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
BiancaI was trembling, panting, and unsure of myself when St Just spoke, which put me out of my misery.‘Leave her be for tonight, Liam,” he growled, holding me to his chest and I saw Laim O’Grady’s hot eyes narrow in disbelief.“The fu*k do you mean, Sian?’ he snarled at his brother.But St Just went on, cooly,‘It’s her first time, bro. We need to go gentle on her.”I looked at Laim O’Grady’s face wordlessly, trembling.He seemed like he wanted to erupt. His thick fists, which were like slabs of meat, clenched as he breathed hard, his eyes on my face, my body and then they shifted to St Just.‘We made a deal…” he growled.‘But she’s a virgin, Laim,” snapped St Just, ”She’s not like the other girls we’ve kept. Dana and Anita; they knew the score. They were all well-used pets.” I bowed my head, mortified. For a few seconds, neither man spoke. But both of them were locked in a battle of wills, breathing heavily.Then Liam O’Grady flung himself away, with a savage oath.‘Have it your
Bianca“What I shall be doing?’ I echoed stupidly.His eyes gleamed hazel in the lighting, the clever lighting which made me feel that the eyes were promising me so much…I bite my lip nervously.What did I really know about these two men to whom I had sold my body for a year?Liam O’Grady was charming and handsome, clever and dangerously wicked and a man with a huge sexual appetite. I guessed that, despite being a virgin, when I felt his eyes on me. He was a man who would not take no for an answer. A man who would go after what he wanted, who would not hesitate to claim with his fists.But this man? Finn St Just was equally unpredictable. Beneath that suave, sophisticated mask, I sensed something lurking; a man who would not be easily crossed. They were like the Yin and Yang to each other.Deadly together. For O’Grady was a fighter while St Just was the cool, calm but equally fearsome counterpart…Looking up, I saw a deep flush dusting the cheeks of the man in front of me; his wide,
Bianca I opened my eyes, confused, angry, hurt, frightened and all of it together! Depositing me gently on the couch beside him, O’Grady rose to his full, muscular height and stretched. I looked up at him,Somehow, these two brothers seemed to be so much in sync; what had they meant? O’Grady strolled across to the bar, turning with a large crystal tumbler in his hands, half filled with a deep brown liquid. His face was unreadable, hard and distant. I stared at him wordlessly as he rang a bell and Alfred appeared.‘Show Ms Cruz her rooms,” he said crisply Then, turning to me, he said, his voice cool and unemotional, “You are on the third floor. Your things have already been placed there.” Sipping from his tumbler, he went on, formally,‘You may leave.”I rose shakily and said in a soft tone, ”Goodnight. Sir.” I glanced to where St Just was sitting, his long legs crossed, his eyes on me. I felt the combined gazes of both brothers boring into me as I followed Alfred out.*Alfred
O’Grady was the first to recover. His handsome mouth slanted in mocking amusement as he said drily, in his native Irish brogue,“Well, I do be darned, Saint.”Bianca blushed to the tips of her pretty roots and looked down at the pancake crumbs, unable to meet the sardonic, dark eyes of the man seated opposite her.Finn St Just grunted.And then, with a lightening like change, Liam O’Grady became businesslike and cold as he snapped,‘Pet, I do not want you to step out of your rooms after 6 pm this evening.” And looking up, he caught the set mouth of the young woman who was glaring at him narrow-eyed as he went on,“I’m having guests.”She dropped her eyes, sulkily, nodding.Like I even want to meet them, her eloquent eye roll and shrug seemed to say and O’Grady smiled to himself. Oh, yes, this was a girl he would love to tame.But he schooled his features, looking grim as he addressed her.“Is that a yes?” he growled. Bianca shot a quick look at St Just who was watching her and she l
St Just glanced at his brother during the dinner; the guests were having a grand time, no doubt; Ava was trying her best to climb on Liam’s lap but he was having none of it.Exasperated, she turned her attentions to Hussain Khan, the dealer from Pakistan, who was only too happy to oblige.As the cars drove away in the darkness late into the night, Finn turned to his brother. He had a speculative gleam on his face.“The little Pet’s got you riled up, Liam, my man,” he said, making it sound half statement, half question.*Liam O’Grady was a man who had worked his way through many thousands of women. He had begun when he was young, still in his teens, breaking the women who worked for his father; for his father had also run a popular wh*re house.But after his old man’s demise, Liam had taken a momentous decision and had shut it down; the thought of making women sell their bodies for his profit had been an abhorrent one for the young man and his long-suffering mother, who had been aliv
