I just keep reminding myself this is to save my family.
The DJ puts on a slow song and Chandler leaves the group he’s speaking to and takes the center of the dance floor. The lights dim and a spotlight hits the spot where we’re going to have our big dance. He reaches out his hand, palm faced up, calling me over to him. I walk like a zombie over to him and take his cold hand as he pulls me close to him.
“Ready, my darling?”
I take a deep breath, my anger barely manageable. “As I’ll ever be. Let’s just do this already.”
The song starts playing, and my feet move in small circles. His other hand is on my hip and all I want to do is pull away. A verse and a chorus pass in what feels like an hour, and I’m counting the time until this song is over.
Another verse comes and goes with everyone’s eyes on me and Chandler and then, from out of nowhere, I see a large hand go to Chandler’s shoulder.
A skull with roses.
Oh. My. God.
It’s him.
It’s my Dylan.
Chandler turns his body and his face turns white as a ghost. “Do you mind if I cut in?”
My whole energy changes when I see him. I smile without even thinking about being happy, and I let go of Chandler immediately.
“You have a lot of balls coming here,” Chandler seethes through gritted teeth.
“I have a lot of balls in general, but you already knew that when I was beating on you the other day.” He takes a step closer to Chandler like he’s inspecting him. “Holy crap, are you wearing makeup to cover the bruises? Wow—I knew you had an ego, but make up?”
“I’m going to destroy you in every imaginable way, do you understand me? And even that scum Graham Morgan won’t be able to protect you from me.”
“Eh,” Dylan says, looking completely undisturbed by Chandler’s threats. “It’s not Graham, or even me that you need to be worried about. There’s someone way more dangerous to you than the two of us.”
“Oh yeah, asshole, and who might that be?”
Dylan motions behind him. There’s another man standing there but I don’t recognize him at all. “I believe you know Tomas Snyder.”
I’ve never seen Chandler look so. . . afraid, but its not just afraid. It’s like afraid, pissed, and confused had a baby—that’s what his expression looks like. “You?”
“Me?” Tomas says. “And this.” He’s holding up an object and dangling it from his finger. “Actually, you probably don’t even know this exists, do you?”
“What is that?”
“It’s the trouble you’ve tried to get everyone else in,” Dylan tells him. “The pain, the legal hassle, the damage to reputation. It’s your weapons of choice, only now they’re pointed at you instead of at everyone else. Enjoy that.”
“What are you talking about?” Chandler asks.
“You’ll find out when you read the paper tomorrow. I mean, I could email you a copy of the article now if you really wanted, but you’ll probably want to use this time to get some legal counsel. Trust me, you’re going to need it.”
Just then a man comes over. I recognize him as James Rosoff, the CEO of the company who’s purchasing Chandler’s app. He doesn’t look happy. “Excuse me, what’s going on here? Is everything alright Chandler?”
Chandler doesn’t answer. Instead Tomas steps forward. “No, James. I don’t think everything is alright at all—not unless you feel like going into business with a criminal. But that seems like it might be a bad look for your company.”
“A criminal?” James asks. “Chandler, explain what he’s talking about.”
“He doesn’t know, sir. But I’d be happy to tell you. My name is Tomas Snyder. I’m a reporter and, as you’re mentioned in my article, you should probably have a heads up.”
“What the hell is going on here?”
This time Dylan speaks. “Tomas, if you don’t mind, let me answer the man.”
“Go for it. I owe you one for bringing me the nails for this story.”
“Thank you,” Dylan says. “Mr. Rosoff, what Tomas means to say is that the item he’s holding in his hands is a flash drive containing all of the information on the data breaches Chandler here is responsible for.”
It’s James’ turn to look shocked. “Data breaches? Chandler, you assured me. . .”
“Relax, James, there were no data breaches. And there certainly wouldn’t be a record of them on a flash drive, for God’s sake.”
“Normally that would be true,” Dylan says. “You’re good enough of a criminal to cover up your tracks, but you made one fatal mistake.”
“And what’s that?” Chandler asks.
“Not keeping an eye on your employees—particularly the ones you were banging on the side.”
I’m not sure what Dylan is referring to, but I sure as hell know who he’s referring to. Just when I thought Chandler’s eyes couldn’t get any wider. . .
“No way. She would never have. . .”
“Recorded all of your criminal and unethical transactions on a flash drive and saved it for a rainy day? Yeah, she actually did. And wouldn’t you know it, that rainy day was a few days ago. It just so happened to fall into my lap, despite the hush money you paid your mistress off with. You may have been able to pay her off to keep her quiet but luckily enough, Tomas here didn’t have to spend any time in prison for those fake charges you have levied against him. We’re also investigating that, by the way, but that’s actually a different legal issue you’re going to have. One thing at a time, right? Otherwise life can get overwhelming.”
“You piece of sh. . .”
“Chandler,” James says, interrupting. “We’re going to have to postpone this deal until this little issue is worked out. And by ‘worked out’ I mean all charges are completely cleared and dropped. However, if any of this proves to be true, we simply can’t be in business with you, I’m sorry. Our stockholders—many of whom are in this room right now—won’t have their names attached to anything resembling a scandal, and neither will I.”
