Scarred Empire: An Enemies to Lovers Dark Billionaire Romance (Broken Cross Book 2)

by Bri Blackwood

  Nothing I was doing was helping to quell my anger. I prided myself in being able to rise above the fray no matter what happened. It allowed me to keep people off balance in my personal life and in my professional life, yet I hadn't controlled my temper in front of Anais. I couldn’t remember the last time that I had snapped like that with anyone. What made her different from any other person I dealt with I didn’t know, and that frustrated me. I needed to control my emotions when it came to her.

  It didn’t do me any good to have anyone who was pressing my buttons know they were doing it. I thrived on making people squirm, but I seemed to give her more leeway than I gave members of my family. When she fought me, my cock twitched at the thought of her lips taking me, giving us both something else to do. The thought of her kneeling at my feet and taking me in her mouth made me harder. I adjusted my dick, although it was pointless since my thoughts revolving around her got me here in the first place.

  I thought she would jump at the chance to marry me. I lost count of the number of proposals that I had received, even as I ended the relationships I’d had with some women. To hear that she didn’t want me made me want to punch my fist through a wall, but I stopped myself there. Had I really expected her to say yes? We hadn’t seen each other in weeks, and we didn’t exactly part on good terms.

  When I came up with the idea that we should be engaged, it was a complex plan, but even I knew my emotions were overruling my brain about this. Being engaged to her provided another liability for me. Outside of the contracts that needed to be worked out and signed, being named in a high-profile affair with me would turn her world upside down for a third time.

  I never expected it would be me initiating any arguments relating to getting married or taking a relationship more seriously than just a quick fuck. Whenever talks of marriage came up in conversation, I shuddered at the thought of not only being tied down to one person, but how much of a microscope anyone in my life would be under. Yet here I was planning to break all my own rules and put a ring on her finger in order to guarantee that she and her family stayed safe. Who the hell am I becoming?

  My phone’s ringing stopped my thoughts and made me growl. I didn’t appreciate being interrupted at any point in time, but especially when I was trying to calm myself down. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and glanced at the caller ID. Well, at least this was someone I wanted to talk to. The device rang again, and I put it up to my ear.

  “What do you have for me?”

  6

  Anais

  “There is no way in hell you can marry him, Anais.”

  It was two days after Damien’s declaration, and I found myself staring at my laptop in disbelief. I almost wished I had decided to call her on the phone versus hosting a video call so she couldn’t see my expression. “Ellie, do you think I don’t know that? Could you imagine me being the next Mrs. Cross?”

  The thought made my stomach turn and that was beside the glaring red flags flashing in my mind. Everything inside of me was telling me how horrible marrying him would be. His possessiveness would launch him into a rage at the sight of someone looking at me wrong, but there was a sliver of comfort in the fact that if it came down to it, he would do whatever he could do to keep me and my family safe. Hell, he had even convinced Ellie to go back to New Jersey to live with her parents for a bit with the security guard. As headstrong and street-smart as Ellie was, even she got the hint that it was probably wise for her to do as he said.

  “Based on the hints you’ve given, at least the sex would be amazing?”

  She wasn’t wrong there. We hadn’t been intimate since I left him just before Christmas, but there was no question that he knew what to do to set my body ablaze. Only that wasn’t important right now. Or maybe it was. It was definitely doing its job to scramble my brain even more. “I might have an idea.”

  “Spill.”

  A knock on the door stopped me from saying anything more.

  “Hold on, someone’s at the door.” A quick check at the clock on the wall told me that it was almost noon. “Ah, it might be my security detail doing their rounds to check on me. Give me a second.”

  “No worries.”

  I muted the phone, walked over to look through the peephole, and found Kingston on the other side. I opened the door. Kingston gave me a small smile and a nod before he did a quick scan of the home. “Are we still on for visiting your parents in a couple of hours?”

  I nodded. “That was still my plan.”

  “Okay. We’ll be ready to move then.”

  “And after we come back, you’ll take a break?” I saw Kingston multiple times per day when he came in to check on things inside the apartment. Although it had only been two days, since I'd been cooped up in here, it seemed as if he was always doing something. A small goal of mine was to break the frosty exterior that he exhibited toward me since it was clear that I would be seeing a lot of him for the time being.

  He dipped his head and then exited the apartment just as quickly as he’d entered. I walked back to my seat on the couch and unmuted my laptop.

  “I don’t think we need to go as far as to get married. Shouldn’t a fake engagement be enough? It will get people talking, spread all over social media, and will cause enough of a distraction that Damien could squash any rumblings behind the scenes.”

  “I’m not positive, but wouldn’t that drum up more interest in your father?”

  “Not if Damien organized a few backroom deals that guarantee special access to us regarding our wedding plans in exchange for not publishing stories related to my father. Don’t celebrities do this type of thing?”

  “Rumors say that some have. Do you think Damien will go for it since he said that he wanted to marry you?”

