by Cynthia Sax
Oh, shit. I turn within the protective circle of my billionaire’s arms, sitting sideways, across his powerful thighs, and I peek between the folds of his suit jacket. Frederick appears unconcerned. He thinks Logan will approve of their deceit, that he’ll enjoy my father’s embarrassment, and not take any action against them.
My half-brother is about to get his ass handed to him.
“If you think this stunt pleases me...” Logan leans forward, pressing his chest against my shoulder, anger rolling off his body in heavy, hot waves. My half-siblings shift nervously in their chairs. “You’ve made a serious error. Arianna belongs to me. No one hurts anyone I consider mine.”
Kayla squeaks. Frederick and Cindra turn chalk-white.
That’s my dominant man. I silently cheer.
“We all know she belongs to you,” my father comments dryly. “We saw the video. Take your prize and leave my boardroom. She no longer has a place here.”
“The video?” Logan frowns, lines etched between his black eyebrows. “You know that isn’t your daughter in the video.”
My father glares at him, not saying a word.
“He doesn’t know that,” I answer for him. “He thinks it’s me.”
My billionaire meets my gaze, appearing genuinely confused. “The woman doesn’t look anything like you.”
I smile sadly. “He didn’t care enough about me to watch the video closely, to ensure his accusations were true, and even if he had...” I shrug. “I doubt he knows what I look like. He’s never really seen me. I’ve always been my mom’s daughter, a betrayal waiting to happen.”
“Yet, you love him.” Logan strokes my cheek, his calloused fingers light on my skin.
“I love him.”
“And you love me with that same intensity,” my billionaire presses.
My face heats. “I love you with everything I have. I chose you.”
“Exactly.” My father slaps his palms against the boardroom table. “You chose the enemy over your father, over your family. Even if that isn’t you in the video.” I blink. Is he admitting he might be wrong? “You’re sprawled all over him. I know he’s had you.”
I can’t deny this. Anyone reading our body language knows we’ve fucked. “I resisted my attraction to Logan for seven months and five days.” I don’t tell my father that the clock stopped yesterday. “I made us both suffer because I was seeking your approval. I thought if I did everything you asked me to do, acted the way you wanted, you’d love me as much as you love them.” I curl my top lip at my half-siblings. “But you never planned to treat me equally. That wasn’t your goal. You wanted me to fail, and eventually I did.” I shake my head. “So yes, Logan has me. He has me for as long as he wants.”
“I want forever,” my billionaire states. “And I won’t settle for less than that.”
I inhale sharply. “You won’t?”
“I won’t,” he confirms. “You will always be mine.”
Strangled noises originate from deep in my half-siblings’ throats. My happiness wasn’t what any of them wanted, yet, ironically, due to their stunt, joy is within my grasp. I cover Logan’s hands with mine. Our relationship is now public knowledge. He can openly claim me.
And he has, his grip on my body secure.
“I didn’t want you to fail,” my father mutters.
“There are three of them, Father.” I straighten. “They’re older, had all of your support, not simply half of it. What did you expect to happen?”
My father looks at my half-siblings as though seeing them and the situation for the first time. They gaze down at their hands. Silence stretches.
“You’re the strongest woman I know,” Logan murmurs.
He says this after I broke down, after I cried and trembled in his arms.
“You might have been destined to fail,” my father concedes, his voice hoarse. “But you chose to betray me.”
“You’re a jackass, St. James.” Logan squeezes my shoulder. “Arianna is the only person in this room who hasn’t betrayed you.”
My father raises his head, gazes at my billionaire for half a minute, and then laughs outright at this crazy claim, a claim I wish was true. My lips twist into a rueful smile.
My half-siblings are suspiciously silent.
They aren’t laughing, aren’t making their usual biting replies, disputing Logan’s wild statement. I study them, looking for a reason why.
All three of them avoid my gaze, their expressions stricken, almost panicked. Kayla appears as though she’s about to hyperventilate, her chest rapidly rising and falling. Frederick’s lips are pursed like he’s sucking on a lemon. Cindra stares forlornly at the exit.
