Love in Troubled Times

by Gayle Riley

  I had nothing to say in response. It was still hard to make sense of what he was telling me. But it was clear from the look in his eyes that he wasn’t lying.

  “So was your father a—” I couldn’t quite get the words out. Maybe I was afraid to offend him. Maybe I still couldn’t believe that the wolf and the man were the same being.

  Thankfully, he didn’t have trouble understanding what I was trying to ask him.

  “A wolf, you mean,” he said with a smile. “Yes, he was a wolf as well. That’s why he chose to live so deeply in the woods. This is where we were meant to live. I feel at home here.”

  He turned his eyes away from me and sighed. Suddenly it seemed like he had been overcome by an extreme sadness.

  I reached out and touched his arm. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  He took a minute before answering. I feared that I had done something to upset him.

  Before I could ask, he turned and looked at me. “I am very happy that my father chose to raise me in this environment. There’s no way I would have been able to tolerate life in the city. But because I’ve spent all of my life here, I have different problems than he ever experienced.”

  “Like what?” I asked.

  Instead of answering the question, he kissed me gently on the lips then began to pull back. But I wouldn’t let him. I pulled him down on top of me.

  I opened my mouth wide and he slipped his masterful tongue inside it. We kissed hungrily and began tearing at each other’s clothes.

  We made love for hours in his bed. And we stayed in each other’s arms until morning.

  Chapter 10

  When I woke up, I reached out to the other side of the bed. It was empty. For a moment, I was seized by panic. But I quickly got a hold of myself. I could hear movement in the rest of the house and I could clearly smell food cooking.

  I looked under the covers at my naked body. I really enjoyed staring at my curves. And I was excited that I had finally found a man who could appreciate them as well.

  I smelled like sweat and sex and I felt like washing off before I went down stairs.

  After showering, I slipped into a silk bathrobe and walked out of the bedroom. I made my way down a long, winding staircase.

  Colin was waiting for me with a tray in his hands.

  When I got to the bottom of the stairs, he smiled and kissed me on the lips. “I didn’t make this food,” he said. “But I wouldn’t allow anyone else to serve it to you.”

  I blushed and thanked him.

  “You have your own chef?”

  “Yes, as you might imagine, I have quite the appetite.”

  “I think I could imagine that,” I said a twinkle in my eyes, wondering when I would get to experience his voracious sexual appetite.

  He leaned down and kissed me gently on the lips, cupping my face in his strong hands. I gazed into his eyes. They were dazzling, sparkling, penetrating. They were eyes that I wanted to wake up next to every morning for the rest of my life.

  I pulled Colin down on top of me. I could feel his hard dick pressing into my thigh. I closed my eyes and moaned as I reached out for his cock.

  “I can’t wait to feel you inside of me,” I said. “You make me so wet.”

  He smiled and kissed me lustily on the mouth, his tongue darting in and out, sloshing around.

  As the large head of his cock pushed into my wet pussy, pleasure and excitement gripped my body. He grabbed my ass with both his hands and thrust even deeper. I could feel the juices oozing out of my pussy. I wrapped my legs around his torso, dug my heels into his ass urging him to fuck me, to fuck me harder and deeper. My body trembled. My voice quivered.

  The next day I moved all of my belongings into Colin’s forest compound. I knew that I would be staying there for a long time.

  THE END

  Bonus 28 of 30

  Black Hawk

  Description

  Olivia

  She had a debt to pay after the death of her parents. Swamped in medical bills, Olivia couldn’t risk being out of work. After being fired from her last job for kneeing the boss in the balls, Olivia was at her wits’ end. She found herself working for two billionaires as their secretary.

  Jack and Reese

  Controlling men who took what they wanted without bearing the consequences.

  Both were tempted by her and they wanted to possess her.

  Both wanted to pleasure her.

  At the same time.

  But, more than all, they were desperate to breed her.

  Will they be able to claim her?

