Off Limits
Copyright © 2016by Scribble XO Books. All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
⎔ ⎔ ⎔ ⎔
Want to cozy up to your favorite billionaire and be transported to romantic and sexy places? Here is a FREE SPECIAL GIFT just for you!
Thank you guys! ~Author Emilia Domino
Chapter 1: A Dance and A Deal
Ever since she was a little girl, Gemma had always been told what big, beautiful green eyes she had. It didn't take her very long to discover just how much sway those lovely eyes had. By the age of ten, she'd mastered the puppy dog look and applied it to all applicable situations to get her way. And Gemma always got her way. Just now, those eyes were alight with mischief, staring out of the mirror at her as she went over her appearance.
Her sleek, brown hair was done up in bouncy curls that hung down her back, enticing the gaze to run down her curvaceous body currently donning a backless dress of deepest emerald—to enhance her eyes, of course—and her red-painted lips were turned up at one corner, clearly very satisfied with the image in the mirror.
A voice behind her spoke up, “What if something happens, Gem?” Rainna was sitting on the bed, her toes just skimming the carpet. She was staring at Gemma's reflection, her brow knitted into a frown.
“You worry too much, love.” Gemma turned around and kissed her best friend on the forehead. “Everything will be okay.”
Rainna didn’t seem convinced, but she handed over a pair of diamond tear-drop earrings anyway, giving Gemma the thumbs-up when she put them on and struck a pose.
“All you have to do is wait for me in the car. I won't even take long, I swear. These people are a lot easier to crack that you’d think.”
Gemma cast about the room, looking for one last, very important item. The tiny apartment she shared with Rainna wasn't exactlymessy, but it definitely had a “lived in” feel. Several different outfits that didn't make the cut for the night were lying about having been tossed away rather carelessly—a dress piled here on the bed, a skirt hung over the doorknob. Makeup and earrings and bracelets were strewn about on the vanity. An expensive lamp with crystal embellishments on the shade perched precariously on its side table that stood jammed between the bed and the vanity.
“Ah-ha,” she said triumphantly, seizing a white half-mask from where it had fallen at the foot of the bed. The ivory colored silk glittered with little starry gems, and a luxurious plume of white graced one side. It would look lovely against her hair. Donning her mask, she felt complete. Gemma nodded, more to herself than anything, and the two women made their way into the night.
***
It was a good half hour from their place on the lower east side of the city to downtown Manhattan, but Gemma wasn't concerned about distance. Her mind was on other things. Seraph Corp was throwing a big to-do fundraiser to raise some money for a new orphanage in the city. The thought of it made Gemma sneer as she stared out of the window at the slightly shabby little corner stores and apartment buildings.
Seraph Corp didn't care a lick about orphanages, only their image. They were a big pharmaceutical company that had swallowed up several chains of smaller pharmacies, bought up the patents to as many different medicines as they could in an effort to control the prices, and owned a large portion of the hospitals in the city. Every so often, they organized a fundraiser or donated some money, but few people were fooled. It was a business, and like any business it only existed to make money. Gemma, at one point, had thought that they may have at least been doing some good, but that was several years ago, before she moved to this side of town.
When I was naive.The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Once upon a time, Gemma had owned her own little jewelry shop downtown. It hadn't been a booming business, but she did well. She handled all of the buying personally. Anything rare and sparkling, she bought it up and sold it to the highest bidder, or else wore it out on her many and varied escapades. Nothing worth having escaped her grasp until she was bored of it and ready to sell, and she had forged a small niche for herself and earned a slice of respect among her peers that made her feel powerful. Things had been going well for long enough that she thought she might expand. It would stretch the budget, but it would be worth it in the long run.
That had been the plan, in any case. As soon as she'd handed over the money for the new location, Seraph Corp announced its plan to buy up the entire city block she had just moved into. They were going to turn it into a children's hospital, or so they claimed. When Gemma refused to sell for the offered price, she found herself on the end of a very subtle smear campaign that pushed her even farther into debt—word that it was her shop that was holding back the founding of a new hospital spread and over night it seemed that customers and vendors alike were no longer willing to have anything to do with her. Just like that, her dream ended, and her little slice of the world dried up.
Luckily, Rainna had been there to try to help Gemma gather up the pieces of her life, but the memory of it still made her skin prickle. Her favorite part of the whole debacle, however, was that the hospital was never built. To this day, the shops still stood on the lot, every one of them empty and unused. With that thought still burning in her chest, Gemma looked up as they turned a corner and the car was forced to come to a stop. The entire street was jammed full of cars and people all crowding around the big event.
Turning to Rainna she said, “Wish me luck.” With a wink, she hopped out of the car and joined the crowd, letting it herd her up the street.
Getting in was a simple matter of misdirection. While the doorman was ogling some pretty brunette who was spilling out of her dress, Gemma simply walked right in. Grabbing a glass of champagne from a passing tray, she smirked as she took a good look around. The whole place seemed to glitter as the soft golden light of a hundred chandeliers was reflected on every shining surface. Hundreds of people had bought their way in, and every one of them was dressed to the nines in their most ostentatious outfits and accessories, each determined to outshine the other.
