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

by Bri Blackwood

  He raised an eyebrow after my comment and titled his head slightly. “What do you—”

  “Mr. Cross.” I heard another voice come from the doorway, and it took everything in me to not throw my head back in relief. I was almost willing to bet money that he wouldn’t try to get me to answer this question while in front of others. He wanted me to agree to this on my own and even Damien had the decency to know this conversation would be out of line in front of others. Even if his marriage demands were fake.

  I turned my head and watched as two men entered the room. Damien stood up as they walked over and shook their hands before introducing the men to me. “Anais, this is Jon and Will. You’ve met Will before.”

  The men shook my hand and I immediately got a bad vibe from Jon. The way his hand squeezed mine longer than necessary while he looked me up and down as if I were on the menu tonight made me want to shudder. But I stayed steady and spared a glance at Damien. Based on the narrowing of his eyes, he wasn’t pleased. Thankfully, when we all sat down, I was sitting next to Damien, not Jon. It didn’t take long before the conversation devolved into business. I listened to the conversation somewhat, but I wasn’t exactly sure what they were talking about. I sighed from boredom but sucked in a quick breath when I felt Damien’s hand land on my knee. Those thick fingers drifted north, bringing my silky dress with him, before he stopped a couple of inches above my knee. It took every ounce of control to make sure I didn’t show how he was affecting me.

  Our server came back and asked for our orders, and once he was done, the men went back to talking about whatever business they were discussing. The longer the meeting went on, the more frustrated I became. I grew tired of Jon’s boisterous laugh and the looks he was giving me, but my body was waging a war within me as I waited to see what Damien’s hand was going to do next. When his hand moved once more, I held my breath as part of me wanted to reach down and stop him from going any further, but I was also excited about his hand inching toward my pussy in public. The further his palm moved, the wetter I became, and I could feel my nipples hardening into peaks underneath the navy slip dress. The cool fabric rubbed against them, causing my arousal to increase.

  I was in my own world as I waited for Damien to make his next move, ignoring the other men in the room. That was until Jon brought me into the conversation.

  “So, Anais, what do you do?”

  It shocked me that he was looking me in the eye, because I thought my nipples were blaring off signals I was aroused. “I am the social media director of a media firm.”

  “Oh, that’s cute.”

  His reply made me see red. Damien clenched my thigh for a moment, causing my gaze to land on him. Before I could say anything, Damien leveled a glare at Jon that was so glacial I almost felt bad for him.

  “What Anais does is very important, and you have some fucking nerve to downplay her work. She creates a social media strategy that could help these companies’ reputations and help them thrive on social media. She has to turn her knowledge of marketing on its head, in some cases, to navigate and adapt on social media.”

  Damien’s words caused me to look at him again, because I didn’t think I’d ever heard him say such positive things about me. I tried to keep the shock off my face.

  “I don’t worry about social media because I don’t have to. It’s a child’s playground and is not based on the reality of what happens in the real world.”

  Will eyed Jon, but said nothing so Damien responded, “Tread lightly, Jon. Especially about something you know little about. Now apologize.”

  “Sorry.” Jon looked down at the table before glancing at Will.

  I knew the apology was bullshit. It was written all over Jon’s face, including the smirk he was trying hard not to show. Damien’s defense had filled me with warmth, but now it turned cold. I was pissed at Jon for his comments, but I was also pissed that Damien felt the need to jump in when I could defend myself. It didn’t take long for something to snap in me. I’d had enough.

  “Jon, you and I both know that you’re not sorry. Damien, I don’t need you to defend me, thank you very much.”

  “You’re feisty, huh? Reminds me of someone I used to know.”

  That was the first time Will had addressed me outside of shaking my hand. I watched Damien sit up straighter out of the corner of my eye. Before I could inquire further, our server came back with our meals. I made it halfway through my smoked duck before I picked up a napkin and patted my lips.

  “Excuse me,” I said as I stood up. “I’m going to use the ladies’ room.”

