by Harley Wylde
“Please,” I said softly. “Make me forget. Give me something good to dream about to keep the nightmares away.”
His gaze softened a fraction. “You don’t play fair, girl.”
“As they say, all’s fair in love and war, right?”
“And which do you think this is? Because I’ve never loved a woman in my life, and I’m not offering that now.” He didn’t speak harshly or coldly. Merely stated the facts.
His words hurt, but I tried not to take it personally. If our roles were reversed, I’d likely feel the same way. If a man like Spider ever did love someone, I knew he’d give his whole heart to her, and she’d be damn lucky. But we were strangers and hadn’t exactly gotten off on the right foot.
“I’ve been fighting a war my entire life.” He might not see it that way, but it was how I felt. “Maybe for once, I just want something nice to hold onto for a bit.”
He glanced down at where we were joined. “Do you want to be in charge? Will that make this easier for you?”
“Are you worried I’ll have a flashback?”
“It’s not an unreasonable concern. If we do this, I don’t want you back in Colombia. I want your mind here, with me, and knowing that it’s my cock inside you.”
I reached up and ran my fingers through his beard. “I know it’s you.”
He stared at me, not so much as blinking. I worried that he’d send me to my room or make me leave the compound entirely. Had I pushed things too far? Mr. VanHorne hadn’t said a word to us except to tell us where we were going and who we would stay with when we arrived. My sisters and I had thought he was a broker of sorts for our father, sealing a deal and using us as currency, but I knew now that he’d been trying to find a place to keep us safe and out of our father’s hands.
I wasn’t ready to leave my safe haven. I’d barely even arrived.
“Get up,” he said.
My breath hitched as I stood, his cock slipping free of my body. I curled my shoulders, prepared for the lecture, his anger, and being banished from the Hades Abyss compound. Spider stood and pointed to the table.
“Turn around and lean across it. Ass in the air.”
My eyes widened and I hastily obeyed. My heart pounded, feeling like it might crash right through my chest, as I heard the rustle of his jeans hitting the floor. He gripped my hips and nudged my feet apart, grabbing a fistful of my hair and tipping my head back.
“You panic at any moment, get scared, or just want me to stop for any reason, you fucking tell me. Understood?” he asked.
“Yes, Spider.”
“Good girl.”
I felt his cock brush against my slit, and then he was pressing inside. He went deeper than he had when I was sitting on his lap and I moaned at how good it felt. With one hand in my hair and one on my hip, he started stroking in and out of me. I’d never imagined that sex could feel like this. It made me feel closer to him, like we were sharing something special. I knew it didn’t mean anything to him, but it did to me. Being the President, he had his pick of women, and like he’d said before, one pussy was as good as another. Didn’t stop me from closing my eyes and dreaming that it meant more.
He released my hair and cupped my breast. As his fingers pinched and rolled my nipple, I could feel that sensation building again, the one I’d experienced right before my first orgasm. He growled and his hips jerked harder against me, his thrusts getting rougher. It was the perfect combination, and soon I was screaming out my release. I felt his warmth splash inside me and his cock twitched as he buried himself deep.
“I never knew,” I murmured.
“Hold on,” he said and wrapped an arm around me. He sat, pulling me down with him so that we remained connected. I leaned back against his chest and smiled when he gave my breasts a gentle squeeze before playing with my nipples again.
“No bad thoughts?” he asked, his voice a deep, gruff rumble in my ear.
“None,” I said, floating on a cloud of bliss.
“Still want me to claim you? Think you need that extra layer of protection? Because you don’t. No one is taking you from this compound if you don’t want to go.”
“Can we negotiate?” I asked.
“Negotiate?” Humor laced his voice.
“Mm-hm. You claim me, and in exchange I get to suck your cock whenever I want, and you give me more orgasms. Now that I know what they feel like, I want more. Lots more.”
He chuckled and pinched my nipples until I squealed from the sting of pain.
