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Syndicate Ties
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Money Can't Buy Love I'm His
RaineyReality struck down on me when Michael closed the limo door. I glanced at Constantine who now faced forward. Through the rear-view mirror, his face was serious, and his eyes darted to the side mirror several times before I turned back to Michael.The men were huge. They reminded me of the bouncers at Kadia. Were they his brother’s employees? The way they stood, cross-armed with a wide stance, I doubted they were friendly with each other. I moved my hand to the side panel and pressed the window button downward. The window cracked. The sound of the window moving was loud, and I glanced over at Constantine again. He didn’t appear to notice. Maybe it had only been loud to me since I was trying so hard to be sneaky. My curiosity got the best of me, and I sidled up alongside the door to listen to what they were talking about. I couldn’t hear any distinct words among them.Michael’s expression was stoic as he calmly spoke to the men. They were defensive and talked with their hands. On
Money Can't Buy Love Under His Command
RaineyMichael’s hands slid onto my waist, momentarily steadying me. With a lidded gaze, he moved, and we engaged in a hot, passionate kiss that transcended any kiss we’d shared before.A quick burst of reality fell over me while we were kissing. He had quickly distracted me again from the real issues surrounding tonight. I knew he was dangerous and kept bad company and it was best for me to stay away from him. But he felt so damn good in my arms. A small part of me asked if those accusations were just rumors. I had a strong feeling they weren’t. My mind went back and forth, and as if Michael was inside my head, he stopped kissing me.“Rainey,” he said with heavy, ragged breaths. He stroked his fingers through my hair. Touches that tender and looks like the one he was giving me had melted away the bad thoughts. For just one night, I didn’t want to be responsible. I didn’t want to think about Tanner, Killian, or anything else for that matter. I wanted to be selfish with Michael. Everyt
Money Can't Buy Love Waking Up Together
MichaelI woke early the next morning with Rainey still in my arms. The intensely intimate time we shared hadn’t taken that long, but we were both spent after it. There wasn’t a woman I’d had before that compared to Rainey. Being with her like that had brought me to a different place than the other random girls I’d fucked over the years. They had been distractions. Rainey was someone that I could imagine fucking every single night for the rest of my life. Her fiery spirit translated to the way she moved and spoke to me while making love.And afterward, I spooned her body against me, and she quickly fell asleep. As I drifted off, I remembered that she wasn’t much of a party girl, as much as she pretended to be. Her bedtime was probably closer to mine most nights and much earlier than tonight.I woke the next morning with her facing me. Her light eyelashes framed her eyes like feathers.I moved my head to see her. Her eyelids fluttered as she dreamed. My gaze dropped to her lips, and I
Money Can't Buy Love Telling Her the Truth
Michael“You didn’t like Sal very much,” she stated.“I liked him as a client. No more, no less.”She seemed satisfied for a moment. Until she took a breath and asked, “Those men threatened us?”I narrowed my eyes. Had she heard the conversation between those thugs and me? If she hadn’t then I threw myself under a very large bus.“You’re safe,” I said. “I promise.”“It’s not just me, Michael. It’s my—” she clamped her mouth shut and shook her head. “This is my life. I can’t have people threatening me because I work for you.”“Rainey, like I said, you’re safe.”“You say that, but you don’t know that. Those men seemed really serious. What if they weren’t happy with what you told them? Are they going to show up at my home next?” She pulled the sheets up, covering her chest. This wasn’t happening. We needed less fabric between us, not more. “I can’t believe you were so selfish to get me involved with this.”I sat up straighter, unwilling to accept her accusations. “From what I recall, thi
Money Can't Buy Love Call From Killian
RaineyThe taxi ride home gave me enough time to stew in my own head about everything that had happened between Michael and me. I hated that he was an incredible lover on top of being the most gorgeous man I’d ever met. No one was perfect, and his flaw was his connections to dangerous company. I sure knew how to pick them.I knew prodding into his life wasn’t the best morning wake-up, but I needed to know everything if I was going to get involved with him. I had Tanner to think about. I almost slipped and told Michael about my son. He made me want to open up to him. If I did, then I would be opening a vulnerable part of me. And it was a good thing I didn’t. I didn’t want my son involved with anything dangerous. He was going to have enough issues with Killian once he was old enough to see that his father was a deadbeat. For right now, I wanted to preserve the innocence within Tanner.Halfway home, I knew what I had to do. I pulled out my phone and started writing up a letter to Michael
