“No!” she gasped, turning her face away from him, straining to escape his gaze. “I only came to give you that money. Aiden sent me here to give it to you!” As soon as the words left her mouth she realized she had been set up. Aiden had sent her into the casino with a very specific purpose. He had placed her under this man’s power.
A whimper of pain escaped her lips, along with any lasting feelings she might have felt for her husband.
Shania raised her eyes to the man who held her life in his hands, searching his face for mercy. She saw only a flicker of pity, acknowledgement of her pain and fear, before his eyes hardened once more.
He reached out and wrapped long fingers around her neck, tilting her chin up with the edge of his hand until she was forced to look at him again. “Oh yes, sweet Shania. I do believe I will take you as my payment.”
“But, that’s illegal!” she gasped, trying to sound braver than she felt.
His eyes traced each word as it left her lips. “This is my town, princess. I make the laws. And if I choose to accept the terms of Aiden’s debt – his wife in exchange for a clean slate – then so be it. But I'm amused you think you have a say.”
Shania tried to shove him away, but he stood immovable, blocking her in against the desk. “But the money… You must want the money!” she tried desperately. “I can get it for you!”
His eyes searched her face. “I doubt that,” he drawled. “It was never about the money. Two hundred grand? I make that in a day without breaking a sweat. It’s about a fool gambling in my town, trying to cheat me of what’s mine. It doesn’t matter though, I’ve made my decision. I take you and Aiden Galveston walks, debt free.”
“You can’t!” she pleaded. “That’s kidnapping… and… and… slavery!”
“Slavery?” he smirked.
She nodded.
He looked down at her, considering. She might be attracted to him, which would make things easier, but it really didn’t matter. The moment he had made the decision, she belonged to him, whether she liked it or not. He wasn’t particularly interested in what she thought was right. He was far more interested in that beautiful, lush body packed into a pencil skirt, blouse and formal jacket.
He reached past her, brushing his arm against her breast and causing her to jump. He picked up the phone and dialed.
She held her breath as he spoke swiftly into the phone.
“Ash, you can tell Aiden Galveston his debt has been paid in full. He needs to leave town and never show his face here again. And give him a love tap to remind him of my mercy.”
He hung up and looked down into the accusing golden eyes below him. Despite the loss of $200,000 he felt pretty damn good about things. It’d been a long time, if ever, since he wanted a woman as badly as he suddenly wanted Mrs. Galveston. Damn if he didn’t just purchase the privilege of using that gorgeous, curvy body any way he wanted.
“Khalid,” he said, eyes tracing her full, red lips. “Say it,” he demanded.
She blinked and sighed before whispering, “Khalid.”
CHAPTER TWO
“This is human bondage,” Shania pleaded as Khalid escorted her from his office, down the hall and past the concierge toward an elevator bank. “It’s not going to work! You can’t just decide to keep me. I’ll fight you. I’ll start screaming and someone will call the cops!”
Khalid looked down at her, amused. His lips quirked in a chilling smile as he reached out to press the elevator button. She wanted to slap him, which surprised her. She had always considered herself a pacifist.
“Ah, princess, there’s little you can do.” He gave her a small shove into the elevator and grabbed her arm when it looked like she would try to leap back out. “Every person in this place is loyal to me. No one will help a hysterical woman that owes me money. They’ll think that I’m being generous by not doing to you what I and my men do to others who run up a debt.”
“But I don’t owe you anything!”
“On the contrary.” Khalid reached out and wrapped one large hand around her hip, shoved her back against the wall of the moving elevator and pressed the full length of his body against hers. “I’ve transferred Aiden’s debt to you, my dear, and you will pay it.”
He dropped his face into her neck, and breathed her in deeply, appreciatively. “No one reneges on a debt to me. You’ll pay off every cent, until I’m satisfied.”
