by Ashley
“Sounds like you really loved it.”
“For a long time, I thought that would be how I spent my life. The game was the love of my life.”
“And now? What do you love now?” Sutton asked.
“In this very moment, you,” West replied.
The answer might as well have knocked Sutton off her feet. It was unexpected and blunt and sudden. How the fuck was he feeling this way so soon? How was she feeling the same?
Bitch, you ain’t shit, Sutton scolded herself.
She charged him, kissing him aggressively. He picked her up, turning her toward the desk and knocking everything off to lay her down on top of it. She was breaking so many rules, handling this job in all the wrong ways, but her heart ached to be touched by him. The ways this man delivered dick was a sin and a shame. He strapped up and pushed into her body like he was desperate to feel her. The power of a man like West—the way his back tensed in definition as he stroked her, the way he bit her ear, then her neck, then her shoulder as he damn near growled in her ear—made her body soak for him. It was as good as the first time.
“West,” Sutton moaned. Her face was balled up, a mixture of lust, regret, and pleasure tearing up her pretty features as he served her body well. She placed her hands on the sides of his face. “West…”
He focused on her.
“If I ever hurt you, know that I’m sorry.”
He ignored her, swallowing her warnings along with her tongue. Sutton closed her eyes and held on tight. There was no switching of positions this night. Just good fucking, sweet loving, until he heard her call his name as she came. He picked her up and she rested her head on his shoulder as he carried her back to the bedroom. When they were behind the privacy of the closed door, he placed her on her feet.
“I can’t fall for you,” she whispered, bowing her head into his chest.
“I’m not asking for that,” West said. “We’re just enjoying whatever this is. If you want more, I’m with that. If the moment passes, I’m grown enough to accept that too. One thing I don’t want to fuck with is a woman that’s going to hold back. If you got to put guards up when we’re together, that’s not my vibe. Lower the walls, Sutton.” He kissed the top of her head and then headed out of the room.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“To the guest room. You can have the master for the night,” he said.
She frowned, confused. “You’re not sleeping with me?”
“I don’t stay the night with women, Sutton. I normally don’t even allow them into my home,” he said.
“So, you can have guards, but mine aren’t allowed? We’re either in the moment together or not at all, West. I don’t give without taking something in return,” Sutton said.
“If I climb in that bed, we won’t be sleeping,” West warned.
“So, let’s do something else.”
Exhaustion. Exhaustion glued Sutton to the bed. Sex until 3:00 A.M. had done her body well. West had fallen straight to sleep, but Sutton didn’t sleep well in foreign places. She had showered, hoping it would ease her restlessness; but as she lay under him, she couldn’t quite doze off. She touched his face, admiring his features. He was so handsome. Brute, manly, and powerful. He was a king and Sutton was going to topple his kingdom. In a different world, she would sit beside him and help him rule. Her heart battled with her mind, trying to convince her to call it off. She wouldn’t, but she wanted to.
She slipped into her robe and walked out of the room, searching for the rooftop terrace. She just needed a bit of fresh air. She crept through the halls silently until she passed Beamer’s room. The sound of Beamer screaming alarmed her and she pushed open the door to find him tossing and turning in a full night terror. She turned on his light, but Beamer’s eyes were closed as he panicked, fighting in his sleep.
“Beamer, hey, Beamer, wake up. You’re just having a nightmare,” she whispered softly as she rushed to his side. “It’s just a dream.” His pajamas were wet from the cold sweat of panic and he panted as he came to, looking at her in confusion.
“Hey, it’s just a dream,” she said, pulling him back to reality.
It took him a minute to recognize who she was before lying back down. Sutton pulled the covers up to his chin. She turned to leave.
“Sutton?”
She doubled back to his side.
“My mom used to stay until I went back to sleep. Can you just stay for a bit?” he asked.
An awkward beat passed as anxiety filled her. She was the reason his mom wasn’t here to do the job herself.
