A Monster's Obsession: (Arrangement Series Book 5)

by Kasey Martin

  “I’m begging you. Please, Sawyer. Just let me go,” I insisted once again in a faint whisper..

  “I will never let you go,” he began in a low growl, “I will make sure you remember who the hell I am.” Sawyer stuck his tongue out and licked my neck. Not kiss. Not suck. A long wet lick. He’d never done that before, and it was a primal move that shocked me. “I should fuck you right here against this wall to refresh your memory. And I know you would let me. You would spread those silky brown thighs and welcome me home. Is that what you want? Do you want me to fuck you in public, Sasha?” I pulled back and slapped his face with the spirit of my ancestors.

  Sawyer’s face was red, but his expression remained impassive. He was being crass on purpose, trying to degrade me with his hurtful words. But Sawyer forgot that I knew who he was, and he was baiting me. But just like I knew him, he knew me as well and talking to me like I was a whore off the street would never fly.

  “You know that I don’t let people talk to me any kinda way! Who the fuck do you think you are?”

  “You know who the fuck I am! You were mine from the time our eyes met two years ago. You can run fast and far, but I won’t let you go this time,” Sawyer growled before turning and walking back into the reception.

  I’ve always seen the darkness in Sawyer even though he did his best to hide it, but I know he’s crazy and I can see that too. However, his words caused a shiver that crept down my spine, and it made me think I was as crazy as he is. Not only was I not scared, my panties were completely soaked.

  Chapter 2

  SAWYER

  Lola almost fucked up my reunion with Sasha, and it angered me more than words can convey. I had watched Sasha for the entire evening. I knew that she was trying to avoid me, so I stayed away from her for the most part. I knew my woman, and she was stubborn. When I recognized her in the church, I knew that I was the luckiest bastard on the planet. Then she called me that stupid pet name that I only allowed her to say. But it was the truth, and I was her Monster.

  Sasha Phillips disappeared on me two-years ago. She didn’t tell me goodbye, instead she left a fucking letter out of all things. I was in love with her; I’m still in love with her. We were only together for a short time, but what we had was a free and unfiltered type of love. And then one day, she was gone. Now she was trying to run from me once more, and it had set off all of my predatory instincts. I promised myself that I wouldn’t look for her, and I hadn’t, but now that she had stumbled her way back into my life, she no longer had a choice. Sasha Phillips was mine.

  I knew that our separation would be temporary this time, so I chose to let her go for now. I had to take deep breaths as I left her in the dark hallway because my temper was on level ten. It was never a good thing for me to be this upset. I made my way back to the reception, where I focused on networking.

  I did my best to be diplomatic for the rest of the evening, even though my mind constantly drifted to Sasha’s dark brown skin and how soft she felt under my touch after so long. But I knew I had to get my shit together because not only was this my brother’s wedding, but it was also the Nash family’s introduction into the Founder’s high-society. That meant I had to at least pretend to be on my best behavior. I couldn’t make a scene by fucking Sasha in a hallway at a wedding reception. I couldn’t be the monster that she called me, and I had to pretend at least to be an upstanding gentleman. So, I continued to mingle with the guests as my father expected me to do.

  My father, Conrad Nash, was the current Don of our Irish family. However, he was set to retire in a few years, so he wanted to make his alliance with the Bishops family come to fruition before that time. We had been doing business with the Bishops family for years, and it was the right time for us to become one entity. Not just in business, but in the old way… family.

  It may seem primitive, but the only way you could truly be allies was to be family. My brother, Lennox, gave us our way onto the island. I know my little brother was furious, but from the way he had watched his new wife all night, I’m sure he’d be fine.

  Now the marriage has been finalized; I can move forward with our plans for Founder’s Island. Being part owners in the private hospital on the island gives our men access to things that we didn’t have back in the states. Our guys couldn’t get caught up in the unnecessary paperwork from hospitals that would call the police, so we employed private doctors. The good ones didn’t want to be involved with an organization like ours no matter how much we paid, and the bad ones… got caught.

  Our family dealt with very dangerous people. Our weapons and gambling businesses were our highest earners and attracted the seediest organizations. The larger our business grew, the more men we needed, and the more hospital visits we had. It was a never-ending circle, but a necessary one.

  Now, most of our problems were solved. However, as a newcomer to the island, I needed to establish Nash Industries as a top real estate investor. The hard part of that task would be having to live on the island full time while my father continued running the company in the states. I liked my life how it is, and change was difficult for a man like me. But I would do what needed to be done. I always did. The inconvenience of entertaining Lola instead of going after Sasha was just another price I would have to pay for my family.

  “Sawyer, I want you to meet some of my friends,” Lola whined in a baby voice. I held my face in a neutral expression, but that whining shit got on my nerves. Grown-ass women that talked like babies were a complete turn-off. And now that Sasha was back in my life, Lola didn’t stand a chance. Not that she’d ever did anyway.

  “I’ll be there in a minute.” I had to gather my composure. It was time to put on my businessman mask and make my connections.

