Hearts of Darkness: A Valentine's Day Bully Romance Collection

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

Ty leaned in close to me as I watched everyone disappear out of the chapel I didn't get married in. "Do I get some cake?"

  "Mr Falco," I said, turning to look at him in his deep, brown eyes. "You always get your cake and manage to eat it before anyone else has a chance."

  I turned and swept out of the chapel, stepping out into the cold day again, still un-married. But very much pissed off.

  Chapter Four

  I SHOULD HAVE CHANGED out of my wedding dress. But hell, I wanted my money's worth out of the bloody thing.

  "Are you warm enough?" We were in his car—sorry, spaceship. The buttons and knobs were extravagantly over the top, but jeez, it was comfortable. And cosy warm.

  "Sure." I'd barely said a word to him for the past forty minutes as we travelled back into the city. To be honest, I was pretty pissed off at the world, right now. Especially at the man next me.

  I saw a sign post go by and blinked. "Hey, we should have turned there. I know you never go to the office, but I didn't think you'd forget where it was."

  "We're going to my home office. I have all the documents there."

  His home. I was going to my ex-boss's home dressed in a wedding dress that made me look like an alternate version of Madonna.

  This man, who was so against commitment he wouldn't even use subscription services, had turned my world upside down.

  I laughed. Not knowing why, so that made me laugh more.

  "Something amusing you, Miss Webb?" I pushed my hair back out of my face and risked a look at him. In the confines of the car, he looked even bigger. And powerful. Oh, so powerful. I sobered, instantly.

  "N-nothing." I barely got out. What was wrong with me? He was the enemy, not someone I should be lusting after.

  "Good, because we're here."

  The house before us was nothing like what I imagined him to own. Okay, so I'm lying. It was big, pretentious, and beautiful. Just like the man himself.

  Still, the lavish gardens surrounding the end of terrace of the four-storey house was a surprise. Articulately cared for, the garden was an array of colour, even in mid February, and drew me like a moth to the flame.

  "Let me guess, you have a team of gardeners here all year round."

  "It gives me pleasure. I enjoy looking after things which give me pleasure, Miss Webb."

  I turned to look at him, thinking he was getting all wet-eyed over the garden. But he was looking at me, intently.

  "Let's go inside. You'll catch your death in that piece of fluff you're wearing." I glanced down at the dress and frowned. Maybe it wasn't everyone's ideal wedding dress, but I'd loved it the moment Jerry and I had batted around the idea of having a fun theme for the wedding.

  "Not a fan of Madonna, then?" I asked as I followed him. I carefully stepped up the five stone steps to the front door.

  "I like her well enough, though she's stubborn and very focused." He frowned at this as he opened up the door. He fucking knew Madonna? Holy shit.

  Whatever I was going to say in response died on my lips. The place was amazing. Instead of being cold and practical—like the man—it was warm, inviting, and homely. And oh so very masculine. I moved across to the large, marble sculpture of a dancing woman, and I couldn't help but run my fingers across the soft, cold stone.

  "Do you like art, Miss Webb?" He was behind me, his breath soft on my neck. I jumped, painfully aware that I could have been centimetres away from killing his sculpture. It would probably be something I'd have to pay off in instalments for the rest of my life. I turned and found myself eyeing his tie. I concentrated on it, wondering what sort of game he was playing with me. Didn't he know I was on the rebound? Didn't he know I was a woman scorned?

  I shrugged, deliberately nonchalant. "Sometimes."

  He traced his fingers down my cheek, and his touch was whisper soft as he touched my lips. "I like that colour pink."

  "I matched the colour to my toenails," I said, like it was the most riveting thing I could say. Why was I even here and having a civil—albeit daft—conversation with this man? He'd just told me I was homeless and was corralling me into leaving my family home, right after he'd stopped my wedding to a fucking moron.

  This was ridiculous.

  "Could we get straight to it? Show me the paperwork." I lifted my chin, ignoring the fact that Ty Falco's eyes were pinned to my lips and slowly turning a molten, liquid brown-black.

