by Mia Faith
At least they aren’t going to bury me in the woods, she thought darkly.
After walking for what felt like forever to her, they finally stopped. Before she could ask where they were again, the cloth bag was jerked off her head. She squinted against the sudden glare of light. As her eyes tried to adjust to the sudden lighting shift, she blinked to see that she was in a house. Or rather, a mansion. The place was enormous. They were in some kind of den or living room, with a fireplace and several comfortable looking chairs. There was a coffee table in the center of the room with a game of half-played chess on it. And sitting in front of the fire was a man with broad shoulders and thick hair.
Shelly let out a gasp. “Colin!”
He smiled at her. “Sorry for the rude invitation, but I couldn’t risk that anyone was following you. This way, if they were, they’ll think you had nothing to do with me. You were kidnapped.”
She could have killed him for that whole fiasco just now, but she was just so damned relieved to see him. She rushed to him and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank god! When you didn’t answer your phone, I thought the worst.”
He nodded. “You weren’t wrong to think it. The feds are close. I think… I think this little meeting of ours may have been my last trick.”
“But—”
“Shh,” he hushed her, placing two fingers against her lips. “It’s okay. I’ve thought about it and I’ve decided. I’m going to turn myself in.”
“Colin, you can’t. They won’t go easy on you. You’ll be thrown in prison!”
“I know. And before that happens there are two things I want to do. First, I want to tell you everything—how I broke in and what you can do to strengthen your system. And second, I want to make love to you. Just one more time.”
Shelly was touched. Despite the fact that he was on the verge of being caught, of losing his life’s work—even though it was in thieving—he was thinking of her. Her career and the tender act of being with her.
Her heart ached at the thought that they wouldn’t get more time together.
“It’s not fair,” she murmured, going to him.
He opened his arms and they embraced, holding each other close.
“Will you give me what I ask?”
She smiled up at him softly, then stroked his cheek gently. Reaching upwards, she pressed her mouth to his in a soft, gentle kiss that spoke of her affection for him. “Yes. I wouldn’t want it any other way,” she murmured against his mouth.
The men that had brought her here were gone. She didn’t know or care where. All she cared about was Colin.
His hands roamed over her body, tugging at her clothing as he pulled it free from her, exposing her smooth skin. His hands were soft and gentle, the urgent embraces of their first time gone. Now it was about knowing her, exploring her, memorizing her.
“You truly are beautiful,” he murmured as he caressed her skin.
But she didn’t want words. She wanted connection. Their lips came together again, mouths working together. Shelly felt herself backing up slowly towards the fireplace as Colin removed first her blouse, then her pencil skirt. When she stood in only her panties and bra, he paused again. He leaned forward and pressed soft, but searing kisses along her breasts.
She leant back, letting him explore her body eagerly. His hands moved over her body, hooking in the elastic of her panties. “May I?”
She nodded while reaching around for the clasp of her bra at the same time. She popped it open and allowed for the straps to slide down her arm. Tossing the bra aside, she let him pull her panties down her long legs, then stepped out of them. She stood completely bare before him.
His clothes came off next. His shirt, just a basic tee this time, came off in an instant. Next came his pants, shucking them off his body. He stood in his boxers when he came to her again, but she didn’t like that. She wanted him as bare as she was. So she slipped her hands beneath the waistband and pushed them down his hips. The movement exposed his large, erect cock.
He groaned. “Please, I need you,” he murmured.
She smiled at him and nodded. “Then have me.”
He laid her down on the soft, thick rug that was set in front of the large fireplace. There was actually a fire going within it, casting soft light and shadows across their naked forms. Colin crawled on top of her, positioning himself so that their hips lined up. She parted her legs, exposing her womanhood to him.
“Please,” she whispered.
He nodded once, then lined himself up with her entrance. His eyes held hers as he pressed the tip between her moist lips. Slowly, he slid himself inside. First, just the head, stretching her entrance slightly, then more. Inch by slow inch, he pushed himself inside her. She clutched at his shoulders and arms, arching her back as they came together.
His movements were slow, gentle, his strokes within her subtle as he made sweet love to her. Her body responded by undulating beneath him, arching and pushing, matching his own movements.
He kissed along her exposed skin. Her neck, her shoulders, her collarbone. Anywhere he could reach. Her skin was burning with his touch and it was more than she could handle—and not enough.
“Yes,” she cried.
She felt her passion and pleasure building inside her, pushing her towards an invisible edge. Her hands felt along his bare skin and snaked into his thick hair.
His pace increased as he leaned his head into the crook of her neck. He panted, his heart hammering in his chest. He became more erratic in his movements, more needy. His breath whispered across her skin as he murmured sweet nothings to her, words that didn’t make sense but meant the world.
As their hips became to move faster and faster, Shelly felt the pressure inside her increase. Her heart hammered against her chest, her breasts heaved with desperate breaths.
“Oh, Shelly!”
