by Crimson Syn
I stared at the screen and bit my lip. It wasn't a secret that I wanted him, but in one night he'd pretty much-taken control over my life. I closed my eyes, remembering his soft kiss last night. He'd walked me up to the door, and lightly kissed my forehead. And then he waited until I got in before he left. No words were spoken. He'd appeared out of nowhere and now I didn't really know what to do with him.
My mind was in turmoil with my heart, my emotions scattered. Drake Archer had taken complete control of the entire situation we found ourselves in, and I was easily yielding to him. He didn’t ask, he demanded, and as I stood in front of the mirror staring at the red dress he had sent me, the feeling of uncertainty made me doubt it all.
What the fuck was I doing with this man, this stranger…this alluring stranger?
My eyes traveled down the length of the dress. It was unlike anything I'd ever worn before. The light silk clung to my body, the curves of my hips, my breasts, and it flowed down until it touched the floor. The skirt itself formed a slit down the center that exposed my bare legs and black stiletto heels as I walked. The neckline dipped and draped along my breasts in a heart-shaped design and the straps-delicate tendrils of silk that barely help the whole piece together. This was his choice, his preference-the red.
I slid my hands along the soft fabric, across my waist, and down my hips, closing my eyes as I imagined his hands replacing my own. I was taking a chance tonight, not knowing what the night would bring. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach and I slowly breathed out trying to calm my nerves. I set my uncertainties aside and instead I focused on my makeup and applying a dark shade of red lipstick to my mouth. I applied a natural color to my eyes with a thin black eyeliner, dusting a coat of soft pink shimmer to highlight my eyes. Pursing my lips, I brushed a soft coat of bronze blush along my cheekbones, defining them. I swept my hair up off my shoulders, allowing a few soft tendrils loose to frame my face. When done, I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the assault on my senses this man was about to cast on me.
As I walked down the hallway my phone rang and I stared down at the screen, my fingers slightly shaking as I swept across the screen and pressed the phone up to my ear.
“Hello.”
“You look stunning.”
“You’ve been watching me?” I looked around my dim apartment and my heartbeat escalated. “I don’t like games, Drake.”
“Who said I was playing games with you? Come down.”
I sighed. “You set the rules, but no one said I had to follow them.”
I heard his smirk. “Oh, you will follow my rules. But I do like that rebellious streak of yours. It will only make it sweeter when I have to punish you.”
I bit my lip feeling my pussy become wet with arousal. He knew exactly how to tempt me, how to throw me into one of my fantasies, traced with the excitement of the unknown.
“Now come downstairs, baby girl. Daddy’s waiting for you.”
“Fuck,” I breathed as he chuckled and hung up.
I grabbed my purse and straightened my shoulders, determined to make this as hard as I possibly could for him. I refused to allow myself to give in so easily. I frowned and locked the door behind me as I made my way down the stairs, but my footing faltered as I spotted him leaning against his car. God, he was gorgeous. I took a moment to really look at him. He was tall, over six feet, broad shoulder, his dark beard was perfectly trimmed an image of him rubbing along my thighs heightened my heart rate, and he was wearing a dark double-breasted suit that molded to all those defined muscles. God, how I wanted to feel him, his heat against me. As I slowly made my way out the door his magnetic blue eyes met mine and I knew I could fight him all I wanted, it would only be sweeter when he took what he wanted. And when he smiled up at me I wanted to run to him and give him all of me.
He reached out for me and I placed my hand in his as he guided me to the car.
“You look good enough to eat,” he whispered in my ear as I slid into the soft leather.
The door shut in a defining thump that makes me jump a little. As I stared out into the empty street ahead, I wondered if, when he was done with me, if he’d still leave a piece of me intact or if he’ll just take all of me forcing me to lose myself in him. I looked over at him and as he smiled at me, a deep sense of calm ran through me. The thought that he wasn’t going to hurt me calmed my nerves for now, and I focused on that thought as we pulled out.
7
Drake
I had wanted to spend the morning with her, reassure her that I wasn't the bad guy she wanted to make me out to be, but that all went to hell the minute I received the call from The Corporation. There had been another breach in the early hours of the day. He was testing me, watching and waiting to see what I would do. When I had arrived at Ravenhead, the office was in a complete frenzy. People were running around and some just milled around, staring at their screen.
Lee approached me with a grim look on his face.
“What the fuck is going on?”
He flipped a screen around and my eyes shot down to the image that kept bouncing around. The words, Gotcha Sucker, sank in.
“Motherfucker!” I slammed my fist down, startling the whole office. Everyone stared back at me and I breathed calmly, trying not to stir the air anymore. They were all on edge as it was.
“He’s playing games,” I whispered to Lee.
Lee nodded. “He’s creating a diversion. Look.”
He handed me a file and skimming it quickly it dawned on me that he wanted us to focus on this so that he could go after the bigger fish. The question was, what was he looking for?
“Get me Lucian on the phone.”
“Yes, Sir.”
I made my way to my office and within seconds, Lee was patching Lucian through.
“Tell me this isn’t what I think it is?”
