After thoroughly washing away the proof of their hot office sex and fixing her hair, Victoria grabbed a washcloth for Jack. When she walked into his office he was standing, fully dressed, in front of his window staring out into the city.
“You’re nasty,” Victoria chuckled.
“What? I don’t wanna wash your orgasm away, I earned it,” he responded, turning from the window and facing Victoria.
“Your cum is mixed in there too, ya’ know.”
“Yep, I earned that too,” he said with a wink, causing Victoria to shake her head and chuckle.
She walked over to Jack and stood on the tips of her toes to kiss his lips, but she was still unable to reach him. Meeting her halfway, Jack bent down and placed his lips to hers. When he tried to slip his tongue in her mouth, Victoria quickly backed away. She was fully aware that if they got started, she’d more than likely end up bent over Jack’s desk. She ran her hands down her Chanel skirt suit that Jack bought for her first day at work, and smoothed out the wrinkles. Jack had finally convinced Victoria to take a position as director of security for Storm Enterprises, and now he was attempting to keep her from work, so that they could have hot steamy sex in the workplace. Victoria was definitely tempted, but opted to go to work instead. Since John was going to be retiring soon, he’d be training her to take over his position. Because she wanted do the best job possible and make him proud, Victoria resisted.
“I’d better go. I don’t wanna be late for my first day on the job.”
“What? It’s not like anyone can fire you. Come over here and give your husband some attention,” he urged, reaching for Victoria.
She side stepped him and dashed for the door. Before exiting, she turned to Jack and pointed to his erection.
“Enjoy that hard on,” she teased.
“Enjoy that breeze up your snatch,” he retorted, pulling her panties from his pocket and lifting them to his nose.
Victoria rolled her eyes and walked out.
JACK
Not long after Victoria left, Mary’s disgusted voice filtered through his office. “Mr. Storm, your nine o’clock is here.”
Jack unbuttoned his suit coat and sat behind his desk, hitting the intercom button on his desk phone. “Send her in.”
Caroline walked into his office, dressed to the nine, in a too tight navy blue dress, that of course showed an abundance of cleavage. She had a face full of makeup and her hair were southern preacher’s wife big. She was, apparently, on a mission of seduction. But to Jack, the sight of her was repulsive. She walked across the room and sat in the chair in front of his desk.
He asked without looking up at her, “What is it that you want?”
“What do you mean? You summoned me.”
“I mean... What the fuck do you want from me?”
Surprised by his tone, Caroline shifted in her seat.
“You were mine. We had something,” she whispered nervously.
“We had sex, Caroline. That’s all we had,” Jack hissed, now staring directly at her. “I had no intentions on having anything more with a spoiled, self–absorbed, money hungry, gold digging, viper like you.”
Caroline recoiled at his harshness, but due to her delusion, she quickly recovered.
She sat upright in her seat and smiled. “Jack, you can’t convince me that what we had wasn’t special.”
“Caroline, I am married. What we had was absolutely minuscule, and completely over. What could you possibly accomplish from molesting my wife?”
He was really caught off guard by her actions at the Sickle Cell Camp’s debut, not understanding her logic.
“She needs to know that I’m a part of your life, and I’m not going anywhere,” she answered, smugly.
Jack tensed. Caroline was a jilted ex-sexual partner and out of her fucking mind. After her statement, he knew that there was no reasoning with her. She was clearly psychotic.
Nevertheless, Jack decided to hit her where it hurt. “Caroline, I know what’s really important to you... Money. More specifically, Daddy’s money.” Then Jack dropped a manila folder on the desk, in front of her.
“I have the power to make Daddy’s money go away. If you don’t believe me, take a
look,” he said, pointing to the folder.
Caroline snatched the folder from his desk. Her skepticism was wiped from her face when she opened the folder and flipped through photos and documents, revealing her father’s illegal activities.
“My daddy is your father’s closest friend. You wouldn’t turn him in,” Caroline said with confidence.
