Vex's Temptation

by Elizabeth Knox

  It was so stupid of him that he thought he’d get the insurance money that was taken out on her. Instead, it came to me and was the sole reason I was able to buy the Fort and Night’s Bliss. It’s how I was able to start and build my empire the way I have now, over four years later.

  Shaking off thoughts of Ainslee I pull into the parking lot of Night’s Bliss and move to the back door where staff parks. From the looks of the parking lot the place is already packed. Always good to be making that money.

  Shutting my bike off, I flip the kickstand down, remove my helmet, and climb off as the backdoor opens. Halton’s standing there with a grim expression crossing his face. Instantly, I know something isn’t right.

  “What’s up?” I ask, making my way to him.

  “Had some issues already, boss,” he mutters, stepping aside to let me pass.

  “Explain,” I order out, walking past him.

  “One of the girls was attacked.” His words cause my blood to run cold.

  Whirling around at him I glare at him through narrow eyes. “Who?” I demand.

  “Lana,” he says, nodding his head in the direction of the office my security team uses. “Be prepared, Fin’.”

  The way his tone drops causes me to hesitate for a brief second.

  Walking the short distance to the office, I step through when it’s opened by another one of my men, Colton, who ironically is Halton’s twin brother. Stepping around him, I get my first look at Lana.

  “Shit,” I mutter, taking in the black and blue covering her face. Shaking my head, I turn back to my men standing around the room. “What happened?”

  “Found a couple of men trying to get her out the back emergency exit, near the bathrooms,” Halton states with a grimace. “She didn’t let Link know she was going to the ladies’ room like she was supposed to.”

  Turning my attention to Lana, I squat down in front of her so that she doesn’t have to crane her neck to look up as I speak to her. “You okay, hon?” I ask softly.

  “Shook up a little and hurting, boss, but I’ll be okay,” she whispers, tears welling in her very swollen eyes.

  Nodding, I reach out and place a hand on her knee. “You know we have rules for this very reason, babe. I put them in place to keep things like this from happening to you all. Now do you know why those assholes tried to take you?”

  Shaking her head, Lana drags a hand through her hair as she lets out a shaky breath. “One of them . . . h-he got in my face saying it was time I wash away my sins. I didn’t understand what he meant. I called him crazy . . . a-and tried to walk away but another man stepped up behind me and grabbed hold of my arms tightly.”

  “Why did they beat you so badly?” I question, cocking my head to the side examining her reactions. “I tried to fight them off me, but the one gripping my arms, he pushed me into the bathroom I’d just come out of,” Lana whispers, closing her eyes with a shake of the head. “They forced themselves on me. Said they’d take their pleasure out as I would soon be washing away my sins like the whore I am.”

  My anger boils at what she’s admitted, and I want their blood for it. Standing to my feet, I turn to look at Halton and Colton. “Do we still have the fuckers who did this to her?” I demand.

  “We have one of them, the other got away,” Halton states, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “Good, I want to speak to him,” I sneer. Looking over my shoulder to Lana I hope to comfort her. “They’ll pay for what they did to you, babe. I’ll make sure of it and for your safety you’ll be staying at the Fort for a few days while you heal up.”

  “Thank you, boss,” Lana whispers.

  “Nothing to thank me for, Lana. This never should’ve happened. Just remember from now on when you need to do something like using the restroom, tell security. I do this for your safety and everyone else’s. Now stay in here and keep some ice on your face until it’s time to head out. I’ll have someone take you to the Fort in a bit and Mara-Lee will get you situated.”

  “Okay,” Lana mutters with a nod.

  I avert my focus back to my men standing in front of me, it’s as if a switch has been flipped inside me. “Let’s go,” I command.

  Nodding, Halton opens the door and holds it for me. Colton follows me out and moves to walk in front of me as his twin flanks me. Making our way through the crowd, Colton unlocks the door to the cellar where those who fuckin’ cross us go on the way to meet their maker.

