Victor: Her Ruthless Owner: The VICTOR Trilogy Book 2 [50 Loving States, Rhode Island] (Ruthless Triad)

by Theodora Taylor

  He hated himself for all of these observations. Hated that he couldn’t stop staring.

  He’d taken her three more times after sending her driver away. Once in front of the mirrored wall, once with one hand locked around her wrists while she laid face down and prone underneath him. And once in the shower.

  That lapse had been particularly shameful, as he’d only meant to get her cleaned up before finally allowing them both to sleep.

  He’d set out to destroy her last night. To humiliate her and tear her down. Yet she’d responded so passionately to his every touch, coming apart again and again on his dick.

  He’d fought several battles with her last night. But by the time they both fell exhausted into bed, he still couldn’t say for sure who had won.

  Four times…

  It should’ve been enough. But this morning, his cock stirred again, wanting her. Aching for her. Even more than he longed for cold hard revenge.

  Last night had been a first for him. He’d never taken a woman without a condom before. He was aware she been with others in the four years they’d been apart. Still, she felt so warm and tight around his cock as if her cunt had been custom made for it. It had required everything inside of him to pull out each time.

  Memories of last night made his dick pulse. Perhaps he should take her again. One more time. Maybe his cock would finally calm down if he allowed himself to—

  The hard, cynical voice of reason cut off that thought. That’s what you told yourself the last three times, and it didn’t work.

  No, it hadn’t worked. And wasn’t it bad enough that this was the first time he’d had sex since their wedding night? He’d tried… He’d tried with so many women after their ceremony, Asian, brown, and everything in between. It had never worked.

  He’d gained a monkish reputation among his men for working longer hours than most of his counterparts. All work and no play for Victor Zhang. Phantom, Han, and most of their men had to blow off steam with alcohol, drugs, and sexual release. Victor never felt such desires.

  It was like the flesh between his legs didn’t exist. Only with Dawn.

  Victor reached out a hand to touch her, to trail a hand over her alluring skin. He only just managed to catch himself before he did. This was precisely why he had to stay away. He was her owner. She was his prisoner.

  But in moments like this, it felt like the other way around.

  With an angry grunt, he rose from the bed, determined to remove himself from her spell.

  After putting on his clothes, he searched her drawer. He found what he was looking for in her nightstand beside an instrument he could only assume was some kind of vibrator. Another urge flashed through him. To use it on her. To watch her fall apart again and again as he had last night.

  But it’s May 26th. Time to return to your world, the voice of reason reminded him.

  He swiftly extracted the object he’d been looking for and closed the drawer. Then he wrote out a message on a piece of scratch paper from his notepad and set the item down on top of it.

  After that task was done, he looked over at her again. Not because he wanted to, but because he had to. Not looking at her when they were in the same room together was like trying to hold your breath underwater. Four… Six minutes tops. That was all he’d ever been able to manage.

  And this time, he couldn’t stop himself from running the back of his hand over her cheek. She let out a contented mew and nuzzled her face into his knuckles.

  One murmur from her was all it took for him to become fully hard again. As if the last four times never occurred.

  He didn’t climb back into the bed and cover her with his body as he wanted to, however. With one last look at her sleeping form over his shoulder, he forced himself out of the room.

  Next year will be better. He promised himself this as he left her prison. Next year, I’ll be able to resist coming to her.

  He’d forgotten to plug in his phone, and it had died over the course of the night. The screen filled up with messages as soon as he attached it to the USB cord in his Audi. Most of them were from Han, one of the few people who had this number. But there were also a few from Phantom. And his cousin’s messages particularly stood out.

  “Where the fuck are you??? Kuang wants a meeting.”

  That message had arrived around 10 PM last night. And there was another one from early in the morning.

  “Seriously? You’re not answering? You had better fucking be dead. This isn’t how we do shit.”

  No, it wasn’t. He fired off a group text that he’d be home in less than an hour. He needed to shower, and they could all drive down to New York to meet with Kuang.

  He didn’t wait for their reply. Just muted the phone and concentrated on driving as fast as he could without catching the attention of any highway cops.

  It wasn’t that far of a trek. This was what he hadn’t told Dawn. When they decided to settle in the United States, Phantom, Han, and he had determined that Westerhaven, Rhode Island was as good a place as any to park—both a few million dollars and themselves. The coastal communtity was close enough to the territories they managed but far enough away that their enemies would be required to put in some effort to get to them. Also, the spreads out here weren’t nearly as dense as the ones in New York City. Their gated property sat on five acres. They could both meet with their friend and kill their enemies here in secret.

  He made it back to their shingle-style house overlooking the Atlantic Ocean without any further incident. As soon as he drove through the gates, though, he realized that not checking his text messages had been a mistake.

  Kuang was here. His contingent of cars, three high-end Nakamura Legends, were parked in a row at the top of their circular driveway.

  He wouldn’t call Kuang paranoid—at least not directly to his face. But the 24K Dragon didn’t travel anywhere with less than eight guards.

  Victor didn’t bother to check the text messages he had ignored. Two of Kuang’s guards stood stationed outside their front door. It wouldn’t do to have them report back to their boss that Victor had taken his sweet time getting out of the car, even stopped to check his messages.

