Fuck it all. He was being territorial over some other man’s woman.
"Fine, go. But you and I have to talk when this is over." Aria stepped away from Douglas and stared him down impressively before turning to leave.
She peeked over her shoulder at Chase one last time before walking out of the living room.
"Shall we?" Douglas asked, glaring at Chase.
Chase raised an eyebrow.
Matthew rolled his eyes.
The three of them walked out of the living room, Douglas ahead of them. Matthew took the opportunity to nudge Chase in the side and give him a stare that said, "What the fuck?"
Chase scowled at him. Even if he had wanted to give Matthew an answer, he had no idea what he would say.
Douglas waited until they were inside the office, shut the door, and turned to glare at Chase for all he was worth.
Which wasn't fucking much.
"Did you think I wouldn’t notice? Who the hell do you think you are?”
"I know who I am." Chase took a step toward him, but Matthew put his arm between them. "I'm not only your boss, but I am the man who owns the company that you’ve been stealing thousands from, in order to continue living your ridiculous lifestyle."
Douglas swallowed, his eyes shooting daggers at Chase. "I told you, I will find a way to pay you back!"
"You have no way to pay us back. We all know that. You're losing your house, you piece of shit. Did you ever think about your wife?” Chase asked in a low voice.
The investigation into Douglas’ life had brought up a lot of info. Lots of shit, the type that most women wouldn’t put up with.
"What happens to my wife is none of your business!"
Chase almost couldn’t hold back his desire to punch Douglas right in the nose. "It is now," he heard himself say. A plan was beginning to take hold in the back of his head. One that had him smirking, even as the bigger part of him began to panic.
What the fuck?
"What the fuck?" Douglas and Matthew echoed, both looking at Chase like he’d gone crazy.
And fuck, he had.
Douglas took a step toward him. "What does that mean?"
Chase stared him down, daring Douglas to give him an excuse.
"Chase, what..." Matthew trailed off, shaking his head in confusion.
"I said, it is now," Chase repeated, the decision solidifying itself in his head. It was wrong, it was cruel, and it was low.
She was going to be one hundred percent against it. But he had the power now and nothing was going to stop him.
Was he a bastard for what he was about to do? Yes. Six ways to hell yes, yet the needs coursing through him would not let Chase do it any other way. He knew how to recognize an opportunity.
And how to take one.
Chase sneered at him. "Listen to me. I cannot just have you fired; you are facing time behind bars if I choose to press charges on you. Now, I'm willing to let what you've done slide...and I'm willing to help you pay off the bank so that you don't lose your home.”
The newfound hope on Douglas’ face became anger and understanding when it clicked in his head.
Not such an idiot after all.
Douglas’ expression darkened with fury. "You want something from my wife.”
"Chase," Matthew warned, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Chase looked at Matthew, silently telling him to shut the fuck up. "Yes. You avoid jail and you keep your house. I, in return, get one date with Aria, Douglas. Just one.”
"And you'll get to sleep with her, right? She'll never let you!"
"I just want to take her out to dinner. If she chooses to take our date further, that is up to her." And he sure as hell planned to do everything in his power to convince her to do so. Nothing would be sweeter. He’d have her, and he’d have the perfect revenge against the man before him.
Jail was too good for him. The shame of living with this, however, was perfect.
"She would never cheat on me," Douglas said with a certainty that was pathetic.
Chase had meant what he said. He would never force her. Though he was planning on seducing her until the word “no” was erased from her vocabulary.
He would have her somehow.
Morals be damned.
“SHE WON’T SLEEP with you.”
"Then there you go. Nothing to worry about.” Chase’s tone was calm, but on the inside, he was a raging sea of emotions. “Simple. Your wife goes out on one dinner date with me. One. And you get your freedom, and the money you need to save this house," Chase finished, tone a bit harsher than he intended.
Douglas’ nostrils flared but he didn't respond right away. Chase could see the wheels turning in his head.
Douglas gave him a grudging stare. "Just a dinner date? And she isn't forced to do anything she doesn't want to do?"
Chase nodded. Matthew was shocked into silence, staring at Chase like a wide-eyed statue.
"One. Next week. Speak with her, set it up, and the morning after you will have the money to continue your life and the freedom along with it." Chase turned to get the hell out of there before he destroyed Douglas.
It wasn’t lost on him that his anger wasn’t just directed at Douglas. He wanted Aria too bad to stop himself, but it didn’t mean he was incapable of realizing how fucked up this all was. He’d done twisted things in his life. Owning a company had left him with no choice. Being a human had left him with no choice.
The world was a fucked up place and it was survival of the fittest.
But thinking of her big, blue eyes was filling him with a guilt he’d never felt before. Even worse, he was doubting himself.
Chase never doubted himself.
"And keep my job?" he heard Douglas ask behind him.
Dear lord, he was pitiful. "Don't push your fucking luck, Douglas. Have Aria call me in two days.” Chase stormed out of the office. He knew that Matthew was trailing behind him. Could feel the stare Matthew was leveling him with on the back of his head.
Chase wondered where Aria was as he stomped through the hall toward the entrance. Was she in her room? Hiding from him?
