Brightly Burning Bridges: A Bully Romance (Kings of Capital)

by Ivy Wild

  I took him into my mouth as best as I could given how large he was, fisting the rest with my hand that I couldn’t fit into my mouth. My tongue pressed against the underside of his shaft and expletives fell out of his mouth.

  “My beautiful fucking angel,” he said through grit teeth. His hands came down around the back of my head and I let him take control. I pressed my back against the tile and he pressed into my mouth, fucking my face slowly, going deeper than I thought I could take him. I tried to relax and he slid in and out of my mouth before I was gagging on his cock.

  He pulled out and raised me up, pressing me hard against the tiles, his erection pressing firmly against my abdomen.

  “You know how hot it is to listen to you gag on my cock?” he groaned, his fingers wrapping around my neck slightly.

  “Come on, Si. Fuck me like you said you would,” I breathed out, edging him on.

  “Dirty whore,” he said with a smirk on his face and excitement coursed through my body.

  I could imagine that other women wouldn’t put up with Silas’ mouth. I, on the other hand, loved it. My entire life, men treated me in two ways, first, like I was some delicate object that could break if they so much as touched me, or second, like some oddity that belonged in a museum. I’d never felt sexy. I’d never felt wanted. I’d never felt desired.

  Silas changed all that.

  When he looked at me, I felt sexy.

  When he touched me, I felt wanted.

  When he called me those things, I could feel his desire for me.

  He turned me around and placed my hands on the inset bench. His knees forced me to spread my thighs wider and he leaned over and played with my breasts.

  “Scream my name when you come,” he said against my skin before pulling back.

  He thrust into me in one swift movement and I gasped, but held onto the bench.

  His rhythm was fast, rough and hard. He didn’t treat me like some delicate crystal vase that could be broken. He treated me like a beautiful, confident, sexual woman. Aftershocks from my orgasm coursed through me at his movements as he smacked my ass, my walls grasping at his cock as it slid in and out of me.

  “Si,” I moaned, not sure if I could hold on any longer.

  He pulled out and I knelt down and he stroked himself over me as I waited to taste his essence. From this vantage point, I could see him clearly, all of his hot edges and luke-warm center on display.

  “God, I love you,” tumbled from his lips as he came into my awaiting mouth.

  He tasted tangy. It was so very fitting.

  He smiled down at me and I looked up at him, still licking his lifeforce off my lips. He watched me with fascination and lust before I stood. He turned me around so I was standing beneath the spray and his lips ghosted over mine.

  “You don’t know just how fucking sexy you are,” he whispered.

  “Only for you,” I said, and he smiled.

  “Only ever for me.”

  The entire cab ride over to her loft, Sky tried to convince me to tell her more about “what party” and “who was going to be there,” and “was I sure she looked okay?”

  She was so impatient and I loved her.

  When I’d first seen her through the window of the Friendly Pancake, I’d wanted to mess with her, because I enjoyed that sort of thing. I still did, but now it was for a very different reason. I loved seeing her riled up. When she got emotional, she always dropped her quiet façade and let her true colors show through.

  She didn’t know it yet, but we were heading to her engagement party. Everyone she cared about was going to be there, and fuck, she always looked gorgeous to me. I played with the velvet box in my pocket, smiled at her repeated questions, and told her to relax because everything was going to be clear in just a few minutes.

  When the cab driver pulled up to the parking lot for her loft, she looked at me with narrowed eyes. “What are we doing here, Silas?”

  I laughed and beckoned for her to get out of the car. I threw the cab driver some cash and climbed out myself, ushering her to the metal staircase behind the building that led up to her loft.

  She climbed the stairs, but every couple of steps she turned around and gave me a look. I could hide the legitimate joy I was feeling the closer and closer we got to her place. I wasn’t going to ask her right away. Maybe not even until everyone left. But, I wanted to show her that I cared about the people that cared about her. That I could play nice and that they would always have a place in her life so long as they didn’t hurt her.

  I’d even swallowed my pride and invited fucking Trevor.

  I hated knowing he’d been inside of her, but I knew he was an important friend to her and therefore, I’d have to get comfortable with him being a part of her life.

  At the end of the day, what mattered was her being with me. Whatever I had to put up with to make that happen was worth it.

  We opened the door and the lights were already on. Connor Driscoll had his arm wrapped around a very pregnant Sophie Strong, who was sitting next to a beautiful, yet older, woman I knew to be Skyler’s mother, on the sofa. Trevor was standing in the kitchen looking through his phone and Skyler’s eyes lit up when she saw everyone in her loft.

  Skyler’s mother rushed over to hug her and everyone took their turn trading hugs and kisses. I greeted Connor and made my way to the kitchen. I shook Trevor’s hand and told him I appreciated him answering my call and making the drive.

  We stood in the kitchen, drinking beers, as Connor read emails on his phone and the women reconnected over wine (apple juice for Sophie) on the sofa.

  “She seems happy,” Trevor said.

  I took a swig of my beer and nodded. “Yeah. I try to keep it that way.”

  “I’ve never known her to be truly happy before,” Trevor admitted. “So, I’m glad you two reconnected.”

