‘Yes, that.’
‘I love that too. Can I tell you a secret?’ she asked.
‘Of course.’
‘Sometimes, I try and push your buttons on purpose, just so you’ll spank me. Especially when you’re wearing that lovely soft leather belt,’ she flashed her eyebrows at me and gave me one of her killer smiles.
‘Is that why you’re always trying to piss me off?’
‘I don’t try. I succeed,’ she replied.
I put my arm around her and pulled her tighter to me. ‘That is a very dangerous game to play, Miss Donovan.’
‘Well, you know me. I like to live life on the edge,’ she started to laugh.
I leaned down and sealed my mouth over hers. I parted her lips with my tongue and she groaned into my mouth. For all her insistence that she would never be my property, when she was with me like this, I owned her. She gave me complete control and I suddenly realised what a privilege that was.
I pulled back and stroked her cheek with my fingertips. ‘You know I would never hit you in anger, don’t you?’ I frowned at her. I needed her to know that was a boundary I would never cross. ‘It’s only ever for your pleasure.’
She looked up at me with those beautiful brown eyes. ‘I know.’
‘But, if you ever ignore my calls again and leave me hanging at the other end of the country, I’ll turn that peach of yours cherry red,’ I smiled at her. ‘Understand?’
‘Yes, Sir,’ she replied.
Chapter 55
Gabriel
I was sitting alone in my office when the phone started to ring. I frowned at the offending noise. Who the hell used landlines these days? It was rare for anyone to call us on it. Most people used mine or Sebastian’s mobile number.
I picked it up. ‘Archangel Securities.’
‘I’d like to speak to Gabriel Sullivan,’ the well-spoken voice replied.
‘Speaking. Who is this?’
The tone of his voice changed in an instant. ‘This is Samantha’s husband.’
I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. So, this was the monster who was responsible for causing my girl so much pain and misery. It was a pity I couldn’t reach through the phone and smash his teeth down his throat. ‘Ex-husband.’ I reminded him.
‘Well. We’ll see about that. I’m giving you a polite warning to stay the hell away from my wife.’
I laughed out loud. ‘You’re warning me? Is this a joke?’
He didn’t speak for a few seconds. ‘I’m afraid not. Why don’t you find yourself a nice, shiny new girlfriend? I’m sure some young, pretty little thing would be much more up your street? Samantha is too complicated for men like yourself to understand. She needs to be handled a certain way.’
I felt my pulse quickening. It was obvious he was trying to push my buttons and I knew he’d get off on making me lose my shit. ‘I don’t think you have any idea how she needs to be handled.’
He started to laugh. ‘Ah, let me guess. You think because you fuck her well, you can handle her?’
I sucked in the air through my teeth, trying to keep a lid on my temper. But it was becoming increasingly difficult. I had never hated anyone as much as I hated the man on the other end of the phone.
Jackson took my silence as an invitation to keep talking. ‘My uncle has a ranch in Montana. Every summer I used to go there for a few weeks. And you know what my favourite thing was? Watching those cowboys break in the wild horses. Some people might say it’s a brutal practice. You basically use brute force and dominance to ride the animal into submission. But once they’re broken, they will always belong to you. That’s exactly what I had to do with Samantha,’ he laughed. ‘She was a feisty one, I can tell you. I enjoyed breaking her. But, she will always belong to me.’
‘You’re a sick fuck!’ I growled.
‘No. I am exactly what she needs. You have no idea what makes her tick. I have done things to her that you couldn’t even imagine. I’ve pushed her to limits you wouldn’t even dare to go. I have marked every part of her body as my own.’
I could feel my body shaking with rage now, but I kept my voice calm. ‘Maybe. But that was then. I’m the one who gets to push her limits now, aren’t I? When you go to sleep in your tiny little cell tonight, know that I will be in a warm, king sized bed with your even warmer ex-wife. And every part of her body will be pressed against mine.’
‘Just stay the fuck away from her,’ he hissed. ‘You have no idea what I’m capable of.’
Then I heard a click and the line went dead. I sat back in my chair and took deep breaths to regulate my heart rate. He was a fucking animal. I felt a pain in my chest when I thought about the life Samantha had endured with him. One day, I was going to make him feel just as much pain as she had.
