Corrupt Empire Series: A Dark Romance Boxset

by Sarah Bailey

  “Let this remind you. I’m yours and you’re mine.”

  “If I didn’t know you any better, I’d say you’re being ridiculously gooey right now.”

  I grinned.

  “Am I not allowed?”

  She shook her head.

  “Nope. You’re only allowed to be commanding, rough and brutal.”

  Her smile told me she was taking the piss. She craved not just my control, but when I was soft with her too. When I took care of her in the ways I knew how.

  I wrapped a hand around her neck loosely. I’d never harm her. If I physically hurt one fucking hair on her head, it’d kill me. I wasn’t like my father or hers.

  “Is that so?”

  She swallowed, her pulse thudding against my palm.

  “Yeah, it is.”

  “Go sit at the table before I decide to tie you to it and fuck you.”

  I released her neck and stepped back. Her eyes darkened, but she didn’t say anything. She picked up the wine glasses and took them over to the table, setting them down before sitting. She eyed me over the rim of one of the glasses as she brought it to her lips. I knew what she was thinking about. The brutal pounding I’d give her later.

  Her phone rang. She slipped it out of her pocket, staring down at the screen for a moment before putting it to her ear.

  “What’s up?”

  She held the phone away from her ear for a moment.

  “Hey, Gert, please, stop screaming.”

  She rolled her eyes at me.

  “So you got my text? Yeah… You can do this weekend? Good. I’ll ask John if he’s free… Why do I have to have him there? I’ve told you before, my uncle insists on me having a bodyguard… What, no, Aiden can’t come. He’s not allowed to see it before the day… God, you really have no shame. No, I’m not bringing him so you can spend the whole time drooling rather than looking at dresses with me.”

  I laughed. Avery told me Gert referred to me as ‘the sex god’ and that had nothing to do with my bedroom skills. She just thought I was hot. Avery didn’t appreciate it in the slightest, having her best friend making eyes at me. It wasn’t like it was serious. Gert had a girlfriend who she was all ‘loved up’ with according to Avery.

  “You make me sick. No, for the last time, I’m not telling you how much we have sex so just shut up… I’m hanging up now… Oh god, seriously, Gert, get your fucking mind out of the gutter… Goodbye… No, oh god, no. Enough, I’m going.”

  She hung up, staring down at her phone with disgust.

  “What did she say this time?”

  She looked up at me, placing her phone down on the table.

  “You really don’t want to know.”

  I raised an eyebrow as I served up dinner.

  “That bad?”

  Her face flushed and she looked away.

  “She wanted to know if you had um… piercings down there and then she asked me how… how big your cock is.”

  I tried not to smile. Tried and failed. Fuck she was so cute when she was embarrassed.

  “And you didn’t want to enlighten her?”

  She looked back up at me again, a horrified expression on her face.

  “No! God, I don’t even know why she thinks that’s appropriate. That girl is really fucking sex crazed.”

  “And you aren’t?”

  She scowled. I walked over with the plates and set them down on the table, grinning.

  “I blame you entirely for that.”

  She picked up her fork, twirling it around in her fingers for a moment.

  “And why’s that?”

  “Have you seen you? I defy any girl to not get instantly wet at the thought of getting fucked by you. Besides, I know how good it is.”

  I couldn’t help laughing as I dug into my own food. Tonight was our own little engagement celebration, so I’d made steak. Something she appreciated as we didn’t often have it.

  “I suppose those women will just have to be jealous. My interests only involve you naked and at my mercy.”

  She bit her lip, cutting into her steak. I could see her face go red all over again. Sometimes she could be so shy about sex and at others, she was a little vixen who told me exactly what she wanted and where. Just yesterday, she’d begged me over and over to give it to her deep and hard whilst my cock was buried up her arse. Told me to use her like she was my plaything. Such a dirty girl when she wanted to be. I shifted in my seat, readjusting myself as thoughts of her naked played on my mind.

