The Complete Tempest World Box Set

by Mankin, Michelle

  “I want you,” King said stepping toward me and drawing me into his arms before Mike even closed the door, “to come home with me.” His cock I was impressed to note was already hard again.

  I shivered and admitted, “I like being the focus of your desires, Encino man.”

  He gave me a grunt of confirmation

  I did smile then. A big one. A King-sized one. Knowing he wanted me again, I suddenly felt light enough to drift away and probably would have if he hadn’t been holding me. “But I can’t go home with you. I have all my things at my house, and even if that weren’t the case, I have work in the morning.”

  “You don’t need any things.” His eyes shone as he stared down at me. “You’ll be naked.”

  “Oh. Well…” I swallowed. “As appealing as that sounds, I do need clothes for work.”

  “What do you do exactly?” His brows drew together. “I mean, during the daytime?”

  “I work at the Tropicana. It’s on the other end of the strip from where you’re staying.” He watched me closely as I spoke, stroking one of his hands along my spine while gently sifting through my hair with the other. His touch elicited warmth and tingles that felt so good I almost purred. “I’m like an au-pair…a nanny for the owner’s daughter.” I filled in to quell the remaining confusion in his eyes. “Usually only every other week when Jazz is there to visit her father. More often during the summer.” I was rambling. Being the center of his attention and the recipient of his caresses made it difficult to concentrate. “I travel with them when she goes out of town with her father.” I found myself leaning more deeply into him. He hadn’t stopped touching me. If anything his caresses became more firm, more purposeful, more territorial. It almost seemed to my wishful mind that he didn’t want to stop touching me.

  “And Jazz is?” He trailed off, making a low sound of pleasure as if the process of stroking me soothed him as much as it did me.

  “A beautiful eleven-year-old little girl with a unique spirit and a gentle heart.”

  “Ah, like you probably were at that age.”

  “Yes, I guess.” An astute observation and a flattering one.

  “So it means more to you than just a job.”

  “Yes, for sure.” He could see that I loved that little girl. Observant and intuitive. And good looking, obviously.

  “Alright. So what time do you get off?”

  “Five or six but then I come right over here.”

  “You work too hard, Reina. When do you have time to play?”

  “We could play afterward. If you want.”

  My cell jangled inside my purse with the “It’s Your Boyfriend Calling” ringtone. King’s stroking hand on my back stilled. His gaze intensified. My body chilled to iceberg cold.

  “I…” Shit. I stepped away from Juaquin. I had forgotten Frank. Totally and completely. Apparently, we both had.

  “You gonna take that call?” His hard as steel gaze crashed into me.

  “No. I’ll call him back later. Juaquin, I’m sorry.” He made me forget relationships and rules. I forgot everything else when I was with him. “I’m not free. I shouldn’t have…We shouldn’t have…” I touched his arm in apology, but he recoiled. My stomach churned, but I powered through it. The promise of the way I felt in his arms was worth the risk of being honest. “The past. The present. I forget it all when I’m with you and you touch me like you just did.”

  He searched my eyes and found the truth within them. “Miriam.” He looked like he might reach out and touch me again, but instead only raked a hand through his hair. “I’m not exactly sure what you think we’re doing here. But I know that for whatever this is to continue it has to be me and you and no one else. No other men. That’s a hard limit for me. Just watching Vox touch you a moment ago after I had just had you made me crazy.”

  “Alright. No other guy will be in my bed while we’re doing whatever this is. I’ll talk to Frank tonight.”

  He nodded, but his frown remained. Why? Was he having second thoughts? Hadn’t he enjoyed what we had done? Hadn’t I just conceded everything?