“Greedy wench.”
I bit my lip and relaxed against him even more. “I’m being serious, Spider. If you claim me, I don’t want it just to be in name only. I know you think you’re too old for me, or that I don’t really know what I want. I’m not some stupid child.”
“Never said you were,” he said. “Just think you haven’t been given many options in life, and I don’t want you to settle on an old bastard like me and discover later that there’s someone better out there. I’m not going to be able to give you kids, Luciana. You’ll want a family one day, aside from the one in your belly already. A kid that’s formed between you and the man you love. That man isn’t going to be me. I got snipped and won’t be having kids ever again.”
I placed a hand over my belly. I’d been terrified since I discovered I was pregnant. Not just terrified about how the child was conceived and that I didn’t know who the father was, but scared that the poor kid would have a shitty life like I had. I’d worried that they’d be born a boy and turned into a monster, or worse, born a girl and abused the way I’d been.
His hand covered mine and he placed a kiss on my shoulder. “I know you’re scared. You have every right to be. This baby isn’t going to suffer, Luciana. If you want to keep it, then I’ll help you any way I can. Get you a place of your own, make sure any men who come around are the good sort. The kid will need a daddy, and not just some jackass who doesn’t give a shit. If you decide you can’t handle seeing the kid every day, then I’ll help you place the baby in a good home. No one will force you to do anything you don’t want.”
“You already are. Forcing me.”
His body went taut and he immediately pulled me off his cock and stood. “Knew I shouldn’t have done that. It was stupid. I’m sorry, Luciana. It won’t happen again.”
He grabbed his clothes and started to walk off as I gaped at him, not knowing what the hell had bitten him on the ass.
“Spider, what are you talking about?”
“Forcing myself on you. Knew better than to take you the way I did.”
That’s what he thought? Men were so stupid at times. “Idiota.”
He froze and turned to face me. “Excuse me?”
“No, you’re not excused. Not even a little. I was talking about you forcing me to stay away from you, to pick someone younger because you seem to think it makes them better. You’re wrong. Being with a younger man will only trigger my fear.”
He took a deep breath before approaching me. “Trigger your fear.”
I nodded.
“Because only younger men hurt you?”
“Some were close to my father’s age, but yes. Most were younger. Some still young enough to be considered boys, but already being groomed to turn into soulless brutes like their fathers.”
We stared at each other for a few minutes before something flashed in his eyes.
“Violeta. Has she suffered like you?” he asked.
I nodded slowly. Spider cursed and dug into the clothing in his arms. He pulled out a phone and dropped his clothing, tossing the leather vest onto the table again, before pacing in the kitchen.
“Rocket, be extra careful with Violeta. Things aren’t as they seem, and nothing we’ve been told is the truth. She’s damaged and I can’t predict what she may be thinking or feeling right now. Whatever you do, treat her kindly and speak softly to her. I’m calling Church. Be there in an hour.”
I didn’t hear what the other man said, but Spider mentioned somethin
g about Prospects watching us. I remembered the man who brought us here wearing a patch that said Prospect on it. He’d been young. Close to my age if I had to guess, which had terrified Violeta and kept me on guard as well.
“Spider,” I said softly.
He glanced at me, stopping in the middle of his conversation.
“If the men you’re leaving with us are like the one who drove us here, then it will terrify Violeta.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Rocket, bring her to the clubhouse. I’m going to call Fox and make sure the place is cleared before we take the girls there.”
Spider disconnected the call and made another, to Fox I presumed, and I heard him tell the man to make sure the whores were gone. Whores? Ice filled my veins.
“You keep whores here?” I asked, taking a step back.
“What?” His eyes narrowed, then he smiled a little. “Not the way you’re thinking. We call the easy club pussy ‘whores’. The women are there voluntarily and get off on being used by a lot of men. I know you probably can’t understand that after everything you’ve been through, but there are women who like jumping from one dick to another. Or sometimes more than one at the same time. None of the women are abused or forced.”