I think I just found my happy place—but this is happening so fast that I don’t know how to make heads or tails of any of it. Chandler’s just standing, silently, and so am I. I look over at Dylan, who’s already looking at me with those big blue eyes. He looks gorgeous—dressed to the nine in a hot looking tux with his hair slicked back perfectly.
He looks amazing.
He looks like my savior.
Just then, he steps close to me and puts out his hand. “Why don’t you come with me, Pen? Your presence isn’t needed here anymore.”
I reach out and take his hand. The feeling of his hand electrifies my entire body, but what really turns me on is how he’s taken total control of the situation. I go with him without any hesitation.
As I pass over, Chandler tries to get one last shot in. “I guess you don’t care about your little sister, then. Fine. I’ll make sure that bitch is out before the end of the month.”
Before I can answer that sick bastard, Dylan does it for me. “Actually, you’re right. And she’ll be moving to a much better place, much closer to the rest of her family. But thanks for your concern, Chandler. Now, you might want to forget about us and worry about staying out of prison. Enjoy the rest of your party.”
And just like that, it’s over. I’m out of the room, out of the party, and out of Chandler’s life. Once we’re outside, Dylan calls for an Uber, and I stare at him like he’s Superman, not quite able to form words just yet.
He sees me looking at him, and just smiles. “What?” he asks. “Did you really think I wasn’t going to fight for you?” I can’t answer yet. I don’t know what to say. Just then the Uber pulls up. “Get in. I’ll explain on the way to my place.”
49
Dylan
I tell Penelope everything. She deserves nothing but the absolute truth of what’s been going on. I tell her about Tomas, about my meetings with Teresa, the legal problems, the fight with Chandler—everything. I don’
t pull a single punch, and when I’m finished she only has one question.
“What was that you said before when we were leaving?”
“Which part?” I ask. “I was having a lot of fun making Chandler squirm, so you have to be more specific.”
“About my sister? That part I mean.”
“Oh.” I knew what she meant when she asked, but I was saving this part for when we could sit and talk like we’re doing now. “A few days ago, I had a conversation that changed the way I saw things between you and me. I don’t need to get into it right now, but let’s just say that my eyes were opened. I was ready to walk away after I read your letter—to give up—and a good friend convinced me of what I needed to do.”
“And what was that?”
“Sacrifice,” I tell her. “Sacrifice for the woman who I love.”
I let that sentence hang in the air. I’ve never said that to her before now, but that’s how I feel, and I’m not going to keep it inside any longer.
“Dylan,” she says. “I love you too.”
I move closer and take her hand. “I don’t like to talk about money because it has nothing to do with how we feel about one another, but I had a pretty large amount saved from the past few years. Enough to start a business, actually. Enough to do a lot of things. I had plans for that money, but plans change, Pen. You know that better than anyone. I left Jorge’s, ready to open up two storefronts for our business idea, but then I realized that the money was needed for something much more important.”
“Dylan, what are you talking about?”
“Your sister. I found her a new place and prepaid for the next several years. Almost everything I had saved. She’s going to be in a better place closer to your mom and dad. And, unlike with Chandler’s help, this comes with no strings attached. You could tell me to kick rocks tomorrow and she’ll still be taken care of. That’s my pledge to you.”
She starts to cry. It happens so fast that I can’t even say anything before the tears start rolling down her face. “I don’t even know what to say right now. I’m so happy I don’t know if my mouth will work right. I can’t believe you did that.”
“I can make more money. I can start a business whenever. But you needed to be free from his claws, and your family needed to be out of his reach too, and this was the only way to make that happen, so that’s what I made happen. Well, that and ruining his life’s dream—but that was kind of extra.” She laughs and so do I. Afterwards, I wipe the tears from her cheeks and kiss her gently. “Everything starts now, do you hear me?”
“I do, Dylan. I absolutely hear you.”
50
Penelope
I feel so safe when I’m with him.
I want to feel him all over me right now.
His kiss is passionate in its intensity. Our lips dance together for only a few seconds before my clothes are making their exit from my body. I feel his hands pulling savagely at them, trying as hard as he can to get them off of me as fast as he can. Our tongues hit each other and dance around, smashing together and turning each of us on. His hands are everywhere at once—my entire body just a toy for him to play with and do whatever he wants to.
I do my part to get his clothes off. After a few tugs on his shirt, he lifts it off himself, and I get to look at that amazing chiseled form. I run my hands over him, taking my time and feeling every muscled contour. He takes hold of my hand and guides it down towards his belt.
He unzips his pants and pulls them down as I undo my bra and watch as his pants slide down his legs. He steps out of his pants when they drop to the floor, revealing the prize underneath, and he’s standing in front of me completely naked.
“I want you so fucking bad,” he tells me. The sound of his voice, coupled with his desire for me is making me more wet than I ever remember being before.
He leans down and puts my already hard nipple in his mouth, making a suction that drives me insane. As he swirls his tongue against it, my entire body tingles, the sensation radiating from my breasts to the rest of my body.
