RUBY'S POV"Let's go to work." Dominic announced.He started the car as I put the sex toy back into the box and returned it back to the glove compartment. The car rolled back into motion, but I barely noticed. My thoughts were stuck on what had just happened. My lips still tingled, and the memory played on a loop in my mind. I crossed my arms and tried to forget about it but the blush refused to fade.Dominic glanced over at me and smiled. “Did a cat get your tongue?”I shook my head and kept my eyes fixed on the road ahead. “I'm just thinking.”His chuckle carried a teasing edge. “About me, I hope.”I rolled my eyes. "You really like to flatter yourself.""I know you're thinking about me." He grinned, clearly pleased with himself. I didn’t push further, and neither did he. It was still weird unlocking this playful side of Dominic; It was hard to even remember the brooding man who had walked into that club on the night after I divorced Gabriel.When we finally pulled up to the office,
RUBY'S POVI kept my focus on the woman across the room. Something about her just didn't sit right with me or my head. Even though she had her back turned to me, I could see how stiffly she sat. I could also see that her hands were fidgeting with the hem of her sweater. Twice, I caught her stealing quick glances in my direction. Both times, she looked away sharply when I noticed.It was unnerving. My instincts told me to take this seriously, but I brushed it off. What else could I do? If she wanted to speak to me, she would. Until then, I refused to waste energy puzzling over her behavior.The sound of heels sounding against the polished floor broke my train of thought. I looked up and saw Dominic’s blonde secretary entering the room. Still the same as ever, I thought to myself.She had a skin-tight pencil skirt and fitted blouse on, which accentuated her figure 8 shape. There was a full pound of makeup on her face: dark blue eyeshadow, penciled eyebrows, red lips, the works. She move
Ruby's POVAs I stepped inside, I looked around. The room was large and panelled with more brown wood, with a long table stretching across it and twelve chairs evenly spaced around it. The part of the walls that weren't covered in wood were painted gray gray, and the light from the overhead fixtures made the place feel like sone hospital theatre.Maybe It was a theatre, and I was the one being operated on.The room was empty, or at least it seemed that way at first. My eyes landed on the chair at the head of the table. It was turned away from me, its high back hiding whoever sat there.I shifted my feet in unease, then walked closer to the table. When I reached the table, I gently knocked on the polished wood, hoping to get their attention.The chair swiveled slowly, and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. Dominic was the one sitting there.I exhaled sharply and placed a hand on my chest. “Dominic, you scared me! Why were you sitting there like some kind of movie villain?”He smil
Ruby's POVAt that moment, my mind blanked with delirium and pleasure. My nails dug into his shoulders and I slammed myself down on his dick.His hips rocked in rhythm with mine, as he grinded against my panties and the fishnet stockings. Our lips crashed against each other in a kiss that was the most violent I'd ever had. Dominic wasn't gentle this time; his fingers clawed at my skirt, as my own yanked at his shirt.Somehow, I knew that he couldn't hold it back in anymore.Finally, Dominic tore his lips away from mine. His eyes were dark and stormy, and his chest shook with each gasp of breath.Slowly, my hand snaked down his body, coming to settle on the hard bump bump of his dick. With a sharp motion, I squeezed, and Dominic flinched."You want me to fuck you like a whore, is that it?" His eyes darkened even further as they narrowed on me while I swallowed hard. I realised that while kissing, Dominic had moved me from the wall. I was now backed up against the edge of the long table
Ruby's POVHe leaned away from me, a jeering smile on his face, his lips moist with the wetness of my pussy. "Damn, Ruby." He commented. "You make the most hilarious sounds when you're about to orgasm.""You can't blame me, can you?" I grumbled. "Do you think your workers heard us?""If they did, I don't care." Dominic carefully put my leg down from his shoulder, then kissed my stomach. My fingers went to his hair as he stared up at me, his eyes tender rather than demanding. It wasn't like he hadn't given me head before, but this time was very different. It was more intimate.“Dominic, that was… I am....”"It's alright." He interrupted. "Say less."Coming to sit beside me, he planted a kiss on my lips, and then another and another. His lips began to travel downwards again, but I held him back this time."My turn now, Dominic." I whispered. "You did mine, and now I'll do yours."His eyes darkened. "Are you.... sure?""Yes." I murmured in response. Then, I remembered something. "Do you
GABRIEL'S POVI sat in my car with a cigarette balanced between my fingers, watching the slow creep of pedestrians passing by. A block ahead was the Rutherford building; the tallest building that I could see from this point. I leaned back, blowing a stream of smoke into the air. Julia was late. She was supposed to meet me here ten minutes ago. I checked my watch again and tapped the steering wheel impatiently. I had half a mind to drive up to the building and drag her out myself. What could possibly be taking her this long? Movement caught my eye. A woman shuffled down the street, clutching a bag to her chest. Her black hair, cut jaggedly at the ears, made her look like she’d let a toddler wield the scissors. Those ridiculous round Harry Potter glasses perched on her nose only added to the mess. And her clothes were hilarious. I took a look at the mismatched patterns, baggy fabric, and shoes that belonged to someone's ninety-year-old grandmother. I let out a sharp laugh, danglin
