Next to Forever: Shattered Innocence Trilogy Book Three

by Long, A. L.

  “Rade, pull over,” Dylan cried.

  When Rade looked over at her, she looked sick. Her face turned pale and her forehead began to bead with sweat. Rade pulled the car into the nearest alley. Before he had the car fully stopped, Dylan had her seatbelt off and her hand on the door handle. With all the strength she had, she pushed open the door and quickly got out of the car. Stumbling her way to the front bumper, she placed one hand on the hood to support herself as she heaved the full contents of her breakfast on the dirty asphalt. Just when she thought she couldn’t spill any more, another burst of nausea seeped up her throat. Rade immediately took her in his arms, knowing that something he said must have triggered her attack. Dylan pushed Rade away from her as she once again began spilling her guts. Rade was right beside her holding her hair from her face. He had never seen her like this.

  When she was finally finished and only dry heaves remained, Rade lifted her from the pavement and carried her back to the front seat of the car. Being careful, he lowered her exhausted body onto the seat. He took the silk pocket square from the breast pocket of his suit jacket and gently wiped it across Dylan lips and then her forehead. As soon as he was sure that she was okay, he rounded the front of the Audi and got behind the wheel.

  *****

  By the time they arrived back at the parking garage at the penthouse, Dylan was totally drained. Her emotional attack took over, causing her body to submit to total exhaustion. Rade put the Audi into park, careful not to wake her. Exiting the car as quietly as possible, he opened her door and gently lifted her from her seat. Nothing could have satisfied him more than to feel her body so close to him, but to have her in this state was torture. That was, until her arms wrapped around his shoulders and her head nestled in the crook of his neck. Rade tenderly kissed the top of her head as he patiently waited for the elevator to open.

  Moments later, Dylan was sleeping comfortably in their bed wearing only her bra and panties. It took Rade little effort to strip away her clothing once he had her on the bed. She was dead to the world. Covering her, he leaned down and kissed her forehead, whispering softly, “I love you, Sweetness.”

  Rade headed out of the room, taking one last look at Dylan as she slept peacefully on the bed. As much as he hated leaving her alone, he knew he needed to make some calls. With everything going on over the past few days, his mind wasn’t on work. His thoughts were only on Dylan and how he would be able to fix things between them. When Dylan showed up at his hotel room, he knew she still loved him and their love for each other was all they needed.

  He only hoped that it wasn’t too much for Dylan. Everything that had happened to her over the past months was more than anyone should have to endure. But he knew his Sweetness, she was strong and unwilling to give up. She was also stubborn, which drove him crazy at times. They would get through this together.

  No sooner than Rade got to his study, his cell began to ring. He didn’t recognize the number, but thought it best to answer the call.

  “Matheson, can I help you,” Rade greeted the caller.

  “That’s something you need to be asking yourself,” the caller snickered.

  “Who is this?” Rade demanded.

  “Let’s just say, someone you needed to be very careful of. You will never have her, Matheson. All of your efforts will be for nothing,” the caller advised sarcastically.

  “Tell me who the fuck this is?” Rade had enough of these games. Whoever was calling sounded like he was threatening him, and he didn’t take kindly to threats.

  “All in good time. All in good time.” The caller hung up before Rade had a chance to tell him to “fuck off.”

  There was something about the caller that made Rade very suspicious. He was pretty certain he knew exactly who the caller was. Pulling up his contacts, he dialed Richard. Once Richard answered, he demanded that he find out who the number belonged to. Rade rattled off the number to Richard, knowing that the caller probably used a disposable phone. He still had to try, even though he had better odds betting on a cock fight than finding the caller.

  Rade finished his calls and got his schedule set up for the week. He had been so focused on Dylan the past week that he was neglecting his work. Gwen set yet another appointment with Mr. Henderson, which cost Rade a $200 bouquet of flowers, which Gwen justly deserved. He also touched base with a few companies requesting to meet with him for a potential investment. Some looked to be very promising, while others were just fighting a losing battle. Even with that, he was still willing to meet with them to see what they had to offer. He also got in touch with Keeve Black and Mason Stone to see how things were moving along with the Spectrum transition. They seemed to be very pleased with the progress aside from the expansion of a new facility in New York. Rade assured them he had a location picked out and that he would get with them by the end of the week to show them the new location. He wanted to make sure Dylan was on board with his plans before he rushed into anything. After all, it was her hard work that brought them all together.