His hot breath caressed the sensitive skin of her throat, making her shiver against the wall. He pressed against her firmly, his proximity and the smell of his aftershave causing her heart to beat erratically and her head to swim. His lips whispered along her neck between her hairline and her jacket. She whimpered in a mixture of fear and arousal. She clearly wasn’t used to aggressive men. She was so tall and solid that few men could physically dominate her as Khalid was now.
“Fuck,” he snarled against her skin, causing her to jump. “You smell so damn good, princess.” He lifted his head and stared down into her eyes with a wolfish grin. “I can’t wait to eat you.”
“Oh god!” she gasped, moving suddenly to duck under his arm.
Khalid released her from the embrace, but took hold of her hand and forced her back to his side. The elevator arrived at the penthouse where he entered a code to open the doors. Shania tried to stifle a gasp as the doors opened to a huge, luxurious apartment that took up most of the top floor of the casino hotel.
“Your new home.”
Khalid pulled her off the elevator and into his apartment. He let her hand go and gave her the space she clearly craved. She quickly edged away from him, like a skittish animal trying to evade a stalking wolf. He had to stop himself from doing just that, every instinct telling him to go after her and drag her back into the heat of his body.
But the woman needed space. She wasn’t here willingly.
Khalid wasn’t a good man. He’d built an empire on the blood of others and reaped every imaginable benefit. He lived in luxury, but never forgot how he arrived there. Though he delegated work, he was always willing to get his hands dirty if it meant better control over what was his, as Aiden had discovered. Something about the man’s willingness to sell his own wife had made Khalid’s fists itch. She was much better off without that greasy bastard.
She had been right though, in calling Khalid an immoral bastard. But something about her made him want to be less of an evil son-of-a-bitch while she was near. Not that he was off to a good start. Coercion and essentially kidnapping her likely weren’t going to offer much of a first impression.
He watched as she wrapped her arms around her body, as though for warmth. Her eyes darted around, looking for a way out. He made his decision. He would be patient. He’d already decided he wanted to keep her around for a while. He could afford to give her time to come to terms with her new living situation.
She turned to face him and, lifting her chin, tried to look brave. It amused him when she did that. She was probably used to looking down at a lot of people and fooling them with her false sense of bravado. To him, she looked like a hissing kitten.
“You can’t intend to keep me here with you,” she said, watching him warily as he went to the kitchen and poured a glass of water. “I have a life and a job. I have to go back to my apartment tonight. I have friends and family that’ll miss me, and… and report me missing.”
“You don’t have anyone,” he said, approaching her with the water. “Aiden was very forthcoming about you when he was trying to sell you. An only child, parents dead, too shy to make friends easily. You have acquaintances at the shelter where you work, but no real friends. No one will miss you Shania.”
She flinched. He was right.
Her parents had died in a plane crash, which she had survived when she was sixteen. She had no other family that she knew of. Apparently her fathers white Catholic family had disowned him when he married a black woman and produced a mixed race daughter.
“I have work,” she whispered, desperation colouring her tone, feeling sudden
ly vulnerable in her lack of connections. “I’ll be missed at the shelter if I’m not at work tomorrow.”
He nodded and she felt a momentary spasm of relief. If he planned on letting her go to work she would take that opportunity to run as far and as fast as she could. He quickly crushed that hope.
“I will ensure that you aren’t missed. It’ll be taken care of.”
“How?” she gasped.
“You’ll be taking an extended leave of absence from this job. Possibly a permanent one.” He put the glass in her hand and wrapped her fingers around it. “Drink, Shania. You’ve had some shocks tonight, and I won’t have you passing out on me.”
Anger suddenly flared up inside of her. Anger at him, anger at Aiden, anger at her own stupidity for ignoring her instincts and coming to the casino tonight. She gripped the glass in her hand and snapped, “Why? You want your slave healthy when you rape her?”
He stiffened, his eyes hardening. “Watch your mouth, Shania. My patience is not endless.”
“Patience?!” she snarled. “You’re forcing me into bondage over a debt that isn’t mine. I see absolutely no evidence of patience, you heartless bastard.”
