“Have you worked for Nolan long?”
“A little over two years.”
“Do you like it?”
“Sometimes not so much.”
“Why is that? He treats you right, doesn’t he?”
“Oh yes, Nolan is a great boss, but events like these become boring.”
“Boring?”
“Yes, people are fake, and no one seems to be who they are or want to reveal who they are. To be honest, I’d rather sit at a bar, watching a football game, eat hot wings, and drink a few beers with friends.”
He chuckled.
Aurik looked over her breasts, which were pouring from her top. She wondered if Louisa’s advice was all wrong for tonight, although she did see a few men she knew that were lawyers. One even competed in the same Spartan event that she had last year.
“You do not look like the beer-drinking type,” he said to her.
She chuckled. “Don’t tell me that you don’t enjoy watching some sporting event on TV and drinking beers, eating chips, and getting all rowdy while cheering on your team,” she said to him.
He chuckled. “The things I find to be entertaining as sporting events are not traditional ones.” As he told her that, he was awfully serious, and she didn’t quite know what he meant, but her gut clenched.
“Like what?” she asked.
She felt his hand slide a little lower at her back and draw her closer.
“Do you really want to know?”
She held her ground. “Hmm, I’m not certain when you say it like that.”
“There are a lot of different traditions in my country. Lots of ways to deal with the violence in the streets, to make money, and to provide a thrilling experience for the wealthy. One being open fighting.”
“You mean to submission and in a warehouse like street fighting?”
“To death,” he whispered.
The song ended, and she pulled back slightly, feeling shocked at his words.
He squinted at her. “It’s quite lucrative and also amazing to watch men fight for their lives.” He stroked her cheek. “Perhaps I will take you one day and show you how arousing it can be.” His hand firmed on her hip.
“Sounds barbaric to me, Aurik, and I find no need to leave this great country of mine.”
“Pina, may I cut in?” Keno interrupted, and Pina actually felt relieved. Aurik was some sort of monster. Aurik narrowed his eyes at Keno.
“For a few minutes you can, but then Pina will be joining me, Ivan, Liam, and Nolan for drinks and to discuss another potential deal.” He took her hand, kissed the top of it, and walked away with his two goons alongside him.
Keno wrapped his arm around her waist and whisked her farther toward the hallway, near the end of the dance floor.
“He wants you, and it’s pissing me off.”
She had to hold on to Keno tight or she would fall. He was practically dragging her along the dance floor. She gripped his arms.
“Keno, slow down, or I’ll fall.”
He narrowed his eyes at her and then slowed his pace and looked over her breasts.
“He is not the right kind of man for you. You need to stay clear of him, understood?”
“He is not my type of man either, and it’s difficult to stay clear when my boss gets invited to these events and I am forced to come along with him. I’m not exactly happy about being here.”
He gripped her snugly and whispered into her ear. “I want to be alone with you. You do things to me, Pina. I see you and I want.”
She pulled back. “I told you that I’m not interested, Keno. Why can’t you just leave me alone?”
“I can’t.”
“Why? Harassing my parents and me for over a year after killing my brother and making us pay off his debt was not enough torture? Now you want to try and push yourself on me? I will not be ordered around by you or Liam. My debt is paid.” She went to step back, and he pulled her hard against his chest. She gasped and looked around them to see if anyone had noticed, and she locked gazes with Clark. He was dressed in a suit and standing in the corner of the room.
She pushed against Keno’s shoulders.
“You don’t seem to understand how this works. I am trying to be patient, but you are giving me no choice. I’m not a bad man. I can make you very happy in bed, and in life.”
She snorted and felt the tears fill her eyes. She whispered to him, “I don’t date criminal killers or sleep with them. My body is precious to me.”
“Watch it, Pina. Accusing me of such acts could bring you more trouble than you can handle.”
“It isn’t an accusation. I’m not stupid, Keno. Brian was dealing drugs for you and Liam. He screwed up by skimming off the top, using the drugs, and also trying to sell some of what he skimmed for extra cash. You and Liam found out and put a hit on him. You’re so evil and screwed up you wanted to continue to seek revenge on him for double crossing you, so you hit us up for money Brian owed. Like I said. I’m not stupid. I just chose to be smart and to know that cops can’t help situations like that.”
“In that little tale you just told, the only truth is that cops can’t help you. No one can, Pina. You’ll always be on my radar. I warned you that once a debt is owed and paid to Liam he owns you. The choice for you might come down to either being his lover or being mine, and right now, I’d take my chances to ensure that it’s my bed you’re in and not the boss’s.”
“You have no right.” She pulled back, and he smirked at her. He licked his lips and stared at her body as though imagining how he would remove this dress.
“Don’t get angry, Pina. There’s nowhere to run and no one that can help you or your parents. Which, by the way, are on a boating excursion right now. Those can be very dangerous. I hope there won’t be in an accident.”