Tossing back her bubbly drink, Gemma smiled to herself. It looked almost as if the ladies of New York were decked out in stars. One woman tossed her head back in laughter, and the diamonds around her neck shone with eye-catching brilliance. Another was casually gesturing to a man that she was eyeing with a predatory look, the massive rock on her finger catching the light in its facets. It was like they wanted to be targets. This, of course, suited Gemma just fine.
A peal of laughter caught her ear, just off to the right. A woman in a yellow dress, bottle-blonde and already a bit tipsy, was talking and laughing loudly with a red-faced brunette as the pair of them walked right past Gemma. They seemed to be lovers.Oh?Gemma quirked an eyebrow over the rim of her champagne glass.
The blonde leaned into her date, putting a hand on her own neck, and there it was - the most beautiful heart-shaped black diamond necklace on a chain of sparking platinum.Oh!
Gemma smoothed down the silk of her backless dress and descended on the pair of them, her mind already working up a plan. She didn’t have to sleep with the woman to get what she wanted. But if it came to that, she’d consider crossing that bridge.What have I come to?
Completely ig
noring the brunette, Gemma sidled up to the blonde woman just as naturally as if the two had always been friends.
“Can I get you a drink,” she asked, in her silkiest voice.
The woman smirked. “It's an open bar.”
“Then can I get you ten?” Gemma pushed down the uneasiness in her stomach.
The woman laughed. Her voice was bell-like and pleasant. She put her hand on the small of Gemma's back, evidently forgetting about her date, and ushered her to the bar.
“I daresay you can.”
Gemma fingered the rim of her still full glass of champagne, flicking her eyes up to the woman. The brunette had been a little upset when her date steered Gemma to the bar, but she quickly found that alcohol made for much better company. By the time that Gemma and the blonde had slipped away up a flight of stairs to a secluded balcony, the woman was flirting very heavily with the bartender and seemed to be over her anger.
The two had been talking for quite a while now, and Gemma made sure to ply her companion with drinks. After she was a few glasses in, she didn't even seem to notice that Gemma had stopped even pretending to drink.
What was her name again? She had already forgotten, but she leaned in to her just the same, her lips passing indecently close to the woman's own mouth, Gemma's breath a whisper across her jawline.
Gemma whispered, “You know, someone is bound to notice you're missing. They might think we're... up to something.” At the last word, Gemma wavered on her feet, jostling the woman along with her. This was her moment.
They both giggled drunkenly.
“You're right,” she said, but did not back away. “Perhaps we ought to go somewhere else?” The delicate inflection of the last word was the cue Gemma was looking for.
Stopping, Gemma looked down, as if to hide a blush. “Naughty girl! What kind of woman do you think I am?” Giving another peal of laughter, Gemma said, “I haven't had enough champagne for that kind of proposition!”
“Well, then I'll go get you some more,” the girl said happily, clearly oblivious to Gemma's glass. Gemma watched her stumble inside, across the empty room, and out a door on the opposite side of where the two had come up.
Seizing her chance, she tip-toed into the room, tossed her glass into a potted plant standing near the door, and then dashed out and down the stairs, the black diamond heart clutched close to her chest.
Taking the stairs two at a time, Gemma wished she hadn't worn these heels. They made a horrible clacking noise on the marble, but the music and chatter in the dance hall would be so loud that no one would notice. She was more worried about turning her ankle. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her mind was racing. She had to slip back into the crowd, to the door, and then out to the car where Rainna was waiting before the girl figured out that something was wrong. The thrill of a new acquisition welled up in her chest, but Gemma pushed it away. She would celebrate later.
Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, Gemma pulled off her mask. The girl had never seen her face, but she had seen the mask and would surely recognize it if she managed to catch up with Gemma. With a little pang of regret—the crystal embellishments were authentic, after all—she stuffed it into a decorative vase and then slipped back into the hall, doing her best to control her breathing as she brushed a strand behind her ear.
Just breath Gemma girl.Gemma was so close. She forced herself not to sprint toward the door, and instead walked as casually as she could, feigning interest in the band playing at one end of the room. She was so interested in the bass player, in fact, that she failed to notice the hard chest that blocked her path until she'd run right into it.
“Ah, there you are,” came a warm, dark voice as a hand shot out to grab her wrist. “You know... I've been looking all over for you. You owe me a dance.”
The man's face was obscured by a mask, but Gemma could see a pair of sharp blue eyes framed by long lashes boring into her. Before she knew what was happening, Gemma was being led out onto the dance floor and pulled against the same hard chest. The tall, broad-shouldered man was gripping her wrist firmly, while the two of them swayed gently on the spot. His touch felt warm and she could feel herself start to melt. Gemma chuckled nervously, trying to pull away, but he would not let go. A wave of panic came over her and she glanced in his eyes again, feeling momentarily stunned by its blue depths.