Khalid clenched his fists, fighting the urge to grab her and show her just how patient he had been. “You aren’t stripped naked at my feet with my cock so far down your throat you’d choke on it. So yes, I would say I’m showing remarkable patience.”
She gasped, the colour draining from her face.
Without thinking, she threw the water into his face and dropped the glass on the floor. He didn’t move, but his body tightened visibly. Water dripped from his face and hair onto his shirt, darkening the front against his skin. His black eyes glowed with fury.
Shania squeaked and, whirling around, sprinted for the elevator. She hit the button desperately, but nothing happened. Shaking, gasping for breath she turned around and searched for another exit. There was none and Khalid was calmly stalking toward her. She bolted to the right, trying to escape the grim determination on his face.
What had she been thinking? Throwing water in a criminal’s face and hoping he’d take it well!
Khalid took hold of her arm as she tried to get past him. He shoved her hard enough to knock the breath from her as her back hit the closed elevator doors. She brought her hands up between them, but he forced them down.
Looking down at her, Khalid was pleased to see she was finally starting to understand how dangerous he was. It was a fucking miracle he hadn’t crushed her the moment he had her alone in his office. Her well-being depended on his shaky benevolence. Any other person would likely be dead, or at the very least breathing through a machine, if they had dared to attack him. Even with water.
He breathed in the scent of her skin and hair, letting the sweet, subtle smell wash over him. She was one of the most stunning women he had ever encountered. He brought a hand up between them and yanked down the zipper of her suit jacket, then shoved the sleeves down her arms, wrenching the garment off her body.
She wore a violet camisole that outlined generous breasts that overflowed the black bra she wore underneath. Tiny straps pressed into the mocha skin of her shoulders.
Ignoring her whimper of fright, Khalid brought his hand up and traced the strap from the top of her breast, over her shoulder and onto her shoulder blade. She strained back against the wall, but couldn’t escape his sensual touch.
“Please…” she whispered as he took her jaw in his hand and tilted her face.
“We are past ‘please,’ princess. You belong to me now and you will learn to obey my wishes.” He dropped his head to hers, water dripping from his chin and brushing across her cheek and lips. “You’ll live here in my penthouse until I say otherwise. You’ll leave only when I allow it, you will not contact anyone unless I say so. You will shop with an escort when I decide. You’ll be polite and respectful. When I’m not here, you will fall into the care of one of my men. You’ll be a good little girl and not test my patience again.”
Shania shivered against him, but she had to know what he intended. “Will…will we…”
“Have sex?” He asked bluntly.
She nodded, dropping her lashes over her eyes. She knew her cheeks were flushing red against her dusky skin.
“Oh yes,” he said, wrapping his arm around her waist and hauling her body up against his much larger, harder frame. She brought her hands up between them, but pushing against his chest was impossible. His lips pressed against her temple. “You’ll belong to me in every way. I bought a man’s wife today. I want everything you’ve given your husband.”
His arms tightened possessively around her.
“I want more than you gave that fucked up lowlife,” he growled. He swept a large hand through her silken hair and down her back, settling it over the curve of her gorgeous ass. His fingers sunk deep into the flesh over her skirt. He kneaded and whispered, “You belong to me now.”
Shania shook, but tried to stand as still as possible under his touch. The man was both terrifying and intensely erotic. He sounded almost jealous of Aiden. She was so terribly afraid, but she didn’t know what to do. He was a criminal! A very powerful criminal. He could kill her and dispose of her body and not a single person would notice. She was completely at his mercy until she found a way to get away from him.
He dropped a chaste kiss against her lips. She felt the firm touch all the way down to her toes before he stepped away from her.
“But not tonight,” he said. “Tonight you’ll get settled in here. I’ll have someone pick up some of your things and bring them to you. I have work to do in the casino, much as I would rather spend the time getting to know you better.”