  “So, did you get around to speaking to Ben today?”

  I nodded slowly. That had been a conversation and a half. I think I rendered him speechless for the first time in his life. Never once did he think I’d ever meet a girl I’d want to marry.

  “He did ask me if you’d said yes under duress.”

  She raised an eyebrow.

  “Well… you did tie me up.”

  She was right. I had. Afterwards, I’d spent the rest of the day asking if she really meant it until she’d told me in no uncertain terms to ‘shut up and stop asking or she’d go stay at her own flat just to get away from the inquisition’. I was worried she’d only said yes because I was being so insistent about it during sex. I hadn’t meant to, but the thought of her saying no fucking killed me. I wanted her to be my wife despite all the shit with Frazier. This girl was my universe.

  “You didn’t want to answer.”

  She rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to her food.

  “You just have no patience ninety per cent of the time,” she muttered.

  I decided to let that go considering she was only speaking the truth. When it came to her, I rarely tolerated any delays. If I told her to do something, it needed to be right then.

  I reached out across the table, putting my hand out to her. She eyed it for a moment before putting her hand in mine.

  “Ben is happy. He thinks you’re good for me and he’d be right about that. I love you, princess.”

  “Love you too… I hope Skye makes Josh wear one of those faux tuxedo baby grows. That will look so cute.”

  I rolled my eyes, retracting my hand. Whilst I did like my nephew, I didn’t find baby stuff cute at all. Avery knew that. It was a subject we weren’t going to discuss any time soon. I had no idea if she wanted kids or not. In all honesty, I had no idea how I really felt about it. If you’d asked me before I met this girl, I would’ve said fuck no. Now, I wasn’t sure of anything at all. Maybe one day.

  “Oh, come on, Aiden, even you have to admit he’s like the cutest little thing ever.”

  “I don’t.”

  “You forget, I’ve seen you with him.”

  I didn’t respond, wanting to get off this subject immediately. I’d much rather think about how I was going to tie her to the table. What knots I’d use. How hard I’d fuck her and where. I desperately wanted to bury my cock in my girlfriend who would soon be my wife. I’d wanted to pin her down this morning before she went to work, but she’d run away from me, locking me out of the bathroom whilst she had a shower.

  My need for her never dampened. Maybe I was obsessed, but who fucking cared? She was mine. I’d told her after the first time I fucked her, I’d want her daily. And that was still true now.

  I shoved my empty plate away, watching her finish her own. I sipped at the wine she’d poured. I was patient, but once we were done and the table cleared, she wasn’t getting any mercy at all. I’d fuck her until she begged me for a release.

  That girl across from me was going to be my wife.

  And I wasn’t fucking letting anyone else near her again.

  Chapter Three

  Avery

  Present Day

  My hand felt clammy in Tristan’s. I hated being anywhere near him. He made my skin crawl. The arrogant prick was looking like he’d won the fucking lottery. I’d long since finished my impromptu speech and we were busy being congratulated by various people. I’d forgo
tten who half of them were. I didn’t really care in all honesty. I just wanted this night to be over already.

  Tristan leant towards me as the people we’d been speaking to left. His hot breath against my ear made me shudder and not in a good way.

  “I know what you agreed with my father, but make no fucking mistake, Avery, I’m going to have you naked,” he whispered. “I’m going to fuck that tight little cunt of yours and you’re going to enjoy it.”

  My stomach roiled in protest. He made me so sick. He wasn’t getting anywhere near me with his dick. Little did Tristan know if he did attempt to get in between my legs tonight, he’d have a wakeup call. Aiden insisted on getting me a knife to strap to my leg just in case. It wasn’t exactly the most comfortable thing in the world to wear, but at least it was concealed in my inner thigh. No one knew except him and me.

  “Evening Frazier,” I said, ignoring Tristan completely as his father approached us.

