EMILEE
“SUCH A FUCKING slut,” he hisses, dropping down into the seat behind his desk.
I’m still trying to catch my breath from Bones’s hands around my neck. And the side of my face stings from George’s hand. I hate feeling so trapped. But I feel like I have to defend myself. For my mother. “It was a long time ago—”
“You think I give a shit?” he shouts, interrupting me.
“Why do you owe them money?” I ask. What could he have possibly done? Was my father involved too? Did they do business with them? A thousand thoughts run through my mind.
The only good thing about the Kings showing up here at George’s house is that they came before he could fuck me.
“That’s none of your damn business!” he snaps.
“Yes, it is!” I shout, fisting my hands down by my sides. “Why the fuck do you owe them money? What have you done?” They were ruthless in college, so I can only imagine what they are like now that they are grown with more money than God and an endless amount of power. Who knows who they have in their back pocket?
The red-hot burn mark in the shape of a cross on George’s bare chest tells me they still don’t fuck around.
He ignores my question once again. “Come here,” he orders, and I stiffen. “I said come here!”
My heavy feet take slow and small steps over to him. When I get close enough, he yanks on my arm, pulling me in front of him. His hands run up my thighs, and I shudder, swallowing the vomit that begins to rise. I only had two drinks. I’m going to need a few more before I can do this.
He stands and whispers in my ear. “You’re supposed to be my little slut.”
I turn my face away from him, and he grips my hair and yanks my head back. A cry is ripped from my lips. “Please …”
“Did he fuck this mouth?” He runs his fingers over my trembling lips. “Tell me,” he orders.
“Yes,” I whimper as tears run down my face.
“And what about this pussy?” He drops his hand to cup me between my legs, and I close my eyes as he rubs me over the fabric.
“Yes.” My voice is barely audible.
“And your ass?” he continues. “Did he fuck that tight ass?”
“George …”
He slaps me across the face again. Thankfully, he’s weak at the moment and can’t hit very hard. “What did I tell you to call me?” he growls.
I swallow the bile that threatens to come up, and answer softly, “Daddy.”
“Good girl,” he coos. “Now … did he fuck that ass?”
I nod as a sob breaks through. There was nowhere on my body that Bones did not touch. He had a way of making me want things from him. Sinful things.
He shoves me to the floor. “Pathetic,” he sneers.
He plops down in his seat and stares down at me on the floor. Then a smile spreads across his face as he leans forward. “Go home and get some rest. I’ll be there first thing in the morning to pick you up. We’re going out.”
“Where are we going?” If I wasn’t so pissed off at the Kings, I would thank them for saving me from a night with George.
“You need a new dress, darling.” He reaches out, and I flinch when he runs his hand through my hair. “You need to look your best.”
“For what?”
He cups my cheek he just slapped. My salty tears burn the tender flesh. “You, my dear, are gonna pay my debt.”
TITAN
I sit at the kitchen table in our suite at Kingdom. There are times we don’t get the chance to go home, so we all share the entire fiftieth floor, The Royal floor. Our fathers may have once owned Kingdom, but we have done a lot of remodeling over the years. It has over eight thousand square feet for all of us. We have the roof to ourselves along with a pool, hot tub, and private bar. Not to mention our gym, bowling alley, and theater. It also has a locker room and a massage parlor. We have our own staff twenty-four seven. Most of us live here more than at our houses. When your business never sleeps, neither do you.
I look up when I see Bones enter the suite. He had an early meeting this morning with Luca. Walking over, he plops down across from me at a table that can fit ten guests. “May I help you?” I ask, picking up the cup of coffee in front of me.
“Busy?” He quirks a brow.
I take a drink and sit back. “What do you want, Bones?” I’m not in the mood to play games with him today. He needs to get to the point and quick.
“I got a call from George.”
“And?”
“You were right. He wants to trade Emilee.”
I snort. “No woman is worth five hundred grand.”
He crosses his arms over his chest.
“You can’t be serious.” I sigh. “You want her?” Didn’t he get enough of her in high school and college?
“No.” He nods to me. “But you can have her.”
“What the hell am I gonna do with her?” She was a bitch and a total prude. Well, for anyone but Bones. He kept her legs spread twenty-four seven. If she wasn’t sucking his dick, he was fucking her cunt or ass. After he quit using her, it was like she never even existed. He was a fucking idiot.
His eyes slide to the double French doors that are open to my personal suite. A redhead and a blonde are tangled in the white crisp sheets. Both passed out. Their clothes from this morning scattered across the floor. They were waiting on me in the lobby when we arrived back at Kingdom. “You can think of a few things.” His eyes come back on mine.