  Anger bubbled below the surface of my polite mask, but I wasn’t about to let them know that. I walked out into the hallway and glanced at the coat rack across from the bathroom. I made a split-second decision and grabbed my coat and dashed down the hallway.

  “Miss?” I turned around and found our server standing behind me.

  “Yes?”

  “Is there anything I can get you?” He was eyeing my coat, probably wondering why I’d left just after he’d served our meal.

  “Can you let Mr. Cross know that I was feeling unwell and that I will see him later?” I saw a small bit of fear light his eyes, so I quickly added, “It had nothing to do with the food, I promise.”

  “Sure, that won’t be a problem. Feel better soon.”

  “Thank you,” I said before I turned away to walk to the exit. I debated whether to call Rob on my walk to the door, but I didn’t have to because he was standing at the entrance. I assumed the reason Kingston wasn’t there was because I was supposed to be with Damien. “Please take me home now.”

  “All right,” he responded as I got closer to him.

  “I’m just not feeling too great.”

  “Do you need anything? I can take you back to the penthouse and come back and get Mr. Cross.” It didn’t take long for the valet to grab the car and soon I was sitting in the back seat of the SUV with my head against the car window. I was glad to be leaving behind the misogynistic attitudes that had joined what I thought would be a peaceful dinner, yet I missed Damien’s hand on my leg and wondered where that would have gone if I hadn’t left.

  I had never given him an answer.

  8

  Damien

  I checked my watch for the third time, wondering where the hell Anais was. She had only been gone for a few minutes, but it was enough to make me wonder if something had happened. I knew Jon had irritated her.

  Jon and Will were there to talk over a deal they hoped to bring to the Cross Empire as a whole. We had intel proving they were trying to continue operating a drug-trafficking ring on behalf of the Vitale family and they wanted us to turn a blind eye. Little in the way of business, legal or otherwise, happened in this city without our knowledge or approval. They thought they were being slick by inviting me to dinner first to warm me up before bringing in my father or siblings. I had a history with Will. One might even describe us as friends at one point. He should have warned Jon to be on his best behavior and that I was someone they should be scared of. Especially after the way Jon spoke to and about Anais. Their deal was dead on arrival, but Jon’s behavior confirmed my decision was the right one. Now I had to decide if he was going to stay alive.

  Thoughts of Anais floated through my brain as I glanced toward the bathrooms, almost demanding for her to return this instant. She had looked exquisite when she entered the room. The designer I’d hired had outdone themselves. That dress reminded me of silk sheets and had made me want to cancel the meeting, pull the straps down, yank the skirt up, and fuck her right there on the table. The only thing that mattered to me when she first walked in was getting a taste of her—five-star meal be damned. I had reined in my desire to lose control in order to be professional at this dinner. I had always compartmentalized work and play, but it seemed the more time I spent with Anais, the more the lines blurred.

  Our server approached the table again and I asked, “Have you seen Anais?” I thought about calling her but did
n’t want to pull that trigger just yet.

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” The server stared at me like a child whose hand got caught in the cookie jar. “W—We got a little backed up in the kitchen and I didn’t have an opportunity to come back here. Yes, she said she wasn’t feeling well, and that she was leaving.”

  I kept a straight face as I stood up and said, “Excuse me.”

  I pulled my phone out of my pocket and saw a text message from Rob.

  Rob: I got her. We’re on our way back to the apartment. She’s okay. I’ll pick you up once I make sure she’s safe.

  I didn’t respond because there wasn’t anything left to say. She had left and now she would pay the consequences unless she was actually sick. My instincts told me she was faking it, and I believed my gut. I sat back down and gave the men a tight smile.

  “Gentlemen, I think we need to wrap this up, but I enjoyed having you as my guests tonight.” That was a lie. I couldn’t have cared less. “Since I’m leaving early, why don’t you guys have another couple of rounds of drinks on me and we’ll have a follow-up meeting later this week.” That got their attention.

