He needed time to unwind. But he was not counting on finding Hannah fidgeting in the kitchen, looking as lonely—and hopefully, as horny—as he felt.
Even through his irritation, it didn’t escape his notice how very desirable she looked with her long hair cascading around her shoulders to fall in waves to her waist, and the upper swell of her breast bearing the mark of his desire along with her birthmark.
Hannah hadn’t slept much, waking several times during the night, thinking she had heard Markus arriving, and her meeting with Elijah ran loops in her head. If only Luciano could be struck by lightning or have a tree fall on him—or something, anything—she could be free of this madness—a madness that bore Markus’s name.
When Alicia left after their first meeting to talk about the wedding, she hid in her room, hoping to avoid him. But the hours passed and her growling stomach reminded her she had only eaten a small salad for lunch.
“Hannah.”
Speak of the devil.
Saturday night came flooding back all at once. A burst of heat exploded in her lower body, a pulse of attraction that followed no rules of behavior. Whatever it is—or was between us…it ended yesterday. Or has to end now. Or…hell! He was an obsession she couldn’t fight, but at least she would try.
Markus wanted to feel her skin, caressing her until she panted for more and sighed his name in her beautiful voice. He wanted to leave another love mark next to the one on her breast. Yet, he would settle for a kiss on her tightly pressed lips—until they opened and then he would want more. “Come here.”
Fuck you. She walked to the door instead.
What has come over her now? “Hannah, wait,” Markus demanded, blocking the exit.
Then it dawned on him. She was avoiding the same thing that had been consuming him. Passion. She might pretend immunity, but she wasn’t immune, and the blatant attraction between them was making her skittish; it was damn well frightening her away.
Hannah stiffened and stopped, her head hanging down, still unsure of how to proceed after what had happened between them. And even more unsure if she wanted to hit him or climb on top of him.
He walked closer to her, noticing the dark half-circles under her eyes, secretly glad he wasn’t the only one who hadn’t slept. “Are you hungry?”
Hannah hesitated, and for a moment, he suspected she wouldn’t answer. Her gaze lifted to meet his but she didn’t move.
His longish, tousled black hair and the opened shirt only added to the tantalizing image her mind was creating. Then there were those stunning, piercing pitch-black eyes of his that had the ability to tempt a woman to sin. In many different, erotic ways.
The Senator be dammed. She inclined her head. “Yes.”
“Keep me company then.”
Yes, Your Majesty. But she didn’t have the heart to deny him.
They ate in silence until he couldn’t bear it anymore and finally asked, “Did you have a good day?”
Uh-oh. She stopped eating. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“We live together. Being cordial would be appropriate.”
“We don’t live together.” She picked up her half-empty plate and carried it to the sink. “I work for you. It happens to involve me living in your home, but we don’t live together.”
“I stand corrected.” All that correctness of them talking as if nothing had happened, all that loneliness surrounding her, all that and more was making him mad. He couldn’t stand it, having her there with this gulf between them. It mirrored the churning gulf that lived inside him, and unable to deal with it, he reacted. “I forgot that you are my paid whore.”
She pivoted on her hells and snapped, “Fuck you.”
“Right now?” Deliberately, his lips opened in a taunting lazy smile. “Come over here, then, honey.”
“You know what?” The violence within her body needed release. Perhaps meditation would help to keep her from hitting Markus. “I’d prefer my own company.”
He laughed out loud when he noticed her hand twitch. There was nervousness in the unconscious movement, in her rigid stance.
“Pathetic, Hannah,” he said, well aware of the painful buttons he was pressing. “The Senator—if he were here, which is doubtful considering I am thoroughly annoyed with him right now—would be laughing at how you are behaving.”
I’m starting to hate you. “Are you—or him—expecting an apology from me?” Because he won’t get it.
“No.” Walking over to stop bare inches from that female form that was all but vibrating with rage, he reached out to touch her, the compulsion undeniable. “What he said was cruel and unconscionable. Besides, he shouldn’t have invaded your privacy yesterday and I’ve summarily informed him that from now on he has to ask your permission to come over. He won’t be bothering you again.”
Hannah went motionless at that. That and his finger brushing away a stray lock from her forehead. “Why would you care?”
“Taunt him. Or run with your tail between your legs. Your choice.” He passed his empty plate to her but she kept her back to him as she rinsed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. “But don’t let him have power over you.”
It depends on you. “I apologize for…our misunderstanding, okay?” Hannah said, her tight voice aimed at the marble wall behind the sink.
“I don’t want your apology.”—I want you.—“He was wrong to insult your mother’s memory. And I overreacted.”
But you haven’t apologized. But it was useless to say it, so she just nodded. And just like that, at the slightest sign of decency on his part, the anger began to wriggle out of her grasp, her disgust with him vanishing.
She turned to face him and lifted her chin. “I told you that the episode didn’t mean anything.”
“The episode…” he repeated her words, amused. “You mean when I put my tongue down your throat and my cock in your pussy in that hardly-worth-mentioning way.”
She frowned at him. “It would be good of you not to mention it.”
“I’m not good,” he replied with a dark chuckle.