“You see, Caroline. That’s where you’re wrong. I would not only turn your
father in to protect my wife, but if my own father were a threat to her, I would turn his ass in too,” Jack countered, destroying Caroline’s misplaced confidence. “So don’t fuck with me!”
Caroline was stunned silent.
“Now with that being said, get out of my office,” Jack’s tone was cold and venomous.
Her face was expressionless when she stood and walked out of his office. Jack was unable to gauge her emotions, but he was willing to bet money that he hadn’t seen the last of Caroline.
VICTORIA
During the time that she’d spent with John, Victoria learned that he’d been married to his wife Karen for twenty–five years, and he was the father of three. All boys. One of which was the assistant director of marketing for Storm
Enterprises. Because he looked younger than his fifty–five years, and seemed to be in pristine physical condition, she was also shocked to learn that he was grandfather to two little girls.
After several hours of one-on-one training with John, Victoria also discovered that Jack had several cops on his payroll. Not just police officers or sergeants either, but commanders and deputies. They were able to gather information that civilians weren’t privy to. If John needed someone to run a plate, get details from a report, or an extensive criminal history, he had total and complete access; all of which was completely illegal. The truth of the matter was, Victoria had every intention of utilizing the same resources, and they were gonna shit bricks when they found out that a lowly officer would be running the show. Victoria couldn’t wait for their first formal meeting.
CHAPTER 24
NATASHA
Natasha opened her trunk and grabbed her duffle bag. It was filled with the clothing that Malik had picked for her date. It was Friday and she’d just gotten off. Gianni insisted that she leave her car in the parking lot at work. After three phone calls from the guard shack officers to Natasha, Gianni’s limo was allowed passage into the Organized Crime Division’s parking lot. He leaped from the back of the limo, beating the driver, to assist Natasha with her bag. Gianni grabbed her hand, stilling her movement, and kissed her temple.
“Ciao, Bella,” Gianni mumbled, with his lips pressed against her head.
“Hi,” Natasha responded shyly.
Gianni removed her hand from the duffle bag, leaving it in her trunk. He led her to the waiting limousine. “The bag, you don’t need, Bella. I have made arrangements for anything that you might need.” He spoke with a wicked smile, before urging her inside. Gianni climbed inside after her, and seconds later they were on their way.
Natasha looked over at Gianni, amazed that he seemed to get more beautiful every time she saw him. He was still sporting a rugged five o’clock shadow, and his dark hair still flopped in his gorgeous face. He was tall, thick, and impeccably dressed. But, his jade eyes seemed to sparkle brighter. At the same time, his gaze was dark and hypnotic. She pictured the sexy tattoo under his expensive clothing, and Natasha was more then tempted to jump him in the back of the limo.
When they pulled out of the parking lot and went south on Homan, Natasha wanted to ask him, for the hundredth time, where they were going, but she didn’t. She decided to let Gianni surprise her.
“So that’s where you work?” Gianni asked, making conversation.
“Yep. That’s where I wor
k.”
“Why?”
It was a simple enough question, but to answer it would expose entirely too much of Natasha’s past. She just wasn’t ready to reveal her inner demons. She simply shrugged. Gianni glared at Natasha, obviously not happy with her evasive response. Natasha was grateful when he let it go. He changed the conversation, asking her about her brief music career.
“Did you learn to sing from your mother?”
“I did,” Natasha nodded, smiling. “She sang all the time. She would sing while cooking, cleaning, and combing my hair. Eventually, I learned the songs, and I would sing with her.”
Remembering her mother gave her joy, Natasha loved to talk about her. When she spoke about her, she could, somehow, feel her presence. It reminded her that, no matter how horrible her aunt had treated her, she had a mother that loved her.
She and Gianni had been talking about her mother for twenty minutes when the limo turned into O’Hare airport. The driver drove past departures and arrivals, to the private aircraft hangar. When the vehicle came to a stop, Natasha looked around. She was wondering what they were doing there, before returning her attention to Gianni.
“Why are we here?”
