Takeover: The Complete Series

by Lana Grayson

  I nearly wept.

  Was it possible to be tortured with compassion?

  Maybe it was his plan all along. Sweet, kind Reed—more of sadist than Max and a greater manipulator than Nicholas.

  Maybe he wanted me to beg.

  Maybe he wanted to watch as I wound myself tight in stress, exhaustion, and confusion.

  Maybe he planned it as my greatest humiliation of all.

  Or maybe he was just Reed, and he wanted to protect me.

  His cock hesitated at my entrance for only a moment before his grunted instinct seized control. His movements stretched me open inch by thickening inch, as though he were afraid he’d hurt me.

  He’d drive me insane.

  I shattered with sensitivity. I arched my hips and stole the rest of his length before he dared to thrust within me. His groan mirrored my own. I clutched at his hands on my waist, struggling to hold onto anything that would grind me against his fullness.

  “Fuck,” he swore again and again. “God damn, Sarah. I gotta come.”

  I squirmed against the bed. “Don’t.”

  “I’m sorry. I can’t—I have to—”

  He didn’t understand. Damn the blind fool. He had no idea. He’d make me say it.

  I gasped. “Don’t stop!”

  Reed stiffened. His hands dug into my flesh—the first time he hurt me and he didn’t even realize it.

  “What?”

  “Just take me,” I whispered. “It’s good, Reed. Don’t stop now.”

  “I…” His words cut with guilt. “I can’t do that to you.”

  His cock already imbedded me. I shifted, driving him deeper. Our bodies tensed. It wouldn’t be long. Not now, not since I had been torn apart and fit back together and his urges tightened his every muscle.

  “You aren’t hurting me,” I whispered. “Take me.”

  He swore. His grip hurt, but his thrust broke with his own hesitance. He nearly pulled out. My hips reflexively shifted, offering more to him. The shudder thundered over me.

  He wasn’t cruel enough to leave me to Darius.

  But if he stopped, Reed Bennett was just as merciless as his brothers.

  He seized my hips and wrapped me in his arms. I yelped as he rolled, falling onto his back and letting his cock pierce me from below. I fell awkwardly over him. The timid rocking of my hips was a moment of pure instinct.

  “You like it?” He gritted his teeth. “Then I’ll give it.”

  “You like it too.”

  “Too much.”

  I moved over him, but I hardly had the strength to find a real rhythm. I shrugged as his cock throbbed within me. Reed helped. He held me tight and guided me in place, drawing me against his thick demand.

  “You’re absolutely beautiful,” he whispered.

  “I bet you say that to all your step-sisters.”

  I giggled as he groaned. His hands tightened over my waist. He drew me against his cock, pumping me up and down until I squeezed him too much to accept anything but pleasure.

  I was on top, but he didn’t give me an ounce of control. He allowed me to set the pace, only because my timid motions teased his cock. He helped me as my inexperience trapped me with a possessing fullness and no idea how to ease the tension within me. I begged my step-brother to fuck me, and he savored my shame and chased away my fear.

  His reward pounded me from below, and I spread my legs to grant him every access.

  “I can’t hold back,” Reed whispered. “You know what I gotta do.”

  The cresting pleasure seized control of me too.

  He’d do the same thing Nicholas did with the same fury Max had thrust.

  They planned to claim me. They thought they’d fuck me, conquer me, and watch as the evidence of their mounting proclaimed them a master over me.

  Christ, if they knew.

  I sunk deeper against Reed, taking every bit of ecstasy I could steal from the Bennett under my spell. I hadn’t meant to seduce them or be seduced. And I never planned to take satisfaction with their desire. I intended to mislead, destroy, and ruin them.

  How easily they did the same to me.

  I dug my fingers into Reed’s shoulders, breaking myself in a stolen orgasm I didn’t deserve and he didn’t give. His words grunted into a feral growl, and he seized my hips, driving me down upon his thickness as he jetted.

  Thick. Hot. Consuming.

  Useless.

