by Penelope Sky
Now I had to fuck her again.
I’d only been asleep for a few hours when my alarm went off.
London was dead asleep and didn’t even stir at the sound ringing from my nightstand. I turned it off then got into the shower to start my day. I’d worked while I was in New York, but I still had a lot of catching up to do. I shaved the scruff off my face and put on a crisp suit before I headed out the door.
Ariel knew London was there with me. That woman knew everything about the business, and since my personal life involved the business, she knew about that too. I rubbed the back of my head and sighed as I took the stairs to the main floor. My office faced the courtyard, and she would undoubtedly be there waiting for me.
And she was.
With arms crossed over her chest, slender glasses on her face, and an attitude that reached every corner of the room, Ariel projected her anger directly into my skin. Without saying a single word, she told me off.
Which was pretty impressive, if you asked me.
“Morning.” I walked past her and sat behind my desk, refusing to absorb her ferocity. She was waiting for me to make the first statement. That was how she always played this game. I opened my folder and looked through my checklist of things I needed to complete. “I have a meeting with Pias in fifteen minutes. You can sit in if you want. Afterward, I’m gonna stop by the distillery in Edinburgh. Are you coming or do you have other matters to attend to?”
All she did was stare—coldly.
I met her gaze and waited for a response. When I didn’t get one, I moved on. “I’m going to take that as a yes, then.” I opened my laptop and ignored her altogether.
“Goddammit, Crewe.” She slammed her fist down on my desk, making everything shake.
“Here we go…” I shut my laptop and leaned back in my chair, getting comfortable for the long conversation ahead.
Her hand moved to her hip, where her gold bracelet hung on her petite wrist. “I’ve already made my feelings perfectly clear, and I don’t want to repeat myself—”
“Then don’t.” I respected Ariel’s opinion, but she needed to back off. This was my life—I was gonna fuck whomever I wanted.
Her eyes widened immediately. “We lost four men because of her.”
“She told Joseph not to come, but he did anyway.”
“And you believe her?” she asked incredulously. “The woman who staged a coup behind your back?”
“She didn’t stage a coup—”
“She fucked your brains out until you trusted her—”
“Don’t. Fucking. Interrupt. Me.” I rose to my full height, provoked and angry. There was nothing I hated more than disrespect. While Ariel was vital to my success, she worked for me—not the other way around. The scotch was mine. The royalty was mine. She was just a partner—an employee. “I’m aware of all the ramifications surrounding London. I’m aware she lied to me. I’m aware of everything she’s done.” I worked my jaw to control my anger, feeling the need to spit fire at her. “But I want to be with her. She loves me, and I love her. She has no other motive to be with me other than love, so I trust her. She won’t interfere with our business. And she would never be disloyal to me ever again.” I watched Ariel’s face darken in more anger as she held her tongue. “That’s how it’s going to be, Ariel. You may as well accept it.”
“I don’t accept it, Crewe. How can I do business with someone who thinks with their dick and not their brain?”
My hands gripped the edge of the desk. I was much gentler on her than I was on other employees because she was a woman, but if she wanted to play rough, we would play rough. “Then maybe you should leave.”
“I think I will.”
I continued to wear my poker face, but the statement was like a punch to the gut. She and I were a perfect team. She was just as ruthless, determined, and ambitious as I was. I’d never met a more intelligent businessperson in my life.
“I could’ve dealt with that little whore being your wife, even if she ruined my chances of capitalizing on our business. But after what she did, I can’t tolerate it. I can’t work in the garden every day when there’s a snake slithering around.”
“Don’t call her that again.”
Ariel held her ground, unflinching. “What’s it going to be, Crewe? Her or me.”
“There’s no choice. She’s my lover, and you’re my partner. I don’t have to choose.”
“Yes, you do. I can’t work under these conditions. I don’t trust you, Crewe Donoghue. I no longer trust your judgment. It’s completely impaired. The second a hot piece of ass walks by, you can’t think straight. I need a partner more focused than that.”
“I’m still not going to choose.” I kept my voice steady even though I wanted to scream at her. “If you want to leave, that’s your decision. I’ll pay back your investment in the company as well as a severance. What’s it going to be?” She believed in my scotch and in my intelligence organization. She knew I was an exemplary business partner, London excluded. She was walking away from both wealth and security.
“I’ll be back tomorrow with my lawyer.” She turned around and walked to the door, her hips swaying.
I called her bluff and realized it wasn’t a bluff at all. My eyes watched her walk away, but I kept a straight face. “London did nothing wrong.”
Ariel stopped at the door and turned around. “How can you say that?”
“She did what she had to do to survive. Neither one of us can judge her for that.”
“But I judge you for allowing her to survive. You should have sold her to Bones because she fucked with all of us.”
“If I remember correctly, you were in handcuffs and London freed you.” London didn’t owe Ariel anything, but she helped her when Ariel had been nothing but cold to her. That kind of compassion was nearly nonexistent.
