And that was the very reason she needed to stay away from him. He was a job, pure and simple. This thing between them, it would never go anywhere, because he didn’t trust her, and she’d given him no reason to.
As of late, she’d started talking to Max’s security team, trying to see if they’d be willing to open up. She didn’t usually make much progress, but she was getting closer to a few of them. Eventually, she prayed, one of them would give in and tell her what she needed to know.
Granted, Leyton seemed to be on to her plan and had warned her off, telling her that Max would kill anyone who betrayed him. She’d only briefly considered this but hadn’t heeded it. As far as she was concerned, Max would do what he needed to do. As would she. If she could get someone to give her information, Max didn’t ever have to know. And that was what she was working on, keeping it from him and still accomplishing her goal.
There was no doubt about it, though, their physical relationship had taken precedence over the job, and Courtney didn’t have the strength, nor the desire, to end it. Never in her life had she met a man like Max, a man who knew his way around a woman’s body so effortlessly. He could practically make her come with just the heated look in his eyes.
But that wasn’t all there was between them. When they were alone, she saw a different side to him. A softer side. Max would kill for her, lay down his life for her. Although they didn’t speak of feelings, they were there, silently swirling around them, bringing them closer, holding them together, making them both stronger.
But it was time for her to put her foot down. She wasn’t getting any further with her investigation, yet she found herself deeper and deeper under Max’s spell. Not a place she wanted to be. If she wasn’t careful, before long, she’d wind up in a situation she wouldn’t be able to get herself out of. Since that wasn’t an option, because she refused to live in the dark underworld that he lived in, Courtney needed to put some distance between them.
If you’re not at the club in half an hour, I’m coming to you.
Shit.
It wasn’t the first time he’d threatened to show up at her house. Since she lived in a compound with the rest of her family—a group that fought against everything that Max stood for—that was a risk she wasn’t willing to take. And she knew that Max didn’t bluff. If he said he was going to do something, he would do it.
Grabbing the phone, she typed out a response.
Fine. I’ll see you in an hour.
Courtney threw the phone on the couch and then trudged to her bedroom to change clothes, all the while reminding herself just how much she hated Max.
An hour and fifteen minutes later, she arrived at the club. Rather than wait in the line that wrapped around the building, she waltzed right up to the bouncer—an immensely sexy black man they called Rock—and smiled.
“Good evening, Ms. Kogan. Mr. Adorite is expecting you.”
Of course he was.
She was allowed through the door as Rock spoke into the mic on his shirt, informing whomever that she was making her way inside.
Devil’s Playground was a wildly popular Dallas nightclub. Although the bouncers were strict with the rules of the house, she knew that there was quite a bit of illegal activity that went on there. Aside from the booze—the only legal substance in the place—that flowed like water, there was an abundance of drugs and sex that came into play on a nightly basis.
Though the club was boasted as a high-class establishment and even managed to appear that way to the unsuspecting eye, Courtney wasn’t oblivious to the whores who trolled inside, many of whom were actually entangled in Max’s organization. Not that he laid claim to them, but it hadn’t taken long for Courtney to get the gist of Max’s so-called land development business. It was a front for all the illegal activities he ran—including guns, racketeering, drugs, and, yes, whores. The only thing she hadn’t been able to firmly tie him to was the drugs. At least not yet.
“Ms. Kogan.”
When Courtney reached the end of the hallway that would lead to the open floor of the club, she looked up to see Leyton waiting for her. She rolled her eyes at him but then allowed him to usher her through the back hallway, then up the staircase that led to Max’s private office.
“He’s waiting,” Leyton informed her, opening the door and allowing her inside before closing it behind her.
“An hour, huh?” Max asked, not looking up from the paper he was reading at his desk.
Courtney didn’t respond immediately. She set her clutch—which contained her phone and her gun—on the small side table and walked to the window that overlooked the club, watching the strobe lights flash on the mass of people down below. She knew that the people could see her if they happened to glance up. Although the glass was bulletproof, it wasn’t mirrored or tinted to keep outsiders from seeing in. According to Max, he liked it that way. She sensed that was the voyeur in him returning the favor. There was no doubt about it, the man had some serious sexual kinks.
When Max didn’t say anything after several minutes, she moved to the black leather sofa and flopped down with a huff. She expected Max to at least look at her, but he didn’t. He stayed focused on whatever it was he was doing, which irritated the shit out of her.
“Why’d you summon me?” she questioned, her irritation getting the best of her.
“Come here,” he commanded, still not looking up.
Courtney inhaled sharply at the rough tone of his voice. She’d heard that before. Max was the type of man who expected people to jump when he snapped his fingers. In recent weeks, Courtney had stopped jumping, and she knew it was only pissing him off, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. She wasn’t trying to be recalcitrant, she was merely trying to remind Max that she wasn’t one of his whores. She wasn’t at his beck and call.
“Over here. Now,” he growled, his gaze lifting to meet hers.