  But as I continued to chit chat and mingle, my mind strayed to Sasha. Just the memory of her caused my pulse to race. I was completely obsessed with this woman. I thought I was past it all, but when she walked into that church with her head held high, she reminded me of a queen. Sasha was a tiny little thing at five-three, but she walked as if she were ten feet tall. The light that reflected in her big light brown eyes drew you in without permission. Her eyes were the first thing that I noticed about her two years ago.

  I had always been hypnotized by the sway of her round hips and the way her pouty lips stretched into a smile. The way she laughed and her free-spirited personality. Sasha had been the cure for my broken heart until she snatched it out of my chest and took it with her when she left.

  This time her leaving was a good thing. Because Sasha didn’t return to the reception after my warning, it gave me time to focus on business. I know I wouldn’t be able to control myself if she was in the same room. Sasha’s presence brought out the obsessive side of me that I’d long since thought I’d buried. However, it was resurrected tonight, and I knew that I would never be the same.

  The first thing I needed to do was get all the information I could on her—the last time I made the mistake of agreeing to her wishes. I never looked for her after she left even though I wanted to because she said she didn’t want me. Her reasons never sat right with me, but if a woman says she doesn’t want you, you leave her the fuck alone. No matter how infatuated you are.

  The task of finding out about Sasha Phillips has always been easy because of who I am. I chose not to use my resources last time, but that would not be the case this time around. As the next Don of my family, I had invaluable means to get what I needed. With that decision made, I tuned back into the annoying woman who clung to me. If Lola weren’t so busy trying to throw her pussy at me, she would’ve figured out that I didn’t want her. I never wanted her. She wasn’t even my date tonight, and yet she continued to harass me in that annoying ass voice.

  I was thirty-seven years old. The last thing I needed was some whiny child following me around like a puppy. Lola was beautiful, but she wasn’t my type. My mind was already made up on who I wanted. And this time, I wouldn’t let her go.

  Soon after I was introduced to
a few of Lola’s friends, I was able to slip away from her claws. She had her sights set on me, and I would have to let her down gently since her father was an integral part of the ward at BHM. Dr. Pratt was married to Sofia Bishops, Alejandro Bishops’ cousin. Dr. Pratt was the Director of the Neurology department and a highly-respected member of Founder’s high-society. I didn’t need to rock the boat so soon after I’ve gotten here, so I would continue to be cordial to Lola.

  “Ah, son. Are you enjoying the wedding?” My father slapped me on the back jovially.

  I shrugged my broad shoulders. It was more like a business dinner than a wedding reception, but my father had worked a long time for this, so I could understand his happiness.

  “I know it’s been five years since…” I held up my hand, cutting my father off. I was not about to go into some sentimental bullshit with him because he remembered the last family wedding.

  “It was a long time ago now. The wedding is fine, Dad. But you should be asking Lennox. It is his day, not mine.” I responded my tone brokered no argument. I had enough of my past haunting me for one night, and I didn’t need my father adding to the bullshit.

  My father sighed heavily, “Lennox is being a bit difficult right now.”

  “Difficult?” I snorted at my father’s inability to admit that he fucked his son over. Conrad Nash would never apologize for getting Lennox mixed up in the family business. He did everything in his power to rope my brother back in, and he finally succeeded.

  “He’ll get over it,” it was my father’s turn to shrug his shoulders at me. He was right though, Lennox was a lot of things, but a grudge holder wasn’t one of them. He would find a way to make the best of his situation. It was one of the many things that I admired about my brother.

  Hopefully, I could take a page from his book and make the best out of finally finding the woman who ran away from me and make her mine… for good this time.

  ***

  It had been a few days since the wedding and I had decided not to go back to the states as planned. I would eventually be moving, but I wasn’t scheduled to do that yet. I had to go back to the states to make sure everything was in order. Moving a multimillion-dollar company was a taxing experience, especially when several parts of the company were illegal.

  We’d made plenty of contacts on Founder’s to be able to do all the things we needed to get settled. First, we found a new building to house the real-estate portion of our organization, which was the easy part. And now I was going to be meeting with Oran Hale.

  Oran Hale was the head of the Hale family business after his interfering father finally stepped down. I’d much rather deal with Oran than his snake of a father any day. Our fathers had butted heads from the time they’d been introduced, and it put a stall on our moving to Founder’s for years.

  However, now that we are co-owners at BHM, it is much easier to navigate the Founder’s hierarchy. From a very young age, I was taught the inner workings of how my family was expected to be run. I knew that I had to uphold a certain façade to the outside world to keep our organization running. Unfortunately, part of the façade was rubbing elbows with people I’d rather step on than talk to, but you do what you have to do. So, tonight I would have to keep the company of the elite of Founder’s high society at a prestigious gallery opening. All the while, keeping an eye on my obsession.

  I’ve come to terms with how it is going to be between us, and hopefully, she wouldn’t fight me too much. There hadn’t been a spark of anything concerning a woman since she left me over two years ago. I had to convince myself that one night stands with faceless women would be all that I would ever have left. But once I saw Sasha again, it all changed. Just like that, in a blink of an eye, my infatuation was back with a vengeance.

