by Sam Crescent
Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2012 Sam Crescent
ISBN: 978-1-77130-068-1
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Karyn White
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
To my wonderful editor, Karyn White who has been amazing and supportive.
HIS POSSESSION
The Owners, 1
Sam Crescent
Copyright © 2012
Prologue
For Cadeon, walking into his office shouldn’t have given him any cause for concern. He owned his own business and took pride in the work he did. His suit was pressed. He looked every part of the dominating man that he was.
The receptionist smiled at him. He knew she wanted a piece of him. Most women did. At thirty-nine he wasn’t looking for a casual relationship. When he needed sex, he called one of his many women to accommodate him. He never mixed business with pleasure, and there would be no way he’d take a woman from the office home. His tastes ran to the extreme, and he liked to keep his private life private.
Ignoring the woman, he moved passed the visitors’ area and went straight to the elevator. Briefcase in hand, he stood alone as it travelled up to the top floor. The doors opened.
He stopped. Standing outside the elevator door stood a woman. Smaller than he, she would only come to his chest. She didn’t look at him. Her eyes stared at the floor. Cadeon felt like he’d been punched in the gut. Her brown hair was tucked into a long ponytail. Men walked behind her, and he noted the stares she was getting. He glanced up and down the corridor.
She looked up, and he fell hard. It was like all of his tomorrows were rolled up into one package. The woman standing before him was the one. He knew it more than he knew what he wanted to eat for lunch.
“A-are you getting off?” she asked.
Staring at her lips, Cadeon heard her voice, but her words didn’t register.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
The woman, his soul mate, stared at him, baffled. Was this what people meant when they said they fell in love at first sight?
“I don’t give my name to strangers,” she said.
“He’s not a stranger, honey. He’s the boss,” a woman said as she passed. He saw the change inside her, the blush staining her cheeks and the top part of her chest exposed from the white blouse she wore. As his gaze travelled down her body, he noted other parts of her just as stunning as her face. She had the type of body he associated with the classic fifties’ movie stars. All curves. Nothing straight or bony about her. Her tits were large, and he saw the beginning of her cleavage poking out of the top. The blouse was tucked into her pencil skirt outlining her tiny waist and flaring out at the hips. His mouth watered thinking about getting his hands wrapped around her body.
“My name is Violet Moore, sir,” she said as she pushed the cart into the elevator.
“Where do you need to go?” he asked, not wanting to ruin the moment with her. Or leave her alone.
“Bottom, please.” She spoke quietly. He had to strain to hear her.
“You mean ground floor?”
“Yes.”
He stood in the cart and stared at her. For most of his life he’d seen the way his father reacted to his mother. Coming to alert whenever she entered a room. As if his life was somehow connected with hers. Their deaths had been hard to deal with. Their strength had been something Cadeon had grown up within. Taking over Ashwood Enterprise had been expected. Doing it without his father present hadn’t been his plan.
“How long have you been working here?”
“A couple of weeks.”
Getting her to speak was challenging. Usually women fawned all over him wanting to get their point across.
“Do you like working here?”
“Yes.”
The lights on the elevator went down with each floor they passed. Her hands fisted on the bar of the mail trolley.
All too soon the elevator opened, and she left. He stood watching her walk away. She didn’t look back. Pressing the button to take him back to the top floor, he went straight to his office.
He called personnel to send him the file on Violet Moore. Within seconds her file was in his inbox, and Cadeon was reading and relishing every last minute piece of information. Closing his eyes, he stared at her age. He was nineteen years older than she. The age didn’t matter. He stared at her picture. Unlike the other employees who’d smiled, Violet didn’t offer a smile. She stood staring at the camera, looking like she was going to scarper.
From looking at her picture he knew her life had been hard. He sat and stared at her picture for hours, his chest tight. When he’d walked into work, he’d never expected to find the woman who would complete him.
There was no mistaking his reaction to her, the possession he felt. Even when the men on his floor were looking at her ass, he’d felt the heat rise up inside him. Violet Moore was his woman.
Running his fingers through his hair, Cadeon knew it would only be a matter of time until he had her. Placing her file in his secured mail box, he began work. The blinds to his office were up for him to see on the floor.
Around lunchtime he spotted her again, handing out coffee, this time. The irony wasn’t lost on him. He’d never mix business with pleasure. Yet, the woman he knew who was his with an absolute certainty was serving coffee.
No matter how long it took, Violet Moore would be his.
He would own her, possess her.
Violet Moore would be his possession.
Cadeon liked the sound of that.