  Chapter 1

  Olivia

  Madison, Georgia was a small, quaint town with tiny cottage-style houses. It was beautifully picturesque. Cobblestone pathways blanketing the streets between rustic buildings. The flowers were blooming and the trees bursting with life. The mountains peeking behind the picturesque town added to the mix. When the rays of the sun peeked from the clouds, and hit the lake perfectly, the town looked lively and beautiful.

  Today was one of those days, where everything was picturesque. But it was a stark contrast compared to my life. I had a shitty day. I was fired from my job at the Little Cupcake Dreams as the accountant. The owner leered at me all the time and I always chose to ignore it. Because I need the job to pay over the leftover bills that escalated ever since my parents passed away.

  Losing one of them was hard enough, but losing them both within a year was hard enough. I barely finished college when I got the call that Mom had breast cancer. We lost her six months later and my dad succumbed a year later, dying of heartbreak.

  I was twenty-four years old and I was up to my neck in debt. Hence, I could not afford to get fired. But today my boss went too far when he groped me by the kitchen. Apparently, he thought me choosing to ignore him was an invitation.

  I grabbed the closest thing and I threw it at him, which happened to be that morning’s cake batter. Suffice to say, he fired me on the spot and, on top of that, he had to deal with the lost business which gave me a moment of satisfaction, I thought grimly.

  I was walking along those picturesque cobblestone pathways, twirling my umbrella lost in my thoughts, when I bumped into something hard and solid. I was stopped in my tracks and then I found myself staring up into the grayest eyes, like stormy clouds, I’ve ever seen. If the man’s firm hands weren’t bracketing my arms to catch my fall, I would have bounced right onto my ass.

  I pushed my hair out of my eyes and apologized to the man I had so rudely collided with him, lost in my thoughts. My eyes wandered over to his broad shoulders. I had to look up at him from over the top of my glasses, since he was well over six feet tall.

  His hands, which were still on my biceps, steadying me, were long fingered and callused against my bare skin. Those stormy eyes softened, locking with mine for a moment, before anger took hold.

  “Watch where you’re going,” he grumbled.

  I was taken back by his rude tone and wanted to push back. With each second his arms are wrapped around me, tightly, my panic should be escalating but instead I melted into his arms.

  Ever since I was the accountant at the bakery and forced myself to live through Carl’s leers and jeers, I suffered from random panic attacks from situations i couldn’t control.

  I tipped my head forward and buried my face into his suit jacket, letting the tears fall. It was a horrible day and, somehow, I stole comfort from this stranger. It felt good to have someone hug me even if that hug was one-sided. It had been so long since someone hugged me.

  The stranger stood there, letting me seek solace in his arms. That is until he had had enough.

  I felt my body flush with awareness, despite the chill in the air, and I stepped out of the man’s hold.

  “Who made you cry?” he gritted out, wrapping one arm around my waist, keeping me in the cradle of his arms, which was odd, given his temperament.

  After a couple of seconds, I decided to answer him. I sniffled. “I got fired from my job tod
ay.”

  “Why?”

  “My boss, Carl, grabbed my backside.” I teared up again at the thought of being violated. To have another man’s hands on me without consent was degrading and revolting.

  The stranger tensed, his hands curled into fists and his jaw clenched.

  “Where did you work?”

  “I needed that job. I have to repay my parents’ medical debt. They both passed away within a year last year.” I hiccupped and rambled. I had no idea why I was confessing to this stranger. Maybe it was the fact that I would never see him again and confessing made me feel lighter and stronger. I felt relieved at laying everything out.

  I felt his lips press on the top of my head after a moment. The kindness of the gesture was at odds with the anger I felt exuding from him.

  I started to pull back and step away and apologize for heaving my burden on him, but before I could move, he wrapped both arms around me and tightened his hold. My glasses were crushed and the lens turned foggy but I didn’t care.

  “You need a job?” he asked gruffly.