I tried to calm my racing heart, processing what he’d said.
“There’s a bathroom across from your bedroom. You should get cleaned up and change before we have to go.” He turned and walked away, leaving his clothes in the middle of the floor and his vest on the table. I picked them up and followed him to the back of the house, pausing in the doorway of what had to be his bedroom.
I heard a shower running and saw his bathroom was just an open archway, but the shower was designed so that I couldn’t see him. Just a tiled wall. I moved farther into the room and found his laundry hamper, placing his dirty things inside. Except the leather vest with all his patches and his title. That I draped over the foot of the bed. I didn’t think he’d even realized he’d left it, but I’d noticed he treated it with care.
There were a few other rumpled clothing items on the floor, so I picked them up and shoved them into the hamper too. I straightened his bed and then went back to the kitchen to pick up my things. I walked upstairs and went into the bathroom. Whoever had picked out the bedding must have stocked the bathroom too. He’d called her a club girl. Had he meant one of the whores he’d spoken about on the phone? Or someone else?
The vanilla-scented soap was a little much for me and made me sneeze, but I used it since there wasn’t anything else. The shampoo was a plain, unscented generic one that I knew would leave my hair snarled and rough. He’d mentioned making a list of things I needed, and I hoped he’d let me pick out new bathroom items as well as my favorite foods. Although I wasn’t certain I could get the ingredients for my favorite meals here. I had to remember I wasn’t in Colombia anymore.
I wrapped a towel around me, purple like the bedding, and went back into the room he’d given me. I pulled out the leggings and shirt I’d stuffed inside, as well as a clean bra and panties. Once I was dressed and had pulled my hair up again, I made my way downstairs. I didn’t know what to expect. Would Spider acknowledge what happened between us? Or would he be gruff and standoffish again? I could tell he hadn’t wanted me here, maybe still didn’t.
I thought about Violeta. She’d been terrified of what her life here would be like. She was only seventeen, but that hadn’t mattered to our father or his men. Her innocence hadn’t spared her from his form of punishment. My heart ached that I hadn’t been able to save her or Sofia. At least Violeta was close enough I could comfort her, but Sofia had gone to another club. I’d heard the President speak to Casper VanHorne about a marriage. I hoped that meant Sofia would be cherished and loved. Surely Mr. VanHorne wouldn’t have placed her in the care of some unfeeling man, not after he’d done his best to get me and Violeta into the Hades Abyss. I just hadn’t realized at the time it would be a safe location, a place where we didn’t have to live in fear.
Spider was at the front door, his hands shoved into his pockets. He’d put the leather vest back on over a sleeveless black shirt that showed off the tattoos on his arms. He might claim to be old and out of shape, but his arms were still muscular, and I hadn’t detected an ounce of fat on him when he’d been naked in the kitchen. Despite the age differences between us I found him to be attractive, and now that I’d had a taste of the pleasure he could give me, I wanted more.
I only wished the baby I carried was his and not some random stranger’s. Although, my worst fear was the baby hadn’t been fathered by a stranger, but by a soulless man in my father’s employ. I’d kept my pregnancy hidden, and it had surprised me that Spider had noticed. If my father knew of the child in my womb, he wouldn’t have let me go. Not until the baby was born, so he could do with it as he pleased.
Whatever it took, I needed to protect my child. The baby might not have been planned, or conceived out of love, but this little one was innocent and deserved a chance at a good life.
Chapter Three
Spider
I stared at the men around the table, knowing I could trust them to keep Luciana and Violeta safe. They were good men, even if they didn’t always walk on the right side of the law. Then again, neither did I. As their President, I got my hands dirty long before they did. I never asked anything of them that I wasn’t willing to do myself.
I had Casper VanHorne and Torch on speaker, my phone in the center of the table so everyone could hear.