Money Can't Buy Love Telling Tessa Everything
RaineyLater that afternoon, Tessa came over. The salon was closed on Sundays, and we sometimes made a lazy day of our time off. She waited until Tanner was happily playing in his room before she confronted me.“Tell me everything about last night!” she said, clapping her hands together. “You look different. Did something happen between you and Michael?”I checked to make sure Tanner was still in his room before bringing Tessa into the living room. I kept my voice low so Tanner wouldn’t hear anything. It would be just like him to repeat things I said to Killian. Then he might have a reason to want to take Tanner. Which was another reason why I needed to quit. After breakfast, I’d polished my resignation letter and sent it to my work email to print the next morning. I hoped that Michael would somehow be able to find it in my inbox and save me the trouble, but I doubted he would admit it if he went snooping.“We slept together,” I said to my hands.Tessa squealed, and I shushed her.“It
Money Can't Buy Love Handling Things
MichaelAfter Rainey had hung up on me, I knew I’d fucked up. Why did I tell her the truth? It was easier for me to protect her if she was unaware of the syndicate. She’d put me under her spell. Now she didn’t even want to speak to me. I hoped a day away from each other would clear her head enough to have a decent conversation with her tomorrow at work. It wasn’t the first time we had a disagreement with each other. And Rainey needed this job. We would figure it out.That thought carried me over to the next day. To help the process along, I ordered breakfast for the office. I knew everyone’s usual order from the deli down the street. I picked it up a few minutes before Sandra and Rainey were due in for work.When I arrived at the office, Sandra was in the process of hanging up her things in the closet behind her desk.“Good morning, Michael,” she said.“Good morning, Sandra.” I reached into the bag and pulled out a lox and cream cheese bagel.She grinned. “It’s a good thing I didn’t e
Money Can't Buy Love Chasing Her Down
MichaelI knew what it was, but I didn’t want to read it. She thought she could quit on me. But if I didn’t read the words, then it wasn’t official.Rainey remained busy the rest of the day. She didn't even take a lunch break. I sat at my desk the whole time, not willing to let her out of my sight.And when she came into my office at the end of the day, I noticed her eyes going to the piece of paper, in the same place where she’d left it this morning.She frowned. “Did you read that?”My eyebrows shot up in mock surprise. “Oh. No, I haven’t.”She stood there for a moment. “Read it. It’s important.”“I’ll get to it after we have a serious discussion.”“Then you’re going to wait a long time,” she said and turned on her heel, closing the door behind her. I could have sworn I heard a “goodbye” under her breath. I sat there for a minute staring at my door. The elevator dinged in the distance. I took a deep breath, letting go of the tension I'd had in my shoulders.Did she think she could
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Money Can't Buy Love Epilogue
MichaelA year ago, I never thought I’d return to Bar Harbor with a woman. Sure, I wanted my new assistant to handle the charity event up there, but not as my partner. Tanner took off ahead of us, dodging the cold Maine water as it slid up against the shore. He collected the shells under the muddy surface. Those were the best ones he’d said. The hidden ones.That little guy had something right. You needed to work for the things that were worth it in life. And I worked hard to get Rainey and Tanner into my life. While it didn’t take much convincing after we got everything out in the open, I thanked whoever was watching over us that I found what I needed in life to be happy.If anyone had asked me if my happiness involved a single mother and her child, I would have laughed in their face. But Rainey and Tanner were what I was looking for since Cynthia died. And I couldn’t be happier. Sometimes I thought about my life before them, and a sick feeling accompanied the thoughts. So I tried no
Money Can't Buy Love Let's Take a Trip
RaineyThat was so soon. “I’m not sure,” I said, glancing over at Tanner. He was pointing to the polar bear and saying something that I couldn’t make out from that distance. “As I’ve said, I’ve already been away from Tanner too long since we just got back.”Michael chuckled, and I narrowed my eyes.“What’s so funny?” I asked.Michael pecked me on the lips. “I want to take Tanner with us.”“Oh!” I said.Michael shrugged. “I could take you both skiing, or we can hang out at the lodge. There are some places in town I’m sure he would like.”“That’s so gracious,” I said. Tanner would love to come, especially since Michael had his own plane. Tanner would be so excited. I wonder if that would ruin him for commercial flights, but to be honest, it ruined me for them already. I didn’t say it aloud, but this reminded me of having a family vacation. A real one. And I could count on Michael to follow through, unlike Killian with his grand plans and no follow through.“We should go tell him then?”