Liam O’Grady felt the soft, young flesh of the woman who was leaning into him, unable to stand on her own feet. He grunted and raised his flushed face.Sweet Jaysus, but he had never felt this way with any woman before this; it must be her innocence, her youth, he told himself, that was why he was supporting her with an arm now, his mouth locked on hers as with one hand, he fumbled and stepped out of his pants.His brother was holding up the petite, curvy figure of the little woman sandwiched between them and with a growl, he raised her in his arms and deposited her on the carpeted floor. He did not think he could bear the strain of taking her to the bedroom; the richly carpeted library floor would have to do.Liam O’Grady had had orgies in his house before this, but never one with such abandonment, where he felt unable to control his lust.This was a first, alright.*The need in him was too much; he could not help himself.She looked up at him, her eyes brown molten pools of helpl
Hila Zaidi was heading back home when she noticed a large black car, ambivalent in nature, tailing her. She frowned. She had dropped off her companion, her contact, at the crossroads and was making her way back, weaving among the near deserted streets. The idea of taking a circuitous route back to the Delano mansion was her way of checking for a tail, and now, her senses zoomed in to the fact that she had observed the black sedan tailing her for a while. She frowned and patted her gun. Her collection of knives was also with her. Hila was about to leave the city and enter the patch of woods that signalled the beginning of her approach to the Delano property. If she was ambushed here, she would be all alone.Setting her phone, she spoke as she drove.“Piers,” She said, her voice as bored sounding as ever,” I am being followed, my love.”Her husband’s voice came over the line immediately and her heart rate quickened. She would never stop loving this man, she thought tenderly, keeping a
Bianca stretched like a small cat and O’ Grady, lying beside her, thought in amusement that she would just need to purr; it would complete the picture. Rolling over, onto her side, she caught his look and frowned at him.Wagging a finger at him threateningly, she cried,“You’ve got a snarky look on your face, Mr O’Grady.”He gave a strangulated shout as he watched her flop on her side, uncaring of the bay in her belly.“For the sake of Sweet Jaysus and all the Saints,” he bellowed and she looked at him in astonishment.“You’ve gotta be careful lassie, not roll around like a whale in the Arctic.”O’Grady regretted his words the moment they left his mouth and he groaned inwardly.Sure enough, she glared at him as the meaning sank in.“So now, I’m a whale?” she snapped, her mouth pouting as he reached out to her, contrite but with a soft sob, she flounced off, her eyes filled with tears. Slapping his forehead in regret, the Irishman groaned and chased after her, grabbing her by the wais
St. Just was being shifted to a private room, the most luxurious, on O’Grady’s demands that afternoon.He came awake to see Bianca and Liam O’Grady by his bedside, peering at him, anxiety on their faces. Bianca gave a sob and pressed her fist to her mouth as St. Just’s tawny eyes fluttered open and he grinned weakly.“Am I in Heaven?” he growled, his voice hoarse from disuse and as he looked at his half-brother, he added, pretending to groan.“Nah, can’t be. This f*cker would not be there!”O'Grady stepped to him and held his hand in a fierce grip as he growled, an arm around Bianca, who was weeping silently.“As pleasant as ever, eh Saint?”And then he grinned, his handsome face splitting in an expression of joy.St. Just smiled and shut his eyes, drifting back to sleep. This was what Heaven was, he thought with a small smile.*Bianca had been sent off to university, as she was chafing at the bit and wanted to resume her studies. She was also torn between staying at St Just’s bedsi
Bianca’s examination came back with no untoward discoveries. She was fine, the doctor assured them, save for a sprained wrist and a few scratches and cuts to her hands. But apart from the abrasions, she was good to go, as the cheerful doctor declared. Besides, most importantly, the baby was fine. O’Grady sighed in relief and looked at his pet. She was yawning widely and he felt a strange sense of protectiveness towards her. Bianca had been planning to go down to meet her sisters and stepmother, Heather, the next day; she had told them about her pregnancy and Heather had at first been a little perplexed and not so happy.But later, mainly due to the influence of her daughters who thought that Bianca was the coolest person on earth, she had come round. Besides, there was also, as Bianca declared archly, the way Bet and Anna tended to regard O’Grady. In their teenage gaze, he was like a superhero who might just sprout wings and fly out the window, Bianca said drily. The adulation was h
