by Sage, D. S.
Secret Ransom
Desired Love Series: Book 1
D.S. Sage
PUBLISHED BY:
Quodrill Press
Copyright © 2015
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, places and events are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously.
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Check Out Other Books by This Author
BILLIONAIRE: Secret Ransom: Desired Love Series: Book 2 (New Adult Contemporary Romance)
In the section installation of the series, the consequences of an employee’s actions will cause fear and a greater fallout than all that are involved are least expecting. Secrets will rise to the surface while trust and power will be paid at a premium.
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013HHTTN6?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
BILLIONAIRE: Secret Ransom: Desired Love Series: Book 3 (New Adult Contemporary Romance)
The developing relationship between Lily, the budding intern and Michael, the mysterious and powerful executive continues ahead while experiencing some difficult obstacles that will affect the lives of many and define their meaning for each other.
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014G9JTT8?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
CHAPTERS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 1
Everything leading up to this moment was about playing it safe and waiting with a wish. It’s what she did when she crammed all night for one econ exam or another. Same move when she set her cap for the internship with Bingham and Pond. To hear Professor Walters tell it, the interview was something in and of itself. His class aside, more than five hundred men and women had tried for a chance at the grand prize, teat, and the fact that she was one of the chosen few selected for the face-to-face meant that she stood out in a crowd. What she would do with such an opportunity was entirely up to her, and she lay in her bed without sleeping as the dark turned to day, constantly rehearsing the ways in which she would wow the man of the hour.
When she could no longer stand the trappings of her sheets, Lily Vasquez stepped away from the bed. No need to shower; she had seen to that the night before. But the heat from her flattening iron was more than required, and Lily fired up the tongs as she sprayed her hair and started to smooth her chocolate brown locks. Every strand seemed to slip into place as it fell across her neck, and she splashed the sleep from her face before lining her eyes and coating her lashes. Staring at what her mother liked to call a pretty picture, Lily glossed her lips and tossed her hair over her shoulders. Her sheets could stay rumpled; no rule said she had to form hospital corners each and every morning. Instead she opted for her closet and found the outfit of her choice hanging against the back of the door.
“Boy won’t know what hit him,” she said.
Stepping into the gray pencil skirt, Lily pushed the zipper against her thighs. The cream-colored shell followed, and she punctuated the look with a black blazer. A proper suit was preferable, but it was already the 25th, and she had to make her rent. The dark heels matched the pose she was trying so hard to strike, and Lily grinned into the glass as she took up her bag and sighed.
“I think I’m ready.”
Wanting to walk, anything to save a few pennies, she felt the blisters burrowing into her toes on the back of just a few steps. Her mind searched her cupboard. Three cans of tuna left in the pantry. She could douse the fish in mustard and still sleep on a full stomach.
And right now, she needed the cab.
“Hey! I was here first!”
A broad-shouldered man in a navy blue suit smirked over his shoulder as he pressed his fingers around the door handle.
“Not quick enough,” he said. The driver poked his head through the passenger’s window. His eyes curved towards Lily, and she took some comfort in his smile when the suited man beat her to the punch.
“I am in a hurry,” he said.
Flashing a fresh fifty like it was nothing, the man started to step into the cab when the driver abandoned his wheel and stood between them. He kept eyeing the bill, and Lily felt as if her cause was lost. Resigned to making her way on her feet, she was stunned when the driver grabbed her wrist.
“Miss?”
He peered into her eyes, and Lily feared that he was going to make demands that she had no desire to meet.
“I can’t match that,” she said.
“But you still have some place to go, right?”
Nodding without wanting to, Lily stayed still and started to turn away when the driver took hold of the fifty. No way could she blame him for the move, and she tried to turn away again when he grabbed Lily’s arms and arched his eyebrows.
“What will you tip?”
Feeling as if it was a total exercise in futility, Lily dug into her purse, and she came out the other side with three singles and a handful of change. Wishing she had more, Lily still offered all that he had and hung her head.
“I’ll take that.”
As soon as he ripped the money from her hands, Lily felt as if she was defeated. Robbed and still having to make way on her own, she turned from the cab when the driver took hold of her arm.
‘What do you think you’re---?”
“Fare of the day is a quarter,” he said. “The rest is still yours.”
Lily stood stunned as he handed her back the rest of the cash, and she folded her fingers around the money as he eased her into the back seat with a wink.
“Hang tight,” he said. “I’ll get you where you need to go.”
“Hold up! Did you see what I’m offering?”
The suited man waved his brand of spare change before the driver’s eyes again. Lily started to step from the cab when she heard the door click and the driver laugh.
“Sure the next one will want it,” he said. “That and more. But this fare’s taken.”
