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

by Bri Blackwood

  He broke the kiss first as he moved down toward my neck, where it was only a matter of time before he—

  I moaned when he found the sensitive spot on my neck and continued to assault it, causing me to squirm and groan. All he did was chuckle and continue his actions. I was disappointed when he stopped and pulled back.

  “Lie down on your back.”

  “I thought you wanted me with my ass up in the air?”

  “The time for that has passed.”

  I did as he said, and he yanked open the top of my robe exposing my breasts. He wasted no time in going after what he wanted. He immediately placed one nipple in his mouth while his fingers massaged and played with my other nipple until it became a taut peak. He then switched breasts and I clenched the bed sheets. One of his hands made its way down my body and it wasn’t until I felt his finger in my pussy that I almost jackknifed off the bed.

  He let my nipple fall out of his mouth with a decisive pop and asked, “What do we have here?”

  “Damien.” His name came out as more of a moan.

  “I thought you said you hate me. That doesn’t sound like you hate me.”

  “I do.”

  “Your body doesn’t,” he said as he removed his fingers from me and took his time licking each and every one.

  His actions made me almost want to scream at him and beg him to put his fingers back where they belonged.

  It was as if we were communicating telepathically because he placed his fingers back between my thighs and I made a noise that I couldn’t even describe. His fingers moved like a maestro, in very distinct motions, as if he were playing my body like an instrument. This time, he moved faster and when I felt a familiar tingle, he slowed down and gave me a dark smile.

  “Tease.”

  He didn’t deny it.

  But what I thought was teasing turned into a whole new realm of pleasure when he added another finger to my heat, and it was quite literally all downhill from there. My legs involuntarily opened wider and when I realized it gave him the ability to increase his speed, I threw my head back in ecstasy.

  “I’m getting close.”

  “Don’t.”

  I balked at his words. He had to be joking.

  “I can’t hold—”

  “I said don’t.” The deepness of his voice sent another wave of pleasure through me, making it even harder to control.

  “Dam—”

  “I’ll tell you when.”

  The urge to let myself go as a result of his finger fucking was becoming way too much to bear. If he didn’t let me—

  “Let go.”

  There were no words I could use to describe the feeling that was coursing through my body or the cry that fell from my lips when he finally let me over the edge. I felt him leave my body, but I was too exhausted to even look up to see where he went. That was until I heard his belt buckle. I looked back at him and he’d already removed his shirt. It took everything in me to keep my eyes on his face. His lean yet muscular body wasn’t a shock to me. I felt the power under his hand and his slacks did little to hide his muscular thighs. I was shocked to find he had just taken the belt off and had thrown it next to me on the bed. Was he thinking about spanking me? Or tying me up?

  He took off his pants and boxer briefs next, and I was mesmerized once more by his cock. His dick stunned me, and my eyes widened before I could control my expression. It was long, thick, and hard and I couldn’t deny that I became wetter at the sight of it. He slowly walked forward again but instead of approaching me, he went to one of the nightstands in the room and opened the drawer. He took out condoms and tossed them on the bed next to the belt. He joined me on the bed and climbed over my body. He completely unwrapped my robe and leaned forward to kiss me on the lips again hard before he pulled away.

  “Now I want that ass up.”

  I did as he asked without questioning and by the time that I was ass up, he was already lining up his cock at my entrance and diving in. His decision to fill me up completely in one go took me by surprise as the yelp that left my lips turned into a moan.

  “I knew this pussy would be tight around my cock.”

  His words turned me on even more and when he slid out a little, I braced myself for him to launch himself back into me and when he did, I saw stars. His movements picked up velocity and at first, I could barely keep up, but once I started meeting his every pump he groaned.

  I could feel myself getting close to the brink again, but there wasn’t any way I was going to have a second orgasm. It was too much, and I couldn’t do it again. “I can’t.”

  “Yes, you can.”

  “No. I can’t.”

  “I know you can.” He slowed down a bit and began playing with my other lips and I groaned from the sensations.

  When he stopped and started pounding into me again, that was all it took for me to go over the edge. “Damien, I’m—”

  My words were cut off after I let out another unhuman-like sound and it wasn’t long before Damien was following behind me. He slowed down to almost a dead stop as he leaned over me, putting his head on top of my sweaty back. When he pulled himself back up and slipped out of me, I collapsed onto the bed. I heard some rustling behind me, but I was too weak to move. I closed my eyes for what I thought was a minute.

  Damien’s voice made me open my eyes. His expression was emotionless as he zipped his pants and said, “Dinner will be at six thirty. Meet me in the dining room and don’t be late. I suggest you clean yourself up first.”

  He turned and walked out, pulling the door closed behind him. As the door clicked shut, I felt used and lonelier than ever.

  14

  Damien

  “Shit!” My voice came out as a harsh whisper as my eyes sprung open. I glanced around the room, confirming that I was at home and in my bed. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and felt a headache forming. I had another nightmare tonight.

