“Look, Jordan, I’m a chickenshit, okay? I haven’t met a woman like Anne in more years than I can remember. She pulls me in, makes me want to rope the entire world for her. The last time I felt that…well it was Brittany, although in hindsight, that entire thing was more than a bit drug-induced, and I’m sure you have an idea as to how that worked out. So I got scared. Things could be amazing between Anne and me.” He shook his head, accepting the truth to himself at the same time trying to sell it to Anne’s friend. “It scared me.”
He said nothing more, and Jordan only stared up at him for what seemed like an eternity before pulling a piece of paper out of the desk drawer and scribbling down a few lines. She slipped the paper across the desk to him but didn’t take her fingers off when he reached for it.
“That’s where she’ll be from ten until one tomorrow. She’s off the next two nights, and there’s no way in hell I’m giving you her home address, so this is the only shot you’re getting. Don’t make me regret this, because I swear to God you won’t get another chance with me, and if you hurt her again, I’ll hunt you down and do things to your testicles you won’t recover from.”
He shivered at the low, dark timbre in her voice, but she released the paper. He read the address written on it and smiled.
“I won’t mess this up, Jordan. Not a chance. And that has very little to do with the threat against my testicles.” He kissed the top of her head and left for his room. He needed some sleep because today was the day he was grabbing destiny by the balls.
Chapter Seven
It was closing in on noon by the time he pulled up to the old Victorian on the quaint, tree-lined street somewhere in the midst of Garden Grove. The presence of two squad cars parked in the driveway knotted his gut instantly. He climbed out of the red Mercedes and moved up the main walk with a need to see Anne that had far less to do with his perpetual hard-on since meeting the woman and far more to do with knowing she was safe.
“Can I help you?”
One of the officers held out a hand to stop him from going any farther. Grey reined in his anger and fear and scanned the area behind the officer. There was a small sea of people coming and going through the house’s main door, and the one thing he knew was he couldn’t see Anne.
“I’m here to see Anne Ruby.”
The officer smiled pleasantly. “You must be her ride. She’s pretty shaken. None of us thought it would be a good idea that she drive herself. She really didn’t want to bother you, but thanks for getting here so quickly.”
Grey pulled on his acting abilities to smile despite his racing heart and pounding need to see for himself that she was all right. Three officers came out of the house and moved down the walk passed him. Grey tried to listen in on their conversation but couldn’t get anything that made sense.
“You’re Grey Hendrix aren’t you?” The officer loosened his official stance even more. Grey turned his full attention back on the man, who was of Asian heritage and looked to be in his late thirties, with the first sign of gray showing up at his temples.
“I am.”
“My wife’s a big fan of yours. She must have seen your last movie a dozen times in the theater. Heh, even made me join the gym.”
Grey’s smile twisted. His last film had been a gladiator-inspired role, and he’d bulked up on muscle to an unrealistic state for it and was quite frankly glad his body was returning to its more normal state now. He always tried to be polite to his fans, especially now that he was sober and had control over his actions, but right now all he could think of was Anne. Still, he knew he could use his advantage here for leverage, so after another glance at the main door of the house, with no luck in seeing Anne, he turned back to the officer.
“That’s very humbling. Tell her I said thank you very much.”
“Yeah, some guys I’m sure would get insecure with their wife in love with another man, but I figured so long as you weren’t coming by the house every afternoon it was no big deal.”
The officer laughed. Grey joined him, not that he felt like laughing, but he did what he had to.
“So where can I find Anne?”
“Oh, right! Right this way.” The officer led him into the house where there was a small huddle of women, several crying, and a few more officers.
It only took him a moment to find her, sitting alone in a high-backed chair in the turret. She stared vacantly across the room. Anger boiled in his veins as he quickly took in the bruises on her left cheek, around the eye area, and the scratches on both her face and her arms. He pushed passed everyone and went to her.
“Anne, what happened?”
