by Sam Crescent
“You fucking bitch.”
The sound of flesh hitting flesh was enough to drive Noah insane. The only reason they were there was because of him.
Bringing the full force of his body against the door, he slammed into it. The door crashed open, the lock flicking off.
Skye was on the floor. Blood was on her face, and then he saw Denison over her.
Rage flooded Noah.
Without a word, he was on Denison. The blade in his grip easily slid into his neck.
Over and over again he pressed the blade against his flesh, slicing him open. There was nothing left as he stood back and realized he had killed Denison and he was covered in blood.
Still holding the knife, he went to Skye.
The princess dress he’d gotten for her was torn off her body.
Removing his shirt, he wrapped it around her, and he lifted her up into his arms.
“Noah, please, don’t leave me.”
“Never.”
“I bit his cock,” she said. “He was trying to choke me, and I hated him calling me a whore and a slut, so I bit it off.”
“Good. I cut Mitch’s off.”
“You did?”
“Yeah, he’s probably dead as well now.”
Noah opened the door to the mansion and stopped as he saw several police cars enter the driveway.
He held Skye close to him.
She let out a whimper, and he looked down at her. “What is it?”
“He broke my arm.”
“I want to go and kill him again.”
“Don’t leave me, Noah. Please.”
He held her tighter and tried not to hurt her arm. It was a fucking nightmare. Staring over at the cop that exited the first vehicle, he waited, tense.
Striking would be next to impossible with Skye in his arms, but he was willing to do it.
Their abusers were dead. Could they finally be free now?
A guy in his later forties who he didn’t recognize approached him.
“Noah King?” he asked.
“Who wants to know?”
“I’m Detective Daniels. You’re fine, son. You’re safe.”
“Yeah, well, right now I’m covered in blood from the last detective who claimed to be here to protect us and keep us safe. Keep your distance.”
Daniels held his hands up. “I know. We’ve been investigating Denison for a long time now. He’s moved from county to county. A wave of couples and young girls disappearing following in his wake.”
Skye whimpered.
“She’s hurt. I don’t care what you are or what you’ve been doing. We need to get to a hospital.”
Within seconds, Skye was taken out of his arms, and as her weight lifted, Noah collapsed on the ground.
****
Back in the hospital within a matter of weeks, Skye stared down at her arm. The white bandage annoyed her. The sterile room did the same. She hated being alone, and leaning back in bed, she stared straight ahead, trying not to think of the coming days and weeks.
Mitch and Denison were gone. Noah had killed them, and much to her surprise, he wasn’t going to get convicted. Detective Daniels had told them everything. Denison had been on their radar for some time, but with no direct evidence, they could only keep investigating until she and Noah escaped, giving them all they needed with the connection to Mitch, and then of course, Noah’s car had a tracking device placed inside.
The moment they took off, and they discovered where they were, he’d followed, and found all the evidence he needed in the office Noah had been trapped in with Mitch.
When she thought about what had happened over the past few months, it all seemed like something out of a movie. One where she was present and yet just an observer at the same time.
“You look really deep in thought.”
She looked toward the door and smiled. “Noah.”
“They’re keeping you in for observation.”
“Yes, a couple of blows to the head bothers them. I’ve had worse.” The smile that was on his face died. “I didn’t mean it like that. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”
“It still shouldn’t have happened. We all know that.” Noah took a seat on the edge of her bed. Even though he was close, he seemed further away for some reason.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m shocked that I’m allowed to sit on this bed with you.”
“What’s going on, Noah?” she asked, not deluded one bit.
“Tell me about why I can sit here. Where are your parents?” he asked.
“Life still happens, you know. Work needs to be done. Bills paid. Stuff like that. With the danger gone, they didn’t feel it was necessary to babysit me.”
“So they left you alone.”
“So they left me alone,” she said, agreeing with him.
“I don’t like it.”
“It doesn’t matter. Once I’m all better and they’re not worried about any other head injuries, I’m good to go.” She reached out to touch his hand, but he pulled away. “What’s going on, Noah? You’re scaring me.”
He was silent for so long that she didn’t think he was going to say or do anything, then he looked up. “My dad got a promotion.”
“That’s good, right?”
“Yes. A promotion. It means more money, less worries, but it also means moving.”
“Moving?”
“Yeah.”
“Where?”
“Out of town.”
“How long have you known?” she asked.
“About three hours.”
“Did you even know he was going for a promotion?”
“Not a clue. I don’t even know when it started or what happened. He’s taking it,” Noah said.
“You’re leaving town?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, that’s a big thing.”
“A very big thing.”
“Congratulations.”
“I don’t want to leave you, Skye.”
“Noah, don’t, okay? You don’t owe me anything.” Inside, her heart was breaking. She wanted him to leave so she could fall apart without him know or seeing. This was killing her. He was the only person who knew what happened. The only person who could understand her pain.