  I got out of bed and threw on some pajama pants that I had haphazardly thrown on a chair in my bedroom. I left my room, closing the door softly behind me, and walked downstairs, thinking that that was the quietest way to head down to the main level. I went to the liquor cabinet and poured a finger of whiskey before sitting in a chair near my fireplace.

  I watched as the embers in the fireplace flickered to the point of extinction. It seemed like a good idea to light a fire on a cool December evening, but what it ended up doing was making my mind drift to places it went only when I was asleep. Images of flames clouded my mind, and I couldn’t shake them. I took another sip of the whiskey I poured for myself. I knew it wasn’t wise because of the headache I was dealing with, but right now it didn’t matter. I knew it was the wee hours of the morning, yet all I could do was stare at the light as it slowly dimmed. Nights like this weren’t uncommon and lack of sleep was what my brothers would say was the reason I don’t do relationships, but it was more than that.

  I’d seen life given and taken away in a single instance, which would haunt me until the day I left this Earth, and there was nothing I could do about it. I finished what was left in my glass and stood up, ready to face the demons that came only when I closed my eyes. When the last ember went out, it was showtime for another party that occurred only in my subconscious.

  Every time Mom asked me when I was going to settle down and get married, I shifted gears, refusing to answer. But I didn’t want to bring anyone permanently into my personal hell. It’s why having very casual relationships worked best. No harm, no foul. That was what made everything with Anais so much better.

  Dinner with her tonight was less eventful because she was more quiet than usual, but I chalked it up to her being tired from her move here. The deal we struck, though, was one of pure magic. She’d stay here for thirty days, which should be plenty of time for the urge to fuck her to burn out, and by day thirty, it would be done. Yet now I was jumping through hoops to make sure that everything was perfect for her when she came over for dinner and inviting her to live with me.
The demons that haunted my nightmares must have done a real number on me to even consider something like this.

  But I had never made this type of deal with another woman. Nor had I had another woman move into my house for any length of time. Doing things spontaneously was not wired into my psyche and I admitted that this whole arrangement with her was an impulsive decision. When I hopped into anything in life, whether it was for work or in my personal life, I researched as much as possible before forming an opinion or making a decision. Here, I had done the complete opposite because I was drawn to her in a way I couldn’t explain. I had to do whatever I could to make her mine, even if that meant spinning up this foolish deal.

  Having a taste of her drew more attention to how this deal shouldn’t be occurring and how clouded my judgment was. I knew it wouldn’t happen again, for both her sake and mine. I shook my head at the idea. That was the whole point of her being here, or at least that was what I told myself.

  I could let her go, that way I could guarantee that she would remain unscathed, but the selfish part of me refused. I knew I would always be the tattered man who seemed to have it all on the outside, but inside, I was miserable, and I knew she would get hurt from this deal.

  They say that money can’t buy you happiness, but in my case, it’s money that can’t buy you peace.

  15

  Anais

  Several days later, I exited the elevator and looked around the corner to see if anyone was standing near my office door. Seeing no one, I walked as quickly as my legs would allow me to my office and took off my coat. I hung it on the back of my door and winced when I stretched a bit too far to place it on the hook. My eyes drifted toward my desk chair and I sighed. I gave myself a small pep talk and headed over to my chair.

  Things had been weird since Damien had blown any expectations that I had in the bedroom out of the water. He hadn’t come to fuck me since the first time. In fact, I barely saw him and only in passing. Conflicting feelings floated around my mind about it. I felt relieved to not have to feel his intimidation around every corner, but I secretly hoped we would go for another round…or two. As much as I wanted to tell myself I hated the situation I was in, he was right. I would come to him willing and wanting.

  “Anais?” I looked up from my laptop and found my father standing at the door. “Do you have a minute?”

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  Although he had asked a question, it felt as if he were making a demand. He didn’t look angry, but I could tell he was taking a more measured approach with his words instead of speaking freely. Dad closed the door and sat down in one of the extra chairs in my office. He didn’t speak right away and seemed almost hesitant to tell me why he wanted to talk. I sucked in a deep breath, waiting for what I was worried would be more bad news.

  “You know I don’t try to get into your personal business, but is there something going on between you and Damien Cross?”

  It took every ounce of control that I had in my body to not react to his words. “What?”

  “Are you two dating?”

  “No.” Technically that wasn’t wrong. I had done my best to keep our arrangement under wraps and the only person I had talked to about this was Ellie, who I knew wouldn’t tell a soul. She was my best friend and I trusted her, but she also knew how high the stakes were. “What gave you that idea?”

  “This.” Dad pulled out his phone, swiped a few times, and then handed it to me.

  There was Damien and me all right. The picture was blurry and grainy, but I knew it was from the night that Ellie asked me to go to Elevate with her. The gold dress that I was wearing was unmistakable and we were standing in front of the bar on the main floor of the club. I was relieved that the photographer hadn’t caught the explosive kiss we'd shared. Looking at the photo, it would be hard to tell who either person was, especially Damien, whose back was to the camera. I moved my thumb along my father’s phone screen, hoping to discreetly check who might have sent the photo. The email in the field was a nonsensical address filled with random letters and numbers, but the subject contained my name. Who was the person who snapped the photo and then leaked it? Wasn’t Elevate supposed to have tight security against this type of thing?