Chapter One
One Year Later
Violet Moore stared at the office door as if it was a monster that would lash out and bite her. At twenty-one she’d seen more crap than any human being should have to face. Her hands shook, and her entire body trembled. She’d been called to her boss’s office with no reason as to why he wanted to see her.
She worked in delivering coffee and making sure every person got their mail on time. There was nothing hard about her work, but she liked the constant flow of doing the same thing over and over again.
“Come in,” he called. At the first twist the door wouldn’t open. She shoved her shoulder against the door, and still the wooden door wouldn’t move. “I said come in.”
“I can’t. The door won’t budge.” On the last word the door swung open, and she went careening into the hard masculine chest of her boss, Cadeon Ashwood. “I’m sorry,” she muttered and pulled herself up and away from him.
Several times she’d ended up alone in his company, and he still managed to make her feel uncomfortable.
“Don’t be. I’ll get the door looked at. Sit.” He moved away and sat behind his desk once again.
Tucking her dull brown hair behind her ear, she went and sat in the chair opposite him.
After he sat down, she watched as he picked up a folder, her folder, and began reading. The silence unnerved her. She had never been alone with him inside his office before. During her interview his female personal assistant had sat in.
“You know why I called you up here today?” he asked. Violet gave him her full attention. Around the office she’d heard women swoon after the boss. He was older than she. At l
east in his forties she’d assumed. His hair was dark, no shades of grey. His eyes were green, and his body large and well built. She didn’t usually take notice of men, but over time she considered seeing which one was a threat and which ones weren’t. Her mother had warned her about them from a young age.
“N-no,” she said, cursing herself as her stammer returned. Whenever she was nervous she found she had difficulty over her words.
“You have no clue at all?”
She tried to think of something that could be amiss with her performance, but she was drawing a blank. “I don’t know, Mr. Ashwood. No one has ever complained about my performance, and I make sure everyone gets what they need.” Violet couldn’t lose this job. She needed the income to help pay for all the college debts she had accumulated over the years.
Her mother hadn’t thought about anyone but herself when she’d opened her veins on the day Violet had graduated.
Refusing to go down the road of bitterness she stared at her boss and prayed he didn’t want to fire her.
“This is nothing to do with your job. Actually, I hope to promote you. My personal assistant is going on maternity leave, and I want you to take her place. I’ve seen the way you work, and I want to see you taking on that role,” he said, closing shut her file.
Silence met his statement.
“Thank you. Erm, I don’t want to seem rude, but I’m not qualified in that field.”
“Miss Moore, you put yourself through college and are as qualified to handle this role as any other women I have here. Stacey will train you in the next six weeks, and you’ll take over from her,” he said.
Violet didn’t know what to do. “I just want to make coffee and hand out the mail. I can do that.”
His hand slammed on the desk, making her jump. Her fingers tightened round the handles of her chair. Any acts of violence scared her. She kept her gaze on his hands, thankful it stayed in the one place.
“I’ve told you what you’re going to be doing. Don’t argue with me.”
She nodded her head.
“Good. Now that’s settled I’ve got a few questions I want you to answer.” Cadeon picked up a pen and opened her folder.
Moving her hands away from the chair she clasped them together in her lap, hating the initial fear that came forward whenever a man was angry. Why couldn’t she be like other women and argue or march out?
Confrontation wasn’t her.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
Another nod of the head. There was nothing more she could do.
“Do you have any family?”
“No,” she said.
“Is there anyone waiting for you back home? A friend, a room-mate, lover?”
“I don’t know how any of this is relevant to the position,” she said, her cheeks on fire from his comment about a lover. Having a lover would mean trusting the opposite sex. She didn’t trust the cat that lived next door with her elderly neighbour, let alone a man.
“I need these questions answered.”
Licking her lips she shook her head.
“Boyfriend or partner?”
She shook her head.
“I need you to write down all your phone numbers so I can reach you at any time.” He got up and came round the desk and handed her a board to lean on and a piece of paper with her work picture at the top. Cadeon passed her a pen.
Violet began writing her home address and her personal details. Her hand shook as she felt him behind her, leaning over her shoulder. His breath moved her hair across her neck, the close proximity making her nervous.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“N-nothing.”
“You’ve stopped writing.”
“I’m sorry.” Closing her eyes in the hope to gather her bearings she filled in the rest of the form. Her hand shook, and her eyes blurred as she tried to control the flow of tears. Cadeon didn’t scare her. His dominating presence and what she witnessed in her past scared her.
Clicking the pen she gave him both the sheet and the pen back.
“Can I go back to work?” she asked.
“You may. Tomorrow I want you into work, so Stacey can start your training. I look forward to working with you.”
