by K. A. Berg
Her worried eyes meet mine as she says, “Okay, call me right after.” Her fingers clutch the phone as she brings it down from her ear.
“What’s going on, angel?”
Quinn has a blank scared look on her face as she answers me. Her voice very low and monotone. “Our picture was picked up and Jordan’s on his way to see my father now.”
Her mind has to be going a mile a minute. This is huge. Today is the most important day of the plan; everything else revolves around it. Jordan has to convince Quinn’s father he’s done with her and wants to see her go down. Not an easy task. Louis Taylor is completely unpredictable.
My body simply gravitates toward Quinn and my arms wrap around her. Pressing my lips to her head, I ask “What can I do?”
“There’s a million things going on in my mind right now. This is it, Alex. My whole life rests on today. I can’t breathe. It feels like everything is closing up,” she says reaching up and grabbing at her throat. If this keeps up she’s going to throw herself into a panic attack.
“Your whole life doesn’t rest on today. If this doesn’t work, we’ll find another way. We won’t let anything happen to you,” I say as I wrap my hand around the arms she has clenched around my neck and pull them down. “You need to relax and breathe. Deep breaths.”
She listens, and her body loses some of its stiffness in my arms. Her chest rises as she drags air into her lungs. She lets it out softly and slowly, repeating a few times before she speaks again. “Alex, remember last night when you said it was okay to distract myself with sex?”
“Yes.”
Quinn turns in my embrace and looks up at me as she says, “I think now is one of those times I need to distract myself. Please take it away. Make it stop.”
Having sex with a woman when she’s on the brink of needing a Xanax isn’t something I think is a good idea. But Quinn is her own woman. Her blue eyes are clouded in fear. If she doesn’t quiet the storm raging in her head, she’ll spend however long it takes to hear from Jordan, driving herself to insanity.
“If that’s what you need right now, I’m more than happy to help,” I smile down at her giving her my charming side. “Whatever helps.”
Quinn’s body deflates like a balloon with a slow leak until she’s barely standing on her own in my arms. Her eyes close and she leans her head forward on my chest. Her arms wrap around my midsection and a huge sigh leaves her mouth. “Give me something else to focus on.”
How can I deny her?
Bending down, I tuck my arm behind her knees, pick Quinn up and carry her back to bed. The moment she’s secure in my hold, she nestles her head into the nook of my neck. It makes me feel as if I’m the quiet to her noise, which I relish in a war where I can’t do much. If she needs me to worship her body to help her through this, I’ll do it.
Letting her down beside the bed, I wait for Quinn to gain her balance before beginning to unbutton the few buttons fastened at the top of my shirt she’s wearing. Fuck, seeing her in my clothes makes me want to throw her down on the bed and mark her with more than my wardrobe. But this isn’t the time for that.
Her exposed skin calls to me begging to be kissed. I place my lips just above the swell of her breasts as I undo the second button. My lips follow the path of my hands until I find myself on my knees in front of Quinn. She shimmies the shirt down her arms and it makes a very erotic thud as it hits the floor. The sound echoes through the silent room. A tremor runs through Quinn at the sound, so I know it must have had the same effect on her.
Threading my fingers under the sides of her panties, I guide them down her legs. Once I get them past her hips, I lean in and kiss from one hip to the next. Quinn’s eyes follow me the whole time, goose bumps breaking out across her skin. A breath catches in her throat, and it takes a moment before it returns at a much faster pace.
By the time I get my eager lips to her pulsing clit, she’s trying to close her legs and her hips are moving from side to side but she’s completely free.
Gripping behind her knee, I throw her leg over my shoulder. Quinn’s long, blonde hair almost reaches the bed as she throws her head back and moans.
“Oh God!”
Sweeping my tongue through her slit and getting my first taste only fuels the hunger. Quinn’s starts to ride my face, gripping my hair in her fists. As soon as I feel those nails on my scalp, I’m a goner. I need to be inside her badly, but I want her to come first. My plan is to ride her hard. I want her out of her mind when I finally impale her on my cock.
My fingers dig into her hips as I pull her down onto my face hard and try to hold her in place while spearing her with my tongue. Eating her as if she’s my last meal. As if I can’t go a minute longer without her taste flooding my mouth.
Removing her hand from my hair, Quinn reaches between in and squeezes her clit. A second later, there’s no holding her in place as her pleasure rolls through her body. Her screams are loud and incoherent. Her thighs squeeze my head like a vice as her release hits my tongue.
Not even giving her a moment to come back down, I push her back, positioning her at the end of the bed, and ram into her, stilling myself.
“FUCK!” she screams.
And I do.
In and out.
Long, hard strokes.
The way her breasts bounce as I slam into her over and over is fucking gorgeous.
The walls of her pussy spasm around my cock choking the hell out of it, and her eyes snap open seeking mine. “God, yes,” she moans. “Don’t stop.”
“I never plan on stopping,” I grunt out each word between thrusts, not letting up until Quinn’s eyes roll into the back of her head. Her body bows off the bed and her arms wrap around me. She digs her nails into my back as she screams her pleasure in my ear.
“Yes...”