  “I mean, he doesn’t do relationships, and this is probably the best way that will lead to the least amount of baggage. No need to go through lawyers when the arrangement is done. Hopefully.”

  “Aren't you assuming that he’s viewing you in the same light as his other relationships? ‘Cause based on what I know, and I’ve told you this before, this is not how he usually does things.”

  “No, it came from his mouth. He told me this himself, so I don’t know why he brought up this talk of getting married.”

  Ellie scoffed, “Damien Cross can do whatever he wants. He could protect you and anyone else you wanted to protect, along with killing any of these stories, without getting married. I highly doubt anyone would try to go up against him.”

  I knew she was right, which made his behavior even more puzzling. We barely had anything in common, and I couldn’t tell if he wanted to snap at me or fuck me until I screamed. He probably wanted to do both at the same time, and I couldn’t deny that the feeling was mutual, especially when we went to Elevate. I just wouldn’t say this out loud.

  Something else filtered into my mind. His words about how I was his and his desire to have control…and that’s when it all clicked. Our last deal had an expiration date on it, this one didn’t. I thought he was being threatening when he mentioned that he wanted me to be his permanently, but maybe it went beyond that?

  “Shit.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know what I’m going to do.” I covered up what I was thinking because I wasn’t ready to share it now, if ever.

  “This is a pretty big ultimatum that just got sprung on you last minute and with only a few days to think about it. Has he even taken you out on a date?”

  I couldn’t remember a single time that he had taken me out on a date. That needed to be rectified if we wanted to go along with this engagement charade and make it believable. Maybe if it was photographed, it might be another opportunity to take some heat off my father.

  As I rubbed my hands over my eyes, I sighed. “I’m still thinking it over, but I need to come up with an answer.”

  “Dad, you look good. I’m glad they’ll be letting you out of here soon.”

  I sat down in a chair at my father’s beds
ide, looking at the man who had always been so strong, now looking almost frail after the trauma he was trying to recover from. Seeing him attached to these machines terrified me, and not even knowing that he was receiving the best care would change that.

  “Don’t lie to your old man.”

  I was lying. Dad looked frail but I was still optimistic. The hope was that he would be out of the hospital within a week, but we needed to see how his body responded to treatment.

  “Seeing you like this is a helluva lot better than the last time I saw you. The blood… I—” My voice broke as I tried to maintain my composure but failed.

  Dad and I looked at each other, the soft sound of the machines monitoring him bouncing off the walls of the silent room. Mom had gone to the cafeteria with a member of her security detail, while Kingston stood outside the room guarding it.

  “You know, even with all the pain you're in right now, I know how much worse this could have been. I’m glad that you’re okay.”

  “Me too, kiddo.”

  When I came back from the hospital, I realized I hadn’t heard from Damien all day and for that I was glad. Over the last couple of days, he tended to either work from his home office or go into the office to handle whatever business he had to take care of. Part of me was relieved that I didn’t have him breathing down my neck, but I also felt lonely. Without having work to distract me, I watched a lot more television and read more books. I threw my purse down on the couch and removed my outerwear before I pulled out my phone. I checked my work email, vowing not to spend more than three minutes on it. An email from Vicki was the first thing that caught my attention. She reiterated that she had everything under control at Monroe Media Agency and that if I needed anything to let her know.

  I sent a quick thank-you note before there was a knock on the front door. I walked over to the door with my phone in hand. When there was another knock, I checked the peephole and saw Rob on the other side. What is he doing here? I thought he might have gone to pick up Damien, who I assumed would get off work soon. I opened the door and he handed me a white rectangular box.

  “This is for you.” It was a flat box that looked as if it might have clothes in it. “This is also for you,” he said as he handed over a white envelope.

  “Thank you,” I said, and he gave me a small wave before he turned away to walk back down the hall.

  I closed the door and brought the things he gave me over to the counter to open them. When I lifted the top of the white box, I gasped. Inside was a stunning navy dress. It resembled a long slip that I knew would cling to my body.

  “I think I might have some beige shoes that will go with it….” I stopped myself from going any further when I realized I should have probably opened the envelope first. I flipped it over, pushed the flap up, and took out the card. To the surprise of no one, it was from Damien.

  Wear this tonight because we’re going out. Be ready to go by 6:30 p.m.

  He didn’t sign the note.

  “Could you, just for once, ask me to do something?”

  After I put the card back in the envelope, I threw it on the counter. I debated whether or not I should go before deciding that it probably made the most sense to do so. I remembered the first time I’d denied him, when I’d refused to move in with him, and he’d left me in a puddle of mush. I smirked as I wondered what he would do if I didn’t put the dress on.

  Since I needed to be ready by 6:30 p.m., I had just a couple of hours to do everything I needed. I hurried into the guest room, which I was now sleeping in after asking Damien to give me time to think about his “proposal,” and started getting ready.

