McAllister is a nasty piece of work!
"A different arrangement?" It takes all of my effort not to cringe. I look towards the stage avoiding eye contact. McAllister bends towards me to move a single strand of hair from my face to behind my ear. As he does he touches me lightly on the sensitive part of my neck. "As I mentioned before, I don't like to touch. I don't like to touch anyone. You'll never have to worry about me trying to seduce you, Ms. Monroe. I am not interested in physical intercourse with another person." What could he possibly want instead, a peep show? And why does it have to be me?"Briggs," he addresses Kenji over his shoulder. He stands to attention. "Please take care of the item I discussed with you a moment ago while I speak with Ms. Monroe." He nods and bows out of the stall, off to do whatever it is McAllister demands, leaving me alone with him. Micah had promised I'd never truly be alone, so I have to assume that somewhere, out there, someone else is watching over me, someone I cannot see. Tryi
"Your mistress?" I raise my eyebrow, confused. "But you just said." "That I don't want to fuck you," he smirks. "You have such a limited scope, my dear, of what sex can be between two people, even without me penetrating you. I'm not a brute like McKaine. I can find my pleasure without forcing myself inside of you and filling you with filth." He makes my relationship with Micah sound so dirty and common. But what I have with him is anything but common. When we make love, it is with everything. It isn't just our bodies that come together, but our souls. But I have no interest in explaining my love life to McAllister. "McKaine used to be quite interested in this lifestyle as well," he smirks as he reveals this little secret.It feels wrong to be listening, but part of me is also intrigued. What hasn't Micah told me? What doesn't he want me to know? "I first encountered him not in the boardroom, but in the dungeon. I know how much he likes to dominate. I've seen him in action. He pref
[Charlotte]Kenji leads me to a small bathroom backstage and hands me an unopened pregnancy test. He doesn't say anything, but I can see the apology in his eyes as I close the door. He hates that he is being asked to do this. But for the sake of our plan, he is keeping up appearances. Sighing, I open the test. At least I don't have to worry about being pregnant. We've only had unprotected sex a handful of times and the first time he pulled out in time, and that was just over a week ago. Or was it two weeks? It doesn't matter. I should be in the clear. My period should be here any day now. Easy, I just need to show him this test and he'll trust me. I will just need to be more careful going forward. Make sure we have plenty of condoms until this whole stupid mess is over. Patiently I wait, savoring a few moments alone as I think of what I'm going to do next. I need to tell Micah about McAllister's plan. I can't wait to be out of this dress, take off this makeup, and rest in my lover
[Charlotte]The room is quiet when I step on stage, each step clicking loudly as my heels connect with the wood. Turning towards the audience, I see McAllister and all the other eyes in the room on me, the lights just bright enough to add a blinding haze so that their faces appear more like silhouettes than people. Good. It'll be easier that way."What do you want," I shout out into the crowd but I'm speaking to McAllister. "I thought you wanted to see me dance."An announcer's voice speaks, "Tonight we are in for a special treat. It's not every day we get a Bay Area performer to perform our lap dance of the evening."A lap dance. Seriously?"Welcome to the stage, all the way from San Francisco, Scarlett Bellarina!"The song "Little Red Corvette," starts to play. At least I like the song. Closing my eyes, I pretend I'm home alone with Micah. If that man tied to the chair was Micah, what would I do, how would I approach him? I can't see who the man is. He is wearing one of those fak
[Charlotte]"Trust me," Kenji grins mischievously. "It's a good surprise."He then gives me a little shove and shuts the door, laughing as it locks behind me, sealing me in with the masked pervert from the stage. I thought I could trust him. Micah told me he could be trusted. The man reaches forward to help me right myself and I flinch. "Do not touch me, you asshole!""Ah, cher, is that any way to greet your fiance?"Micah?He pulls me in closer, right before he pulls off his mask and my devilish lover smirks down at me.The urge to punch and kiss him is waring within me as I scowl. "It was you the whole time," I shout settling on kicking him instead. "Why didn't you have Kenji say something?""Where's the fun in that," he raises an eyebrow. "And now we can have angry sex.""You Jerk!" I move myself to the other end of the car and start to cry. It has all been too much. Between McAllister's perversions and the pregnancy test, I just want it all to end. Oh shit. The pregnancy test.M
[Charlotte]The next week went by in a blur. In the mornings, Micah would wake me up with his sweet attentions, leaving secret little marks all over my body that could be hidden creatively underneath clothing. He seems to have an even greater carnal hunger for me now that he knows I am pregnant."I hate that you have to spend your mornings locked in a room with that bastard," he grumbles as he nibbles a trail along my spine, slowly making his way down to his favorite breakfast spot, the fuzzy peach between my legs.Giving my round bottom a bite hard enough to leave a mark, he spreads my legs and licks me clean from front to back, loving the little sounds I make as his nose buries itself between my cheeks. There isn't a single part of me that he doesn't find delicious, and nothing turns him on more than knowing there are parts of me that McAllister will never see.In the afternoons, Kenji takes me around town and the surrounding areas, showing me the best that life in the Pacific Northw