  There was a light knock on the door just as Rade shut down his laptop. When he looked up, Dylan was standing in the doorway wearing one of Rade’s button-down shirts. If ever there was a more beautiful sight, he hadn’t experienced it. It would never compare to the beauty standing before him. The shirt she wore hung just above her knees with only the middle three buttons done. When she walked toward him, he could see a hint of her lacy panties as she stepped forward. Her nipples were taut against the thin lace of her bra and the starched fabric of the shirt, causing them to become more prominent the more she tugged on the bottom hem. Her hair was a mess and piled high on top of her gorgeous head. She had that sleepy look that showcased her hooded lids as she rubbed them delicately with her finger trying to wake up fully. Just the sight of her made him hard.

  Slowly, Rade rounded his desk and approached Dylan. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Closing the distance, he stepped in front of her and began undoing the three buttons on her crisp white shirt. He took hold of the opened ends and pushed the shirt down Dylan’s shoulders. Her perky nipples rose to attention even with her bra on. That soon came off as well. He wondered if she was as excited as he was. There was one way to find out. Cupping her sex, he found his answer. Even in her tired state, the heat radiated from the minuscule material of her panties. Slipping his hands inside the waistband, he lowered her underwear until they fell to the floor. Without hesitation, Dylan lifted her feet one at a time and kicked them out of the way.

  Rade pulled one of her legs to his waist, slipping one and then another finger inside her moist channel. He loved how she was always ready for him. Pushing his fingers deeper inside her, he could hear her soft moans. Rade lowered his head, sucking and biting her earlobe. “Are you ready to play, Sweetness?” There were no words from her. Only the sweet sounds of pleasure filled the space between them. Dylan’s body was on fire with need. She wanted Rade more than ever. She was so overcome with desire that she exploded with a violent orgasm from the assault of his fingers. Although Rade smiled at her lack of self-control, for this she would be punished. “My little minx needs to show a little more control,” Rade whispered as he removed his fingers from her vagina. Dylan moaned with frustration. She needed more from him. Her orgasm came too quickly, leaving her wanting more.

  A feeling of emptiness hit her as she watched Rade leave the study. She was ready to go after him when she heard his voice coming from just outside the door. “Don’t move, Sweetness. If you want more, you’ll do as I say.”

  Dylan’s frustration turned into anger. He was playing with her. It was a test. Her only choice was to do as he commanded. Dylan remembered how she felt the first time he used his dominance on her. Her body heated like a roman candle. She also remembered the pleasure he gave her when she gave herself completely to him. In all her nakedness, she stood where she was and didn’t move. Her body began to chill as the cool air hit her naked body, but still burned knowing what would be waiting for her. Twe
nty minutes passed, then thirty, thirty-five. Dylan watched as the clock slowly moved. Dylan could feel the tightness in her chest as her anger began to boil. Forty-five minutes had passed when Dylan was ready to give Rade a piece of her mind. Just as she was ready to leave the study, she felt the warmth of his hand on her shoulder. She was ready to turn around to face him when he placed a black scarf over her eyes. “You will do exactly as I say, Sweetness, or your pleasure will be denied. Do you understand?”

  Dylan nodded her head, but Rade demanded an answer. “You need to tell me that you understand, Sweetness.”

  “I understand,” Dylan answered.

  “Good girl,” Rade said, smiling as he stood behind her.

  Taking Dylan by the hand, he led her to his desk. The front of Dylan’s legs bumped the edge, causing her to stop her movements. It was then that Rade’s strong hand pushed down on her lower back, willing her to lower her chest down onto the cold surface. Gliding his hand up and down her spine, he leaned over her back and said softly, “Put your hands behind you back, Sweetness, and spread those sexy legs for me.”