  My focus turned to the man who shoulder-checked me and the guy Ellie and I believed was spying on us near our apartment. Someone was tracking me. I turned away from my father to hide my trembling lip. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm the fear that was running through my veins. There was no way these incidents were all a big coincidence.

  Damien. He always seemed to be several steps ahead of me and nothing seemed to happen without his approval, so he had to know about this. The anger built up inside of me, but I did my best to keep it under control in front of my father. Although I was an adult and could do what I wanted when I wanted, the last thing I wanted him to do was to get a whiff of this and tie it back to the debt.

  “Ellie and I ended up at a nightclub the other night and Damien was walking around asking people if they were having a good time. Maybe he owns the place? Anyway, I told him I was and that was it.” I knew I didn’t have to explain myself to anyone, but if it stopped any suspicion, it needed to be done.

  Dad’s eyes shot down to the photo before looking back up at me. My anger turned to guilt. I hated having to tell even the smallest of lies but felt it was necessary in this case.

  “Let me know if he tries to contact you again, okay?”

  “Why? Is there something I should know about him?” I waited with bated breath after I said those words.

  He stood up from the chair and looked down at me. His facial expression changed from one of relief to one I couldn’t quite pinpoint, and that was frightening.

  “The Cross family owns this town. Nothing gets past them in this city and if you want to do certain things, they need to approve it first. They are known to dabble into dangerous things, although there has been no legitimate proof that has been brought to the authorities. Hell, it might have been, but they probably have all of them in their back pockets anyway.”

  A quiver ran down my back as his words. My gut told me I should be afraid, but having it confirmed was another matter entirely. I needed to find out more, but I wasn’t sure how most of the things I wanted to know might be completely scrubbed from the Internet. Another thought popped into my head. “Is that why you went to them to bail the company out instead of going to a bank?”

  “In part, yes. I looked into several loans and none of them would have expedited the amount we needed as quickly as we needed it.”

  Part of me wondered if that had anything to do with Damien, but I didn’t want to raise my father’s suspicions about what Damien and I were doing. But this was something I needed to know. “Dad, what dangerous things has the Cross family done?”

  He shifted his weight and ran a hand through his short-cropped hair and then he replied, “There have been talks of potential ties to the Mafia. Not that they’re in it, but they might have some dealings with them.”

  I kept my face unreadable. “And I’m willing to bet it was swept under the rug, right?”

  My father nodded. “Be careful, Anais. If Damien contacts you, let me know, okay?”

  Not sure what you could do even if we weren’t sleeping together. “I will, Dad.”

  “I love you and we should try to go out to dinner with your mother sometime soon, okay?”

  “Okay, and I love you, too.”

  Once he left and closed the door behind him, I threw my head into my hands, wondering what I had gotten myself into.

  16

  Damien

  “Melissa, I’m going to need those files from Samson after this meeting.”

  “I’m on it, Mr. Cross.” I said nothing else as we walked toward the conference room door, so Melissa continued, “Don’t forget you have 2 p.m. and a 3:15.”

  I checked my watch. Ten minutes until the meeting. I nodded and she started to walk away before she turned back to me.
“Thanks for the fruit basket.”

  I was taken aback by her comment, but I didn’t show it. It took a second then it clicked about what she was talking about. “Happy birthday.” I'd made a standing order with a local company to send Melissa a fruit basket for her birthday every year.

  She smiled at me and walked away again, I assumed back to her desk, which was stationed right outside of my office. I walked into the conference room and grabbed a seat near the door.

  “How are things going with the woman of the hour?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  I didn’t even bother to look at Gage as I patiently waited for the meeting to begin. My father, brothers, myself, and other staff were coordinating to have a plan ready to go for one of the biggest board meetings that Cross Industries had ever seen. Hence the need to make sure we were aptly prepared for just about anything that might happen or any question that might come up.

  “We already know that the woman we saw draped in gold at Elevate the last time you were there is now living in your townhouse,” Broderick chimed in from across the table.

  I saw Gage sit up in his chair out of the corner of my eye. “You moved her into your townhouse too?”

  “Are you all done?”

  “They better be because we have work to do.”

  All eyes were on Dad as he walked into the conference room shutting down the conversation. It was rare that I heard Dad use a tone that reminded me of how he used to talk to us when we were children doing something that we had no business doing. Clearly, that tone was still effective because we all fixed our postures to get ready for the meeting. It didn’t take long for the senior staff to file in. The meeting started and my mind was focused on all things related to our business ventures.

  When it was getting closer to the end, my thoughts turned to Anais staying at my home and keeping my dick wet. Due to our busy schedules, we didn’t get to spend much time together.