His eyes widened when he took in her appearance, and a chill danced down her spine. She’d selected the outfit just for him, figuring if he could play hard ball, so could she. A strange flutter erupted in her belly as she saw the heat in his golden eyes. Sure, he was pissed, but he was also turned on. Why that pleased her, she had no idea, but the next thing she knew, she was walking over to his desk.
Max placed his hand on her thigh, sliding it upward. “You’re not wearing your gun.”
Courtney shook her head. “But don’t worry, I’ve got it.”
The outfit she’d opted to wear left little to the imagination, which meant that the S&W lightweight sub-compact .380 ACP pistol couldn’t possibly be hidden beneath her skirt.
“Panties off,” he instructed.
Courtney gave him a go-to-hell glare.
He didn’t seem at all intimidated, but she was, especially when his eyes narrowed. She lifted the short black skirt and slid her fingers into the band of her panties, pushing them down her legs and working them over the knee-high boots she wore. She reached down and retrieved them, placing them on his desk.
“Sit down.”
Looking around, she tried to figure out where he wanted her to sit. “Where?”
Max rolled his chair back and nodded toward his desk. Courtney looked at him, confused.
“Sit. Down,” he snarled.
Realizing he wanted her to sit on his desk, she stepped in front of him and then perched her ass on the edge. His glare pretty much singed her, and she knew he wasn’t in the mood to be pushed, so she hefted herself up onto the desk, facing him.
He rolled closer. “Feet on the arms of the chair,” he instructed, crossing his muscular arms over his chest, the bunch of his biceps visible beneath the short sleeves of his polo.
It didn’t take her long to realize what direction this was headed. For a fraction of a second, she thought that she should’ve been appalled that he’d expect her to put herself on display for him, but the desire that infused her erased all concern. Her traitorous body did as he asked, and she slowly lifted each foot, placing the toes of her boots
on the arms of his chair, which left her in a rather precarious situation, her legs spread wide, the short, flowing skirt doing little to cover her.
Not that it mattered, because when his next command came, Courtney knew her vulnerability was exactly what he was after.
And angry at him or not, she was powerless to resist him.
□»«□»«□»«□
“Lift your skirt,” Max demanded, his body coiled tightly as he watched Courtney get comfortable on his desk.
She was tempted to defy his every command; he had sensed it from the second she’d stepped through the office door. Hell, he’d known since she’d denied his initial request.
But he wasn’t in the mood.
As it was, he was having a damn hard time keeping his hands off her. More so when he’d noticed what she was wearing.
The short black skirt was just long enough to cover her ass, and the silky black halter barely covered her breasts, the sides peeking out from the flimsy material. Most of her midriff was bare, as was her back. He was beginning to wonder why she’d even bothered with clothes at all, for as little as they covered her.
But the boots… Those were a nice touch. Black leather with four-inch heels… Yeah, he wanted to see her in nothing but the fucking boots.
Had he allowed his need to take over, he would’ve already fucked her twice in the few minutes she’d been standing in his office. He was that wound up, and it wasn’t entirely her fault, but she was his release. She was the only good thing in his world at the moment, and he needed her. Needed her with a desperation he didn’t understand.
So, keeping his hands to himself was the only way he could keep her safe from him at the moment.
Max’s gaze traveled between her splayed thighs, admiring the silky-smooth golden skin she revealed. It wasn’t enough, but it was a start.
“Either lift the skirt or I’m gonna rip it off you,” he told her roughly, keeping his arms firmly pinned across his chest.
Courtney slowly lifted the short black skirt, revealing her beautiful bare pussy to him. He drank in the sight of her spread out before him. He wished she was naked—wearing only the boots—but he knew better than to do that here. Anyone could walk in at any given moment. Not that he’d give a shit, but he was trying to think about Courtney.
For the last couple of months, he’d pushed her limits, further and further each time they were together, but she wasn’t quite ready for all he wanted from her. So, he was trying to take things slow, ease her into it gradually.
“What’s wrong, Max?” Courtney asked, holding her skirt to her waist as he admired her petal-soft folds, glistening with her desire.
Oh, yes, she was wet for him. He knew this turned her on as much as it did him, which was part of the reason he continued to push her. But he mostly did it for selfish reasons. He needed her; he needed the solace she provided him, even if she didn’t realize what she gave him. It wasn’t as though he’d shared that with her, nor did he have any intention of doing so.
“Nothing,” he responded, meeting her gaze.
“Talk to me,” she said, her glossy mouth tempting him. He wanted to order her to her knees at his feet, to make her take his dick in her mouth, to blow his mind with the sweet suction of her lips.
But he didn’t.
Not yet.
“This isn’t about me,” he told her.
“It’s always about you,” she snapped.
He regarded her for a moment. She was pissed at him, but that wasn’t unusual, either. Their relationship was … complicated.
From the first time he’d made her come on his dining room table, Max hadn’t been able to get enough of her. She knew it, too.
Unfortunately, there were times that she got too inquisitive for her own good, and he’d had to resort to sex to get her to back off. Otherwise, he would be forced to kill his own men for betraying him. As it was, she was asking too many questions, making friendships with the men who worked for him. She was getting in over her head, but she didn’t seem to care.
Getting her to back off required too much effort.
