by Roxy Sloane
I have to believe he’ll talk to me in time.
“Penny for them?” Cam’s voice cuts through my thoughts. I look up. I’m outside his office, the door open. He’s at his desk, looking at some papers as he eats takeout from a box.
“Give me another week, and that’s all the company’ll be worth,” I sigh, stepping inside.
Cam shakes his head. “It’s not over until the fat lady sings,” he says. “Or in our case, until the last member votes.”
I pause. I know I can’t trust anyone here, but finding information alone has been a challenge. I quickly weigh the risk before asking, “What do you know about Martin Ridley?”
Cam pauses, frowning. “I haven’t heard that name in a long time. He was part of the company, way back years ago.”
“So you don’t know he’s behind the Excaliber bid?” I ask point-blank.
Cam looks shocked. “Are you serious? When did this happen? How are you sure?”
If he’s lying, he’s doing a good job of it. “I had someone do some digging,” I say carefully, not wanting to give Vaughn away. “And they confirmed he’s the one behind the hedge fund.”
Cam exhales. “Shit. That would explain why Ashcroft didn’t accept their offers.”
“So there was bad blood between them?” I press him, looking for any hints of deception.
But Cam doesn’t flinch. “Real bad.” He nods. “Ashcroft wouldn’t even talk about what happened back then. All he ever said is the guy was rotting in jail where he belonged.”
“He’s out. And running around town conspiring with Brent and Carter.”
“Maybe this will help us.” Cam looks brighter. “Ridley always had the worst reputation.”
“What do you mean?”
“Shady business dealings, mob ties, you name it.” Cam sighs. “Ashcroft didn’t find out until too late, they were already in deep with him. But if the board knows he’s behind the offer, maybe that will make them think twice. You can’t trust a guy like that. He’s dangerous.”
I gulp. “That’s not good.”
“Not at all.” Cam looks grim. “I heard he had a way of making threats just disappear. Feds tried to get him on drug running charges once. Two weeks before the trial, their star witness blew his brains out.”
I feel a chill. “Suicide?”
“That was the official verdict,” Cam gives me a look. “But it was too convenient by half. The guy didn’t leave a note, just put a shotgun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.”
Just like Vaughn’s dad.
I stumble back, suddenly sick to my stomach. “I... should get back,” I say quickly.
“Thanks for the intel on Ridley, this should help us a lot.” Cam grins, not realizing what his words have done to me. “I’ll look into his history with Ashcroft Industries. Maybe there’s something back then we can use.”
I nod and hurry back to my office, mind racing. All this time, Vaughn and his family believed that his father committed suicide, but what if that’s not the truth?
What if Jack Vaughn was killed -- because of this man, Ridley?
No. I can’t jump to conclusions. Something like this is too big to just go on coincidence and rumor. Even Cam said, they never knew about this other guy for sure -- and I can’t dredge up Vaughn’s past for him without solid proof.
The thought haunts me for the rest of the day. I still don’t hear anything from Vaughn, and when I get back to my apartment, I’m not even sure if he’ll be there.
But he is. Sitting in the dark staring out of the window, like he’s been there for hours.
I turn on the lights. He doesn’t move.
I take a deep breath. I’m feeling scared and insecure and angry over the way he acted at the restaurant. But I won’t let him push me around now. If this is going to be different now, I need him to let me in.
“I was worried about you.” I cross around so I’m standing in front of him.
Vaughn looks tense and conflicted. He gulps from the glass of whiskey in his hand. “Dammit, Keely. Can’t you just leave it alone?”
My heart aches. I hate seeing him like this. I wish we could just move on and pretend we never met Julianne at all, but it’s too late for that.
“You promised me, no more lies,” I remind him. Vaughn gets up angrily and turns to go, but I move to stop him.
“I mean it, Vaughn. You either tell me the truth, or you walk out that door right now. And you don’t come back.”
10
VAUGHN
Keely stands in front of me, unflinching. She folds her arms and waits, and I know, there’s no getting around it now.