  He slipped his wedding ring into the pocket of his waistcoat and quickly emerged from his Audi.

  Han came out just as Victor was approaching the house’s stone steps.

  His brother’s expression was impassive, but Victor was sure that wasn’t an accurate reflection of how he felt. He was most likely pissed but too loyal to let it show in front of Kuang’s guards.

  In any case, Victor didn’t have to break his stride. Han fell into step beside him and immediately started signing to update Victor on the situation.

  The update was rather short. Kuang had shown up at the house Victor shared with Phantom and Han an hour ago. And when they’d told him Victor wasn’t there, he’d offered to wait. But he’d refused to tell either of them what he wanted to talk about.

  So, no time to get cleaned up. Victor scraped a hand through his now only partially gelled hair and buttoned his suit jacket over his crumpled white shirt before entering the receiving room. There he found Kuang seated in the armchair Victor always occupied during meetings. Phantom, who usually stood on the left side of Victor’s chair, was waiting for him near the couch where their visitors were supposed to sit.

  “Have a seat,” Kuang invited as if they were in his house, not The Silent Triad’s.

  An old memory of being called to his father’s study for not listening to one of his tutors wormed its way into Victor’s head. How old had he been back then? Ten? Possibly eleven? Whatever the age, this was the same feeling he’d had back then when his father called him to the carpet.

  Victor took a seat on the couch. And Han and Phantom fell into position as best they could behind him.

  Kuang regarded him with open disapproval for a few beats before letting him know, “This is the first time I’ve ever had to wait an entire hour for a requested meeting with one of my associates. Much
less a would-be partner.”

  Most people might consider Kuang’s expectation of an hour turnaround time for a meeting he’d showed up to unannounced unreasonable. Not Victor.

  He couldn’t remember a time when his father had to wait more than fifteen minutes to speak with his desired party, even on a surprise visit. Often they’d shown up before the ten-minute mark.

  “Normally, that insult alone would be enough for me to sever all ties. However, the work you’ve done on behalf of the 24K has been beyond all expectations. I came here today to formalize our agreement….”

  Kuang’s face twisted with severe annoyance. “But after having to come to you and wait like a dog hopeful of dinner, I’m not so sure.”

  Han cleared his throat in the silence that followed Kuang’s aggrieved statement. “Of course, we would like to correct this unfortunate miscommunication. We are just as committed to this partnership as you.”

  Victor and Han worked so seamlessly together. It felt as if the words coming out of his brother’s mouth were truly his delivered on another’s tongue.

  “Perhaps,” Kuang answered. His gaze shifted from Han to Victor, cold and calculating.

  Then he let out a rather dramatic sigh. “It will be easier to trust once our families are truly united. My daughter, unfortunately, is being quite difficult. She tells me she couldn’t possibly get married until she is done with school. But I trust when the time comes, there won’t be any barriers to your union. No unforeseen problems in Providence. Like the one that delayed your arrival today.”

  Victor’s blood chilled. There was no way that Phantom or Han would’ve told Kuang where he was. That meant Kuang must have gotten this intel from someone else. Perhaps even before his impromptu call for a meeting. Maybe that was the reason why he’d decided to call it in the first place.

  This might very well have been a test to check that Victor would still jump when Kuang said, no matter the circumstances. A test that Victor had failed.

  “There won’t be any unforeseen problems anywhere,” Han assured Kuang as Victor reeled. “Nothing supersedes Victor’s commitment to this partnership. Nothing.”

  Han addressed Kuang, but it felt like he was chastising Victor.

  The assurance seemed to mollify Kuang, in any case. After talking over a few business points and some possible future projects they might invest in together, Kuang left with his cadre of soldiers.

  “Thank you,” Victor signed after Phantom escorted him out.

  “Was I lying to Kuang?” Han demanded as soon as Kuang was out of their eyesight. His signs were angry and rushed. “Is your Providence secret going to be a problem? Like she was five years ago?”

  “No,” Victor assured him. “It as you said, I’m committed to this partnership.”

  His brother didn’t press the topic further. But he also didn’t look like he believed Victor.

  Victor didn’t blame him. He found it hard to believe himself too. Especially with that wedding ring buried in his waistcoat pocket.

  “I need to go get cleaned up,” he signed to Han.

  Han didn’t answer. And Victor could feel his brother’s worried gaze on him as he left the room.

  As soon as Victor got to the suite he kept on the second floor, he brought out his phone to send out the first of many instructions.

  This thing with Dawn might’ve caused him to lose face with Kuang, but one thing was for sure. By the end of the day, he’d make sure she hated him as much as he hated himself right now.

  11

  DAWN

  I woke up super late the next morning, sore all over. Victor hadn’t allowed me so much as a glass of wine with dinner, but I felt completely hungover. Apparently, too many orgasms had the same effect as too much wine.

  How many times had Victor taken me last night? I wasn’t sure. All I could remember was that after the first time in front of Yaron, it had been a roller coaster of shame and submission.