[Micah]The last week has been agony. I can't let her know. I don't want her to worry. Whatever it was that McAllister gave me took its toll in more ways than one. I might be in better condition if I had allowed my body to rest and properly heal, but there is no way I'd leave my Angel alone in that demon's territory.Thank God I came. My belle ange needed me more than I could have imagined. A baby. She's having my baby. What if McAllister had found out before I could have activated Kenji to look after her? What if something worse had happened, something irreversible?She might not think he needs saving, but sometimes she does and I always intend to be here to make sure she is safe, even if it means risking my health and safety. I'd rather be dead anyway than try to live my life without her. When she came back and showed me her copy of the BSDM contract I almost lost it. I knew that McAllister was up to something, but I didn't think he'd try to seduce my girl away from me in this way
[Charlotte]The entire ride to the airport was quiet. Kenji didn't push or ask why I was coming without McKaine. He could tell by the way I slammed the door and stared straight ahead that I was in no mood to talk.There was just so much I needed to think about. Not just about my conversation this morning with Micah, but about everything. I thought I understood what I was getting myself into when I signed that contract to become Micah's avenging angel so many months ago.But I was wrong. So very very wrong. Micah should have told me before our arrangement started that he had once had a relationship with McAllister. I don't think knowing would have changed my mind about going after Andy--with my broken heart and shattered pride I needed my revenge. But knowing about their past puts so many other elements of this situation into perspective.Their financial feud is so ugly because it is personal. McAllister isn't just a business rival, but a jilted lover of sorts. In the beginning, when
[Charlotte]I don't remember much after that moment when I first attacked McAllister. I was lost in the moment, avenging my fallen friend, making sure that he didn't get up ever again. And then I felt a sting on my back and a rush of heat. I fell to the ground and the rest faded into nothing. When I woke up in the hospital two days later and Juni was by my side, I thought I must be dead. But I wasn't. She isn't dead, and neither am I. An hour or so later, Micah arrives in the room smelling clean and looking tidy, his arms full of dozens of chrysanthemums in shades of gold and white. "A gift, from the Masumotos, " he explains as he sets them down next to my bed. Juni kisses me on the cheek and says she'll see me later as she leaves Micah and me alone. "The girls are fine," he says as he takes a seat, "And as you can see, so is Juni. Everyone is safe."I nod. It's all starting to feel like a bad dream. A nightmare I didn't think I'd wake from. "Was it ever Juni in that room?" I ask
[Micah][Earlier that evening]Stepping out of my car, I am flanked by my crew as together we walk straight into the dragon's den. Our enemy, McAllister, is going down tonight. We aren't alone as we approach the landing. It seems that McAllister called in all of the faction heads to attend his VIP event. Even the current head of the Skeleton Crew is here, Bones LeRoux bringing full Louisiana flair, from his checkered suit to his ivory-topped cane. Mobs bosses and gang leaders from across the country all gathered in one place. McAllister is planning something. Something big. Maybe this wasn't just about MMK Industries. Does McAllister have plans for a global expansion? "Nah," I say to myself, realizing the truth. "He's just trying to show off." Roger, standing next to me, nods in agreement. For a man who is outwardly plain and prefers to remain unnoticed, he does have a way of making himself showy when he needs to. As soon as we pass the threshold to his mansion, the drab exterior
[Charlotte]The flight over was grim. We are not going to Portland on holiday--it is a rescue mission. Micah and I stayed next to one another, but I couldn't cuddle in his arms the way I'd prefer. We both had to be generals of this little rag-tag army of ours. I have my girls, my Blue Diamonds, and he has his Angels and his soldiers, his troops on the ground. There would be time for snuggling later. If we all survive this. And if we don't, I guess we'll have to find each other in the next life. As soon as we land we'll be going our separate ways. He'll be taking his people to the Tattooed Walls. We'd be McAllister's guests in one of his hotels.Our time went by much too quickly. It felt like a blink Holding my hand, we disembarked together, Micah refusing to let go of me until he had no other choice. Waiting on the tarmac were two cars heading in different directions. If all goes well, we'll be back here tonight, on our way home.And if it doesn't...Using our intertwined hands as
