“Do my eyes deceive me?” he asked in a sarcastic tone. “Is that Sarabelle Williams I see before me?”
“Hi, Kade. How are you?”
“I was a lot better a few minutes ago before a certain someone ran my lady friend away.”
“Sorry about that. I got lost in this thing and you guys kind of caught me by surprise. Besides, don’t you know she’s married?”
“Yes, I do. I wasn’t exactly trying to come in between their marriage, Sarabelle. I was just attempting to cum between her legs.”
“Ugh, you’re disgusting Kade.”
“Is that any way to talk to an old friend?”
“Look, you seem to know you way around in here. Can you show me how to get out of this maze?”
“Of course, I can but why should I help you? I’m the one who needs a little help here,” he said as he started to approach me.
“Kade, what are you doing?” I asked as he inched his way closer to me.
“You need my help and I’d like to help you. But since you ran off my date, I was thinking that you could finish what she started.”
Before I could protest any more, he stepped up to me, wrapped his arms around me and tried to force his tongue down my throat. The taste and smell of alcohol on his breath was overwhelming. I could feel my entire body starting to shake and my pulse raced as I used all the strength I had to try to push him off of me. With our size difference, it seemed like it was going to be useless but I did manage to wiggle away, temporarily putting a little distance between us. Using all the breath I could muster, I started screaming for help as loud as I could. Kade started laughing.
“You can scream all you want Sarabelle, but nobody is going to come back here looking for you. Everyone is too busy with the gala and besides, that noise is drowning out anything happening in here. I’m not sure why you’re trying to fight this. I know you’ve wanted this for years. Just relax and let it happen.”
CHAPTER 4
Christian
I hate to see you go but I love watching you leave. That’s one of my favorite old sayings. I have no clue where it originated but I’m jealous I didn’t come up with it. It’s clever, very clever. The saying was especially true as I watched Sarabelle walking away from me and out the front door. The way she filled out her dress from behind was delicious. I wanted to unwrap her like a gift on Christmas morning and spend the entire day playing with her. I’d get my chance. I always get what I want. With her, it was going to take a little bit of patience and even more creativity. She seemed to be too smart to fall for my regular lines, I was going to have to use my charm to win her over if I ever wanted to see what secrets lay beneath that dress.
Watching her walk out the front door, I knew the gentleman that had accompanied her to the gala was no longer there. Nonchalantly, I pulled out my cell phone and called Bobby, the man I had hired to work as head of security for the event. He picked up almost immediately.
“Bobby, did you see the girl that just walked out the front door?” I asked.
“I think so. Long blue dress?”
“That’s the one.”
“Yeah, she just walked past me.”
“Do me a favor and keep an eye on her for me, would you? Don’t make it obvious that you’re watching her. Don’t follow her or anything. Just make sure nothing happens to her until her date comes back to pick her up.”
“Sure thing, boss.”
I hung up the phone and decided to go back to the party. I never went home by myself and I didn’t intend to start. It was time to work my magic on the dance floor and find out which women had been hitting the booze a little harder than they intended. Finding a woman to sleep with was much easier in a bar or club. At functions such as this one, many of the women came with dates, most of whom were their significant others. My target for that particular evening would be any single mothers that were in the house.
Single moms almost made it too easy for me. These are the women who are the most desperate for someone to show them a good time. Most of them spend their days at dead-end jobs that they hate and can’t leave because they need to be able to make ends meet. Their evenings were spent picking up kids, cooking dinner, helping with homework, giving baths, putting children to bed and then turning in themselves so they could wake up and do it all over again.
When a single mom gets a chance to go out without her children, she’ll tend to really let loose and let her inhibitions fly. That’s because these are the women who are most in need of a break from their reality and I am more than happy to be the person to give them one. I’ve also found that they are the ones most likely to experiment in the bedroom. Some of the kinkiest shit I’ve ever done have been with single mothers. I began to wonder what might be in store for me tonight.
I made my way around the room, saying hello to the people I knew and trying to become acquainted with the beautiful women I didn’t. Glancing down at their left hands, if I didn’t spot a rock on their ring fingers, I assumed they were fair game. I would never mess with a married woman. It’s kind of a code that I have. I may be an asshole but some lines are not meant to be crossed. That’s not to say I haven’t screwed around with a married woman, but I wasn’t aware of the marriage until after the fact.
The selection of available women wasn’t very abundant at the gala. Most of the attractive women had brought dates of their own. I’d already had my way with most of the women who were there alone. That’s not to say that it would be hard to set up a second round but I wanted something new and exciting. The biggest problem I have with single moms is that they tend to get attached too easily. They think that if they give it up, the person they’re sleeping with is going to magically fall in love with them and want to be part of their ready-made family. That wasn’t for me and, although I made it clear from the beginning, that didn’t stop them. Does that make me an asshole? I don’t know but at least I didn’t go around making promises I had no intention of keeping.
