by Tate James
"Darling," Chase purred when I descended the entry stairs to where my security had him detained. "What games are you playing tonight? I got your invitation." He held up the thick linen invitation that had been sent to all my guests, only his stated a time that suited my dramatic timing for once.
"How's your arm, Chase?" I replied with a feral grin. In the corner of my eye, I spotted Lucas jogging out to join us, still in the process of buttoning up his shirt. Good. It felt right that all three of my guys were here for this.
Chase's single eye flashed with anger and desire. Sick fuck probably got off on the fact that I'd shot him. "Did you invite me here tonight just to turn me away? Seems a bit weak. I burnt down your whole empire, and this is how you hit back?" He shook his head, mocking. "I'm disappointed. I thought we were having fun, escalating each time. That article today was weak too."
I smiled brighter as a familiar face approached from behind Chase. "Nonsense, Chasey baby, you just aren't seeing the bigger picture. I do so appreciate you taking the bait, though. It makes this so much easier."
His eye narrowed. "Darling—"
"Oh, I don't believe you've met my good friend Eric, have you?" I cut him off, holding a hand out to the gray-haired gentleman in a tux approaching.
Chase only looked confused for a moment, then he must have recognized my friend Eric.
"Maybe you have met," I murmured with a throaty laugh. "Nevertheless, Eric brought a few guests along for you to get acquainted with, didn't you, old friend?"
The police chief gave me an amused smile and nodded. "I sure did. Ms. Wolff, you look dazzling." He raised his hand, giving a signal, and all of a sudden there were a dozen guns aimed at Chase. "Ah, Mr. Lockhart. Back from the dead and up to his eyeball in trouble. You really picked the wrong target here, fella. You're going away for a long, long time."
Chase blanched, a disbelieving smile on his lips. "I'm sure you're confused, Eric," he replied with a smooth chuckle. "Chase Lockhart died five years ago. I'm—"
"Masquerading as an FBI agent under the assumed name of Wenton Dibbs, who you killed? Yes, we're well aware. Ms. Wolff has been more than generous with the evidence she's collected and compiled on your crimes. You are one sick fuck, you know that?" Eric nodded to one of his officers, who pulled out a pair of handcuffs and set about arresting Chase.
"Isn't this poetic?" I purred as he glared at me with pure fury. "You really should have seen this one coming, Chasey baby. You didn't seriously think you were keeping the upper hand this whole time?" He said nothing, and I gave a sharp laugh. "Oh, honey, you did? That's precious. Have a nice stay in lockup, though. I hear they're expecting you."
His lip curled in a sneer as he prepared to spew some threat or other at me, but he was swiftly silenced by Zed's fist smacking straight into his mouth. Blood sprayed across the pavement, along with a tooth, and Chase slumped unconscious in the grip of his arresting officer.
"Sorry," Zed muttered to the police chief.
Eric grinned. "I saw nothing. Good to see you again, De Rosa. When can we expect you back at the poker tables?"
Zed nodded to Timber. "Come on in now; I'll take all your money off your hands."
Eric let out a loud laugh. "You're on. I didn't get all dressed up not to play a few hands with you. Cassiel, are you in?"
Cass shook his head. "Nah, I'm going to get a drink with my woman." Lucas smacked him in the arm, and Cass rolled his eyes. "And this little prick. Good show, Gumdrop."
They headed inside, but I stayed out there a while longer, watching the unmarked police cars driving away into the night with an unconscious Chase Lockhart secured within. Only when they were finally out of sight did I draw a deep breath, feeling like I could breathe again for the first time in years.
The snare had caught its prey at last. Now it would be a test of our months of preparation to see that the rabbit never shook loose.
62
Timber's opening-night party wasn't just playing host to the rich and famous within the Timberwolf territory. It was also studded with acquaintances of mine, allies who’d provided me enough security to pull off a ballsy move like I'd just done. Inviting Chase to his own arrest... not even he could have seen that coming, even though it was an imitation of my own “arrest” just two months earlier.
