Before today, I didn’t think I had many limits. Okay, any limits. I figured fucking the boss’s daughter would be a challenge, something to feed the insatiable beast inside of me. Something I could recall in place of the fantasies that have been on permanent loop in my mind since the second her tight little ass wiggled into her first interview. I’d watched her, whacked off to her, fucked a boatload of women while thinking only of her. She’s not just some dumb blonde with an entitlement complex. She’s more than just great tits and a bitable ass. She’s the full package, and once I realized that, I knew I had to have her. It’s my MO–professionally and personally. Sure, I put on a good front at the office. Nobody here would ever believe I’m a sadistic fuck who gets more ass than a toilet seat. But if I see something I want, I go after it. It doesn’t usually take much prodding, either. But Jenna was the challenge I’d been waiting for, salivating over, for months on end. Each time she showed me another layer, I treated her more and more like shit, making her feel undervalued and persecuted. It was cold, but I was just following orders.
I fucked her, and I’m damned sure she liked it. But I got her on her knees by default. I know she didn’t want me the way I wanted her, and I’m not sure I like how that makes me feel.
I can’t look her in the eye, knowing what I’ve taken, and what I’ve threatened.
Blackmail was the only way for me to get to her, and that was my first mistake.
I need to let her go now, before I succumb to the demons inside of me, the ones who want to strip her of everything she has left, just to fill the voids in my black soul. Deep down, I want her to feel the sting of abandonment that plagues me; the one that fuels my need for these meaningless conquests. I make the rules. I call the shots.
But this time, I messed up. I coveted, and I used the only means available to take my prize. She fucked me under duress, not by choice. And that doesn’t sit well with the demons.
It isn’t going to sit well with someone else, either.
I pull on my pants and walk over to the large window in my office. The orange and pinks over the horizon are deepening into blues and purples. Time no longer stands still. Life goes on. It’s something I tell myself every day when the urge for validation creeps into my thoughts. It’s a sick game I play with myself, and it’s one I never seem to win. No matter how perfect the pussy turns out to be. It won’t ever be enough.
Maybe that’s why I picked Jenna. It started off with the simple challenge of figuring out how to fuck the boss’s daughter, to get him back for taking away what’s rightfully mine. Nailing her and then kicking her to the curb would feed my never-ending quest for power and control, so it’d kill two birds with one stone. I just needed to remove an obstacle or two.
So here I am, holding the reins. And I don’t want them anymore. Not this way. I can’t drag her into my hell. She deserves better. All of those women deserved better. I used them all, and I’m still as fucked in the head as I ever was.
That’s what happens when you lose your family and get sent to live with your pedophile of an uncle. The control that was lost for all of those years when he was sodomizing me, brutalizing me, blaming me for everything that had gone wrong in his life…I’ve never really gotten it back. And I never will. I’ll never stop searching for it, but I won’t drag Jenna into my downward spiral.
I can see her reflection in the window. She moves quickly to gather her clothes then shoves the shirt over her head. She steps into her skirt and turns in my direction. I can see the look on her face, the questions in her eyes. This is all I have left. It’s what I’ve been reduced to. I’m fucking broken, and I’m trying so hard to piece myself back together that I keep breaking more people in the process.
I grit my teeth and swallow hard, waiting for the words to come.
“Jake, I…I did what you asked.”
I nod, but say nothing.
“Please tell me you’re going to uphold your end of the bargain.” Her voice quivers. I can only imagine the panic eating away at her insides. I’d normally like someone experiencing that kind of uncertainty...the kind that keeps you awake at night, wondering what hell you’ll awaken to in the morning, or if the nightmare will just continue even after you open your eyes, only to realize you’ll never be able to wake up, to stop it from infiltrating your entire existence.
But there is only one way for me to maintain control. Christ, I have real problems. There aren’t enough therapists on the planet to resolve my issues.