“Yeah, I’ll stay,” she said. “You want to throw me a pillow?” Beamer passed her a pillow off the bed and threw in an extra cover. “I’ll be right here until you go back to sleep, okay?”
“Thanks, Sutton,” Beamer said.
“No problem.”
Sutton didn’t realize she had fallen asleep until she awoke the next morning. She smelled breakfast and she pulled herself up from the floor. When she entered the kitchen, she saw Beamer giggling as he flipped pancakes on a griddle.
“Tradition,” West said, winking at her as she stood in the doorway, speechless.
“Blueberry pancakes coming right up!” Beamer shouted.
This time, Sutton didn’t want to stop her smile. She crossed her arms and looked at them in amazement as she leaned against the doorframe.
West crossed the room to her. “How’d you sleep? Imagine my surprise when I woke up to find my baby brother took my girl.”
“Is that what I am? Your girl?” she asked.
West didn’t answer. Instead, he kissed her, gripping ass in one hand and pressing her into his body. It had been a long time since Sutton had allowed herself to feel like this. Girly and submissive and giddy for a man.
“August is on his way to come get Beamer. I want to do some things to you he can’t be here to overhear,” West said. Her body tensed at the sound of August’s name. It brought a harsh reality washing down over her.
“I, um, I can’t stay. After breakfast, I need to go. I have brunch with my sisters on Sundays. It’s something we never miss,” she said.
She was really looking for an excuse to leave. August was a reminder that she and West were aligned on two different sides of a war he had no clue was taking place.
He cocked his head back, lifting her chin between his fingers. He clearly felt the energy shift in the room.
“Are you good?” he asked.
“Yeah.” Her voice was small, but her body was tight and tense. Sutton LaCroix was back to business. Whatever wall he had broken down the night before had been restored.
“I had your assistant bring you by some clothes,” he said.
“You did what?” Sutton asked.
“You need clothes, or did you plan to walk out of here naked?” West asked. “She went and grabbed something from Saks. I have an account there.”
“You can’t put my business out in the streets like that, West. I don’t mix business with pleasure. My assistant doesn’t need to know I’m sleeping with you,” Sutton said. “You’re a man. You can do what you want. It’s different for women. It gets out that I’m sleeping with you, and it erases all credibility that I’ve earned in my career.” Then again, Sutton didn’t know if she was hiding it for business purposes or because she didn’t want her sisters to find out.
“Understood. I respect it,” West said.
The doorbell rang and West kissed Sutton’s cheek.
“Grab some food, I’ll be right back,” West said.
Before he could even go to the door, August’s voice echoed through the house.
“Aye, bro!”
“West!” Sutton whispered.
August appeared in the kitchen. “This is why you’re not answering my calls. Good taste, bro,” August said, smirking. “Really good fucking taste.”
“August.” West’s tone was stern. A warning.
August lifted hands in defense. “Come on, Beamer. Let’s go get you f
itted for your big night.” He slapped hands with West and then steered Beamer out of the house.
“I’ll see you later, kid,” West said. “Love you.”
“Love you too! Bye, Sutton!”
“Bye, Beamer,” she said softly.
West turned to her. “I’m a little old for secrets. I’m not really into worrying about what other people think about who I invite into my bed either. It’s beneath me.”
“My preferences are beneath you?” Sutton asked, insulted.
“I’m not out here acting boyish, Sutton. I want to know you. If I see you across the room and I want to touch you, I want to be able to touch you. If I want to taste you, I want to be able to kiss you. I’ve never done well with rules,” he said. “Women bore me, but you…” He shook his head and kept the rest of his thoughts to himself.
“Me, what?” Sutton asked.
West backed her against the wall, stealing her air as he hovered inches from her face. He bit his lip as he wrapped a hand around her neck. Her chest rose and fell. She closed her eyes and felt his lips to her cheek.