  I hadn’t wanted to come so many times with someone who was treating me so cruelly. But my brain had gone fuzzy after the first three orgasms in front of the mirror, where he made me watch myself come. First, while he played with my pussy and then braced against the glass as he slow-fucked me to two more climaxes. I’d been unable to think clearly or hold onto enough shame to make myself stop.

  Eventually, my climaxes had begun to meld together until it felt like I was in a trance. Last night, I could only care about the pleasure at the top of the shame roller coaster. It didn’t matter that it was a monster taking me over and over again, only how high he got me before I came plummeting down again.

  This morning was a different story, though. I sat up on the edge of the bed, eager to get a shower in before I called off sick at work. But then, another memory from last night hit me like a truck.

  Him pulling up the sheets and dragging me into the shower to wash all his jizz off my filthy body. He fucked me there, too. Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly come again, another orgasm began to build.

  I sensed he didn’t mean to take me that time, and I wondered if he’d fallen into the same trance as me. Unable to stop, even though we both knew we should. The climax washed over me before I could reach the end of that thought trail. My pussy tightened around his cock as I came, and he sped up, driving into me, deeper and deeper.

  I’d spent hours straightening my hair on Sunday with a flat iron set on low and tons of heat protectant to keep from frying my strands. He ruined all my hard work in that shower, and I couldn’t even bring myself to care.

  I felt him begin to swell inside my pussy. We were both so exhausted. I thought maybe this time would be different. It wasn’t. He pulled out of me just like all the other times.

  But then, he wrapped a hand around my neck, his malevolent gaze pinned on mine as he fisted his cock. He wasn’t choking me exactly, but he was gripping my throat tight as if he wanted to more than anything.

  Maybe he did. Maybe that was his deepest wish. That he could end this. End us.

  I wish I could say that thought had scared me. That he had scared me. But I’d been too far gone for that. I was so lost in the aftershocks of my millionth orgasm that I merely watched him watch me before his back hunched, and he gave me something else I had to wash off.

  But some things can’t be washed off. Like the shame and confusion that enveloped me as soon as I woke up alone.

  Though one reminder of Victor remained.

  The ring I stowed away in my nightstand was now sitting on top of a piece of paper covered in Victor’s neat handwriting.

  “Wear this every day,” the note read. “You will not like the consequences if you do not.”

  I was too tired, emotionally and physically, to argue with his written words. I slipped on the ring for the first time in months, and it felt exactly as it did the first time.

  It was a shackle. And Victor held the key.

  So no, technically, I didn’t need a shower. But I took one anyway, also shampooed and condition my curls for good measure.

  As the water washed over me, I tried not to think about what had happened last night.

  Just go back to the life you made for yourself before he stopped by for his stupid visit, I told myself.

  I’d cook and work out and bike everywhere, teach poor kids sign language, and better myself every day in every way. And, maybe he would stay away for another year. Maybe this time, he’d stay away forever.

  My heart vibrated, not knowing how to feel about that.

  But the main point was, May 26th could be a regular day, just like any other. The monster was gone now. I could go on living my best prison life, just as I had before.

  After I called in sick to Young Souls, I decided to use the day to run all my errands. Even though I was still sore from last night, especially between the legs, I left the house with a plan to bike to the grocery store and get everything I’d need to make a pork adobo.

  I wasn’t quite ready to face Yaron yet, so asking for a ride was out. But
I knew we could probably both do with some Filipino comfort food in the wake of Victor’s visit. I also decided to replace that nice bottle of wine Victor had tossed instead of fishing it out of the kitchen trash. There was a boutique wine and cheese store just a couple blocks up from the Stop & Shop. Mmm, cheese!

  As I walked out to the covered porch, I was already imagining myself later on in the day. I could just see myself: a fine bottle of Riesling, a cheese plate, and on TVs, the latest episode of His Majesty (yet another spin-off of Rap Stars Wives, this time starring one of the judges from American SuperStar and his blended family). But I stopped when I got outside. My bike was missing from its usual place where I always left it lying on its side after I came home. Had it gotten stolen?

  No….

  The memory of Victor all but tossing it into his trunk flashed across my memory. I cursed under my breath. It was probably still there.

  Well, the only thing more excruciating than facing Yaron would be trying to get my bike back from Victor. So I guessed it was time to ask Yaron to drive me to the store to buy a new bike.

  I minced out to the carport where the Audi was in its usual spot.

  “Hey Yaron, need anything from Cal-Mart? I’ve got to go there to get a new…”

  I trailed off when the window rolled down, revealing not Yaron but some tough looking Asian dude with a wispy mustache. His hair was gray, so he had to be a lot older than the driver I’d gotten to know over the past year. But he somehow looked way more dangerous than Yaron. His face was a dead blank, and he wore a simple black T-shirt, revealing two sleeves of tattoos.

  Yaron wasn’t a 24/7 guard. That would be unreasonable. I knew somebody replaced him at night, but I’d never met that guard. Maybe this was him? Maybe Yaron had finally gotten that much deserved vacation he’d been talking about for months?

  “Hey, where’s Yaron,” I asked the new guy, hoping that was true. “And who are you?”

  “Yaron’s been reassigned,” the new guy answered, lighting a cigarette. “I’ll be your driver from now on.”