Up All Night Long: From Lust to Love (Romance Anthology)

by Ali Parker

  "But I'm sitting here. This makes no sense."

  "Kate killed Paul today. The right hand of Victor's empire and there is no one able to step up and protect the boss for the next few days... I took you so that Kate and Marcus would go after Victor. She's going to find you missing. Your bike's out front. Your phone right in front of her door. If she's dense and misses that, I'll be sending her a text tonight from you with lots of sorries and a lovely save me."

  "You're sending Kate and Marcus to a blood bath." Sickness washed over Jon in waves.

  "Exactly."

  "I thought Marcus was your right hand."

  "He was and I'm sad to lose him, but sometimes greatness requires sacrifice."

  "You're sick. I cannot believe I didn't see this shit."

  "Not sick, just very focused on my empire. I'm a bit surprised you didn't see it too."

  "Where is Adam's body, Seth?"

  "Why would I take it?"

  "Why wouldn't you? You've not done anything I would have expected thus far. Did you take it?"

  "I did. The drug inside of him is hard to produce, but we're harvesting his organs. A few of the scientists who work for me here can gather all they need in order to help me recreate it."

  "You son of a bitch."

  "He doesn't feel anything, Jon. He's dead, remember?"

  Jon let his head drop as bile rose in his throat. Kate was on her way to her death, Marcus beside her and Adam was gone, his body being hacked up by someone Jon would have called friend without question.

  "It's time for you to die. I have nothing else to say to you and I have some aggression I need to get rid of." He stood up and walked to a large stack of boxes, pulling a baseball bat from behind one of them.

  "You're going to beat me to death?"

  "Pretty old school, right?"

  "You should untie me and earn the right to kill me. It's a pussy move to take my life without any effort on my part. You're scared though. I get it. I beat you over and over in our training class. Remember that?"

  Seth tapped the bat on his palm and shook his head. "I do. I've hated your ass ever since."

  "I can see why. Untie me."

  "Nawww... I like pussy moves. I hope they kill Marcus today and just fuck Kate up a little. I heard her and Marcus fucking the night before you got a hold of her. Seems like she's not let anyone give it to her in the ass yet. I'm thinking I'll be the first." He laughed and moved toward Jon, his eyes filled with madness.

  Chapter 22

  Kate

  "I think not." Kate moved out from the open door at the far end of the large warehouse, Marcus standing right beside her, fuming.

  Seth turned and smiled. "Oh good... You're here. Marcus, tell them how we planned this so well."

  "I don't know what the fuck you're talking about, you sick bitch."

  Kate moved away from Marcus, unsure of anything in the moment. She knew the truth of their past and felt rightness in his promises, but after understanding who Seth was and all that Marcus had done to play a hand in the various pieces of the puzzle, nothing seemed right.

  "Kate. Get the fuck out of here." Jon looked up and yelled loudly in her direction.

  "No. I want her here. She can watch you die." Seth turned to Marcus. "Grab her and let her watch."

  Kate moved, turning toward Marcus and lifting her gun. "Don't you come near me."

  "Kate... seriously?"

  "I don't think he's involved, baby," Jon yelled again as he grunted loudly.

  Kate moved toward Jon and Seth, her gun still pointing toward Marcus as she tried to figure things out. They hadn't spoken much in the car on the way over, both of them a bundle of nerves. Nothing was as it should be lately, so why would this be any different.

  "I don't have time for this shit." Seth pulled out his gun and turned it on Kate, a single explosion resounding in the large space around them.

  Jon came up out of his chair as Kate moved toward him, another dark figure walking out of the shady part of the warehouse, holding the smoking gun. Seth fell to the ground in front of Jon, his bat clanging on the concrete floor.

  "Get me out of these." Jon looked up at her as she ran toward him, his words pouring from his lips. "I'm so sorry baby. Seth had me fucked up and turned around thinking that you hired Adam, you killed him and you took his body from the morgue this morning."