After several trips around the room, I spotted a woman who must have been hiding in the corner all night. She was a leggy blond with gorgeous blue eyes, large breasts and curves right where I liked them all wrapped up in a tight dress. By the way she was wobbling around the dance floor and laughing non-stop, I could see she was pretty tipsy, which would only serve to make my job easier. I grabbed a shot of whiskey from the bar and downed it quickly as I made my way over to the woman. Before I had a chance to introduce myself, my cell phone began to vibrate in my pocket and I had to move away from the music to answer it.
“Yeah Bobby, what is it?” I asked after looking down at my phone to see who was calling me.
“Boss, that girl you were having me keep an eye on for you. She went into the garden about a half-hour ago and has never come back out.”
“Okay, she’s allowed to hang out in the garden. What’s the problem?” I said, annoyed that Bobby had interrupted me with something so trivial just as I was about to work my magic.
“Yeah, I know she’s allowed to be in there, boss. It’s just that there was a woman who came running from the garden about five minutes ago. She looked like she was pretty upset. Something doesn’t feel quite right. You want me to go in and check it out?”
“No, you stay where you are. We need you at the door. I’ll go out to the garden and make sure everything is okay.”
I put the phone back into my pocket and took another shot before looking back at the dance floor. I hated to leave before I had a chance to introduce myself and make my move. The gorgeous blond was going to have to wait a few minutes before she would be able to get her first experience of Christian Wilde.
Making my way outside, I met Bobby at the door. The girl who had come running out of the garden had disappeared around the corner before he had a chance to ask her what was going on. Again, he confirmed that he watched as Sarabelle entered the garden well before the woman came running out in distress.
“Do you know who she was? Was she someone attending the gala?” I asked, hop
ing I could get a little more information so I would have a better idea of what I could be walking into.
“No clue, boss. It all happened pretty fast. I didn’t even get a very good look at her.”
He was about as useful as a one-armed trapeze artist with an itchy ass. Fortunately for him, I didn’t hire him for his intelligence. He’s big, strong, and intimidating, which is everything you could ask for in a security guard. As long as I remembered that I kept him around for his brawn and not his brains, I would be okay.
I dialed Bobby’s cell phone as I started to walk into the garden maze. This would allow him to listen in and give me a hand in case things got hairy. Making my way through the twists and turns, I wondered why anyone would want to put such a thing in the garden. Sure, it may be fun for kids but for an adult who had no idea where he was going, the constant dead-ends and false starts were maddening. Eventually, I heard some muffled voices and I was able to listen in order to follow in the correct direction.
Turning the last corner into the center of the maze, I was surprised to find Sarabelle there with her back firmly against the shrubs and a young man pressed up against her, kissing her hard and deep. How much had she had to drink? She didn’t seem like the kind of girl who would be making out with a random guy in public but what did I know? All I knew was the persona she put forward. Maybe I had been wrong about her and the innocent thing was all a ploy. I decided to give the two lovers their privacy and started to exit quietly, hoping neither of them would realize I was ever there. Before I made it out of earshot, I heard something that made me stop.
“I told you no! Get off of me you creep!”
Looking back around the corner, I could see that Sarabelle wasn’t enjoying what was happening at all. In fact, she appeared to be struggling to get away from the man, who was apparently her attacker. I walked over to the man, grabbed him by the shoulder, spun him around and landed a right hook straight to his jaw. Stunned, he fell to the ground but popped right back up ready to fight. My adrenaline was pumping and I was ready to go.
He swung at me but missed as I ducked out of the way. My high school wrestling training came in handy as my instincts kicked in. I grabbed both of his legs and took him down to the ground. Climbing on top of him, I rained fists down onto his face and head over and over. I was connecting with his mouth, nose and chin. I kept punching and didn’t stop until Bobby, who had heard the altercation through our open line, grabbed me from behind and pulled me off the guy.
“Come on Christian, you’ve given him enough. He’s bleeding everywhere,” he yelled as he stepped in between us. He was right, the guy had blood coming from his mouth and nose. I’d beaten him down to a bloody pulp.
“Get him out of here,” I said to Bobby as I turned my attention to Sarabelle. She was shaking in fear as her legs gave out from under her and she slid down the bushes and sat on the ground. She looked up at me in disbelief, tears streaming down her face. She tried to say thank you but only managed to mouth the words as Bobby brought her attacker back to consciousness and led him away.
“Bobby, before you cut him loose, make sure he knows that if he ever messes with this girl again, he’s going to end up even worse the next time.”
Bobby nodded before disappearing into the maze of shrubbery, leaving Sarabelle and me alone.