  When I arrived at the two-story art gallery, my eyes took in the building’s glorious architecture. The sign read Premier Illusions, and I was thoroughly impressed. When Darby had given me an update on just what my Sasha had been doing these past few years, I found some very interesting things about her that I’d never known before.

  I knew that Sasha was an artist. When we were together and not in bed, we shared our mutual love for art. However, I never knew that she wanted to own an art gallery. Although the building wasn’t hers, she was renting out the property and turned it into a hot new gallery that everyone on Founder’s was talking about.

  The art gallery was made of stone and brick that looked like it was plucked out of the French Quarter in New Orleans and placed in downtown Founder’s. From the outside, the exterior windows were surrounded by arches trimmed in black iron with matching metal railings for balconies. Each entrance to the building also donned the same rot iron trim and stunning archways. As a trained Architect turned real-estate mogul, I had an acute eye for daring designs.

  However, when I entered the building, I was blown away by the inside. The gallery’s open floor plan was to be expected, but the space’s execution was unique. The black iron accents ran throughout the ceiling holding the track lighting that helped to spotlight the artwork. Even the way the concrete flooring was stained made it seem like part of the art: Sasha, the goddess with the fiery brown eyes that held me captive had exquisite taste. And even though she left me to accomplish her dreams, seeing this place made me proud of her.

  I strolled around the gallery looking at the art my pride growing with each step. Everyone who was anyone was at the opening tonight. I had the feeling that these people would go to the opening of a soup can if they thought they could be in the press. And I’m not taking anything away from Sasha or her magnificent show, but I knew when I was in the midst of a bunch of ruthless people.

  I told myself that I would stick to my business and not confront Sasha tonight; however, when she slid across my vision, I had to physically turn away to keep myself from approaching her. The draw I had to this woman was astronomical. It should’ve bothered me more considering what she put me through, but I can admit that it didn’t.

  I watched Sasha talk to the curator of the gallery, Bambi Laurence-Vásquez. I had done my research on everyone surrounding Sasha this time because I’d be damned if she disappeared on me again, and to my surprise, Ms. Bambi had a lot of secrets. But she wasn’t a threat to Sasha’s wellbeing, so I would let her be. The two women talked animatedly with a customer, and it made me want to get closer to hear what they were saying. I couldn’t, though, because I didn’t want to be seen just yet.

  Sasha was gesticulating wildly as the diamond headband she wore twinkled with each nod of her head. Her signature afro was large and glorious like a soft cloud surrounding her gorgeous face. She wore a simple white tailored suit jacket and white satin cropped pants to match. The jacket laid neatly against her dark chocolate skin, displaying her beautiful cleavage. I bit my lip thinking about all the nasty things I used to do to her petite little body. Things that I would do again.

  I groaned and shifted the bulge in my pants discreetly as I watched her from across the room. I could tell she was in her element. Her face lit up with excitement every time she talked to someone about a painting. Her dimples were on full display, and it had me wishing that her smile was just for me.

  I continued to move around the space when I spotted someone familiar. I smirked to myself. I knew as soon as he found out Bambi was here, he’d show up.

  “If I weren’t so good at tracking people, I would’ve missed your big ass entirely.” I tease Markos. But we both knew if he didn’t want to be seen, then he wouldn’t.

  “I heard you coming. Remember, I’m the brother with the eyes behind his back.” Markos replies, not turning to face me. I shake my head. I knew the fucker heard me, his abilities are unparalleled, and he’s not someone that I would ever fuck with. I’m more than happy that we’re on the same side.

  I notice that he’s staring at the same two people that I was. But I know who he’s staring at. However, I still had to make it known who Sasha was to me… just in case.

  “Stop staring
at my girl. She’s mine, and no one can have her.” I stated with a smirk.

  Markos rolls his eyes, “I’m not looking at Sasha, I know that you want her, I can see it in your eyes and the way that you watch her like you’re about to devour her. Trust me, as beautiful as she is, I’m not looking. I don’t do that.”

  “Who wouldn’t want her?” I snort. Sasha is beyond fucking beautiful, and although I know she won’t admit it right now, she’s mine.

  Chapter 3

  SASHA

  The gallery’s opening was going extremely well, and I was so glad that I had my old friend Bambi by my side. She had been a godsend helping me get ready for the opening. We met when I was in junior high, and she was in high school, and she was the volunteer teacher of my afterschool art class. Bambi was one of the first people to encourage me to pursue my art. It’s strange how things all come full circle because now Bambi is once again helping me with my art.

  I was nervous when we first opened up the doors for the first time, but I think Bambi was worse than me. I’m glad that I didn’t tell her that I snuck one of her pieces into the show, or she’d probably pass out. When I was picking out the art that I wanted to display, I saw the perfect piece that would fit right in. Bambi would’ve never given me her permission, so I took it upon myself to include it in the exhibit. I didn’t put a price on her magnificent piece, but if she wanted to sell it, she could. I had several offers already.

  “Bambi?” The woman jumped a mile high with her doe eyes wide. Her name was very fitting. However, her level of anxiousness had me concerned. “Are you okay?”