  Dylan did as she was told. She knew it would be a matter of time before Rade would be controlling her body. There was a quick tug on her wrists, letting her know that he was binding them together. It wasn’t tight, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to free herself from the restraints. Surprising and startling her, a quick slap landed on her ass, taking her breath away. Slap, slap, slap, this time on the other cheek. The slaps weren’t painful. Just a small sting filtered through her skin. With each swat to her ass, the burning of her skin intensified, leaving her wanting more. The wetness that pooled between her spread legs only confirmed her desire. If her hands were free, she would have pleasured herself. She was so close to the edge, she could feel the tingle from head to toe. Rade’s warm breath soothed her ass, taking the sting away, like a child being comforted with a scraped knee. “Your ass is nice and pink for me, Sweetness. Do you know why I have punished you?”

  Dylan’s mind was elsewhere. It took her a moment to think. “Because I came before you gave me permission.”

  “Good girl,” Rade smiled. “Remember, Sweetness, your pleasure is mine and only I can give you permission to come.”

  Dylan missed the way Rade took control. She loved the dominant side of him. With everything that happened over the past month, she didn’t realize how much she actually missed having her body controlled by him. Relishing the thought, Dylan let out a small moan as Rade slipped his finger between her slick folds. Gathering her juices, he moved his finger to her perineum, circling the outer pucker with the tip of his middle finger. With his other hand he reached around her waist until he found her clit. Pinching and rubbing the sensitized nub, he stared down at her body as her back began to arch. This was how he wanted her. She was his to command. Carefully, Rade added a little more force to his middle finger and slowly pushed the tip further inside the tight pucker. He could feel Dylan’s body tense at the invasion. “Relax, Sweetness,” he whispered, lowering his mouth to her shoulder while gently biting the skin just at the juncture of her neck. Dylan took a deep breath and tried to relax.

  Rade continued his assault on her tight passage, making sure his finger was well lubricated with her juices to allow him easier access. Adding more pressure, he pushed his finger inside up to the first knuckle. There was a slight resistance, but then her muscles relaxed, letting him in further. As his finger penetrated her, his other hand glided between her folds, soaking up the wetness of her sweet honey. Rade gently slipped his finger inside her wet channel and hooked it upward in order to find her special spot. He knew he had found gold when her walls began to tighten.

  There were no words to describe the pleasure mixed with pain that Dylan was feeling. She felt full from the invasion at both ends, yet totally taken. She needed to hold back her release. It was getting harder and harder with every push and pull of Rade’s fingers. She couldn’t hold on much longer. The thought of Rade buried deep inside her only heightened her need. Just when she was about to explode, Rade quickly pulled away, leaving her unfulfilled. Her body ached for release. Tears began forming in her eyes from the torment of being denied the pleasure when she was so close to ecstasy. She could have screamed at him for not giving her what she needed. “No, no, please. I need to come,” Dylan cried. No sooner than she spoke, Rade was deep inside her, filling her tight channel with his thick hard cock. Desperation filled her, but she knew only he could let her come. Her only salvation was to beg for it. “Please Rade, let me come.”

  Rade stood behind Dylan smiling, knowing that he indeed had control over her. She had learned well that only he controlled her body. Leaning over, he whispered softly, “Come.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Keeve and Mason were waiting in the conference room for their weekly meeting. Dylan was surprised to see them both seated already. Normally she would have been the first one to the meeting, but today she was a little late getting to work, no thanks to Mr. Wonderful.

  Normally, the weekly meetings included some of the other co-workers, so Dylan was confused when she didn’t see anyone else seated.

  “Where is everyone? Did the meeting get switched to another day?” Dylan asked, confused.

  “No, the meeting is still on for today,” Keeve explained. “We just felt this meeting didn’t pertain to the other associates.”

  Dylan took her seat and opened her leather note jogger for the meeting. There was a moment of silence before the phone in the conference room started to ring.

  “Right on time,” Mason said as he put the call on speaker. “Mr. Matheson, we are all here. Are you ready for your presentation?”