  “Thanks,” I said, surprised by his words. “I know your friendship is important to her.”

  Trevor nodded. “Same goes for me. Shit never worked between us, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about her. We were just too similar.” He turned and looked at me. “But you two seem to be polar opposites.”

  I chuckled. “Yeah, but that’s not really saying much. I’m generally the polar opposite of everyone I meet.”

  Trevor laughed and nodded his head. “That I can understand.”

  “Gee, thanks,” I said, but my tone was lighthearted.

  Trevor and I joined the group in the living room and the hours passed without me even realizing it. I’d had food ordered in from Sky’s favorite vegan burger place, and we’d all eaten our fill. I hadn’t seen Skyler smile so much in one evening and I couldn’t help but pull my phone out and snap photos of her when she wasn’t looking. She was beautiful and perfect and full of energy. I’d never forget this night, but I wanted her to see just how beautiful she looked, too.

  Maybe I’d ask her to make me a collage with her in the center.

  A loud bang from the side of the room had me looking up from my phone. We all looked between ourselves and then the bang happened again and the door to the loft swung open, kicked clean off its hinges.

  Standing on the other side was Vartan.

  * * *

  The entire day had been spent waiting for this moment. I’d watched them leave their lavish penthouse apartments in Georgetown and followed them back to Skyler’s loft in the Northwest section. It was obvious they were having some sort of gathering and I decided to let them all settle in, maybe have a few drinks and lose their composure before I made my appearance.

  They made me absolutely sick, the both of them. The resentment I felt towards my half-brother had only increased these last few years since Skyler had broken things off. I’ll admit, my plan wasn’t the most well thought out. I wasn’t some villain. I didn’t know how to run elaborate schemes. I was just a man who had been wronged by his family and wanted to get even the best way he knew how.

  I’d lived in poverty with my mother for years befo
re Percy decided to bring us to the States. And even then, I was barely allowed to interact with his “real” family.

  I knew the only reason he’d had me go to King’s Academy was because he already had an in with the dean there and this way he wouldn’t have to pay for tuition somewhere else. My father was forever a cheap bastard. The fact that he couldn’t afford the expense of a condom when he raped my mother in a back room of the strip club where she worked was proof enough of that.

  A lot of people looking in would probably have told me to be grateful for my situation. If it hadn’t been for Percy, I’d not be alive or also still living in a gang infested neighborhood in Brazil. But, it was obvious to me that he cared about us only enough to keep us quiet. Knocking up a stripper wasn’t a good look for a high profile American business man. Raping a stripper was an even worse look.

  I always wondered if Silas knew. He acted like he was so much better than me, I thought he must have. So the fact that he acted like I never existed, like I wasn’t owed any of the inheritance, like I was just some piece of trash that happened to share the same blood, fuck, it made me so angry.

  It made me angry enough to do really stupid shit.

  Like blackmail Skyler into marrying me.

  I thought for sure she was still keeping up with Silas. The two had been the best of friends during high school. I knew I’d caused a bit of a falling out, but high school antics are generally forgotten when people become adults.

  So when I saw Skyler back in D.C. that night, I hatched a plan that I thought for sure would rip Silas’ heart out. It shouldn’t have taken long for her to tell him that she was engaged. And I would watch him crumble as I stole something from him, the same way he stole everything from me.

  But of course, that didn’t happen. What Skyler said had turned out to be true. She really had lost contact with Silas. That was the only explanation, because for over a year, nothing reached his ears. He carried on like he wasn’t disturbed. I was banking on him calling me and trying to threaten me to break things off with Skyler. I was going to use that as my in to blackmail him into giving up part of the inheritance that was rightfully mine.

  But the calls never came and after a year, Skyler told me she’d had enough. I’d let her go, because clearly I needed a different angle.

  I thought maybe, maybe, what I put her through would drive her to him. Perhaps it did, but it sure took long enough. It’d been several years before I saw her with Silas. All this time, I’d waited patiently, not knowing whether I’d ever be able to put anything in motion.

  Tonight was the culmination of a mountain of mistakes that made up my life.

  My mother’s rape.

  My birth.

  My botched engagement.

  My failed attempts to blackmail Silas.

  I’d worked my way into the IRS over this last year. I wanted a look behind the scenes at his businesses and his finances and I discovered there was no way I could do that working in private practice. I’d hoped he used a larger accounting firm, but of course, he’d stuck with the same freaking small time accountant his father had used.

  Another dead end.

  I’d been careless with what I put on paper and that’s what ultimately led me to where I was standing tonight. Silas was up in that loft with Skyler, probably celebrating the fact that he’d managed to gyp me out what was rightfully mine, yet again.

  And I was standing down below, in the dark, filled with hate and rage that was boiling over.

  I’d gotten the call yesterday. I’d been fired from the Service for cause. It would go on my permanent record and that meant I’d have a hard time getting a job as an accountant anywhere for the rest of my life. He’d taken everything away from me—even the things I’d built for myself.

  I had nothing left to lose.

  But he did.

  He had everything to lose.

  And his high and mighty attitude was going to cost him just that.

