She sighed against my chest and stayed there for a long time. She closed her eyes and used me as a crutch to lean on. “I’m so glad I have you. I was so upset, and now…I feel a lot better.” She breathed into my chest before she pulled away and looked up at me.
My hand moved into her hair, and I pressed my forehead against hers. “You never have to worry about anything as long as you have me.” I could make all her problems go away with the snap of my fingers. I knew exactly what I was going to do to fix this, and I would tell her once it was done.
She smiled. “You’re so sweet to me, Vincent.”
I kissed her softly on the forehead. “How about some dinner?”
Her hands slid up to my biceps. “Honestly, I just want to go to bed…”
It was seven o’clock, so I knew she wasn’t interested in sleeping. She was only interested in me. “Sounds good to me.”
I lay behind her and kissed her exposed shoulder. I trailed my lips across her body then to the shell of her ear. “I’d like to meet your daughter.”
“You would?” She looked at me over her shoulder, looking beautiful with smeared makeup and swollen lips.
“Yes.”
“I have to be honest and tell you she’ll probably be difficult.”
“I deal with difficult people every day.”
She chuckled. “I just mean, she’s not sweet like your sons. I don’t want you to be disappointed if she doesn’t approve of you.”
“I’m sure she’ll come around, eventually.”
“She is close with her father, unfortunately…”
Now was my opening. I should probably wait until a better time, but my curiosity was too strong. “Will I be seeing him often?”
“No. I never see him. We spend every event separately, which I don’t mind. For her college graduation, I’ll have to be in the same room with him. But even then, I’ll be in the opposite corner.”
“May I ask why there’s such hostility?” Now the ball was in her court. She could either tell me now or postpone it.
But she’d better tell me now.
A long sigh escaped her lips. “I’m only telling you this because you have a right to know. He used to be jealous and possessive of me. At first, I thought it was romantic. But then he turned violent and angry. The relationship became an abusive one. I tried to leave for a long time until I finally had the courage to run. The first two years were difficult because he kept trying to pin me under his thumb. One night, he broke in to my apartment to get to me. I was ready for him, and I beat him with a baseball bat until half of his ribs were broken. After that…he finally left me alone. We say very little to each other now.”
A flush of pride washed over me when I heard that story. She took matters into her own hands and did what every woman should do. But that pride didn’t last long because depression quickly replaced it. The fact that this man had ever laid a hand on her sent me into a kind of rage I’d never known. The last time I was this angry was when that careless piece of shit hit my wife with his car.
Scarlet didn’t look at me. “I can feel how angry you are…”
I kissed the back of her neck to offset my hostility. “It’s hard not to be.”
“It was a long time ago. I’m fine now. He doesn’t bother me anymore.”
“Doesn’t change the fact that it never should have happened.” I pulled her closer into my chest and kissed the back of her head. “Nothing will ever hurt you again, sweetheart. I can promise you that.” I couldn’t protect my wife after she got into that car, but I would never make the same mistake again.
“You don’t need to protect me, Vincent. That’s not why I need you.”
“Then why do you need me?”
She turned to look at me over her shoulder again. “Because you make me happy.”
Three days later, it was done.
The money had been wired into the account, and one of my corporations was on the deed of ownership.
I was the new owner of Platform magazine.
It wasn’t cheap, but I knew it was the best investment I’d ever made.
I couldn’t wait to tell Scarlet when I saw her later. She’d be shocked, of course. She’d probably refuse in the beginning, but I would wear her down.
I wasn’t going to let some corporate asshole make my woman feel like shit.
No one fucked with Vincent Hunt.
My PI walked in the door a few hours later. “I got the information you asked for.” He tossed the folder onto the desk.
I opened it and took a look inside. I had the asshole’s full name, address, bank statements, photo ID, and his personal routine. He owned a bar in Brooklyn and spent his afternoons behind the counter. “This is perfect. Thank you.”
“Anything else, Mr. Hunt? You want me to send someone down there to intimidate him?”
Who could be more intimidating than me? “No. I got it.”
He walked out of my office.
I stared at his name, searing it into my memory.
Colin David.
In the middle of the afternoon, the bar was depressing. Mostly old men hung out in the low-lit room. Guys played pool in the back corner, and the sports channel was on every TV.
I spotted him the second I walked inside, immediately regretting wearing my five-thousand-dollar tailored suit into a run-down piss-hole like this. He was in black t-shirt and jeans, sporting dark hair and a somewhat sculpted body. He was good-looking, but his habits hadn’t preserved his age the way Scarlet had. He looked my age even though he had to be a decade years younger.
I approached the bar but didn’t rest my hand on the wood, too dirty for the fabric of my suit. Everything about this shitty joint was disgusting.
Colin walked toward me. “What can I get for you, man?”
“You think I’d drink anything in this dump?”
He obviously hadn’t been expecting me to say that because it took him at least two seconds to even process my words. His eyes narrowed, and his jaw clenched automatically. He probably saw hotheads on a daily basis, but he still couldn’t control his anger. “What did you say, asshole?”
