“So what do you think?” Susan Jordan — more commonly known to her family and friends as Suzy — asked her mother as she whirled around the living room with a huge smile on her face. Her daughter was excited, Elizabeth Jordan could tell, so how was she going to say anything negative? Besides, even if she wanted to, she couldn't think of anything wrong with the place her daughter had chosen. The apartment was perfect. Not too expensive so she wouldn’t have issues renewing the rent. It wasn't a very large apartment, but it was spacious enough to meet her needs and it was only one hour away from the family house. She knew that Susan had always wanted to move into the more developed and exciting part of the town, and now the time had finally come. Susan was staring at her mother now, but her smile had turned into a frown. “What's wrong with it?” she asked, clearly confused by her mother's silence, “I thought you'd like it,” “I do.” Elizabeth replied quickly, moving towards her daughter
“H…H... Hi,” Susan stammered, To say that the man looked intimidating was an understatement. He looked threatening… Dangerous, and his presence screamed bad news. Susan was getting more and more worried about her brother. The man nodded in acknowledgment to her greeting, and simply waited for her to speak again. “I'm here to see my brother, Samuel. Is he here?” Susan asked, finally finding her tongue.There was silence for a few seconds, as the man simply stared her up and down. Just as Susan was beginning to think she wouldn't get an answer, another voice she didn't recognise came from within the house, “Let her in, Asher,” The man, who Susan now knew as Asher, stepped backwards so she could come in, although Susan wasn't sure she wanted to anymore. What if her brother was in trouble? What if he wasn't even in there? What if they'd done something bad to him? Was it really a good idea to go in? She would be helpless if she walked in and found herself trapped in the house with thes
Seconds after the men left, Susan was staring daggers at her brother. “Who were those men?” she asked, barely able to keep her voice steady, “And what are you doing with people who look like that?”Samuel went to the front door, locked it and turned to frown at her, “You shouldn't have shown up here without calling first, Suzy,” he said and began to head for the kitchen. “You could have gotten us both in a lot of trouble especially with that sharp mouth of yours, and frankly, I can't afford any more trouble at the moment,” Flabbergasted, Susan followed him, “Excuse me. Is that all you have to say? Are you not going to answer my question?” Samuel began opening cupboards and drawers, clearly looking for nothing in particular, and then he slammed one of them shut so hard that it shook. His actions confirmed Susan's suspicions, and she knew for sure now that her brother was in some kind of trouble. “Who were those men, Sam,” she insisted, “And what did they want with you?”Instead of
The two weeks went by very slowly, although Susan was pretty sure that wasn't the case. She just felt that way because she'd spent the days in a perpetual state of worry and agitation. So far, she didn't have any updates as Samuel was doing everything in his power to keep her out of the loop. He didn't want her involved so he refused to tell her anything, and refused to let her visit him again. Susan was almost tempted to get into her car and drive to his house like she'd done the last time, but Samuel had warned her against doing that too, and frankly, she didn't really have the guts to do it as she wasn't over her encounter with the two men she simply knew as Leo and Asher. After one week, curiosity got the best of her, and she began asking questions and doing some research. On the internet, she didn't really get the information she wanted, although she found out his full name. Leonard Spencer. All she could find was his name and occupation as “business owner.” Susan rolled her e
“Wanna go clubbing with me tonight?” Susan asked her friend, Caroline that evening after she returned back home. She'd been reluctant to leave Samuel alone, but he'd insisted that he was alright. Susan didn't believe him, but she left because she had plans of her own, and that plan involved going to The Summit. The Summit was the name of the club owned by Leo Spencer, and she planned to have a chat with him about her brother's situation. It was a horrible plan from hell, and she had no idea how she was going to pull it off, but after seeing her brother badly beaten up, she was willing to risk it, even if it meant coming face to face with the scariest man she'd ever met in her life. Caroline, who had no idea what Susan planned to do, was very eager to say yes. Caroline liked to dress up and go out, so for her, this was a great opportunity to do it. She showed up at Susan's apartment at exactly 11:30, wearing bumshorts, a silver crop top and a pair of knee high boots.Susan simply set
Susan had barely reached the bottom of the stairs when the guard caught up with her. She didn't even know that he'd followed her. The plan as she fled was to go outside, and then call Caroline so they could leave, but once again, she was heading upstairs, accompanied by one of Leo Spencer's goons. He wasn't exactly manhandling her like he'd done earlier, but he still had a firm hold on her arm. “Where are you taking me?” she questioned angrily, “You have no right! I did nothing wrong!” Despite her protests, the man said nothing, and once again, Susan found herself upstairs, except now he didn't take her to the lounge. Instead Susan found herself walking down a brightly lit hallway, then a room was opened and she was pushed inside. Susan turned around to leave, but the door was shut immediately. Trying not to scream in terror even though she was scared out of her mind, Susan turned around. She was in a luxurious private exclusive room with red neon lights. It reminded her of the s