  A small lifting of his eyebrow was the only indication he'd heard me. Long seconds passed. If he thought he could intimidate me by looking a path straight through to my soul...he was probably right.

  At last, he moved away and through a door. The room was a study, and it opened up onto a first-floor veranda which overlooked the gardens.

  The gardens. What a strange turn of events. I was jobless, homeless, and husband-less, and I was more interested in the fact that my asshole ex-boss was keen on gardening. What a bizarre fucking day I was having.

  I shook it off and marched over to his desk. He handed me a small brown file before sitting down into a luxurious leather seat.

  I hesitated only a moment. What if all that he'd told me were true? I had taken his word for it up until now, but maybe there was a big prank going on and I was a fool for believing it.

  I opened the file and started reading the first of twelve documents enclosed. Everything was from his team of lawyers and investigators.

  Within five minutes of arriving at his house, I realised I was completely and utterly screwed. And I had written confirmation.

  Goddamn my grandparents. I immediately backtracked. No, that wasn't fair. They'd looked after me when I had no one else. It wasn't their fault they'd had no financial planning or guidance.

  I threw the file back onto the desk and finally looked up into Ty Falco's eyes.

  "You win."

  A ghost of a smile played along his lips. "I always do, Miss Webb."

  Yes, yes he did.

  "I know a lot has happened today," he said eventually, his fingers moving slowly over a pen he'd picked up.

  Well, that was the understatement of the decade. I bit my lip before saying anything. Wasn't I in enough shit without throwing fuel onto the fire?

  "So I have a deal for you." He watched me closely as dropped the pen onto the rich, mahogany desk. "You come to Vegas, you’ll get your job back, and you may continue to live in your family house. We can pretend there was never a wedding."

  My breath hitched in my throat at those options. It was perfect, but why was he making a deal with me?

  Then he stood up, and I was very aware of just how large he was. I swallowed down my nervousness. "What do you want?"

  "You." My heart was pounding in my chest, and I was pretty sure my basque wouldn't hold it in. I pulled it up a fraction, and his eyes momentarily dropped to watch my fingers work.

  "And when you say, 'you', you mean...?"

  He walked around the desk and perched against the wood right in front of me.

  "You," he said at last. "This." His fingers skimmed across my waist and pulled me closer to him. My skin puckered, and I knew exactly what was happening.

  His other hand lifted and pulled me between his parted thighs. I felt the heat of his skin as I stared at him, probably with a deer in the headlights look.

  "Why me?" My voice was a croak, and I coughed lightly before carrying on. "I don't have anything of value."

  "Oh, but you do, Miss Webb." His voice had dropped seductively, and though the only thing touching me now were his thighs, I was very aware of how close I was. "You actually own the acres of land behind the house. I wasn't able to purchase those. They were in your name and willed to your lawfully."

  My heart did actually stop then as I considered what he was saying.

  "You want me to sell you the land, in return for me getting, what, a tenancy in the house?" I could feel the anger beginning to ripple once more in my belly.

  "Oh no, I'll do better than that. We'll do a payment plan. And you get to keep the house if you keep
up with the stipulations of the deal. I don't need that land yet."

  "And the stipulations are?" And this was going to be the doozy. I could feel it.

  "I get you in Vegas. For work and pleasure. And then you become my..." His eyes twinkled as he searched for a word, though I knew he was only stalling for effect. "Mistress. We will have an understanding until I decide otherwise."

  My mouth dropped open, and I fought to regain my brain functions. Heat cascaded through my body as anger and lust and more anger fought for control.

  "Your mistress? No fucking way." I pushed my way out from his legs and quickly walked to the still open office door. "I am not, and never will be, one of your women." I turned and pointed my finger. "You are an asshole. And I've seen how you treat anyone who dares to go near you." I turned in a flourish and kept walking right until I reached the main entrance. "And another thing," I turned again to give him a piece of my mind, but came face to face with hard man chest.

  "Oof," I said involuntarily as he held my upper arms to steady me. It made me forget what I was about to say.