Because they did betray my father.
Holy shit. How? And why would Logan know that unless...
Oh my God. I shift my gaze to my billionaire investor. He has told me multiple times that he no longer needs my shares, mentioned that, when faced with the right offer, anyone would sell.
My half-siblings must have done exactly that. They sold him some of their shares, a portion of their combined thirty percent.
“When?” In my gut, I know the answer.
Logan meets my gaze. “Six months ago.” His lips curl upward and his voice drops. “My clever pet.”
“How much?”
“Everything.”
They sold all of their shares. Logan now has sixty five percent ownership, controlling interest in my father’s company. He can oust my father from the CEO seat, replace the management team with his own. My stomach twists into knots. The man I love has the power to destroy my father.
“Logan--”
“I don’t know what game you’re playing, Ross.” My father interrupts our private exchange. “But it won’t work. I trust my other three children. I don’t trust you or her.” He dips his head toward me. “You may do whatever you like with her. She’s never stepping one foot into this office again, and, if I could, I’d ban you also.”
“You’re not firing her,” my billionaire declares.
“I already have. You have no say over how I run my company.” My father shakes, unaware that his rival now has total say over how his company is run. “And it’s still my company. Even if Arianna betrays me yet again and sells you her shares, you’ll only have forty percent ownership.”
I hold my breath, waiting for Logan to reveal his ownership, to tell my father that the company he spent a lifetime building, worked endless hours for, made sacrifices to grow, no longer belongs to him, that his children betrayed him, trading his gift for a meaningless influx of cash.
The sex tape aged him. This would kill him.
“Arianna would never sell her shares and she would never vote against you.” My billionaire covers my trembling hands with his palms. “You can count on her loyalty. That’s a rare and wonderful thing in this world, a treasure to be guarded.”
As my dragon will guard me. I exhale raggedly. “Logan?” He meets my gaze. “Why didn’t you?” Why didn’t he formally announce his takeover of St. James Communications? That transfer of power was my billionaire’s goal, why he approached me to buy my shares over seven months ago.
He leans forward, presses his lips against my right earlobe. “Because you love him.” I feel his words over my skin, their meaning reaching deep down in my soul. “And I love you.”
He loves me. My breath hitches. “You do?”
“I do.” There’s no doubt in his voice.
“I’ll always love my father, even if I walk away from him,” I warn my billionaire.
“Then I’ll always protect him.” Logan shrugs, appearing unconcerned.
And that is what he’s doing, protecting my father, because my half-siblings would have sold their shares to someone. That someone might not be as kind, might not put up with my father’s tirades, absorbing the insults, the hatred, not saying anything, allowing him to believe he remains in charge.
Warmth blossoms deep in my chest, curling around my heart. Logan did all of that for m
e. This is how much he cares. “Thank you,” I whisper.
Chapter Five
“Arianna is transferring her shares back to our father,” Cindra finds the courage to say. I frown at her. She must be desperate for the money.
“She agreed,” Kayla pipes up, supporting her sister.
I didn’t agree. I was told. My gaze slides to my father. But I’ll do as he demanded, give up ownership in his company, because the shares are rightfully his, not because I’m blindly following orders.
Never again will I automatically agree to any of his requests.
“Do you want me to destroy them?” my billionaire asks, reading my volatile mood.
My half-siblings suck in their breaths, Cindra and Kayla acting not so brave now. They appear miserable, knowing their fates are in my hands.
I consider saying yes for one glorious moment, imagining my half-siblings being stripped of their places in the family, in society, losing their wealth and pricey toys, but, I sigh, I don’t have the heart to destroy them. “Hurting them would hurt my father.”
“And, although your father doesn’t treat you the way he should, you’d never hurt him,” Logan completes my thought. “If they try to harm you again, I won’t ask for your permission. There will be nothing left of them financially.”