Leonard Spencer had met a lot of people in his thirty three years, and in his line of business, nothing really surprised him or intrigued him that much anymore. People respected him…Actually, they were mostly afraid of him, and he had no issues with that. They knew what he was capable of when he actually put his mind to it, and so they tried not to upset him, but clearly this woman standing before him didn't know enough about him, and for some reason he didn't quite understand, it intrigued him. She had long blonde hair… It was the first thing he'd noticed the first time he saw her. It reminded him of those Barbie dolls his cousins used to play with when they were kids, hence the reason why he couldn't stop calling her Barbie. She had it in a ponytail just like the last time too, and it emphasized her facial features and pretty neck, although Leo had a feeling that wasn't what she intended whenever she put her hair up like that. Her skin looked soft and her make up was light. Just s
Susan arrived at Rotry park the following evening at exactly 4pm. She had taken care not to be late, so she'd hurried up at the office and closed early after speaking to her boss. Having no idea what part of the park to stay, she ended up wandering for about two minutes. Looking around and finding neither Leo or any of his men, she settled at a quiet part of the park that didn't have a lot of people around. She felt guilty, and ashamed, knowing that whatever a man like Leo wanted her to do was going to be bad. Samuel was unaware of the fact that she she'd met with Leo and if he did he'd be furious with her, but she was trying to help him, and this was the only way she knew how to without getting him in trouble. She sat and waited for thirty long minutes, and just as she began to wonder if Leo was actually going to show up, he did. Dressed in jeans and a black hoodie. Typical bad guy outfit, she thought. Asher was with him, but he stood several paces behind while Leo came to join her
Slowly he rose to his feet. “What a charming idea,” he breathed, his dark brows drawing together as he studied her hectically flushed face and air of decided purpose. Then he stole a fleeting glance down at the narrow gold watch on his wrist. He dealt her a distinctly tense smile. “Unfortunately, I'm afraid you've chosen-----”“I just couldn't wait until you got home,” Susan broke in feverishly, his glance at his watch not having been lost on her and serving merely to stoke her tension to new heights. His black lashes dipped lower over his intent, dark eyes, clear bemusement etched into his rigidity. “Wait for what?” he asked with a dismal lack of comprehension.Susan abandoned the idea of a slow, seductive wriggle and pitched off her coat to grab his attention. “I couldn't wait for you,” she said huskily, and embarked on the buttons of her black, narrowly cut coat-dress.Leo's gaze had whipped over to the coat now lying in a heap and back to her fast. He seemed welded to the floor
Shaken by the storm she had ignited, the roughness of his strained intonation, she stared at him, devoured by pain.“Why?” Leo repeated fiercely.Because I love you...she wanted to say. “And you're all over Sophie at every hour of the day. She coughs and you can't get there quick enough!” Leo slung from between gritted teeth. “In spite of the fact that we have a nanny with several willing supporters, you install a baby alarm and you get out of my bed to go to her! I'm not even half as important to you. Is that how it's supposed to be?”Very much taken aback, Susan surveyed him with shocked eyes. Evidently the baby alarm in their bedroom was viewed as some kind of ultimate insult. Did he think she was smothering Sophie? Was that what he was saying? That she was threatening to turn into one of those ghastly suffocating mothers one read about?“'I'm sorry if you think I'm taking my responsibilities too seriously.”“If you're that obsessed with babies, why should we wait to extend the fa
Leo needed sex the way she needed air to breathe, and those needs needed to be met in the marital bed. She was just a body, and if anything had been required to prove that point his silence did so. In this new brave relationship they were trying, lies were no longer permissible, so Leo was not about to tell her how ravishingly irresistible she was. She was fanciable enough to arouse him but that was the height of her pulling power and, with a male as physical as Leo, maybe it didn't even take that much... maybe he just fantasised about somebody else. A choked sob escaped her. He thrust her away from him with positive violence. Her eyes flew open as he threw back the sheet and sprang out of bed.“Leo ... you misunderstood!”He spun back, dealing her an incredulous glance.“I was thinking about something else... It wasn't —I mean…” she stumbled in desperation. The tip of her tongue stole out and darted along her taut lower lip. “I want you,” she whispered finally. Dark eyes held her