I turn slowly toward her expectant face. Her eyes narrow, her arms folded over her chest. “I did what you asked. I want the emails destroyed.”
Except, she doesn’t yet realize that her biggest problem is no longer the man standing in front of her.
Chapter Ten
JENNA
I’m not leaving until I have those emails in my hands. I can’t. Since I couldn’t get him to admit he was blackmailing me on video, I’m screwed and pretty much at his mercy unless I get the evidence. So much for my brilliant plan.
Jake’s expression frosts my insides. It’s vacant, no longer lust-induced, like some spark has been extinguished. And plenty of sparks flew between us a few minutes ago. I know because they exploded through my entire body and singed everything in their path. The embers are still flickering, so why does he look so…empty?
I do a mental headshake. Wait, what the hell am I even thinking? I don’t give a flying fuck about anything except my future and the future of my family. He can find someone else to screw if I wasn’t enough for him…after I get those emails.
He walks over to his desk and picks up the folder. Our fingers brush against each other as he hands it to me, but no words are spoken. My heart hammers and I feel like I’m going to have a panic attack, but the papers are still tight in my grip.
He grabs his phone and holds it up so I can see it. Then he deletes the video of me in the library. I let out a gasp. Freedom…it’s so close…
“I’m sorry, Jenna.” He turns away and rakes a hand through his hair. My jaw drops. I think that’s the first time I’ve heard him use my name without it being laced with disgust and disdain. “You didn’t deserve that.”
What the fuck do I say? Do I just show up here on Monday morning, pretending that everything is peachy? That he didn’t fuck me six ways to Sunday only a few short days earlier? That he didn’t blackmail me into giving him something that was intended for someone else? Anyone else?
It’s not peachy. And I didn’t want any of it.
But I never said no.
I never walked out.
I could have dealt with the consequences like an adult.
I could have saved myself.
But I didn’t.
“You’re an asshole,” I hiss, anger bubbling under my skin. “And you’re not going to get away with what you’ve done.”
His dark eyes are laced with heavy emotion. It’s as clear as the glass behind him. “You’re right. And trust me, I will pay for my decision every day, just like I’ve been doing my whole life.” He inches toward me, weighed down by whatever is hanging over him. “Go, Jenna. Get the hell out of here before it’s too late.”
Tears pool in my eyes and a sob rises in my throat. “I hate you.”
He nods. “I hate me, too.”
I grab my bag and turn on my heel, rushing out of what’s become some crazy sex den. My head is spinning as if I’ve been on a merry go round for hours on end. I grab the half-wall next to my cube and sink to my knees. The spinning eventually stops, but the tears flow in torrents. I gasp for air and take in shallow, jagged breaths that slash my insides like shards of glass.
My phone rings and I let out a loud yelp. I fumble around in my bag and grab it. “Hello?” I whisper. A couple of deep breaths don’t do much to mask the quiver in my voice.
“Jenna, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“Y-yes. I, um, I’m actually feeling a little sick right now.” Understatement of the year.
“Tell your dickhead
boss that you have to go home. I’ll pick you up. I’m only a few minutes away.”
“Okay. I’ll be downstairs.”
“Hey.”
“Yeah?” I whisper. A chill shimmies through me, and I slowly turn back around to find Jake watching me.
“Don’t worry about him. You’ll be transferred right after this program is over anyway.”
“Okay. You’re right. I don’t want him to ruin the weekend.” Jake’s eyes drop, and without a word, he does an about-face toward his office.
I want to scream at him. I eye my shoe, and for a second, I’m tempted to hurl it at his head. I’d love nothing more than to leave him sprawled on the ground with a stiletto heel in his eye for everyone to see. Humiliated. Beaten at his own game. A real ego crusher.
I hoist my bag over my shoulder and jog toward the elevator. I need to get the fuck out of here and figure out what I’m going to do next. There’s definitely one thing I’m not going to be doing.
