Partners (Fire & Lies - One)

by Lilliana Anderson

  “I want that too,” she whispered, her body stretching to accommodate his length and girth as he serviced her with lazy strokes, pushing and pulling at her insides, hitting every glorious nerve with his tender friction. “Oh.” The gasp escaped her lips as his mouth moved to suck gently on her neck and his teeth pulled at her skin, tasting her, marking her. His fingers curled and pressed into flesh, holding her tight as he pushed inside knowing that he was never going to get enough of this woman.

  “You feel so fucking amazing wrapped around my cock,” he growled, thrusting and pulling her against him, as if they could somehow merge and stay within their bliss for eternity.

  This was the first union between them that wasn’t absolutely frantic and he spoke to her softly, moving within her as she spoke to him. They spoke of their need for each other. Of how they’d never felt anything greater than what they felt together. Something bigger than both of them was pulling them together and they promised each other that this was it. This was everything they ever wanted or needed. They had found their place in the world, and it was with each other. The rest would work itself out later.

  And as they shuddered together, gasping out words of love and sacrifice, they sealed their promises with a slow and tender kiss. Eventually falling asleep, joined as they had wished.

  At the time, every whispered promise they’d made to each other had been true. But unfortunately, life doesn’t always let you have what you want. Broken rules have a consequence. A consequence that Chloe was going to discover before the afterglow of true lovemaking had even left her cheeks.

  ***

  Walking into work the next morning, Chloe couldn’t stop the grin that continued to spread across her face. She bowed her head, trying to conceal it so she didn’t appear foolish. But she couldn’t contain it. That morning was the first when despite barely sleeping the night before, she had woken up full of energy, full of hope, full of direction. She was going to go her own way. Make her own choices. Something special had happened between her and Aiden. Something bigger than her father’s plans.

  She knew that what she was doing would anger her father. But she also hoped that he loved her enough to want her to be happy. As it was, she wasn’t happy at all. She didn’t want the life she had been given. She wanted another life all together, one filled with love and emotion. She wanted to love Aiden. She wanted to fight with him, struggle with him, then make up and do it all over again. That to her, seemed like it would be heaven.

  Letting out a happy sigh, she placed her bag beside her desk then shook off her jacket, hanging it over the back of her chair before she turned to look out the window at the city beneath her, bathed in sunshine, the sky clear and blue–it seemed to reflect the joy in her heart.

  Turning toward the soft tapping on her office door, Chloe’s eyes met those of Audrey Sargent, her father’s personal assistant.

  “Good morning, Audrey,” she practically sang, as she smiled at the woman who was the wall between the world and her father, controlling his appointment book to the second.

  “Your father would like to see you,” she said, her expression devoid of any light. It caused Chloe’s smile to falter as she realised that Audrey was most likely camped out and waiting for her to arrive. Audrey pursed her lips. “He’s been waiting quite a while for you to get in.” She raised her eyebrows at Chloe before she turned and flounced off, letting her know that they had all noticed her tardiness that morning.

  Following her out, Chloe rolled her eyes, thinking that it was nice that they all noticed the one day that she was late, but they never seemed to notice all the nights she stayed late.

  “Chloe. We’re glad you could make it,” Terry Donovan said when she entered his office. And the word ‘we’re’ caused her to look to the couches that sat in the large windowed alcove of his office. He rarely saw clients in there, but when he did, they were always very important people who were treated to the best services the company had to offer. It was then that her heart stopped and the light and happy feeling she’d been revelling in all morning plummeted and formed a pit of darkness in her stomach. Sitting on the couches were Michael and Sebastian Goldsmith. Her father-in-law and husband to be…

  “Chloe,” Michael said as he stood up. “I trust you’ve been well. We haven’t had the pleasure of a visit from you at the house lately.”

  She swallowed the lump in her throat as her eyes dropped to the iPad in his hands before she glanced at each man in turn. What was going on here?

  “I’ve been working a lot,” she tried to explain although, truthfully, the moment she had met Aiden, she’d barely seen any of them. She didn’t want to be reminded of her obligation.

  “Working. I see,” he stated, lifting the tablet and activating the screen. “I find this all very interesting…work,” he said, holding the screen out for her to see.

  On it, was security footage of her with Aiden. She swallowed again, her mouth feeling so dry that she struggled with the motion. “What is this?” she asked, watching the different clips of Aiden in her office talking to her, of them standing close in the elevator, of them disappearing briefly into a security blind spot before re-emerging moments later. Then it showed them again, going into that blind spot, but only the next time, the cameras had been adjusted and they were recorded. It showed her pulling on Aiden’s tie, whispering in his ear–teasing him.

  “I don’t know what you’re implying here. This just shows two people flirting,” she stated, looking up at the glint in Michael Goldsmith’s eyes before she glanced at Sebastian whose eyes were averted. She then looked to her father who didn’t appear very impressed at all. “It’s just flirting,” she repeated, her voice smaller and less unsure than it had been before.

  “Keep watching, Chloe. It gets better,” Michael said, jumping the video ahead slightly to show Aiden’s car pulling up outside his house. Her mouth dropped open as her heart began to thud against her chest. She knew what came next.

