Beg Me: A Billionaire Syndicate Romance

by Penelope Woods

  “Oh, you’re good,” I say. “Too good.”

  Madison laughs.

  Then she walks outside, fully nude. She walks to the elevator and presses the button.

  “Come on,” she says. “We don’t have all the time in the world.”

  “You’re insane,” I laugh. “I’m falling for an insane person. Great.”

  When the doors close, she wraps her arms around my neck and kisses my lips. “Did you just say you’re falling for me?” she asks.

  “No,” I say. “Wait, did I?”

  If I did, it was unintentional.

  She presses her butt against the metal bar behind her. “You definitely did,” she says.

  “Just ignore it,” I say, falling between her knees.

  I go down on her, and she’s wetter than usual. I stuff my face. I ravage her. She grinds her hips against my mouth until her screams echo in the metal elevator, stomach twitching.

  I kiss her navel and rise to the occasion, spinning her around and placing my chin on her shoulder, lips against her ear.

  “Did you miss me?” I ask.

  She nods. Her cheeks are flushed, and she has a longing gaze in her eyes. She kisses me, over and over again, as I slide inside.

  I grab her cheeks and spank, reaching to hold on as I ride up against her. Her back arches, sometimes lifting up against my chest before falling back down again.

  Taking her chin into my hand, I pull her toward me. She’s pressed against me now, breathing hushed.

  The sound of our sex fills the small enclosure. The smell of her perfume entices me. I’m hooked.

  She falls to the elevator floor and spreads her legs. “We have to be quick,” she says.

  “I can do that,” I reply.

  Both our hearts are beat like crazy. At any moment, my employees could come walking back in the building. This is the company I worked so hard to build. If they catch me fucking some twenty-something Napolitano girl in the elevator, I would have to do a good deal of explaining.

  I lean above her, thrusting. I grab her shoulders and push myself in deep. I lose control.

  I want to drag this out as long as possible, but I know I can’t. My entire body shakes, and I quickly fade into an emotional outpour of love and adoration for her.

  I’m in it now. I can’t escape it. I’m starting to fall for this girl.

  Fuck, I really am, aren’t I?

  I unload inside her. I give her all I can give. My heart. My cock. My seed.

  And when we’re kissing passionately, we hear the doors below open. The elevator makes a noise.

  “Shit!” she squeals.

  Quickly, we run outside before the doors close. We’re laughing and trying our best to get behind closed doors before we’re caught. I have all my clothes in my arms, and I know I must look insane.

  I close the door to my office, locking as fast as humanly possible. Within seconds, people have already walked up the stairs. Soon, others take the elevator back up. They go about their day, unaware of what just occurred.

  She laughs loudly, pulling up her black thong. It hugs the center of her ass, and I instinctually give her a nice tap, watching the flesh bounce.

  “You’re crazy, right?” I ask her.

  “You have to admit that was a huge rush,” she says.

  “What am I going to do with you?” I ask.

  She bites her lower lip. “Well, you could fuck me again.”

  “Don’t mind if I do.”

  Madison

  I left his office feeling impossibly good.

  I don’t know what it is, but something is changing between us. I hate to admit it, even to myself, but I think I might actually be falling for him.

  I thought he might be in the same boat, but I’m not so sure. The way he dodged me in that elevator when I asked him was odd.

  Who knows? Men never open up.

  Hours after our fun little elevator ride, Byron calls me. This can’t be good.

  “Ring, ring,” he says. “How’s my favorite Napolitano girl?”

  “I’m good, Byron. What’s up?” I ask.

  What can he possibly need from me? Did he see me exit Rocco’s building?

  Is he following me?

  He sucks in a breath. “The sky is blue. The air is fresh and breezy. It’s one of those days that makes you love Detroit,” he says, cheerfully.

  It’s just like him to play games.

  “Sure is,” I say, turning the corner into my neighborhood. “You should get out of that office. Go for a walk or something.”