Sean pulls up to the curb in his Ford Expedition, and he hops out to open the door for me. I smile at the look of concern on his handsome face. He really cares about me. I know he does. I can feel it in everything he does and says. He’d never hurt me, and he’d kill anyone who did. I wish I felt the same way about him. As much as I hate Jake right now, I feel more for him than I do for Sean. I’m a horrible person. I’m a user. I never wanted anything serious with Sean, even though he promised me we’d make things work while he was in California. I played along - like the liar I evidently am - knowing once he got on that plane, it’d be the last time I saw him. I didn’t feel any remorse. We had fun, and that’s all it was ever meant to be.
“How’d everything go? Wanna have some fun now?” His eyes are so hopeful that the only thing I can do is keep lying. If he knew…shit. He’d take a tire iron to Jake’s head if I gave the word. But I don’t because I’m already in enough trouble. I don’t need “accomplice to murder” further cluttering up my growing list of indiscretions.
I shake my head, twisting a strand of hair around my finger. “I don’t think so, Sean. Can you believe I just got my period? I guess that’s why I’m not feeling too well.”
His shoulders hunch and he lets out a deep sigh. “It’s kind of late anyway.”
“Yeah…” I stare out the window and choke back a gasp when I look up to see Jake standing in his office window, his eyes glued to mine. What in the hell is he doing? Does he enjoy spying on me? Does he think I’m going to tell Sean what happened?
I press my legs together, half-listening to something Sean is saying about orientation for college. I tug at my hair, peeking back up at Jake, as the truck pulls away from the curb. He’s still there, still watching, still shirtless. I don’t know what the hell he’s thinking. What if someone sees him? He’s the Chief Operating Officer of Minton Capital. Why would he risk his career over me? Over this whole sordid game?
Chapter Eleven
JAKE
I watch the truck pull away from the curb and disappear into the throngs of cars clogging up the city street. I scrub a hand down my face and sink into the desk chair. This didn’t turn out exactly as I’d planned. I fucked her, but I didn’t feel the sense of accomplishment I was after. I don’t have the urge to call my boss and tell him I’ve just had his daughter’s sweet, wet pussy throbbing around my cock for the better part of the past two hours. I don’t feel whole. I’m still wrecked, shredded, incomplete. A fucking monster with no qualms about who he hurts and how much devastation is left in his wake.
I told myself Jenna would be no different than the others, but that was a lie. I’d been lying to myself ever since I decided to stay in this hell. Flexing my cock when I feel threatened is a typical reaction for me, but it’s never more than that. Always physical, never emotional.
My head drops back against the chair. The demons won’t rest until I destroy myself and everyone who crosses my path. Jenna won’t be an unfortunate casualty. I won’t let it happen. That’s why I sent her on her way. Let that asshole Sean have her. Christ only knows, I can’t give her what she needs. Let her taunt him with that sweet rack and those fuck me eyes. He’ll never be man enough, but that’s not my problem.
I push back my chair and stand, searching for my shirt. I pull it on and get the bottom two buttons fastened before Gary from IT appears in my doorway.
“Dude, what a fucking show. You are the man, you know that?” He holds up a hand, waiting for a high five. I glare at it and push past him to look for my socks.
“Um, Jake,” Gary sing-songs. “You didn’t forget about our deal, did you?”
I twist around, a smirk on my face. “You wanna get laid, yeah, I’ve got ya.”
“No, I want Jenna.” He clasps his hands together and adjusts his glasses. “I want the boss’s daughter.”
I have to physically stop myself from letting my eyes roll back into my skull. “Gary, I’m going to be straight with you. Do yourself a favor and bark up a different tree. She’s not your type.”
Gary cocks an eyebrow and inches closer to me. He’s at least four inches shorter, but kudos to him for trying to intimidate me. As if I give a fuck about anything he could possibly dangle over me.
“You promised to get me laid.”
“Yeah, so if you have any hope of accomplishing that, you’ll let me do the picking.” I pull on my socks and slip into my shoes. “You have to trust me.”