“I don’t want to leave you.” He touched her hand, and she pulled away.
“We shared something horrible together. I get it, I do, but it’s over. We’re finished with that part of things, and this is a good thing, Noah. You’ll go and live your life far away from here. It’s good.”
He rested his hand on her leg. “And if I don’t go?”
“Noah, you’ve got to go. This promotion is a big deal. Before we were taken, stolen, kidnapped, whatever you want to call it, we weren’t even friends. I helped tutor you. That’s all. We were nothing, and we’ll go back to being nothing. It’s not a big deal. Not even a smidge.”
She saw his jaw clench.
“Nothing, huh? That’s how you see what we went through?”
“No, I see that as something that will forever change my life,” she said. “But I don’t want it to be the only thing that happened to me.” She felt tears fill her eyes as she looked at him. “I’ll never forget what happened, but I don’t want what we had to be the only thing I experience. I can’t … Noah, I didn’t want you to be my first.” She gritted her teeth.
“I know,” he said.
“We’re different because of what happened. Please, don’t stay for me. Don’t be someone for me. Just live your life. I forgive you.”
“Skye, right now, I really fucking hate you. I don’t deserve your forgiveness or anything.” She saw the tears filling his eyes, and it broke her heart. “I didn’t want to rape you. I didn’t want to be taken, or share a room with you, or do any of that, but I fell in love with you.”
She shook her head. “No, you didn’t. I don’t love you.”
“Skye.”
“Go, Noah. Leave. Now.”
He stared at her, and she forced herself to
glare at him, to feel the anger and rage that he didn’t deserve.
“Get out. Leave!” She finally screamed the words, causing a scene.
Noah had no choice but to get to his feet. He gave her one last, lingering look, and that was all it took.
She knew she’d never see him again and that was how it had to be. He had to live his life away from her, away from each other, for them both to be able to move on.
“Are you okay, honey?” the nurse asked.
“Yes.” She lied so easily.
She was far from okay.
In fact, she doubted she’d ever be okay again.
PART THREE
Chapter Sixteen
Fifteen years later
“Oh, fuck, that feels so good.” Noah gripped the head of the blonde who was licking on his cock like it was a Popsicle stick. She certainly had a way with her mouth. She sucked on the head of his dick, taking him back to her throat, swallowing him down. Closing his eyes, he groaned as she deep-throated him. That small tension as she fought her own gag reflex. It took every single ounce of control not to hold her head and fuck her face, to make her take all of his cock regardless if she choked on it.
Pumping into her throat, he tilted his head back and unloaded every single drop of his cum into her greedy little mouth. She took it as well, just like he knew she would, like the hungry little whore that she was.
Once he finished, he pulled from her mouth and stood up.
“Um, you taste so good.”
He rolled his eyes, buttoned up his pants, pulled the zipper into place, and fastened his jacket. “You may go now.”
“Are you kidding me?” the blonde asked, getting to her feet. She wiped the remnants of his cum from her chin and glared at him. “What about me?”
“I said I wanted you to suck my cock, not for us to have a prolonged conversation, and certainly not for me to go anywhere near your nasty snatch.” He pressed a button for his security, and within a matter of seconds, two men walked into his hotel room.
“It’s time to go, Miss.”
“I cannot believe you or this.”
Noah didn’t even know her name, not that there was any point in learning it. In the last fifteen years he had a messy divorce under his belt from a woman who liked to suck him dry for all of his money as well. It was a shame. He’d been about to hand over half of everything he earned when the video of her infidelity alerted him to the fact she wasn’t faithful at all. During his three years of marriage, he had been faithful to his wife.
Of course, that had been the start of his career when he made it big on the stock market and used that money to invest into his own company until he was now a respectable businessman in the market for buying, selling, and improving companies. Some companies he purchased for the name only and to improve the brand they started out with. For other companies, he simply tore them apart and used the ground to help expand his own companies.
Over the years, he’d built his way into millionaire status, respected businessman, and soon, on his way to billionaire, but he cared about none of it. He’d been able to keep his past private. Being a minor in high school, that shit was locked up tight, and it had also been the agreement he made with the detective at the time.
Nothing about what happened was allowed to make headlines. No one could know what he’d been forced to do or what he’d been capable of doing afterward.
Day by day, his life had become his own, and he was more than happy with that. College had been a blast. He’d worked his ass off to get there, and there was no way in hell he was screwing that up.
Pulling out a couple of hundred dollars, he handed them to the woman just as she was removed from his room. Closing the door behind them, he checked the time and saw he had to get back to his latest acquisition.
Finishing off his coffee, he hummed to himself, until biting into a bagel interrupted the flow. Within a matter of minutes his team was with him once again, escorting him down to his car.
“Wayne will be waiting for you at the building. He wanted to let you know that people are worried you’re going to shut down the company,” William, his head of security detail, said.