“And if I remember correctly, she was the reason I was in handcuffs in the first place.”
“She took me to the hospital. She could have just left me to die, but she didn’t.”
“But she let you get shot in the first place.”
All of her responses were black and white. “She asked Joseph not to hurt me or any of my men. It’s not her fault he didn’t listen.”
She released a cold laugh. “No, Crewe. Everything is her fault.” She threw the door open and stormed out.
I slowly sank into my chair and stared at the open doorway. Her heels clicked against the tile of the grand entryway, and I listened to the sound until she walked out the front doors. When she was gone, I knew she wasn’t coming back.
My best employee just quit on me.
I’d been a businessman long before she came around, and I would still be a great one with her gone. But that didn’t erase the scar her departure left. Her words sank into me like bullets in the flesh. My life was uneventful before London got off that helicopter. But the second she was a part of me, everything began to change. I lost my judgment, and now I lost someone close to me.
It made me question everything.
10
London
Crewe didn’t come back to the room at his regular time. Even when dinner was served, he still didn’t show up. I knew he had a lot of work to catch up on, but I was surprised he hadn’t popped in for at least a visit.
I started to get worried.
I hadn’t shown my face to the rest of the castle because I knew everyone hated me. If I ran into Ariel in the hallway, nothing good would come from it. None of the men would touch me, but Dunbar would strangle me with just his eyes.
But the later it got, the more concerned I became.
I didn’t have a cell phone to call him. My only option was to search for him in the castle. If I didn’t find him, one of his men would know where he’d disappeared to. I put on a pair of jeans and a sweater and walked downstairs. The first person I came across was Dimitri, the man who took Dunbar’s place when he’d been put on guard duty. He gave me a quiet scowl but didn’t say anything. His hands we
re held together at his waist, his gun on his hip. He didn’t draw his weapon or insult me, but his eyes did enough damage on their own.
I walked into Crewe’s office and found it vacant. His laptop was closed and everything was neat and tidy, like he hadn’t used it at all. I took a look around to see if he left any clues behind, but there was nothing.
I walked back outside and saw another guard in the hallway. He gave me the same derisive look as Dimitri and kept walking.
At least they wouldn’t touch me.
I walked to the front door where Dunbar stood. In dark jeans and a black jacket, he looked as deadly as Dimitri. He kept his arms over his chest like he had no intention of hurting me, but I wouldn’t push my luck. “I’m looking for Crewe. Do you know where he is?”
He stared at me in silence.
I knew I wasn’t going to get an answer out of him. “When I do see Crewe, I’ll let him know how accommodating you were.” I turned around and retreated, knowing Crewe would turn up sooner or later.
“He left a few hours ago.”
I turned around. “Where did he go?”
“He took the Jaguar and left on his own. I’m not sure where he went.”
He and Ariel must have gotten into a fight. “Can I call him from your phone?”
“Unlikely that he would answer.”
“Can I at least try?”
He sighed before he pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it over.
I found his name in the address book and hit send. I listened to it ring four times before Crewe finally answered.
“Yes?” The single word told me exactly how he was feeling. He was in a particularly bad mood. Something must have happened with Ariel today.
“It’s me.”
He sighed into the phone like my voice was displeasing to him.
“When are you going to be home?”
“Stop acting like my wife. I’ll be home when I feel like being home.”
He was definitely drunk. “A heads-up would have been nice.”
“Don’t owe you a damn thing.”
I could actually hear the sound of his glass hitting the hardwood table at the bar where he sat. Or maybe it was just part of my imagination. I didn’t want to start our new relationship like this, but I couldn’t let him talk to me that way. “We can do this in two different ways. You can be a real man and come home to me. You can tell me what you’re so pissed off about, and I can help you through it. Or you can keep acting like the biggest asshole on the planet and sleep alone tonight. Which path do you want to take?”
Silence.
“I’m hanging up, then.”
“I’ll be home in twenty minutes,” he said with a growl.
“Can you drive? I’ll have Dunbar pick you up.”
“I’m fine.”
I wasn’t buying it. “Dunbar is picking you up. Tell him where you are.” I handed the phone back to Dunbar. “Get him home in one piece.”
Crewe got home after midnight. His suit was no longer crisp because he’d been slouching in it all night at the bar. He tossed his expensive watch on the table like it wasn’t worth more than a car. When he took off his jacket, he threw it on the floor like he didn’t give a damn.
I was sitting up in bed reading when he walked inside. I hoped he’d had a chance to sober up on the drive home, but my expectations weren’t high. The fact that he was happy last night and took such an unexpected turn told me something significant happened. He didn’t just have a fight with Ariel. Something serious went down.
He didn’t look at me as he undressed. He made a pile of his clothes on the floor and kicked his shoes off like he was a child. He stripped all the way down until he was naked, and in all his glory, he looked nothing like a child. He was over six feet of man vertically, and nine inches of man horizontally.
He pulled the sheets back and got into bed like nothing happened. He lay on his back and immediately closed his eyes.