  Kate worked fast, looking around Jon as Victor moved toward him. Marcus moved in front of them, his voice deep and commanding.

  "Slow your roll, old man. Don't come any closer."

  "I have to say, I was almost fooled by this clown you worked for. He has been busy twisting reality, has he not?" Victor smiled and moved to his left a little, kneeling down to make himself eye level with Kate.

  She shivered, fear rushing through her. "What do you want?"

  "What we all want, little girl. I want to rule the world and I want the perfect woman beside me when I do it."

  "Well, you're under arrest," Jon barked out as he stood, Kate finally getting the ropes off of him.

  She stood in time to see Marcus put a hand on Jon’s chest as and turn to press the cop with a look. Kate moved out to stand beside Marcus, her need to run to Jon stifled for a minute.

  "Be more specific or I'll put a bullet between your eyes just like I did that hillbilly lackey you left to rough me up today." Kate took a step toward him, her gun safely in her hand.

  "Yes, sorry about that. I assumed you were the boss that you're not." He chuckled. "But you should be."

  "The world you live in offers nothing but grief and death. Count me out."

  "Me too. Fuck you and all of this." Marcus reached over and wrapped an arm around Kate.

  "Not that easy." Victor shrugged, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth. He glanced toward Jon and back to Kate. "Now that Seth is dead, Marcus is his replacement. You have a week to make a decision as to whether we are going to work together... or not."

  Kate lifted her gun and smiled. "I don't think you get to make those demands."

  "Oh... I have Jon's mother locked up. She seems to think Jesus will save her, but I don't know. I've never met the guy before." He laughed as Kate let her arm drop, Victor having pulled out a card that no one could trump.

  "If you touch one hair on her head, I'll slaughter you, you sick mother fucker."

  "Oh, I know you will." Victor chuckled. "I've seen your record."

  Kate swallowed her questions and took one last step toward him. "What do you want in terms of working with us?"

  "I want you to move into Seth's spot."

  "Not happening." She shook her head.

  "I'm not asking. You're moving into his spot and Marcus will work for us both. I have a different product than you do. We will be partners, Miss Jarret. There is no way around this."

  She glanced at Jon, his face pale, his eyes filled with fury. "And what of the cop?"

  "He stays on the force and helps us. He's not the innocent dove you think he is." Victor laughed and turned toward Jon. "You get the girl and keep your life and job. What do you say, detective?"

  "What choice do I have?" Jon bit out through clenched teeth.

  "Oh lots... you can say no, but someone will pay for your decision."

  "And if I say yes? Will you release my mother?"

  "I will. And I'll promise to never come near her again. But you and I will share many things over the years to come."

  "Done." Jon moved up and shook Victor's hand, Kate standing in shock at the handsome cop’s quick decision. Family meant more to him than it would have to Kate.

  "And for the two of you... One week to decide. Any events we hold together, you will pose as a married couple. It’s part of a game I'm playing. Really... you're going to love it."

  "If we agree to this, you stay out of our shit." Marcus moved beside Kate, his body almost pressed to Victor’s.

  "I will, as long as you treat me like a partner in all things." He glanced toward Kate, his eyes moving down her body.


  "Fuck no." Jon stepped up, the four of them in a little huddle.

  "Oh Mr. Peterson, you've already agreed to sharing with me. No taking back your word, Sir."

  "Fuck you," Kate whispered.

  Victor laughed and turned to walk away. "My demands are simple. The three of you and I... We're going into business together. We'll be intimate in lots of ways and we'll make loads of cash to make you feel better about your personal sacrifices."

  EPILOGUE

  Jon

  "I want to apologize until I can't speak anymore, until my fucking tongue falls off." Jon leaned against her as she stood with her back to the wall of the club, the music loud, the lights flashing above them.

  "Stop. We were all lied to, Jon. You and I are good." She reached up and slid her fingers into his hair, her touch lighting him on fire.