“It’s part of our date,” he responded with a Cheshire cat grin.
Curiously, she asked, “Our date is at the airport?”
“No. Please don’t worry. Just put yourself in my hands,” he urged with pleading eyes. Natasha decided to grant his request, and relax, “Okay.”
The door opened and the driver’s hand appeared. Natasha accepted his hand, allowing him to assist her from the vehicle. She stepped out of the way so that Gianni could get out. He took her hand in his and led her toward a sleek airplane that had Storm Entertainment on the side. Natasha stared at the plane in awe.
“Wow,” she whispered.
Gianni glanced over at Natasha with a confused look on his face.
“Natasha, surely you can afford your own aircraft, and yet, you are amazed by mine. You are definitely an anomaly,” he said, watching her intensely as if he was studying her.
“What do I need an airplane for?”
She walked ahead of him and started up the stairs. Natasha could hear a low moan from behind, and she was almost certain that he was looking at her ass. Natasha made sure to add a little wiggle.
She stepped inside the aircraft and admired the luxury that surrounded her. She walked over to the oversized seats and ran her hand over the soft red leather. It was clear that red was Gianni’s favorite color, since his penthouse was also covered in shades of red. In the rear of the plane there was a conference table, presumably an area for business meetings.
“Again... Wow,” Natasha repeated, turning to face Gianni. “I’m afraid my sweatshirt and jeans aren’t fancy enough for your swanky airplane.” She teased, holding her arms out to the side.
“Ah... But you’re wrong sweet, Natasha. No one could make a sweatshirt and jeans look as sexy as you do.”
Gianni walked over to Natasha and stood over her. She raised her head and locked eyes with him. She met his smoldering eyes as he ran his thumb softly across Natasha’s cheek. He leaned in to kiss her. A kiss that Natasha was eager for. The memory of Gianni’s lips, and the way his tongue made love to her mouth, caused her entire body to heat. Unfortunately, their lips never touched, because they were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.
“Bonjour, Monsieur Storm,” a perky, heavily accented, female voice said from behind Gianni.
Natasha noticed Gianni’s slight cringe before he turned toward the voice. It belonged to a tall woman with long dark hair. She had on a tight black dress that was short enough to show off her shapely legs. And to top it off, she was very pretty. The woman’s beauty was beginning to cause Natasha to feel self–conscious. But she began to feel a lot better when Gianni protectively pulled Natasha close to his body. He had a brief conversation with the woman in French, but the woman’s eyes never left Natasha. She was obviously not overjoyed by Natasha’s presence. If the woman’s eyes were missiles, she would’ve been obliterated. They were in an honest to goodness staring contest, until it was ended by Gianni’s voice.
“Natasha, we’re going to be taking off in a few minutes. This is Coco. If you need anything, she’ll make sure that you get it.”
He pulled Natasha to one of the grand leather seats and gestured for her to sit. He took the seat next to her and pulled out his phone. He seemed agitated as he dialed. And judging by his tone, Gianni was angry with the person on the other end. Natasha was startled when he began to yell in rapid fire Italian. Natasha stared at him until he ended his call and put his phone away. She tilted her head, waiting for an explanation.
He didn’t offer one.
“Is every okay?”
Gianni turned to Natasha, offering an apologetic smile. “Yes. Everything is fine. Just a small disagreement with my cousin.”
Before Natasha could probe any further, Coco was standing in front of them. She handed Gianni a small glass filled with an amber liquid. She turned to Natasha, with a smile laced with acid.
This bitch is gonna be an issue, she thought to herself.
Coco asked in a faked sweet voice, “Miss Walker, is there anything I can get for you before takeoff?”
“No thank you,” Natasha responded, returning her toxic smile.
The woman actually thought Natasha was crazy enough to accept anything that she offered. She looked at Gianni, and he was avoiding all eye contact with Coco. She immediately wondered if going with Gianni was a good idea.
Natasha stood from her seat. “Gianni, I don’t think this is going to work.”