Her eyes widened, and she turned around and walked away. She stormed down the hallway and into the bathroom. Gripping the sink, she saw how flushed her face was, felt the anger boiling in her veins. She hated Keno and Liam, hated them, and now it seemed as if she was in more danger than before. He was going to force himself on her and try to make her his lover. What was she going to do?
She fixed herself up and took a few deep breaths. She had to be smart and be strong. She was so scared she was shaking. As she exited the ladies’ room and turned to the left, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her back to the right. She gasped when she felt the strong grasp on her upper arm, and then she caught sight of Clark. He scanned a card over a special lock pad by a door and pulled her inside. It was dark in there, and he caged her in against the wall.
“Who are you working for? Liam or Aurik?” he demanded to know.
“What?”
“Don’t fucking lie to me.” He raised his voice, and she tightened up and felt the tear roll down her cheek.
“I’m not working for anyone. What are you talking about?”
“They’re fighting over you. Aurik’s hand was practically on your ass. What was he whispering to you that got you to look so scared? What did Keno say to you as he held you forcefully against him? What?” he asked through clenched teeth.
“Nothing. They’re being pushy. It’s some competition between them, and I don’t even want to be here.”
She turned to move, and he gripped her by her hips, and she gasped.
“You’re fucking lying. Do I need to show you what soldiers do to get a criminal to talk?”
She shook her head.
“Why are you letting Keno touch you and act possessive of you if you aren’t interested in him?”
She thought about telling him the truth. Was it too late? Was her destiny already set in stone?
He slid his hands up her hips to her shoulders, giving her a light shove.
“What? Goddamn it, if you’re working with them to hurt our company and our friends, I don’t care about how my brothers feel about you. I’ll make you suffer.”
More tears fell. “I’m scared, Clark, and I don’t know who to trust.” She bl
inked as more tears fell from her lashes.
“Why are you scared? What do they have on you?”
“My brother worked for Liam years ago as a dealer. He betrayed them, stole from them, and Keno killed him and made it look like a drug deal gone badly. My parents and I didn’t even have contact with Brian. We didn’t know who Liam or Keno were, just that this guy showed up for two years and said L.R. sent him and he made us pay off the debt Brian owed. We finally paid off the debt. I hadn’t known at the time that Liam was the man my brother screwed over or that the man collecting was Keno’s brother.”
“You paid off the debt though. I’m not understanding.”
“Keno said that once you owe, and even pay a debt to Liam, he owns you for life.”
Clark squinted at her. He looked over her mouth, her breasts, and then the tears in her eyes. “What is he asking you to do now for him?”
“Nothing. They just decided that they want me in their beds, and Keno’s willing to fight Liam and Aurik for me.”
“Aurik, too?”
She nodded. “I didn’t even want to be here or to be involved with these people, but Nolan was insistent. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
He spoke into his mic. “You get all that?” he asked, and her eyes widened.
Other people were listening in? What if it were someone connected to Liam or Keno?
“How could you? One of their men could hear. Oh God.” She tried pulling away, and he wrapped her in his arms and pulled her against his chest.
“It was only my brothers and the James brothers who heard.”
He cupped her cheeks and stared down into her eyes. “I won’t let him get his hands on you. None of them.”
She shook her head. “You can’t help me. He threatened my parents’ lives again. They were hurt once before, years ago when we were late in a payment. They’re monsters.” Her voice cracked.
“We’ll help you.”
She shook her head. “Clark, you can’t get involved in this.”
“We are already involved with this.”
She squinted at him.
They stared at each other, and then Clark covered her mouth and kissed her. He pulled her back from the wall and ran his hands along her curves, then over her ass. His other hand cupped her head as he devoured her moans and explored her mouth thoroughly. He squeezed her ass, then ran his palm up her hip to her breast. He cupped the mound and stroked her nipple, then released her lips and suckled against her neck. The straps to her dress lowered, and he pushed the material down, exposing one large, plump breast, and he began to feast on it. She held his head against her breast, absorbing the feel of his teeth and tongue suckling, and then she gripped his shoulders.
“Oh God, Clark, we have to stop. Oh God, please we have to stop.”
He released her breast with a plop.
“You’re a seductress, a goddess. I’ve never wanted to fuck someone so desperately.”
She gasped. Her face felt flush, and cream dripped from her cunt.
“Tell me you want me. Tell me you want my brothers, too.”
She shook her head, and more tears fell. She couldn’t deny that she did want them, but she couldn’t put them into this danger. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.
“I won’t let them hurt any of you. I couldn’t live with that.”
He held her tight and caressed her back until they both calmed their breathing. When she pulled back and looked at him, he looked wild, hungry, and she knew that she was more than ready to lose her virginity and sleep with these men, even if it were for just one night. It would have to be because Keno, Liam, or Aurik were out to force a claim on her, and right now, she didn’t think she had any options at all.
* * * *
Clark gripped Pina’s hand and wouldn’t let her go.
“They’ll be looking for me.”
“You need to realize something right now. I don’t care.” He stroked her cheek and drew her closer, kissing her again. His heart pounded inside. He felt wild, angry, possessive. The thought that these men wanted Pina in their beds, and that they were men out to destroy him and his brothers’ company, just made him want her even more. She pulled from his lips.