Dammit. For a moment, I wish we could turn back the clock to when I first met her. That Keely wouldn’t be making ultimatums, she’d be too busy choking on my cock right now. Yeah, that nervous, blushing woman I could distract with filthy words, shove my fingers in her pussy and make her come screaming so hard she forgot what she was asking in the first place.
But I already tried to block out the truth back at the restaurant. I thought that if I could just sink deep into her hot, wet cunt, I could wipe the memory of Julianne’s betrayal from my mind.
I was wrong. There’s no erasing the past.
“Vaughn.” Keely’s voice softens. Her eyes are full of emotion. She touches me gently, and fuck, if it’s my undoing.
Something splits open inside me. Memories come rushing out.
“I thought she was the one,” I tell her, hating myself for how fucking dumb I could be. “I was young, and horny, and stupid, and Julianne... She dazzled me, I guess. You saw her, she knew exactly how to act, what to say. I thought she was sweet, and innocent. I couldn’t have been more wrong.”
Keely exhales. I sink back into the chair, pulling her onto my lap. The feel of her warm, lush body pressed against me is soothing, like she’s the one thing I can hold onto. Keep the harsh truth of the past from cutting too deep.
“I was crazy about her, I lost my head. I didn’t realize at the time she was just playing me. She’d spin on a dime, have crazy mood swings. Be sweet as pie one day then push me away. It was all a game to her, a way to keep me running back for more.”
“But you loved her,” Keely murmurs, snuggling into me.
“I didn’t know what the fuck love was,” I clench my jaw. “She had me dancing on her strings. All that time I was panting after her, she was screwing around. My friends, her co-workers, but that wasn’t the worst. No, she had a final fuck-you planned, a way to really dig the knife in before she let me go.”
I stop. I’m numb to it now. Totally detached. Like I’m telling a story that happened to someone else.
“What happened?” Keely whispers softly. She takes my hand, lacing her fingers through mine.
“She fucked my brother is what happened.”
I feel Keely’s gasp. She pulls back to look at me. “Oh, Vaughn...”
“Planned it, too,” I add grimly. “Set the whole thing up so I’d find them together. She’s been seducing him for weeks. Telling him how terrible I was to her, how I picked fights and pushed her around and made her do unspeakable things in bed. None of it was true,” I add, looking down at Keely. “I never laid a hand on that woman, I swear. And in bed--”
“I don’t know if I want to hear it,” Keely says quickly. I see the insecurity in her eyes, and I have to chuckle.
“It was nothing like this, baby. She can’t hold a fucking candle to you.”
A smile curves on Keely’s lips, but she quickly wipes it off. “That must have been awful for you.”
“It fucking tore me apart.” I shake my head. “I swore I’d never let it happen again. I’d never trust anyone like that, never give someone that power to hurt me. I would stay in control. I would be the one making them beg.”
Something shifts on Keely’s face. “Is this why you need to dominate?” she asks.
I’ve never thought about it like that. “In the beginning, maybe. But even after Julianne was ancient history, I d
idn’t want to stop. It’s part of who I am now. What I need to get me there.”
Keely bites her lip. “Are you thinking about her, when it’s me on my knees? Is that what it’s about for you, getting back at her?”
“Fuck no,” I growl. “That bitch is the last thing on my mind. You think I have time for her when you’re around?” I demand. “I’m too busy thinking about your delicious cunt dripping around my tongue. I’m thinking about how that tight little asshole is going to feel stretching wide open around my cock.”
Keely’s eyes widen. I yank her closer, so she’s straddling my lap, and close my hands around her breasts. I squeeze at the juicy mounds, making her moan.
My cock leaps to attention.
“You feel that?” I demand, thrusting against her. Needing for her to understand. Julianne never made me feel this hunger. Julianne didn’t make me come undone like her. “That’s all for you, baby. Every last inch.”
“But...” Keely still looks conflicted. Why can’t she see there’s no competition? Nobody I’ve ever been with even comes close to her.
“Are you thinking about your exes right now?” I cut her off, plucking her nipple through her blouse, tweaking at the tender nub.
She gasps. “No!”