I shake my head. “She’s not into what I like.”
He runs his tatted fingers over his chin. “She had a pretty open mind back then.”
I roll my eyes. “He abuses her.”
He frowns. “How do you know?”
“I watched him slap her.” I take another drink. “After you all walked out. He knocked her around. Because she had slept with you.” I still can’t figure out why the one was so concerned about the other.
He runs a hand through his slicked back hair, thinking over my words. Would he have stopped George if he had seen it? Doubtful. He almost made her pass out with his hand around her throat. And I couldn’t show weakness toward her and intervene. George would have used that to his advantage, but it seems he’s going to try anyway.
“I don’t have time to help a broken woman.” I shake my head. “And we can’t take something that someone doesn’t have.” George is a problem. But not one that we can solve on our own.
He opens his mouth, but his phone rings in his pocket. “Hello?” Pause. “What is it, Nigel? Yeah.” His eyes meet mine. “We’ll be right there.” He hangs up. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
“Seems Emilee has come to us.”
Fuck!
_______________
We enter Bones’s office to find her sitting in a chair. Nigel had let her in. Her back ramrod straight and staring straight ahead. Bones sits down at the desk, and I lean up against the far wall, not in the mood to sit. No one says anything.
Her watery eyes go from mine to Bones’s. Then she drops her head and looks down at her nails. “He’s not gonna pay you.”
We say nothing.
She lifts her head to look me in the eye. “He wants to give me to you. Like I’m some fucking object that can be traded.” She fists her hands in her lap. “I tried to explain it wouldn’t work. George—”
“Are you sleeping with him?” I interrupt her, unable to wait any longer. I need to know what she is to him and why.
She sniffs and adjusts herself in the seat, looking even more uncomfortable. I look at Bones, then back at her. “Does he rape you?” Maybe what I thought I saw and what they have aren’t the same. He physically abused her, so forcing himself on her isn’t a far stretch. And that thought makes me want to kill him. I may have told her to get on her knees for her phone, but I’d never force myself on her.
She flinches. “You can’t take what is freely given.” She recalls Bones’s words.
“So what? He’s your sugar daddy?” I ask, not liking that idea either.
She shakes her head. “My mother is sick. Dying. I came back after my dad passed to be here with her and help take care of her. But after meeting with my father’s attorney, I was informed that George has access to all of my family’s money. That house is in the company’s name; my father left him the company.” Bones and I exchange another look because that doesn’t seem likely. “He told me if I gave him what he wanted, he would cover my mother’s medical bills. Although she doesn’t have much longer to live, I want her to be comfortable. He said that he would pay for it as long as I …”
“Spread your legs for him,” Bones finishes.
She reaches up and wipes a single tear from her face.
I run a hand down mine. “What’s wrong with your mother?”
“Cancer,” she whispers. “Stage four. Lymphoma. She’s got four months left. Maybe.”
Bones sits back and crosses his arms over his chest. This is news to us. And it makes things even more complicated.
She straightens her back. “I have a proposition of my own for you.”
My brows rise.
“No offense, Emilee, but your pussy isn’t worth five hundred thousand,” he tells her even though he just tried to sell the idea of me taking her.
“The house.” She ignores him.
“What about it?” I ask.
Her watery eyes meet mine. “There’s insurance on it. It’s paid up to date.” I frown. “Burn it to the ground. You can have the insurance money as long as you give me enough for my mom to be taken care of.”
I open my mouth, but she continues. “I have no job back in Chicago anymore. I quit. And I put my apartment up for sale the moment I found out she was sick so I could move back here to be with her. But my father died before I was able to get rid of it. My account has been frozen. Right now, I’m at his mercy,” she growls. “You guys showing up gave me an idea. You take care of my mother, and you can have the rest.”
“Emilee—”
“It’s insured for over two point two million,” she interrupts Bones.
He looks up at me. I shake my head. “Too risky.”
“I’ll set it,” she growls. “No one will ever know about your involvement. I’ll wait. Three weeks. Give it some time, then I’ll do it late at night.”
“What’s in it for you?” Bones asks. “Two point two million is a lot of money, and all you want is for us to take care of your mother. What about you?”
“I can go back to Chicago. Find a new job. Get back to my life.” She takes in a deep breath. “I want him to be there. I want his body to burn.”
So that’s it. She doesn’t care if she gets a dime; she just wants the fucker dead. Can’t say I blame her after what she just told us.