“All right, Casper. I know you aren’t really trying to keep peace with Mateo Gomez, so what the fuck is going on?” I asked. “Because Luciana came here thinking she was going whore for me and the club, and her sister was scared shitless thinking she would be raped by my men.”
“I have a man inside Gomez’ circle who was watching him. When he was offered Violeta, he started digging deeper. The news he gave me wasn’t good, and I knew I needed to act. I can’t work on dethroning Gomez with his daughters present, so I got them out of Colombia and put them somewhere safe. With two of the four clubs I trust.”
“Why not Devil’s Fury or Devil’s Boneyard?” I asked. “Why put two of them here?”
“Devil’s Boneyard has already dealt with more than their fair share of victims from the Colombian cartel. Devil’s Fury took in some of those women as well. Torch, I asked you to place Sofia with Saint for a reason. I’m not ready to explain just yet, but know that she suffered more than the other two,” Casper said.
I started cursing because after hearing, and seeing, what had been done to Luciana I couldn’t fathom Sofia’s fate being even worse. I glanced at Rocket and saw that he looked both sick and furious. The way he’d gently handled Violeta, and the tenderness I’d seen in his eyes, told me that he already felt a connection to her. She was likely a reminder of the sister he’d lost, and I had no doubt he’d protect her with his life.
“So you’re trying to take down Gomez,” Torch said. “What do you need from us?”
“For now?” Casper asked. “Just keep the girls safe. If I need assistance with Gomez, I’ll ask.”
“Does Saint need to be concerned about Sofia?” Torch asked.
“She won’t hurt his daughter if that’s what you mean,” Casper said. “It’s part of why I requested she be placed with you. Sofia loves children and responds well to them. Animals too. It’s adults she has an issue with, and for good reason. Anything unusual happen with the girls yet?”
“You mean aside from Luciana stripping off her clothes and telling me I could do whatever I wanted to her?” I snorted. “Or the fact she’s covered in scars and told me a story that might give me nightmares for a while?”
“I know,” Casper said. “My guy was there one of the days Luciana was tortured. It sickened him to see what they did, but if he’d interfered he’d have died and those girls would still be trapped. When they’d strapped Violeta down, he’d been expected to participate and he couldn’t do it. Thankfully, he gave them an excuse t
hey accepted and they don’t seem suspicious just yet. He’s on borrowed time before they figure out he’s not a heartless creature like them.”
Fangs, Bear, and Fox were eyeing me closely.
“What, motherfuckers?” I snapped.
Fox arched a brow. Being my VP, not much fazed him, not even my temper.
“Something we need to know, Pres?” Fox asked.
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
Bear smirked. “You had a taste of the little Colombian princess, didn’t you?”
Casper growled over the phone. “Spider, I swear to Christ. Did you fuck that girl already? I thought you had more damn sense and decency than that.”
“I didn’t fucking rape her, assholes.” I speared them all with a glare, even the damn phone, though I knew Casper couldn’t see me. “If I had consensual sex with her, it’s no one else’s fucking business, you cocksucking motherfuckers.”
Marauder lifted a brow. “Wow. That’s a lot of fucks even for you. And for the record, I’d rather eat pussy than suck a dick, but maybe the others are into that.”
I flipped him off, my silent fuck you making Shooter and Knox chuckle.
Surge tipped his head and gave Marauder a contemplative look. “Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it.”
I hadn’t seen that one coming. I stared at Surge for a moment, but he just grinned. Guess his door swung both ways, since I’d seen him balls-deep in club pussy more often than I’d have preferred. Not that I gave a shit where he put his dick, as long as it didn’t blow back on the club in a bad way, but that could happen with bitches just as easily as with another man.
Slider gave him a wink, and I decided I wasn’t even going down that rabbit hole. Not right now anyway. If the guys wanted to fuck each other, I wasn’t going to stand in their way. I preferred a hot, wet pussy over some dude’s hairy ass, but to each his own.