  “Happy birthday, Avery,” he said, giving me a nod. “Your uncle spared no expense this evening.”

  “Thank you. He wanted everything to be perfect what with the world watching.”

  He smiled. The sight of it made me ill all over again. It took every last bit of strength I had to stand being near these two men without wanting to tell them how much I hated their guts.

  “I take it you didn’t tell him about your engagement to my son.”

  “No, I haven’t had time. Things have been hectic at the office.”

  And I wanted my uncle to be just as shocked as everyone else. I was kind of surprised no one had found out about me getting married to Aiden given how thorough Frazier was. It had only been a week since we’d said yes to each other in front of the registrar. That was the best moment of my life.

  “Well, I do hope you two will decide on a date very soon. You know these places get booked up years in advance.”

  I gave him a bright smile.

  “Of course, the sooner, the better.”

  Inside, I rolled my eyes. There was no fucking way I was ever setting a date to marry Tristan. There wasn’t going to be a wedding. I just had to wait until next week when I would be having dinner at Frazier’s to celebrate. Then I could get what I needed and this whole thing would be over. At least, I hoped it would be. I hoped I could get enough evidence to expose him for who he truly was.

  “Perhaps we’ll discuss it next week. Susan is looking forward to seeing you. It has been an age since you’ve been to the house.”

  Frazier’s wife, Susan, was the only decent person in his family. If you looked past her doting on her son like the sun shone out of his arse. Tristan was the apple of her eye. He put up this fake façade whenever he was with her. This dinner was going to be hell on earth for me.

  “It will be nice to see her. I hope she’s been well.”

  I wondered if she knew how sick and sadistic her husband truly was. How he liked to torture women before he fucked them. I tried to keep the smile plastered on my face, but this evening was already getting to me.

  I glanced around, trying to spot my husband in the crowd. He was standing by the wall with my uncle. He’d been there the whole time. I was surprised he was still talking to Uncle Charlie at this point. They seemed to be deep in discussion until my uncle turned and stared right at me. I almost shrank back at the look he gave me. Irritation and pure frustration in his eyes. I knew he wasn’t going to be happy about me getting engaged to Tristan. Too bad for him.

  He said something to Aiden before he made a beeline for me. I wanted to excuse myself, but I didn’t get a chance to open my mouth. Uncle Charlie descended on me, took me by the arm and looked at Frazier and Tristan.

  “Excuse me for a moment, my niece and I need to have a little talk.”

  He didn’t wait for them to respond, dragging me out of the ballroom without so much as a backwards glance. I didn’t protest. This conversation was going to happen whether I liked it or not. He shoved me into an alcove in the hallway outside and glared at me.

  “What the fuck is going through that head of yours?” he hissed, his voice low. “Tristan fucking Shaw. I warned you about him.”

  I straightened, brushing my dress down.

  “I have my reasons.”

  “Are you going to enlighten me?”

  “No.”

  He let out a low growl of frustration.

  “You really do fucking try my patience. What the fuck is going on with you?”

  “Nothing.”

  He grabbed my arm and pulled me closer, staring down at me with hazel eyes which matched my own.

  “Do not bullshit me. What exactly happened to you when you were taken? What were you shown?”

  My stomach dropped. I didn’t want to think about what Rick forced me to watch. All the memories came flooding back, causing me to swallow back bile rising in my throat. I couldn’t think about what my dad had done to Aiden’s mother. I couldn’t.

  “N…n… nothing.”

  “Don’t give me that. You told John, why not me?”

  I shook my head, trying to take a step back. I didn’t like him getting up in my face nor did I want to talk about this any further. As strong as I’d become, all the memories of what kind of sick, disgusting people my family and their associates were still haunted me. I still felt self-loathing that I was a part of this. Except now, I’d been freed from the shackles of having the Daniels name.

  “Tell me what happened.”

  “I can’t,” I whispered, shaking my head again.