His thrusts grew more and more urgent. His member pulsed inside her and the sounds of skin meeting skin mingled with the crackling of the fire as they clung to each other. With one more thrust, they tumbled over the edge together, finding bliss for that moment in each other’s bodies.
CHAPTER NINE
As they lay curled together, bodies still naked, the fire dying down, they were silent. Colin had found a blanket to drape over them to keep them warm, but Shelly couldn’t help but shiver.
The feds were on to him. They would come for him soon. He’d go to prison and then she’d lose him.
“Don’t think about it,” Colin murmured as though reading her mind. “There’s nothing to be done. I’ve gotten myself into this mess.”
Tears pricked at her eyes. He was so calm about all of this, but she wasn’t ready to let go. I need him. “What if there was a way out of it?”
Shifting beneath her so that he could look at her face, he asked, “What do you mean?”
“What if I… had a plan? But it’s a plan that means you can’t come back. You can’t be the Maitre ever again. Would you do that? Could you promise me that you would never steal again?”
He thought about it, his mouth tugging down in a frown. She could tell it wasn’t something he could give up lightly. Finally, he said, “A few days ago, I would have said no. But things are different now.”
“Are they?”
He nodded. “Yes. Because if it means being with you, I would give up everything I have.”
She smiled at him sweetly, then leaned up to kiss him. “Good. Because I have a plan.”
…
Her plan took a full twenty-four hours to implement and she worried that it was too much time. She called in several favors and took that sick day that Greg encouraged. She spent most of the day on the phone and Colin spent most of the time on the computer, hacking into her own Hartness System, but with her own access codes.
“That’s the soonest you can get them here?” Shelly asked the man on the other send of the phone.
“Yes. And that’s already pushing it.”
“Okay, do it then.”
“No,” Shelly told him simply. “And it’s for your own good that you don’t ask too many questions.”
“Yeah, fine. I’ll have them in the box by midnight. If they sit there longer than twenty minutes, they won’t be there anymore. Got it?”
“Got it.”
Shelly hung up the phone then, only to dial a new number. She glanced over at Colin as he worked her own system. He was using her access codes, but no one would find that suspicious. She worked from home all the time and was constantly working on the Maitre case, so no one would think it odd that she was logged in as frequently as she was.
The phone pressed against her ear rang three times before a young, annoyed voice picked up. “What do you want?”
“If you want a story on the Maitre, then I suggest you go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art twelve-thirty tonight. Otherwise, you’ll always be nipping at Shelly Hartness’s heels, begging for scraps.”
“Hey, what? Who the hell—?”
Shelly hung up the phone before he could ask any questions. The reporter was the same one she’d unintentionally given the interview to and she knew he would show. He was too eager, too stupid not to. And that would give them the time they needed.
“Alright. We’re set up. How goes it?”
Colin nodded. “I’ve got the time delay set up. Your system will activate it as soon as your little friend shows up.” He hesitated, then asked, “Are you sure about this?”
“I’m sure about us.”
He nodded.
…
At midnight, Shelly checked her PO Box. As promised, there was a single unaddressed envelope in there. Inside that envelope were two passports and IDs. Camille and Damon. They had Colin and Shelly’s pictures on them and looked so real that even Shelly, who knew they were fake, was fooled.
Their bags were already packed, so they caught a cab and made it to the airport with just enough time to get through security. Colin checked his watch as they waited for the plane to board.
“Are we sure about this?”
Shelly nodded. “Yes. He’ll be there.”
Colin frowned. “If your little reporter friend shows, he’ll trigger the virus. It’ll destroy your whole system. That’s your life’s work.”
She laughed a little at him, then patted his cheek. “I’m only twenty-eight. I’ve got plenty of life left. And this time, I want to build that life with you.”
Smiling, he leaned in and placed a kiss against her mouth.
Their plane was called to board and they did so. When they were seated, they did one last check of the system. Everything was in place, things were going smoothly.
“We’re almost home free,” Shelly whispered, leaning her head against his shoulder.
He nodded. He seemed nervous, which she couldn’t blame him for. But as the plane took off, the couple began to relax. She placed a kiss on his cheek.
Smiling at her, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box.
“What?” Shelly asked, staring at it.
“I promise, it’s not stolen. I’ve given that up.”
Smiling, she threw her arms around his neck, holding him close. “Yes! Yes, of course, yes!”
…
That same day they landed in Tahiti, they were married on a white beach. She was in a white summer dress and Colin was in jeans, but they didn’t care. They were together and happy on a perfect beach with gorgeous blue water stretching as far as the eye could see.
Deliriously happy, Colin scooped Shelly up into his arms and twirled her around before bringing her in for a kiss. As he pulled her close, he whispered into her ear, “You’re the real thief Shelly Hartness-Waters. Because you’ve stolen my heart.”