Ruby's POVThree days had crawled by since my interview at Dominic’s company. I tried not to think about it too much, but I couldn’t help waiting for an email or a call. I kept refreshing my inbox like a lunatic, hoping for good news, even though Dominic had told me that he would personally inform me if there was any news.It was not like I got interviewed like everyone's else. Thinking about it, a smile crossed my face and I couldn't help giggling out loud.This morning, none of us had the energy to cook, so we were heading out for pastries. Dominic was in the passenger seat, and Ariel sat in the back, humming some song under her breath with her headphones around her head. I was driving one of Dominic’s cars: a beautiful blue Lamborghini that drove like a dream.The silence in the car was interrupted by Ariel’s voice.“Ruby, are you sure you’re comfortable driving this? Dad looks like he’s about to explode.”I glanced at Dominic and grinned. His jaw was tight and his arms were crosse
Ruby's POVWhen we got home, Ariel dashed straight into the kitchen. I followed her, setting the coffee and pastries on the counter. Dominic came in behind me and hung his jacket on the back of a chair.“I’m going to get some work done in my study,” he said, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge.Ariel was already stuffing her face with one of the pastries. She mumbled through a mouthful, “I want to check out that arcade we passed earlier.”I raised a brow. “Didn’t you just get home?”She shrugged and grabbed another pastry. “It looked fun. I’ll be back in an hour.”Dominic shot her a sharp look. “Absolutely not. You can’t just run off like that.”Ariel snatched her bag and darted toward the door. “Love you, Dad!”“Ariel!” he boomed out so hard that I winced, but Ariel didn't stop. She was already halfway out the door.He groaned and muttered under his breath before yelling after her again, “Stay safe! If some weird man comes near you, use the taser I got for you! Do you hear me?”T
Ambrose’s POVI walked out of the store room and typed out the message. Short. Precise. The kind of thing that would drive a blade straight into Dominic’s chest.“I wonder how it feels to know your daughter is slipping through your fingers as we speak. Tick tock, tick tock. Time is running out. If you ever want to see your daughter again, you will do exactly as I say. Instructions will be relayed to you very soon. I don't want any cops or dumb tricks. You know what to do.”I read it over once, then sent it. A moment later, the screen blinked. The message had been delivered.I stared at Ariel's name glowing at the top of the message. The irony of it almost made me laugh. There was something delicious about making a father’s worst nightmare come true.I slid the phone back into my pocket and sighed, walking to the rusty elevator and taking It back up. When I got up, I walked past the smoking men and stepped out into the cool night air. Chicago was quieter than usual, even though I knew
Ambrose's POVThe building smelled of dead animals. It was an old hotel, now reduced to nothing but dust and silence. I stepped over a broken floorboard, my polished shoe grinding against the dirt under me. The place was barely standing. The ceiling sagged in places and the corners darkened with mold, but it would serve me for now, at least.Some of my old and loyal men were sitting on a wooden slab in the middle of the room, smoking and drinking. When they saw me, they gave me deferent bows. A few of them waved, and I waved back. I had called them together at such short notice, but they still came. It was good to know that they were still loyal to me. I would pay them handsomely once this was over.I walked toward the rusted iron elevator, its metal cage rattling as I stepped inside. The doors groaned as they slid shut and with a shudder, the elevator descended. Dominic Rutherford had taken everything I worked for away from me. Rachael was meant to be mine, but he stole her. And wh
Dominic’s POV“Oh, my God!” Ruby screamed.She sprang to her feet and started pacing her hotel room. Her hands tangled in her hair, her pants legs flapping against each other as she walked about. I'd told her about everything, from the news of the prison break that I got during the meeting, to Ariel being kidnapped at home, to her boyfriend who was in the house when it happened.“You’re telling me some random guy just waltzed into your house and claimed to be Ariel’s boyfriend?" She roared. "And you let him go? What If he was behind it all?”I squeezed my eyes shut. “He said he was in a long-distance relationship with her. That they met when she was in Switzerland.”Ruby spun on her heel, eyes burning into me. “And you believed him? Dominic, I thought you were smarter than this.”I scoffed. “Hell yes, I am. But he didn’t seem like a threat. If he was dangerous, I’d have known. Trust me, Ruby, I have been around a lot of dangerous people, and that Brandon boy is not one of them."Her a