  What does he have up his sleeve tonight? Maybe he put this together because he was trying to help me relieve some stress due to everything I was dealing with. Although Damien sometimes drove me mad enough to scream, I couldn’t say that I wasn’t looking forward to spending this evening out with him, even if it meant he might try to weasel an answer out of me about marrying him tonight.

  7

  Anais

  I was ready with a few minutes to spare. I wore a long beige coat over the navy dress and wore my hair in loose curls down my back. My fingers fluffed my hair once more when I heard Kingston’s knock on the door at 6:30 on the dot. Nerves bubbled under the surface of my calm exterior. I grabbed my dark brown purse, peeked through the peephole, and opened the door.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  “Yes. Thank you,” I replied before I locked the door behind us. It didn’t take us long to get to the elevator, travel down to the car, which Rob had parked in the garage in order to avoid me potentially having to be spotted by anyone. With the media sniffing around, who knew who might be watching especially because I hadn’t agreed to anything yet. The coast was clear and when I was safely in the car, I breathed a sigh of relief before Rob backed out of the parking spot.

  “You okay?” Rob peeped at me before focusing on the backup camera on the console.

  “Yeah. I just feel as if I’m stuck in an ivory tower and I only leave the house to go to the hospital, outside of right now. I’ve already binged a season of Friends.” Rob just shook his head, while Kingston stayed silent. “Come on, don’t act like you haven’t seen even one episode.”

  Kingston said nothing, but Rob did. “My wife loves it.”

  “See!” I turned my attention to Kingston. “Maybe you should watch it too in your free time.”

  “I don’t have any free time.” Kingston’s response made me smile.

  “You’ve told me that before. Everyone has some free time.”

  He shrugged, so I turned back to Rob. “I hope Damien lets you take some time off to spend it with your family.”

  “He does. In fact, my wife and I are going on vacation soon.”

  “Great. Where to?”

  “Colorado. She wants to spend some time on the slopes and I’m happy to oblige.”

  I smiled and sat back in my seat as we made our way to a destination unknown. At least to me.

  “Where are we headed?” I asked.

  “Mr. Cross wanted it to be a surprise. He knew you would ask.” Rob looked at me in the rearview mirror with a smile. “Let me know if you need anything.”

  I was glad that our relationship had at least warmed since we’d first met, and it stayed consistent, unlike what I went through with Damien.

  “Of course he did,” I responded.

  The surprise was fine by me. Furthermore, I was able to get out of the house instead of being by myself with just those four walls to keep me company besides when Lucy came by. I wondered where we could be going as Rob drove the SUV to our destination. It wasn’t long before Rob slowed down and pulled up in front of a gigantic building. When I saw the small yet prominent sign, I gasped.

  “I’m going in there?” I asked. My eyes jumped between Kingston and Rob, as I waited for one of them to confirm.

  “Yes, Miss,” Rob replied. He parked outside of Thirteen Park Avenue, one of the most expensive restaurants in New York City. My heart jumped into my throat. This was going to be an amazing evening.

  Rob opened my door and I waved at both men before I was quickly swept into the beautiful restaurant by the doorman. The high ceilings and tall windows reminded me of Damien’s penthouse, but that’s where the similarities ended. The décor was more classic, fitting the smart and sophisticated ambience the restaurant was known for. It was definitely fancier than I had imagined, and the gigantic chandeliers were a wonderful touch. I was fully immersed in the atmosphere and couldn’t be happier. When I greeted the host at the front podium, she took my coat and led me to a private room on the second level of the restaurant. She placed my coat on the coat hanger a few feet from where we would eat and directed me into the room.

  Of course, Damien was there already, and as he stood he gave me a heated look. He wore his usual uniform—the black suit that fit him impeccably and his simple, yet expensive black tie. He didn’t say anything as he pulled out my chair and when I sat,
he pushed my seat toward the table. His fingers brushed against my shoulders gently, causing me to tremble slightly. I longed for him to touch me again, but he took his seat once more. We both listened intently to the things that our server told us before gesturing to the menus in front of us. I smiled and waited until the server left the room before turning to Damien.

  “What’s this all about?” I asked. I tried to keep my voice light, even though I was trembling inside about the decision I needed to make.

  He took a sip of his water, and that’s when I noticed there were two other seats at the table. My heart sank when I realized that this dinner wasn’t exactly what I thought it was going to be. “A couple of people will join us in a few moments.”

  “Good job on elaborating. Is this work related?”

  “Yes. I thought you might enjoy being here and having a fancy dinner.”

  That wasn’t completely wrong. I swallowed the words I wanted to say and focused on attempting to get through this dinner. Why did I even remotely think he had asked me out on a date? This was just another work function, and I was supposed to sit here and look pretty.

  “So, have you made your decision?”

  This question startled me, although I should have been expecting it. “I assume you’re talking about the marriage proposal.” I made air quotes with my fingers when I said, ‘marriage proposal.’