“That’s over a thousand jobs. It’s not a decision I’m going to make lightly. I’ve got to look over their accounts and see how they’re handling shit first.” He finished off his bagel, wiping away any crumbs that might have dropped onto his suit. Climbing into the back of the car, William already had another coffee ready for him.
It was his addiction of choice and got him through many a dull board meeting.
William climbed behind the wheel, and they drove toward the Sanderson building. Over many years the company had become the start up for software and was the first place people came to with a vision of how their work should be written.
Over the years with the increase in software and technology, Sanderson had lost its way and their perfectionist touch had been lost. His buying the company was their lifeline. Noah truly believed they were the best when it came to writing software, and he only hoped that his gut instinct had been right about them.
Arriving at the building, he was a little underwhelmed by the size. Most of the buildings around it were large, and this was only half the size. He was used to buying bigger companies.
This could end up being a bad investment. If that was the case, it would be the first time he’d been wrong about something like this.
Entering the building, he was aware of all the commotion and ignored it, going straight to the elevator and clicking the button for Arthur’s floor. Arthur Sanderson was the only person he was interested in seeing. At sixty years old, he needed to retire, but he refused to put down his pen and let the younger ones take over.
Their meetings had always been short and sweet, and Noah knew Arthur wasn’t a fan of his, or his business practices.
He entered Arthur’s office before his secretary could even alert him that someone was there.
“I do not appreciate your lack of manners,” Arthur said.
“I’m here to do business. This is now my office, and I would like it if you would grab whoever is necessary to send me up the financials.”
“This is still my company!” Arthur slammed his fist onto the desk.
“Leave us,” Noah said, waiting for everyone to leave the office so it was just the two of them.
“You think you can come—”
“With all due respect, Arthur, I could have you thrown out. I paid your last debts when you signed on the dotted line. This company is mine. I should have my name on the door to remind you of that. Your company is nothing like it used to be. It’s a sad, washed up old machine, and people are trying to flee it. I’m going to try to stop that from happening, but first, you need to cut the shit.”
“You are not the kind of person I like to do business with.”
“Most people don’t. They hate how I came from nothing, worked my way up into something, and now they’ve got to take orders from someone like me.” He shrugged. “I don’t have the proper etiquette. I don’t give a shit about thousands of dollars’ worth of champagne or caviar. I like a steak, burgers, and beer. I save money. I don’t flaunt it, even if I do like to have certain trinkets that I keep for myself. You don’t like me, that is fine. Out of all the other companies, not one was willing to listen to your reasoning for why this place should be given a second chance. I was. I want to see your financials and everything relating back to the last decade when it started to show its decline. Out of respect for you, Arthur Sanderson, I’m willing to wait and listen and to make this company great again. What I won’t do is listen to insults. You don’t like me, fine. I don’t like you either. In business you learn to realize there are a lot of people you won’t like. Don’t hang out with them, simple as. Now, are you willing to work with me, or should I send my men in to disband and break up this entire company?”
Noah waited. He’d dealt with difficult cookies like Arthur before, and they usually crumbled, especially when
the alternative was shown to them. He had no interest in giving this guy a heart attack, just for him to see that he wasn’t the enemy.
“Just, give her a chance, please. I know she’s … not doing well. She’s all I’ve got.”
“Noted.”
Arthur moved out of his chair and held a hand out to him.
Noah took a seat on the opposite side. “We’ll work together, yes?” He happened to have a great deal of respect for Arthur.
The old man nodded and took a seat.
“Teresa, have Ms. Banks come up with the financials.” He released the intercom as soon as his secretary confirmed what she was doing.
They sat in silence for an age.
Noah waited, and as the door opened, he didn’t turn around.
“I have the most recent accounts, Mr. Sanderson. This was the earlier five years. The most recent five went to computers.”
Noah tensed up at the voice. Slowly, he looked over his shoulder, and it turned out Ms. Banks was, in fact, Skye.
He’d not seen or heard from her in years.
The last time he’d seen her, she’d been in the hospital bed, broken arm, shattered soul, memories assailed him at seeing her. Her screams echoed through his mind.
She smiled at Arthur—and froze the moment her gaze caught him.
It had been fifteen years, fifteen long years since he last saw her.
Her dark brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she looked beautiful. She wore glasses, but they didn’t hide the prettiness of her eyes. Being locked together in a cell, he’d found himself staring into her eyes so often that he felt himself falling once again. Within a moment, years seemed to melt away, and all that remained was the two of them.
“This is Noah King, Skye. He’s going to be here for a couple of weeks looking over the books. Noah, this is Skye Banks. She’s a genius in waiting.”
Her cheeks went bright red. “I’m not that much of a genius, Sir.”
“You are.”
“If I was, you wouldn’t be having to go through your financials and I’d have been able to pull you out of … well, this.” She placed the files on the desk.
Skye went to leave, but he couldn’t let her go, not yet. He caught her wrist, stopping her from leaving.