  We bound together, shuddering in time and moving in breathless demand against each other. The crushing pleasure tormented us, and, when my first full breath returned to me, I met Reed’s stare with as much gratitude as trepidation.

  But he hadn’t figured it out.

  None of them had.

  And the greasy guilt of the secret stained me from the inside.

  He rolled me off of him immediately. His breathing rattled, but he tucked himself within his pants and tossed his discarded shirt at me.

  He turned while I dressed.

  My heart clenched. I couldn’t imagine losing the beginning of what friendship we had.

  “Reed…” I fumbled with the material, pitching it over my head. “Wait. Talk to me.”

  “Sarah, don’t move.” He clutched his phone. “I have to…he asked for proof.”

  Oh.

  Ew.

  He guided me into the bed. It was the first time I fought him and closed my legs. I covered my face and sunk into the blanket.

  “But…” I grunted. “This isn’t…”

  “I know.”

  The phone’s camera clicked, and my stomach almost heaved with it. But the humiliation was quick, and I didn’t have to see it. Reed tossed the phone away. I pinched my legs shut once more as he pawed through a drawer next to his bed. He pushed a folder into my hands.

  “That’s for you,” he said.

  I hadn’t caught my breath or steadied my fluttering heart. Reed panted, leaning against the wall on a muscular arm. We shared a shiver even parted from each other.

  Flipping through the folder’s contents exhausted me. I couldn’t focus, but I recognized the scrawling insignia and faded lettering.

  “You’re giving me one share of the Bennett Corporation?” I perked an eyebrow. “So…you fuck me, then you insult me?”

  For the first time in days, Reed’s smile returned—a beaming, mischievous grin that soothed the thoughts and fears jumbling inside me.

  “Never know when that’ll come in handy,” he said.

  I arched an eyebrow. “Do I get voting rights?”

  His amusement faded for only a moment. “Ask Nick.”

  “I’ll just make sure my accountant labels this stock as risky.”

  “You’d be surprised.”

  He quieted.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Forget it.”

  Reed sighed and returned to the bed, scooping me in his arms before I could sneak away. He pulled me to his chest, and I crashed against his salty, sea-tempted scent. It wasn’t bad. Oddly comforting. He found the last show we’d watched on Netflix during my stay in the theater and settled in before the television.

  None of this was normal, but I appreciated it, especially as my legs had yet to stop trembling from his delivered passion.

  I let him wrap his arm around me, even smirking as he kissed my forehead. He didn’t draw his attention from the TV.

  “I know I’m not Nicholas—”

  “Reed—”

  “And I know you’ll never think of me as your brother.”

  I swallowed.

  “But I’ll take care of you just the same. No matter what happens here, no matter who is the one that…” He shrugged. “You’re not gonna get hurt. I won’t let it happen.”

  I snuggled against his chest. “Goddamn it.”

  “What?”

  I stole the remote from him. “I never wanted a Bennett for an ally.”

  “You got one.”

  For now.

  I didn’t have only Reed. I had all three of th
em under my thumb, in my possession, and stricken with my lust.

  And yet, the sudden allegiance with my step-brothers filled me with dread. They expected more from me than I could give, and I needed more from them than they knew.

  What the hell would happen when they realized the game I played?

  And how badly would it hurt when they abandoned me?

  20

  Nicholas

  I never considered myself a criminal.

  Ambitious—yes.

  Determined—of course.

  Ruthless? One had to be merciless in our line of work. To succeed and achieve both survival and wealth, ruthlessness was a common trait and necessary evil.

  I also never considered myself gentle.

  Sarah Atwood dined at our dinner table—naked, for our pleasure.

  And it had been my idea.

  To protect her, she needed to learn humility. I tried to shame a woman who had no reason to be ashamed by her utter perfection. But how else was I supposed to assume my authority over a woman who wielded the power to force me to my knees with a single word?

  Every flush of delicate, pink innocence that haloed her body pitted my stomach. Three men had taken her. My father expected her to be humiliated and lost, broken by our strength and damaged by our violence.

