Finn St Just cleared his throat impatiently.“Did you read it then?’ he said in a cold voice, and it took me a minute to figure out that he was asking me about the contract that I was holding in my hands.I quickly began to read in earnest. The entire document was couched in legal language and fleetingly, I wondered how many such women had read the deeds I held in my damp, sweaty hands.For surely, I was not the first! I had no illusions about myself. Or the brothers lounging splendidly before me.*In return for my'services,’ as it stated, I was to be given a handsome remuneration every month. My mind boggled as I saw the sum. I had never seen even a quarter of that in my life!Then again, as I read, I felt my incredulity grow.*I would, apart from the handsome stipend, be given a car of my own, an apartment and a sizeable income, that I could continue to keep even after my one year was up.I blinked and looked over at Liam O’Grady. *I gaped up at him.St Anne’s was a prestigiou
In a flash, Liam O’ Grady was on the phone, barking orders at people, arranging matters. Finn was doing the same but in a more controlled manner. I watched, fascinated. If Liam O’Grady had appeared to be a soft-spoken gentle man with the most charming manners earlier, now I saw a man who was ruthless. From snatches of the conversation, I understood that he was going after Dean Nelson. I squirmed in anxiety. I had not noticed Finn watching me gravely, so when he spoke in that deep baritone, I almost jumped. ‘Are you anxious, little pet?’ he growled and I turned t him in astonishment, Little pet. Yes, that was what I was going to be for them. A little pet animal to be replaced when a newer one came along. The thought that I would be displaced so easily, made my heart sink to the floor. But I did not let it show on my face. * Forcing a bright smile on to my face, I shook my head. “No Sir…it’s just…” But I did not get to complete my sentence. * The door flew open and two young
When Liam O’Grady released Paige Hardy from their torrid kiss, she was breathless. Liam smiled. He liked to think that he was in control all the time. * Liam O’Grady had come up the hard way. He had climbed to the top of his ladder when it came to being a street fighter, then turned to underground fighting, which was lucrative but he had no intention of making it a full-time career. No, he did not want to end up with Parkinsons or some such illness, he thought dismissively. Liam O’Grady had a plan. He needed to climb up in life, and make money. That was something he had desired all through his childhood, when he was growing up, seeing his father evolve into a small-time mob leader. But Liam wanted more. And he had found a way to get it too. * His charm, and his sexual magnetism meant that women fell for him. And he had chosen Paige Hardy, along with her rich and powerful father, Brett Hardy, to be part of his ascent. Brett Hardy was a political player and close to the Governo
Bianca Brian Jones, as the chauffeur said he was called, drove me to a quiet residential area in the upmarket area of Hunter’s Wood, near the state highway that led out of the little town, into the bigger city of New Haven. I had never been to this part of the town; all throughout our childhood, we had been confined to the poorer section of the town and our school, Dad’s tiny bakery and our home-all of them were around the same area. I had heard about the place I was now driving into, the residential area called Widow’s Retreat, because of the many wealthy widows who had bought homes or stayed in this beautifully designed, clean area of the town. I stared out, looking at the houses we passed, barely aware of the scenery or the palatial condos we were driving past. * The Widow’s Retreat Residences was supposed to be the apex at which life and play converge. Positioned at the highest elevation in the region, the luxury condominium residences combined expansive sunset and golf cours
I sat the girls down and made Heather sit with me as I spoke to them. They needed to know why I was sending them in different directions tomorrow. The How of it, what I was going to do myself, would not be for them to know. Dinner was a silent one; the twins ate, their eyes rolling as the dishes appeared before them. Burgers with wedge fries, sweet and tangy baked beans followed by apple pie. Nothing very special, all picked up from a local restaurant, Ms Benz assured me crisply when I thanked her. Heather picked at her food and I had to coax her to eat. It was not the thought of being denied a drink; I sensed the real worry in her as she met my eyes. We ate in silence and when she was done, Diana Benz excused herself and walked to the patio to make a few calls. * Left alone with my family, I looked at them. We cleared the table and as we stood in the kitchen, I hugged the twins. “Anna, Rose, you’re …” my voice faltered and then I continued bravely,” I’ve managed to get a job wit
Liam O’Grady woke up with a stiff shaft. And he knew he had been dreaming about a beautiful, olive-skinned virgin, her eyes like molten chocolate, her hair, all those deep chestnut waves, spread out across his bed, as she lay, her full breasts peaking. She had been staring at him, her plump lips parted and he had wanted to decide whether he was going to f*ck her wet pus*y, or her lovely mouth when his phone trilled loudly at his ear. Swearing loudly, like a trooper, the Mafia Don sat up. Bleakly, he peered at the caller’s name that popped up and his scowl became even more ferocious. Paige Hardy. He had left her at the party, unable to continue to pretend that she was doing anything for him and had left with Finn, who was as unperturbed as ever. Finn St Just did not think much of Paige, anyways! * Now she was probably calling to whine and make him feel guilty for leaving her high and dry. He threw the phone across the bed and rose, stretching his muscular body. He was going to hi