Between the feel of her body wrapped around me and the sounds coming from her mouth, the intensity is too much, and I give in to the pull. Pleasure explodes inside every part of me. A tingle zips down my legs. It feels as if all the oxygen has been sucked from the room. Quinn’s pussy is still pulsing around me, just slower, when I finally come down from the high.
Not wanting to leave the warmth of her body but unable to continue to support my weight, I flop down onto Quinn trying to brace myself on my arms.
Leaning my forehead against hers, I breathe out, “God, you’re amazing.” Then I pull out and roll off. Reaching out, I find her hand, wrap it in mine, and bring it up to my lips. “Don’t get too comfortable; that was only round one.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Quinn
My mind has been completely wiped of anything other than coming and Alex’s cock for the last two hours. God, his cock has dazzling power. I swear whenever it’s out, my mind can only focus on it and the amazing things he does with it. The way he was just dragging it in and out of me, at the most frustratingly slow pace while staring into my eyes, telling me how great I feel around him occupies my mind as a loud shrill sound scares the hell out of me.
My phone’s ringing and vibrating on the floor, filling the room with anxiety. No one else would be calling me but Jordan. Alex did exactly what I asked him to and made me forget. Now the ringing of the phone has all my forgotten fears and worries flooding back in, breaking what little was left of the dam holding me together.
As much as I want to answer the call and hear all about how Jordan was able to dupe my dad, what happens if he tells me it didn’t work? We put everything we had into this plan. If my father doesn’t go for it, I’m fucked. The minute Jordan tells him he’s known all along about his threats; it could paint a target on his back as well. We only had the one ace in the hole. That was the one thing my father didn’t know about. He had no clue Jordan was aware of the real reason for pushing us together.
If this didn’t work, my life as I know it is over. Once my father knows I’ve gone against him, he’s going to come at me full speed. He already hates me; I can only imagine how intensified his hatred will be
come.
According to my therapist, who is well acquainted with my issues with my father since I’ve been spending my lunch hour with him almost every day, I’ve been unconsciously seeking my father’s approval my entire life. Since my father was distant, I was always trying to find a way to have a connection with him. Supposedly, it’s something a lot of emotionally stunted children do, seeking approval of the people whose love they want most.
I tried to argue the point that it didn’t start until I found him and Jeanette together, but again the doctor proved me wrong.
I used to adore my father, but he’s always been this horrible man. Apparently, the part of me who wanted to have a connection with him only allowed me to see what I thought was good in him. Once I saw the bad, it was all I could see. My image of him shattered, and I was done with him. But there was still an inner little girl in me who wanted to see my daddy smile at me. Have him tell me he was proud of me.
Until I learn to let that part of me go, it will always be there.
I know who and what he is. What he’s capable of. I want no part of it, but I do want answers. What did I ever do to him? Why does he hate me so much? There is no part of me that wants his praise anymore. I’m already better than him.
None of it means I’m not scared shitless of the asshole. He’s an evil far beyond my comprehension and I don’t ever want to find out just how far beyond.
Alex’s voice breaks through my anxiety haze. “Yeah, she’s here, but she’s looking at the phone like it’s a bomb.”
His eyes lock on to mine as the room goes silent. He’s listening intently to whatever Jordan is saying and then a smile sprawls across his lips. “Holy shit! Okay. Thanks so much. See you in a few.”
I have no clue if he even waited for a reply from Jordan or even hung up the phone as he charges toward me. He grabs fistfuls of my hair and slams his lips into mine. “It worked,” he says pulling his lips away just long enough to tell me. “It fucking worked!”
Shoving myself away from his body, I stare at him afraid I heard him wrong. “It worked?”
Alex confirms, nodding his head almost as if he can tell I need a visible response. My eyes and ears can’t both be wrong. “It did.”
My legs scramble and I jump up and into Alex’s arms, screaming on the top of my lungs, a barrage of emotions overtaking my mind. My body feels lighter, freer, and happier. I can’t believe it worked. “Yes!”
Tears begin welling in my eyes as the realization of everything starts to settle in. “Oh my God! I can’t believe it worked. It’s almost over, Alex,” I say, pulling back to look at him just as the tears start to fall down my cheeks.
“Almost, angel. Almost.” Alex smiles sweetly as he kisses my tears.
Settling me down on the ground, Alex uses his thumbs to wipe away the remaining wetness and tells me, “Jordan is on his way here to go over everything. We should probably put some clothes on.”
Just as I finish drying off from my quick shower, I hear Jordan knocking on the door. When I finish getting dressed, I head out and find Alex and Jordan standing by the front door shaking hands.
“Thanks for coming over,” Alex says. He’s been doing well with having Jordan in my life. I know it bothers him I almost married Jordan, but thankfully Alex is an understanding man. I don’t think they’ll be heading to a game of golf anytime soon, but at least I’m lucky enough to not have to worry about bloodshed when they’re in the same vicinity.
Plus, if I can deal with Alex living with another woman, who happens to be pretty fucking hot and loved by everyone, then he can deal with my relationship with Jordan.
Jordan nods. “I figured you guys would have a lot of questions. And I wouldn’t put it past her father to tap her phone at this point now we’ve pushed him.”