Striding back into my club, I scanned the crowd, picking out all my carefully placed players. Vega and his new second—a woman, to my delight—were over near the roulette wheel. Ezekiel was sipping soda water at the bar. Roach and a scrubbed-up crew of Reapers were on the dancefloor. And there were my boys, Cass and Lucas, on their way up to the VIP lounge, where I'd already spotted Seph's guys chatting with Archer and co.
I took a moment to soak it all in. To appreciate how far I'd come. Only six months ago, I'd have rather shot myself in the foot than admit I needed help.
Across the room, Zed caught my eye and shot me a wink, raising his glass in a silent toast as he headed for the basement poker tables with our chief of police, the new deputy mayor, and the special agent in charge of the regional FBI field office. As far as the Bureau was concerned, Chase was nothing more than a con artist they were happy to wash their hands of.
I smiled to myself and made my way up to VIP to celebrate the first of what I hoped to be many wins against Chase fucking Lockhart. Everyone up there was in high spirits, full party mode, and despite my newly jubilant mood, I shied away from joining them completely. Instead, I headed straight to the bar and ordered an Aviation from Katie, my bartender.
"You made that victory look effortless," Archer commented, leaning on the bar beside me.
I scoffed. "Nothing about this was effortless, D'Ath. Trust me on that. It's not won, yet, either. But after all the work we've put into making it failsafe... it'd fucking better work. The damage we had to suffer while waiting this out has made it all somewhat less than satisfying."
Archer nodded, running a hand over his bearded cheek. "I don't doubt it. Cass's fake death?"
He was asking how Cass being "dead" had played into my end game—what he'd been getting up to while out of the line of sight for so long. I gave him a sly smile. "A magician never reveals her tricks, D'Ath. You'll see, soon enough."
He gave a husky laugh. "Fair enough. I never apologized for our fuck up in Italy."
"No, you didn't." I gave him a level stare as Katie put my drink down in front of me and poured a beer for Archer.
"I hope you know I'd never intentionally put Seph in danger. It never crossed my mind that she'd—"
"I know," I cut him off. "Seph... made some mistakes. We all did. What's important is that we don't repeat them." I arched a brow, driving my point home. "Ever. Second chances are hard to come by in these parts."
A smile crossed Archer's lips, and he dipped his head in acknowledgement. "Understood, sir."
For a moment, we just stood there in somewhat companionable silence, drinking our drinks and watching our friends partying together. That seemed like an unfamiliar word for me to use, but I couldn't think of any better way to describe them. Especially when Maxine and Hannah joined the group a few minutes later.
"Copper Wolf Distillery was leveled, huh?" Archer asked after a while.
I nodded. "The buildings, yes. The brand? Hell no. It'll be back up and running in no time."
He smiled slyly. "You'll need new advertising images when you relaunch." His gaze slid back to where Madison Kate was seated on a couch between his friends. Steele's arm was around her waist, and Kody played with her fingers as she chatted with my sister. They were so in love it almost made me gag.
Almost.
"Hey, babe, you don't wanna join us?" Lucas asked, coming over with his empty glass in hand. His cheeks already held the flush of intoxication, but I knew he would stop before getting drunk. We were all still too paranoid to lose control in public.
He and Archer exchanged a friendly handshake, and Lucas leaned in to kiss me, not even hesitating for a second. After all, we were among friends here
.
"I'm fine here," I replied, leaning into his embrace as his arm looped around me. "You go back and have fun, though. You've earned it."
He gave me a curious look, but sensed I wasn't going to be pushed. So he took his refill from Katie and kissed me again before heading back over to where he'd been chatting with Ford and Kody.
Cass looked over when Lucas sat back down, then made his excuses to Rex and headed over to us.
"Don't tell me you're enjoying being social, Saint," Archer teased, sipping his beer like he had as much intention of joining the group as I did.
Cass quirked one brow. "Don't you have a fight coming up, D'Ath? All that beer won't be good for your fitness."
Archer gave a low laugh. "Nah, I canceled it. Kate's got some meetings in Pretoria she can't miss."
I reached for my drink, then chuckled when my ring caught the light. Suddenly it made a shitload more sense where Zed had gotten his hands on red diamonds. Madison Kate owned one of the world's biggest diamond mines.
"I was going to head downstairs and take Zed's money on the poker tables," Cass told me. "Wanna come sit on my lap and act as a distraction?" I raised one very unimpressed brow, and Cass gave a husky laugh. "Kidding. Of course."