“Please, Clark. I’ve told you too much. We’ve done too much.” She went to turn, and he pulled her back by her waist and pressed her against the wall.
“It’s not enough. I want you. I can protect you from these men, and so can my brothers.” She shook her head, and he could see the tears filling up her gorgeous hazel-green eyes.
“How?”
“All you have to do is trust us.”
She looked into his eyes. He could see the fear, the uncertainty, and his gut clenched, making him think she had been hurt so badly in her life that trust did not come easy. It didn’t come easy for him. Hell, he wasn’t even saying or thinking that he trusted her, but here he was asking her to trust him.
He heard Knox’s voice in his earpiece telling him that Keno was looking for her, and he was pissed off. Clark just stared at her.
She ran her palms up his chest. “I have to go out there.”
He clenched his teeth. “At the end of the evening, I’ll walk you to your car.”
“You can’t. It will make matters worse. I’ll get away from him. I’ll handle it.”
She went to go, but he just couldn’t seem to let her. He squeezed her to him and kissed her neck, absorbing her perfume and the delicate feel of her in his arms. No woman had ever affected Clark like this.
He stepped back, fixed her lipstick, and then opened the door. She slid out first, and he closed the door and leaned his head against it.
“Are you okay?” Knox asked him through the earpiece.
“Fuck no, I’m not.”
“You need to be. You shouldn’t even be showing your face with Aurik around.”
“Ivan isn’t here though.”
“No, and right now, Mercury’s men are trying to figure out why.”
“You heard what she said, Knox,” Clark whispered.
“We all did. We’ll discuss it later. Right now dinner is about to be served, and some other guests just arrived.”
Clark took a deep breath and fixed his tux. Pina’s perfume lingered on his clothing, and the thought of how delicious she tasted made him want to see more of her. Then came his own fears. If they did make love, would she find his scars disgusting? Maybe his brothers could be the ones to claim her and he could just help to protect her.
As he exited the room and came down the hallway, he locked gazes with one of Aurik’s men. He knew immediately that the man knew he’d been with Pina. Clark didn’t give him a second glance as he headed through the crowd and to the surveillance room.
* * * *
Pina met up with Nolan, and he took her hand and pulled her toward the side doors.
“Where were you?”
“The ladies’ room.”
“For that long? Keno, Liam, and Aurik were looking for you.”
“For what? I’m here, aren’t I? I thought you brought Delores so she could be the eye candy you think you need with these men.”
“They aren’t interested in her. Not when they’ve already gotten to know you. They’re practically challenging one another for you.”
“That’s sick. I think I’m going to head home.”
“You can’t.”
“Why can’t I?”
“They expect you to join them, us, for dinner. Aurik and Liam are offering me this deal, but you’re part of it.”
“Me? What deal?”
“I can’t get into it now, but it involves me getting rare art, some jewels, and other items on the down-low.”
She squinted at Nolan. “You mean stolen items. Jesus, Nolan, what the hell are you thinking getting involved with these men and doing something so criminal?”
“I need to. I did a deal already. That’s what started it.”
“You mean the storage facility at the museum? You’
re covered by the contract even if they are storing illegal items there.”
“No, not that. I already purchased things.”
She thought about it a moment as she stared at him, losing any respect she had for her boss.
“You mean the fifty thousand I heard you talking about?”
His eyes widened. “Yes. There were stolen items in there. I don’t know where they came from, although it would be easy to find out, and I can’t display them.”
“Then why buy them?”
“To sell them off to other buyers. It’s all a game of sorts, and these wealthy businessmen want the art or jewels to display in their homes or special locations. No one would ever find out.”
“If it’s so profitable and safe, then why don’t Liam and Aurik do it and make the money?” she asked.
“Because they have bigger fish to fry. They’re working on something huge.”
“Nolan, you can’t get involved with them. Tell them you don’t want to do this. Tell them.”
“No, it’s too late. Now do your part and be nice. These men would think nothing of making you disappear,” he threatened her, and she felt her gut clench and fear fill her heart.
“Where is Delores?” she asked, and when she looked around, she spotted Keno. He stared at her and then curled his finger for her to come to him.
She made a funny face and shook her head. “Is he kidding me?”
Nolan gave her back a little push. “Go to him.”
“Absolutely not.”
“You’re a smart woman, Pina. You can’t tell me that you haven’t picked up on their desire for you.”
“I’m not interested.”
“You need to play nice. The art pieces are being dropped off in the next few days, and I’ll need you at the museum when they arrive.”
“That isn’t my job, Nolan. Get Delores to do it, and you know what? I may be taking the next few days off.”
She turned around and walked out the side door. She was fuming as she headed into the darkness, and then she heard the voices around the corner. She stopped and listened, looking over her shoulder to be sure no one followed her.
Aurik was standing there talking to two men while holding a cell phone to his ear.
Tequila Sunrise [Love on the Rocks 4] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Page 12