My entire body freezes. Shit, what a scary thought. “You think he’d really go that far?”
“With me pushing his back up against the wall, I wouldn’t put it past him,” Jordan replies. “I don’t think it would be a bad idea for us to limit all conversation about this whole thing to in person.”
“Probably a good idea,” Alex adds in as he approaches me.
Grabbing my hand, he leads me to the couch and says, “I’ll go grab you a coffee. Jordan you want one?”
“No, thanks,” he answers as he sits on the other couch.
The need to hear everything that went down overwhelms me until I can’t take it any longer. I need to know exactly what he has planned and how my father’s going down. “Well…?”
Jordan takes a deep breath and sits forward, “Some of this you’re not going to like but you need to know. Your father is a complete scumbag, lower than fucking low. Honestly, I feel like I need a shower just having spent so much time in the same room with him.”
Jordan doesn’t ever really get angry. It’s a side of him I’m just starting to see. It can be scary, and it starting to happen now. “It’s okay. I know he hates me, so I’m sure after everything, nothing will surprise me.”
Jordan begins his recounting just as Alex returns with coffee for me. “I was right. He’s planning on destroying you regardless of the wedding.”
Even though I know I shouldn’t be surprised by this—we basically already knew this—it still hurts.
“Piece of fucking shit,” Alex growls from his spot next to me on the couch.
“I don’t know what the importance of this merger is for him though.” Jordan shakes his head. “I can’t figure out why he’s forcing you into getting stake in me before he does this.”
Something my father said when he first brought this marriage up to me rings in my head. “I do,” I tell him. “You’ve got the majority of tech investors. Our investors won’t take another chance on internet tech. And anyone looking to make a quick buck with a possible tech boom knows to go to you guys. He wants them. If we merge together he gets the tech money and the biomed money combined.”
“But we would’ve caught on when he wasn’t retiring,” Jordan points out.
“The morality clause,” I remind him. Jordan’s hunch about my father is probably correct. I’m almost positive he has a form with my name on it somewhere stating in the event I did something the company deems immoral, I’d be fired. He would’ve had disguised one in somewhere in my contact. I’m sure somewhere it says he gets control over the company if anything happens to me. We put one in the contract Jordan had drawn up for this plan. “Just like we’re doing to him. Only difference is he’ll sign it willingly because he thinks he’s smarter than everyone else.”
“He didn’t mention it when he told me about the file,” Jordan disagrees.
Shit! It seems too good to be true. I can’t believe he got exactly what we needed. I thought it would take a little more time. “You got him to give you the name?”
“Yeah, he’s got an entire embezzlement case building on you. Something called Regency Biotech.”
Racking far back into my brain, I come up with nothing. Nothing with that name rings a bell for me. “I’ve never heard of it.”
Jordan leans back and says, “Well, now you know where to look.”
“This all seems too easy,” Alex says skeptically.
It feels too calm to me as well. “He bought everything? Even the acting CEO crap?”
“Seems he did, but we haven’t gone public yet with William leaving, so he really has no reason not to. Employees don’t even know yet. William is still present and working with me, but it’s mostly in the background. No one can argue William still seeming in charge.”
True. City Capital hasn’t made any announcement regarding William, the interim CEO, handing over the company. Jordan’s been busting his ass making sure he’s covered everything he needs to in order to run the place on his own. William has even helped us with some plans we have for when all this is over. Plans that will take me and Jordan to new heights.
“He didn’t protest against anything?” I ask, still not believing this all went so smoothly.
; Shaking his head Jordan says, “He seemed more concerned with keeping up the rouse he actually cared about you until I told him I knew everything. Then he was pissed. I’d bet my entire fortune he’s already trying to put some fail-safe plan in place. We need to be quicker than him. You need to find the file, as soon as possible.”
This is another point of unpredictability I’ve been worried about. I have no doubt my father isn’t going to take this whole thing lying down. The faster I find the file, the faster we can wrap this up and move on. Jordan’s right.
“We could go tonight,” I suggest, ready to do whatever’s necessary to end this whole nightmare once and for all.
Alex sits up abruptly, his face covered in unease. “You think that’s smart?”
Jordan sits up as well before adding in his two cents. “How would we explain being there? The security cameras and log in information would give us up immediately. We’ve come too far to be stupid now.”
Fuck! They’re right. I need to think clearly. It’s just it seems like we got the final piece of the puzzle, and I want to grab it and finish his damn game. But heading into the office on the same day my father gave Jordan damning information on me would look suspicious as hell. If he’s even the least unsure of Jordan’s allegiance, he’ll be watching us closely. Including every key stroke of my computer. Every log in to our computer system. Every log in with my badge, especially after hours.
“Tomorrow would be believable. And for the most part, Dad’s not ever there. It’s why I usually go.” That and two years ago it was a way to keep myself from turning on the television and searching through the football games, hoping to catch a glimpse of Alex. But they don’t need to know all that.
“Just remember, don’t say anything out loud about the file in your office. It could be bugged. And nothing over the phone, text, email—nothing.” Jordan reminds me as he stands from the couch. “We take no chances.”