Twisted_A Billionaire Romance

by Stella Andrews

  I feel the tremor shake through to my core as I see the heat in his eyes. He stares at me for what seems like ages and then growls, “Fuck work. I want this more.”

  Then he lifts me like a caveman and kisses me hard. Ignoring Susan who chooses that moment to come out of the kitchen, he moves quickly towards his bedroom. I see her laugh softly as she heads towards the elevator and grin to myself. I love this. The dominant male in him makes my heart sing. He makes no secret of what he wants and I’m no different.

  He kicks the door open to his room and pushes me down onto his huge bed. I lean back on my elbows and throw him a come and get it look as he rips his shirt off and looks at me with intent.

  I stare into those steel, blue, eyes as they promise me what’s in store. Then as I see that body heading my way I swallow hard. Fuck, this man will be the death of me.

  He pulls me up and claims my lips like a starving man. He then proceeds to rip my clothes off me with no regard and growls, “I want to fuck you all afternoon, all night and into next week. Tell me you want me.”

  I look him in the eye and say huskily, “I want you, Sam and now shut the fuck up and give me what I want.”

  His eyes flash as he grins. “Whatever you say, darlin’.”

  Then nothing else registers but the heat flooding through my body at his touch.

  I see nothing but him.

  I want nothing but him.

  There is nothing but him.

  Finally, Sam gets back to work and I’m free to explore my new home. Like the man, this apartment is something special and I take my time exploring every inch of it.

  Susan soon returns with the groceries which I insist on helping her put away.

  We grab a coffee and sit and chat for a bit. She smiles warmly. “So, you may be staying longer than you thought.”

  I laugh happily. “So, it would seem. Can I ask you something, Susan?”

  She looks interested. “Of course, ask away.”

  “Has there ever been anyone else living here with Sam?”

  She shakes her head. “No. I’m not saying there hasn’t been the odd guest.”

  She colors up and I roll my eyes. “It’s ok, I get the picture. I think I’d worry more if there haven’t.”

  She laughs. “Yes, I get your point. But to answer your question, you’re the only one who’s ever stayed. Mr. Carrington is a workaholic. He lives and breathes his company and is very successful at what he does. I always hoped he would find some happiness outside the boardroom though. He’s got so much to give the right woman and I’m glad to see that it’s you, Katherine.”

  I smile. “Why do you say that?”

  She grins. “You keep him in line. You don’t stroke his ego and tell it how it is. You don’t stand on ceremony and give as good as you get. You’re the real deal, Katherine and that’s just what he needs. The others were all faceless, carbon cut-outs from the same mold. Glamorous, empty-headed women, with only one thing on their mind.”

  I shake my head. “What’s that?”

  She looks annoyed. “They all wanted to be where you are now. They wanted the billionaire, not the man. They wanted the prize, not the companion. All they wanted was what he could give them and weren’t interested in what’s behind the man. He in return, just wanted a warm body to play with for the night. Many times, we’ve had to explain to a guest that he left in the early hours and they had to leave.”

  I laugh. “So, you’re his bodyguards. What a bastard. He uses and abuses and leaves you to clear up his shit.”

  She laughs. “You have a way with words, Katherine, but yes, I think you’ve hit the nail on the head.”

  I roll my eyes as my phone rings. As I look down, I see it's Sam.

  “Hey handsome, what’s happening.”

  Immediately I can tell this isn’t a social call as his voice is terse and angry. “I’m sorry, darlin’, but phase four is tonight. I’ve had word that Todd Preston’s in town and keen to party. This guy is the one who’ll get you inside that infamous club. There’s a masked party there later this evening and we’ve been invited. The request was on my desk when I arrived.”

  I feel the nerves building in my stomach and say fearfully, “What does it mean?”

  He says softly. “It means they want you to party with them. Word has obviously spread and now it’s Todd’s turn to play. These men like to share so phase four and five may well run together.”

  I gasp and whisper, “You don’t mean?”