“You’re under my skin,” he said in her ear, then pulled back. “You’re either the best investment I’ve ever made or a distraction that I need to let go of. Decide what you want, Sutton. Beamer’s welcome home party is tonight. If you don’t show up, I’ll know what it is. But if you do, you need to understand how I’m moving from here on out. It won’t be in the dark.”
West headed back to his room, leaving Sutton speechless. Before he disappeared from sight, he said, “Leslie will drive you home.”
CHAPTER 18
“Gadget, how long does it take the US Coast Guard to get from shore to the Sinclair rig off the coast of Louisiana?” Sutton asked.
“About forty-five minutes, give or take,” Gadget answered as she looked at the radar on her computer screen. “I’ve hacked their communication center. I’ll know exactly when and where they are when they get dispatched. I’ll be able to send in the anonymous tip about the drop as well.”
“What happens after this? After the drug bust?” Honor asked.
“The company’s assets are frozen while the feds investigate. They’ll probably bring charges against August and West Sinclair, and the stock will be worth next to nothing. We’ll buy it at its lowest and be owners of an oil company. That’s real wealth, ladies. We’ll be unstoppable,” Sutton said.
The lust in her voice came from the thought of the power she was about to steal. She enjoyed West. She might even be falling for him. If any man were good enough for Sutton, it was him; but unfortunately, she didn’t want to share a kingdom. She wanted to run her own. She wanted to wear his crown. Fuck a queen. Sutton wanted to be king.
Nevertheless, her gut nagged at her. The bond they were building didn’t allow her to go into the play guilt free, but she ignored all her reservations.
“What makes you think another company won’t try to buy Sinclair Enterprises before we get to it?”
“They will,” Gadget said. “I’ve gathered dirt on the top three competitors. One built his money on the backs of Jews in Nazi Germany, the second has ties to Russian mobsters, and the third has no assets to leverage to acquire a new company right now. We’re in the clear. It’ll come right to us.”
“And what about Sire?” Ashton asked.
“What about that nigga?” Sutton asked, face frowning, because she didn’t give a fuck what happened to him as long as she got what she wanted.
“He’ll go to prison. For the rest of his life. He doesn’t owe us a debt. Seems a little fucked up,” Ashton said.
“He’s collateral damage,” Sutton responded.
“Honor and I will attend the welcome home celebration for Beamer. Gadget, you need to be somewhere near the pier. There is a restaurant there. You can sit at the bar so you can pick up the feed from the coast guard,” Sutton instructed.
“And what about me?” Ashton asked.
“Stay out the way, Ash. I know you want to come off the bench, but you can’t. It’s not over yet, but it will be after tonight,” Sutton said. “August can’t see you. When he’s in custody, you can move freely; until then, play the back.”
“What if this is a mistake?” Honor asked. She had spent a little time with August. Her loyalty was with her sister, that would never change, but August didn’t seem like he was beyond redemption. She couldn’t imagine him doing the things that had been done to Ashton.
“It isn’t,” Sutton said. “The Sinclair family has done a lot worse, I’m sure. Don’t feel sorry for them.”
Only Honor did feel sorry for them. Sutton could see it in her eyes and deep down behind her walls, she felt the same. She felt for Beamer and she felt for what she was destroying with West, but it had to be done. Revenge was supposed to be sweet, but somehow this time it was bitter.
* * *
Devil in a blue dress. Sutton LaCroix stood in front of the full-length mirror admiring her reflection as she placed chandelier diamond earrings in her ears. Her stomach was hollow. She wondered how she had become this person. Her moves had never been this underhanded. She had conned her way through a lot of situations, blackmailed bad people for good reasons, but this one … this one plan to destroy the name of an entire family felt greasier than them all. Sutton slipped into her Louboutin heels and grabbed her clutch as she headed for the door. West had given her a choice to make. If she showed up, it would give every indication that she wanted to be with him. If she followed her heart, that much would be true, but her head was navigating this ship. Sutton wasn’t young anymore. She couldn’t get sucked up in whimsical love affairs. She had to keep her feet on the ground and her eyes on the prize. She had to finish this. She wouldn’t show up at all if she didn’t want a front-row seat to the devastation that was awaiting the Sinclairs.