  And this fuckhead is about to, once Cedric gets here and the two of us have our fun in making him sing.

  Chapter Seven

  Ainslee/Vex

  Tossing and turning endlessly, I finally rise from this plush mattress. One of two things are keeping me up—either the fact I’m used to firm mattresses, or my mind is slowly reeling at the fact I saw Finley earlier tonight and she ran off like some scorned woman. We had a one-night stand years ago. A one-night stand where she knew I was leaving to go back to Scotland the following morning. Now here we are, fate throwing us in one another’s paths yet again.

  As I stand up, I crane my neck to the right and left until I feel a decent pop. I stretch my arms out, breathing in slowly and exhaling. I can only control what I have control of, and since I don’t have control over Finley’s feelings or reactions, I’ll just have to accept it and move on. Maybe the next time we see each other it won’t be weird. Maybe we can communicate like adults, but until then I won’t worry my mind or focus on things.

  As I walk over to where I have my duffel, fully intending on pulling out my dime bag and having a smoke to calm my nerves, a loud thud comes from downstairs. Instantly, I forget what I’m doing and exit the bedroom, head down the stairs careful not to be too noisy, and my eyes land on Finley walking back in. Her feet pound against the hardwood floors and I hear low whispers. As I get to the bottom of the stairs and turn, I can see she’s pacing back and forth with her hands on her hips, muttering to herself.

  “You ran out awfully quick earlier,” I speak up, signaling she isn’t alone any longer.

  Finley immediately pauses, takes her hands off her hips and her gaze meets my own. “I had something to do.”

  I’m sure she’s telling the truth, but her callous tone only aggravates me. “Still, you could’ve said hello.”

  “Like the way you said goodbye?” Finley’s gaze now turns into a glare and as much as I want to be snarky, I can’t. It’s obvious the way I left all those years ago pissed her off, but I thought I was doing the right thing. Don’t most one-night stands end in someone slipping away, never to be seen again anyway? Taking in a deep breath, I release it slowly before I say anything.

  “I’m sorry if leaving like that hurt your feelings. I didn’t think that we’d—”

  “Yeah, me either, and I would’ve preferred it that way,” Finley interrupts what I’m saying, her tone continuing to tell me how unhappy she is. Obviously, she doesn’t want me here and now I’m wondering how this is going to work. I’m supposed to be living here to blend in better. Is it even going to be possible if Finley and I have this sort of strain between us? Sure, I can avoid her . . . but eventually I’m going to have to communicate with her. Then again, I’m sure I could get a lot of the information I need from Mara-Lee and Cedric. But still, I don’t want there to be such a thick air between us. I want things to be easy, not more difficult. This job is difficult enough as it is.

  Even though I want to be the adult here, I can’t just let what she said slide. We weren’t dating, we were two women who had a one-night stand. For fuck’s sake, there weren’t any obligations. “I didn’t think you and I were going to run into each other again, but let’s not forget we agreed to fuck. There wasn’t an agreement to anything happening after that night.”

  Finley seems taken aback by my words, blinks a couple of times and clears her throat. “I was just surprised you didn’t leave your number is all. You’re the only woman I ever slept with who didn’t leave their number, or some way of communication.”

&nbs
p; I scoff at her response, “Ah, so it’s about your ego, is it?” I’m asking her a question and yet I already know the answer. I’m the one woman who treated her differently than the rest, per her statement.

  She doesn’t respond to what I’ve asked her but speaks again. “Look, I’ve had a tiring evening and I don’t need to be dealing with your bullshit right now.”

  I cock my brows and narrow my eyes at her. “My bullshit? You were the one who started down that path, sweetheart, and don’t you forget it. I was happy to see you when I got here, but you’re the one who’s acting as if I’m nothing but shite on the bottom of your shoe.”