She blinked and slowly took him in, but he could tell right away she was in shock. He crouched down in front of her and took both her hands, which had been resting in her lap, and brought them to his lips. Tears glistened in her eyes, but he got the impression she hadn’t let a single one fall. He had a primal need to kill whomever had done this to her.
“Grey, why are you here?”
That story was a bit more complicated than he wanted to get into at the moment. He brushed back hair from her face. “I’m here to take you home.”
She shook her head slightly, and he knew she wasn’t buying it, but as out of it as she was, he assumed she wasn’t going to argue with him.
“Come on, baby.” He guided her to a standing position and wrapped his arm around her, thrilled when she didn’t fight him.
“Miss Ruby, we’ll be in touch if we need any more info from you.” The officer tipped his hat at her as they passed by then went back to talking to one of the other women.
“Want to tell me what the hell happened, Anne?”
“Not now.”
He could live with that, so long as she did tell him later. He couldn’t stand to see her so vulnerable and shaky. He wanted to pull her into his arms and make everything in her world right again. Halfway down the flower-lined path back to his car, Grey stopped short when he saw a determined-looking man coming at them. Grey pulled Anne to the side, thinking the guy was about to run them the hell over, but he stopped right in front of them. A bit on the short side, he had dusty brown hair, glasses, and clearly seemed agitated and upset.
“Annie, what the hell happened?”
Instinctively, Grey pulled her even closer, wrapping his arm around her just a bit tighter.
“Cole, you came.”
The guy shifted his weight and placed his hands on his hips.
“Of course I came.” He turned his glare on Grey. “And who the fuck are you?”
“I’m her friend. I’m taking her home.”
The man made an irritated sound in his throat. Grey didn’t have all the info in the world on the guy, but from the clothes he wore, he could easily say he worked in an office—most likely a cubicle—he was fit, and he was an arrogant ass. All the years Grey had spent in the BDSM scene had taught him how to recognize one in an instant. This guy was bad news for Anne, and for any woman, truthfully.
“Annie, if you already had someone to drive you, why the hell did you call me? Do you have any idea how hard it was to get away from work at this time of day?”
“I didn’t…”
“She didn’t know I was coming, and watch how you speak to her. She’s clearly had a rough morning and doesn’t need you making it any worse.”
Grey wanted to shove the guy out of the way and just push past him, but his mind wouldn’t let him forget the police watching them, or how getting arrested for assault might affect his custody case.
“Guys, stop. I did call Cole. I’ll just go with him.” She started to push Grey away, but he refused to let her go. She was his. It was written on his essence. This woman was a part of him in some way, and he wasn’t going to fuck up again with her.
“You heard her. Now let her go.”
Cole put his hands on Anne’s arm and began to pull her away, but Grey maneuvered so that he was between the two and turned his back to look at Anne.
“Baby, let me take
care of you. You don’t need someone to just take you home and drop you. You shouldn’t be alone, and I’ll stay with you as long as you want.” He pressed his palm against her cheek and was completely undone by the pained vulnerability he saw in her eyes as she dragged in a ragged breath.
What she needed from him right now was for him not to start a fight with the ass-hat she’d called to drive her home, and he saw that clearly now. Still, he had a code he lived by, and he could never allow a woman to be hurt, bullied, or maligned. There was no way he was leaving her with Cole.
“Look, she called me, she wants me, so get your hands off her and get out of my way.”
Grey knew a lot of men like Cole, arrogant as the day was long, thought they were king and that everyone need bow down to them. The circle he moved in recognized guys like this as wannabes, guys who thought they were doms, when in reality, they were just assholes. There was no way in hell he would leave Anne with him, especially when she was so vulnerable.
His gaze darted to a van that pulled up to the curb, large satellite on top. It could only mean one thing, news van, and the last thing he needed was to be captured on the six o’clock news in a fight over a woman.