“I said this shithole is a dump,” I said calmly. “And you fit in perfectly.”
He paused as he stared me down, but he didn’t immediately throw a punch or grab a bat under the counter. He must have recognized my face, knowing I was too rich and well-connected for him to throw a punch. He had some form of a brain, apparently. “Get the fuck out of my bar.”
“Not until I introduce myself.”
“I know who you are,” he snapped. “No matter how rich you are, I’ll never want your money. So fuck off.”
“You recognize me, but you have no idea who I am.” I leaned toward him over the bar. “I’m Vincent Hunt, the tenth richest man on this planet. I have the power to throw your tortured body into the river and make sure the police never find it. And even if they did, I have the cash to make them look the other way. I have the power to burn this shithole to the ground and make sure you never see a penny from the insurance company. I have the ability to make your life absolutely insufferable. I can take away all your rights and all your freedoms.” I snapped my fingers. “Just like that.”
He was absolutely still, alternating between anger and fear.
“I’m also the man Scarlet loves.”
He couldn’t stop his face from reacting.
“She’s my woman. And she told me exactly what you did to her. She may have broken your ribs with a bat to scare you off, but I’ll do something a million times worse. If you ever cross her, ever look at her, ever stand within five hundred feet of that woman, I’ll break every individual bone in your body, all the toes, all the fingers, and even your skull. Do you understand me, asshole?”
His hands clutched the counter, and his knuckles turned white because he gripped it so hard. Paralyzed, he knew there was nothing he could do. He knew he was a small fish in a big pond, and I was the biggest shark in the goddamn ocean. He was nothing compar
ed to me. He was just a pathetic excuse for a man who had preyed on someone weaker than him. And we both knew the tables had turned. Now he was the weak one…and I was his worst nightmare.
I held my hand, my thumb and forefinger pressed together. “You don’t want to know what happens when I snap my fingers.” I wouldn’t hold back in my vengeance. If he was anything less than cooperative, I would enjoy his slow torture. “Do you understand me?”
This time, he answered immediately. “Yes.”
“Good.” I finally turned away from the bar, making sure I didn’t touch anything. “Have a good day, Colin. I hope you enjoy being under my thumb for the rest of your life.” I turned my back to him as I walked out the door, unafraid of his retaliation.
Because we both knew he was a little bitch.
When I got home, I called Scarlet. “How was your day?”
“I did two cycling classes because I didn’t know what to do with myself. But my thighs are going to look really great in a few weeks.”
They already looked fabulous. “Would you like to come over for dinner?” I used to take her out all the time, but now it seemed like we both preferred the privacy of our homes. Now that everyone was talking about the wedding, I was avoiding cameras even more.
“Always. Just assume that’s my answer.”
I smiled. “Then get over here.”
“Should I pick up anything?”
“No.” Just her bare skin was more than enough.
She arrived fifteen minutes later, taking the elevator with the code I gave her. Now she could come up whenever she wanted. It was practically the same thing as giving her a key to my place. But if she ever needed somewhere to retreat, my penthouse was always open to her.
I greeted her with a kiss by the door and squeezed her petite waist. “I missed you today.”
“I missed you too.”
I would love to come home and see her every day. It was too soon to ask her to move in, but the idea of sharing my space with her didn’t scare me at all. It would be nice to have someone there all the time. It was one of the things I missed most about Isabella. There was always a hot dinner on the table and a warm smile on her lips when I walked in the door. When we were young, our kids would run around creating havoc all over the place, but I loved it.
“What’s for dinner?” she asked.
“My maid cooked up chicken and veggies.”
She grinned. “I’m gonna lose so much weight with you.”
“Not my intention. You’re perfect the way you are.”
“For such an aggressive man, you’re unnaturally sweet.”
“I’m just sweet to you. Trust me, you wouldn’t want to work with me.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.”
Little did she know, I was about to be her new boss.
We sat down to dinner at the table and talked over our meal. I told her I hadn’t spoken to Diesel that week. He was hidden away from the world on his honeymoon. Brett and I had lunch yesterday, and I saw Jax on a daily basis. She told me about the guy her daughter was still seeing. Their relationship seemed to be getting serious.
“I’m going to start applying to new places this week.” She swirled her wine before she drank it. “One week away from work and I’m already bored out of my mind.” She chuckled then swirled her wine again.
I’d been waiting to tell her the news at a different time, but it looked like this was happening now. “Actually, I have a job offer for you.”
She shook her head and chuckled. “I appreciate that, Vincent. But I really don’t want to work for you. The idea of sleeping with my boss sounds like a bad idea.”
Hopefully, that wasn’t the case in this situation. “I wouldn’t be your boss. You would be the head of the company. I’d just be a private investor.”
She smiled like she thought this was all a joke. “If you’re going to pay to tie me to your headboard, you know I’ll do that for free.”