  There’s a tense silence before he says softly. “I’m afraid so. The biggest fish may well be there and we’ll need our heads firmly in the game.”

  He hesitates for a moment and then says softly. “This is it, Katherine. Our chance to put this to bed. Just say the word if you want to bale and I’ll make it right.”

  I feel light headed and picture the men in my sights. With a deep breath, I say in a hard voice. “What do I have to do?”

  There’s a short silence and then he says softly, “Dress to impress and wait for me. Things are crazy here and I have several things I need to do first. We can’t talk on the phone, I’ll fill you in on the way there.”

  I hang up and look across at Susan who doesn’t appear to have noticed the change in my mood. She smiles. “Everything ok, Katherine?”

  I smile back and try to look normal although I feel anything but.

  “Sam’s going to be a little late but said we’re heading out tonight. I’ll just go and soak in the tub while I decide what to wear.”

  She looks excited. “Sounds lovely. Where are you going, anywhere nice?”

  I try to ignore the knot forming in my stomach. “I hope so, Susan. It sounds interesting if nothing else.”

  I leave her to it and head to my room. I don’t use Sam’s bathroom because it doesn’t feel right for this mission. I need to distance myself from the feelings I’ve developed for one last time—hopefully, anyway.

  My mood has shifted and everything comes rushing back. Kitty the whore just won’t go away and even though I am trying to place her firmly in my past, I need her more than ever now.

  I think about the remaining men in my sights. Senator Todd Preston, ivy league asshole, and the one Ryder can’t stand the most. I remember back to the conversation in his office and he almost spat his name across the desk. This is the one he wants to pay and I wonder just what he did to spark the white-hot fury in Ryder’s eyes. I can kind of guess and just for a moment I picture the woman who destroyed my life.

  Ashton Mortimer. Billionaire’s daughter with that innocent look of the vulnerable. She walked into the club with her brother and stole everything. I hated her on sight because I saw the way Ryder watched her walk towards us. She was broken, I saw it in her eyes and he loves nothing more than repairing a broken Angel. I should know, he did a good job with me.

  My mind flashes with images of my time spent with the Reapers. When Snake took me to the compound I was scared and damaged inside. Like Ashton, I walked into that Clubhouse and felt the stares. Ryder watched me in much the same way but I felt none of the heat in his gaze or the ownership flare in his eyes. I felt an interest and those dark eyes burned through to my soul.

  Snake filled him in and he called me forward. I was shaking and nervous in front of him and yet couldn’t tear my eyes from his. He sat me down and told me firmly but gently how it was going to be. I had a home there if I wished. They would care for me and provide everything I needed. It was my choice if I took a job there helping around the compound or they would find me a job somewhere else. I could even go back to college if I wanted to.

  I remember feeling nothing but relief when I saw they weren’t a threat. They never demanded anything from me that I wasn’t prepared to give.

  Over the coming months, I was taught how to fight. Never again would I be in the position they found me in. I could defend myself and others around me. I soon relaxed around the guys and settled into my new home as if I’d lived there all my life.

  It was
inevitable I became a club whore. The guys were so hot and the choice was endless. They made me and the other girls feel loved and special. We were treated like princesses and yet the one I wanted the most kept his distance – emotionally, anyway.

  Like the others he wanted a warm body to warm his bed and drive the images away of a hard day in the field. I noticed he changed it up all the time and favored no one in particular.

  I tried everything to get him to notice me. He was the hottest guy there and his hard-bastard act just kept me wanting more. I hated it when he chose another over me and so started to warn the girls off. I made sure I was always the one waiting when he returned and soon we had an understanding. The other girls kept away when he came calling and I inevitably became his unofficial number one. All I wanted was a sign that he wanted me too. Just a show of affection or a small smile or a gentle touch. I did everything to make him mine and then some. All I got in return was his cock and then a night spent on my own while he returned to his daughter.

  Then when Ashton arrived it appeared to light a spark inside him and I lost him in one second flat.