“What about when I’m inside you?” I growl, pulling her skirt up. I zero in on that wet little pussy, easing my fingers inside. “When you’re on your knees, begging for another spanking. Is that because some guy dumped you back in college, and you’ve got issues?”
She gasps, shaking her head, bearing down on my hand. “No,” she moans again. “I only care about you.”
“That’s right, baby.” I slide my thumb over her clit. She arches up, desperate for another rub.
Fuck, she’s so hot like this, so fucking beautiful.
“It’s because you want my cock.” I growl, rubbing her slick knot faster. “Because you’re hungry for me. Because surrendering gets you off like nothing else. That’s how I feel when I’m with you.”
“Promise me,” Keely gasps, holding on even as my fingers plunder her aching pussy. Even as her nipples harden, and her body begs for more.
“I promise, baby.” I hold her gaze, meaning every word. “Julianne is ancient history. It’s over, I swear.”
I see something in her break. The doubt clears from her eyes. She gives in, grinding shamelessly against my fingers.
I chuckle. Goddamn, she feels so good. She always does, like she was meant to be ravaged, like her pussy was made to stretch open for me. My fingers.
My cock.
“We’re the same, sweetheart,” I growl, my dick swelling to a painful size. “You and me. Hard and soft. Two sides of the same dirty coin.”
I can’t wait anymore. I need to be buried inside her and feel that body shudder from the inside out. I unzip my pants in a hurry, pushing her panties aside and positioning her above me. Keely braces her hands on my shoulders and lowers herself an inch onto my waiting ramrod cock.
I groan at the feel of her, the tight, slick wetness, but she stops, holding fast above me. “You know you can trust me,” she whispers softly, stroking my face. “I’ll never hurt you like that.”
My chest tightens. “And I swear to you, baby, there’s no one else. You’re all I want,” I admit with a groan. She lowers herself the final way, sinking down on me, devouring my cock with her dripping pussy. I grip her hips, ready to thrust up into her, but instead, I feel her inner muscles grip tight around me in a mind-blowing rhythm.
Oh shit. Pleasure slams through me. “What the hell, baby?”
She clenches again with a wicked grin.
“No more lies?” she demands, gripping tight, milking my shaft without a single movement.
Fuck. I feel the pressure spark, racing from my root. “No more lies,” I gasp, trapped in her pussy’s miraculous grip.
“Only me.” Keely insists, grinding down on me.
“Only you, baby.” I swear, already losing it. Fuck, I’m going to come, I can’t hold back. I need to take her over fast so I do the one thing guaranteed to blow her sweet little mind.
I slide a finger back between her ass cheeks and push into the puckered flesh.
Her whole body goes still. “Vaughn...” Keely pants for air, her nails digging into my shoulders as she struggles to process the intrusion, but I don’t stop. I rock up inside her, stretching her from both sides.
“Feels good, doesn’t it baby?” I rasp in her ear. “So dirty. So tight. How do you think it’s going to feel with my dick back there?”
She whimpers, shaking. Quivering on my cock. Clenching her ass around my finger. Fuck, I’m going to come. I pull her cheeks wider apart and push another finger inside, grinding my dick hard as I curl my fingers deeper into the hot darkness and pulse.
Keely shatters, screaming in a hoarse cry as her body convulses. Her pussy spasms against me, stretched to the limit, forcing me over the edge. I come with a roar, spurting deep inside her, feeling every goddamn second of her climax as her needy cunt milks me dry.
Goddamn.
Keely collapses against me. “See?” she manages to speak, her face flushed with that just-fucked glow. “Talking doesn’t have to be so bad.”
I chuckle, totally spent. “As long as your pussy’s having the conversation, I’ll say anything you want.”
She shifts, curling against me, my spent dick still snuggled inside. “Nothing makes me feel like you.” She says it dreamily, tracing over my chest and arms.
I feel a stab of pride.
“Me too, baby.” I fought it long enough, but she’s here now, wrapped in my arms. She’s seen the worst in me, knows every dark secret, and still she’s willing to take a chance.