I didn’t say a word because I assumed he was so drunk he was about to pass out. Maybe it was best to let him sleep it off before I interrogated him in the morning.
He suddenly turned over and got on top of me, pinning me to the mattress and sticking his tongue down my throat. He didn’t give any warning before he kissed me and separated my thighs with his knees.
For a moment, I just went with it because that’s what my body was used to. But when I remembered he was being a dick all night, I shoved him off. “Crewe, what the hell are you doing?”
“Fucking you. Was that not clear?”
“Well, I’m not in the mood to be fucked right now.”
“I’ve never heard you say that before,” he said with a dead serious expression.
I pushed my hand against his solid chest and forced him on his back. “Just go to bed, Crewe.”
“You expect me to sleep with this thing?” He nodded to his hard cock that lay against his stomach.
“You can do whatever you want with it. But I’m going to bed.” I set the book on my nightstand and turned off the lamp.
He lay back and sighed, his hands finally off me.
I’d never seen Crewe this drunk before. That meant he’d exceeded his personal record in scotch drinking—which was a lot. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t even go to work tomorrow. Having a deep conversation about his problems simply wasn’t possible right now.
“Lovely?” His hand moved for mine in the darkness.
“Hmm?”
His fingers wrapped around mine, his fingertips warm. “I apologize.”
“For?”
“For earlier,” he whispered. “The way I spoke to you. I can’t remember what I said, but I know it wasn’t good.”
He wasn’t the kind of man to apologize for anything, so when he showed his remorse, I knew it was heartfelt. “We can talk about it in the morning.”
“Just accept my apology.”
“I will later.” When we could have a completely coherent conversation.
“I just…need to know you’ll be here when I wake up. So please accept my apology.” His heavy words surrounded us even though he didn’t raise his voice. They contained more emotion than I was used to hearing from him. Crewe was an aggressive drunk, but he was also honest.
“I’m not going anywhere, okay?”
“When you were gone…I was so fucking miserable. I had all the money in the world but still felt like shit.”
I turned to look at him in the darkness. His eyes were closed and he faced the ceiling, and his eyebrows moved as he spoke to me.
“So…don’t leave.”
“I won’t.”
“Promise me.” He’d never expressed any hint of need. He showed his affection but always kept me at a distance. But now all his walls were down.
“I promise, Crewe.”
He finally dropped the argument and relaxed, his hand still in mine.
I was still angry with him, but I couldn’t resist his vulnerability. Crewe didn’t show his true colors to anyone, including me, but he let me see his heart on his sleeve. I moved to his side of the bed and wrapped my arm around his waist and rested my head on his shoulder.
His arm immediately moved across mine, and he turned his face into me, his lips resting against my hairline. His smell washed over me, along with the overpowering scent of gin. Maybe it wasn’t gin, but I was so used to smelling scotch on him that I could tell he hadn’t been drinking it.
He fell asleep almost immediately, his breathing changing.
I stayed that way for another few minutes and listened to his heart beat against my palm. Crewe could be cold and cruel, but he was just a man underneath that exterior. He had a heart of gold that he couldn’t hide as much as he tried.
That’s why I forgave him so easily.
Crewe’s alarm went off at the same time as it did every other morning, and this time, he smashed his fist against it, shattering it into pieces across the nightstand.
Damn.
He didn’t open h
is eyelids as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, his mood already black like it was last night.
I assumed he wouldn’t go to work at all today.
He dragged one hand down his face and finally opened his eyes, squinting as he took in the early morning light. He turned to me and focused on my face, taking a few seconds to recognize my features.
“I’m pretty sure your alarm is busted.”
He released a quiet growl before he sat up. “Jesus Christ, my head hurts.”
“Already got you covered.” I grabbed the two tablets off my nightstand along with the glass of water.
He swallowed the pills dry before he downed the water.
“You should just go back to sleep. You’re gonna feel like shit all day.”
“I can’t.” He kicked off the sheets and got out of bed. He was in a pissy mood like he was last night, before he apologized to me. He obviously didn’t remember that conversation at all.
“Why not?”
“I’m meeting with Ariel.”
I hoped it wouldn’t lead to another fight that would send him to the bar. “You guys work it out?”
“No.” He ran his fingers through his hair as he stood upright, looking sexy completely nude and with an impressive morning wood. “She’s leaving my company.”
I stopped thinking about how hot he looked. “What? She quit?”
“Yeah. Now I have to buy her out for her portion. It’s really a meeting between lawyers.”
I hopped out of bed. “She’s quitting because of me?”
“She’s not your biggest fan.” He walked into the bathroom and got the shower running.
I followed him inside. “Do you realize how stupid that sounds? I have nothing to do with your partnership.”
“I agree. But she doesn’t trust my judgment anymore.” Crewe acted like he didn’t give a damn, like we were talking about what color we should paint the bedroom, but I knew that was just a front. They’d been working together for nearly ten years. They were more than just business partners—they were family. He grabbed a towel and hung it on the rack outside the shower door.