I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to be patient with my boss. “This isn’t a secure line, Lucian. Meet me downstairs in a few minutes.”
I turned to my desktop screen and a blinking red light alerted me to a private message. I reached over, clicking on it, a black window appeared on the screen.
A cursor blinked back at me and then a message:
I think I have your undivided attention.
I seethed under my breath as I answered.
You need to watch yourself, System Failure. I know who you are.
There was a long pause and another message.
You’ll never find me. But then again you don’t need to. You just need to stop me. And how are you going to do that Drake Archer, when I have your sexy Cassandra in the palm of my hands.
I closed my eyes and continued to type.
You hurt her and I will destroy you.
I doubt that very much. First, you have to find me, to destroy me.
I clenched my jaw as I replied. I didn’t want to, but I needed to engage. I needed to know what the fuck he wanted.
What is it you want?
See, now you’re cooperating. You’ll know soon enough, Archer. For now, just know I’m watching.
The messenger went dead and I slammed down on the desk, pushing my chair back roughly.
"Son of a bitch!" I hated feeling cornered.
I grabbed my phone and made my way downstairs. Lucian was waiting for me at the entrance of the building. I nodded to the revolving doors and we made our way outside where there was a large fountain. The sound of the water made enough white noise that we’d barely be heard if there were any sound devices picking up our conversation.
“What is going on, Drake.”
“He just reached out. He wants something. He’s fucking blackmailing me!”
“With what?” I looked at him and shook my head. “With what, Archer?!”
I ran a hand through my hair. “A woman.”
Lucian’s eyebrow shot up. “A woman?”
“An innocent woman. And he’s got her private details. Her name, address…”
“Does this woma
n mean something to you?”
I turned my back to him, staring at the flowing water. “That’s beside the point…”
“She does, doesn’t she?”
“I said that’s none of your concern!”
“It is when my company is in danger of being hacked into and private government documents are being compromised!”
“Even if she does, what does it matter? We need to figure how to catch him, and I can only do that with the proper channels involved.”
“They’re going to shut me down!”
“Who gives a flying fuck! They shut you down for a few days…”
“It could be months!”
I frowned and looked down at my feet. “Lucian it’s the only way. I can’t do this alone, and I’ve been compromised.”
Lucian shook his head. “There has to be another way. Have you spoken to Maxwell?”
Maxwell Cunningham was the head of Defense Technology and Manufacturing for Ravenhead. He was the smartest fucker I knew. I'd heard he'd been a Captain in the British SAS shortly before Lucian recruited him into The Corporation. If anyone had connections, it would be Cunningham. Problem was, him and I didn't really see eye to eye on a lot of things. I stayed out of his path and he stayed out of mine. Any time we were in the same room, items got thrown and shouting matches ensued.
Lucian came up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Put your differences aside and put your heads together. I need you both on this. If it involves Ravenhead’s Security then he needs to be involved. I’ll get him to come up and see you.
“Lucian.”
He turned and looked at me. “I’m glad you found someone, Archer. You need someone in your life. So let’s work together and see if we can defend both the loves in our lives.”
I watched him walk away and I stood there, staring at the flow of the water as it cascaded down into a blue tiled pool. I would meet with Maxwell in the morning and try to sort something out. Something had to give. Anything.
Which brought me back to tonight, to Cassandra. I needed to inform her of what was going on, but it wasn’t the right time. As she sat next to me in the car I knew couldn’t ruin her life like this. I needed to protect her in every way possible. Telling her would only cause her stress and possibly have her push me away. I was finally able to get close, and I didn’t want to lose her. I decided to keep quiet for now. I needed for her to trust me enough to know I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her.
As I looked over at her, she smiled tentatively at me, the deep red of her lips hypnotizing me. Tonight would be about us. Just us.
8
Cassandra
He had gotten a reservation at La Grenouille, a rather upscale French restaurant in the heart of downtown Manhattan. The place was elegant, yet quiet. A private table had been set up for us toward the back of the restaurant where we were hidden from onlookers and guests. He pulled out my chair and waited for me to slide in. He pushed the chair in gently and ducked his head to my neck. The roughness of his beard against my cheek made me shiver and the deep rumble of his voice caused goosebumps to rise along my skin.
“I’m trying to keep myself from touching you. Because if I don’t, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop myself from devouring every inch of you.”
I bit my lip and held my breath as his lips once again glided down the curve of my neck and finally settled on a soft kiss on the edge of my shoulder. I watched, as instead of sitting across from me, he pulled out the chair next to me. When he slid his chair in, his knee touched mine. I tried adjusting my position as when I moved he placed his hand on my leg and shook his head, pulling it toward him so that it pressed against his. He held my eyes as he glided his fingers across the thin material of the dress, sliding it off my leg. I gasped as his fingertips slid along my bare skin and he chuckled, leaving his hand there as the waiter approached us to take our order.
As soon as the waiter left, his hand began to delicately travel up my thigh. I pressed a hand to his, forcing him to stop.
“What are you doing?” I hissed at him, trying to slide his hand back down. Instead, he grabbed my hand and brought it back up to his lips. He brushed his mouth against my knuckles and gingerly placed my hand back on the table before reaching down once again to where my open slit was.