  “It’s because you are. You’re like a damn worm that came up out of the earth after a storm. I was happy not having you in my life, Ainslee, so I don’t know why the fuck you’re here.”

  Wow. She thinks I came here searching for her. “Are you blind, or just dumb? I’m not here for you, Finley. Bloody hell. I’m here because my family asked me to do something for them, something that I’m one of the only people who might be able to do. I’m here for my club and that’s all I’m here for. I don’t know what the hell you’re thinking, but I’m not here for anything else.”

  “Good, ‘cause I don’t want to have to see you again,” Finley growls, walks directly past me and heads up the stairwell I just came down.

  Jesus Christ. I don’t know what just happened or how, but what I do know is how fucking explosive it was.

  Chapter Eight

  Finley

  The last thing I wanted to do when I stepped through the doors to the Fort is deal with Ainslee’s ass. Not when I need to take a shower, an employee to check on, and on top of it all I need to get in my office and do some fuckin’ paperwork. My job is never done.

  Doesn’t help that what I dealt with at Night’s Bliss was beyond fucked up. The man Halton and Colton snagged was a complete waste of space.

  Shit, I’m surprised Ainslee didn’t see the blood splatters on my tee shirt. At the top of the stairs, I turn in the direction of my room. My mind runs through all the information the fuckhead spewed out of his mouth. ‘Women who sin must repent. Have their sins washed away in the river of the holy. Only those who see it will be the ones to help. Sluts like you deserve what’s coming.’

  He’d refuse to keep talking no matter how many times Cedric’s brass knuckles clocked him in the face or gut. He only smirked at me stating more were going to come and I would be at the top of the list. I don’t take kindly to threats and I pulled my knife out of its harness from the strap on my ankle. He didn’t survive my torture. No, he died in the process of me slicing my knife through his intestines that I ripped out of him like a deer being gutted by a hunter. I watched his eyes the entire time. I grabbed hold of his liver and forced it into his mouth. That was when his eyes went dim.

  Shaking my head, I open the door to my room, toss my phone onto the dresser, and strip out of my clothes as the door clicks behind me. I toss the fabric with blood splatter on it in the trash can. Walking the rest of the way into my en suite bathroom naked, I reach into the shower and turn the water on as hot as I can get it. Undoing my hair from its braid, I step in and close the door to the shower.

  A moan slips from my lips as the water rains down on my body causing me to tilt my head back and enjoy. My hands roam across my body. One hand trails down between my legs, flicking my clit ring, I use the fingers of my other hand to pinch one of my nipple rings. I always thought the saying about piercings causing stimulation in the nerves to be untrue until I got them. I call complete horseshit, having my nipples and clit pierced makes sex all the more enjoyable. Especially, if the bitch uses her tongue to flick the metal or tugs on it with her teeth.

  Fuck. Images of Ainslee pop into my head. Her mouth against my tit all the while her fingers sliding through my pussy. She wasn’t the first woman I was with, but she’d been the only one I remembered.

  How fucked up is that?

  A one-night stand I remember back when I was eighteen, yet, I can’t even remember the bitch’s name I took in my office.

  The image of Ainslee using her mouth on me is stuck in my head, I bring myself to climax. A moment after enjoying my release I finish my shower and step out, grabbing a towel hanging on the back of the door. I go about my business in getting dried off and redressed in clean clothes. Slipping back into a pair of boots, I unlock my phone to check to see if I’ve any messages. And what do you know, I have three. One of them being from the security team letting me know how things are going at the club. The other two of them are easy replies letting them know the stock for personal hygiene will be replenished tomorrow when Mara-Lee goes to the store.

  It’s always something and I end up sending Mara-Lee to Costco or one of those other bulk stores numerous times a month. The girls either always need razors, tampons, condoms, bathing products, oh and my favorite one I always get a text about, lube.

  I don’t have to imagine what my girls do with that shit.

  I know.