  “I’m not expecting a commitment, King.” I would love to have that from him sure, but I wasn’t naïve. I knew that wasn’t on the table. “Let’s just have some fun. Surely we can fuck each other without making drastic changes to our lives. I can take it however you give it. You don’t have to treat me like I’m something fragile. I don’t have a warning label. I’m not afraid of you. But I gotta go right now because I know my best friend. He’ll break down the door and things will get ugly if I don’t step out of this room in about thirty seconds. How we go on from here, it’s your choice. Your call.” It hurt my heart that he hesitated to choose after the way it had been between us. “I’m keeping things as uncomplicated as I can. I’m telling it to you straight. All I ask is that you do the same with me.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  King

  I threw open the dressing room door and blazed past her best friend trying to throttle my jealous rage.

  I’d wanted to pound my fists into something ever since the call from her boyfriend.

  I knew better than to take my frustration out on Vox.

  She loved him.

  And even though I knew it was only platonic I was jealous of that, too.

  I wasn’t cut out for this shit. I had no point of reference. I had been with groupies or women I had paid to be with me. I had never been with anyone like her.

  I exited the building, got in my Hummer and got the fuck out of there.

  I had a jacked-up idea about tracking down that boyfriend. I probably would have followed through if I had known his last name or his address.

  I settled for a workout, using my after-hours pass to get into the gym. I pounded the heavy bag until my hands were bruised and swollen. On the way back to my hotel, I felt a little more settled and thought about calling her. I knew her number. I’d had it for years. All the guys in the band did. As a sister to one, she was family to the rest of us. But thoughts like that got me all worked up again.

  Bryan wouldn’t approve of me taking his sister up on her offer to be my fuck buddy.

  Adrenaline surged inside me again, only not quite as bad as before since I was nearly exhausted after my exertions. I entered the suite and bypassed Jorge’s slumped form in the living room. The television blaring on some infomercial, an empty bottle of Jose Cuervo lay below the hand he dangled off the sofa.

  In the bedroom, I sank onto the comforter the night service had turned down and pitched my keys onto the nightstand. They clattered against the wood. I dropped my head into my hands.

  What was I going to do about her?

  I knew without a doubt what I wanted to do.

  But there were a whole shit ton of reasons why I shouldn’t. The same reasons I shouldn’t have gone to see her tonight. Well, yesterday. It was three in the morning now.

  I lifted my head and pulled my cell out from the front pocket of my jeans. I unlocked it and went to my photos. I scrolled through them, stopping on the one I always did. It was from her eighteenth birthday. She and I together. I had my arm around her. Sager had taken it. He had caught her looking at me the way she used to. Before all the times I had turned her away, and all the shit I had told her hoping to send her off to the better life I wanted her to have.

  Only she didn’t find that life.

  What did she have here?

  She worked her ass off. Stripping no less. Not what I’d imagined for her at all.

  At least she had a good friend. Vox was protective and loyal. He seemed to be a solid dude. A best friend who had your back. That counted for a lot.

  The boyfriend? Not so much. Who the hell was he? And why hadn’t he come looking for me after I had thrown down the gauntlet in front of him? Why hadn’t he gone mano-a-mano knowing I’d seen her naked? Did he really have no clue I was making a move?

  She deserved so much more.

  I touched the photo, running the pads of my fingers over her hai
r remembering how soft it felt. Her lips so plush. Her taste so delectable. Sex had been off the chain phenomenal with her.

  Before I’d had her, she had been an irresistible fantasy.

  Now she was a living breathing known dream come true.

  But she didn’t care that I was a rock star. She didn’t care about my money or my fame. She saw right through all of that to the insecure part of me that still lingered. To have her I was going to have to let myself be completely vulnerable to her. Become the man I needed to be. Her hero not a savage beast. A king to her queen.

  I knew what I had to do.

  • • •

  Miriam

  “No, baby. I’m alright.” I licked my dry lips and clutched my cell tighter. “I just needed to talk to you.”

  “It’s three o’clock in the fucking morning, darling. Can’t it wait?”

  No, it couldn’t. It had gone on for too long already. The clues had already been there before King had come along that I didn’t rate with Frank where I should. At the top spot. The way he should with me. The way we should with each other if he really wanted me to seriously consider moving in with him.