[Micah]I do not like this plan of Charlotte's. It is too dangerous. She is putting too much at risk, even surrounded by her Blue Diamonds. As part of the plan she made with McAllister, she and her girls will be providing "entertainment" for him and a few choice guests. "A private, intimate party for only the very best customers." Just the thought of her in a room with his kind of people makes my heart race and my vision blur with fear and anger."I'm counting on you to make the most of the time we give you," Charlotte demands, holding my face between her hands as she looks me dead in the eyes. "My girls and I can take whatever he dishes out, don't you worry about us. He isn't going to expect that a bunch of strippers are also cold-blooded assassins. But we are only the distraction. We need you and your boys to get us out of there safe."I think she is underestimating him, which is why I need to make sure my part of the plan goes flawlessly. As soon as we touch down, I kiss my beau
[Charlotte]My blood is still boiling after seeing what that bastard did to his own daughter. It is ten times worse than any humiliation that I ever faced by Andy's hand, and it is her father pulling the strings. Did he make her watch Kenji suffer too? Was she in the room when her father's men cut off his ear? We're going to save Sasha and Kenji. And then we're going to burn it all down. But how do we slay this sick dragon? Micah wants to go in full guns blazing, the Masumoto clan at his back. Grandma Masumoto is down for this plan, angry that her favorite grandson has been captured and so thoroughly disrespected. She's already called the cousins in Yokohama. They'll be flying directly to Portland and arriving tomorrow morning. I have another, more subtle plan, one that I hope will distract McAllister enough for Micah to be successful in our little coup.Pitching my idea to him, he tenses. "I don't like this, Mon Ange. I don't want to put you in that demon's grasp." "You'll be ju
[Charlotte]"Can you sign for this?" A smiling young man approached the main desk. I was passing through and our receptionist, Claire, handed it to me. Sasha was out today, so I took the package. Weirdly, she didn't call in, but knowing Kenji's plans for her last night, I'm sure they're still busy "resting" in bed this morning. I can already imagine the wedding. She'll be such a beautiful bride. After thanking Claire, I see that it is made out to Mr. and Mrs. McKaine. Rubbing my finger across the postmark, I can't help but glow. We're really married. It's still so hard to believe, even though I wake up next to him every morning snuggled into his warmth after a night of endless lovemaking. You'd think learning I am pregnant with his twins would cool his ardor--mission accomplished! He's so virile he succeeded in knocking me up twice over. But no, if anything he's even more passionate, even more determined to show me his love every day. "You are so beautiful," he likes to tell me eac
[Sasha]My father has never been a gentle man. Nor has he ever shown compassion to anyone, not true compassion. Not even to his daughter. I grew up knowing that I am not blood-related, that he picked me from a selection of surrogates pregnant with children they didn't want. He didn't want to leave his physical legacy in the world. I was just something for him to control and mold. Love wasn't part of the deal.To be honest, I don't know if he's capable of such a complex emotion. Or any true emotions. He wears masks that people find believable to convince him that he is interested in them and that he cares about anything they have to say, but it is all an act. Just another part of his carefully curated self-image. Just like me--just another prop to make him more "likable" and "relatable." Most children turn to their parents when they need comfort. I never had that instinct, or more precisely, I was never allowed to develop that kind of attachment. The only people who were with me cons
[Charlotte]Humming to myself, I walk to the break room, take a slice of some "welcome home cake," that the office had presented to us this morning, and grab a nice cup of coffee. The cake tastes amazing. I've hardly been able to keep anything down lately and my body needs the calories. Apparently, this baby likes sugar because I am able to eat the entire piece without even the smallest touch of indigestion. Taking a sip of my coffee to cut the sweetness, I start to choke. Fighting back the urge to vomit, I force myself to keep it all down. Fine, no coffee. My girls gave me similar trouble. They didn't like any caffeinated beverages. I couldn't even drink a cup of green tea. "Babies suck," I look at my coffee sadly as I text Micah to let him know our appointment is in 45 minutes. "Meet me in the garage in 10 minutes," I text as a follow-up. Tossing my coffee, I groan. I could have used that jolt of energy.I don't even make it to the elevator before Micah has his hand around my wa
[Charlotte]Things are different when I come into the office the next day. My morning starts normally enough. Micah is already off for his day, gone in early to take care of some "urgent business," and I'm to come in a bit later after dropping off the girls at their new school. My new driver, Agnes, is the latest addition to the Blue Diamonds, and like Roger is to Micah, she will be my constant companion and driver. "Ma'am, we're here," she announces in a tight, southern drawl. "Are you ready, or do you need me to make another circuit?""I'm ready," I give her my sunniest smile even though on the inside my stomach is churning--although I'm not sure if it's about this or something else, something more important. Thankfully Sasha is already in my new office, typing a report when I enter. I know she's McAllister's daughter and I shouldn't trust her, but Kenji loves her, and that's good enough for me. I trust his judgment and his family's legendary ability to judge a person's inner cha