  I try not to but the tears fall as I mourn the past. I’m not crying for Ryder, I know that now. What I have with Sam is real. It was never real with Ryder. Sam has done the unthinkable. He has driven the whore from inside and made me a woman. He has won my heart and claimed my soul and I would kill to keep him safe. Ryder is now a memory of a battle lost. I have won the war though because meeting Sam made everything fall into place.

  Ryder was never my destiny, Sam was.

  17

  Sam

  My mood changed as quickly as it took to open that handwritten envelope. I saw the crest of that fuck club and the scripted ink extending the invitation to debauchery. I’ve heard of this club, of course, I have. Membership is only available to the invited and is the playground of the men with the greatest power in the land. Senators and diplomats from foreign lands rub shoulders with high-class prostitutes and vulnerable girls. Men with more money than sense and a taste for the hard stuff meet within its discreet walls.

  I feel the disgust form a knot in my heart as I picture Katherine at their mercy.

  Tonight is a masked ball. It will be busy that’s obvious and will be a tricky mission to control. Todd Preston has extended the invitation and you refuse at your peril. He’s the Senator responsible for business and could ruin Carrington Steel and everything I’ve worked for in seconds. He’s also Ryder’s target number one, and that makes him a dead man walking.

  I know how the Reaper’s operate. Todd will be destroyed, humiliated and broken and never see it coming. When the dust settles and he is left with nothing, he will disappear or fall victim to a nasty accident. Suicide is always a neat and tidy way to end a man’s life. To everyone else, he would have ended it rather than face the humiliation of his ruin. But I know he would have been helped along the way by the very man controlling all their destinies. Never piss off the hand that knows all your secrets because it will be the last thing you do. Well, if he lays one hand on Katherine, Ryder will have to fight me to get to him first.

  With a sigh, I push the envelope away and call Katherine to tell her the good news. Then I try to re-focus my mind on business. My company takes up all my time and I’m paying the price for a few days of neglect. I wish I could push it all aside for one last night but there are deadlines to meet and time’s not on my side. I employ thousands of workers all around the globe and they are relying on me to keep their jobs and put food on the table for their families. I owe them to keep everything going and so with a heavy heart, I do what I do best. Make money.

  Time ticks by and I manage to wrap things up just before seven. As I begin shutting down my computer, there’s a sharp knock on the door. Cody enters and I see the worry on his face.

  “What?” I say harshly. This is all I need.

  He sits before me and rakes his fingers through his hair. “It’s that contract with the Saudi government. They’ve found a problem and want answers tonight otherwise they’ll be forced to re-evaluate the contract and you know what that means.”

  I groan. “Fucking, Ronsteel. Those bastards have been nipping on our heels all through this bid and have probably thrown a spanner in the works.”

  Cody nods angrily. “Sorry, Sam. I know you wanted to get off, but this is big. It’s an all-nighter just to straighten it out because we’ve already lost hours of work and the deadlines in twelve hours.”

  I slam my fist on the desk. “Fuck, I haven’t got time for this.”

  Cody looks concerned. “Is everything ok, Sam?”

  I bark. “No, it most definitely is not. Listen, grab everything you’ve got and meet me back here. We’ll nail this super quick because I have somewhere I need to be that I can’t get out of.”

  Cody, to his credit, just does as I say with no questions asked. I feel the blood rushing to my head as I reach for the phone.

  I hear Katherine’s shaky voice and almost lose my fucking mind. This just can’t be happening. “Listen, darlin’. Something’s come up that I must deal with. You’ll have to start on your own and I’ll meet you there. Take the equipment and use it as discussed. I won’t leave you without back up, you do trust me, don’t you, darlin’?”

  I hear the tremor in her voice as she tries to sound brave. That alone makes me want to hurl my desk through the window. “It’s ok, Sam. Don’t worry, just get there when you can. Won’t it look strange though?”