Proserpina looked across at the doorway, sighing. She was in the enormous nursery at her mansion, beside Piers’ two sons, one on her lap, cuddling her, his thumb in his mouth, the other, Luc, already asleep. Her own sons, Gabrielle and Alexander, were giggling as they made funny sounds, mimicking the characters in the book she had been reading to them.Tara’s babies were also asleep, as was Claude’s little girl. Ria’s little one was also sleeping peacefully.Camille said with a huge grin, “Full house, tonight,” before she headed downstairs to bed. Proserpina had been worried when Hila had come to her to ask her to keep her sons here. “Where they will be safe,” she had said.That had been after Piers had gently informed his mother that Hila was leaving to scout for the person who was behind the deaths of so many of the Mafia Don’ associates. Placing his hands on his mother’s shoulders, Piers had looked at her tenderly and said,“We’ll all be safe, Mumma. And don’t fret.”The air seeme
Jana Rudenko looked around herself. She had landed in the United States under the guise of a woman who was part of a group tour, complete with falsified documents and a fake passport. She even had a fake husband along for company, a man who had once been a killer but now served her as her bodyguard.The fictional Mrs Liga Edgars, for that, was the identity she had taken for herself, also had a story to back her up. She had been a dour-faced widow who had been coerced to go on the trip by her children, with her newlywed second husband. But Jana had stepped in and stolen the real Mrs Edgar’s identity after having gotten rid of the real lady in question. Mrs Liga Edgar had been of Belgian ancestry, as her passport said, Now the false Mrs Edgar looked around as she accompanied the other eager tourists who were heading to the terminal.She hung back and her fictional husband, the good Mr. Edgars, slowed down too.“Stay with me,” she commanded in a low voice and he nodded. They joined t
Bianca was beside the window overlooking St Just’s bed, her eyes intently fixed on his as his lids fluttered. She looked around to her other lover, Liam O’Grady who stood behind her, hands in his pocket, his jacket open as he studied his brother’s pale face.They were on the other side of the thick glass pane.“He’s…getting better, isn’t he O’Grady?” she asked tremulously and he smiled tiredly. Now that his brother was in hospital, O’Grady spent most of his time shuttling between the casinos, the loan offices on High Street and the hospital. He looked forward to seeing Bianca at the end of the day, to fold his arms around her and be enveloped in her embrace, her lips on his.But this evening, the doctor had looked a little tense when he came to the hospital.“He’s contracted an infection,” the doctor had said grimly and went on,” We need to shift him.”And at Bianca’s alarmed look, he added kindly,“To the ICU, young lady.”Bianca had slumped down on the seat, close to tears and O’Gra
Many years agoFather Pavel Rudenko looked at his sister who was weeping wretchedly. The brothers had gone to meet their newly widowed sister. As a man of the cloth, the Monk had accompanied Dmitri Rudenko. “Take my son, take this monster, my brother,” she had begged with hands clasped before her, as she wept,“I cannot handle him anymore…”Her husband had been an abusive man; the boy was following in his footsteps, a cold-hearted brute who was terrorising his mother and sister.The Monk had stood silently and looked at his nephew, the son of his only sister, a half-sister, but still, his blood. Dmitri Rudenko had walked to him, gripping his chin firmly and he studied the teenager.“Duska?” he had queried and the boy had looked at the sinister-looking man, slim as a reed, with his menacing eyes.“Yes, uncle,” he had said, a feeling of exhilaration arising in him.That was how he had been left in the care of Dmitri Rudenko, the man who was regarded as a dangerous warlord, a gun-runne
Danielle, thought Proserpina as she sat in the large limo gliding over the streets silently, covering the distance as soon as possible. The woman who had seen her from the time she was the young, naïve, innocent mistress of Lucien Delano; the one who had become the bulwark of her life at a time when Proserpina was torn between leaving the Mafia Don for good…Proserpina had been with her Mafia Don when the call from Louis had come. The Don’s demeanour had altered in a flash.He had pulled her into his arms and growled,‘I have to leave, Woman. Danielle…” Breaking off, he had been scowling as he turned to make a call to Schwartz on the intercom, for James Schwartz had a set of rooms, a suite of his own, in the Delano mansion.But Proserpina’s small hand on his arm arrested him.In a firm voice, she said,“I’m coming too.” He swung around to slam her, to insist she stay home. But the determined look on his little Woman’s face made him stop. His Proserpina had grown, and how!She had be