He can't possibly know, Gemma thought to herself, trying to calm her pounding heart.
The man had a strong, clean-shaven jaw, and mussed hair that fell to one side of his face in a graceful wave of black. He was a good deal taller than Gemma, the top of her head coming just under his chin. His suit must have been custom-made as it fit his large frame beautifully, just hinting at the hard muscles beneath. Gemma’s blood spiked when she caught a whiff of his strong masculine scent, his powerful presence rippling off of him in waves that threatened to overwhelm her.
Gemma turned again to escape, but the man instead spun her around, and pulled her back to his chest. It was firm, and she could feel the muscles bunch and tense beneath her hand. Being pressed so close to him, Gemma's nose was filled once again with a spicy, subtle cologne. If she hadn't been trying to run away, it would have been intoxicating.
“I think you've got the wrong girl,” Gemma said, trying again to slip away.
But his grip tightened on her wrist once more. Dipping her gently, the man leaned in to speak into her ear. His voice was low and almost playful this time.
“You should be more careful. You might drop that pretty, very expensive looking necklace you've got there.” Gemma's heart skipped a beat.
Just as she was drawing breath to make a scene, the man added, “I wouldn't do that just now. I know most of the people in here, and they'll take my word over yours. A shouting match isn't what we want tonight, is it Gemma baby?”
Gemma exhaled, realizing she was shivering. Whether it was the huskiness of his voice or his threat she wasn’t sure. She decided on a different tactic.
“Oh, this? I--”
“Stole it,” said the man, cutting right across her, his voice taking a much more serious tone. “From my sister.”
The bottom dropped out from Gemma's stomach. Her mind raced, but she couldn't think of a way to talk herself out of this one. The man spun her around and then pulled her back into his strong embrace.
“Tiffany, the girl you've been seducing all night, happens to be my baby sister.”
Aware of how many people were around, Gemma smiled tightly as though he'd just said something sweet.
“Is she? She's such a lovely girl. She's made me promise to come see her again,” Gemma invented wildly. “In fact, she's given me this necklace as a token of her affection.” She knew it was a weak lie, but she decided it was better than nothing.
“It was a birthday present. From me.”
“O-Oh. Well. You should probably have a talk with her about lending out her things to...” There was no getting around this man. He had let go of her wrist, but instead had taken one of her hands in his own, and placed his other upon her hip. Perhaps if she could duck down and get past him she might be able to lose him in the crowd.
“You know, it's too bad you ditched your mask already,” said the man softly, clearly not buying her story. “Now that I've seen your face, beautiful, there will be no hiding.” His voice stayed low and casual. One might have thought they were just flirting by their tones. “Whatare we going to do about you?”
Gemma's lip curled into a vicious sneer. “Haul me off to jail, then,” she hissed. “I'm not--”
“And your friend, too,” he asked smoothly.
Gemma went cold from her toes to her lips. “You wouldn't.”
“Oh, I would. You've picked the wrong man tonight, darling.”
“Your sister won't even notice it's gone! Clearly she's too worried about drinking and flirting to miss one necklace,” Gemma said, desperation edging into her voice.
“I noticed,” he said in a tone that said that he was not go
ing to let this go. Pulling her tighter to him, the man leaned in to speak into her ear. “But perhaps we can make a deal?”
Gemma eyes narrowed but she didn’t miss the jolt of heat that laced through her body.
“Wh -What kind of deal?”
The man chuckled. His laugh was low and dark and sinful.
“The best kind, of course. Come to this address,” he said, taking a business card from the front pocket of his jacket and slipping it into her palm, “and be prepared to stay.”
“Stay?!”
“Oh yes, Gemma baby. For a month.”
“I'm not staying with you for a whole month!” The color was rising in her cheeks and it was getting harder and harder to keep her voice down.
“You don't really have any room to argue, do you?” He was right. As much as she told herself she would never fear going to jail, she had never been caught before. And then what about Rainna? Rainna who didn't even want to be a part of this?
Hesitantly, she asked, “And what will I be doing?”
The man's blue eyes narrowed, and Gemma could tell he was smirking.
“You will work off your debt to me in whatever way I see fit. Do we have a deal?”
TAKE ME TO MORE!
______________________
You are now entering international waters! Never thought you’d get a chance to be a pirate, right? :)
As a special thank you to all of our international fans, I’ve included bonus books in French, Italian, Spanish and more! Please share our work with all your loved ones.
You are always welcome to join me and your other favorite authors in our Book Club! Thank you so much!
-Author Emilia Domino
________________
Mon Marine
Une collection de romance militaire
Son choisi l'amour | Mon propre Rose | Ce que je voulais
Copyright © 2016 Tous droits réservés.
BWWM: OFF LIMITS: An Interracial Alpha Billionaire Romance (Urban African American Contemporary Series) Page 1