Savage Empire: An Enemies to Lovers Dark Billionaire Romance (Broken Cross Book 1)

by Bri Blackwood

  His comment left me speechless, unable to comprehend how this man could be this much of an asshole. My lips trembled, not with tears, but frustration and anger. Not once throughout our whole interaction had his demeanor changed. Even as he reached into his suit jacket pocket, the same calm and arrogant man who approached me was still present. It was like the demands he gave were just an everyday transaction. Hell, maybe to him they were.

  On the other hand, my stomach felt as if it were racing to my chest, demanding to be let out of the prison it was in. Funny enough, based on what he said, I felt as if I was about to be thrown into one. He pulled out what looked to be a cream-colored business card and handed it to me.

  “And if I don’t agree to this…arrangement?” I glanced down at the card and realized that it was indeed his business card with a number scrawled onto the back.

  “Your father needs to pay me in full in six weeks. And if he doesn’t…well. I don’t think you want to find out what happens if he doesn’t. I look forward to hearing your answer.”

  I was sure he heard me gulp after his statement as I tried my best to not avert my gaze from his. I could handle clients like Edward all day, defusing tension as I went, but this was different. He was different and he was demanding so much more of me. He wanted my body, my soul, and my dignity.

  The smirk that appeared on his face before he turned to walk away sent a small shudder through me. Is this even legal? But even if I protest it, will I get anywhere with it? He knew he had me between a rock and a hard place, which, if I was being frank, was exactly where he wanted me…in more ways than one. Thoughts raced through my head as I tried to process the conversation we had shared. Was it even worth me returning to the gala? My mind was going to be elsewhere anyway.

  No, I would head back in, sit down next to Ellie, and make it through this evening. I would not let him see that he had gotten to me. When we got back to our apartment, I needed to do my research on Damien Cross. I didn’t want to bring Ellie into this, but I knew her vast knowledge of people in this city would be helpful. Right now, I needed all the help I could get.

  I locked my knees for a second to avoid sinking to the ground. There was no way I was going to faint if I had any control over it. I took a deep breath and marched back toward the gala with my back straight and my head held high. I didn’t know who might be watching and I wanted to show that what had happened hadn’t affected me. Ellie threw a glance in my direction when I sat back down in my seat but said nothing. Not that she needed to anyway, because I knew what the question would be: Where were you?

  “Well, that wasn’t so bad after all,” I said as Ellie and I walked outside of the Olympus Hotel. I shivered briefly when the cold air hit my face and pulled my coat’s collar tighter around my neck. After sitting inside of a warm room for a couple of hours, my body was not ready for the cold, blistering wind.

  “Yeah, it was fantastic. Even the fifteen minutes that you missed when you went to the bathroom.”

  Most things didn’t get past Ellie and I shouldn’t have expected anything different here. I debated summarizing my encounter with Damien but paused, because of course he was standing a few feet away.

  “He would arrive in a limo,” Ellie whispered as we watched the driver walk around the back of the car and open the door closest to Damien. Damien paused and looked over his shoulder. Our eyes met once more and I swallowed hard, wondering what he might do next. All of that was for naught because he gave me a small nod and got into the limousine. His driver shut the door and walked around the car again before getting into the driver’s seat.

  “What’s going on? What’s up with him staring you down? This is at least the second time that has happened tonight,” Ellie whispered.

  I heard her, but didn’t respond right away. Instead, I was spellbound by the menacing aura of the man who had thrown this challenge at my feet. It was then that I realized I hadn’t said anything in a while.

  “I’m not even sure.” I knew that there was some hesitation in my voice based on the side-eye Ellie gave me. I could only admit to myself that I was lying. I knew exactly what was up with Damien Cross.

  “Well, good thing we live together so we have plenty of time to chat about this.”

  “Yeah. Let’s do that.”

  “Ma’am?”

  We both turned toward the unfamiliar voice. An attendant from the hotel was standing a few feet away, trying to help with traffic and to make sure that the guests left the hotel safely.

  “Can I get you two a taxi?”

  “Yes, please. That would be great,” Ellie answered for the both of us. Before you could snap your fingers, a taxi pulled up and both Ellie and I were sitting inside on our way back to our apartment.

  I was waiting for Ellie to bring up tonight’s events on the ride home, but she didn’t. It, for some reason, made me nervous. Usually, she had no problem talking my ear off about things that were happening in either of our lives, so her silence was odd. When we arrived, Ellie stopped to grab the mail out of our mailbox in the lobby while I summoned the elevator so that it would be there when she made her way over to me. The elevator reached the lobby before Ellie reached me, so I stepped inside and held the doors open.

  “Ellie!”

  “Coming! I’m coming!”

  Once she was on, I moved my arm away and watched the doors close. “Would it be weird if I took these shoes off right now?”

  “A little. We are thirty seconds from our front door.”

  She was right and once my feet hit the door, I snatched the heels off and sighed. My feet on the rug near our front door felt heavenly.

  Our apartment wasn’t much, but it was home. It was on the smaller end for two people, but we made it work. It had a living room, kitchen, one bathroom that Ellie and I shared, and two small bedrooms. We could afford to upgrade to a place that was a smidge bigger, but we enjoyed the convenience of having the subway and buses nearby.

