by P. A. Jones
Seduced
Seduced, Volume 1
P.A. Jones
Published by PA Jones, 2014.
Also by P.A. Jones
Passion
Passion 2
Passion 3
Passion 4
Passion 5: The Wedding
Seduced
Seduced
Struggle
Fight(Struggle, #2)
Redemption(Struggle #3)
Standalone
Struggle
Passion-1
Struggle: Trilogy (The complete Series)
Seduced 1
P.A. Jones
Copyright © 2013-14 PA Jones
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, place and events are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 1
Nikki
Punch after punch, Chase continued taking out his wrath on that poor guy and I watched in horror. Chase’s next punch hit him on his cheek, a jet of blood firing from his mouth onto Chase’s hands and his white shirt.
Chase looked down at his own shirt in anger.“I’m gonna kill you for this,” Chase roared.
This is really bad. My mind drifted back to half an hour earlier..
***
I had come to my dad’s club this evening with my best friend, Carrie, to grab a drink and some cash I needed for shopping. While I was talking with the receptionist, man came very close to me, sidling up behind me and definitely in my space.
“Hey, gorgeous. Wassup?” He brought his face so close that I felt his hot breath touching my cheek—and I couldn’t help but turn away at the smell of vodka.
Jerk. I was used to drunken jerks at the club, even at this early hour of the evening, and I ignored him, not wanting to make a scene. He was either too drunk or too stupid to hit on me in my dad’s club. With a shake of my head, I moved away from him and continued talking with the receptionist, Tina.
“Come on, girl, let’s have some fun.” He lurched forward, grabbed my arm and pulled me to him.
I looked down at his hand on my arm, almost smiling at what would likely happen next. I’d been in this situation more times than I could count, and it was never a battle that I lost. Never.
I felt the nerve on my forehead pulsing in anger as he was annoying me now. I lifted my chin and faced him. The first thing that struck my eyes was the innocence in his; he was no doubt handsome and had a cute face. But something about his eyes—the lack of anger, the hint of kindness, made my heart melt in a split second, the anger inside me vanishing. I decided in the blink of an eye to go easy on him.
“Mr.... whoever. Please don’t act like an idiot. This is my dad’s—” My words were stopped in my mouth by Chase’s appearance behind him. Over his shoulder, I could see the look on Chase’s face and I knew what it meant. I’d seen it plenty of times before. My body froze and thoughts of what was gonna happen to him flashed through my head; he was in real trouble.
Chase grabbed his shoulder from behind. The cute guy’s expression changed as Chase increased the pressure on his shoulder. Chase was huge, and I had often wondered if he could cover my complete face with hand—and felt lucky that I’d never found out. The cute guy turned to face him and BAM, Chase hit him with a right-hand punch.
Chase punched him again and again, pummeling him until blood came out of his mouth.
I was standing there watching the cute guy getting his face wrecked by Chase, my stomach clenching as blood started to appear from everywhere. With every punch, my heart skipped a beat. I was afraid that at any moment Chase would kill him.
Chase stretched his thick neck to the left. His nostril flared and he gazed at the man he was holding with one hand, wiping his fist on the man’s blue shirt. Chase then carefully checked if any blood was remaining on his hand. “You are paying for this one,” he said, punching the man one more time like an exercise bag.
“Please—”The cute guy tried to say something, but his words were wiped out by Chase’s next punch. Maybe he was pleading for mercy. But the Chase I know wouldn’t listen to him. No matter what, he would take his anger out on that man. He was still the same as I remembered: bloody, grumpy and deadly.
Chase lifted that man parallel to his head with a single hand. The guy looked like a small ant in front of the huge Chase. The cute guy’s head was hanging back on his neck; he was either unconscious or already dead.
Fear passed through my spine like a bolt of lightning as Chase tossed him on the bar counter like a scarecrow. Empty glasses skittered to the floor, the ones he landed on breaking as he crumpled on the mahogany surface. The sound of glass shattering under his body echoed everywhere, but the music blasting from all the corners of the club absorbed the sound and no one from the fully packed club even looked at the counter. Only me, Carrie and Tina remained as the silent observers.
This was the fifth club in New York my Dad had opened and he liked it least, though it was one of the best nightclubs in the city. The bar was huge and Chase tossed the cute guy on the corner where no one else was sitting.
Fights like that were not an usual scenario in this club. People got drunk, did some foolish things and then got beaten by the bouncers. For the regular customers, this was the life in the club. The neighborhood was not a classy one and the people who visited this club were mostly criminals. Dad kept it only because it served as camouflage for the real dirty business happening downstairs. Covered by concealed entrances and hidden from view of most patrons of the bar, the club had a chamber below the main hall for the underground MMA battles, its popularity bring in tons of cash.
I learned about this business when I was in college, earning my degree in physical therapy, of all things. I never liked it. It took me quite a long time to come to terms with it. But once I had, I was free to spend his cash on anything and everything I wanted. So, yeah, my values had taken a beating—but I still didn’t support the way Chase had behaved with that man.