  It’d been over an hour since Silas and Skyler showed up to the loft and it was time to make my move. I let the nearly empty bottle of whisky I’d been using to keep warm fall into the bushes. I made my way up the metal staircase quietly, listening for the perfect moment. When I finally heard them all settle down in the main room, I put my plan in motion.

  Unlike the others, I knew this one would work.

  This time, the bullet was going to hit its mark.

  * * *

  The smile on my face vanished as I took in the sight of my half-brother. He was panting, his pupils were dilated and he looked on the wrong side of bat-shit crazy. He stepped inside the room and I immediately stood, as did Connor and Trevor, each of us taking a defensive position in front of the women sitting on the sofas.

  “Well, isn’t this the most heartwarming sight?” he drawled, his speech slightly slurred, making me think he’d been drinking.

  “Vartan, why don’t we talk about this outside?” I asked, making my way towards him.

  His hand moved from his back pocket and a flash of metal had everyone gasping. He gripped the silver handgun loosely, pointing it right at me.

  “Nah, I think right here is good,” he said. He looked around the room and everyone stayed deathly silent. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Connor’s hand move in his pocket, and I prayed to a non-existent God that he’d figured out a way to dial 911.

  “Alright,” I said, putting up my hands, trying to draw the gun back to me. “What is it you want to talk about?”

  He laughed. The sound was crazy and eerie and everyone stayed deathly silent.

  “Now you want to talk?” He looked at me expectantly, but I stayed quiet. “What, wouldn’t you rather just call my employer and get me fired?”

  “Vartan, if this is about the money, I can still—”

  Anger lit up his features and he bounded towards me, pushing the gun right up against my chest. I heard Skyler shriek, but Trevor was there in an instant, holding her back and wrapping his fingers around her mouth.

  “This isn’t just about fucking money, dearest brother. It’s about how you have everything in this world and I have nothing. It’s about how everything was given to you over me and how even now, you still find delight in taking things from me.”

  I felt the cold steel seeping into my chest and I tried to stay calm and think through my options. Counting myself, there were three rather capable men, one elderly woman, one very pregnant woman and Skyler. Six against one was pretty good odds, but our chances of getting out of this totally unscathed weren’t very good considering we had zero plan and no way to communicate with one another.

  “Vartan,” I said calmly. “That’s not true. Let’s talk this out. I told you, I never knew. I hated the bastard, too.”

  He spit on the floor, still holding the cold metal against my chest.

  “No, you didn’t. You couldn’t have hated him as much as me. He gave everything to you. Everything. Did you know he raped my mother? Did you know that’s how I was brought into this world?”

  My heart sunk at his words. If Vartan loved his mother even half as much as I loved mine, I’d be sick with rage over the situation, too. But he’d never told me and Skyler hadn’t mentioned that detail either, so I had to believe she didn’t know.

  “No, I didn’t,” I said, still keeping my voice even and my hands up. “Brother, let’s talk about this.”

  I learned in that moment that I had zero future as a hostage negotiator. Apparently, my voice and my words just made him angrier, because I felt the cold metal touch my temple. And then the world started to move in slow motion.

  Skyler screamed and wrestled her way out of Trevor’s grip. Connor tugged his wife and Skyler’s mother behind the sofa to protect them and Vartan turned the gun away from me and at Skyler in surprise.

  I watched her push his shoulder, watched him pull the trigger and heard her scream as she went down.

  As soon as she hit the floor, my world sped back up, everything moving faster to compensate for the d
istorted time frames.

  Vartan cursed and ran out the door, and I ran to crouch down beside Skyler. Bright red blood leaked from her shoulder, looking even more intense against her pale skin. She was breathing heavily, her eyes open wide and full of unshed tears.

  “Sky, Sky, angel,” I said. She looked at me and I breathed a sigh of relief that she was still with me.

  “Si,” she whimpered, and my heart broke for her. This was my fault. She was hurt again, because of me.

  Trevor came over quickly with a towel and looked carefully at her shoulder. “She’ll be okay, but we need to stop the bleeding,” he said, pressing the towel against her shoulder. Skyler screamed in pain and Trevor grit his teeth and said, “I’m sorry, Skyler. But you’ll bleed out before the paramedics come if we don’t keep pressure on it.”

  “Emergency services are on their way,” Connor said from the corner of the room and I nodded my head. I looked out the door to see Vartan running across the parking lot.

  “Maria,” I barked at Skyler’s mother. She looked at me with shock but responded to my direction and came over. “Hold this here firmly. Don’t let go until the EMTs get here. Trevor, you’re with me,” I said. “Connor, stay here in case he circles back.”

  Connor nodded and Trevor and I both stood. Skyler reached her good arm up to me and shook her head. “Don’t leave me, please.” Her voice was a whisper, but it was all wrapped up in pain and sadness.

  I knelt down beside her and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “You’ll be okay,” I promised her. “But, I have to finish this.”

  She clutched my shirt with failing strength and I tore myself away from her, cocking my head to Trevor to follow. It took everything in me to run out that door and leave Skyler behind, but there was no way I was going to sit back and let Vartan get away with what he did.

  Trevor and I sprinted across the parking lot, following Vartan’s path. He was fast, but I was faster.