BiancaI am in a new dress, one of the clothes Daisy and her team have selected for me. It’s a flowing green gown, floating around me. Some transparent material that makes me feel like I am a creature from another world … * Diana Benz called me early this evening right after Shelly Jacobsen had left. “Mr O’Grady is sending a car to collect you at 6 pm. Be ready.” Her voice was clipped and businesslike and she replaced the phone before I could ask her anything more. Be ready for what? I asked myself nervously. * But here I am now, dressed like a sacrificial virgin, for that is what I am, dressed to win, to charm, to seduce. But my fear makes me tremble. Makes me want to turn tail and run. Only, I can’t because I foolishly signed away my life for a year to two of the cleverest, most ruthless men in the country. Liam O’Grady and Finn St Just. A tear trickles down my cheek but I know it is too late for weakness. One year, I tell myself bravely, just one year… * A large black
BiancaMy heart was pounding.I swallowed, noting the deep blue eyes on my throat, fixed on the pulse that was fluttering wildly as I said, in a whisper,‘Ta..Taste…Taste me?” And then, as I heard the low growl of St Just as he rose to his feet and came to stand behind me, I asked, trembling,‘Wh…what do you mean? Ummm…Sir?” Laim O’Grady raised a mocking black brow. He looked supremely in charge, like the Devil, I thought in fright. I took a step back and felt myself come up against Finn St Just’s soft, rich dinner jacket. His hands landed on my upper arms which were bare and I felt as though my flesh was burning now. I looked up helplessly into the face of O’Grady who had moved closer.Together, between them, they had hemmed me in.On one side was the large grey couch, on the other, the coffee table with it’s elegant glass top.I swallowed.‘Taste me…wh…where?” I asked, my voice a husky whisper, my chest rising and falling as I felt my agitation grow.O’Grady smiled. A cold, hard
Bianca had been looking for a chance to strike.I won’t give up without a fight, she told herself determinedly.Her hand felt sweaty as she held the pen tightly in her left hand. The assassin, Wasim, was getting increasingly agitated. His eyes went to the elevator numbers above the door, as they flashed swiftly. He held the knife to Bianca’s throat and wished he was out of the elevator. Bianca glanced at the plump woman who was clutching her bag and looking terrified. She winked at the woman.It was just a quick flutter of her eyelids.Luckily, the woman seemed to get the message.She opened her mouth and screamed.*Wasim, the would-be assailant, was taken by surprise. He had never killed a person, had only been a pimp. Suddenly, faced with two women who were not behaving like scared biddies, he yelled,“SHUT TEHF*CK UP!”As he shifted, Bianca saw her chance.She thrust her pen, nib first, into his crotch, praying that she had hurt him.The fierceness and suddenness of her assault to
Gabriela Perez was in the car, careening down the road. She had underestimated the autistic boy’s expertise, she thought grimly, as she gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles white. She had not waited for her lover’s brothers to come to her aid; they were fools, pus*ies, she thought contemptuously as she raced down the road.Her hitman had got to the hospital where Liam O’Grady and his brother, the sick fellow, were staying. The man she had sent, Wahid, was a druggie, a youth who had become a pimp and was now too far gone to disobey her. He had managed to capture the girl, the one who was the common lover of both the Irishman and his brother. Inspite of herself, Gabriela smirked.She would make a good sale on the dark net, by parading this young chit. Because Gabriela Perez did not doubt for a minute, that she would be back in business by the end of the week. The former Dominatrix had arranged for a vehicle to meet her and arrange for her transport to Mexico.Suddenly, she screamed
The man in the little lift was wearing a balaclava and Bianca felt her body grow stiff with tension. The plump woman beside her squealed in fright as she stared at the man, whose black eyes, beady and dead-looking, glared at her.The man suddenly brandished a knife and grabbed Bianca by the arm, propelling her forwards, into him. “Silence!” he growled in a thick Middle Eastern accent and Bianca winced. He stank of stale sweat and something else; drugs probably, she thought, her heart pounding. The plump woman with the large brown handbag was cowering, her hand on her mouth, blue eyes wide and terrified.All of a sudden, Bianca wished she had waited for O’Grady before storming out, but she had been so hungry…*Lucien Delano held his Woman’s trembling body to his as she wept. A deep sadness engulfed him as he listened to her sobbing.He had failed her repeatedly. But he could not envision a life without this little woman, with her large, loving heart, her wide smile, the sensuality in