  I stepped back, disentangling myself from his arms and gazed up at him. His aquiline nose and grey eyes and square jaw made him look aristocratic. Old noble. Even if he was angry at first, his upbringing couldn’t prevent him from being kind. It was present in that rigid way he held himself. Trying to hold back and help a person in need by offering me a job.

  And I needed the job. So I took the offer. “Yes.” I was desperate.

  He glanced at me, amusedly. “My business partner, Reese, needs a secretary.” He pulled out a card out of his back pocket. “Come tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. We’ll conduct an interview.” He tipped his head and walked away, having decided my intrusion in his life to be over.

  For now.

  I stood there in the cobblestone pathway, people milling about, and questioned myself. I was hesitant to accept the job.

  I looked down at the pale gray business card.

  Jack Black

  Black Hawk

  CEO

  Chapter 2

  Olivia

  The building was tall, stark and forbidding against the blue sky. It took up about a quarter of the block. All steel grey and glass windows. I double checked the address from the card in my hand to make sure I was at the right place. It was an hour drive into the city from home. I didn’t often venture out to the city, but when I did I was taken away by the busy streets and skyscrapers.

  My palms were sweaty when I smoothed out my pencil skirt. I took a deep breath and entered the building.

  Glass and chrome, modern and sleek. The vibe of the lobby was airy and open. A woman in her mid-thirties manned the security desk. She looked up with a generic smile, “How can I help you?”

  All of a sudden, I felt the panic beginning in my abdomen which was akin to a spark plug. My breathing became rapid and shallow. I had the primal urge to flee. I bent at the waist and placed my hands on my knees when I felt the room spinning.

  I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing. They were coming in gasps while my heart was hammering in my chest.

  In and out.

  Inhale. Exhale.

  I dimly felt arms encircling my waist and I was lifted from the ground, cuddled against suit cladded chest. I curled into the chest, my limbs trembling and tear streaking my cheeks.

  When I felt more in control of my body, I opened my eyes and gazed into stormy clouds.

  Jack.

  Another face came into my view. He was simply arresting. Gorgeous. Obsidian eyes clouded against golden, sun embedded skin. His brows were furrowed as he took me in. Worry encased his face.

  He was worried for me and he didn’t even know me.

  “Deep breaths. Focus on my counting. 1…2…3,” he rasped out.

  That made me want to cry all over again as I focused on my shallow breaths, slowly my panic attack ebbing. I wasn’t normally a crier, but these recent months have forced me to succumb to my tears.

  The silence was broken when the elevator dinged signaling its arrival.

  The ding jolted me awake and present.

  “I can walk,” I said, stiffly. To say I was embarrassed was an understatement. I had a panic attack before I could interview. It was the worst impression.

  Jack slowly put me down, his arms hovering to make sure I was steady on my feet.

  “Ms. Cole, I trust you are okay?” Jack asked me.

  “Yes, Mr. Black,” I answered shakily.

  He nodded toward the other man who watched our exchange silently.

  “Reese, meet Ms. Olivia Cole. Ms. Cole, Reese Hawk. The other half of Black Hawk. You’ll be interviewing for him.”

  I looked back at Jack. They still wanted to interview me? “I-I thought…”

  “It would be an asshole move by us if we were to discriminate against panic attacks,” Reese spoke amusedly.

  The elevator dinged again after the first one left.

  Jack extended his hand towards the elevator. “After you,” his deep, husky voice rang out.

  With two tall, broad shouldered men, the elevator seemed quite claustrophobic. Whereas Jack was lighter eyes and hair made him more relaxed and adventurous, Reese dark eyes and hair made him look dangerous with his brooding nature.

  Their shoulders brushed mine on each side when the elevator moved up and I shivered. Combined, the effect of having two men in close proximity was devastating.

  After what seemed like the longest elevator ride, we got off on the thirty-ninth floor. Dark wood and fresh incense permeated the air. Another receptionist rose once Jack and Reese exited from the elevator.