  He wanted us to rape her. Hurt her. Ruin her.

  The only thing Sarah Atwood did was ruin us.

  And I had no idea how she did it.

  The collar secured around her neck—her only adornment. She arranged the table cloth over her lap and covered her breasts with an awkward arm. She abandoned her dinner and left her bread uncut to preserve her useless modesty. Instead, she fiddled with her fork, clattering it to the plate when the air conditioning rattled through the silent dining hall.

  She yipped a breath and searched over her shoulder for the root of her fear.

  “My father won’t be joining us.” I sipped my wine. “He remained at the office this evening.”

  I admired her courage though she wasn’t brave enough to admit how he terrified her. The tension shivered from her body. She gulped her wine and earned Reed’s smirk as her arm accidentally revealed a sinfully pink nipple.

  “I’d like to get dressed,” she said.

  I sliced my steak. The bloody juice soaked a mound of mashed potatoes. Sarah picked at her salad.

  “No,” I said.

  Reed shifted. Max perked an eyebrow.

  None of it mattered.

  Sarah bristled, waiting for my explanation. She wouldn’t receive it.

  “I’ll strip if he comes back,” she offered.

  “I said no.”

  “Why?”

  I chuckled. “Don’t you think three men would prefer the company of a naked woman?”

  Reed nodded. “Steak and tits. It’s not a bad deal.”

  “You’re unbelievable.” Sarah’s glance silenced Reed’s chuckle. “You think this will humiliate me?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Fine.” Her arms dropped and her beautiful chest puffed proud. Her attention fell to Max. He no longer focused on the food. “Can you please pass the butter?”

  Max’s grin issued the challenge. “No.”

  “Christ.”

  “Come get it.”

  Sarah stiffened. We waited. She tossed her napkin and stood.

  My cock couldn’t harden any more. The softness of her skin still marred with bruises, but the pale tease of her body held more power over us than any command, whipping, or restraint.

  I might have ordered her to strip, but she bared our souls with a single sway of her hips. She circled the table, leaned over Max, and waited for my approval. Her breasts brushed Max’s arm. He grinned.

  She didn’t tease. Sarah dared.

  I tamed my jealousy with a bottle of wine and fierce devotion to my brothers, but Sarah still devastated my control.

  I entertained a fantasy of tossing her over the table, breaking glasses and pitching dishes from my path. I’d rut her right there. Let my brothers watch as I earned her squeals, forced her to come, and filled her with my authority.

  Max took her, but I buried myself within her almost immediately, marking her again as mine.

  Reed had his taste, but I had yet to take her again. It would be rectified.

  Sarah hoarded the butter and sipped the last drops of her drink. Reed casually shifted the bottle toward him as she reached for it.

  She sighed. “Reed, may I have some more wine?”

  “Nope. You’ll have to come around.”

  “You guys are acting like children.”

  “Most fun I’ve had since this afternoon.” He gave her a grin, dimple and all.

  She didn’t react, but in her caution, she revealed everything.

  After all the deviancies we forced upon her, it was Reed who triggered her shame.

  What had he done that drove her to silence? My brother wasn’t cruel. My father doubted he’d even touch the girl. How did she convince him to fuck her?

  A moment passed. Max scraped his fork against his plate. Reed surrendered and offered a refill.

  The stillness laced with a perverted inelegance.

  “So.” Reed was never one for awkward silences. The wine glugged into her glass. “Which one of us was the best fuck?”

  Sarah choked.

  “I’m not answering that!”

  “Why not?”

  “Why not?” She covered her face. “Because you guys forced me into bed!”

  “I’m just curious.”

  “And you’ll stay curious.”

  Max dropped his fork. The flogger wasn’t a usual utensil at our table, but he rubbed the leather anyway. It rested next to his plate. His grin pinned her in place, though she fixed on the weapon.

  “I’m curious too,” Max said.

