Filthy Rich Alpha

by Virna DePaul

  Branden suddenly stopped and stood them both up in one fluid motion. Then he stepped back and looked at her.

  “You are so fucking beautiful,” he said. He reached into his robe pocket and pulled out a condom, which he swiftly put on. Then, reaching around her head, he wrapped his fingers up in her flowing mane of golden hair. He used that hand and her hair to pull her in for a kiss, and then pushed her back again, spun her around, and bent her over the side of the chair. With his hand still entwined in her hair, he pulled her head back and buried his entire length inside her.

  Cara cried out in ecstasy as he plunged in and out of her with such force that the chair wasn’t holding up.

  “Hold on, baby,” he said as he stopped and pulled himself out of her. He picked up one of the robes from the ground and draped it over the side of the balcony railing before leaning her face-first against the rail and plunging inside her again. She let out a cry. He didn’t keep her pressed up against the railing long. After several long, hard thrusts, he spun her to face him. “You make me want, Cara. So damn much.”

  With a trembling smile, she knelt in front of him, on the robe that was now at his feet. She touched the condom that glistened from being inside her. “Do you have another one of these?”

  When he nodded, she slowly rolled off the condom, set it to the side, and opened her mouth. Groaning, he slipped his cock into her mouth. Reaching down, he squeezed her nipples as he thrust in and out of her mouth with almost the same force he’d used when he filled her pussy. Cara sucked in the entire length of him each time, loving the feel of the head of his cock at the back of her throat. She dug her nails into his hard ass with each thrust. Branden began to grunt in rhythm to his thrusts and very quickly was ready to explode. Cara braced herself, but he stopped and pulled her up to his mouth, locking her into another passionate kiss.

  He reached down and pinched a nipple, then trailed his mouth down to bite and suck on the other. She moaned with pleasure as he switched and moved his mouth over to the other side. Then he reached down and ran a finger across her clit, making her shiver violently. He kissed and licked his way down across her abdomen, then plunged his tongue inside. Her legs were shaking so hard she could barely stand. He nudged her back down into the chair, and she sat forward with her legs spread wide to allow him full access. Cara wrapped her fingers in his hair now and used her hands to guide his mouth and tongue to the places that gave her the most pleasure. Branden licked and sucked and nibbled on her clit until she was once again on the verge of an orgasm. Then he stopped.

  “More,” she mewled.

  He chuckled, then picked her up in his arms. “Oh, Cara, I promise you, sweet one…you’ll get more.”

  He carried her inside to the huge bed. He lay her down on her back, produced the second condom, put it on, and climbed on top of her.

  He leaned in and kissed her mouth as his cock slipped easily inside her. They moved together until they at last settled into a steady rhythm, both of them lost in the sensations that coursed through their bodies, the sounds each of them were making, and the scent of their lovemaking. Soon, Branden’s body tensed and he cupped her butt, pulling her up and into him as he exploded with the orgasm he’d been holding back since she was in the tub.

  Cara found her own release and then lay shaking and quivering in his arms until they both fell asleep.

  Chapter 20

  Sunday morning, after a quiet Saturday spent reading, watching movies, and making love to Cara, Branden left a sleeping Cara in bed to work in his office. He received another update from Alex, who was still in Punta Cana and was partying with Dreadlocks and Surfer to the point the other two had passed out, giving Alex the opportunity to search their house. He’d found bonds and texted Branden a picture. There were a lot of them. Branden immediately guessed that the bonds were stolen and that Davies had paid the men to move the bonds in order to cover the trail. According to Alex, the men were headed to Indonesia next, then to California to “catch some swells.”

  Branden had read something about drugs being brought into the country inside of hollowed surfboards. Figuring it was worth checking into, he talked to a contact he had at Interpol. Ernest was an agent who’d helped with SEC investigations when money was being illegally traded into different countries. He told him what he thought Davies was up to, and then he texted him the picture of the bonds. Ernest told him that he’d start working on things from his end, trying to find out if a hefty amount of bonds had been reported missing or stolen recently.