Kayla whimpers.
“If they try to harm you again, even inadvertently.” I level a hard glance on my half-siblings. Sweat beads on Frederick’s forehead. “There will be nothing left of them. Period.” My gaze returns to my billionaire. “I’ll destroy anyone who hurts you.”
His lips twitch. “I don’t doubt that, pet.” He wraps a strand of my blonde hair around his index finger. “You’re my match.”
“Only in that way. I have no family, no job, no ownership in the company.” My brutal new reality hits me. “God. I don’t have a last name.”
“You have me. You’ll work for my umbrella company. I have more than enough events to keep you and your staff occupied. Everything I have is yours.” My billionaire addresses my concerns one by one. “And you wouldn’t have had your last name for much longer.”
“No?” My eyes widen. He plans to marry me, the St. James slut?
“No.” Logan taps the end of my nose and I blink. “Benoit can work for my company too, if he wants,” he says louder.
“He wants.” A voice calls from the hallway, my friend shamelessly listening to our conversation.
“No one is working for Ross,” my father barks.
Logan’s face hardens. “Arianna’s not working for you. You allowed a sex tape to be filmed in her office. Did you know those people? How did they get passcards?”
“How did you get a passcard?” my father mutters.
“I no longer have a passcard,” I interject. “You fired me, remember? And Logan needs me.” I glance at my billionaire. “No offense, but I’ve heard your events are uninspired.”
“They’re boring as hell.” Gold sparks dance in his dark eyes. “And the organization is a mess. I should have brought the function in-house years ago.”
He does need me. I beam. “I’ll take care of everything.”
“And who will take care of me?” my father mutters. My half-siblings betrayed him. I’ll no longer watch out for my father. He’s as alone as I was, before I met Logan. “I might have been too hasty with my decision.” He gazes down at his phone.
“Might have been?” Logan growls.
I squeeze my billionaire’s hands, stopping his response. This is a momentous occasion. My father, to my knowledge, has never questioned one of his decisions. He considers it a sign of weakness.
The room grows silent. My father’s mouth moves, yet makes no sound.
I won’t make him say the words. “I don’t want the job, the pendant, or the shares. I only want your love.”
My father’s gaze slides to Logan. “You don’t expect me to love him too, do you?”
I stifle a smile. “I wouldn’t ask the impossible.” I pat my billionaire’s chest. “Though I hope you’ll grow to respect him.”
“I already respect Ross.” My father shocks me with this admission. “I just don’t like him. Why would I? He wants my company and my daughter.”
His daughter. My father has taken me back. My heart fills with joy. Although our relationship will never be the same, we will have a relationship, and maybe this new relationship will be stronger, healthier, more stable.
“You can have your precious company, St. James,” Logan drawls. “I’ll continue to give you my input and you’ll continue to ignore it.” He succinctly sums up their board meeting discussions. “Your daughter is the prize I want.”
“You have that prize.” I don’t hide my love or my desire, allowing all of my feelings to show. Logan’s muscles flex. His irises darken. He hardens, all over, the ridge in his dress pants pressing against my left thigh.
I turn him on with a mere look. My tongue darts over my bottom lip and his gaze tracks the movement. I control this dangerous man.
“Behave,” Logan murmurs, a promise of retribution shining in his eyes. “We’re leaving.” He stands, lowering me to my feet, my body sliding over his, the contact exciting me.
“We’re not done, Ross,” my father grumbles.
“We’ll talk at dinner tonight.” Logan invites himself to this important meal. “For now, we are done.” He links his fingers with mine, securing me to him, sending a silent message. We’re a team, together, one.
We stride out of the boardroom, hand in hand. I smack into Benoit, my friend unabashedly eavesdropping by the open doorway.
“Pardon.” He blushes. “I was--”
“You were looking after Arianna, ensuring she was okay.” Logan holds out his hand. Benoit grasps his palm, appearing stunned by the offer, and they shake. “I value your loyalty to her.”