“Like you trusted me to shut off the security camera feeds?”
I grab the collar of his shirt and back him against the wall. “I told you I was working on something extremely sensitive up here.”
“I remember. But I thought it might be good insurance if I was in the loop on that something sensitive. You know, just in case the plan went sideways and the objective changed.” He grins. “You feel me?”
This fucking guy. I could crush him like a bug and flick him into the toilet. Nobody would give a shit.
“Let’s get something straight, Gary. You purposely disobeyed my very clear instructions.”
“And it seems you’re reneging on your offer, Jake.” He folds his arms over his striped polo shirt. “I only see one way out for you right now. Get me the girl I want, or I take the footage of Jenna straight to your boss.”
I stuff some folders and my laptop into my bag. “I can’t do it. Forget I brought it up, man. Anyone else, but not her.”
“Oh no, you’re not screwing me out of this opportunity, you fucker. Get her back here or you know exactly what I’ll do.” He smirks. “See, that’s the thing about smart guys. We’re always prepared for when you asshole guys try to screw us.”
“Look, let’s just go downstairs right now. There are plenty of women at the bar next door you’ll be very happy with; women who can give you what Jenna can’t. She’s too inexperienced. You want a woman who knows what she’s doing, right?” I almost choke on the word. Inexperienced my ass. She may claim not to be a slut, but her pussy screamed the truth over and over while I was fucking her.
“Oh, so that means you didn’t do a good enough job of breaking her in when you had her bouncing on your cock like it was a pogo stick?”
I close my eyes, fighting every cell of my being from pummeling Gary’s fat ass into the floor. “I told you to shut off the cameras.”
“Yeah, but that would be pretty dumb. And that’s not me.” He steps closer. “Now, find her and get her back here.”
“What happens if I can’t?” I’m stalling, but I don’t really have a choice. There’s no way on this fucking planet I’m letting this dickwad anywhere near Jenna.
“You’d better come up with something, Jake.” He pulls a thumb drive out of his pocket and dangles it in front of me. “That’s right. I downloaded everything onto this so I can keep it with me. Maybe watch it a few hundred more times while I wait for you to deliver on your promise. Because if you don’t, this is going to make its way into the hands of the people who can destroy your life.”
I let out a dry laugh. Like
it hadn’t already been decimated by the one person who was court ordered to care for me after I lost everything, by the one person whose blood ran through my veins. Yeah, I’d say that fucker did a number on my life. And as far as my career goes, the people who’d hire me wouldn’t give a shit who I plug; they’d only care that I could keep their pockets lined with cash.
And I can. My past successes speak for themselves.
A look of confusion shadows his face. He really should have taken me up on my offer to get him laid. With his thick horn-rimmed glasses and pock-marked face, he’d never have a chance, except maybe with a blind chick. But I can’t tell him that. Not now. Guys like him are so goddamned predictable. “I’m not messing around, Jake. Don’t cross me. I’ll make sure they tear you apart.”
I fold my arms. “Gary, the only thing you should be thinking about right now is exactly how you want Jenna to fuck you. Because once that pussy is clamped around your dick, you won’t be able to remember your own name.”
Gary smiles and slides the thumb drive back into his pocket. “That’s better. I’ll give you two days. Make sure she gets the memo; otherwise, come Tuesday morning, your ass will be scraping the curb after Minton kicks it out of here.”
Chapter Twelve
JENNA
I slowly open the door to the conference room on Monday and walk purposefully past Jake. I might have slowed the pace a bit to give him a really hard look at my ass. It’s a sick game, I know. But I can’t stop thinking about how his hard cock felt inside of me, how his fingertips pressed into my skin, how his body melted against mine. My eyes float toward his face. He wants me. I’ve always suspected it, but now I know it’s true.
Dirty, Dark, & Dangerous: A Contemporary Romance Boxset Page 29