  After Branden finished his call with Ernest, Deena called. “Hey, sorry to bother you on the Lord’s day, although I’m sure you’re only worshipping at the temple of Cara,” she said.

  “Did you call just to be sarcastic?”

  “No, but that part is a bonus. I called to tell you that I’m brilliant, in case you didn’t know.”

  “Of course I knew,” he said. “What are your bragging rights today?”

  “The email that Cara supposedly forwarded to Mahoney was routed through her computer, but it originated from an entirely different ISP address. It was crazy hard to figure that out, and someone with lesser abilities may have missed it altogether,” she told him. “That address is the private domain of Larry Gills.”

  “Private domain? That would mean it came from his home PC. That derails your theory about Rafe Sampson setting Larry up, doesn’t it?”

  “Not necessarily. I still get the feeling Larry’s being duped. Sampson’s smart enough to make it look like that email originated from Larry’s computer. He’d also be smart enough to know Cara would deny sending the email in the first place and that we’d investigate it.”

  “So he’s setting Larry up for the fall. What’s our next move?”

  “We need Larry’s home computer. Because it’s not at the workplace, we need a warrant. I’ll call you when my department is ready to move. I’d like to be there.”

  “Me, too,” Branden told her. “Is it going to happen today, you think?”

  “We’ll probably go in next week. I’m going to have them include the office. Even though you can give the okay for us to search the office, he might have personal items like a cell phone, notebook, etc., that I want a look at, too.”

  “And what about Sampson?”

  “Lee’s been trailing him just like you asked. He got into the office today before six a.m. Not too uncommon for an ambitious up and comer, but still…”

  “Can we name him in the warrant, as well?”

  “We have nothing on him. If we could charge him with being a workaholic, they could use that to hang us all.”

  “Okay, just keep me posted,” Branden told her.

  He hung up and called Lee. “You still on Sampson?”

  “Yep. He just stepped into the Bull’s Den.”

  “The restaurant on the Green?”

  “That’s the one,” Lee said.

  “Okay, good. I’ll be there soon. Keep an eye on him, okay?”

  “Will do, boss.”

  “What about the Bull’s Den?”

  Branden turned and found Cara standing in the doorway.

  “I was just asking a friend about it. I was thinking of taking you out to lunch, if you’re interested.”

  “Mm, yes I am interested,” she said. “And excited! My friend Iris just started working there this week. She may be working today, actually.”

  “Perfect then,” Branden told her. “Are you ready?”

  The Bull’s Den really had nothing to do with bulls. It was a metaphor for the “aggressive force on the move” that was Wall Street. When Cara and Branden walked in, Cara saw Iris at the bar, picking up a drink order.

  “I’m going to go say hello,” she said.

  “Okay, I see someone I need to talk to, as well,” Branden told her. He watched her as she approached Iris, waited until she had a moment, then greeted her friend. Strangely, she reached into her bag and handed Iris what looked like a scarf. Iris laughed, took the scarf, and gave Cara a
hug.

  With a smile, Branden scanned the restaurant. He saw Rafe Sampson and another man sitting in a booth near the back. He headed over, passing Lee on the way.

  Lee was a bigger, slightly more serious version of Alex. Short dark hair. Olive skin. Broad across the chest and shoulders, a little bigger than Alex. No visible tats, though he had several on his back.

  Sampson looked up and saw Branden just before he made it to the table. He looked nervous for just a fraction of a second before he caught himself. Putting on a big smile, he stood up and said, “Mr. Duke, I thought that was you. I’ve never seen you in jeans before.”

  “Rafe Sampson, right?” Branden asked, acting like he had to think about it.

  “Yes,” Sampson said, putting out his hand. “I’m honored that you even know who I am. We only met briefly in a meeting.”

  “I remember you,” Branden told him. He actually felt like there was somewhere else he should be remembering him from. He’d seen the guy in the office, but hadn’t paid much attention to him. He got a strong feeling that they’d met before, but couldn’t place the man.