I went to the boxing gym after Jackson’s phone call. Fighting and fucking were my two preferred methods of working out my rage issues. And I didn’t want to see Samantha until I’d calmed down. I would have to tell her about Jackson’s phone call. I’d rather not, but she deserved to know. I’d have to choose my moment carefully though. I needed her to know that there was nothing I wouldn’t do to keep her safe from that sadistic fucker. There was nothing I wouldn’t do to keep her by my side.
Chapter 56
Samantha
I looked at the huge pile of paperwork on my desk and groaned inwardly. I didn’t even know where to start. As if my growing workload wasn’t enough, the domestic abuse case I was working on had me rattled. The perpetrator had applied for sole custody of his children, despite being a violent bully, and because of his wife’s previous mental health issues — exacerbated by him, no doubt, he might just win. I was going to have to phone Gabriel and tell him I needed to work late.
As though I had conjured him with my thoughts, Gabriel appeared in the doorway. He’d clearly come straight from the gym. His t-shirt, which was already tight-fitting, was stuck to his skin with fresh sweat and his damp hair was stuck to his forehead. He was wearing shorts which showed off his muscular, toned legs. And I thought he looked good in a suit! He smiled at me, his green eyes twinkling.
‘Hello, handsome,’ I greeted him with a smile.
‘As promised, I’ve just finished a boxing session, so I’ve come to give you a good seeing to.’
I opened my mouth in mock horror, recalling how I had berated him for being an arsehole when he’d turned up at my house in his boxing gear a few weeks earlier — wasting a perfectly good opportunity for me to jump his bones. ‘Unfortunately, I’m busy.’
‘Sadie told me you have no appointments this afternoon.’
I pushed my chair back and walked over to him until we were standing less than an inch apart. The smell of his fresh sweat gave me butterflies. ‘Just because I have a clear diary, doesn’t mean I’m not busy.’
He stepped into my office, closing the door behind him and pushing me back against my desk. ‘I’ll be quick.’
‘Oh, be still my beating heart,’ I laughed. ‘But, seriously. I am absolutely snowed under here. I cleared my diary for the day so that I could make some headway with all of this paperwork.’
He nodded. ‘And how is your case going?’ he asked.
‘Not good. We have the most unsympathetic judge I’ve ever known,’ I shook my head.
Gabriel pulled me into his arms and kissed me and I melted into his body. Then I remembered all the work I had to do and pulled away from him.
‘You’ll figure something out. You always do,’ he said.
‘I hope so. I’m going to have to work late tonight to try and get on top of this.’
‘Okay. How late?’
‘Eight?’ I said.
‘I’ll pick you up at eight then. Don’t let anyone in here while you’re on your own,’ he warned me.
‘I won’t,’ I replied. ‘I learned my lesson. Now please go. You are very distracting, Gabriel. Especially in those shorts.’
‘Good,’ he said with a smile, then he gave me one last, li
ngering kiss before he left.
Chapter 57
Samantha
A few days later, I was getting dressed for work when my phone started ringing on my dresser. I saw DS Philips’ name on the screen and wondered why he’d be calling me so early on a Thursday morning. I answered it and listened as he told me that Anthony Garvey had got himself a shit-hot lawyer, and was making a bail application later today.
I was still on the phone when Gabriel got out of the shower.
‘Thanks, Carl. I appreciate you letting me know,’ I said.
Gabriel sat on the bed beside me. ‘What’s going on?’
I took a deep breath. I still hadn’t forgotten what Garvey had said about him being a ‘we' and my suspicion that it might be Jackson. If Garvey had been able to afford himself a top-notch lawyer, then I wouldn’t be surprised if it was one of Jackson’s buddies. The thought made my skin crawl. But right now, my priority was telling Gabriel what had happened without him quitting his job to become my personal twenty-four hour bodyguard – not that that wouldn’t have its perks.
‘That was the sergeant dealing with Garvey’s case. He’s making a bail application today, and could be out later if the Court agrees to it.’
‘What?’ he frowned at me. ‘That’s fucking nuts. The guy’s a psycho.’