  Seeing herself with her legs wrapped around Aiden’s waist as he carried her to his door, stopping to kiss and grope and rub themselves against each other, Chloe needed to shut her eyes and turn away. They had cheapened what went on last night by filming it.

  With her eyes glassy with emotion, she turned to her father. “I can’t believe you had me followed,” she accused through gritted teeth. His response was silent and his demeanour remained stoic, implying that she had brought this upon herself. Inhaling deeply, she tried to regain some sort of control on the rage that coursed through her body, causing her to shake with the need to strike out and slap that tablet out of Michael Goldsmith’s hands. Her nails dug into her palms, breaking the skin as a growl came out of her throat. “That’s enough. Turn it off.”

  Michael smiled. He was one of those men who became more attractive as he aged, with straight white teeth, salt and pepper hair and a charm about him that those who didn’t know his real personality fell prey to more often than not. But Chloe knew him all too well, and his smile sickened her.

  “Are you sure? It only gets better. There’s some rather interesting up-against-a-wall action, and the one where he has you bent over the kitchen bench and pulls your hair is my personal favourite. If you weren’t an engaged woman, I’d call Aiden Price a very lucky man. Does he know that you’re engaged Chloe?”

  She looked away, dropping her eyes to the floor in a scowl.

  “I didn’t think so.” He pressed the iPad up against her chest, forcing her to take hold of it. “You can keep that. For prosperity’s sake, because I’m sure that this was just a single incident that won’t be happening again. It would be very embarrassing to both you and our family if something like this got out only two weeks before the wedding. And I can’t imagine what would happen to Mr Price. I understand he’s preparing to open up a club of sorts. It would be terrible if those permits all fell through. And if that isn’t enough to dissuade you from contacting him again, I’m sure he’d be rather upset if his sister’s–”

&nbs
p; “Don’t,” she growled over the top of him, her face burning with embarrassment and anger.

  Goldsmith’s eye narrowed slightly as he assessed her quietly. “Good girl,” he said, seeming satisfied that she once again knew her place. Shifting gears, he turned to her father, shaking his hand as if a business agreement had just been met. “I’ll leave it to you from here, Terry. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you on Sunday at the club.”

  “Absolutely. And thank you for bringing this to my attention.”

  “Just see that it doesn’t happen again. There’s a lot riding on this wedding and I’m sure that we’re both in agreement that a…security guard.” He said the words as if they tasted horrible coming out of his mouth. “Isn’t good enough for your daughter’s future. Especially when this union has been on the cards for so long.”

  “You have my word,” Terry said, nodding at both Michael and Sebastian courteously as they turned to leave. Chloe continued to stand in the centre of the room; her body still set with anger as she glared at them as they walked past and gave her a perfunctory nod. She thought she’d seen somewhat of an apology in Sebastian’s eyes. But she couldn’t be sure. She barely knew him to read him, and very soon, she had to marry him.

  When the Goldsmiths had left, leaving father and daughter alone, Terry turned to Chloe and smiled a smile that was far from joyful. “I’m not a blind man, Chloe. I see many things that go on in this office, and I also see many things that go on outside this office. Did you really think you could start something with Aiden without it getting noticed?”

  Chloe’s cheeks flamed as she realised how closely her father, and it seemed, the Goldsmiths, kept tabs on her. “No dad. I just…I care for him…a lot.”

  His eyes softened and he nodded his head in understanding. “And were you going to invite him to your wedding?”

  “No! I… I was. I don’t want to do it anymore, dad. I’m sorry. I thought I could but this isn’t me, and Aiden makes me happy. I want to be with him.”

  Walking to a cupboard that was built into the wall, Terry pulled out his jacket and slipped it over his arms, looking in the mirror to check his collar and straighten his tie with a calm that didn’t quite go with the situation.

  “Life isn’t always about what we want, Chloe. Not when your quest for happiness affects so many other people. You will keep your promise. You will play your part in the success of this company–as a Donovan. A person is only as good as their word, Chloe, it will pay for you to remember that.”

  Chloe’s features fell. “You’d have me marry a man I don’t love?”

  He walked over to his daughter, placing his hands on her upper arms as he peered down into her face. “What you’re feeling for Aiden right now, it won’t last forever. True love and the idea of a soul mate aren’t real. But you can learn a kind of love with time and patience and understanding. Everything else is just the fancy of fairy tales and little girl’s dreams. Be sensible here, Chloe. We’re talking about your future. We’re talking about our future. If you back out on this deal now then you’ll be hurting us all. Family first–remember?”

  She blinked her eyes rapidly, gripping tightly at the iPad she still held against her chest, her heart holding strong to every look, every touch, every whispered emotion between her and Aiden. She didn’t want to let go, but she had to. She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply as those dreams shattered like glass, piercing through her heart and causing her soul to bleed for a love and a life she’ll never have. Inhaling, she opened her eyes and nodded. “Family first. I haven’t forgotten, dad. I’ll keep my word,” she whispered.

  “Good. Then I won’t expect to hear of anymore reports of the two of you together.”