  "Okay, you leave the house tonight. Anything left there will be burnt or sold. And I will legally find a way to hold you up with ongoing legal action so you can't profit from the sale of any asset in the foreseeable future." He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

  Silence stretched between us. He looked dangerous, and he knew he had me.

  "You're a bastard, Ty Falco." My words came out as a whisper.

  "Maybe. But I get what I want."

  I was already shaking my head. "No, you get what your dirty money can pay for." I held out my hand. And he slowly took it. "I've just made a deal with the devil."

  I turned, opened the door, and stepped out into the chilly early evening.

  My life was a fucking mess. And Ty Falco owned it.

  Chapter Five

  "I'LL BE HOME BY TUESDAY. Okay, baby?" I held Leo to me in a snug embrace, wishing I didn't have to leave him. I could have used constant baby cuddles to soothe my battered soul and broken heart. Not just because of Henry, but at losing Ravensmead.

  "If you don't put him down and stop squeezing, he'll be half the size of what he should be." I looked up at Jerry and smiled, knowing it didn't really meet my eyes.

  "Are you sure you don't mind taking Leo—"

  "Don't be ridiculous. I said it'd be fine. I was going to for your honeymoon, anyway. And you need to deal with your boss." I'd told her about the deal I'd made with Ty, and that we needed to leave immediately for Vegas for his time sensitive meeting. Which was why instead of cosying up to my new husband for the evening, I'd been downing a large portion of cake and packing for an overnight flight.

  "That's what I'm afraid of," I mumbled, eventually.

  "Mummy, can I see Mr Falco's plane when you come back?" I bit my lip, not quite knowing how to answer.

  "Mr Falco is very busy," I said at last. "We'll see."

  "Thank you, Mummy." He wriggled out of my embrace to go over to his stash of toys. He played with his small airplanes as both Jerry and I watched.

  "Don't let him break your heart," Jerry said, only loud enough for me to hear. "I will have to break him if he does."

  I laughed out loud at that and turned to hug my friend.

  "It'll be okay," she said softly. "It'll all work out."

  Tears pooled in my eyes. I kept telling myself that this was a good thing. That I was saving Ravensmead for Leo when he's older. It was simply a sacrifice. Strictly business.

  "Then why does my heart hurt?" I didn't mean to say it out loud, but Jerry held my face as she looked into my eyes.

  "Because you don't do anything by halves," she said cryptically.

  I nodded slowly, swiping at my eyes and pulling back. It was time to go and face my destiny.

  I looked at my sweet boy and the large, sparsely furnished main room we were in. They were staying at the house while I was gone. At least someone would be here to look after the old place.

  "Well, I guess things could be worse," I whispered to Jerry. "I could be married to a complete twat right now." I winked and walked out of the door, taking my small carry-on and the weight of the world with me.

  Chapter Six

  COMING TO VEGAS IN a private chartered jet was decadent.

  Ty had barely said a word to me for the entire flight, and that was fine by me. I'd managed to sleep a little, but my dreams were full of bad wedding dresses, idiot grooms, and sexy chauffeurs. Yeah, I had no idea what that was about, either.

  It was my first time in Vegas, and I fully expected to loathe it. But I could honestly say, the more I saw of the bright lights and excitement, the more I loved it.

  Valentine's weekend in Vegas was busy. And the weather was surprisingly mild. Everything would have been great, if it didn't also mean I'd be sharing a bed with this bully of a man at some point soon.

  My chest tightened at the prospect. He was gorgeous, yes, and knicker-rippingly sexy. But I didn't expect to be coerced into a deal to have sex with him.

  My mood darkened as my thoughts lingered and multiplied. We finally made it to Ty's suite in one of the most expensive hotels in the city, and I just wanted to sleep and forget the past day or so.

  "We have a meeting in," he glanced at his watch, "five hours. Get some rest. I've set up a wake-up call for you."

  And with that, he left me standing in the middle of the main room, watching him walk back out the door. Asshole.