Shania could feel the tension leaving her body at his words. She would have sunk to the ground except that he was still standing in front of her.
“Please listen carefully Shania, because I won’t repeat myself.” Khalid adjusted his shirt and wiped residual water from his face with an impatient hand as he spoke. “If you’re a good girl, our time together will be pleasant. More than pleasant, I suspect. I will let your behaviour this evening slide because you’re in an understandably distressful position. But if you’re not a good girl and you continue to arouse my temper, I promise you our time together will be enjoyable only for me. I’ll tie you down, beat you for my pleasure and fuck your luscious body in any way I can think of. And believe me, princess, I have an excellent imagination.”
Shania shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. His words effectively chilled her, chasing away any warmth she had felt at the contact of his body moments before.
“Don’t even think about leaving. Because the consequences of leaving are far worse than your innocent little mind can conjure. Its best not to try anything and just accept the situation.”
She bit her lip and nodded. She definitely didn’t want to annoy him right now. She didn’t enjoy the thought of his second option. She had to play nice until she could find a way to get away from him. Preferably before he forced her into a sexual relationship.
He turned to the elevator, blocking the panel with his big body, and typed a code into the pad before pressing the down button. When it arrived, he stepped inside. “Stay here Shania and be a good girl.”
CHAPTER THREE
Looking down at Aiden Galveston's battered face, Khalid was glad he had sent Ash to pick up some of Shania’s belongings and come here himself. He hadn't been able to get her image out of his head. He needed to understand her better and she only socialized with one person.
The burning need to smash in the face of the man that had put hands on, and made love to, Shania was nearly overwhelming. Khalid knew it was unreasonable to expect the woman, who was around thirty, to be a virgin. But he was disgusted by the fucker that she'd had sex with. Aiden was a waste of humanity, while the man’s wife was a fucking saint in comparison.
“Wake up,” he snarled.
Aiden opened his eyes and struggled to get out of the hospital bed when he re
alized who stood over him.
“Calm down,” Khalid snapped. “I’m not here to kill you.”
Aiden stopped struggling and lay back, colour draining from his face as he stared up at the man he was sure was here to end him. “What do you want?” he asked, his voice choked by the swelling in his face.
Khalid eyed the other man like a bug he might crush. “Tell me about your wife?”
Aiden relaxed slightly, a knowing look entering his eyes. “You met her?” he asked, the corner of his mouth hinting at a cautious smile.
Khalid raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, okay. What do you want to know?”
“Tell me about her,” Khalid demanded, dragging the only chair in the room up to the bedside. He stretched long legs in front of him and rested an elbow on the armrest. The tight cords in his arms and neck betrayed his otherwise relaxed posture. “What’s she like?”
Aiden slid into a sitting position, wincing against the pain as broken bones shifted to accommodate him. He licked his lips nervously, trying to gauge the other man's intentions.
“No bullshit. Tell me what I want to know. If you try to lie to me, I’ll know and I will not like it.”
Aiden shuddered, the fresh memory of the last time he made Khalid unhappy written plainly on his face.
“Yeah, okay,” he agreed. “She’s just about what she looks like. Keeps to herself, doesn’t talk a lot, like other bitches. She works at some kind of shelter for homeless people. She’s a do-gooder, likes to help other people. She never does anything illegal. She hardly swears, even when she’s alone, and she barely touches alcohol. Never gets mad or nags. She’s about as good as you can ask for in a woman.”
Khalid nodded, filing the information away. He had suspected her spark of temper was unique and perhaps a little surprising, even to herself. “How did you get involved with someone like her?”
“I saw her at the shelter while I was working construction on the building next door. I decided it wouldn’t hurt to talk to her. Figured she talked to those poor dirty fucks anyway, why wouldn’t she talk to a guy like me? I guess she was lonely or something and agreed to go out with me. She was pretty useful around the house when I took her home, so I decided to marry her. She didn’t want to at first, but after I took her to bed she decided she loved me, and that was that.”
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