Violet nodded and ran for the door. She gave a tug, and it wouldn’t budge. Trying to contain her whimper of frustration she tried with both hands, but nothing happened.
“Here, let me.” Cadeon leaned over her and tugged her door. His whole body pressed against her back. “See you tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir.” Violet ran out of the room and raced towards the stairs. On the floor underneath she went straight to the bathroom and locked the first stall that was empty. Sitting on the seat she placed a hand over her heart and tried to bring her breathing back to normal. Ever since taking the job at Ashwood Enterprise she’d promised herself to fight her fear and start living like a normal twenty-one year old. That was a year ago. The fear and pain, no matter what she did, lived with her always.
****
Cadeon watched as Violet left his office. For the past year he’d seen the young girl, and with every look, he’d wanted to see her. The obsession he felt for the woman was startling. He opened her file and read through all of her personal details and then the piece of paper he’d made her fill in.
There was no one in her life. Taking out his mobile phone he stored her numbers into his important information and wrote down her address in his notes before putting the device away.
He was a man who knew what he wanted, and he wanted Violet. Cadeon saw her innocence and the pain shining in her eyes. The last year, he’d seen her interactions with men. She didn’t spend too long talking, enough time to pass mail and hand over coffee. The women in his office didn’t like the way the men tried to gain her attention. He knew why. Even though she kept to herself and wore unflattering suits they saw the beauty beneath. Her brown hair shone like gold, and her pale skin complemented her complexion. Brown eyes he’d never seen smile but held a wealth of pain no woman of twenty-one should know. Her figure was another startling feature. When she turned or bent over, the full curves of her hips and heavy breasts could be seen. She had the figure of a fifties’ actress. Everything about her brought out his possessive instincts. He wanted to care for her. The age gap between them was irrelevant. Cadeon knew how to care for her.
Calling Stacey into his office, he informed her she’d begin training her replacement. By the end of the day when he was ready to leave he found Violet gathering her purse from the cloak room.
“You’re working late,” he said.
She jumped and turned to face him, a blush staining her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I was told I was to work until the last member of staff leaves.”
He noted as her fingers shook on her coat. “Here let me help.” Taking the coat from her fingers he helped her into it, his hands lingering on her shoulders.
“Why are you shaking?” he asked against her ear.
“I’m cold.”
“Then let me drive you home.”
“I can’t do that,” she said.
“Yes, I can, and I won’t take, no for an answer.” He took her arm and led her out of the offices into his waiting limo. Telling the driver where to go, Cadeon placed the partition up. He wanted privacy with her in his limo.
She sat in the corner as far away from him as possible.
“Why are you scared of me?”
“I’m not scared.”
“Then move a little closer. This limo is big enough for the both of us.” He tapped the seat and waited for her to move closer. Violet slid an inch away from the door. “A little closer.”
Another inch. Tired of waiting for the heat of her body to be near his, Cadeon reached over the small gap and pulled her closer with a hand on her waist and leg.
She squealed but sat frozen where he left her. “There, that’s better.”
While she stared out of the window, Cadeon watched her. A floral scent teased his senses, and he leaned clo
ser and inhaled.
“What perfume are you wearing?” he asked.
“I don’t wear perfume,” she whispered.
The scent was her natural fragrance.
“You smell beautiful,” he said.
“Thank you.”
Her hands were entwined and clasped in her lap. Without thinking he took one of her hands and rested one in his hand so they were palm to palm.
“You’re so tiny.” Testing her hand he moved down and circled her wrist using his middle finger and thumb. Her body might be that of a voluptuous woman, but her wrists were delicate.
She pulled on her hand. He let her go and watched as she sat on them. Violet didn’t like to be touched. He could see her fighting with his presence.
Too bad. He wanted her to get used to him. As the limo began to slow, Cadeon glanced around at the street and gasped. Violet lived in a really poor neighbourhood. The houses were run down with mattresses on the front lawn. He saw a couple doing the deed against a shop door. Everything screamed out trouble. Her house lay between two buildings. On the right each window was smashed, and the residue caused from a fire scorched the brick walls. On her left a man with a bulging belly and tattoos let men into the house. He knew what was going on behind those walls.
“Thank you for the lift,” she said, moving to the handle. Cadeon had control of the limo functions where he sat and locked the door. There was no way he’d let her out of his sight. “What are you doing?”
“I’m not leaving you here. Dogs are treated better than this.” The glass giving them privacy from the driver began to pull down.
“This is my home. I’m safe I assure you.”
Cadeon closed his eyes. The trouble she was near and could possibly be dragged in was too much to bear. Didn’t she have the first clue of how vulnerable she was?
“Take me back to my home,” he said and pressed the button for privacy again.