  Something in his expression softened. If I wasn’t staring at him so intently, I wouldn’t have noticed it.

  “Was it really that terrible?”

  The only person I hadn’t seen in those videos was him. It seemed my uncle didn’t involve himself in the abuse of the women my family kept. I knew why that was. He only liked girls of a certain age. The thought of it made me feel queasy all over again.

  Is this what Aiden had been talking about to him? Did he tell him I’d seen something? Why? Why did he put me in this position? Did he want me to tell Chuck I’d seen videos of women being abused? I had too many questions. My uncle had backed me into a corner I didn’t know how to get out of. What I needed was to speak to my husband and ask him what the fuck he was playing at.

  “Can we not do this now? We’re neglecting our guests.”

  “Fuck the guests. You already gave them enough to fucking well talk about.”

  I flinched. He really was angry with me. In some ways, I deserved it. I’d gone and announced my engagement without telling him. Gone behind his back and done something he didn’t want me to do. Why I felt any sort of sympathy or regret for this was beyond me. My uncle wasn’t a good person. He’d tried to rape me when I was a kid. I was sure he’d touched other little girls too. And yet, the fact still remained, he was my family. Even if I hated that concept now. I hated being related to such monsters.

  I made a decision. I no longer cared what Aiden thought about it because he’d put me in a difficult position by revealing that I’d been forced to watch something when I was kidnapped. Taking matters into my own hands was a huge gamble. I just hoped this one would pay off.

  “Uncle Charlie, please, I don’t want to talk about that tonight. I’m going to tell you one thing though. One thing which has to stay between you and me.”

  His eyes narrowed, but he dropped my arm.

  “What is it?”

  “I’m not going to marry Tristan. It’s not real. None of it.”

  His eyes widened a fraction.

  “What?”

  “They want the money. Our money. Dad put a stupid clause into my trust fund. It makes it legally possible for anyone who marries me before I’m twenty five to take it all away from me. That’s the real reason I went back to the penthouse. To get the paperwork. Frazier wouldn’t leave me alone, so I did this to stop him pestering me. I’m going to destroy them, Uncle Charlie. Tristan tried to rape me. Do y
ou think I really want to be married to a man like that? Did you think I’d do any of this without a reason? I’m not stupid even if you think I am.”

  He stared at me, eyes wide as his mouth dropped open. I was relatively sure he hated the Shaws after what he’d said to me about them. It just depended on how much. Would he keep his mouth shut long enough for me to execute my plan?

  “He wants the money. Our family money. That fucking cunt.”

  I nodded. He stepped back, running a hand through his hair. I noticed it had started greying, just like my father’s. The stark memory of his face before Aiden had come into the kitchen and taken his life flittered across my vision. Those last moments I’d seen him alive. My uncle reminded me so much of him, except they were almost polar opposites. My dad rarely lost his temper, whilst Uncle Charlie could fly off the handle at any moment.

  “Fucking sick cunt. All this time. He acted like him and Mitch were the best of friends but really, all he wanted was money. I knew he was a fucking snake. I fucking knew it. He drew up the paperwork for your trust fund personally. Mitch told me so. Fucking cunt.”

  He paced away from me, tugging at his suit jacket in clear agitation. I’d known he didn’t like Frazier, but this reaction surprised me. The venom in his voice chilled me to my core.

  “What exactly are you planning?” he asked as he turned to me again.

  “Frazier isn’t a saint. I’m sure he’s hiding things. All I need is evidence to bury him.”

  I didn’t elaborate on the fact I also needed evidence to bury my uncle too. Bury him and my family’s sick operation.

  “And how do you propose to get that?”

  “I have a plan. That’s all you need to know.”

  He shook his head, running a hand through his hair again.

  “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  I hoped I did too. I was terrified of this dinner next week. Terrified I wouldn’t make it out of that house alive and unharmed. It was a risk I had to take.

  “We’ll see.”

  He looked towards the ballroom doors.