  "Yes, boss," I said. "My wish is your command." I picked a bedroom, dumped my case, and walked into the bathroom to have a shower. The quicker I could fall into bed, the better.

  Probably five minutes after I'd fallen asleep, I heard pounding on the door. I woke up with my room in darkness, completely disorientated.

  "What?" I said looking around, trying—and failing—to get my bearings.

  "You've slept through your alarm call, and the meeting is in twenty minutes. Get up and out of bed before I come in and get you."

  I scrambled out of bed, not willing to test whether he was telling the truth or not. I fell over my case and went flying across the room, hitting a chair.

  "Bollocks." Thankfully it was a relatively soft landing.

  The door swung open, and the instant harsh light had me blinking and scrubbing at my eyes.

  "What happened? Are you okay?" Ty was striding towards me, and all I could think was how good he looked. Damn him.

  "Yeah, yeah," I mumbled, batting away the hand he held out to me. "I need to get dressed. Leave, please."

  A smile tugged at his lips as I pushed my mane of hair out of my eyes.

  "You're ruffled and cute in the morning. I like it."

  And with that, he was gone.

  THE MEETING DRAGGED on for hours. I'd been able to help a little by engaging with the clients and bringing up some valuable points. I was pretty impressed I could do that, given my sleep addled brain.

  I stuffed myself on coffee and muffins to get through it as tiredness began to slow me down.

  I was very aware of Ty watching me closely throughout the meeting. I'd attempted to put him—and his bloody deal—out of my head for the duration, but it hadn't worked.

  "We'll break for four hours before resuming this. There are only a few more points to go through. We can wrap it up before end of day." Ty stood up from the table, and everyone automatically did the same.

  I reluctantly followed suit, gathering my papers as people departed.

  "You did well."

  I nodded, not really in the mood for chit chat.

  "There's lunch waiting in the suite. Come and eat, then you can take a nap. Even you can't survive on coffee and muffins alone."

  Now a nap sounded perfect. I followed Ty back to the room and saw that there was a small spread of food waiting for us in the dining area.

  I immediately gravitated to it, Ty following me. We ate in silence for the most part.

  "I'm confused at your iciness," he said at last, drinking from a tall
glass of water.

  I looked up, surprised at the statement. "I wouldn't say I've been icy. And to be honest, can you blame me if I was?"

  He nodded. "Honey Webb is feisty and determined and pushes her luck. Something I've enjoyed about you, even when we simply corresponded via email."

  He'd liked it back then? A warm feeling began to build, but I hit it over the head with a baseball bat. "Honey Webb is tired and pissed off at being manoeuvred into a less than ideal situation." I laid my fork down and watched the gorgeous man in front of me.

  "Tired, okay. Pissed off? I hope so. Willing to fight? I'm betting on it."

  Maybe I was more tired than even I realised. I had no idea where this conversation was leading. That fucking warm feeling was trying to rise up again, and I jammed it down, not willing to go there.

  "Get some rest, be bright for the final meeting, but bring your A game for tonight. We're going out for dinner. And then I'm bringing you back to the suite to fuck you."

  He smiled then, transforming his whole face and leaving his words to hit me as he left the table and went into his room.

  Fuck me? My fingers tightened on the napkin, and I wondered whether I would ever be able to sleep with that thought tantalising my brain and scaring the shit out of me.

  Chapter Seven

  I WAS TO MEET TY DOWN at the bar at 7pm sharp. It had taken me an age to get ready, and when I'd come back from my shower, I'd found a beautiful black dress covered with a sheer netting of red hearts on the bed.

  The note with it said, I want to see you in this before I peel it off you and make you mine. TF

  Part of me wanted to go down wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Say to hell with this fucking man who'd turned my life upside down. The other part—the part of me who'd made the deal for the good of my son's life—would walk downstairs and act the part.

  Except, I doubted there would be much acting. Yes, okay, he was getting under my skin. Like a relentless disease, I couldn't shake him. And there was a small part of me that wondered if I wanted to anyway.