CHAPTER 5
Sarabelle
I’ve always known that Kade was a creep after we had our reunion but I didn’t think he would stoop so low. His aggressiveness while trying to get me to date him was the main reason I stopped hanging out with him several years ago. Still, I didn’t think he would ever go to the kind of lengths that he tried to go to with me. I’d hate to think about what would have happened if Christian Wilde wouldn’t have shown up to save me. I’d like to think that Kade wouldn’t have taken things too far but the look in his eye and the way his breath reeked of alcohol told me I was just fooling myself.
Of all the people who could have come to my rescue, Christian was the last person I expected to see. The perennial playboy, I figured would have his mind strictly on who he was going to bed that night. Instead, he ended up in the garden with me, saving me from what could have become a dangerous situation. How did he even know I was in the garden? It didn’t really matter. I’m just grateful that he showed up when he did.
“Are you okay?” he asked as he straightened out his tuxedo, brushing the dirt off of it.
“I, I think so,” I replied meekly, my mind not wanting to cooperate and pronounce the words I was trying to say. I felt like I couldn’t get control of my own body. I was shaking from head to toe. All attempts to stand up were futile as my quaking legs were in no condition to support my body. Seeing me in a weak position, Christian stood over me and offered me his hand.
“Let’s get you out of here. Come with me.”
I put my hand in his and allowed him to help me to my feet. He made sure to support me, wrapping one arm around my body to hold me upright and using the other to keep my balanced. Slowly but surely, we made our way out of the garden. With each step, I realized more and more that my scary predicament was over and I began to allow myself to relax. I knew I was going to be okay.
Once Christian could tell that I didn’t need as much support, he let go with one hand but left his arm wrapped around me. He pulled out his cell phone to make a phone call.
“Bobby, can you have the car around front in the next two minutes?” he queried into the handset. I couldn’t hear what was said on the other end but he must have liked the response because he said thanks and hung up.
After another couple of minutes of walking, we finally made it to the outside of the labyrinth. I felt a great relief to be free from the twisting maze. I hadn’t realized the amount of anxiety I had been experiencing inside until I was out of it. It was as if I had been suffocating and could now breathe again. Almost as if it were on cue, Christian’s limousine pulled up right in front of where we were standing.
“Here, get in,” he said. “I noticed the guy you were with left earlier and I don’t want you to be by yourself in case that creep comes back. Come with me and I’ll make sure you’re safe.”
I hesitated outside of the limo. Did Christian have ulterior motives? It wasn’t even an hour ago that he was trying to pick me up and get me to spend the night at his house. Now, he was putting me into his limo? I really didn’t want to spend the night with him, but at the same time, I didn’t want him to think that I wasn’t appreciative of what he had just done for me. I ended up getting in the limo with him following right behind me.
“Where are we headed tonight, Mister Wilde? Your place?” his driver questioned.
“No, not yet. We’re going to take Miss Williams home first. What’s your address hun?” he asked.
His question took me by surprise. I figured he felt I owed him something for saving me and would try to use it as leverage to get me into his bed. I had to think for a moment and allow my address to come to me.
“I live at 17 Heathcote Road in Scarsdale,” I finally replied.
“17 Heathcote Road it is.”
Christian tried making small talk on the way to my house but I was much too shaken to be a very good conversationalist. Each time he would ask a question, I would simply shake my head in agreement or give short one or two-word answers. I hoped he didn’t think I was rude or stand-offish, the events of the evening had left my mind flustered. He seemed to understand and was an absolute gentleman to me the entire ride. He even accompanied me to my door to make sure I got inside safely. He didn’t try to come in with me or anything else that would lead me to believe he had something else in mind.
I couldn’t get into my room fast enough. Taking a shower wasn’t even a priority. The only thing I wanted to do was slip out of my dress and slide right into bed and that’s exactly what I did. I didn’t even bother hanging up my expensive dress. Instead, it was left lying in a crumpled heap next my bed as I surrounded myself with my blankets and laid my head down onto my p
illows. I expected to lay there thinking about the attack all night but, much to my surprise, I was able to fall right asleep. It wasn’t a restful sleep, however. I tossed and turned with images of Kade forcing himself onto me. Every single sound in the house seemed to wake me. Each small creak or groan of the house appeared to be amplified, making me sure there was an intruder in the house. Eventually, the dreams stopped and I was able to drift off into a regular sleep.
Around four in the morning, I woke up to the sound of my sister opening my door and creeping into my room to check on me. She was still in her dress from the gala, which surprised me. I was under the assumption that she had been home sleeping off the alcohol the entire time I’d been there.
“Are you just now getting home?” I asked, sitting up in my bed to greet her.
Bad Girls Do It Better (Bad Boy Billionaire Romance) Page 15