The idea was immediately arousing. “I bought Platform earlier this week. I made an offer that couldn’t be refused, and now it’s mine. I don’t intend to change anything about the way it’s run. And I want you to resume your position as the editor in chief. Run it the way you always have.”
She dropped her wineglass on the table, and the red contents spilled everywhere.
I threw my napkin on the table and captured the pool before it could spill onto the hardwood floor. I quickly contained it then turned my gaze back to her.
Scarlet was still stunned. “I…I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright. No harm done.”
She slowly found her voice again. “You really did that?”
I nodded.
“You bought my magazine?”
I nodded again. “It’s always good to diversify. I don’t have any assets in fashion publishing.”
“But Vincent… This is… There are no words.”
“You’ll take the job, right?”
She never answered the question. “I can always work somewhere else. There will always be a job out there.”
“Platform isn’t just a job to you. It’s so much more.”
“But that’s not your problem, Vincent. You didn’t need to do that. I’m not dating you so you can throw money at all my problems and make them go away.”
I didn’t throw money at Colin. “You’re the woman I love, Scarlet. I’m sorry, but I’m going to make every little pothole in the road disappear. I’m going to pave the way with a red carpet. Whatever you want, I’m going to make it happen. You will always be surrounded by my power and privilege everywhere you go, even if I’m nowhere in sight. You are now royalty in New York City. I hope you don’t turn down my offer just to make a point. I know you love me for me, not for the things I can do for you. But if you really want me, you’re going to have to learn to accept my generosity.”
She grabbed my glass of wine from across the table and took a long drink. Her eyes slowly faded from shock to conflicted calm. She took another drink, savoring the taste on her tongue.
I continued to stare at her.
“I really love Platform… I don’t want to say no.”
“Then don’t. It’s yours.”
“Vincent…” She pushed the glass back. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t need to say anything. I love you, and I will give you the world every chance I get.”
“I know…but I can’t believe how lucky I am. You could have any woman in the world, but you chose me. I’ve never been really loved by a man. I’ve never been treated with such respect and adoration. It’s unfortunate that I finally found the right man so late in life, but I’m thankful that I found you at all.”
I found her hand and squeezed it. “I’m lucky too. You’ve been so patient with me.”
“Because you were worth waiting for,” she whispered.
I’d been with a lot of women who didn’t mean anything to me. I never wanted to actually care about someone else. I wanted to wait until I was well enough to truly adore someone the way I adored my wife. And now she was here. “You were worth the wait too.”
Her eyes softened. “Of course, I want that job.”
“Then it’s yours. I just want to make some changes.”
“Such as?”
“I want you to model a line of clothes for women your age. And have models your age as well, women who are beautiful without all the plastic surgery. We should make a fashion line that embraces an aging woman with elegance and beauty.”
She smiled. “I think that’s a great idea.”
“Then let’s do it.”
“I’m going to enjoy working with you. You didn’t get to the top without being the smartest man in the world.”
“Actually, I’m not at the top anymore. Diesel is.” I smiled with pride.
“And I know where he learned it from…” She grabbed the cloth napkin on the table and finished cleaning up. “Sorry about this. I’m not a clumsy person. I was just—”
; “It’s fine. Really.” I grabbed the napkin and set it to the side. “We’ll clean it up later.”
“You really do let me get away with anything.”
“Pretty much.”
She refilled her wineglass and focused on eating again.
Now that I finished telling her one surprise, I had to move on to the next. She would probably be annoyed by what I did, but I didn’t feel bad about it. Colin needed to know he’d made enemies with the most powerful man in the world. He thought he could take advantage of Scarlet because she was a small woman, but he didn’t anticipate that she would one day stand behind the strongest man in the city. Should have been more careful. “There’s something else I need to tell you. But you aren’t going to be happy about it.”
“That sounds ominous…what is it?”
“I had a little talk with Colin.”
She did a double take, clearly surprised that I even knew his first name. She never told me any of that information.
I set my fork down and waited for her anger to rise.
“You…what?”
“I went by his bar in Brooklyn.”
“And how did you know any of that? I never mentioned it…”
“The second you told me what he did, I had a guy dig into him. Got all the information I needed then confronted him.”
“Oh no…” She dropped her fork. “Vincent…what were you thinking?”
“I just gave him a warning.”
“He hasn’t bothered me in eight years. He’s not an issue anymore.”
“I don’t care if he’s an issue or not.” I couldn’t keep my suave coolness anymore. My anger was frothing like hot milk in an espresso machine. “He tortured you because he thought he could get away with it. Now he’s paying the price. Now he’s made enemies with a bully a hundred times stronger…and I’m gonna make him walk on eggshells for the rest of his life. I threatened to kill him if he ever came near you again.”
She covered her face with her hands. “Vincent…he’s the father of my child.”
“He won’t mention it to her.”
“What if he does?”
No man would admit he was a pussy to his daughter. “Trust me, he won’t.”
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