That much I have ascertained for myself. She had to admit, the man’s boldness and persistence excited her as a woman. There was nothing sexier than confidence, but she had to make him understand where she stood because she was no longer sure that when it came to this heated madness that she’d emerge unscathed. “Listen, Markus. I am on board to help you get your daughter back.”
You’d better be. But he didn’t voice his thoughts as he sensed she was going to say something important.
“All I ask of you is: don’t hurt me.”
His head reared up. “I would never hurt you.”
She sighed softly. “Not on purpose, you mean.”
There was a long silence, as if Markus were brooding upon her soft words. “Never on purpose.”
Many would call her a fool but there was nothing rational in her when it came to Markus. It was all raw instinct, primitive and unrelenting. Great sex was great sex. But offering up her heart to have it stomped on was a level of masochism she wasn’t prepared to suffer through. “But…” She sighed again and whispered, “I just wish you could understand.”
His unnerving gaze searched her expression, as if sensing the dark, punishing memories that fluttered at the edge of her mind. “I am many things, but not a mind reader.”
She smiled a bit at that.
“But if you tell me what’s going on in that pretty head of yours, I might understand. At least, I can try.” He guided her back to the stool, motioning for her to sit, and propped his hip against the island, patiently waiting.
“A year or so after your father dismissed my mother, she discovered she had cancer but kept it secret, working day and night to pay for my studies, until she was too frail to keep the disease hidden from me anymore. After she was admitted to the hospital, I gave up dating, or even going out with friends, dedicating all of my time to her. As she had dedicated her whole life to me.” With the back of her hand, she br
ushed away the tears that fell from her eyes.
Hannah considered for a brief moment what it would have been like if her mother hadn’t been so prideful and stubborn, and in a way, selfish. If she hadn’t concealed her cancer when she discovered it in the beginning, would Hannah still be in this mess? The memory of her mother’s face flashed in front of her eyes. She didn’t regret for a moment—not even one moment—having asked for money to make her mother’s last year of life more comfortable, but she hadn’t imagined she would become jobless.
“No money in this world can ever, ever replace what she gave me,” she told him. “I am not selling my body, Markus.”
I do hope there was more to what we shared than money. “And we agreed I was not buying.”
She saw something unexpected in him at that moment, a quiet, raw thing, which echoed inside her.
“I don’t know what this—between us—is,” she said, acknowledging the desire that burned between them from the start, “but I do know that for my mental health and the sake of this…arrangement, we can’t repeat what happened.”
He blinked. As if he was waking from a deep sleep. Her tone was sharp, almost surly. But all he had to do was listen to the words and read between them. She didn’t like admitting that she wanted him. But she could not deny it. And Markus was not one to give up so easily. “Too bad.”
She frowned. There was something ambiguous in his words. “I will not accept being treated the way you treated me these last few days. If that’s what I have to look forward to, I…”—What Hannah? You’ll walk away? You still have to pay Luciano.—“I mean, I have my pride, and I’m not doing this like that.”
Quiet. Silence. He stared at her and his lips twitched into an almost smile, then he said, “That’s it?”
“Yes.” It felt foolish and careless, pretending they were just like everyone else. But she was starting to realize that being foolish and careless was sometimes the only thing left to do when she didn’t know what life was going to throw at her next. “Do we have a deal then?”
His answer was a slow smile that whispered of silk sheets, erotic moans, and sweat-damp skin. The unhidden intent of it had her heart slamming hard against her ribs.
“Markus?” She tilted her head, trying to discover what was going on in his mind. “Do we have a deal?”
No. “Yes.”
Oh. It was undoubtedly stupid to feel a sense of loss, this ending of a relationship that hadn’t even really begun. “On that note, I’ll say good-night.” This is probably the worst mistake of my life.
The thing was, she knew that walking away from Markus wasn’t an option. Not at that instant.
If it had ever been.
CHAPTER 19
Blackthorn Corporation headquarters
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
10:00 a.m.
Markus couldn’t believe that after three restless nights he was wasting his time listening to Jacob’s empty and recurring explanations about his ineffective work at Haskell & Sons over the past week and why they should sell Velid Pharmaceutical to an Italian company interested in expanding their business to the United States.
Slowly, Markus stood and was followed by his partners. “We have already reached a decision.”
“You have?”
“Yes,” he nodded. “We are shutting down Velid, not selling.”
Jacob’s jaw flexed as he too stood up. “You should reconsider.”
Once Markus set his mind on something, it was difficult to change. Almost impossible. And Jacob’s voice had an edge that didn’t please him at all.
“We won’t.” He walked to the meeting room door and opened it. “We are also relieving you of your position and require you to take your personal belongings with you at the end of the day. We appreciate your years of service for Haskell & Sons, but Blackthorn Corporation has a different vision of the future and we won’t make a good fit together.”
“You sorry bastard!” Jacob was so angry spit flew out of his mouth.
He advanced toward Markus but it took much more than a pompous executive to intimidate Markus. He straightened to his full height, towering a full foot over the shorter man. Narrowing his eyes at Jacob, he ordered, “Get out of my building. Now.”