“Chase, for God’s sake, let that poor man live a few more days,” I pleaded.
He scowled at me. Being the owner’s daughter didn't matter a bit to him.
He turned back to the man lying down on the counter. He was whimpering in pain. The man’s cute face a few minutes before had turned into a wounded, bruised and bloodied one by Chase. My heart beat faster as I looked from Chase to the man moaning on the bar, and I couldn’t control it anymore. I ran towards him and tried to pull his hand off of the man's body. Obviously, at five foot six inch and about one third Chase’s weight, I couldn’t move his finger to well.
Chase pushed me back with a slight jerk of his forearm where I was holding him. It was a small push for him, but to me, it was a powerful jerk, and I stumbled back.
“Damnit,” I muttered. There was no way I could get him away from that poor man.
“You should have taken care of things yourself, Nikki.” Carrie's voice shook, her eyes glued to the unfolding horror.“I didn’t ask him to help me. Chase took things in his own hands. I was doing just fine.” I bit my lower lip.
Chase lifted the man with one hand and dropped him again on the bar counter, apparently still enjoying himself. My heartbeat stopped
as the man’s hands fell, one on each side, down the sides of the bar like a broken leaf.
“Chase, please. Don’t kill him,” I begged him. I didn’t want the blood of that man on my hands. His only mistake had been that he tried to kiss me in my own club. It certainly wasn’t a mistake worthy of death by Chase. I could have solved it on my own, no problem, , but Chase saw it and then everything went to hell. I just hoped that man wasn’t already dead.
Chase’s eyebrows furrowed, his pupils boring into my eyes with a frenzy that I didn’t think I could stop. A direct connection with my eyes warned me to stay out of this.
I was feeling frantic, wondering how I could stop the horrible scene unraveling before my eyes. Panicked, I looked around, hoping to find someone who could help.
At the exact moment, a rugged man walked in, the cool air rushing in from the street as the door closed behind him. My gut feeling said he could help the cute guy who was now not so cute and bleeding on the mahogany bar.
His long hair was pulled back with a rubber band. His deep brown, endless eyes caught my attention. His sun-weathered face was covered with dark black hair, a French cut, hiding the sharpness of his chin and a scar running from somewhere on his jaw to his left ear. A shiver ran through me as I imagined what kind of intense fight must have produced a scar like that. A tattoo ran straight from the edge of the green t-shirt to the backside of his neck. What would it be like to see his complete tattoo on his bare body? I shook my head. I was thinking too much about him. But his presence had some magnetic effect on me. I couldn’t take my eyes away from him.
He was mesmerizing to watch; I’d never seen a rugged man who, at the same time, looked breathtakingly handsome. He wasn’t as big as Chase, but he had more muscles popping out of his t-shirt than anyone present in the club.
His eyes gazed around for a place to sit and then they met mine. A second-long interaction, but I drowned in his limitless eyes.
Yes, he’s the one I should ask for help. I rushed past through a few people sitting on the chairs to reach him, hoping he would be willing to help and that I wasn’t going to be too late.
“Excuse me, please,” I asked in as polite a manner I could given the situation.
“Yes?” His voice sounded so deep that even my heartfelt the rhythm behind it..
“Can you please stop that fight?” I sighed, my mind drowning in sorrow for that poor soul; I was definitely feeling the guilt for his beating, “He’ll kill him like that.”
His eyes widened. He looked at Chase. Chase was still punching that poor fellow.
“Sorry, it’s none of my business.” He said it plainly and walked away from me to grab a table far away from the counter.
“Coward,” I muttered. Stunned, I watched him walk away, turning his back on the fight. Why I don’t know, but I’d had high hopes from him.
“That’s enough, Chase. Throw him out of the club.” My dad’s authoritative voice popped out of the corner.
Chase turned back to look at my dad and then dragged the man with a single hand and walked out of the club. I couldn’t stop myself; I ran towards the man and checked his heartbeat and fortunately it was beating.
“At least he is not dead. I’ll call paramedics.” Carrie said.
“Damn, if only I could have solved the issue easily and Chase hadn’t heard him.”
“It’s not your fault, Nikki. Being a club owner’s daughter and having bodyguards around can’t be easy, and these things aren’t completely your fault completely.” She touched my shoulder.
“And if that coward had helped this poor soul, maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad.” I looked back at the mystery man sitting on the far corner table, quietly sipping a beer.
“You can’t blame him. Nobody would get into trouble with Chase. Look at the beast. I fear someday his muscles will tear down the XXL shirt he is wearing and he would find no shirt to wear, ever,” Carrie said.
“He is a beast.” Chase was always like this, hot-headed, quick to throw a punch. He was cruel enough to beat anyone. I sometime wonder if he had killed anybody yet.
“Let’s go. We’ve a movie to catch,” Carrie said.