  Leaning forward, he kissed her on the cheek and headed for the door, turning back just before he opened it.

  “And Chloe – this probably goes without saying, but Aiden won’t be working here anymore. And if this continues, he won’t have a job anywhere. Not in this industry anyway.”

  “I get it, dad. It won’t happen again,” she said, gritting her teeth as she did her best to keep her calm until she heard his office door click shut. It was then that she let a solitary tear fall down her cheek as she gripped at the iPad so hard that she heard the screen crack.

  One night. One perfect night. That’s all she managed to have with Aiden. She closed her eyes, remembering the way his body had felt when it moved against hers–how his mouth had kissed every inch of her body while he whispered words that made her quiver. She had never felt more worshipped or more connected to another human being than she had last night.

  It had been foolish of her to think that she could have come to her father with her tale of love and have him understand. He had always been of the mind that like married like. She had been destined to marry Sebastian Goldsmith for years. It was all about the name. All about the prestige. For so long, she had loved being a Donovan. She had loved the power that came with such a name, the doors that it opened and the worship it provoked.

  This was the first time she’d wished herself normal.

  Reaching up, Chloe wiped at her tear of self-pity and took a deep breath before heading back to her own office. Hating herself more with every passing moment because while her father’s request seemed archaic and cruel. It was Chloe who had said yes.

  Chapter Thirteen

  PRESENT, 12 days before the job

  Aiden

  “HEY BOSS, we’ve got a meeting at a new venue to do club security and there’s a bunch of potentials on your desk for that recovery op we’ve got planned for next month,” Jared says, as soon as he sees me walk into the office the next morning.

  I nod my head as he rattles off a list of things that are scheduled to happen today and continue to head into my office, prepared to start dealing with the masses of paperwork that come with dealing with your own business. I really need to get some sort of office staff in here to help out with all this stuff. Price Security has been far more successful than I thought it would be, and I’m beginning to feel like I’m drowning in paper, phone calls and endless meetings. I rarely do any security work besides the club and the jobs I can’t entrust to the others. I’m too busy running things here.

  When I was fired from the Donovan Corporation, I lost it. I was already angry at the world for what had happened with Chloe, so to lose my job on top of that, well, I had to take some time out before I went on some sort of angry rampage through the city–I had wanted to destroy everything in my path, and I almost did.

  After I smashed the fuck out of my Audi, Marli saw the state I was in, and suggested, in her usual bossy sister manner, that I get away for a while to calm down and regroup before I ended up ruining my life completely.

  For once in my life, I took her advice. I went to the Greek Islands and found my calm in a sea of alcohol and women. Women whose faces I couldn’t remember if you paid me. Then by the time I thought I could face the corporate world again, my resume was no good. The Donovan Corporation had fallen by then, meaning that their name on my resume wasn’t going to get me anywhere fast. The only solution I could see was to open up my own security company. So I contacted some of my old contacts and opened Price Security, focusing on nightclub and event security, while doing some of the more profitable recovery work on the side.

  The clubs and events are a hell of a lot different to what I’ve spent most of my career doing. I started out in the armed forces and moved into special ops training. I did a lot of surveillance, and I specialised in infiltrating the security systems of our enemies so our teams could get in and out without detection. There wasn’t an alarm I couldn’t stop or a lock I couldn’t pick. When my service was up, I used my credentials to land a job with Donovan Corporation. It was a far cry from what I had been doing in the field, but I was able to use my skills in threat assessment, and my security knowledge to find the company’s weaknesses and weed out any undesirable workers or clients. Essentially, we were locked up tight and we were thriving–both on and off the b
ooks.

  But then, Terry Donovan told me that a merger was on the cards with Goldsmith Enterprises. I wasn’t too keen on the idea because Michael Goldsmith always gave me the creeps as a human being. But Terry seemed to think it was best for business, explaining that the merger had been something that was on the cards for a long time. The goal was to join the two biggest companies into one massive entity that would become the most powerful finance company in the world.

  I understood his goal but I didn’t support it. There were certain things about the deal that Terry wasn’t willing to share with me, and the shroud of secrecy bothered me.

  Before the idea of the merger, Donovan and Goldsmith had been corporate enemies, and Goldsmith in particular, had been hungry for the spot at the top of the ladder. More than once, we’d caught them trying to steal our clients and worse than that, we found out they were using a broker to collect our stock in preparation for a hostile takeover.

  Terry had laughed it off when I had taken my findings to him, claiming that his company was way too healthy to be taken over so easily. Besides, he owned stock in Goldsmith’s company as well–it was just something they did as business rivals, he’d said. Then suddenly, they were talking merger and Terry would never explain why.

  In the months before my ‘position was no longer required’, I hated the constant dealings with that Goldsmith cretin and his son. I’d always thought they were vultures, swooping in and pecking at the remains of companies before tearing them apart and making a fortune out of them. But now I know that they were worse than that. They were weasels, scheming and plotting on one hand, while pretending to be open and cooperative on the other. People like that make me sick, and in the end, I’m actually glad to be away from the corporate greed that once governed my life.