“I can’t wait to fuck you,” he says.
“Fuck me, already.”
We keep kissing as I scratch the hell out of his back. I look down when our faces separate and see his massive cock sticking straight out. He’s fucking huge! I reach down and wrap my fingers around it, and it fills up my entire hand. As soon as I have my hand wrapped around his massive girth he rolls his eyes and makes the kind of noises that let me know he wants me to keep going—and I do. I squeeze it, hard, and stroke him as fast as I can.
“Take me to the bed right now,” I tell him, and he lifts me up and takes me into his bedroom, kicking the door open and laying me down on my back. I sit up and put his huge manhood into my mouth as he stands at the edge—his girth filling up my entire mouth. I reach around and grab his ass cheeks and pull him into me. As he mouth fucks me, I start to gag. He starts to take a step back, but I pull him in again, feeling the head of his cock all the way in the back of my throat. It feels amazing. I hold onto his shaft with my hand and pull it in towards the back of my throat. I feel the gag coming on again, and I pull him out just as the saliva pours out from the sides of my mouth. His giant dick is bathed in my spit, and I see it dripping off of his head onto the floor. I want that inside me right now, and I tell him.
“I want to feel that deep inside me right now.”
I’m looking right into his eyes, and he doesn’t need much more prompting than that. He wants this as much as I do, and I can’t wait to feel that giant thing inside of me. He pulls me towards him, and I fall onto my back again as he spreads my legs as wide open as they’ll go. My feet point east and west, and my dripping pussy is staring him right in the face, waiting to get fucked. He reaches down and rubs his thumb along my clit, going in small circles until he knows that I’m about to lose my mind. He slips a finger inside me just to make sure I’m ready for his thickness. It slides right in like nothing, but I clench around him as his ring finger tickles my butthole ever so gently. I gasp, suddenly, as he clenches three of his fingers in just the right places—his thumb on my clit, his middle finger deep in my pussy, and his ring finger tickling my ass. I never want him to stop, but he does, just as I’m getting going.
He gets onto the bed, sliding onto his knees. I get ready for what’s coming, taking in every inch of that massive cock with my eyes before I take it in with another part of my body. He asks me if I’m ready, and I tell him that I am. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I’m ready to be fucked by him. We’ve teased, we’ve flirted, and now we’re going to fuck the way that we were always meant to. “Give it to me,” I command, reaching down and spreading my lips open for him. He sees my wet pink pussy, ready for him, and I watch as he grabs himself and moves ever closer to me. I feel his big head pushing into me, and after a second the rest of him. The pressure is intense. He fills me up completely, but he isn’t bashful at all. He doesn’t go slowly at all, and he isn’t afraid to take charge. He takes me exactly how he wants me, leaning over to pin my arms down by the wrist. I’m totally vulnerable now—my legs wrapped around his waist and my arms pinned to the bed.
He likes to tease, and he leans in to kiss me a few times only to pull away, forcing me to reach up and nip at his lips, and just when I do he pulls back. Just as my head falls down, disappointed, he thrusts that huge cock so far into me that it makes me scream. I can hear the hard thud of his balls slapping against me as every inch fills me up. Just as I gasp, he does it again, and again, faster and faster until there’s nothing but his hips smashing into my body, making that sound that only hard sex can make. The sound turns me on and brings me close to orgasm. I know that I’m not going to last too long. I usually don’t come from sex—like ever—but he’s hitting all the right spots at just the right angle. He leans forward even more and the top of his cock rubs against my clit just enough to bring me close. “Oh, God, keep going!”
He hits it even harder and even faster, the length of him sliding almost
all the way out before thrusting back into my soaking wet pussy. He’s hitting me in the perfect place now, looking down at me as he does, watching his cock work underneath him. “I’m close, don’t stop!”
A few seconds later, I feel an explosion. My body reacts to him like it’s never reacted to a man before, and I feel a deep orgasm that starts in my pussy, but radiates through my entire body. Every nerve ending, every inch of me is trembling and tingling, and I feel like I’m being electrocuted underneath him. When I’m done, I don’t stop moving, even though I’m exhausted, because he’s not done yet. But I can tell he’s close because of the look on his face.
He pulls himself out of me and explodes all over my stomach, yelling as he comes. When he’s done he falls to the side, and I roll over next to him.
51
Dylan
One week later
It’s time for a ‘Goodbye Dinner’—at least that’s what Soraya’s invitation said.
One last dinner before they move out this weekend, and they invited some of the biggest power brokers in the building. They also asked me to invite Nonna, because they know how much she means to me. It’s a strange gathering of human beings in the room, but the strangest part of all isn’t that my grandmother is sitting next to Fortune 500 business owners—it’s that Penelope and I can sit here as a couple, right in the open, without fear of retribution.
That’s the best part. But this night is bittersweet. It’s the last time Graham and I get to live in the same building. I’m used to him being there at a moment’s notice if I need him, but now he’s moving on to a mansion on the ritzy end of Long Island.
They had this whole thing catered, and the food looks incredible. I lean over to Nonna. “It’s no Sunday dinner, but it’s not half bad.”
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