Before she did any of that, though, she had to meet with Sire to ensure the deal went off without a hitch. If he didn’t bring the right amount of product, it wouldn’t be a large enough bust to make a federal case stick.
“Honor, are you ready?” Sutton called out as she headed to the living room.
“Yeah! Almost done!” Honor shouted back.
She stepped out of the room and Sutton gasped.
“Oh, bitch, I need to change. You didn’t come to play, did you?” she complimented.
Honor snickered, shaking her head. “Sutty, I know it’s too late to pull back, but the little brother, Beamer…”
Sutton smiled at the mention of him. “I know, Honor. I’ve already made arrangements for his care. The mother has a sister. A contact at DCS will make sure she receives custody if it comes to that.”
Honor nodded.
“Let’s get this over with,” Sutton said.
They stepped outside and Sutton was stunned to find Leslie standing near West’s black SUV. Sutton was speechless and stopped walking mid-step.
“Hi, Leslie. I didn’t call for you,” she said.
“I was given very specific instructions for you today,” he replied. He reached inside the back seat of the car and pulled out a small gift-wrapped box.
“Mr. Sinclair hopes to see you tonight,” Leslie said, handing the gift to her.
Sutton scoffed and opened the present.
A beautiful solid gold Rolex sat inside. A sixty-thousand-dollar Rolex to be exact. A handwritten note lay inside the box.
Hoping to take up a bit of your time, Sutton LaCroix. Leslie will lead you to the next gift. I’ll see you tonight.
Faithfully Yours, West
“Sutton, what is going on between you and West?” Honor asked.
Sutton closed the box and wiped the lone tear that had escaped her eyes.
“Sutty?” Honor asked.
“I’ll wait for you in the car,” Leslie said. Sutton nodded, emotional as she turned to Honor.
“I think I fell in love with him,” Sutton admitted. She had never said it aloud. It was wrong. It couldn’t happen. Still, her heart told her it was true.
“Oh Sutty,” Honor whispered. Sutton fell into her sister’s embrace and gathered her composure.
“You know the rules. You made the rules, Sutton,” Honor reminded.
“I know. I know what I have to do,” Sutton reassured, quickly gathering herself because being vulnerable wasn’t something she allowed herself to be. She was the strong sister, the leader, the one with all the answers. Her baby sister had been wronged, had been hurt, and Sutton was responsible for fixing it. Love didn’t matter. West couldn’t matter.
“I can’t do this right now, the gifts and everything, but please go for me. Go with Leslie and go along with whatever it is that West has planned. Tonight, I’ll meet you at the party. I have to catch up with Sire beforehand. I promise I’ll meet you there.”
Honor nodded. “Okay, but are you okay? Sutton, how long has this been going on?”
“Since the Draft party. I slept with him that night, Honor. I had no idea who he was and now I care. I hate that I care,” Sutton admitted.
“We should leave, Sutton. Just take a job somewhere else. In LA. Pick someone new and start over. This one doesn’t feel right,” Honor said, trying to convince Sutton.
“It’s too late for that. We already have resources invested. Let’s just do what we’re supposed to do so I can move on. Can you take care of this part for me? I can’t be romanced by him today. It’ll cloud my judgement. Whatever this is that he has planned for me, I can’t; but if I don’t accept it, it’ll be an issue. I need him unsuspecting tonight. You can call me at the last stop and I’ll meet you. Then we can go to the party together and watch this entire company burn to the ground.”
Honor nodded and Sutton opened the car door.
“Be careful, Sutty,” Honor whispered. Sutton pressed her forehead to Honor’s. “I love you, sissy.”
“I love you too,” Sutton said. Honor ducked inside the SUV and as the driver pulled away, Sutton couldn’t help but feel like something was going to go horribly wrong.
* * *