‘It’s the way the law works, Gabe. He’s entitled to apply for bail. And if he’s got a suitable address to go to, the judge could well agree it.’
‘Then I’m not letting you out of my sight. You’ll have to stay off work, Sam. Tell them you’re sick.’
‘Are you kidding? Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not having my life dictated to by Anthony Garvey or by you.’ I got up off the bed and stalked to the bathroom and he followed me.
‘I can’t protect you if I’m not with you.’
I spun around to face him, the skin of my face and chest started to turn red. ‘I don’t need your protection, Gabriel. I am not a child. How many times do we need to go over this?’
‘He wants to fucking kill you, Sam,’ he shouted.
‘Oh, don’t be so dramatic,’ I said even though the thought of Anthony Garvey being released bothered me more than I would ever admit. But, I had faith in the criminal justice system. Surely, the judge would look at his antecedent history and refuse bail? Or maybe I was just fooling myself?
‘Don’t be so bloody reckless then. You are my responsibility, Sam,’ Gabriel said. No doubt, it had been said in the heat of the moment, and the look on his face told me that he regretted those words as soon as they left his mouth. But he had said them and he might as well have pushed a giant red button on my forehead that said ‘Caution – do not press.’
‘Your responsibility?’ I shouted. ‘Well, let me relieve you of your responsibility. Get out.’
‘Sam?’
‘I said, get out!’
I was physically shaking with temper. I wasn’t really angry with him, I was angry that Anthony Garvey might be out on the streets by the end of the day, but Garvey wasn’t standing in front of me and Gabriel was.
He glared at me for a few seconds, his hands balled into fists at his side. ‘Okay,’ he said eventually. ‘I’ll have Scott come and pick you up for work. Please don’t give him a hard time about it,’ he said as he left.
Later that afternoon, I took a taxi cab to Gabriel’s office. I felt bad about our argument earlier that morning and I wanted to make things right between us. The domestic abuse case I’d been working on was getting to me, and that on top of the news about Anthony Garvey had pushed me over the edge. I had taken it all out on Gabriel and I knew that wasn’t fair. I had such an issue with people caring about me. I equated their concern with pity and any attempt to protect me made me feel like I was being treated like a possession. I knew why. It was because of Jackson and the person I’d had to become to survive my marriage to him. But Gabriel was not Jackson.
I suppose I couldn’t blame Gabriel for wanting to protect me. My ex-husband was a well-connected, sadistic psychopath who seemed hell-bent on destroying my life. And if that wasn’t enough, there was a crazed madman, who blamed me for stealing his wife and children from him, threatening to kill me. Not only that, he was quite possibly about to be released on bail. It was like my life had turned into a soap opera.
I hoped that my father wasn’t in the office. I didn’t fancy telling him about Garvey’s bail application right now and having another row. And besides that, I was hoping to find Gabriel on his own. I felt so on edge. My skin prickled with irritation and only Gabriel had the perfect way to soothe me.
I could hear a raised voice when I walked into the reception area, which was unmanned as usual — the pretence of a wholly legitimate business. As I reached the back office I could hear it was Gabriel’s voice. He was shouting at someone. It took a second to realise he must be on the phone as I could only hear a one-sided conversation. I pushed open the door to let him know I was there. He was standing with his back to me.
‘I will cut off your bollocks and stuff them down your throat, you cunt,’ he bellowed. There was a pause and then he continued, ‘Oh, really! Well, she belongs to me now. You fucking animal. You will never touch her again. Do you understand?’
My heart sank as I realised he was talking to Jackson, and I suspected not for the first time. He threw the phone onto the sofa and it bounced onto the floor.
‘Fucking bastard!’ He shouted so loud I thought the people in the next street must have heard him. He turned around and saw me standing in the doorway. The anger dissolved from his face.
‘Sam,’ he said.
‘So I belong to you, do I, Gabe?’ I asked.
He walked over to me, reaching out his arms he went to pull me to him but obviously changed his mind and let them drop to his side instead. ‘I didn’t mean... It was just... He’s a fucking psychopath.’
‘Jackson?’ I said.
He nodded.
‘Is this the first time he’s phoned you?’
‘No. He phoned last week too. I was going to tell you but you were so busy with work and then the timing just never seemed quite right.’