  I wrapped up things with the bill and within minutes, I was heading to the exit. Rob pulled up as I was exiting, and I opened my own door before he could get out and sat down in the back seat. “Tell me everything.”

  “Well, sir, I was standing at the front door and Anais came out looking flustered and asked if I could take her back to the apartment because she wasn’t feeling well. I made sure she got upstairs, and I contacted the security team before I drove back to you.”

  “Thank you,” I said, and I pulled out my phone to send a text message.

  My fingers were suspended over my screen as I tried to figure out what to type. When was the last time I checked in on someone when they were unwell? Years?

  Me: Is there anything I can get you?

  I watched for the signs that she was typing back, but there were none. Should I tell one of the guards to go in and stay with her until I get there?

  No. I’d be there soon, and I could take care of this then. Yet I continued to stare at my phone, speculating what had happened to her to cause her to leave.

  I replayed the events of the night while I waited for Rob to navigate us through traffic. Her mood shifted when Jon and Will appeared, as if she hadn’t been expecting others to join us. Had she thought this was a date? It didn’t help when Jon talked about her job as if it were a speck of lint on his suit that he had just flicked off. His dismissal of her profession had angered me, but I knew I had to keep a level head. Going off the deep end and shoving him up against the wall would have felt good in the moment, but there were other options at my disposal.

  I tapped my fingertips on my knee and tucked my phone back in my pocket. Now my focus was on getting back to Anais and taking both of our minds off of the transgressions that had taken place tonight.

  9

  Anais

  I saw Damien had sent me a text message and nearly dropped my phone in the water. I couldn’t recall Damien ever asking me how I was. My world revolved around him, filling his needs and desires, not the other way around.

  Was that really true? It seemed as if he knew what I wanted before I knew, at least, when it came to my sexual desires. The struggle we both had for dominance outside of the bedroom was another matter entirely.

  When I entered the apartment, I decided that a soaking was in order to ease the tension in my muscles. I clipped my hair up and stepped into the warm oasis as I thought about the high hopes I had for the evening. Those hopes were ruined by Jon and by me for setting expectations for tonight that I shouldn’t have. Now I was filled with anxiety and turmoil as I debated how to respond to Damien’s text message. A few seconds later, I typed out an answer.

  Me: I don’t need anything. Thanks.

  I washed myself before I sank lower into the massive tub and almost felt guilty about enjoying this luxury. It should be illegal to have a bathtub this nice. I watched as the water swirled around with every movement I made, and my mind floated away, wondering what would happen if I was as free as these ripples. It was only a matter of time before Damien stormed into his home and demanded to know what made me leave dinner, but my answer wouldn’t be simple, and I didn’t know if I was ready to have that conversation.

  I heard the front door slam. Warning lights blared in my head as I had mere seconds to prepare for the onslaught about to be thrown my way. I felt my body tense up, and no amount of warm water in a relaxing bath was going to stop it.

  “Why couldn’t the traffic be heavier right now?” I mumbled.

  My eyes drifted toward the closed bathroom door. I wished I had locked it before stepping foot into the tub, but I also realized that chances were a locked door wouldn’t have stopped Damien from finding a way inside. Plus, I could already imagine him saying something along the lines of this bathroom was his, as was I, and how dare I lock the door. Seconds turned into minutes, which felt like hours, as I waited for the doorknob to turn and for Damien to charge in here, like a bull on the run, but he didn’t. I was taken aback. Was he attempting to keep me on my toes?

  My question was left hanging in the air because I finally saw what I had been expecting: the doorknob slowly turned. I held my breath as I wondered what his entrance would bring.

  Damien let himself in but didn’t cause a scene like I had been expecting. He seemed subdued.

  “You could have at least knocked.”

  “And there’s the smart-ass mouth I love sticking my cock into.”

