by Erika Wilde
Her cell phone fell out of the pocket and hit the ground with a dull thud, and she retrieved the device, which was her only lifeline to her father. After putting her dress in the closet, she unlocked her phone to find at least a dozen calls and texts from Gavin . . . and nothing from her dad, which worried her after last night’s stress and the fact that she’d had to give him one of his nitroglycerin pills to ease his chest pain.
She quickly scrolled through Gavin’s messages, most of which were belligerent threats and bluster toward her captor and swearing that Maddux was going to pay for abducting her. Arabella rolled her eyes at that. She hadn’t been taken hostage, not when she’d consciously offered herself to Maddux, so Gavin’s claims and intimidation tactics were pointless. He just didn’t like the fact that some other man had permission to touch what he’d perceived as his. He’d completely flip out if he knew just how much she wanted Maddux to do all sorts of deliciously sinful things to her.
Ignoring everything relating to Gavin, she instead called her father’s number. She just needed to hear his voice and know that he was okay.
“Arabella,” he answered, sounding more subdued than the self-assured parent she was used to or the spiteful man he’d been last night when confronted by Maddux. “Are you okay? Has he hurt you at all?”
“No. I’m fine, Father. I swear,” she quickly assured him as she sat down on the leather bench at the foot of the bed, where Maddux had left his tuxedo, pants, and shirt from the previous evening. She’d hang those up, too. “I’m more concerned about you and your heart.”
“I’m better.”
She couldn’t tell if he was just trying to appease her or was being truthful. “Promise me you’ll go to the hospital if the pain persists.” She couldn’t help but fret about him since she wasn’t at home to see him for herself.
“Don’t worry about me. Just . . . do whatever Wilder says until I figure out how to get you out of the situation.”
Sadly, she wanted to say that three million dollars was just about the only thing that would resolve the issue completely, but kept the comment to herself.
“Dad . . . how did you accumulate so much debt?” she asked, wanting to know the how and why of it all since it was such a massive amount. “Last night, there was mention that you had a gambling problem—”
“Arabella, this isn’t something I want to discuss right now,” he said, his voice abruptly becoming stern as he circumvented the question.
She hated that he was stonewalling her, but it didn’t stop her from asking a bolder question . . . the one that Maddux had evaded earlier. “Okay, then what did you do to Maddux and his family to make him hate you so much?” Considering what she’d given up for her father, knowing the truth would at least help her understand why Maddux and his siblings harbored so much rage against her parent.
“It doesn’t matter,” her father replied in a terse tone, devastating her with his emotionless brush-off when she was currently paying the price for his debt and whatever other misdeeds he’d possibly executed. “What’s done is done and you don’t need to know the details. It’s bad enough that Wilder has the one thing that means the most to me and will probably do everything in his power to turn you against me with false accusations and malicious lies.”
As she listened to her father rant without justifying his tirade against Maddux, it occurred to Arabella that if her father was so concerned about her captor filling her head with defamatory allegations, why wasn’t he providing the truth to give her some kind of discernable ammunition to confront Maddux with?
Because maybe her father was guilty of something really, really bad and he was attempting to twist things around to make Maddux appear the villain.
A knot of unease rose into her throat, and she swallowed hard, suddenly feeling as though her selfless actions last night had been nothing more than a reprieve for her dad that he’d taken advantage of.
So far, he’d offered no apology, no reassurances, and no explanations . . . and his disregard hurt when he should have been doing everything in his power to convince her of his innocence. It also left her feeling very disconnected from her father, and as though she was seeing a narcissistic, duplicitous side to him that she’d been blinded to before now.
Did she even know her father, and what his life entailed, at all?
It was a painful thought, and considering he’d managed to rack up millions in debt without her knowledge, the answer was a sobering one.
Suddenly, she had no desire to talk to him any longer, especially when she didn’t know what to believe. “I need to go, Dad. I love you and I’ll be in touch,” she said, and disconnected the call.
Needing to distract herself, she stood up and gathered the clothing Maddux had worn last night. She draped his tuxedo jacket and slacks over her arm, and as she picked up his white dress shirt, her senses were swamped with the warm, woodsy, male fragrance that was uniquely his. She brought the material up to her nose and inhaled deeply of the testosterone-infused scent and wasn’t surprised to feel desire swirl deep and low in her belly.
The arousal he’d spiked in the kitchen returned with a vengeance, and she pressed her thighs together to stave off the aching, pulsing need that Maddux was solely responsible for.
The pressure did nothing to ease the torment, and she forced herself to ignore it and headed into his enormous walk-in closet to hang up his suit. When that was done, and needing an escape, she decided that she was going to enjoy that huge soaking tub and read, which was her favorite thing to do. Losing herself in a book would guarantee to relax her and take her mind off of the reality of her situation. And if she was lucky, it would also make her forget about that unfulfilled throb between her legs.
Despite how gigantic the tub was, it filled quickly, and by the time she’d stripped out of her T-shirt and underwear and managed to put her hair up with the pins from last night, the bath was ready. She immersed herself in the steamy water, sans bubbles, and loved the fact that the tub was self-heating so the water would never get cold. Which meant she could stay right there for hours if she wanted.