  “I’m going to change and then we can chat.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll do the same and make popcorn so we have something to snack on. There’s never enough food at those things.”

  With that, I went to my room and changed out of the beautiful gown that I wore this evening. Then, I grabbed some makeup wipes and headed over to my mirror to remove my makeup. As I was wiping my face, I found myself staring in the mirror, still shaken by the demand Damien had made. Although he had presented the deal as if I had a choice, something deep down in my heart told me I didn’t have one. It was either be his for thirty days or have Monroe Media Agency go under and deal with those ramifications. The cold, wet cloth did little to soothe the irritation that was growing within me as I tried to find a way out of the predicament that I was in. The audacity he had to even suggest a thing showed how much of an asshole he was.

  “Anais?” Ellie called through the door.

  “Ah, yeah?” I looked down at my hand and found that I had stopped rubbing the wipe across my skin and had crumpled it in my fist without even noticing.

  “Popcorn is ready.”

  “I’ll be out in a minute.” That was the second lie that I told tonight.

  I walked into our joint bathroom across the hall with another wipe and did my best to remove as much of the makeup as I could without causing my skin to flare up. I then washed my face, mostly in an attempt to cleanse it, but I hoped that it would cool down the rage that was coursing through my body.

  When I finished drying off, I walked over to my dresser and took out the pins holding my hair in place. The tension that was released from my scalp brought some relief as I threw my hair up into a messy ponytail. My hoodie and sweatpants marked the start of what should have been a quiet night, but the thoughts flying through my mind would make that anything but. One quick glance in the mirror proved that this was as good as it was going to get, and I walked out of my bedroom and moved toward the living room. Just before I entered, I stopped in the doorway. I was hit with how much Monroe Media Agency meant to
the people who worked there and the services that we provided to our clients all around the world. Now, all of that might go up in smoke unless I did this.

  “Anais?”

  Ellie’s voice caused the thoughts in my mind to stop turning. I looked at her and said, “Ah, I’m sorry. What’s up?”

  “I asked if you wanted water or wine. Is everything all right? You looked like you were elsewhere.”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I have a lot on my mind,” I said, turning toward the kitchen.

  “Does that include Damien Cross?”

  I hesitated for a moment before continuing on my way. Just mentioning his name was enough to increase the edginess that I was already feeling. I grabbed the popcorn that Ellie made and put a couple of pieces into my mouth.

  “Aha!” she exclaimed. “I knew it.”

  “Yeah, but not for the reason you’re thinking,” I mumbled.

  “What was that?”

  “Nothing.”

  “So, what was up with tonight? Seemed that anytime you were in his sight, his eyes were glued to you.”

  I didn’t know how much about my brief history with Damien I should tell Ellie. Would she somehow get dragged into this? I was willing to bet he was petty enough to do it. It took me a moment for me to think of what I deemed safe enough to tell her. “So, I met Damien when he came into our office this week. He had a meeting with my dad.”

  “Oh, is Monroe Media Agency gonna be working for the ever-growing ‘Cross Empire’?”

  “Something like that. I’m not sure because I wasn’t in the meeting. My dad forgot to block out his calendar for that time, so I ended up interrupting them.”

  “Hmm, and now he can’t seem to take his eyes off of you whenever you’re near.”

  I scoffed. “Well, I wouldn’t say that. I highly doubt he’s interested in me.” Interested in humiliating me? Yes. Interested in dating me? Ha. No.

  “Of course you wouldn’t, but you never do. That’s part of the reason you’ve been single for so long.” She leaned over and snatched some popcorn from the bowl while I rolled my eyes.

  “I’m single by choice, thank you very much.”

  “Oh, I think you just bury yourself in work to avoid having to deal with dating. It gives you an excuse not to.”

  She was right, in part. I had been working longer hours, but it wasn’t so I didn’t have to date. I buried myself in work so that I could do my part to make sure that the company succeeded. I thrived on helping our clients market their businesses. Monroe Media Agency had a lot of blood, sweat, and tears from my father built into its foundation and once I graduated from college and joined the company, I put in my fair share of them as well.

  “That’s ridiculous. I’ve been on dates recently.” This was a silly disagreement to be having, but I let it continue because it stopped us from having to talk about Damien.

  “Oh, really? When’s the last time you went on a date?” She folded her arms and leaned back on the kitchen counter.

  “Maybe six months ago?”

  “Exactly.”

  I stopped myself from rolling my eyes again because I had proved her point.

  “Now you’ve caught Damien’s attention and you need to make a decision about what you’re gonna do about it.”

  She wasn’t wrong. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do, but since you know everything there is to know about everyone, why don’t you tell me more about Damien?” I couldn’t avoid it anymore. It was time to learn more about the man who had gone from a very attractive businessman to my adversary in less than a week.

  Ellie paused. “Before I begin, you might want to grab a drink and follow me to the living room because what I’m about to tell you will be plenty of entertainment for us. Who needs a movie?”