Who is this girl, and what did I ever do to deserve her?
“It’s never been like this, not even close.” Keely smiles up at me. “That’s why I need you to be honest with me, so we both hold nothing back. Imagine what it could be like when we’re totally open. When we trust each other completely, and can ask for anything we need.”
I stare at her. Imagine. Fuck, I’ve done nothing but imagine. All these years of screwing around, I told myself I’d given up on this. That I’d never find a woman strong enough to deal with all my shit. To take everything I needed her to give, and still come back for more.
But she’s here, in my arms right now. Sharing my burden, making me feel like I’m not alone.
She deserves the world for this. She deserves a pleasure beyond her wildest fantasies.
Keely’s breathing slows. She gives a sleepy yawn.
“Not yet, baby.” I gently nudge her awake. “It’s time to get dressed. I’ve got something planned for you. A night you’ll never forget.”
11
KEELY
Vaughn gets dressed and goes out to make some final arrangements. He leaves me with a list of instructions, and an address to go meet him at nine.
I kiss him goodbye, happy to see him look so focused and relaxed. The dark scowl he had when he talked about Julianne -- all those memories and pain -- they’re nowhere to be seen right now.
We fucked them all away.
No, I correct myself, stepping into the shower. We talked them out. Honestly, like I wanted. I put it all on the line and he came through for me. He showed he wants to open up and make this work.
And then he opened me up, and showed me what it feels like to be stretched so tight every inch of motion is a mind-blowing miracle.
I shiver, rinsing off under the hot jets of water. It’s getting more intense now every time we fuck. The race of uncertainty is still there, never knowing what he’s going to try next, but somehow I feel safe too. I trust him completely. I can surrender, knowing he’ll only bring me pleasure. That however hard he fucks me, however tight the restraints are at my wrists, whatever he does to ravage every part of my body, I’ll like it.
I’ll come screaming, every time.
That submission, it’s a freedom like nothing I’ve ever felt before.
Shutting off my mind, giving in to the desire, until I’m nothing but sensation and hunger. An animal, driven by pure instinct, totally at his mercy.
And only he can get me there.
I dry off and check the list of instructions.
Wear the red dress. Garters and stockings. Lipstick. Heels.
I go to my walk-in dressing room, the one that’s three times the size of my old bedroom back in LA. I couldn’t shop fast enough to keep up with the schedule of luncheons and parties, so I’ve had personal shoppers do the work for me: sending over gorgeous designer outfits all sized to fit me just right. Still, the closets aren’t even half-full.
I go to the far wall and open a drawer of lacy lingerie. Vaughn didn’t mention underwear, but I pick out a new set of daring black lace bra and panties: cut high on my thigh with criss-crossing ribbons over the bust like I’m all tied up in ropes. I roll on the stockings, and fasten the garter belt around my waist, then I reach for the red dress.
I pause, thinking. Vaughn was clear about his instructions, but it would be fun to shock him.
Make him punish me.
Rebellion crackles, a naughty charge. Instead of putting on the dress, I reach for my new Burberry trench-coat instead. I pull it on, shivering at the feel of the silk lining against my bare skin. I wrap it around me, fastening the belt. There. Nobody could tell I’m almost naked under here, but I can’t wait to see Vaughn’s face when I peel it off and he realizes the truth.
I finish my makeup, carefully applying the bright red lipstick. I meet my eyes in the mirror and have to smile. I remember getting dressed for my first evening with Vaughn. I was so innocent back then, I felt adventurous just putting on this lipstick. Now, I’m going out to meet him in black lingerie, already imagining how my red lips will look sliding down the thick, hard shaft of his cock.
I tremble in anticipation. I wonder what he’s got planned tonight; he’s been so mysterious. Whatever it is, I know I’m in for the ride of my life.
* * *
Vaughn sends my driver to meet me up at my door, so I’m not alone for a single moment as we head across the city. The car pulls up at an office building in Tribeca, and the driver accompanies me up to a door on the twelfth floor. “Enjoy your evening, miss.” He tips his cap and takes the elevator back downstairs.