The man moved back behind his wheel, and he hit the gas as he glanced over his shoulder.
“Where to, Muñequita?”
“Think you can be so familiar?” Lily challenged.
“You remind me of my own little one,” he said.
“Your own little---”
“My daughter, Miss,” he said. “She is on the cusp of an internship with the Kaufmann Group. Think one day she will be a fine lawyer. But it took some doing to get her foot through the door.”
Feeling more at ease, Lily pressed her fingers to the back of his seat, her lips moving to the man’s ears as she spoke softly.
“I’m just looking for a chance, too,” she said. “Here.”
Fishing a business card from her knock off Coach Bag, she watched the man absorb the address before he smiled.
“From what I hear, Bingham and Pond only takes the best,” he said. “So you must be something special.”
“Not sure of that, but---”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” he said. “You fought your way into my cab, no?”
“Yes,” Lily said. “I’m still trying to make a mark.”
“In a get up like that,” he started. “Already a few steps ahead.”
She knew it looked right when she
pushed the items together, and the driver patted her cheek as he lowered his eyes.
“I’ll get you where you need to go,” he said. “Just hang on.”
Feeling as if she could trust him, Lily clung to the leather at her back and let her eyes drift through the window. One high rise after another came into view, and she started to rest into cab when the car came to a stop, and the driver curled around to open her door.
“Here we are, Muñequita.”
Minding the pet name much less, Lily slipped into his arms and steadied her stance around her heels. At the first step, she started to totter, but the driver caught her in his arms and ran his fingers through her flattened hair.
“You will kill it,” he said. “I am sure of it.”
Squaring her shoulders, Lily started towards the revolving door when she turned back and grabbed his chin.
“I never did catch your name,” Lily said.
“Oscar,” he said. “And you are?”
“Lily,” she said.
“Lily?”
Oscar seized her hands and kissed her fingers. She smiled at the feel of his lips and only pushed back when he released her and brushed his hands against the backs of his slacks.
“Do the thing,” he said. “Make the world know your name.”
Chapter 2
Lily waited in the expanse of a large office, windows stretching from the floor to the ceiling. More light than she wanted poured through the glass, and Lily crossed her legs as the warmth blazed over her body. She felt exposed and wondered if there was a way out when her gaze focused on the closed door. It could open again at any second, and then her fate would be sealed. But as she tried for the door and stopped in her tracks, everything locked and loaded didn’t feel like such a bad thing. Because there were ways to still work within the confines. Just ask her father, making like her and stretching his few pennies into a Christmas feast and seeing that not one of his children ever went without a smile on their faces. Lily slipped back to the plush sofa with that picture running through her mind.
“Miss Vasquez?”
The man that she knew all too well from his online profile suddenly appeared with light blonde hair and steely blue eyes, and her heart buzzed in her chest at the sight of him.
“Michael Bingham,” he said as he extended his hand and expected her to swiftly accept his touch.
“Yes,” she whispered, obliging. “I… I know.”
“So you’re already ahead of the game,” he said. “I like that.”
Michael Bingham stroked his chin and settled behind his desk as he tapped his fingers together, his touch seeming casual as he clicked at his computer and stayed staring at her face.
“I’m glad that you found your way here,” he said. “Please sit.”
Michael’s smile stayed on the monitor, and Lily sighed when he clicked on something that she could not see and leaned back in his chair.
“Walters says that you’re one to keep an eye on.”
“You studied under him, too?” she asked.
Michael reached across the desk for her hand, and Lily offered no resistance as she soaked in the feel of his fingers. As he bowed his head. Lily just saw his faint grin, and she longed to touch his face.
“Walters knows his students,” Lily said. “He said I knew what was what.”
“Explain that,” Michael insisted as he moved to the edge of his desk and waited with her fingers dripping through his. Lily liked the feel of his flesh dotting hers, and she allowed him to continue covering her hand as he left the desk and knelt at her side. Wanting to be regal, Lily started to stroke the back of his neck when Michael pulled away and laughed.
“Sometimes I think that he’s soft in the head,” Michael said. “Or maybe this turned him the wrong way around.”
She tensed when he pressed a few locks of her hair between her fingers, and Lily let him sniff her strands. His lips followed his nose, and Lily strained forward to know him better, feel him closer. She was on the verge of his lips when Michael turned his head away and stretched to his feet.
“Not that Walters ever mixed business,” Michael said. “Last thing that he advised. Because---”
“Because you have to look ahead if you ever hope to get out from under.”
Walters’ words felt natural as they passed through her lips, and Lily watched Michael cock his head to the side as he circled around her chair.
“But this is already well out from under,” he said. “Or do I need to show you where I hang my hat?”