  I shook my head and followed Ellie after I grabbed a glass of Merlot and the bowl of popcorn. She settled down on the couch and looked at me.

  “I will fully admit, some of what I know about Damien and his family is hearsay, but I’ll start with the facts. Damien is the oldest of three boys who were born to Martin and Selena Cross. His brothers are named Broderick and Gage and they are twins. I believe they got their start generations ago and have built their business and power ever since. The Cross family have amassed a fortune through their different business ventures as far as I know.”

  “Oh, yeah?” I said and stuffed my mouth full of popcorn. I cradled the glass of wine and said, “I might need something a little stronger to deal with this conversation.”

  “I don’t blame you.” She paused and threw a couple of pieces of popcorn into her mouth.

  “Thanks for understanding,” I said, bringing the glass to my lips. I was shocked I could take a sip given how much my mind was racing and my hand was trembling. Ellie didn’t act like she noticed, though.

  “Damien is a pretty well-known playboy. Most women he’s with don’t last for more than a month or two tops based on what the gossip blogs say. There have been rumors that he either goes to their place to have sex or he has his driver pick them up and drop them off back home the same night. Sleeping over at his place is a big no-no. I learned that from a source that leaked it to the tabloids. There are also rumors that he might be a co-owner of Elevate.”

  I choked on my wine. It took everything in me to hold it in and not splatter the contents of my mouth all over everything in front of me. Elevate was one of the hottest nightclubs in New York City. It had a dance club and bar on the main floor and was rumored to be a sex club in the basement.

  “Are you all right?” Ellie hit my back as she tried to clear my throat.

  I got the remaining wine down and nodded. “Yep. I’m fine.” A small tear formed in the corner of one eye. I wondered if it was from the choking or the rabbit hole my thoughts were determined to jump down. I wasn’t a virgin by any means, but I was worried about what Damien might do to me.

  Ellie looked over at me once more before she continued, “I preface this by saying, once again, this is all rumors as I have personally never interacted with him, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea for you to let loose a little bit, you know? You haven’t gotten laid in months so what would be so wrong with having some fun with him? Chances are it won’t last long anyway.”

  “Uh-huh.” That made sense. And the thirty-day time limit he put on our arrangement fit the playboy description Ellie gave him.

  “That’s what I heard. I wouldn’t even call it dating him if I had to be honest. When the women he’s fucking become addicted to him, he cuts them loose. And when he’s done, he’s done. He doesn’t do relationships. If he gets tired of you, that’s it.”

  I nodded as an idea started forming in my head. I could annoy him to the point that he would get over me and let me go. Based on my brief interactions with him, I bet that wouldn’t be too difficult. He thrived on being in control of everything and everyone, and although there was no way that was happening here, maybe I wouldn’t even have to make it the full thirty days.

  I shook my head. Had I already decided that this was what I was going to do? Well, technically I guess Damien made it up for me because I didn’t have much of a choice to begin with outside of going to maybe the police, who would probably laugh me out of the precinct. But with those barriers removed, would I go to the authorities? Conflicting feelings ran through me, so I used my conversation with Ellie to force myself to think about something else.

  “So, tell me more about Elevate.”

  Ellie stretched and said, “Well, there’s not much to tell.”

  “What do you mean there isn’t much to tell?”

  “It’s extremely exclusive. Not much has gotten out about it. They force everyone to sign forms stating that they won’t reveal what happens downstairs. It’s hard to get on the guest list to just party on the main floor. Trust me, I’ve tried.”

  “That makes sense,” I said. “I mean, they’re probably trying to protect the identities of whoever is attending.”

  “Right. If I had to make a g
uess, I would say the club probably caters to New York City’s elite based on the lack of information about the place and who the Crosses associate with. Now, I mean this with all the love and care in the world, and I don’t mean to offend, but I’m not sure why Damien would be so laser-focused on you. Yes, you’re stunning with a kick-ass personality and have a million and a half great things going for you. But the fact that you’re in his crosshairs is a huge deal. I don’t know if I would call it a good thing or a bad thing.”

  I licked my lips as my hand made its way to my temple to gently rub it. “I wouldn’t say that he is laser-focused on me. We met recently and saw each other at the gala tonight. That’s it.”

  “Oh, really?” Ellie asked. “Then why do you have his business card?”

  “Wait, how did you know I have his card? And it isn’t uncommon for me to have business cards.”

  Ellie held out a small cream-colored piece of paper. “I don’t think you closed your clutch tightly because this fell out.” She flipped the card around. “It has a number scribbled on the back of it that I would bet money is his personal phone number.”

  “Give that to me.” I snatched the card out of her hand.

  “Anais, you can try to explain this away, but I know what I saw and what this looks like.”

  “We just met once and he’s doing some business with my father and—”

  “Anais, I’m not judging you. I’m all for you getting some, but if you play with the devil, you will get burned.” She ran a hand through her long brown hair before she continued, “Don’t forget that you two don’t run in the same circles. He has the ability to do more than we could ever dream of. He has enough money to protect you from everything yet destroy you with a flick of his finger.”

  I knew she was one hundred percent telling the truth about that.