  “I’m sorry about waking you. But I’m more sorry about wasting your time.”

  “What do you mean?” He sounded completely awake now. “What’s going on Miriam? Are you drunk?”

  Hardly, though I’d had a couple of glasses of wine with Mike while I told him everything that had happened between King and me. He still wasn’t a big fan, but I had convinced him not to go to Juaquin’s hotel to kick his ass, at least. An improvement if not a large one.

  “No. I’m not. But I slept with someone else tonight.” I didn’t see any reason to beat around the bush. The relationship is definitely over when a guy who’s not your boyfriend slips his dick into you.

  “The Hispanic dude? Juaquin Acenado?”

  I was surprised that he remembered. When I had told him about King before, admittedly skipping a few of the details, it had seemed like he hadn’t cared or almost like he knew everything already and was bored by the specifics.

  I was getting the same vibe from him now.

  “Yes,” I verified. “It’s him, and I’m sorry. It has nothing to do with you. You’ve been great. It’s just that I’ve been hung up on Juaquin for a long time. I thought I was over it. But…”

  “Has he declared himself?”

  “What?”

  “Has he told you the extent of his feelings for you? Has he said that he wants a future with you?”

  “No.” He hadn’t said anything like that. My chest squeezed so tight the softly spoken denial was all I had been able to manage.

  “Miriam, darling. Listen. I’m not gonna lie. It cuts like a knife that you went there with him when we’re in a committed relationship, but maybe it’s for the best.”

  “Huh?” Was he kidding? How the hell could he say that?

  “You’ve been holding back with me, with us. I know it. You know it. Deep down. And now I know he’s the reason. I think you need to realize once and for all that the guy’s all wrong for you.” He sighed into the phone. “I’ve got to go on a business trip to New York. I’m not exactly sure how long it will take.” He cleared his throat. “It’s a big opportunity with the potential to change my work schedule if all goes as I expect it to. While I’m gone I want you to really think about this. But understand. I want you, Miriam. I want a future with you. I don’t want anybody else.”

  The line went dead. He had hung up on me.

  I woke up the next morning with Frank’s words still ringing in my ears. And even though my lips still stung from his kisses, and I had faint bruises on my hips from his masterful possession, I had only silence from Juaquin.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Miriam

  “Miss Jackson,” Vincenzo’s PA said. “Mr. Campanella has asked to see you.”

  “Alright.” I set down my glass of iced tea. Jazz gave me a concerned look as I pushed back from the table, but I kept my expression neutral as if it was no big deal for her father to call me into his office. Terrible timing considering how on edge I was after checking the screen on my phone all morning hoping Juaquin would text or call. I squeezed Jazz’s shoulder gently as I passed her chair. “Finish your lunch and your homework. We’ll go to the pool when I get back.”

  I followed the assistant out of the penthouse. She didn’t speak which wasn’t unusual for her as we traveled the length of the hall to the bank of elevators. We stepped inside and rode it down in silence. After the silent disapproval, the usual downstairs activity seemed overly loud. Tourists with cameras hustled through the expansive lobby on their way to the closest slot machines. Regulars gathered around the card tables ever hoping for a hot streak. And construction workers buzzed around like drones hammering, painting and soldering slowly but surely transforming the old Tropicana into the new vision Vincenzo had for it.

  “That will be all, Miss Pennington.”

  I stepped through the portal into the huge imposing office as the assistant stepped out of it.

  “Miss Jackson, so good of you to come.” Vincenzo Campanella rose slowly from behind his massive desk, refastening the middle button on his suit jacket as he navigated around it. His cobalt eyes locked on me. They were the only feature he had inherited from his mother, a Vegas showgirl. I knew these details only because Jasmine had told me. The rest, his wavy dark brown hair, olive complexion, his definitive nose and his don’t-cross-me manner came from his now deceased mobster father. “Take a seat.” He gestured to one of the high-backed chairs in front of his desk. While I did as I was instructed, feeling duly intimidated as I suspected was his intention, he leaned a hip against the corner of his desk. He continued to watch me carefully as I tugged ineffectually on the midriff baring top trying to cover the exposed skin between the dangling tassels and the top of my faded cutoff shorts. For a day by the pool with Jazz, I was appropriately attired. For a formal meeting with my boss, I was conspicuously underdressed.