  Branden wanted to hear him talk again. There was something familiar about the way he moved his mouth. “You and Larry Gills have been teaming up on a lot of projects lately, right?”

  “Larry’s been good to me, showing me the ropes.” Sampson glanced at the man sitting with him. “I’m sorry, Mr. Duke. Let me introduce you to Robert Stacks. He’s a good friend and also a mentor to me.”

  Branden shook the other man’s hand. “You’re a broker?” Branden asked the other man.

  “Retired,” he said. “I teach classes now over at Columbia. Rafe here was one of my best and brightest students.”

  “Well, I’m glad D&M hired him, then.”

  “Can you join us for a drink, Mr. Duke?” Sampson asked.

  “Maybe another time,” he told him. “I just wanted to say hello.”

  Branden told the other man it was nice meeting him and shook Sampson’s hand again. He went over and found Cara, still talking to Iris. She introduced them, and after pleasantries were exchanged, they took their seats.

  Cara glanced over at Sampson and his lunch companion. “Friends of yours?”

  “Not at all.”

  “Good. Because I have to say… Something about him reminds me a lot of Davies.”

  Branden jerked with surprise. “I’ll be damned,” he said. Now that she’d said it, it made sense. Now he had to determine if it was in fact true. He leaned over and kissed Cara on top of her blond head before standing up. “You’re brilliant,” he said with a smile.

  “Thanks,” she said, confused. “Where are you going?”

  “I need to ask your friend a favor. I’ll be right back.”

  He went over to the table that Iris was cleaning off and said, “Hey, Iris.”

  “Oh, hey, Branden. What’s up?” she said.

  “I have a really odd favor to ask you.”

  She laughed and said, “Odd is my specialty.”

  “Do you bus all your own tables?”

  “Not usually, but the busboy called in sick and they haven’t found a replacement for him yet, so today, yes. Why?”

  “Okay, don’t look because I don’t want this guy to know I’m talking about him, but there’s a younger guy in a fancy suit sitting over there in the far back corner with another man. When you pick up his glass, can you hold it anywhere but the rim and bring it to me?”

  She looked at him curiously and then said, “It sounds so cloak-and-dagger. Sure, I can do that.”

  He grinned. “There’ll be a nice tip in it for you.”

  “That’s even better,” she said.

  Branden thanked her and went back to Cara. When he sat down, Cara smiled and asked, “What was that about? Are you hitting on my best friend?”

  “Are you kidding? She’s cute, but she’s got nothing on you. No one can compare.”

  Cara’s smile widened but she dropped her gaze, as if…embarrassed? Pleased? When she peeked at him from behind her lashes, he figured his second guess was right. She’d not just felt flattered by his honest compliment; she’d taken it to heart.

  And that was sweet. Really, really sweet. Her reaction stirred something inside of him, but before he could figure out what it was, Iris came over and they gave her their order. A few minutes after she went to put their order in, Branden saw Sampson and his friend get up. He looked over at Iris who saw them, too; she gave Branden a little nod.

  When Sampson and his friend headed to the door, Lee followed them. Iris was right; this was all very cloak-and-dagger.

  Branden and Cara finished their lunch and Iris cleared their plates. Then Iris came up to them carrying a small white bag. She handed it to him. “Here’s your leftovers. Enjoy!”

  She’s good, Branden thought. He’d have a lab run a DNA test on the glass. If and when the authorities found Davies and brought him into custody for those stolen bonds—which Branden suspected would happen eventually—he’d make sure they got DNA from Davies to compare to Sampson’s. Failing that, Branden would raid his mother’s house. She was a pack rat bordering on a hoarder, prone to keeping items that belonged to all her exes, be it old clothes, empty beer bottles, or a piece of old wedding cake. If he could find something with Davies’s DNA, he could have it tested against Sampson’s to confirm whether the two men were indeed related.

  “Shall we go?”

  “Maybe,” she said, “But first, I’m curious about something. A place like the Bull’s Den isn’t really the spot where you get a doggie bag, and you’re hardly the kind of man who’d accept one without even asking. Are you going to explain all of this to me?”