As much as that thought suddenly appealed to her, Lily let it drop and shyly shook her head.
“Guess that’ll have to wait for another time,” he said. “But in all truth, I asked you here because I knew.”
Lily strained out of her chair, hoping, wanting to trust his words. She slipped and fell into his arms, and Michael steadied her stance as she came to rest against him.
“What did you know?” she asked.
Lily peered into his eyes, and she held her breath as Michael parted his lips. Desiring nothing but his kiss, hoping to know the feel of his tongue. Michael pulled back and smirked into her eyes.
“That I could make you bend without even trying,” he said with a smile that seemed to never know the meaning of the word no.
Wondering what kind of hell Walters had led her into, Lily pulled back and lowered her eyes.
“Professor Walters never said that.”
“Maybe.”
Michael stood taller and peered into her eyes.
“But maybe he thought you needed someone to look after you,” Michael said.
The thought was sort of sweet, but even as Lily took his hand, she fiercely shook her head.
“No. I’m here for the internship,” she said.
Michael smiled as he grazed the point of her chin.
“So you’re more than a pretty face,” he said. “Good thing. I like a smart lady.”
“Then we should get on just fine,” Lily said.
“I’m sure Walters explained what I need,” Michael continued. “Sure you’re worth more than data entry, but everyone has to start---”
“Mr. Bingham, I get that I have to pay my dues,” she said. “And I want to help you if I can.”
Michael smiled at the sound of that, and she started to grin when the door pushed open, and she leapt from her chair.
“So is this the new girl?”
Clutching Michael’s arms and trying to hide behind his back, Lily saw a coterie of suits under harsh smirks with their hands rubbing together. Michael kept her under his arms groaned at the four men in three-piece suits, all of them licking their lips
“What the…?”
Michael tried to straighten his tie when a mustachioed man slapped his back.
“So you managed to bring some tail to the table,” he said.
“What is he saying?”
Lily shook Michael hard and tried to find his eyes. Sighing, Michael hung his head and spoke softly.
“They do love a laugh at my expense,” he whispered.
“Is that why---?”
‘No,” he insisted. “But Lily…”
She heard the men laughing all around them and pressed her fingers under his chin as she peered into his eyes.
“Do you really need my help?” she muttered. “Want me to make you look good?”
“Miss Vasquez, I hardly think that you’re in any position to---”
“I do,” she said. “Here.”
Pulling Michael close, Lily kissed him softly, and she absorbed the feel of his lips as he clasped her close to his chest. His warmth felt kind, and Lily felt strong under his arms when he pushed away from her and stared hard into the eyes of the opposition.
“So someone got her good and warm. Time for some fun.”
Lily kept Michael close. Even as she wanted to hide within and around him, she still stood tall when the man with the mustache grazed his finger under her chin.
“Now the real question is, w
ho here can handle it?” he asked.
“Think you should be grateful for your day job,” Lily shot back as she cringed under the man’s touch. His buddies at his back laughed and hissed, and Lily contemplated her chances of landing the internship if she took the step of tearing the man’s whiskers from his upper lip. Hardly something that Professor Walters would ever condone, and she had her doubts if Michael Bingham would appreciate such a move. Still Lily relished the private fantasy of the man screaming in agony when Michael eased her towards a high-cornered ceiling. His eyes were harsh as he quickly glanced over his shoulder, but Lily saw a hint of warmth in his gaze, and she lightly nodded her head as Michael turned sharply to face the men head on.
“Don’t recall extending an invitation to my office, Powell,” Michael started. “You make a habit of just busting in where you’re not wanted?”
“Easy, little man,” Powell cautioned. “I was here long before you were in long pants. Probably going to here long after the fact, too.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
“You’re not too sure about a lot of things,” Powell challenged. “Just because you have the name doesn’t mean that you’re the right one for the job.”
Lily pressed her hands behind her back as Powell leered at her and lightly licked his lips.
“And why would this one want a boy when she could have a man?”
Because he reeked of too much aftershave and his teeth glistened when he spoke. Because he looked like he would take her from behind and keep her face from his eyes as he took his pleasure without a care for how she felt or even if she wanted to be bent over a desk. Because this so-called man could only feel big when putting a boy down.
“Don’t you even try---”
“Not like it hasn’t worked in the past,” Powell said. “Sort of kind of. What was her name?”
Lily’s ears perked to attention at the suggestion of someone in her shoes once before, and she had to wonder if this was a game played behind closed doors without her complete knowledge or consent. Having no desire to play the pawn, her eyes roved the room for a quick way out when Michael reached behind his back and seized her arm. His hold was firm yet gentle, and Lily leaned closer to his frame as Michael fixed his eyes on Powell’s for a split second before turning his attention to the other men.