He didn’t like being put in the position of having to choose between Anne and Sophie—every fiber of his being demanded he protect them both—but he saw the moment where he would have to choose between them rapidly approaching. He watched for a moment as the camera guy geared up and the female reporter looked over some notes she held on a clipboard. He needed to get out of there. His daughter needed him to get out of there. Hating everything about this, he released Anne, and Cole swept right in, taking her by the hand.
“I can’t believe all the crap you get yourself into, Annie. You have a need for drama in your life, don’t you?”
“I guess.”
She sounded so defeated it sent a crack across the surface of his heart.
“You don’t have to speak to the lady like that, ass-hat.” He cringed when the news crew looked his direction. He’d figure it out. He’d find some way to manage the situation. Hell, he had a legion of wranglers and managers on permanent staff for just this type of thing, and he’d been making life easy for them of late. Today they could earn their salaries because there was no way he could let Anne leave with that douche bag.
He let go of his fears of exposure and what that might do to his custody case. He felt the eyes of the officers shift in his direction, but he’d be cool. He wasn’t going to throw the first punch. He just needed to get Anne back into his arms where he knew she’d be safe.
“I’ll talk to her any way I damn well feel like. You don’t know her. I do.”
He started to lead her away again, but she pulled away.
“Cole, you don’t have to be so mean.”
He turned on her, and Grey instinctively stepped between them.
“You called me, babe, and what you need most is a reality check and to grow up. The world is a cold place, and your Pollyanna attitude and sweet little dreams ain’t gonna change that fact.”
Grey looked over his shoulder in time to catch the look in her eye as his words hit her. She looked gutted. He ground his teeth and breathed.
“Come on, Anne. I’m taking you home.”
He put his arm around her and felt it when she gave up what little strength she had left to him. Her need for him fed his desires to be anything she wanted.
“Fine, babe. But when this one figures out that hot body holds an ice princess beneath and decides he can get pussy elsewhere with half the hassle, you’ll be calling me up again, and you know it.”
That was all he could take. He turned so fast, he was sure his intended victim wouldn’t have the time to register he was about to be attacked. It was one hard punch to the jaw, and Cole was down on the ground. He moved just as fast back to Anne, pulling her body into his, cradling her against his chest so she wouldn’t have to see what was going on while he waited for the police to put the cuffs on him.
Grey felt a surge of satisfaction when he saw his ass go down. He smiled now, remembering the moment. He may need to call in a few favors to get out of this one, but it was worth it.
Cole shouted, “Hey! Police!”
Grey was surprised when he noticed no one was coming over. He looked at the news crew, and no one had been filming. The reporter gave him a soft smile and a nod of her head, “You’ve had a rough year, Grey, and that ass deserved it as far as I could see.”
Grey was shocked and relieved by her kindness.
“It’s been a very long time since anyone from the press has been kind to me.” He reached into his pants and pulled out his wallet. After fishing around for a sec he held out a business card to her. “That’s my manager. If I can return the favor, call him.”
She took the card and smiled a thank you.
“Hey, sarge, this man tripped on the uneven pavement here. Should I put it in the report?”
“I didn’t trip!”
The officer helped Cole to his feet.
“Really, because with the load of garbage I heard coming out of your mouth right before the fall, I just figured you’d tripped over some of it.” The officer turned to Grey. “Take Miss Ruby home. If we need any further statements, we’ll be in touch, Mr. Hendrix.”
Grey only had to consider what he was being offered for a fraction of a second before he turned and escorted Anne to his car. Once she was safely inside and seat-belted, he moved around to the driver’s side. He was becoming gravely concerned with her lack of reaction to anything around her. He rubbed her jean-clad leg once he’d driven away, but she didn’t seem to notice a thing. Finally, one tear slipped down her cheek, and his heart broke right in two.
“Anne, tell me what happened, please?”
She shook her head and closed her eyes.
“It was nothing, really. I’m just tired, Grey.”