Was she doing it because she’d been just as affected as he was?
She had been affected. There was no way he could mistake that.
"Chase, what the hell was that?" Matthew hissed once they were outside.
"I don't know, I—"
"You want her. That was obvious the moment you saw her.” Matthew ran his hand down his face, aggravated. “But do you realize what you just did? This is going too far, even for you. What is wrong with you?"
"That bastard owes us three point six million dollars. Money he helped himself to because as our financial manager, he had access. For what? To party, to gamble, to whore around while she sits at home. We’ve heard the rumors. He cheats on her every damned weekend, why should it matter if I want her?” Chase said, his tone louder than it should have been.
He heard a tiny gasp.
His head flew up, eyes searching for the source of it, and he saw the curtain on one of the upstairs windows falling back into place.
The open, upstairs window.
Matthew stared at him in frustration. "You asshole, that was her. She heard you."
"Good." Chase’s jaw twitched. "She deserves to know about the many whores he loves to spend his business trips with. It’ll make it easier for me to get what I want."
"Chase, what if she loves him?” Matthew began to question him. “Is there any bit of humanity left in you? Do you have any idea how much this will break her heart?"
Shit.
And there was that spark of guilt, slamming into his lower stomach like a hot pike piercing through. He hadn’t felt it in so long that it almost made him lose his breath.
Chase rubbed the top of his head. "Fuck, Matthew, I'm sorry."
"I'm not the one you should say that to."
He was right.
Didn’t change anything. Chase’s need for revenge against Douglas had been minimal before. Now, he was f
ixated on the idea of getting back at him by having his woman.
And it must’ve showed on his face.
"You're still going to go through with this, aren't you?"
Chase looked at Matthew. He nodded and silently dared him to say anything. "Yes."
Marcus shook his head. "You're an asshole.”
"You're right. But I'm done talking about this, what's done is done." Chase turned to get into his car.
"And what if she doesn't agree?"
His stomach tightened at the thought. He wanted her to agree. More than anything. He was going to have to sit down and fucking analyze justwhat was happening. Later. When he was alone.
Not that it would change anything. Knowing why he felt the way he did wouldn’t alter his course.
And damn it was the main reason he had to explore her. Have her.
She was making him feel.
He hadn’t felt anything in so long. Not that he remembered, at least.
"If she doesn't, then I won't force her. I'll still pay off her house, but her husband is fucked. And then you won't have to worry about me taking advantage of her.”
Chase was turning on the ignition when he heardMatthew walk by, heading toward his car and mumbling. "Let's hope she doesn't agree, then."
Chase flipped him off before pulling out of the driveway.
Marcus was an asshole.
Chase was considering firing him.
He should've known the man wouldn't leave things well off alone.
"What the fuck?" Chase’s brother, and CFO, Brent yelled. He stood before Chase’s desk with his massive arms crossed, blue eyes blazing, and dark hair all over the place from running his fingers through it.
Marcus just had to tell his brother what was going on. God damn it. "Brent—"
"No. Shut the hell up. Do you have any idea what this will do to the company if this gets out?"
"It won't get out." Chase stood up and leaned on his desk, staring his brother in the eye. "That asshole has too much to lose to dare utter a word."
"I knew you were fucked-up before, but this is a new level. Even for you. And what about her? Don’t you think she’ll say something?" Brent asked.
"If she wants to save her husband, she won't say anything, either," Chase answered in a low voice.
Brent turned red, opened his mouth to no doubt remind Chase of what an asshole he was, when a commotion outside the office caught their attention.
"Miss, you can't just walk in there without an appointment. At least let me announce you!" Cynthia, Chase’s secretary cried out.
"I don't need an announcement. Now move out of my way."
That voice hit Chase like an electric shock, the anger in it setting him on fire from the inside out. The door to his office flew open and there was his little sexpot in all her glorious fury.
Instant arousal, that's what it was. He was aware, alive, every cell on alert.
Fucking addicting.
For a man like him, who hadn’t felt in such a long time, the reaction she caused in him was like a lifeline. One he planned to grab onto, no matter the cost.
To her. To himself. To anyone around them. It didn’t matter. Nothing did. He didn’t care about the consequences. He couldn’t care. All that mattered was experiencing more of what she was making him feel.
"You," Aria growled, as her fists clenched at her sides.
Cynthia came in behind Aria, looking scared. "Sir, I tried to tell her, tried to..."
"I told you, he’s expecting me," Aria snapped at her over her shoulder, before turning to sneer at Chase.
Chase dared her with his eyes to unleash the full force of her anger on him. He wanted it; he wanted to see the passion in her.
I’m a sick motherfucker.
He’d been one for a long time. Apparently, now he was diving off the deep-end.
Brent stared at Aria with a cautious stare.
"You," Aria said again, her tone dangerous.
Chase’s eyes flickered toward his secretary. "Cynthia, leave us. It's okay.”
Cynthia turned without another word and ran out of the office, closing the door behind her.
"Aria, this is my brother Brent. Brent, this is Aria Colton..."