  I grind my fist into a ball as I growl. “No, you won’t be the only one turning up alone. Those bastards invite many a lone woman to their parties with one aim in mind. Just remember the plan and you’ll be fine.”

  There’s silence on the other end and I feel my heart beating faster than it ever has before. Then she says in a stronger voice. “I’ll be fine, honey. Just do what you have to do. I’ll see you there.”

  She hangs up and I feel the blood roaring through my veins like a river of fire. Then I make the call that provides the insurance I need. Nothing else matters but keeping Katherine safe.

  Katherine

  When Sam called and told me I’d be going solo, I felt the shiver run through me. It’s one thing going to this so-called club in the first place but I thought I’d have him by my side for reassurance. I hope he gets there quickly because this is going to be make or break and I want to wrap this up quickly.

  I take extra care with my appearance and choose a gorgeous green silk dress that caresses my curves and makes me feel a million dollars. My make-up is designed to bewitch, and the underwear chosen is the type that would send a grown man mad with lust. Once I climb on my heels, I feel in control and ready to take on the world.

  The final touch is the black sequined mask that disguises the girl behind it and accentuates the flashing eyes of revenge. This mission is turning into a pleasure. Despite taking revenge on the behalf of the many faceless victims, I am feeling empowered with the thought of them behind me. Everything I do will be to make it right for them and spare the victims of the future from a wrecked life. This is my calling regardless of the reasons that brought me here.

  As I make the final touch—a splash of my favorite heady scent, I see the Reaper looking back at me in the mirror. I allow a small smile to pass my lips for a memory of the past. This one’s for you, Ryder. Payback will be sweet and then you can fade into my past where you now belong. A stronger man has claimed my heart and he won’t let me down—I trust him with everything I’ve got.

  Jeremy and Susan look at me appreciatively as I head into the kitchen. Susan smiles.

  “Katherine, you look stunning.”

  I grin and spin around. “Not bad for something thrown together at the last minute.”

  Susan laughs as Jeremy consults his watch.

  “I believe your carriage awaits fair lady.”

  I smile, the excitement taking hold of my principles.

  “Thank you, kind sir. This is a ball that Cinderella would avoid at all costs.�
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  They look surprised and I laugh softly. “Prince Charming may be the one who shows up late in this fairy story. Let’s just hope he gets there before the bewitching hour.”

  I wink and Susan smiles. “He’ll be there, honey. If I know Sam, he’ll be working flat out to get things done and join you soon.”

  Baxter nods and smiles ruefully.

  “Shall we go?”

  Nodding, I smile at Susan and follow him out to the waiting limo.

  This time I sit in the back for the ride over. When I arrive at that club I need to play the part they expect. Katherine Rogers, femme fatale, and crusher of five men’s futures heading their way with determination and purpose. They won’t know what’s hit them.

  Baxter pulls up outside a smart townhouse in the wealthiest part of Washington. It looks like any other faceless building, hiding the debauchery that takes place behind its respectable façade. I see the lights blazing from every window and note the huge impressive door that signifies my rabbit hole. Like Alice, I’m about to enter a mad world of irrationality. Will I survive? I know I will.

  Baxter opens my door and nods respectfully. He offers me his arm and I wink at him as I play the part to perfection. He escorts me to the door and almost as soon as we reach it the door opens and a uniformed man looks at us with a nod. “Good evening. May I see your invitation please?”

  Baxter nods and hands him the monogrammed envelope Sam had sent over from his office and the man studies it and then stands back to let me pass. Baxter retreats and I don’t look back. I can’t waver and need to summon the whore inside me to play this part well.

  I follow him through an opulent hallway and hear the low tones of the gathering behind the door. He opens the door and I catch my breath at the sight before my eyes. This room is amazing. A large light-filled room opens up before me, crammed full of the wealthiest people in the land. Men stand around looking handsome in their tuxedos talking to elegant women in designer dresses dripping with jewels. They are all wearing fine masks which adds to the mystery and intrigue and I feel the excitement sparking inside me.