Money Can't Buy Love At The Zoo
RaineyIt took me almost a week to get used to the weather back home. The vacation with Michael was the perfect escape, and I never wanted to go back. Michael remained professional in the office. At least during office hours. It took him until Tuesday at six, when Sandra had left, to christen our relationship over his desk. While I did prefer the comfort of bed, making love with Michael in more public spaces really turned me on.There was no more hiding, and I could finally be completely honest with him about every aspect of my life. I never did that with Killian. Maybe I thought I did, but after being with him for a while, I started to keep secrets from him. Secrets about how I felt and what I did when he wasn’t around. I opened up to Michael like never before, and that led to a comfort in our relationship that rivaled my feelings toward my flesh and blood family. Michael integrated himself into our family in such a short amount of time. Mom and Tanner loved him. And while Dad tried
Money Can't Buy Love Back Home
MichaelAfter spending the entire day on the beach, I was wiped by the time dinner came around. Rainey and I packed our things after making love one more time that morning, so we were ready to leave after the last glass of wine was poured. There wasn’t a moment during the car ride, boat ride, and flight that we weren’t touching each other. I held her hand as if it were my life vest in a vast choppy ocean. Even though we declared that we wanted to be together, I still felt a little unsteady. I wanted to test our capability as a couple when our lives were back to normal at home, but at the same time, I didn’t want to jinx anything.Rainey brought out a lot of first-time emotions from me. I actually felt nervous when we departed the plane and headed for my car. Constantine waited for us with the back door open.“Hope you had a nice trip,” he said to me. Then he smiled at Rainey.“We did,” Rainey said and took my hand.Immediately, my fears were squashed. She had a way of anchoring me and
Money Can't Buy Love Waking Up Together
MichaelI woke the next morning with the best feeling inside of me. A ball of hope and happiness filled my insides. I couldn’t remember the time I felt this much at peace with someone other than Cynthia. Her memory was still strong within me, but Rainey was a new chapter of my life, and I had to allow her to take precedence over my previous wife. I had to. It was the only way I could commit to her completely. I said a silent final farewell to Cynthia, knowing that we were both in a better place. Me, here with a perfect woman, and Cynthia in a place without pain and suffering.I slowly turned over, careful not to wake Rainey. She looked peaceful. Her thick blonde eyelashes fanned over her eyes, and her mouth was open slightly as she breathed deeply. She was still sound asleep. I doubted she would wake if I touched her, but I didn’t dare test that theory. She deserved to rest. After everything we put each other through and the heavy fucking session we participated in last night, I wante
Money Can't Buy Love Testing Out the Bed
RaineyMichael lifted one of my legs and scooted closer. His tip pressed against my lower lips and I sucked in a breath as he entered me. He filled me quickly, and I gritted my teeth as my body adjusted to his length. He slowly moved inside of me, pressing deeper with each thrust.He trailed a finger over my face, moving my hair away, tucking it behind my ear.His eyes locked on mine and I couldn’t help drawing my lip into my mouth, sucking on it as he continued to move inside of me.His gaze fell to my mouth, and he leaned forward, sucking on my bottom lip.I wrapped my arms around him, feeling the tensing of his back muscles under my fingertips.He kissed my neck, slowly pressing his lips against my skin. The movement of his tongue on me made me shiver.I pulled back, wanting to see his face. I felt his pleasure when I sucked him off earlier, but I loved seeing him turned on. The usual blaze his in eyes was like an inferno, burning me from the inside out.“Touch yourself,” he said.
Money Can't Buy Love The Taste of Him
RaineyMichael’s kiss seared me inside and out. I was happy he removed the covers, I was already on fire from his touch. I came into his room to tell him how I felt, and for once, he was the one to speak first about his feelings. He wanted more than just sex. We were on the same page with everything. That’s all I needed to hear from him to make my choice.The weight of his body on me squeezed the air out of my lungs, but I didn’t want him to move. Every part of him was hard. He was the strong man that I’ve always wanted, inside and out. We had our differences, but they were petty compared to the passion we had for each other.Michael’s hands roamed my body as if he painted every part of using his hand as a brush. Heat licked over my body at each place he touched, creating a pool of molten lava in my center.He tugged at the thin straps of my night gown, one at a time, exposing each of my breasts. The cool air in the room touched the peak of each one, tightening and hardening them.My
Money Can't Buy Love Room For One More?
MichaelI debated pushing the envelope. What did I have to lose? We already kissed so I knew she felt something for me. She might not be ready to commit, but with Rainey, it seemed she needed a small shove in any direction to go anywhere beyond her comfort zone. And then the words tumbled out anyway. “Is there any more of your heart to spread around?”Her eyebrows drew together. “Why do you ask?”“You, Rainey,” I started, locking eyes with her. “You’re the first thing I think about each morning.”Her eyes widened.“I think about you all day. And you’re the last thought I have before bed.”“You do?”“Yes,” I said. Why did she think so little of herself? How many times did I have to remind her of my affection for her? “I wanted you back at work so I could be close to you even if that meant we weren’t together. I want to be with you. So badly. You have no idea what you do to me. I had to work extra hard just to be your boss, but I want so much more. And I have a feeling you do too. I wan
Money Can't Buy Love Something Special
MichaelAfter our kiss and discussion about Rainey’s past, while we were on the private beach, the gap in our relationship had lessened. Though afterward, we shared a relaxing dinner by the pool and didn’t mention any progression for ourselves within that relationship. After putting myself out there, I felt a little exposed, but I didn’t push her. Sure, she had told me her ex was a dick and that her son was the light of her life, but she had to work on her issues before we made ourselves official. She knew my feelings. I had to trust that she would come back to me when she was ready.When dinner was over, Rainey stood up and excused herself.She kissed me on the cheek, an apparent rejection after the kiss we had in town, and went into the house.I sat by the pool, finishing my whiskey and contemplating life. I hadn’t remembered feeling this way since I first dated Cynthia. The anticipation of what the other was thinking drove me insane. I could have drunk the rest of the night, but I