"Well, I'm game. Let's take money from the rich bastards I invited, though. We need to pay for a whole lot of rebuilds." I finished my cocktail and took Cass's offered hand. "You coming, D'Ath?"
He drained his beer and put the glass back on the bar. "Fleecing rich pricks? Hell yeah."
The three of us made our way down to the basement gaming rooms and located Zed at a table with his politically powerful friends. They were laughing uproariously about something, and when I drew close, he dragged me into his lap with an impulsive movement.
He kissed me like we were totally alone in the room, then whispered in my ear about what he wanted to do when the club closed for the night. After all, we'd made a pact to christen our bars together.
From there on out, I was just counting the minutes until the party would end and the high-spirited guests cleared out. Last to leave was my sister and her bodyguards. After several hours of sipping on cocktails, I had a decent buzz going—enough that I voluntarily hugged her tight and told her I loved her.
Zed and Cass were joking and swearing as they lifted some of the velvet couches up onto the stage, and I gave Lucas a confused look.
He shrugged. "They've got a plan, babe; just roll with it."
I smiled but didn't argue, instead heading to the bar where Katie had left a bottle of whiskey out for us with some crystal glasses. I collected them all up and made my way over to the stage while Zed jumped down to lock up all the doors. The last thing we needed was to be interrupted while we were all... relaxed.
"This is cute," I murmured, sitting down on one of the couches beside Cass. They'd positioned it so that we had a full view of the club. My mini-empire, until the rest could be revived.
"Zed wanted to make this part just for the two of you," Cass confessed with a smirk, "but Lucas and I overruled him. We're a fucking team, and we should celebrate the victories together."
"If that's okay with you," Lucas added, shooting Cass a hard look. "We know you and Zed had an agreement."
I grinned, feeling more at home on a couch in the middle of a stage than ever before. "I don't see why we can't do both," I told them, then looked at Zed as he hurried back from the security office. "Are the cameras switched off?"
He nodded. "Damn right. No way in hell do I want one of the new bouncers stumbling across this footage."
He didn't waste any time with foreplay; our whole fucking night had been foreplay enough. He just sank straight to his knees in front of the couch and lifted the buttery silk of my dress over his head.
"Oh shit," I gasped as he yanked me closer with his hands on my ass, his mouth finding my cunt like a starving man finding water. Not that I was complaining. My back arched off the couch, my hands gripping Zed's head through my dress and pulling him closer. I'd been worked up and on edge ever since they'd made me come while Lucas was stripping, it wasn't going to be hard to get me to climax again.
Cass grabbed my chin between his fingers, capturing my mouth in a bruising kiss while Lucas worked the clasps and zipper of my dress. It was the kind of gown that just hadn't leant itself to underwear. So a moment later, when Lucas coaxed me to my feet, my dress floated to the floor around Zed in a puddle of silk, leaving me totally naked.
"This is how we should end every night out," Lucas commented, his eyes drinking me in and his smile wide.
Cass huffed a laugh. "And every night in, too."
Zed had his mouth full, hooking one of my legs over his shoulder as he licked me harder. I wobbled and fell back into the couch with a laugh, but he wasn't deterred. Cass's lips found my breast, Lucas claimed my mouth, and I ticked off my second orgasm of the night all over Zed's face.
"Holy crap, that was good," I moaned, my hips still rolling as Zed licked his lips and stroked his fingers into my still spasming cunt.
He gave a low chuckle. "Buckle up, baby. We've only just started."
"Mine," Lucas announced, grabbing my leg as Zed shifted back. With a smooth motion, he spun me horizontally on the couch, then hooked my leg up over the back of it. My other leg draped across the seat, my high-heeled foot still on the ground. I couldn't have been spread out wider if I'd tried.
"You three almost killed me earlier," Lucas informed us as he stripped out of his shirt and freed his huge, glistening erection from his suit pants. He didn't seem to be wearing underpants either. "You know how fucking hard it is, watching my girl fall to pieces while I'm getting naked on stage?"
He shot Zed and Cass accusing glares, but they just grinned back as he shifted closer, bringing the tip of his enormous dick to my aching core. I moaned as he started to push in far too slowly for my impatient mood.