“You think you can come in here with your corporate takeover and replace people without blinking—”
“I just did,” he said icily, then turned and walked out of the room.
“Hey! Don’t you walk away from me. I’m not finished with you,” bellowed Jacob, taking a running jump toward Markus’s back.
Even before the two large security men posted by the elevators could move, Markus turned on his heels and brought his fist up with precision timing and accuracy, hitting Jacob on the side of his face while he was still airborne.
The force of the blow sent Jacob flying to the other side of the hall, where he crashed into the wall and fell to the floor in a tangled heap of limbs, blood flowing from his mouth and nose.
Markus stalked up to the fallen man and crouched to grab him by the shirt, lifting him half up. “This is the last job you’ll have in this industry, you worthless piece of shit.”
“Fuck you!” Jacob said and spat.
Saliva and blood splattered over Markus. Before he lost the last of his control, Markus cleaned his face with the sleeve of his suit, shoved the man back into the wall, and smirked down at Jacob. “You’re ruined.”
Rising from the floor, he told the guards, “Escort Mr. Muller from the building. Inform Blackthorn security he’s no longer welcome to set foot on any Blackthorn property.”
“This isn’t over!” Jacob shouted as the men lugged him up and dragged him away. “You’re going to regret this. You’ll get what’s coming to you!”
The Eagle Nest
11:30 a.m.
Jacob was still seething and not thinking straight when he pushed open the door to Luciano’s office and shouted, “I want Blackthorn taken out, tonight, if not sooner!”
Luciano, who was reclined in his Corinthian leather office chair, abruptly sat up and glared at Jacob. “Who the fuck do you think you are, barging into my office and giving me orders?” He looked down and said, “Leave.”
“I just came—” Jacob stopped talking when he saw a very young blonde emerge from under Luciano’s desk, while the man himself zipped up his pants.
“Well, I didn’t. Thanks to you.”
“Er…sorry. I just came from Blackthorn’s. That bastard—”
Throwing the door open, Luciano yelled, “Where’s my fucking security?”
A man who looked like a body-builder stuffed into a three-piece suit rushed in, followed by Stephano and Angelo Avelatto.
“You called, boss?”
“How did this fucker come barging into my office unannounced while you were guarding my door?” he asked, pointing to Jacob. “And I know you were guarding my door. Do you know how I know that, Antonio? Because that’s what I fucking pay you for!”
The giant man was suddenly a small boy in big trouble. “I’m sorry, boss. I tried to get Pietro to cover for me so I could take a piss—I mean, urin…uh, urinize…”
Luciano re-lit his cigar with a solid gold butane lighter, and amid a cloud of smoke, ordered, “Get out.”
“Yes, sir,” the guard immediately replied, and turned back to the door.
“Antonio.”
He turned around before exiting. “Yeah, boss?”
“Your mistake won’t happen again.” He turned his attention back to Jacob and asked, “What were you so rudely interrupting me about?”
“That bastard, Blackthorn, fired me, and assaulted me in the process.” Jacob paced Luciano’s office, more calm now.
Luciano took a deep drag and spoke as he exhaled, “So call the fucking cops. Have him arrested. Why come to me with your bullshit problems?”
Jacob looked at the cigar with longing. Not sure if he should ask for one, he resorted to his e-cig. “Mr. Aquila, I don’t want him charged with a misd
emeanor. I want him dead. Actually, it would be more satisfying to ruin him completely and destroy his business empire, but I don’t have the patience for delayed gratification.”
Luciano raised an eyebrow at Jacob. The man was crazy if he thought an Aquila would kill a man and put a whole operation of smuggled cocaine at risk just to indulge a hurt ego. “What about our operations?”
“The shipment arrived on Friday and it was all set to be distributed tonight, but now…Blackthorn has forbidden me to enter the building and he is shutting Velid down. We can stage a break-in to retrieve it,” Jacob said, dragging on his e-cigarette. “In fact, if we do it while Blackthorn is there, it can look like a burglary where he tried to be hero, and failed. We kill two birds with one—”
“Out.” Luciano growled, having lost his patience. “Get the fuck out of here.”
“But…”
“Avelatto,” he motioned to Stephano and Angelo. “Accompany Mr. Muller out.”
Jacob backed away, his hands up, when Stephano and Angelo crowded him. “Easy, boys. I’m going.”
“Send in Armando.”
In less than a minute, Luciano was looking in the face of his most trustworthy employee.
“Boss?”
“Contact our inside man,” Luciano ordered, drilling his fingers on the table. “The trucks leave tonight as agreed. Then, in a week or so, blow up Velid. The lab has enough chemicals to wipe every trace of our operation there. Make sure it doesn’t come back to us.”
Armando nodded and then asked, “That fucker?”
Luciano thought for a moment. An evil grin opened on his face. “Inside the lab. And Armando?”
His second turned. “Yes?”
“Send the girl back.”
CHAPTER 20
Senator Blackthorn’s apartment
3:00 p.m.
“Markus will be completely besotted when you step on the aisle,” said Judith with a satisfied nod as Jacques, her personal hairdresser finished his mock-up for Hannah’s wedding coiffure. “Superb.”