  “You might be surprised to learn I already did,” he says.

  I turn onto my block and see Byron sitting on my front porch.

  I stammer. “What the—”

  He waves and hangs up the phone, smiling. His stupid gold tooth gleams as his upper lip rises.

  I park the car and take my time getting out. This is the last thing I want to deal with right now. I felt so good before he called…

  “Madison, I’m sorry for disrupting your day like this,” he says. “But I had to come see you. There’s big news in the air. Can you feel it?”

  I look around my surroundings and laugh. “I’m going to be honest with you, Byron. No, I don’t really feel anything different,” I say.

  “We have a job opportunity in Boulder, Colorado,” he says.

  My heart sinks because I already know this is going to be bad news.

  “What is this job opportunity? Do I even want to know?” I ask.

  “Of course you’ll want to know,” he says. “You’re the one taking the job.”

  I’m not sure what emotion I feel. It’s a mixture of numb, shock, and something like disappointment. “What do you mean, I’m taking the job?” I ask, unable to move. “I’m fine here. I’m good in Detroit. I don’t want to go to Boulder.”

  “Look, I’m going to lay it on you straight,” he says, throwing his arm around my waist.

  I tense, heart racing.

  He says, “The board doesn’t like that you’re spending so much time with Rocco. If it were up to me, I would let it go. But, you know, it’s up to a lot of people. I have bosses too, you know.”

  “What the fuck, Byron?”

  I barely get the words out. I don’t know what to say. The entire situation is just so fucked up, it’s actually blowing my mind.

  I want to call Rocco. I want to tell him everything, but how?

  “Are you serious? You can’t make me go to Boulder. I’m not leaving Michigan,” I say.

  “Madison, it’s beyond my control. You don’t have to listen to the board. You could always go against them,” he says. “I don’t think they’d be too happy. You never really go to the meetings, and I think they’re beginning to resent that.”

  I scoff, ready to argue, but he cuts me off.

  “It’s just a fundraiser. You’ll be there for a few days, tops. I’ll be there, right beside you.”

  I clench my teeth and angrily spit out my words. “You told me not to work for a while. You practically made me stay home.”

  My world starts to spin.

  “I told you to mourn,” he says. “And, believe me, I understand your situation fully. It’s like I said. I have no problem with your choices. But this is one job they want you to do, and if you don’t do it, I think they might vote to kick you off the payroll.”

  “This can’t be happening,” I whisper. “How is this real?”

  “Look on the bright side,” he says. “You’ll be in beautiful Boulder, Colorado. You’ll be surrounded by trees. Wonderful nature. Clean air. Who knows, you could meet the man of your dreams.”

  “I don’t need to meet the man of my dreams,” I say. “I love this city. We’ve got enough trees here. If I wanted to take a vacation, I would have. I just want to live my life.”

  He shrugs and lets me go. He lights a long cigar.

  I wish my father had never started a business with this prick.

  “Look, sometimes you’re called upon to co
mmit to an act of service. I’m sorry about that. I really am. You have a week to decide, anyway. Make the most of it, baby-doll,” he says.

  I’m speechless…

  He winks, takes a few puffs, and steps inside a black car.

  It speeds away.

  When he’s gone, I feel a huge relief wash over my body. It’s bitter-sweet. Sure, he’s gone. But he’s made his mark. He wants me out of the way, so he can take on Rocco without interruption.

  Business as usual.

  I can’t tell Rocco about this. As much as I want to, I can’t let him know. I need to figure out what decision to make.

  The worst part is I need that money to survive. I have nothing else. No real job history. No great resume to fall back on. It’s just me and what my father told me what would be mine.

  All of that is now crumbling before my very eyes.

  Madison

  Dasha is the only one I can talk to. She’s always there for me when I’m down. I can’t run to Rocco. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to.