"Come on, Gumdrop," Zed teased. Sitting back on his heels beside the couch, he cupped one of my breasts with his hand. "Show Dare just how hard it was for you."
Lucas muttered a curse, but when I lifted my hips to push him deeper, he gave a grunt and slammed into me. I screamed at the burn of pain that always happened when taking Lucas first, but it was a good kind of pain. The kind that made me thrash and pant and beg for more.
Zed sucked my nipple into his mouth, teasing it with his teeth, and Cass leaned down to kiss me upside down. And Lucas? He pinned my hips to the couch with his huge hands and fucked me so hard and fast I saw stars.
"Shit," Lucas cursed, moaning. "You've got to be kidding me. Fucking hell, Hayden, I'm going to come already."
I laughed into Cass's kiss and reached out to dig my fingernails into Lucas's hip, encouraging him because I was already so damn close myself. These guys were turning me into a goddamn orgasm machine, and I was going to guess they had a personal challenge to beat our highest number tonight.
Lucas's thrusts got deeper, slamming into me as he chased his release, and at the first hot jerk of his cock within me, I screamed my own climax. My spine arched and my toes curled inside my shoes, and I rode it out on Lucas's thick shaft until the trembles began to subside.
No sooner had Lucas pulled out of me, though, than I found myself flipped over onto all fours with Cass's dick in my face and Zed's hands massaging my ass.
"Open those pretty lips for me, Red," Cass urged, his hand going to my hair and nudging me closer to his tattooed erection. Not that I needed any encouragement. I eagerly swallowed him down, my head bobbing up and down his shaft as Zed prepared my ass with lube. I wasn't even shocked; Cass had told me earlier that they'd be bringing supplies along.
"Remember that little toy I brought back from my travels?" Cass asked, somewhat breathless as I sucked his cock. I wasn't pausing to answer, just hummed my yes against his flesh, and he gave a small laugh. "Well, this one is a little bigger."
My confusion only lasted a moment before Zed started pushing a new toy into my ass. I moaned as it slowly stretched me wi
der with every millimeter, but Cass's hand on my hair kept my focus split between the toy in my butt and his dick down my throat. In reality, it didn't feel that insane. It was roughly the size of Zed's dick, and I was well accustomed to taking that like a champ.
It was the slow way he fucked it into my ass that was driving me nuts. Pushing a little, then pulling out, then pushing a little more. Pure torture.
"Holy hell," Lucas murmured. He’d dragged one of the other chairs close enough that his knee brushed my hand where I gripped Cass's leg. "That's so damn hot."
"Are you gonna come again, Red?" Cass asked with a gasp as I sucked him harder. My hand moved to cup his balls, playing with them as I bobbed on his cock, and he cursed on an exhale. "Hmm, I bet Zed can help you get there, can't he?"
Zed gave a murmur of agreement. The toy found its resting place, and his lips brushed a kiss over my butt cheek. Then his fingers were back inside my pussy, fucking me roughly and making the plug shift inside my ass.
Yeah, Cass had known what he was talking about. It was no shock when I came again, but my screams were muffled as he gripped my hair tight, shoving his cock deep down my throat, his hips rising to fuck my mouth. My hand still cradled his nuts, and I slid a finger back to press the strip of flesh behind his balls. He came with a shout, filling my mouth with his cum and making me swallow quickly to avoid choking.
"Goddamn," he groaned when I surfaced, licking my lips. "Gonna be like that, huh?"
Chuckling, I sat back on my heels and felt the delicious fullness of the plug moving with me. "Damn right it is," I murmured, then looked behind me at Zed. "How do you want me?"
His eyes flared, and he maneuvered us all around until he was on his back against the couch with me straddling him. "Oh yeah," he breathed as his hands found my waist, lifting me up so his cock could find my pussy. "Yeah, like this."
I lowered onto him, my pussy already so drenched there was little resistance. Still, my lower belly clenched and fluttered, my walls hugging him tight as I braced my hands on the arm of the couch above his head. "Yeah?" I teased, moaning a little at the doubled-up sensations thanks to that plug. I'd have rather they filled me with something else, though.