  We have a couple of rooms with a window for others to watch if that’s what they want to do. We’re not a BDSM club but to each their own with what gets them off. A lot of my girls get off on being watched when they’re taking dick. Shit, a couple of them enjoy taking a woman and man at one time and having more people in the room watching.

  Putting my phone in my pocket, I head out of my room switching thoughts to checking on Lana.

  “What the hell was that, Fin’?” Mara-Lee whispers as I make it to the bottom of the stairs.

  “What was what?” I shrug not wanting to get into this right now.

  “Don’t be coy with me, babe. I heard what was said between you and our new roomie. Is Ainslee who I think she is? She’s the one who you’d been pissed with that night when . . .”

  “Toss that shit out of your mind, Mara-Lee,” I say, stopping her from bringing Carl’s name up. That night was bad enough.

  “I’m right aren’t I?” she probes.

  “You wanna know? Then yeah. She’s the one who I was with the night before both our lives changed,” I snap, heading for the kitchen to grab a glass from where we keep the liquor. Reaching in the cabinet I snag the bottle of Maker’s Mark. Normally, I go for the clear shit but tonight it’s bourbon.

  “Fin’, you can’t hold a grudge against something that was as simple as what you two had,” Mara-Lee whispers.

  “Not that easy when you feel a connection with someone then it’s ripped away like a wax strip being torn from skin. It fuckin’ burns to have felt something like that,” I mutter. Lifting the glass to my lips I swallow a hefty amount of the bourbon letting it slide down my throat with a slight burn.

  “God, I can’t see how you can drink that shit without a chaser,” Mara-Lee shudders. “But anyways I get what you’re saying. Most would think it’s your ego. You’re pissed at Ainslee for leaving the way she did, but it was the part of you deep down . . . the part that felt something in our world closing in. Those couple hours showed you a lightness that you’ve rarely felt.”

  How the hell can this woman read me so damn well sometimes? This is why she’s my sister from another mister.

  “Guess you’re wanting me to apologize to her for being a complete dick toward her,” I mutter.

  “Would be good. She’s supposed to be staying with us and I’m the only one allowed to be a bitch to anyone who stays with us. Now go do whatever.” She shoos me in the direction of Ainslee’s room. “I gave Lana something for pain and she’s resting. You can check on her tomorrow.”

  “Fine, I’ll wait until she wakes up to check on her. I’ve got other shit to do anyway.” I veer off toward my office rather than going to Ainslee’s room.

  I might owe her an apology, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to drop to my knees and ask for her forgiveness. I get her leaving the way she did. It was probably for the best. Neither of us knew we’d see each other again. Let alone have her staying in my house.

  Sitting down in my chair at
my desk, I place the glass down and let out a slow breath to clear my thoughts. It’s been one hell of a day, one that’s not even over with. Not by a long shot. I still have emails to go through and people to call. I’ll be working until the sun comes up only to keep going.

  Like they say there’s no rest for the wicked.

  Chapter Nine

  Ainslee/Vex

  Combing a hand through my hair I pull it up in a high ponytail and grab my leather jacket. Putting my arms through the sleeves I grab the keys to my bike and leave my bedroom, shutting the door closed behind me and then head down the stairwell. It’s a little past eight in the morning and no one else is up or moving around, so I head outside and get on my bike. This is a good chance to go ride around and see the area, to refamiliarize myself with it and check out the school.

  The university isn’t too far away, so I take my time as I drive around the campus, seeing the small side streets and the size of this place. I figured it would be like any small university back home in Scotland, but I’m obviously mistaken. This place is huge. I’ve seen building signs for the law school, a hospital, even a massive arena. There’s even a drama building, multiple dorms, and a couple small parks for the students to enjoy. I end up pulling off and parking near the ‘athletic village’ which has tracks, baseball fields, an indoor practice facility, and much more. I’m not overly athletic, but I do stay in shape, and if I’m going to look like a student here, I need to find reasons to come to campus for more than just the occasional class.