  "You have to tell Victor no, Kate. I can't stomach the thought of sharing you." He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, sickness still swirling in his stomach.

  She pulled back and nodded, sadness sitting at the edge of her dark gaze. "I can't. You know that. If you need out, then leave. This life that I live... it isn't going to stop. It's forced me to pick up my cards and start playing again."

  "The drugs I can handle. The danger and the lies we all might have to tell, but someone touching your body who isn't me... no."

  She bit at her lip, her chest lifting as she inhaled deeply. "It's not a conversation we need to have right now."

  "I know. I just..." He paused and looked over his shoulder as someone tapped on his back.

  Marcus.

  "I hate to bust up this shit, but we need to talk. All of us." He motioned for them to follow him to the back office.

  Jon nodded and reached for Kate's hand, pulling her close to his side as the feeling that she might never be truly his rolled over him. He would have to take Victor out... but how?

  They walked in stony silence back to the office, Marcus moving to the large chair behind Kate's desk. Jon sat down in the other chair and motioned for Kate to sit on his lap. She did and he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

  "I know this shit is uncomfortable and that you guys love each other, but we need to talk about Victor's request."

  "I don't want to discuss this," Kate barked, moving across the room as Jon released her and sat back.

  "I understand that. But we have to. You want to work together to take the mother fucker out or you want to decide how to get through a two-hour fuck so we can live our lives?" Marcus retorted as Jon leaned over and lifted his eyebrow at the big guy.

  "Watch your tone, dude. Let him fuck you and leave her out of it." Jon's eyebrows narrowed as anger rose in his chest. "How would that feel?"

  "If it meant saving you two and not letting anything happen to the people I love, fine. I'd take it in the ass for a few hours to keep you safe," Marcus bit back and Jon sighed.

  "How did this go from drugs to sex?" Kate asked, her voice pinched.

  "They're intertwined, Katie. The drugs are the business, the sex is a means of sharing so deeply with each other that you learn trust." Marcus ran his hands over his bald head. "If we hadn't been fucking all these years, would you trust me as much?"

  "No," she whispered, leaning back and reclining against Jon. He wrapped his arms around her.

  "I can't let this happen, Marcus. Kate is my woman... I'm not letting some other dude fuck her."

  "Then we kill him." Marcus shrugged. "I would offer myself in her place, but I'm not interested in being rejected today."

  "How do you kill a ghost?" Kate asked, her arms wrapping tightly around herself.

  Jon closed his eyes and let his head drop back, feeling so fucking helpless all of a sudden.

  "You don't, guys. Maybe we can talk to him." Marcus stood up, starting to pace behind the desk.

  "You brought us in here because you have a solution. I know you. What is it?" Kate asked, standing up and moving to the side of the desk.

  Marcus paused, looking at Kate and then back to Jon. "The drug part is easy. We're doing this shit. We're all in."

  "The sex, Marcus." Jon stood up and crossed his arms over his chest.

  "I think we need to get you used to seeing her fuck someone else. I think we ask Victor if part of the deal can be that you're in the room."

  "What? That sounds horrible." Jon turned to face the door, his heart stopping in his chest, something about it turning him on.

  "I would want you there if we have to do this." Kate's voice shook, her dominance tucked behind terror.

  Jon turned and looked at her. "Is there no way around this?"

  "No. Maybe he'd be open for a ménage. Letting you fuck her with him." Marcus shrugged.

  "Oh fuck." Jon slipped his hands in his hair, his world turning on its side again for the tenth time in the last few weeks. "I can't do this..."

  "Then we kill him," Kate whispered. "That or he's going to take us out, baby."

  "What do you want from me, Kate? Do you even think you can do this?" Jon asked.

  "She's been doing it a long time. Fucking and pretending the guy with her isn't the one buried inside of her," Marcus muttered, moving over to squeeze Kate's shoulder.

  "Yeah, but she's mine now," Jon growled, moving toward her and stopping beside her.