Natasha turned toward the door, but Gianni caught her wrist. She turned back and glared at his hand on her wrist. Gianni must have realized that nothing good was going to come from grabbing Natasha, because he quickly released her wrist.
“Wait, Natasha. Please don’t go.”
Natasha could see the sincerity in his eyes. She could tell that it was really important to Gianni that she stay with him. Truthfully, she didn’t want to leave him, but she didn’t need the drama of stomping his flight attendant. After a brief debate in her head, Natasha returned to her seat. Gianni said something in French to Coco that sent her stomping to the front of the plane. He sat next to Natasha and fastened her seatbelt, before securing his own. Again Natasha looked to Gianni for an explanation. And again, he offered none. But this time his evasiveness wasn’t going to cut it for Natasha.
“What’s the deal with her?” She asked boldly, staring at him and waiting for answer.
Gianni closed his eyes, took a breath, and then exhaled. When he opened them, his eyes locked with Natasha’s.
“Okay. She’s new. When Jack was shot, I had sex with her on the flight to Chicago. The night at the hospital when we met, she came over for more. But, I couldn’t stop thinking about you, so I sent her away. Sometime after that, she broke into my apartment. She was waiting for me in my bed when I got out of the shower. I threw her out and asked my cousin Luca to reassign her. And... As you can see, he didn’t.”
Natasha was taken by surprise when Gianni blurted out his long explanation, without taking a breath. She was also touched by his honesty. The men that Natasha came across would’ve never come clean, like Gianni had. But, that didn’t mean that she was going to let him off the hook.
“Soo... You’re telling me that you had sex with that woman, and then you dumped her? And did you really ask your cousin to do your dirty work?” Natasha asked, shaking her head.
“No. I’m telling you that I had sex with that woman, and I had every intention of having sex with her again. But I met you. What I am telling you is... that since the day that I first laid eyes on you, I have craved no other. What I’m telling you is... you have bewitched me, sweet Natasha.”
Okay. I forgive you.
With no further argument, Natasha leaned back in her seat and pointed to the drink that Coco made for Gianni.
&
nbsp; “I wouldn’t drink that if I were you.”
************************
Four hours later, Natasha was standing at the top of the stairs that extended from the door of the aircraft. From her point of view, she could see the blazing lights of Las Vegas. Natasha was amazed that this was Gianni’s idea of a date. She had no objections. She loved Vegas. She’d only ever been with Malik and Parker. She was the Maid of Honor in their commitment ceremony, long before gay marriage was legalized in certain states. They’ve since gotten legally married.
After Coco disappeared, she and Gianni had a wonderful flight. They laughed and joked about the fact that they were both starving, but afraid to eat anything that Coco served. Instead, they opted to drink from the little bottles of whiskey, because they could tell if the seals had been broken.
Natasha was still smiling when she walked down the stairs. Gianni was close behind. Once they reached the ground, Gianni led her to a waiting limo.
Once they got in and Natasha noticed that the driver went to retrieve Gianni’s luggage from the plane, she turned to Gianni. “You get luggage, but I don’t?”
“No,” he smiled seductively. “I plan on keeping you naked.”
Natasha giggled, “Even on the strip?”
She was really feeling the little bottles of whiskey. The driver finally hopped in the driver’s seat and took off. Natasha looked out the windows, admiring the bright lights of Vegas, as if it were her first time there. Gianni handed her another drink, and she happily took it.
By the time the limo pulled to a stop, Natasha’s glass was empty. The door flew open and she handed her glass to Gianni and hopped out of the limo, before the driver could help her. She stood under an enormous and brightly lit marquee of The Palazzo Hotel and Casino. It was a gigantic structure with a bird with wings of what appeared to be real fire atop the building. It seemed to be totally constructed of mirrored glass. Natasha hadn’t seen the casino on her last visit. She stared up at the building, mesmerized by its architectural beauty.
Beautiful Prey 2: The Storm Series (BWWM Romance) Page 15