Ruby's POVJust like that, five years disappeared between us.Five long years, and now I was standing here, face to face with the man I had once given my entire heart to.There was a whole myriad of emotions within me. But more than anything, I felt love. Because despite everything that had happened, despite the distance and the silence and the longing, despite every reason I had given myself to move on… I never really moved on from him.I let my eyes roam over him, drinking in every change that time had carved into him. Five years had really done him good.He was broader now, his body was solid with muscle like he had spent every day training, pushing himself harder. His hair which used to be in a ponytail was now styled into neat, sharp cornrows that framed his face perfectly. A well-trimmed beard lined his jaw, making him look even more powerful and more manly.And God help me, he looked so... fucking.... good!I felt my heart stutter, and for the first time in a long time I was br
Dominic's POVThe Basement was filled with voices but none were louder than mine."Spread out!" I roared, slamming a fist against the table. "I don’t want excuses! I want results! Do you hear me?"The metal rattled under my hand, but I didn’t care. My men scrambled around, some on their phones, others poring over maps and documents. None of them moved fast enough for me. Ariel was missing, and the more time we wasted, the more danger she was in.I knew it was Ambrose. There was no doubt in my mind. That bastard had taken her, and I had let it happen.I balled my fists so tight that they hurt. I kept running last night over in my head, every single mistake, every moment I should have done something differently.I should have never told the men that guarded my house to go home. The house had been unprotected because I thought for one damn second that we could let our guard down. I should have gone home after that call with Ariel, not go to the bar with Damien. I should have..."Sir."I
Ruby's POV"I understand what you’re saying, Martin, but we are not doing another take of that scene."I held my phone between my shoulder and ear, flipping through a thick script with one hand while signing a document with the other. My assistant stood beside me, watching with nervous eyes as I scrawled my signature across the last page."I don't care if the lighting was slightly off," I continued, shifting the phone back into my hand as I turned to grab a bottle of water. "The emotion was perfect. The moment was perfect. If you ask me to reshoot it again, I swear I’ll throw something at you."Martin the director laughed on the other end of the line. "Fine, fine. You win, DanCliffe. You always do.""Exactly."The assistant took the signed document from me and scurried off. Another person approached with a clipboard, but I raised a hand. "Not now. Give me a second to breathe."She hesitated before nodding and stepping back. I squeezed my eyes shut, rubbing my temples. My head was poun
Dominic's POVThe Chief’s words played over and over in my head. Eight inmates had escaped, and not a single one had been found. It didn’t make sense. How could a group that large vanish without a trace? Someone had helped them. Someone with power and enough resources.I gripped my whiskey glass and set it down hard. The sound made Damien glance at me. He could see the frustration in my face."Dominic," he murmured in warning.I shook my head. "He’s the Chief of Police. How does he not have a single lead? Not even one?"Damien leaned back, stretching his arm across the booth. "Agitating yourself isn’t going to change anything.""So what do you suggest?"He looked at me for a long moment. "We need to get some sleep. We regroup in the morning and think about our next step then."I opened my mouth to argue, but he raised a hand. "No arguments. You know I’m right."I ran a hand over my face. "Yeah, sure. Whatever."We finished our drinks in silence. Damien paid the bill, and we walked out
Dominic's POVThe world around me blurred the moment I saw the news. Only three words rang in my head. Ambrose was free. Ambrose was free!And if he was free, I knew without a doubt that there was only one thing he would want.Revenge.“Dominic!” Damien yelled, and I gave a small start.I looked up in horror. “Ambrose escaped.”His entire expression changed immediately. The chatter in the room faded as the other men picked up on the shift in atmosphere.“What the hell do you mean he escaped?” Damien took my phone from my hand and skimmed the article. The longer he read, the thinner his lips turned. “Son of a bitch!”I ran a hand down my face, trying to tell myself to stay calm. “They set fire to the penitentiary and used the chaos as cover. The authorities haven’t been able to track him down.”“Of course they haven’t.” Damien groaned and closed his eyes. “Ambrose was never the kind of man to just sit and rot in a cell. He planned this, I know he did.”I nodded, already running through
Dominic's POVFive years later..."I don't see why this meeting can't be handled over a conference call, Damien."I pushed open my office door with my shoulder, my phone propped between my ear and my collarbone. With one hand, I shrugged on my jacket while the other gripped my briefcase. "It’s not like we haven’t done this a hundred times before."Damien’s sigh came through the line. "Dom, you know how these high-rollers are. They like to see who they’re dealing with, shake hands and size up the competition. You want to lock this deal down, we do it my way.""Your way? Why the fuck? My way is better.""Because," Damien said on the other end, "when you're dealing with potential buyers for a deal this big, you look them in the eye. You gauge their reactions. You see if they're hiding anything."I sighed. "We have people for that.""And people can be wrong," Damien countered. "Come on, Dom. I already set this up. Look, the least you can do is to just show up and listen."I reached the fr