  It’s Byron’s fault. If he didn’t fuck this thing up, I would still be feeling that high. I’d still have those butterflies in my stomach.

  I’d still feel the joy that comes whenever I think about Rocco.

  Instead, I have a burning pit inside my gut, and it just keeps growing and growing.

  “Well, the choice is obvious,” Dasha says. “You can’t go to Boulder.”

  “How is that the obvious choice? I’ll lose everything. I won’t have any money left to feed myself or pay rent.”

  “Yeah, but if you leave, I won’t have you anymore. That’s not an option either,” she jokes. “Seriously, come work for me at the salon. I could use a hand around that place.”

  “Ugh, and deal with angry customers yelling about their hair dye? No thanks,” I say. “It’s not really my field.”

  “Beggars can’t be choosers,” she says. “Besides, it could be fun.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe.” I sigh and fall back onto the floor. “I just feel so exhausted. I hate admitting this to anyone, but myself, but I think I was starting to like the guy. He was sweet.”

  “And a load of trouble,” she says.

  “Yeah, and that’s exactly the reason why I liked him. He was a perfect combination of the two. He was fun. He made my blood rush with adrenaline. He made me feel really important,” I tell her. “I’m sorry I’m unloading on you right now. I just don’t know what I should do, and I need a friend.”

  “You’re always welcome here, Madison. You know that. I’m always good to help you out,” she says, hugging me.

  I’m not sad. Mainly, I’m just anxious, angry, and full of anxiety.

  “Do I just go to Boulder and hope for the best? I mean, I’ll probably be back relatively fast, right?”

  “If you go to Boulder, you won’t be coming back anytime soon,” she says. “I can almost guarantee you that. Byron seems like a psychopath.”

  “Oh yeah,” I say. “I forgot you met him a few years back. He’s a real winner.”

  “I’ve met him more than a handful of times,” she says. “He always comes on to me. It’s like he doesn’t get the hint. I’m not interested in criminals.”

  I laugh, shaking my head. “Let me guess, he wrapped his hands around your waist and told you that you looked lovely?”

  “Yes! It’s totally disgusting how he treats women,” she says. “You have to stay. You can’t let that guy win.”

  “It’s worse than that,” I say. “I think he’s running the company into the ground.”

  “Seriously? How do you know?” she asks.

  “I don’t. It’s something I feel. He’s grown increasingly more volatile. He orders his guys to follow him around wherever he goes. I don’t think he can handle running this company by himself, and I think he knows it. He knows Rocco could run him out for good.”

  “You should be running that business, Madison. You know how to do it. Oust him. You have to find a way,” she says.

  I nod, but it’s not that easy. You can’t just kick a man out of his own company. You have to provide proof of wrongdoing. Even if he has lost his mind, he’s surrounded himself with capable men. Their only job is to cover up his tracks.

  I sigh, but I suddenly feel confident. “Okay, I’m not leaving. It’s settled. I just need to come up with a plan.”

  “You need to see Rocco,” she says. “I’m sorry, but you know it’s true.”

  “I guess that means there won’t be any hot elevator sex this time.”

  “Wait, what? Hot elevator sex? You have to tell me all about that,” she says.

  Oh, boy. Here we go.

  Next stop: my downfall.

  Rocco

  She hasn’t spoken to me in days, and I can’t figure out why. I thought we had a good time together. In fact, I know we did.

  So why is she being so distant?

  Occasionally, I get a response. It’s usually something along the lines of, “I’m doing okay. I’ve just been busy with Dasha and her kid.”

  The passion has effectively been lifted from our texts. Okay it could be worse.

  I can deal with being snubbed. I understand not feeling up to things for a few days. I just feel resentment toward the things I can’t control.

  Typical man problem. I’ll get through it.

  If we were from completely different families, things would have worked out easier. Instead, it’s messy. It adds to the risk a little bit. It makes it a little more fun. But when things go bad, our situation becomes very weird.