  Dylan was once again confused. She had no idea why Rade would be included in today’s meeting. The Spectrum transition was almost finished. The only thing left to do was to find a new location for the facility in New York. Maybe this was the topic of the meeting.

  “Thank you gentlemen, Ms. Adams,” he began. “I’ll try not to take too much of your time.”

  When Dylan heard the voice coming over the speaker, she knew right away that it wasn’t Rade. The only other man she knew that went by Mr. Matheson was Rade’s father, Garrett. What she couldn’t understand was why he would be calling during their meeting?

  “I know that you’re all curious as to why I’ve asked for this meeting.” Garrett knew what he was about to say was going to shock the socks off them. “It has come to my attention that my son may have been a little hasty in his decision to split the shares of Spectrum between you three. Unfortunately, there is a small problem with his generosity. As you know, I am a secret partner with BlackStone Industries, which would give me the option, if I so desire, to partake in the distribution of those shares. Since I own fifty-one percent of BlackStone Industries, I see it only fitting that the majority of those shares should go to me.”

  “What are you trying to say, Mr. Matheson?” Keeve asked.

  “What I’m saying is that unless you have the capital to buy out my shares of BlackStone Industries, I believe that twenty-six percent of the Spectrum shares should go to me. The remaining shares would be twenty-five to my son and twenty-four and a half to each of you. Now if you three decide to give Dylan the ten percent that was agreed upon, that’s on you. Either way you look at it, I have controlling interest in Spectrum, which gives me control over any and all decisions.”

  “Why are you doing this, Garrett?” Dylan asked, irritated by his arrogance. “Why would you do this to your own son?”

  “It’s business, Ms. Adams. My son, more than anyone, will understand that. Anyway, I will have my attorney draw up a new contract. I’ll let you know when it’s ready.” Garrett knew he had them by the silence on their end of the phone. “Good day gentlemen, Ms. Adams.” With that, Garrett ended the call.

  Dylan was in shock. She couldn’t believe what just happened. She really thought that Rade’s father was a changed man. She trusted him when he said he would do anything in order to g
et back his relationship with Rade. Rade was right about him. Garrett Matheson only did things for his own personal gain. She needed to let Rade know. When she got back to her office, she looked at her phone and thought for a moment before she dialed Rade’s number. If she knew Rade, he would have already been informed of the low blow by his father.

  *****

  “Son of a bitch! That low life motherfucker,” Rade yelled as his temperature began to boil. He knew that everyone in his office could hear him cursing. How could he have been so stupid to believe that his father was making an effort to get back in his good graces? He should have gone with his first instinct and never let his guard down.

  As Rade was trying hard to tame is anger with a shot of scotch, there was a soft knock on the door. Rade was still pissed by the audacity of his father. “Come in,” he spat, not caring about the tone of his voice.

  Gwen hesitantly opened the door and poked her head inside. She was afraid to enter his office completely. She knew something had set off his anger and she didn’t want to make it any worse than it already was. In a soft voice she murmured, “Mr. Henderson is here to see you, sir.”

  Rade looked up at Gwen with apologetic eyes. He knew she was only doing her job and that he needed to stop taking his frustrations out on her. “Give me a moment before you send him back,” Rade said with a softer tone than a few minutes ago.

  When Gwen closed the door, Rade pushed from his chair and went to his liquor cabinet to pour another drink. Before he could down the contents, a knock came at his door. Mr. Henderson, no doubt.

  With everything that had taken place in the last hour, Rade was surprised to find his meeting with Dwight Henderson went seemingly well. He managed to tone down his temper enough to get through the meeting. The last thing he wanted was to lose a potential relationship with someone he might be willing to invest in. Mr. Henderson was the owner of a freight company that mostly did business offshore. Of the many companies Rade had invested in, this was one company that he needed to learn more about. He wasn’t in the habit of investing in offshore freight liners, but there could be a possibility to expand some of that business closer to home. Even though the meeting was a good distraction, he needed to focus on his father’s announcement. He set his mind on doing just that.