had about their shady business dealings and
sordid sexual tastes. That information would ruin them if I chose
to reveal it. I was the puppet master pulling the strings and
making CEOs, politicians, and the very affluent dance for my
amusement.
I shrugged. “Just call her.” I cocked my
head. “She’ll confirm the gravity of your situation.”
She pulled out her cell. Her fingers
trembled as she dialed Lily. “Lily, is everything good to go with
my collection deal?” Sinthia asked. There was a slight pause before
she jumped up, turning her back on me. “What the hell happened?”
she whispered. Her shoulders slumped. “I’m two million dollars in,
Lily. My collection is almost complete. That’s months of work. Do
you understand me? Set up a meeting with the financial planners,”
she snapped before she hung up.
She turned around with her chin lifted. “How
do you know Tabitha?”
Raising a brow, I met her angry gaze.
Her eyes widened. “Oh, I see. You’re one of
her many fuck buddies.” Her voice was tight with accusation.
Interesting. Was that a tinge of jealousy I
detected in her voice?
“Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? I’ve
known Tabitha for years… in various capacities. She knew I was in
the market for another lucrative investment, and that’s why she
came to me when you had financing issues.” I pulled out a cigar and
a long wooden match. “I had you and your company extensively
investigated and found you are very talented.” Placing the cigar
between my lips, I struck the match, and then held it at the foot
of the cigar. “But, obviously, you’re naive when it comes to
business.” A surge of flame shot out from the head of the cigar,
and a puff of smoke came from my mouth.
“So do you know where she is?” she
rasped.
My lips twitched into a mockery of a smile.
“Don’t know, and I don’t care. But when you find her, give her my
regards.” I paused, coolly looking at her. “Sinthia, you’re tougher
than I thought. I like that.” I blew a ring of smoke before placing
the cigar in the ashtray. “I’ve come to a decision.”
“What decision?” she barked. “You already
made a decision when you gave me two million dollars. Now, you’re
making another decision?” She sneered.
So I’ve hit a nerve. Interesting.
I
stared, wondering how many more buttons I could push.
“I will make it really simple for you.” I
crossed my arms and widened my stance. “I’ve invested two million
into your business, and I intend on getting it back plus a hefty
profit, so I will retain full control of your company.”
She stared at me in astonishment. “This is
bullshit! This is my business,” she shouted.
“You mean it
was
your business,
Sinthia. Now, it’s mine,” I replied. “Kevin, my accountant, will
take care of all the financial matters, including providing the
money to continue your line. In addition, I will make some calls to
my contacts to see if we can get your retailers back on board.”
My eyes fell to her full lips as she licked
them.
Damn, they are absolutely sinful.
My mind roamed to
the vision of my manhood sinking deep into her pouty mouth
.
Fuck
.
“And all of this is coming at what price?”
Her back stiffened. “I will not use my company as a front for
illegal business dealings.”
I blinked, and then my expression hardened.
Is she out of her damn mind?
My eyes narrowed. “What the fuck are you
talking about?”
She tightly closed her eyes as if she wanted
to block the sight of me from her presence. “I’ve worked too
fucking hard to have my business and name tied to anything
illegal.” She opened her eyes to look at me again.
I stalked over to her, letting my gaze
blatantly roam over her sensual body. “What a beautiful hypocrite.
There was no thought about where the money was coming from when you
took it.” I let out a snort of contempt. “Now, you’re looking at me
like I’m the fucking scum of the earth.”
I silently regarded her.
“I’m just calling it like I see it, Mr.
McKay. I will not use my business for shady activities.” She spit
the words out.
I met her frown with a cool look. “Many
years ago, I might have used you for that and more, but now, I’m a
legitimate businessman.”
With dark and twisted
connections.
“What else do you want, McKay?” she asked
before licking her bottom lip.
My eyes traveled from her face to her body
and then back again. “Oh, darling, I can’t begin to tell you all
the things I want from you. That would send your gorgeous ass
running from this room. But the question is, what do you want, Ms.
Michaels?”
“I want you to let me out of this fucking
deal,” she bellowed.
I laughed coldly. “Not going to happen.
Next.” I all but sneered.
“If you wanted to, you could,” she responded
sullenly.
“I’m in the business of making money, not
losing it. The deal remains.”