The two men take a step back and study each other, my friend and my master, weighing the other’s worth. They’ve met casually at events I organized and Logan crashed, their conversations stinted and brief, my normally irreverent friend amusingly tongue-tied around the billionaire.
“Do you need Arianna urgently?” Logan breaks the silence.
“N-n-non,” Benoit stutters.
“Good.” My billionaire smiles. “Because I do.” He places a hand on the small of my back and coaxes me forward. “I expect you in my office, nine a.m. sharp on Monday, Benoit. We have work to do.”
“M-m-mais oui, sir,” my friend squeaks.
“I’ll call you later.” I glance over my shoulder at Benoit.
He’s staring at Logan’s ass. “Mon Dieu,” he mouths and bites his right fist. I laugh. My billionaire does look damn good from the back. I gaze up at him. His eyes sparkle. He looks even better from the front.
“You are what Doms call a bratty sub, pet.” Logan’s voice lilts with humor. “I see I have years, perhaps decades, of training ahead of me.”
He plans to train me for decades. I wiggle my toes, unable to suppress my happiness. “You may have to punish me, sir.”
“There is no may. You’ve been a bad girl and I will punish you.” He opens the door.
“Will you, sir?” I pause, glancing up at him, his statement filling me with both trepidation and anticipation. I trust him to dole out only as much pain as I can take, to offset the hurt with bliss.
“I will.” He presses his palm against my spine, propelling me over the threshold.
I step into the warm sunshine, my billionaire following behind me. The scarred man stands beside a limousine, no expression on his face. I walk slowly, every step bringing me closer to my punishment.
Will Logan use the nipple clamps on me? I shudder, remembering that delicious agony. Will he take out his displeasure on my clit, slapping that sensitive bundle of nerve endings? Or will he ignore me? That’s the cruelest punishment I can think of. Having been neglected most of my life, I’ve grown to crave his attention.
I enter the limousine, not meeting the scarred man’s gaze. He m
ust know I misbehaved, that I ignored his boss’s commands. I lower my ass to the leather seat.
“Do you deserve to sit beside your master?” Logan asks, filling the space to my right, his stern tone wetting my panties. The limousine door closes and the interior lights dim.
“No, sir.” I move quickly, kneeling before him, my pencil line skirt drawing tightly over my thighs, the carpeted floor rough against my bare knees. I place my arms behind me, imitating the women on the BDSM sites, and I wait, my head bowed.
“What is your safe word, pet?”
“Marriage, sir.” I use the same word, unable to think of another.
“I’ll accept that safe word today.” My master doesn’t sound happy. “But you’ll choose a different one going forward. It’s no longer appropriate for us, is it, pet?”
It’s no longer appropriate because he plans to marry me. “It isn’t, sir.” I struggle to hide my happiness.
“You’re a clever girl.” His brown eyes reflect his approval and a warmth spreads across my chest. “Remove your jacket.”
The partition is open. His man sitting in the front seat will see me. But I comply, trusting Logan, eager to please my master, my future husband. My fingers tremble. My heart beats faster. I slip the garment from my shoulders, revealing my black silk bra, the diamond nipple clamps sparkling, clipped underneath my full breasts.
Logan holds out his right hand. I drape the sky blue fabric carefully over his palm. He places the jacket on the seat.
“Pull down your bra,” he orders. “Show me your tits.”
God, this is humiliating. I obey him, my face burning. The cool air tightens my nipples. The bra’s underwire pushes my breasts upward, presenting my curves to him.
“Hands behind your back.”
This position displays my nudity even more. I silently offer Logan my body, communicating that I’m his to do with as he pleases.
“Very pretty, pet.” He slides his dress shoes between my legs and nudges my knees wider apart, the stance straining the seams of my skirt.
I peek up at him through my eyelashes. He gazes at my breasts, at my face. The floor vibrates under my knees, the limousine moving. I don’t know where we’re going and I don’t care, my focus on my billionaire master, the man I love.