Susan woke up in the middle of the night to take a shower and check on Sophie, after which she went back to bed. When she awakened, little men were morris-dancing inside her thumping head.Thankfully she'd not taken enough alcohol to give her a major hangover, she registered miserably, but she was still a little tired. She slid out of bed and weaved a far from straight passage to the bathroom. A shower would make her feel better. She was emerging from the bathroom, swathed in a towel, white as a ghost and suffering from a raging thirst, when she noticed Leo .“Oh, no,” she mumbled. “Not now.”Leo filled the doorway. She refused to look at him and concentrated on his feet.“Shouldn't you be out working or something?”she whispered.“It's Saturday.”“I thought you went every day.”He certainly hadn't spent any days at home. Her clouded gaze worked up his legs. He was wearing black jeans that hugged his long, lean thighs and narrow hips, and an Aran sweater which accentuated his dark skin
Leo didn't even try to deny it, “Maybe a little bit,” he replied and shrugged, “Besides, you're at the club. When was the last time you let yourself go,” He was right. It had been a while. After a few seconds, she nodded and Leo didn't hesitate to place the order. The drinks kept coming and as the night went on, the atmosphere lightened. They talked about small, inconsequential things—the music, the crowd, even a particularly flamboyant dancer on the floor below. Susan could slowly feel herself letting go and soon she was laughing heartily at almost everything Leo said. He was clearly enjoying her laughter, because he continued to whisper things in her eyes. Things that sometimes made her laugh and sometimes sent arousal coursing through her veins. It was amazing, and for a brief moment, it almost felt normal, like they weren’t two people locked in a complicated and often contentious marriage. When their glasses were empty again, Leo leaned closer, his eyes intent on hers.“Dance wi
Susan blinked. So he was serious? Was their marriage even worth celebrating? Out loud, she asked, “Go out? Where?”“Anywhere you want. Just to have some fun.”She narrowed her eyes at him, searching his face for hidden motives. “I’m not really in the mood, Leo.”He shrugged, unfazed. “Then let me change that. How about somewhere familiar? My club, The Summit?”Susan paused. The Summit wasn’t exactly her idea of a relaxing evening, but it was better than sitting in awkward silence at the dining table or a long, restless night alone in her room.After a moment, she sighed. “Fine. I’ll go.”Leo’s lips curved into a satisfied smile, and he straightened. “Good. Wear the necklace.”Susan hesitated, her hand instinctively brushing against her collarbone. “Why does it matter so much to you?”“It’ll look good on you,” he said simply, his tone leaving no room for argument.Her eyes locked with his for a moment, a silent battle of wills passing between them. Finally, she nodded, her voice soft b
Susan cringed. Leo had strolled out of his bedroom, positively re-energised by the completeness of her surrender. And she had smiled dizzily back at him with what lingering energy remained to her, possessed of an utterly appalling belief that Leo was so incredibly wonderful that she was blessed above all other living women. Passion killed her intelligence. In bed, she didn't think with Leo, she merely functioned like some sort of passion toy, programmed solely to give and receive pleasure. And she didn't think she could blame her response on anything else anymore. It was that simple. She was still madly in love with Leo, falling like a brick from the top of a high building, her feelings rushing faster and faster as she headed for sure and certain devastation when she hit the ground. Now she knew why it hurt when Leo accused her of being a liar. She knew why she hadn't had the strength to fight him off. On a deep atavistic level she wanted Leo any way she could get him.Why? How coul
“Here I am,” he said with such staggering self-assurance, as if she could not fail to be grateful to win such a prize. “After all, you fought back like an Amazon warrior,” Leo told her thickly, his dark head lowering inch by inch. “You ignored me, you ignored it all and the more you ignored what I was doing, the more I seethed... I discovered that the one thing I cannot stand is to be ignored.”She didn't know what he was talking about. He appeared to be suggesting that her avoidance of him had been part of some sly, manipulative female plot to attract him and his unquenchable ego took to that idea like a duck to water. On the brink of acidly disabusing him of that notion, her parted lips met on a shocking collision course with his.Leo groaned against her mouth and possessed it again with renewed vigour and a force of hunger that ran a scorching blaze of heat right down to her toes and back up again. She fought the effect, concentrating her mind on the picture of herself pregnant and
Susan reddened but pressed on, her sole ambition to show him that they need not participate in sexual intimacy simply to produce another child. She marvelled that Leo appeared so ignorant of such processes. Then all of a sudden she registered that it was not ignorance that had silenced Leo but a kind of unholy and incredulous fascination backed by rather daunting signs of gathering rage. A dark tide of blood had flushed his features, a tiny muscle tugging relentlessly at the corner of his eloquent mouth.“You have to be out of your mind to suggest such a thing to me!” he told her rawly.“Leo... if we could for once move away from this macho conditioning of yours and talk about this sensibly, you might see that it is actually a very sane solution to the problem.”Leo strode forward and pulled her up out of her seat with two powerful hands. “There's no problem. My children are not going to be conceived in a test tube and that has nothing to do with my "macho conditioning",” he spelt out