  Reed folded his arms behind his head, forsaking his dinner. “Come on. What’s it gonna hurt? We all had you, so who was the best?”

  I didn’t speak. Sarah’s eyes flicked to me in a moment of weakness before looking anywhere else.

  She’d deny me.

  That was fine.

  All the more reason to return to her tonight and recover what was rightfully mine.

  “Stroke your own egos,” she said. “You all raped me like fine, upstanding gentlemen.”

  Reed laughed. “And you liked it.”

  Max’s voice lowered. “Be a good girl and answer the question, and maybe we’ll do it again.”

  I sipped my wine. “There is no maybe.”

  Sarah’s shudder didn’t go unnoticed. My brothers and I shared the same smile.

  The little Atwood, trapped within the Bennett’s lair. She tried to hide the tightening of her nipples, the rise of her chest, squirm of her hips. Her puffy lips parted only enough to let the tip of her tongue tease over the plumpness I longed to bite.

  “You were all…” Her voice wavered, but not in fear. “Good.”

  “Just good?” Max expected more.

  She cleared her throat and sipped her water. The glass condensed, and she rested the chilled goblet over her breast. Her nipple teased harder, a little nub begging for attention.

  “Well…Reed was very…” Her eyebrow perked. “Attentive.”

  Reed grinned, tilting his chair with a cocky flourish. “I aim to please.”

  Sarah waited for me. I said nothing, gesturing with my wine for her to continue.

  “And Max…” She bit her lip. “He was demanding.”

  The flogger edged into his grip. Sarah exhaled a heated breath.

  So she had liked his treatment. My little Sarah, taken in hand.

  She was a fragile thing—delicate and timid and perfectly submissive to me. I hadn’t needed to be attentive, and I never required a flogger.

  When Sarah’s hesitant glance fell to me, I knew exactly how she felt about our embrace.

  Because I felt it too.

  She was flawless.

  From her whispered breaths to her s
ilken, heated core. Every inch of her body was created for me, and it was by my grace and patience I let my brothers have a fleeting moment with perfection.

  No matter how much Reed had offered her, or how intense Max’s strikes had been, Sarah Atwood belonged to me.

  She knew it.

  They knew it.

  And she’d never escape me.

  “And Nicholas.” Sarah flushed. The deeper the pink, the harder I became. “He was…passionate?”

  It wasn’t the word she meant.

  I’d have to correct it. Soon. Just so she understood how passionate I was.

  “So.” Reed leaned in, flashing his dimple. “When do we try again?”

  “Classy.” Sarah tossed her bread at him. “Eat your dinner.”

  “Rather eat something else.”

  “Reed, I swear to God.”

  “Get used to it, baby.” Max shared Reed’s enthusiasm. “You got off easy before.”

  “Stop making puns!”

  “Little girl, the fun’s just starting.”

  Sarah tucked a fallen lock of blonde hair behind her ear. If possible, she looked even gentler. A trapped fairy fluttering at our table. But she ignored my brothers.

  “You can’t keep doing this,” she said.

  “Why not?” Reed stabbed his steak. “Working so far.”

  “This isn’t working. This is insanity. You guys can’t keep me here forever.”

  Max shrugged. “We don’t have to. Just until we knock you up.”

  Sarah said nothing. It wasn’t as though she had forgotten the purpose of her stay, but she stiffened like it was the first time she had understood our intentions.

  Like it was the first time she considered it.

  And she still wasn’t afraid.

  Why was that?

  “It’s not going to work.” She tried to scold us. “This plan is foolish. And…and cruel. And impractical.”

  “This will work, provided you are amenable to it,” I said.

  “Yeah, well…” She attempted diplomacy and failed. “I’m not. This got out of hand. And…we’ve all done things that I’m sure we’ll regret sooner rather than later.”

  “Doubtful.”

  “You’re working on the takeover, Nick. Once you have the company, you won’t have a use for me anymore.”

  It wasn’t true. We needed her more than she understood, more than she could have possibly realized. And I couldn’t tell her why.