He much preferred the sex.
Sure, he was insatiable, didn’t think he’d ever get enough of her, but the fact of the matter was, he was using sex to keep her from going too far.
He knew what she was after, knew everything she’d figured out thus far, and some of it concerned him, but he was beginning to be blinded by his emotions, something that’d never happened to him before. What he felt for Courtney was vastly different than anything he’d ever felt for another woman. And he’d known that from the instant he’d met her. With every encounter since then, his need for her had only intensified.
“Spread yourself for me,” he instructed.
He didn’t want to talk about himself, didn’t want to talk about the shit day he’d had. Didn’t want Courtney finding out that he’d fucking killed two fucking people just a few short hours ago. He’d executed them in their own kitchen, watched their blood splatter across the pristine white surface, and he’d walked away completely unscathed.
That was what happened to people who crossed him, people who didn’t follow through with their promises. Although he had people who would do his dirty work for him, there were times when handling the situation himself was the only way to get the point across.
But their deaths didn’t bother him. Not in the least. And sure, sometimes he worried about the fact that he didn’t feel anything. Not when it came to taking a life.
When it came to Courtney, that was the only time he did feel. And he’d started to crave that, to crave her like a drug, always wanting more, needing more.
His eyes slid down between her thighs as she used her fingers to separate the slick folds of her beautiful pussy.
“You’re wet,” he told her.
“Yes.”
“Because you like showing me your pussy?” he asked, not looking up at her face.
“Yes.”
Reaching into the desk drawer in front of him, Max retrieved the item he’d purchased for this specific occasion. He took his time removing it from the plastic packaging.
He held up the thick dildo for her to take.
She leaned forward, taking it from him, and he noticed the slight tremble in her hands.
“Scared?” he asked.
“No,” she said assertively.
“Good. Now I want to watch you fuck yourself.”
Her sharp intake of breath made his cock thicken more. He was hard as fucking stone, aching to be buried in her warm body, but he held himself back. His need was too great, and he didn’t want to hurt her.
Max placed his hands on her feet, gently squeezing the leather that encased her ankles as he watched her take the large blue dildo and slide it through her slit. Her juices coated the end of the toy as she began teasing herself.
“Push it inside,” he commanded. “Fuck yourself with it.”
She shifted, propping herself up with her other hand before inserting the tip of the dildo in her pussy.
Max watched the head disappear as she gasped.
“You like that?” he asked, eager to whip out his dick and stroke it, but he refrained.
“Not as much as I like to feel you inside me,” she said breathlessly, continuing to force the toy deeper.
Max bit his tongue as she began to fuck herself in earnest, driving the toy into her pussy, the wet sounds echoing in the otherwise silent room.
“Max,” she cried out.
“Make yourself come, Courtney. Make yourself come all over my fucking desk.”
She continued to fuck herself, but he sensed that she was holding back.
Reaching for the toy, he got to his feet. When the chair moved out of her reach, she held her legs high, still open to him. He took one of her feet and planted it on his chest, the other falling to the side, offering him an enticing view of the toy sliding in and out of her slick pussy.
Max stared down at her delicious cunt as he fucked her with the t
oy. He wasn’t gentle, driving it in hard, then retreating, at the same time his dick throbbed, pressing against the zipper of his slacks, frantic for the feel of her slick, smooth walls gripping him.
He was punishing himself, denying himself the pleasure because he didn’t fucking deserve her. But he couldn’t bring himself to walk away. He fucking needed her.
“Oh, God, Max. I’m… Fuck. I’m gonna come!”
Max plunged the silicone toy into her cunt, over and over, fucking her harder until she fell back onto her elbows, her cries of pleasure bouncing off the glass windows.
“Fuck yes, Courtney. Come for me, baby.”
Her legs tensed, her pussy clamping onto the toy, nearly pulling it from his grasp as she screamed his name. Max tore the toy from her pussy, tossing it to the side as he leaned down, hefting her legs over his shoulders while he lapped at her sweetness, licking her as she trembled on his desk. Only when she came again, this time in his fucking mouth, did he give her a moment’s peace.
Not that he intended for that to last long. He had a hell of a penance to pay, and he was serving his time by indulging in Courtney’s pleasure. Not to mention, the night was still young.
Chapter Fourteen
When he says he wants to talk …
don’t believe him.
Present day
April 24th
Courtney knew that showing up at Max’s nightclub—aptly named Devil’s Playground—was a risk, but it was one she had to take. Considering she didn’t know how else to get on his radar—something she never thought she’d willingly do again—this had been her only option. Even then, she wasn’t sure if he was there tonight, but she kept her fingers crossed as she stepped through the doors and down the dark hallway that led to the club proper.
“Have you been here before?” Jayden asked excitedly, walking beside Courtney.
After Casper had laid out her assignment, Courtney had known exactly what needed to be done, and since she’d promised Jayden a night out on the town when she was back, it had been a way to kill two birds with one stone. And it gave her a reason not to have to be alone with Max, should the opportunity arise.
Beautifully Brutal (Southern Boy Mafia #1) Page 12