After retrieving her cell phone from a nearby ledge, she opened her book app, which took her to the romance novel she’d been in the middle of reading. Except the part where she’d left off had been the start of a very explicit and erotic love scene with a hot and dominant hero, and by the time she’d finished the chapter, her own body was screaming for some kind of relief.
She was a virgin, but at age twenty-five, she’d given herself plenty of orgasms, and right now she desperately needed to take the edge off that growing lust building inside her. It certainly wouldn’t take much to get the deed done.
Setting the phone back up on the shelf, she reclined in the tub, closed her eyes, and slid her hand between her legs . . . and lost herself in the fantasy of it being Maddux’s long, thick fingers sliding through her folds, rubbing her sensitive clit, and providing the enticing, beckoning pleasure that was only a few strokes away.
Chapter 10
Maddux knew this conversation with his siblings was going to be difficult as hell, and as soon as they entered his penthouse office and the door closed behind Hunter and Tempest, his brother promptly unleashed his fury.
“What the fuck is going on, Maddux?” his brother snapped angrily, his eyes dark and filled with turbulent emotions. “We trusted you to stick to the plan and take down that bastard who killed our parents, and instead you decided to bring his daughter up to your penthouse so you could screw her?”
Maddux clenched his jaw, and even knowing he deserved his brother’s wrath, he tried to keep his own composure collected. “I didn’t screw her,” he said calmly.
At least not yet, anyway. But considering what Tempest and Hunter had interrupted minutes ago, Maddux had been right on the verge of defiling Arabella’s sweet, innocent mouth. The fact that she’d been two seconds away from complying with his order to get on her knees to suck his cock had made him hard enough to pound fucking nails. Disc
overing that Arabella had a natural submissive streak had triggered his instinct to dominate, control . . . and eventually, possess.
“What happened?” his sister asked more reasonably, her arms crossed over her chest. “Clearly, things didn’t go as planned.”
Maddux rubbed his fingers across his forehead, preparing himself to rehash last night’s debacle. “Everything was proceeding as we’d discussed, until Theodore’s daughter, Arabella, made her presence known at the door, along with the fact that she’d eavesdropped on the conversation inside the room.”
Tempest frowned. “Was she aware of her father’s debt or gambling problem . . . or anything else Theodore was responsible for?”
Maddux shook his head. “No, she was, and is, innocent and oblivious to her father’s lifestyle and criminal activities.”
Hunter dropped into one of the leather wingback chairs in the room, his long legs splayed in front of him, his expression furious. “Then maybe you should fucking tell her so she’ll hate her father as much as we do.”
“When the time is right, I’ll make sure she knows everything,” Maddux said, though his brother didn’t look reassured.
“Okay, so Arabella overheard,” Tempest said, ignoring Hunter’s outburst and getting back to the conversation at hand. “That still doesn’t explain why she’s here and Theodore is a free man.”
“He’s not a free man,” Maddux said, leaning his backside against his desk. “I still own him. His three-million-dollar debt and all his assets, and now, his only child and daughter, which was a deliberate and calculated choice I made.”
“Really?” Hunter asked, his tone edged with disbelief.
“Yes, really,” Maddux replied, giving his brother an impatient look. “Once Theodore realized he was now indebted to me, he nearly had a heart attack—”
“Too bad the fucker didn’t die,” Hunter interrupted bitterly.
Maddux couldn’t disagree. “With her father’s health at risk, it was Arabella who jumped in and begged me to take her in exchange for backing off of her father. And it was a split-second decision based on the fact that Arabella’s offer nearly pushed Theodore over the edge. So, I agreed, knowing it would eat away at the old man that I had complete control over his daughter, which seemed like a nice bonus at the time.”
Gripping the edge of the desk with his hands, he glanced from Hunter to Tempest, still trying to smooth things over. “Look, I know this wasn’t the plan, but it’s the way it turned out and I’m going to play the situation with Arabella by ear for now. But make no mistake. I’m not done with Theodore Cole. Not by a long shot. I’ll give him a week or so of thinking the worst about Arabella living here with me, and even after I decide to give her back, I still have every intention of taking him down and exposing him for the corrupt, immoral bastard he is. I have his debt. I own every single one of his assets, and when his illegal activities come to light, his reputation and his life won’t be worth shit. This doesn’t change anything.”
“No, it just delays it.” Hunter’s bitter tone came through loud and clear.
“Hunter—”
His brother held up a hand to cut off Maddux as he pushed to his feet, his gaze narrowed. “Look, you do whatever you need to do with Cole’s daughter. Play your little cat-and-mouse game with her. Get her out of your goddamn system if that’s the issue and then get your fucking head on straight and finish what Theodore started.”
Hunter stormed out of the room, and Maddux exhaled a deep breath and rubbed a hand along his jaw, his gaze shifting to his sister, who was looking at him thoughtfully.
“Care to add anything to that?” he asked wryly.