  “We had a late start this morning. Hold my meetings,” Reese spoke in a voice that brooked no argument.

  “Right away, sir,” the receptionist responded.

  “I can come back another day,” I responded, guiltily. My panic attacked had pushed us back. I didn’t want to be inconvenience.

  They just kept walking, not even bothering to give me a response.

  Okay, then, I thought as I followed them, fastening my pace to keep up with their long-legged stride.

  We entered a corner office that had the view of the city spread out across two huge windows that took up the two corner walls. The view was breathtaking. It was as if they controlled the city from how high we were and we were the pawns in the chess game.

  “I hope it’s not a problem if I stay in on this interview,” Jack said. He knew I wouldn’t say no. I couldn’t, not when he had gotten me the interview.

  Being interviewed by Reese alone was intimidating enough, but adding Jack to the mix would be hard as is. But I couldn’t say no.

  “It’s not a problem,” I replied.

  Reese shut the door and rounded his desk, settling into his huge office chair. Jack and I took the seat across from his desk.

  “Jack tells me you were fired from your last job after a man groped you.”

  “Yes.” I turned in my seat to face Jack. “I meant to ask you. How did you know my name?” We never introduced ourselves yesterday. In my panic state of mind, I couldn’t ask then.

  He steepled his fingers across his lips and smiled. “I have my ways, sweetheart.”

  Reese redirected the conversation. “My last secretary is on a maternity leave. We’re an accounting firm that deal with high profile clients and we’re in need of a secretary who can handle our busy schedules and travel with us if need be. When need be.”

  I focused on one word. “Us?” I repeated.

  Reese grinned. “Jack didn’t tell you? We like to share everything.” He stressed on the everything.

  The innuendo was sexual and hot. But surely, that’s not what he meant, I thought as I shook my head.

  Since the death of my parents, I had no one tying me home. “I can handle it.”

  Chapter 3

  Reese

  My cock was already throbbing with anticipation and I leaned back in my chair to take her in of what was to come. I’m not sure how I made it through t
his interview.

  It’s what we’ve wanted, Jack and I, and I pulled the trigger. “You’re hired.”

  Ever since Jack mentioned her yesterday, I was intrigued. Her innocence and strength had captivated him when he bumped into her yesterday. And he was right. She was perfect. Her petite frame and chestnut hair curled into a bun that was begging to be strewn across our sheets. Her creamy porcelain skin and green eyes begged me to dirty her. Her glasses were meant to be fogged up when we fucked her.

  She didn’t know it, yet, but she was ours when she strutted her lush ass into our office and accepted the secretary position. We didn’t have a secretary position, since our receptionist was more than capable.

  But Jack made it up. He wanted her. I wanted her.

  Jack and I shared everything since our college days. We’ve been together since and busted our asses to get through our MBAs. Today we have the most successful accounting firm in all of Atlanta. Together, we ran it with such precision just like we do with everything. Olivia will be no exception to that rule.

  I caught Jack’s eyes and nodded. She was it. Her cunt would be filled by us and her belly with our babies. I shifted in my seat as my cock threatened to burst free.

  “Any boyfriend?” I asked even though I knew the answer. Jack had done a full background check on her yesterday. The perks of being a billionaire and having clients owe us.

  Her father recently passed from a heart attack. Her mother passed away from breast cancer. She was up to her neck in loans. Her old boss was in the hospital, nursing his broken nose for touching her without permission.

  “No,” she responded.

  “Good.” I said without thinking.

  Her eyes widened. Jack quickly took control. “It’s good because that means less complications and attachments. You will be a hundred percent committed to the job.”

  She relaxed. Although we knew what we wanted from her, we didn’t want to scare her and cause her to run away.

  She was like an injured animal, vulnerable and skittish and prone to bolt at the first inclination of danger. My eyes lazily traveled down her body, from her tits to the soft curve of her stomach. Her presence makes me so unbelievably hard.