  “It’s probably best if I don’t. It has to do with business, and when it comes to mixing business and pleasure…”

  Her eyes grew hooded and she glanced away. “Right. Things are complicated enough as it is. Besides, it’s not like you really know me.”

  As she turned from him, he took her arm, unable to see that clouded expression that she now wore. What was it with this woman that made him want her to know him deeply? That made him want her to trust him?

  “I know enough about you, Cara. This isn’t about trust. It’s about protecting you, the way I promised I would. You hear me?”

  She bit her lip, then nodded. “Yes. Before we go, I want to say good-bye to Iris and use the ladies’ room.”

  “I’ll take care of the bill and meet you by the door.”

  After he settled the bill, Branden saw Cara come out of the ladies’ room. He was thinking about how he couldn’t wait to get her home when the man sitting at the end of the bar said something to her. He didn’t hear what the man said, but he did see the uncomfortable look on Cara’s face. She continued past him and the man actually stood up and grabbed her arm.

  Branden saw nothing but red as he crossed the bar. When he got there, the man was still holding on to her wrist, despite the fact Cara was trying to walk away.

  “Take your hands off of her,” Branden said. The man dropped his arm, but that wasn’t good enough. Branden shoved him several steps back. “Who the fuck are you?”

  “He works at another trading firm,” Cara said, her lips tight, her skin white. “Apparently, he’s a friend of Greg’s.”

  The man held his hands up, palms out, and said, “Hey, sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

  “By what?” Branden said in a dangerous tone.

  The man swallowed hard, but he didn’t say anything.

  Branden looked at Cara and said, “What did he say to you before he put his hands on you?”

  “Branden, it’s fine. Let’s just go.”

  “What did he say, Cara?”

  “He called me the boss’s slut,” Cara told him with a look of distaste.

  Branden immediately grabbed the man by his collar and almost jerked him off his feet.

  “Branden, he’s not worth it,” Cara said.

  “Oh, I agree. But you’re mine. And y
ou’re worth it.” Branden pulled his fist back and punched him in the face.

  When Branden let the asswipe go, he did so with a little shove so that the man landed face down on the wood floor of the bar. Cara let out a little scream, as if she couldn’t believe what Branden had done.

  Branden couldn’t really believe he’d done it, either. It had been years since he’d been in a physical fight. He was so angry that he was actually tempted to pick the bastard up and punch him again. Instead, he grabbed Cara’s hand and dragged her out of the restaurant.

  Chapter 21

  Monday morning, Cara was still feeling slightly shell-shocked at having a man come to her honor in such a way. After fight in the bar, she and Branden had driven back to his penthouse apartment. Then he’d left, taking the bag Iris had given him with him without even discussing the fight. Or the fact that he’d called her his.

  Was she his?

  But she couldn’t be. Branden Duke was a lone wolf. Untamed. Never to be confined by what a real relationship would bring.

  They were just playing, right? Having fun while they could?

  After he took off, she’d showered, crawled into bed, and done something she hadn’t done in a very long time.

  Cried herself to sleep.

  When she’d woken, Branden was beside her, but on the other side of the bed, his back to her. Given he hadn’t woken her when he’d returned, she suspected he was maybe regretting how far he’d taken things with her already.

  Calling her his woman, for a man like Branden Duke, was a lot. He probably hadn’t meant it and was now regretting the statement. They hadn’t talked before going to sleep last night, and though they’d talked in the morning, it had all been friendly. Oh so polite. No morning sex, not even any cuddling. Just the one soft kiss on the mouth he’d given her before she’d left, though granted it had been a lingering one. And the way his hands had cupped her face, it had seemed like he’d been reluctant to let her go. Yet he had. Let her go. And the only explanation she had for his taciturn change in behavior was that he’d had second thoughts. That he’d begun to think she wasn’t worth the trouble of punching that man in the face. That he regretted it and everything they’d done together. And that made her heart ache almost unbearably.