"Save the formalities, asshole. I came here to speak with you."
Brent had the nerve to chuckle and throw Chase an “I told you so” look.
Aria walked further into the office. "How dare you?"
"You know what? I think I'll just leave." Brent began making his way toward the door.
Traitor.
"Yes, leave. I don't think you want to be around to watch your brother die," Aria hissed, still walking toward Chase.
Brent raised an eyebrow at him behind her back before exiting the office as well. His thoughts had been very clear. Fix this.
Brent didn’t understand what was happening to Chase. Chase barely understood it.
And he had no plans of stopping.
“Hello, Mrs. Colton," he said, not moving from his spot behind the desk.
"How dare you?" Aria cried, her face turning red.
"Aria—"
"No! You listen to me. You might be rich, you might be powerful, and you might be used to getting everything you ever wanted, but I'll tell you right here: I am not one of those things!"
He held onto the edge of his desk, fighting the urge to get closer. Touch her. "Aria, please, lower your voice and perhaps we can come to an understanding."
She faltered for a second, then squared her shoulders. "What the fuck is there to come to an understanding about? You blackmailed Douglas to get to me!"
Chase exhaled, his heart thumping hard enough to almost distract him. Fucking hell, the affect the woman had on him. “Need I remind you of what your husband has done? To this company and to you?”
Her tiny gasp twisted something inside him. The sensation left him chilled and blinking in confusion.
“You…” Aria blinked, her bright blue eyes glistening.
The cold inside him spread down his arms and into his hands. He clenched his jaw. "Your husband faces jail time for what he's done.”
She stared at him with those wide eyes. "And that makes what you're doing right?"
He shook his head, but didn’t break their stare. "No. It doesn't. What I'm doing is wrong on many, many levels. I am aware of that."
"Then why?" she asked.
“You know why.”
“You’re insane.” She looked away, furious.
He didn’t bother to deny it. He hadn’t been normal since he’d been a child.
Logically, he understood her anger. He didn’t like to be forced into doing anything either. But he wasn’t demanding anything more than a few hours of her time. Hours he was going to put to good use. Damn it, he was going to figure out how she was capable of having such an effect on him.
And, once he figured it out, if the effect was still there—if her hold on him was still as powerful—he’d make whatever plans necessary to get her to agree to them furthering their acquaintance. He was sure that she would not forgive him easily, and that was fine. Understandable.
If he still wanted her after getting to know her better, he’d move anything on Earth, do whatever he had to do, to earn her forgiveness. There was nothing he had ever wanted that he hadn’t found a way to have. Life hadn’t just screwed him up and stolen his ability to deal with emotions; it had taught him to fight for whatever he wanted.
Standing there, watching her stare toward the windows, sunlight causing her eyes to shimmer, he knew he’d never wanted anything more.
Damn him.
Aria’s eyes flickered in his direction. “I'm married," she reminded him with a shake of her head.
Chase tried to keep his facial expression impassive after hearing that.
Keyword there being tried.
"He doesn't deserve you."
"That’s for me to decide. Oh, and neither do you.”
"If you think for one moment that you deserve to be wi
th a man that lies, steals, and cheats on you..."
"Oh, and what? You're better? A man that is trying to force me into being with him?"
“I’m not trying to force you to be with me. I want a single date. I would never force a woman to do something like that. Whether you believe me or not, it’s the truth. I’ve never had to force a woman to be with me in that sense.”
“So fucking sure of yourself, aren’t you?” Aria spat.
Chase walked around his desk and leaned against the side of it, crossing his arms. “Tell me something, Aria. Would you have agreed to go on this date with me if I had asked you?”
The space between her brows scrunched up. “Of course not. I’m married.”
Her quick denial was a good sign. A sign of someone that was faithful despite what had been done to her. A sign of someone who just might be in love, as well.
Her quick denial bothered him on too deep a level. One he didn’t want to stop and analyze. “Then you see my point? I want to get to get to know you, Aria, and I go after what I want. There was only one viable solution open to me. One way to make that happen.”
“So you’re saying this has nothing to do with getting even with Douglas?”
He remained quiet, not bothering to deny it. Yes, there was some of that. Having Douglas’ wife after what he’d done to him would be the perfect revenge against the man considering he wouldn’t be going to jail.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t his strongest reason.
Nor could he explain that to her. He might owe her an explanation, but despite what she thought she knew, he was in a more vulnerable position than she was.
Aria’s small hands clenched into fists. She held back from reminding him just what she thought of him, but her eyes said it loud and clear.
Insane.
“You could have just waited, you know?” Aria stated. “Maybe I would have left him.”
“Maybe?” he mumbled under his breath.
She ignored his mumbled statement. “You should have waited until I was single and then asked me. Did that ever cross your mind?”
Of course it had. After he’d blackmailed her husband, but it had.
The maybe in her statement about leaving her husband was the exact reason why he was grateful that he’d taken matters into his own hands. He was not a patient man. Never had been, never would be. “Let me ask you something else. If I had asked, would you have said yes to going out with me?” Would you have left your husband for cheating on you? He held back that question, waiting to see her answer to his first.
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