I nodded. I didn’t want to know what Jackson had said to him. I could imagine. I had known it wouldn’t be long before he found out about us. And I couldn’t help feeling that it had sounded the death knell for our relationship. It made me want to burst out crying. Why couldn’t Jackson just let me go? Hadn’t he taken enough of me already?
‘I’m sorry, Sam. For what I said to him. But he-'
‘Got under your skin? Pushed your buttons?’ I interrupted him. ‘That’s what he does, Gabe. It’s like his super-power.’
Gabriel sat on the sofa in his office with his head in his hands. I couldn’t help but want to make him feel better. I, of all people, knew how skilled Jackson was at finding the most vulnerable part of you, and exploiting it. It made me feel sad and happy at the same time, to know that I was Gabriel’s weak spot.
I walked over and stood in front of him. Then I slipped off my black lace thong and placed it on the sofa beside him. He looked up at me as though I’d lost my mind.
‘Is this what you need, Gabe?’ I asked as I hitched up my skirt and straddled him. ‘Then take it. I’m all yours.’
‘Sam. You don’t have to...’ he groaned as I unzipped his fly.
I pulled out his hot, stiff cock and squeezed it in my hand. ‘Put your hands behind your head,’ I commanded. ‘And don’t move them unless I say so.’
He looked up at me, but did as I told him to and I held onto his muscular shoulders. His biceps bulged in his suit jacket. I looked into his eyes as I slid myself down onto him. As always, I was ready for him and I took him inside me easily, right to the hilt. I could see his eyes burning into mine. I saw the pain there. I saw the struggle. Nobody ever told him what to do.
I moved my hips up and down, riding his cock as he groaned, keeping his hands behind his head as I’d instructed. ‘Is this what you want, Gabe? To own me? To claim me? Then wh
y don’t you do it?’
He flipped me beneath him in one swift movement and then he started to pound me into the sofa as though his life depended on it. He pulled my blouse open, causing the buttons to pop off and skitter across his office. Pulling my bra down, he allowed my nipple to pop out and sucked it between his teeth, making me cry out. He continued sucking as he reached between us and rubbed that sweet spot until we both climaxed. When he was done, he brushed my hair from my face with his hand. I could feel the dampness of my arousal on his fingertips.
‘I fucking love you, Sam.’
‘Don’t you mean you love fucking me?’ I teased.
‘I do love fucking you, yes. I love to make you come. I love to make you moan and whimper and scream my name. But more than any of that, Sam, I love you. You are without a doubt the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I’m going to fuck up sometimes. But, please can you try a different way of handling it other than pushing me away or running?’
I looked up at him. ‘Okay. Any suggestions?’ I asked with a flash of my eyebrows. ‘Maybe I could resort to the way you and my father resolve disagreements and punch you in the face?’
‘Hmm? I think I’d prefer that,’ he grinned at me.
‘Okay. Or I could refuse you sex?’
‘Nope. That’s impossible,’ he growled.
‘Is that so?’
‘Yes. And you know it is. I only have to touch you and you’re ready to come. Even talking dirty to you makes you soaking wet,’ he grinned.
‘All that is true, yes. You are a sex God among men, Gabriel Sullivan.’
He kissed me again, almost taking my breath away.
Chapter 58
Samantha
The letter looked innocuous enough when it had arrived in my in-tray that morning. I opened it as I did any other and unfurled the neatly folded page. I read the first three sentences before I had to stop, my hands shaking as I put it back down on the desk. I hadn’t heard from Mr Garvey since he’d applied for, and been granted, bail six days earlier. I had hoped that his bail conditions would be enough to prevent him from contacting me, but it seemed he was back to his old tricks. Although this letter was altogether more sinister — and specific. Most concerning of all was that he mentioned the pink blouse I’d been wearing the other day. It was new so he couldn’t have seen it before. I looked around me instinctively, even though I knew I was the only person in my office. A shiver ran down the length of my spine. That feeling of being watched was not a new one to me, but it was one I had hoped I’d never experience again.
Dark Angel: A Dark Romance: London Ruthless Series Book 1 (The London Ruthless Series) Page 21