  “I’ll get right to the point. I suppose you’re wondering why I called you into my office.”

  “Yes, Sir.” I nodded. It was strange that he had. I had only been inside it once before when he had hired me. The hallway itself required a keycard and a passcode to access it.

  “Understand that I think you’ve done a fine job with my daughter, but…”

  I swallowed as he paused. Was he going to fire me? I needed this job, and as Juaquin had pointed out, I loved Jasmine. She was more like a younger sibling to me than a charge.

  “Jasmine will be turning twelve in a couple of weeks, and the time to transition her care has come. Reason being, she needs to grow up. She needs someone to look out for her no doubt, but the person I have in mind will be less of a companion like you and more of a bodyguard.”

  “Oh.” My face fell, my heart sinking to my shoes. “Can I still see her from time to time?” I knew many layers of security that separated Jazz from the rest of the world. If he didn’t give permission, I wouldn’t be able to come anywhere near here. I felt my heart already cracking.

  “That will be entirely up to you.”

  “How so?” My brows drew together as I blinked at him in confusion.

  “I have a new business proposition I want to run by you.” Glancing toward the seamless one-way glass windows that overlooked the pool, he twisted on the platinum C signet ring he always wore on his left pinky finger, denoting the Campanella empire. When Vincenzo turned and refocused on me again his gaze bored into me. “I’m making a lot of changes at the Tropicana as you are well aware. What you probably don’t know is that my ambitions extend quite a bit farther. Not only do I plan to reopen the hotel under a new name and theme, but I also will soon break ground on three other properties on this section of the strip; an indoor mall with an ice skating rink, as well as two brand new hotels. The construction you have probably noticed as you have driven in to work is the beginnings of my new vision for this area. “The reason being,” I tri
ed not to visibly cringe as he once again used his crutch phrase, “it’s time to make this part of the strip relevant again.” His dark blue eyes narrowed on me.

  “Wow,” I said, trying not to fidget as his gaze swept over me. “That’s cool.”

  “I’m glad you approve. Despite the obstruction of the state’s attorneys and other segments of law enforcement determined to smear my family’s name, I plan on building a legacy that would make my father proud. With the expansion, there will be many important positions to fill, such as the one here at the Tropicana I’m offering to you.”

  “Oh.” I sat up straighter, picking up my heart from the floor and dusting it off. Maybe I would still get to see Jasmine after all.

  “Your impressive following at the Sexxy Club is not something that has escaped my notice.” My fingers tightened on the armrests of the chair. Of course, he knew about my other job. A thorough background check had been conducted when I had applied for my current position. Vincenzo had mentioned it not being a problem, that he considered it an honest way to make a living, and that it was proof that I was a hard worker like his mother had been.

  “I want the reopened Tropicana to set the bar for allure in Vegas and I want you to embody it.”

  “That’s very flattering, Sir.” My heart stopped. With Vincenzo I was afraid this was less a proposition and more of an offer I couldn’t refuse.

  “What exactly would I be doing if I accepted?”

  “You would strip of course. But you would be completely nude. And your activities would be more, how should I put this, interactive than your current routines. And you would be recorded for the pay per view option.” His eyes darkened to black or maybe it was just the crisscross scaffolding outside his window.

  “Well, I appreciate you considering me.” There was no way in hell I would do porn. Even to maintain my ties to Jazz. I knew better. If I went down that road with a man like him there would be no coming back. “I have an arrangement that already works for me. It’s limited exposure, and it’s hands off. What you have in mind I think we can both agree is neither of those things.”