“Sure.” A small smile touched her lips. “I trust you and whatever you decide and how you decide to do it, Maddy,” she said, surprisingly him with her support after his brother’s tirade. “You’ve always taken care of us. From the day that Mom and Dad died, when you were only eighteen and Hunter and I were even younger, you’ve done everything in your power to keep us safe and protected. And you’ve worked your ass off to build a great life for all three of us,” she added, indicating with a wave of her hand the warehouse he’d built into a luxurious building and apartments for each of them, and the billion-dollar security firm on the second level that provided anything and everything they could ever want or desire. “I know you want vengeance for our parents as much as Hunter and I do, and I also know that you will make Theodore Cole pay. The timeline has just been altered a bit. It’s already been fourteen years. What’s another few weeks?”
The tight, uncomfortable knot in his chest eased. “Thank you.” He was grateful for those words and her understanding, despite the unexpected way things had played out.
She stepped up to him and placed a warm, affectionate hand on his forearm. “You’re a good, honorable man, Maddy. If Arabella is as innocent of her father’s wrongdoings as you claim, then please don’t hurt her,” she said, and he knew his sister wasn’t referring to physical discomfort, but mental and emotional suffering. “I saw the attraction and awareness between the two of you back in the kitchen when Hunter and I arrived, which tells me she’s more vulnerable in this situation than you might think or believe. It’s already going to be painful enough for her when she watches her father’s ugly and public downfall. She doesn’t need to have her own heart shattered, too.”
His sister had always been so intuitive. So tender and caring. A gentle soul . . . just like their mother. The fact that she held no resentment against Arabella just on the basis of being Theodore’s daughter—unlike Hunter—said everything about her compassionate character.
But keeping Arabella here at his penthouse had nothing to do with forming an attachment or intimate emotions with her. Yes, he wanted her. Desired her. And whatever happened between them would just be about sex and pleasure, nothing more. He wasn’t capable of anything beyond that. Especially with the daughter of his enemy.
“As for Hunter, he’ll cool off and come around,” Tempest said, an impish smile making an appearance now that all the serious conversation was off the table. “I think part of his anger and frustration toward this situation is because he met someone last night at the ball, took her back to his apartment for the night, and woke up having been ghosted. I’m sure he’s feeling doubly betrayed.”
Maddux winced at her choice of words but got her point. “He actually told you he had a one-night stand with someone who attended the ball?”
She nodded, her eyes bright with amusement. “Yes. When I stopped by his place earlier, he was already in a mood and obviously needed to get it off his chest and told me.”
Maddux arched a brow, finding that bit of information about his brother interesting. “Since when does Hunter actually want more than a one and done with a woman?”
“Since last night, apparently,” Tempest said cheekily. “Hunter only knows her first name, nothing else, though she accidentally left a crystal shoe behind in her haste to leave. Now, he’s determined to track the woman down and find her. Sounds like a classic Cinderella fairy tale, doesn’t it? Maybe she’s the one.” She sounded excited by the prospect.
Maddux rolled his eyes at his sister’s starry-eyed, romantic notion. “Umm, no. Sorry to burst your bubble, but knowing Hunter, I’m more inclined to believe that she was a freak in the sheets and he wants a repeat.” He and his brother were cut from the same cloth that way . . . dominant and completely alpha, in the boardroom and the bedroom.
“You are so crude, Maddy,” she said, though she was laughing. “I guess we’ll see, won’t we? I’ve never seen Hunter so twisted up about a woman before, so I’d like to believe it’s more than just her being a good lay.”
“And what about you, baby sister?” he asked, focusing on her love life for a change. “Did you find your Prince Charming at last night’s fairy-tale ball?”
A telling blush swept across her light complexion, and she averted her gaze to stare out the office windows. “No. I wasn’t looking.”
He smirked
. “Just because you weren’t looking doesn’t mean you didn’t get swept off your feet.”
She glanced back at him, her look adorably pointed. “My feet remained firmly planted on the ground all evening long. And unlike you and Hunter, I didn’t bring anyone back up to my apartment last night.”
“Fair enough,” he said, taking the hint to let the subject drop. “By the way, I have a favor to ask.”
“Okay.”
“Arabella only has her ball gown from last night,” he said, not sure how his sister was going to react to the personal request that involved a woman who was still more a foe than a friend at this point. “Could she borrow something to wear until her clothing gets here this afternoon?”
“What?” Tempest gave him a feigned guileless, wide-eyed look. “You mean you don’t want her prancing around your apartment all day long in your T-shirt and nothing else?”
Given the choice, he’d want Arabella naked all day long, but he kept that comment to himself. “Sarcasm doesn’t become you, sister,” he teased, though he couldn’t blame her for her cheeky remark. “Yes or no?”
“Of course she can borrow something to wear,” she said, more gracious now. “I’ll bring up a pair of leggings and a blouse.”
“Thank you.”
He walked his sister back to the penthouse elevator, surprised to find the kitchen completely clean and Arabella nowhere in sight. He waited for Tempest to head down to her apartment and return with the clothing he’d requested, and once she’d done so and was gone again, he locked out the elevator to his floor so there would be no other random visits.
He wasn’t sure where Arabella was or what she was doing, but they had unfinished business to attend to that his brother and sister had interrupted a short while ago, and Maddux had every intention of seeing just how far his sweet, virginal captive was willing to go now that they were completely alone.