  "I don't have a choice unless we can get him to relent. If we can't, I'm asking that you or Marcus be there with me. If he lets one of you take my attention during the ordeal, I want that so I don't lose my mind."

  Jon's body hardened, the thought of watching her fuck someone else and stare at him almost too much to consider. Would he be okay with it? Why the fuck was it turning him on so much?

  "You're not an object he can just take from us." The conviction in his voice was lacking, his mind slipping into the idea of her pleasure being taken to a new height.

  "Am I not?"

  "No. You're the woman I love. You belong to me."

  "And I always will." She turned to Jon and slid her arms around his waist.

  Marcus spoke up. "I have to meet with Victor later. I'd rather you not come, but I do need your decision, boss."

  Kate looked toward Marcus, the resolve on her face dragging Jon in even deeper. "I need to think on it, but I'm in charge. I'll make the call. Find out tonight when you see him what his demands are and throw in our lot for a huge chunk of his dirty money no matter the cost..."

  To be continued…

  Enjoy Blood Money?

  Dirty Money is the next book in this series

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  Chained to their pasts, their passions and each other... until one link snaps.

  With Victors demands laid on them, Jon, Marcus and Kate must traverse this new relationship between the four of them. A new threat moves into New Orleans and it will take all of them to keep control of their territory.

  With emotions running high, Jon struggles with the nefarious life he's been pulled into as well as the idea of sharing his beloved with a thug. Are Victor's plans and purposes for only a time to construct the proper appearances to the world, or is this the new life he has signed up for?

  Kate holds her head high and does what's necessary, trying to balance what's right with what feels right. What do you do when you began to crave the sensual touch of more than one man? How do you choose and who will you destroy in the process?

  Dissention begins to tear at the seams of their relationships, leaving them at odds with one another, but a larger threat is headed their way. These four villains will have to bind together - even tighter - regardless of their desire not to.

  SNEAK PEAK AT DIRTY MONEY

  Chapter 1

  Marcus

  The meeting with Victor Parence shouldn't have left Marcus on edge, but it did. The man had moved into New Orleans without respect or fear for the competing forces in the city. His mark had been made in blood. His demands changing the projection of Marcus's future.

  "Not only mine, b
ut Kate's and Jon's too," Marcus muttered to himself as he got out of his sleek, black mustang. Slamming the door, he walked toward the large red brick mansion. The house was located in one of the high-dollar parts of town. Marcus glanced back at the gate and the guards that stood watching him closely.

  It was a life Marcus wanted for himself.

  He walked languidly to the front door, pausing for only a moment. Nervousness rose in his stomach, Victor's words reminding him that for this meeting - their first meeting - Marcus had failed to follow instructions. Kate was supposed to be with him, but he knew without a doubt that things would go south quickly if she had come along. She was being forced to move into his former boss, Seth's spot as one of the drug lords in the heart of New Orleans.

  It was Marcus's spot, but he understood clearly what Victor was doing. He wasn't trying to give Kate freedom, but to squish her subtly so that she never recognized what was happening until it was too late. Marcus couldn't allow that to happen. He cared too much for her.

  The door opened before he could knock. A pretty blond in a tight skirt and her boobs hanging out the top of her tank top stood in front of him. Marcus glanced past her to see if Victor might be in the distance. Everything was a test. Everything was an interview. There was no rest to be had in his line of work.

  "Victor's expecting you." She opened the door wider and smiled, her lipstick much too dark for her fair complex.

  "Good. Take me to him." Marcus moved in behind her and closed the door as she pranced down a long hallway. She wasn't at all the type of girl that he would spend more than a few minutes with and that was only if she was buying his product.

  Too thin. Drug addict.

  Marcus could hear Victor's voice as the guy seemed to be warning someone to keep their shit straight or he would be sure to do it for them. Glancing around, Marcus took in as much as he could. He needed to memorize the layout of the house should they ever decide that their time being Victor's puppets was up and his appointed date for death had arrived.