Gabriela’s voice came over the amplifiers for Hila and Piers’ men had set up the system to record and amplify the sound. Paddy was seated in a corner, his nose red, tapping away on his keyboard quickly as he tried to detect where the call was originating from. The young man had been extremely disturbed on hearing about his beloved Proserpina’s situation and had been weeping silently in a corner.“Hello my love,” breathed Gabriela and Lucien felt a slow burning rage begin in his chest.“Ah, you are angry, aren’t you my love? Like in the old days when we f*cked like rabbits, my Don. Remember how you used to hold my head down while you…”Lucien Delano realised that she was playing with his mind. She was setting out to humiliate him before the people here, knowing full well that the call must be on speaker, that his family must be listening to every word.Serena glanced at Louis and placed a restraining hand on his hard, muscled arm.“No,” she mouthed silently as her fiancé clenched his f
Jamal Khan had been able to get a job as a lowly assistant gardener on the sprawling Delano estate after a long wait. He had been groomed by Gabriela’s men. The fact that he was also a druggie, heavily dependent upon ‘the juice’, as he called the drugs he took, having picked up the term from his stint with ex-cons, only aided the Perez mob.They had used men like him to launch similar attacks before this and the fact that he knew he might die, did not really affect the gaunt-faced, hollow-eyed tall man. He had been given the task of remote controlling the drone, having helped the men who hid outside the heavily guarded compound wall, to get the small, yet lethal drone into the grounds.It was not difficult to find him, he was zoned out and about to inject himself with a lethal, intoxicating dose of his drug of choice, when Beston’s men leapt upon him.*Lucien was beside himself with rage and worry. Piers had burst into the room on hearing the sound of the firing and had been the fir
O’Grady was in his gym at home, practising when Bianca came down, wrapped in her robe. She looked wan and he sensed that she had not slept well. She had a mug of sweet tea in her hands and he stopped punching, just to look at her. Her hair floated around her face and she looked so incredibly young, he thought, his shaft hardening, despite the fact that he was sweating like a pig and had been going at it for half an hour now. His trainer, Jeb Walderman, looked around and grinned at Bianca. She dimpled shyly and sank on the steps, holding her mug in both hands.“Babe, I’ll join you in a moment,” yelled O’Grady, disconcerted to see the look on Jeb’s face. It was not that he felt insecure; heck, Jeb had a beautiful wife named Cherry and two adorable little daughters. The coach adored his little family. But his openly admiring look annoyed O’Grady.Bianca sent her Master a look and then rose, saying “I just wanted to remind you, O’Grady. We need to be at the hospital in an hour.”She turne
The burly Irishman and the woman he loved slept in each other’s arms, and Bianca lay, snuggled and safe as she thought of St Just. He had looked so thin, emaciated even, as he lay in the ICU. Although the two of them had wanted to stay at the hospital all night, the doctors had dissuaded them.“Mrs O’Grady,” said the matron, indicating Bianca and failing to see the blush on Bianca’s face at the words,” She’s pregnant and needs her rest, Sir.”O’Grady had smiled wolfishly, looking dark and dangerous as he nodded, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the blushing girl beside him.“Ah, lass, you’re right,” he drawled.Later, as they were riding home, he held her to his body and murmured,” We need to make an honest woman of you, Bianca Cruz before the babe comes out.”She shuddered at his choice of words but he prevented any retort by kissing her soundly and she subsided.Now they were snuggled in bed, thinking of St Just.She sighed and O’Grady grunted questioningly.Bianca rubbed his stub
St Just had been put on a ventilator as soon as the doctors arrived. When he emerged form the surgery, he was deeply sedated. The doctor surveyed O’Grady and Bianca grimly as he said, ‘We can’t conduct the tests today, I’m afraid.”He sighed and spoke, almost to himself,“It’s out of the question.”O’Grady rubbed the back of his head, pacing wrathfully. Bianca stood, small and silent, staring at the doctor, an unspoken plea in her large, liquid brown eyes.“Let’s wait, eh?” and he clapped Bianca on her shoulder in a fatherly way before striding away.O’Grady came close, muttering things about ‘unfeeling bas*ard doctors’ and ‘blo*dy fool hospitals.’She said nothing, just sank into a seat, leaning back, her small hand over her slightly swollen belly. Bianca imagined she could feel the hardness of her stomach and almost jumped out of her skin as a larger hand descended, clamping down over hers, warm and reassuring.The familiar musk of O’Grady surrounded her as he leaned into her and sa
Something about his actions made the man lying on the bed struggle to remember where he had seen the orderly before. True, the man was wearing a mask but his movements- they seemed familiar in some way, a negative way.St Just had been sedated the previous night and he knew that his movements were sluggish. But he was alert enough to know something was off, when the man looked over his shoulder in a desperate way, as though he expected someone to barge in any minute and stop him. St Just frowned as he thought of the other nurses who had come in with confidence and had fixed the bag on the IV stand with no hesitation. This man was fumbling and the patient heard him swear coarsely.Not an orderly, definitely not hospital staff.But St Just’s hands were not moving fast enough to keep up with his thoughts which were sending out alarm bells. The man tried to stab the IV bag unsuccessfully with his syringe. He did it three times, getting more and more flustered with each attempt.Now St