Lifting her chin, holding my stare, for
several minutes she didn’t say anything as I continued to watch
her.
She folded her arms across her chest. “This
is fucking ridiculous,” she roared. “It might be unlawful,
too.”
“Even you don’t really believe that shit,” I
responded with a hard voice.
“And how long is this business arrangement
going to last?”
“Until I determine the debt has been paid in
full,” I bit out, letting my words sink in for a few seconds.
“Fuck you! You might own the company, but
you don’t own me.” She curled her lip in scorn.
The challenge in her eyes filled me with a
need I’d never even known I possessed. My hands tightened and
unclenched before I caught her by the arm and pressed her against
the wall. In one swift move, I pressed my lips against hers. Moving
my mouth on hers, I forced her lips open and I plundered inside,
one hand tightening on her waist and drawing her even closer. My
tongue swept into her mouth while my other hand released her arm,
reaching up to wrap itself in her hair, tilting her head back.
Her hands fisting my shirt, she leaned up
into me. My mouth devoured and stroked her with a controlled
sensuality that made my cock jump to life, straining against my
pants to break free. I growled when her mouth widened and she
pushed her tongue into my mouth. I groaned, tasting a hint of mint
and coffee.
My head spun out of control as she kissed me
back with unleashed anger and passion. The ache within my throbbing
balls grew. I knew I wouldn’t last much longer until I needed to
bury myself inside her cunt.
Sinthia’s breath caught as my hands went
around her, pulling her away from the wall and flush against me. My
fingers traced over her buttocks. She tried to remain motionless,
her ass cheeks tensing in reaction. Blood raced to my cock,
stiffening it to near pain as I imagined her voluptuous tight ass
clamping down on my cock as I fucked her from behind.
Damn, I burn to have her.
Lifting my head, I abruptly broke off the
kiss and stared down at her with hard eyes. “I might not own you
now, but I will,” I responded with a steely voice before stepping
back from her.
Sinthia lowered her head, but not before she
seared me with a furious glare. A perverse need for her to
acknowledge I was in control overtook me. With slow deliberation, I
turned around and strode over to my wall of floor-to-ceiling
windows.
“Now you may go, Ms. Michaels.” I kept my
voice low and soft but left no room for doubt that I’d issued a
command.
For several minutes, I waited until I heard
the tap-tap of her heels and the soft click of the door closing
before I relaxed.
Now that I knew what it could be like
between us, one taste wasn’t enough. I had to have her. The thought
of making her whimper and beg while I took her from behind aroused
me more than I would have believed, filling me with the kind of
anticipation I’d thought was long behind me.
I wanted her, and that put a completely new
spin on everything. My cock jumped as I imagined the possibilities
and the challenges of making this work. I needed to banish my
ridiculous fixation on her.
Folding my arms, I mumbled aloud, “This shit
is about to get really complicated.”
I pulled up in my low-slung Porsche and
stepped out. “I fucking hate Newark,” I mumbled, looking around the
dirty warehouse.
Ram hopped out of the passenger side, and
before slamming the door, he said, “Who doesn’t?
”
We both headed to the warehouse, slipping
into the dark building. Our motorcycle boots sounded like trumpets
as they slapped against the hard concrete floors in the cavernous,
dark space.
Rats almost the size of kittens ran across
the floor to hide. The air was stale and cloying. Total silence
reigned as Ram and I made our way down the metal stairs and through
the corridor. Tense and focused, we recognized the importance of
this moment. We were one step closer to bringing Lexis, Ram’s baby
sister, home.
“We’re going to find her,” I stated through
gritted teeth.
“She’s been missing for almost a year,” Ram
grumbled with bleak eyes.
Ram had been blaming himself for her
disappearance, for not stepping in when Lexis had gushed about the
perfect guy she’d met at a party near campus. The guy, Jeff Barolo,
had become Lexis’s boyfriend after dating her for only two
weeks.
Ram had grown suspicious when Lexis refused
to introduce Jeff to him, so Ram had driven to Massachusetts only
to find out from her friends that Lexis had dropped out of college
and run away with Jeff. After a background check, we’d found out
that Jeff was some preppy wannabe pimp who had a track record for
luring pretty college freshmen girls into a life of human
trafficking, selling their bodies for sex. It had been hell trying
to find any information on the whereabouts of Lexis, because the
human trafficking world was dirty and secretive.