I inhaled a sharp breath as his hand squeezed my upper thigh. I tried closing my legs, but he roughly yanked at it, spreading me again.
“Sit still,” he groaned in my ear. “Let me touch you.”
“Please,” I looked into his dark eyes, begging him to stop.
He smirked and tipped my chin up to him. His lips touched mine and his breath tingled against my mouth. He had this magnetism that had me leaning forward and spreading my thighs for him.
“That’s a good girl,” he whispered huskily as his hand travelled up my leg. Until his fingertips found the wet spot in between my legs.
He laughed softly as his fingers gently grazed my core. I let out soft hitched breaths that alerted him at my unequivocal reaction to his touch. He licked his lips and I stared at the firm curve of his mouth as his fingers pressed harder into my core.
“Hmmmm,” he hummed, “you are so deliciously wet for me.”
My lips parted as his fingertips started to run along the seam of my panty line. The waiter chose that moment to bring us our wine and Drake pulled back, leaving me with my breath in my throat.
“I hope this is to your liking, Sir?” He showed us a bottle of Bordeaux, aged only ten years.
Drake gestured to me and the waiter poured a small amount of the rich red wine into my glass. I lifted it looking straight into the glass, I tilted it and swirled it, letting it roll to the edge and noticing it’s robust color. The wine had depth and as I inhaled it the scent of blackberries wafted up into my senses. I slowly took a sip, coating my tongue and notes of berries and nuttiness filled my palette. I closed my eyes and sighed.
“That’s perfect,” I whispered and looked over at Drake who was staring at me in wonder.
“What?”
He shook his head. “You did that like an expert wine drinker.”
I shrugged a shoulder. “I like going to wine tastings. It’s something I enjoy doing very much.”
He nodded once and waited until the waiter left before leaning in and taking my hand in his. He rubbed small circles along the center of my palm, causing a thrill to run through me.
“What else does my sweet, baby girl enjoy doing?”
“I like to listen to music and dance.”
“Hmmm,” his eyes stared fixedly at my lips.
Tingles ran through my fingertips and I leaned forward slightly. “What do you enjoy, Drake Archer?”
His eyes met mine and lust filled with a deeper feeling encompassed his features. “You. I enjoy you, baby girl.” His hand caressed my cheek and I breathed out slowly. This man was going to be my breaking point, I could feel it.
“There’s got to be more to you than that? Tell me something about yourself. Something the media can’t tell me.”
He looked at me and tilted his head. “Have you been looking me up, Miss Hayes?”
I blushed and reached out for my wineglass. Taking a long sip, I heard him laugh. “Well you couldn’t expect me not to find out who the Head of Security for Ravenhead Corporation was.”
“And what did you find out?”
I bit my lip. “Ex-FBI, eligible bachelor, keeps a private life. Nothing interesting really,” I teased.
“Oh, no?”
“I want to know more.”
He smiled. “Let’s just say, you’re right. There’s nothing too interesting about me. Well, I shouldn’t say that. There’s one interesting aspect to my life.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And what would that be?”
He continued to slowly rub my hand. “You.”
I let out a slight laugh. “But there has to be more.”
He hung his head, his eyes focused on my hand. “I live a lonely life, Cassandra.
Work is my life. Ravenhead is all I have focused on for the last ten years. Until now.” His eyes met mine and he gave me a sad smile. “You’re the first woman I’ve ever wanted to know. You’re the first woman to enter my life in a very long time.”
I shook my head. “I can’t believe that. Such a handsome man, all alone.”
He caressed my cheek again and smiled. “Such a beautiful woman, all alone.”
I looked down at my hands and contemplated whether or not to tell him about my past. About my mother, about what had happened to me. I focused on his fingers, of the feel of the rough pad of his thumb as it stroked my hand. His touch somehow put me at ease. At some point, the words just started to spill out of me.
“She was all I had left, and she left me.”
He shook his head, his hand tightening on mine. It felt…comforting.
“I left Jacob shortly after. I realized his abuse was nearly burying me alive. Sometimes I think that if I would have let him get his way, I would have lost myself completely.”
He lifted my hand up to his lips and closed his eyes, when he reopened them I saw a man who would do anything for me, and that realization shook me.
“Did you ever find out what happened to him?”
I shrugged. “Don’t really care. I hope he’s rotting in hell.”
“Try prison.”
My eyes shot up to him. “You knew?”
I wasn’t surprised. The man had found me, I could only imagine what else he’d found out.
He nodded. “Your name was attached to a restriction order.”
I nodded. “I see.”
He gripped my hand tightly. “I’m sorry.”
I shook my head, my throat in a knot as unshed tears glistened in my eyes. “Drake.”
“I’ll make him pay for what he did to you? I have ways, I have…”
“Shhh,” I pressed my fingertips to his lips and lightly caressed his face. “It’s okay. It’s been over for a long time. He didn’t come for me back then and I’m glad he didn’t. I’m not afraid of him anymore. I haven’t been for a long time. But I’m not going to lie to you and say I’m okay. I’m not. I’m not sure what this is but…”