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Fated Russian Mobster’s Wife
By Bella Gold
Copyright © 2016
CHAPTER ONE
JESSICA
I was sitting in front of my laptop sipping my wine and scrolling through the home page of Usmanov Investment Group. I just got off my shift at the bar. I don’t drink at work, but I sure as hell need a stiff one by the time I get home.
I finished my Master’s at NYU only three weeks ago. I’d done an internship for the past six months at an investment firm in the village. I’d been hoping they would hire me when it was over. They promoted from within to fill the only vacant position instead. I was pissed and even slightly depressed at first. I spent four years being harassed by frat boys while I poured their drinks, rarely ever sleeping, doing without things I not only wanted, but sometimes needed and graduated at the top of my class. I deserved better. When I picked up the paper the morning after I’d lost that opportunity a new one was staring me in the face.
The ad read: Energetic, intelligent, motivated female wanted. Contact Usmanov Investment Group via Skype only. I’d thought it was a little strange that there was no job title or description in the ad, and even odder that they wanted you to apply over Skype, but figured it was worth a shot. I was given a very brief interview by a young attractive woman over Skype that introduced herself as Mr. Usmanov’s assistant. She asked if I had an objection to the interview being videotaped. Another oddity, but I told her that was fine. After we talked for a bit with still no clues given as to what they were looking for, she asked me to scan over my references and resume. I did that and an hour later she called back and set up an interview between me and a man named Ivan Kosovo, one of the CEO’s top executives. I was both ecstatic and scared to death.
I sat there now and read the description of the company off of my computer screen. It said Usmanov IG is a leading, highly diversified global investment management firm. We apply our years of experience and specialized expertise across a range of investment strategies such as private equity, credit, liquid markets and traditional asset management on behalf of over 1,000 institutional investors and private clients worldwide. We also hold stocks in businesses such as IT, precious metals and have over a hundred million dollars invested in real estate across the world. Our foundation is stable and yours will be too if you join us!
A stable foundation, that’s what I want. No, that’s not right. I don’t just want stable. I’ve had unstable and I’ve had stable. Neither of them was thrilling. What I want is the extravagance and I’m not afraid to admit it. It’s not like I’m asking anyone to give it to me. I’m willing to work for it. I consider the last four years a huge down payment on it and I was ready for the payout.
I looked back at the computer. There was a picture of the building that housed their offices. It was on Madison Avenue and it said the company has been in the same place for over fifty years. In Manhattan, that was impressive. The building was made of glass and steel and it certainly looked extravagant. There was also the fact that they had over 1000 investors, and a hundred million dollars’ worth of real estate. It all translated into exactly what I was looking for…the good life.
I shut down the laptop and took my wine glass with me to the bedroom. As I shuffled through my closet looking for something appropriate to wear to my interview tomorrow I let my mind drift to a favorite fantasy of mine. I take a job with one of these big investment groups as a personal assistant or even a junior executive and over time things get really personal with the hunky CEO or even the young and hot owner of the group. I picture myself being wined and dined at the city’s most expensive restaurants. I imagine weekly massages and facials, my hair done by the most famous stylists in the world before a gala where I’ll be wearing a gown designed by one of the big names in France or Milan. I sighed. In the fantasy it was all so easy, in real life, not so much. I can be patient though and if I apply myself I know that I can climb to the top of that fifty-plus story building.
I pulled out my white suit and held it up in front of me. I’m proud of my brain and the fact that I maintained a 4.5 GPA all the way through college, but I also worked hard on my appearance. I was sma
rt enough to know that a job on Madison Avenue was about the whole package. First impressions were paramount in that fast-paced world. Standing in front of the full-length mirror now I took stock of my physical assets. My breasts aren’t overly large, but I think anything over a full “C” cup at my size would make me look like a stripper anyways. I want to look hot and classy not cheap and trashy. At only 22 gravity hasn’t taken hold of them yet and they’re still nice and firm and pointy. My waist is small thanks to hours of crunches and an abdominal binder that I loathe and my butt is nice and round.
I decided the white suit was a little too worn. I’d bought it at a vintage thrift store for my internship and it had served its purpose, but for tomorrow I needed something that said power and class. I pulled out the suit my mother sent me last month. I hadn’t worn it yet because it seemed just a little too much for the tiny little firm I interned for. I held it up in front of me now. It was a dark cream color and I imagined it with my red silk camisole underneath it and my red pumps. I decided that was the one. This was a power suit and tomorrow I needed to be at the top of my game. I smiled at myself in the mirror and resolved that tomorrow was going to be the start of my new life. The life where I would finally have everything that I’ve ever wanted.
********
The next morning I stepped out of a cab and stood in front of the glass and steel building
I’d been asked to report to. It looked exactly like the picture online only a lot more imposing. Trying to see to the top of the fifty-seven floors was almost dizzying. I took a deep breath, wished myself luck and pushed open one of the twelve-foot tall glass and brass doors. I entered into an elegant lobby and my red shoes announced my presence on the white marble and gold floor. Not that it mattered, no one was there to hear it.