ROBERT“You look so beautiful.”The words tumbled out of my mouth unbidden when I walked into Renee’s dressing room and took in her appearance for tonight's party.I’d just finished the security briefing for tonight's event with Cade's team and mine. I had a few minutes to kill before the party began, and what better way to spend them than with my woman?“So, so beautiful,” I mumbled again, my eyes taking in the gorgeous sight. She stood in front of the full-length mirror, wearing a low-cut black gown that hugged her curves and made her look like a goddess.A beautiful sterling silver necklace glistened around her neck, and the matching earrings added to the grandeur of her attire. Her hair was fashioned in a sleek updo and pinned up with a delicate ivory hair comb that complemented her jewelry. At the same time, the makeup artist behind her worked to polish her already gorgeous face.“Thank you for the compliment, Robert.” She smiled sheepishly. “I'm glad you approve.”I didn't utte
RENEEI’d heard “congratulations” a million times tonight, and my ears were still buzzing from it all.Most were from people I barely knew—Robert's acquaintances and business associates—and I was grateful that they at least seemed genuine about it.Their words were kind and, for the most part, calmed my ruffled nerves, but they weren't enough to dispel the lingering fear that’d settled over me like a cloak all evening. There was a nagging voice in my head. A small whisper kept telling me that something bad would happen tonight. That danger was lurking around, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Sometimes, I worried that my pregnancy hormones were to blame and whether it was affecting my mental health. But no, it couldn't be. The growing child inside me did not cause my feelings of paranoia and continual dread.Instead, it had everything to do with what this party stood for. I mean, I'd had this feeling ever since Dylan came into the suite to talk, and then Robert had this elabora
O, how the mighty fall! With ruin upon ruin, heap’d, and vengeance answer’d upon vengeance. ~ John Milton, Paradise Lost.~•~AMANDA“I didn't pay you thousands to stop at every fucking checkpoint, Mister.” I seethed, gritting my teeth in anger, as the driver pulled to a stop at another police roadblock, this one much busier than the other two we passed.“I have to fucking stop, missus.” He looked over his shoulder at me, scowling. “Either this or my cab is confiscated, and I'm fined. I damn well can't afford that, even with the scraps you're paying. So do me a favor, stop being a whiny bitch, and shut up.”My mouth flew open in surprise, and for a few seconds, all I could see were spots, my cheeks flaming with rage. What the fuck?Did this good-for-nothing asshole just call me a whiny bitch? And did he call the 2,000 extra dollars scraps? Scraps? The fuck!I almost laughed at the irony of my situation. Almost.Take deep breaths, Amanda. Deep… deep… deep fucking breaths, I told myself
ROBERT“…bad news, Robert. You need to get here. Renee… She was drugged. Or poisoned. I…I'm not sure, but she fainted. She’s in a critical condition, and her life is hanging on by a thread…”Nicole's words swarmed and raced in my mind like angry gnats as I rushed past the hospital's reception, the busy ER nurses and medics, and through the bustling hospital corridors to the VIP room reserved exclusively for the Clarke household.I could hear my heart thumping steadily, but the agony was nothing compared to the million terrifying thoughts flying through my mind. Every thought brought me back to that single word. Drugged. Or was it…Poisoned?Renee had been poisoned. Fuck no!This couldn’t be real. What I’d heard on the phone earlier wasn’t true, neither was this situation. It was a prank. Maybe someone, Nicole or Renee herself, was pulling a cruel joke on me.Yes. That’s it. And by the heavens, my woman was okay. She was at the mansion, and the party was still in full swing. She wasn’t
RENEE‘Yes, Dylan, fuck me harder.’‘You like it when I fuck you hard?’ ‘Oh yesssss… Oh yesssss Dylan…’I shut my eyes tightly, a whimper escaping my lips as I tried to block the taunting memories in my head.The memory was clear as day. Even as I closed my eyes now, I was hit with the illicit image of Dylan, my longtime boyfriend of four years, cheating on me with a blonde-haired bimbo in our bed. I’d found him fucking her on the bed we shared for years in our joint apartment. When I arrived home, the first thing I saw when I stepped into the building were clothes flung haphazardly, strewn around in the living room.Following the trail, picking up the bra and panties I’d seen on the way, I kept trying to tell myself that my worst nightmare was not about to happen. But then I heard screams and pleasure-filled echoes coming from my room, and I froze.Our room… Instantly, the steady pounding of my heartbeat increased, my chest tightening as a tear found its way down my cheek.Soft
RENEE “Apply the sunscreen all over your body. Don’t leave a part dry. We’re staying at the beach all through the afternoon, and we won’t be back till….” I rolled my eyes, my hands clumsily massaging my skin while I tried to obey my best friend’s orders. Finally, we were in Miami, ready to enjoy ourselves. With Nicole’s persistence and support, I was able to muster my courage and go back to the apartment I shared with my cheating ex-boyfriend to get my stuff. Luckily, he was not at home when I went there, and so I just left him a goodbye note.I didn’t care about the money or refund he owed me since I wasn’t staying all through the rental period and the groceries we’d bought together, I left it all for him. I was turning over a new leaf, just like Nicole suggested, and I was intent on seeing it through. Also, I’d cut all ties with him by erasing his information from my phone and blocking him on all my social media accounts. I knew I had to move on with my life, and slowly I was
RENEEWhat an egotistical prick! This statement left my lips the second he said those words. The thought enveloped me as his deep blue eyes entrapped me while I stared at him unabashedly. ‘I seemed pretty enraptured. Was there anything I’d like to say to him?’ I twisted his questions and thought to myself, was there anything I’d like to say to him? There was so much I’d like to mumble, maybe up close in his ears, my breasts brushing his chest, and my hands grazing the stubble on his chin. He quirked his brows as I took a small step back, embarrassed at being caught staring. I shook my head, trying to discard the illicit thoughts in my head. He placed his right elbow on the nearby counter, a clear indication that he wasn’t leaving anytime soon and that he intended to talk to me. His lips were still stretched in that sneaky smirk that did things to my insides, and I swallowed heavily. Damnit! I couldn’t stop looking at him.When I couldn’t look away, I realized this was the first m
ROBERT “Gently, gently…” I whispered as I held Renee’s hands tightly, brushing her skin now and then as we walked to my hotel suite. It was like a dream. The woman I’d fantasized about last night was in my arms, and every now and then, I kept shooting her a glance, wanting to know if she was real. I’d seen her at the beach party last night when I held a meeting with my business partners. The moment she’d stepped into my line of sight, the wheels in my head had began to turn. For the first time in years, I’d felt an insanely possessive urge to dominate a woman and I vowed within myself that I’d have her before leaving this damned city. Wherever I had to go to find her, whatever length I had to make, I’d do it. As long as it got that strawberry-blonde beauty underneath me. She’d been wearing large tops and long-fitted jeans, but still, I could see her every curve. The red cotton material hung over her large breasts, and even though she was duly covered, I could see the lines of he