“No, Carrie, I just can’t watch anything after this whole scene. I blame myself for coming here today. If I hadn’t come here for some money, this wouldn’t have happened in the first place.” My mind was full of sorrow, but my eyes kept going back to the mystery man. A hint of hatred fluttered through my mind. He was a fighter, for sure; a normal man wouldn’t have a scar on his jaw. But then why didn’t he help that man or me, at least?
“Take this; it will calm you down a bit.” Carrie handed me a drink. A Lemon Martini, my favorite.
I took a sip and looked back at the mystery man again. He was definitely rugged eye candy for sure; still, I was angry with him for refusing to help the cute guy, no matter how handsome he was.
“I just called the nearby hospital and they’ll help him.”
“I wish I could kick Chase’s ass myself,” I responded, with hatred.
Carrie squeezed my arm.“No you are not quite ready for that yet,” She said as she giggled.
Chapter 2
Nikki
“If you don’t do this I’ll not give you a single penny for to go shopping,” my dad said as his face turned iron stubborn. My dad was known as Iron Man for his conviction in the business circles, so I knew he was telling the truth and it wasn’t just a shallow warning. Because of my own stubborn attitude, I’d lost access to Stephen and shopping was the only thing that comforted my heart after I couldn't see Stephen anymore. I’d had to give in to his demands.
“But Dad, why Chase? He is too unpredictable. Scary, even pathetic,” I said, looking in his eyes with hope.
My dad had asked me to visit a club of his, Club Satan, and pick something up for him. The thing was a mystery because in spite of asking him three times, he still hadn't told me what the thing was, nor was I allowed to open it. Actually he could easily get whatever he wanted to pick up brought to him with ease; he could just ask any of his associates and they would grab it for him. But no, he wanted me to do it. Sometimes he just felt like showing me that he was the head of the family.
“I’m not listening to you, young lady. You are twenty-one now, and you should know that I’m doing this for your own protection,” he groaned.
“I’ll take Carrie with me, then.” I had no choice but to listen to him. I could easily read irritation on his face and it was better for me to obey him for the time being. It’s just a couple of hours and then I’ll just go shopping.
“Don’t you have any other friend to go out with? It’s always that girl.” He frowned.
“Now don’t start on that, please. I’m agreeing to do your job, so please let me go with her.” I shifted my feet in the thick carpet; his office was decorated with thick carpet and traditional, luxurious furniture. We lived in a mansion—well, a three-story house with twenty-two rooms. Who in the world wouldn’t call it a mansion?
He looked at me with raised eyebrows. “Okay,” came after a long pause.
I looked at him to check if he meant something else, but his expression hadn’t changed. He was in his early fifties, but he looked like at least ten years younger. If it wasn’t for the bit of gray in his hair, he would have looked younger than that, even, but I liked those shades. They gave him an authoritative look. He always wore a gray jacket and black trousers in the office which complemented his good looks. He still looked handsome and any girl could fall for him, but it would be of no use. For him, the focus was always business, even above his own daughter.
Thinking about the relationship we shared, it had been always a strange one. He never really cared what I did with my life. I think for him taking care means giving money and he was good at it. So for me, he was a cool dad—always giving me what I wanted. I really only hated him for one thing:; he kept me away from Stephen.
“Thanks, Dad. I’ll call Carrie and then go with Chase,” I replied calmly and went
back to my room.
I called Carrie from my new iPhone the moment I entered my room.
Without letting her say a word, I blurted, “Can you please come over now? We have to go to a club and then do some shopping.”
“Umm, I don’t know.” She paused.”“I was planning to meet Jerry.” Jerry was her boyfriend for the last year-and-a-half.
“Please? If you don’t come I’ll have to go with Chase alone and you know how creepy he is,” I pleaded.
She paused for a while. “Okay, let me talk with Jerry and make up some thing and then I’ll come over.”
“Okay. Come fast.” I exhaled. I was breathless with anxiety at just with the idea of going alone with Chase.
***
“Nikki, let’s go.” Carrie started shouting as soon as she was out of the elevator. My room was on the third floor and I had a separate elevator and entrance for myself and my friends, which opened opposite to my room. She ran in a rush; she was wearing a blue sundress which hugged every curve of her body. She looked very sexy, and I wondered what she was anticipating during our outing.
“You look hot,” I sighed. Next to her, I looked average.
“It’s the same dress you've me last summer. Now, let’s go. I have a movie to catch with Jerry later.”
“Okay, let’s go.” I was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a V-neck t-shirt. I was afraid that if anyone else tried to hit on me when Chase was around, he would end up exactly as the cute guy had yesterday. Last night, I’d woken up a couple of times in the night with sweat covering my forehead and my neck. I had nightmares in which I was kissing some man and then Chase came and tore open that man’s chest and drank the blood out of it.
“Are you okay, Nikki? You look a bit worried.” Carrie touched my shoulder.
“Nothing, had some nightmares,” I replied.
“About yesterday's event?”
“Yes,” I sighed. I knew the whole would be stuck in my mind for several days to come.“I’m okay, Carrie. Let’s just go.”