She leaned back against the head rest, and he knew she wasn’t going to tell him a thing, and he realized how much he detested her shutting him out. He was not one ordinarily to want a lot of backstory or personal history of the women he fucked, but with Anne, he couldn’t stand to be shut out. He pulled the car into the parking lot of an office building and found a spot to park in the back under a bank of trees. He wound down the windows, shut off the motor, undid his seat belt, and turned to face her. It was time she learned that being his submissive might not always be what she wanted but was exactly what she needed.
Chapter Eight
It had been an absolute crap day. Now she was stuck in Grey’s car, with him looking at her as if she was being a recalcitrant child about to get a spanking, which should have appealed far less than it actually did.
“Anne, tell me what happened. What was that place, and why were the police there”—he reached out and placed two fingers beneath her chin, dragging her gaze back to meet his—“and for God’s sake, who hit you?”
His voice was tender but firm, and the thought that if she didn’t answer it would displease him strangled every other thought she had. She had this strange desire to please the man that made no sense, but she was too tired to figure it out or even really care.
“It’s a woman’s safe house. I volunteer three days a month.” Once she started speaking it became easier, but her emotional walls were so high, and she was feeling so much shame over the harsh words Cole had spoken, she still wasn’t sure if she could choke out the entire story.
“Okay.” He took one of her hands in his and began to run his thumb over her palm. Little bolts of electricity now hummed through her entire body. “So what happened?”
It was sort of a blur, but she thought back to where it started. “I’m running on fumes, which has an effect on my ability to make rational decisions, but the gist is that there’s a new woman there, and I caught her with drugs.”
Grey got a look on his face like he was about to watch two trains collide, and he squeezed her hand supportively.
“It wasn’t intentional. It ju
st sort of happened. I walked in a room and…Well, anyway, I know the worst thing you can do in an environment like that is bring in controlled substances, so I had to tell. She must have known I would, because when I turned to leave, she started begging me and making promises.”
“An addict’s first go-to, the empty promise.” He smiled, but the smile held an ache that ran deep. He was well versed in addict behavior, and she knew that.
“I tried being kind, but as I went to leave, she panicked. She must have known best case the drugs would be confiscated, worst case she’d be kicked out or arrested. Most of the women there are on their last straw anyway.” She shrugged like what she was about to say didn’t matter. “She attacked me.”
“Good God.”
There was something in his tone, something even more potent in the depths of his eyes, that reached out and pulled her close. It was unexpected and yet perfect, but it was her undoing, and the tears started to fall freely.
“Damn it. I hate crying.” She tried to wipe the tears away fast as if, in making them disappear, it would be as if they never fell in the first place.
He brushed her unbruised cheek ever-so gently with two fingers.
“Why? There’s nothing wrong with tears, angel. Sometimes they’re just necessary.” He leaned across the gear shift to take her into an awkward hug. “Something you need to understand about me, Anne, for as long as you’re my submissive, I expect you to let me care for you.” He moved his head far enough back that she could see his beautiful eyes and see how serious he was. “Whether you need it or not. In any way I deem fit to do so. If it pleases me to do something for you, to protect you, to care for your basic needs, to buy you something, whatever it may be, you need to allow it, and right now, it pleases me to.”
At first her intention was to push him away. She’d been taking care of herself and everyone around her since she was five years old. She didn’t need anyone taking care of her. She’d survive as she always did. She wasn’t sure she knew how to let someone else be in charge anyway, but his warmth was so intoxicating, and she was so tired that instead of pushing him away, she actually drew him closer. With her face pressed against his shoulder, she let every tear she’d bottled up for the last ten years fall. Maybe it was because he’d given her permission to do so, but every heartbreak, every failure, every time she’d felt broken or wrong or unacceptable, all came to the surface, and she cried for the girl she’d always been who just pushed away the hurt and carried on. She wasn’t that girl in this moment, though. In this moment, she was a woman who now had an intoxicatingly sexy man with his arms around her, telling her it was actually okay to cry.
Lucas, Samantha - The Seduction of Anne Ruby [The Seduction 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 9