  I rolled my eyes at his cheap shot. If he thought that was going to get a rise out of me, he was wrong. “Don’t you have something more important to do? Like go buy another company or something?”

  “I probably could have done that if you hadn’t left.” I refused to feel guilty for leaving a situation where I didn’t feel comfortable, although he might not have realized that. “Buying another company can wait, but this can’t. Why did you leave?”

  “I didn’t want to be in the same room as those assholes anymore. I don’t appreciate being talked to that way.” When he said nothing right away, I thought I had crossed the line, but at that point, there was no reason to hold back, and he was keeping me from relaxing in this tub. “You can leave now.”

  Instead of moving, he took off his suit jacket and threw it across the top of the toilet bowl and began unbuttoning his sleeves, all without taking his eyes off me. I could clearly see a vein in his arm as he moved, and as strange as it might have sounded, it was one of his most erotic features. The devilish look in his eyes told me he was thinking of something, and I knew it was wicked. Damien constantly kept me on edge because I couldn’t read his facial expressions or him. This was his way of keeping his opponent off balance.

  “You were there when I handled it. Neither one of them will ever talk to you that way again.”

  “Yes, but I didn’t need you to do that.”

  “Jon also won’t ever work with anything related to any of the Cross subsidiaries again.”

  I sat up fast, causing the water to splash out of the tub. My once-covered chest was no longer hidden behind the bubbles, putting my breasts on full display for Damien’s eyes to peruse.

  “But I’ve found a way to put you to work for me.”

  “There’s always a catch with you, isn’t there?” I could see my comment stung based on the way his eyes shifted away from me, but it didn’t take long for him to zero back in on me.

  “Get up.”

  “Damien, I—”

  My words fell on deaf ears and his crystal blue eyes stared back into my own wordlessly telling me he didn’t want to hear my objections. The hunger in his eyes increased as our stare down continued, and I blinked as I stood from the tub as gracefully as I could, feeling the heat from his eyes as he watched the water cascade down my body. When my eyes made their way back over to him, I found him holding out a thick, white, fluffy towel. It had been on the towel warmer when I walke
d into the bathroom. The warmth of the towel provided a soothing sensation that left my body once I stood up.

  “You have six minutes to finish up here, and I want you naked on the bed when I return. Wear your hair down.”

  His cocky reassurance kept me on edge now, just as much as it had when we interacted at the Project Adoption gala, which felt like a lifetime ago. I’d be lying to myself if I said that his words hadn’t turned me on, but it was more than that. It was his presence, his aura when he entered the room. The heated gaze that traveled up and down my body both when he knew I was watching and when he didn’t.

  Figuring I had nothing to lose but everything to gain, I dried myself off, tossed the towel in the hamper, and rubbed lotion on my body. I removed the clip from my hair, allowing it to flow down my back and shoulders like a river running wild. With one last glance at the mirror, I turned off the light and walked out of the bathroom.

  I strolled into the bedroom and was greeted by the same sight that I had left before I entered the bath. It was as if Damien’s presence had been a mirage, and the only thing that told me it had been real was the lingering scent of what could only be described as Damien. I’d always thought most men smelled the same, but Damien had a unique scent that did things to me I couldn’t always explain.

  I climbed on the bed just as the bedroom door opened, signaling that Damien had reentered the room. I looked over my shoulder at him and found him staring back at me, a finger of whiskey in hand. He leaned on the doorjamb with his feet crossed.

  “This is a welcome sight.” His words made my cheeks warm due to how uncovered I felt. The position I was in left nothing to the imagination. “I’m shocked you listened to directions, Spitfire, but I’m very pleased. The last time you played with yourself in front of me was done to prove a point. This is strictly for pleasure.”

  I looked up at him through my lashes and swallowed. The last time I had played with myself in front of him was when I’d first come to his mansion in NoHo and had threatened to order a vibrator in order to please myself. I hadn’t been this exposed then, and I only had to fondle my breasts, whereas here I knew he wanted to take it many steps further.