  Fucking Byron…

  I’d give the world to take that man out.

  When there’s knock at my door, I don’t hesitate to answer.

  I see her almost instantly. “You’re here,” I say, feeling that sweet relief wash over me.

  There’s that perfume of hers again, pulling me near. Only problem is she doesn’t look too happy, and she doesn’t smile when I kiss her.

  Fuck.

  Is she going to break it off tonight? Is that why she came?

  “Hey,” she says. “Can I come in?”

  I wipe her cheek with my thumb. She looks down, breathing heavy.

  “Have you been crying?” I ask.

  “Can I just come in?” she asks.

  I move aside, and she walks right into my bedroom. I can’t tell how our situation is right now, but it seems pretty fucking volatile. Maybe she knows about Byron. He could have told her he visited me. I can’t think of any other reason why she’d be this upset.

  “We have to talk,” she says, tears filling her eyes.

  “Sure,” I say, sitting down on my mattress. She places her hand against mine and takes a deep breath.

  “Byron saw me,” I tell her before she can speak.

  I’m not sure why I even do it. I want to be as honest as possible. I don’t enjoy seeing her this upset.

  The whole fucking thing backfires.

  Her eyes light up like two flames. “He what?” she asks. “Why? Why would you give him the time of day? Are you crazy?”

  “Sorry, I wasn’t aware two businessmen aren’t allowed to talk,” I say.

  Who is this woman? What has she done with the old Madison?

  “I’m sorry,” she says. “I just really wish you would have told me.”

  “I should have. It was stupid, really. I just wanted to keep everything going smoothly. I thought I could make all the bad disappear if I waited long enough,” I admit.

  She rolls her eyes and exhales.

  “I know. It was stupid. You don’t have to be such an ass about it,” I say.

  “What did he say?” she asks, seemingly unaware that I just accidentally called her an ass.

  Things are shaky. I didn’t think we could ever get to this, but our terrible moods prevail.

  Is this what fighting in a relationship is like? I can’t remember. Is this our first fight?

  Hold on, I’ll go grab my scrapbook.

  I swallow, but my mout
h feels so dry. She’s not going to like what he told me. But I’m not a dishonest man. When I’m asked the truth, I spill it. It’s better that way.

  “He told me to stay away,” I say.

  “That’s all he said? That you should stay away?” she asks, face bright red.

  I swear, behind those eyes lies a floodgate of tears. She’s one-second away from letting it all out.

  “I can’t remember the exact words. It happened really fast. He did an okay job at threatening me, too,” I say. “Don’t worry, I can hold my own. If he wants, I know how to scrap.”

  A little light-hearted humor to save the night.

  It doesn’t work.

  “Yeah? And then what will we do?” she asks.

  Finally, she starts to cry.

  “I’m here for you,” I tell her.

  It’s a big step in our relationship. If it was anyone else, I would have run out a long time ago. There’s just something special about this one, and I don’t give up on special women that easy.

  “Look, you can’t protect me forever,” she says, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “I don’t need a bodyguard or a boyfriend, or anything of the sort. I think we…”

  Her voice subsides as she comes to terms with something big.

  I look her dead in the eyes as she takes erratic breaths. She can barely look at me, let alone deal with the situation at all.

  “Don’t say it,” I tell her. “Don’t say what I think you’re about to say. It’s not a solution.”

  “Why can’t I? You know it’s the only option,” she cries. “We can’t be together forever, Rocco. This was fun and emotional, and I thought maybe I could extend it further. But now it’s clear to me that if I don’t end this, Byron will do it for me. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”

  “What, is he going to kill me or something?” I stupidly spit out.

  The way she’s looking at me makes me think I hit the nail on the head.

  “You don’t know what he’s capable of,” she repeats. “He will hunt you down if he feels threatened.”

  “So that’s it?” I ask. I stand up and start pacing around the room. “You’re just going to throw in the towel and give up? It’s that easy for you?”