Beautiful Obsession: A Dark Captive Romance (Dark Obsession Prequel)

by Roxy Sinclaire

“It is to do with work, sort of.” She stopped herself before saying it might be more personal in the future.

  “Shoot,” her mom said, taking a bite of her food as she gave Camila some attention.

  “I went out this morning to do an interview of this man. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of him since you don’t listen to sensationalized news, but he’s someone pretty high up, really rich. I read a bit of info on him online, and it painted a picture completely different from the man I met. And I’m supposed to meet up with him again in the next week or so, but I don’t know what kind of man he is, so I’m wondering if I should listen to all the news out there, or try to find out for myself.”

  She bit her lip when she felt she had said more than enough, only giving her mom the details she needed to understand the situation, but making it all sound about work. She waited eagerly for her mom’s opinion, though she didn’t seem all that concerned herself, finishing the bite of food in her mouth, then facing Camila with a serious expression.

  “If you want my advice? Avoid him.”

  Camila blinked. “What?”

  “You heard me,” her mom said. “Avoid him. Rich philanderers never bring anything good to people like you or me, not when it’s quite so personalized. One interview should be enough for what you need, yes? Then why set up another one? Your part of the job is done, so that should be the end of it.”

  With that, she went back to eating calmly. It took Camila a while before she could do the same, and the two of them ate in complete silence.

  Camila didn’t look down on her mom’s word of advice. She had to agree on it herself, but her mom didn’t have the facts that she did, either. Also, her mom was overprotective, and could sometimes be a bit controlling, especially since they got reunited, so she would take the words with a grain of salt.

  In the end, when she ended up back in her room, she still hadn't made up her mind. Just then, her phone which she’d left on her desk, vibrated. It cut off quickly and didn’t resume, so she guessed it was a text message and picked it up to read.

  It was from Samuel. Even though he’d said he would, she was still surprised he actually went through with it. The text was pretty simple, asking her to let him know about that coffee. Camila thought for a moment, then sent a quick text back that she was agreeing. His reply came quickly.

  My place?

  Camila widened her eyes, surprised once more. Samuel was inviting her for coffee…at his private home? As far as she knew, he definitely lived in his family home with his younger siblings. They barely knew each other, and it was okay with him? Then again, if they went out into the city, he might be recognized by someone, and if any pictures leaked out, it could lead to a scandal.

  She hesitated again, but sent back her reply.

  All right. Let me know when?

  She set the phone down, and with a heavy sigh fell into her chair, resting her head on her desk.

  “What exactly am I doing?” she murmured to herself, because she wasn’t sure she knew just what she was undertaking, getting further involved with a man like Samuel Kane.

  Chapter Four

  Camila left her house a bit early on the day she was supposed to go to Samuel’s place to meet him for coffee. She still didn’t have any directions, but she knew where his family house was, so she figured if she could get a taxi to send her there, she could call him while she was outside and wait for him to get her. Only, things didn’t go the way she expected.

  When she made it out of her apartment building, it was to find a black Mercedes parked on the curb with a man standing beside it. It was a surprise, but she’d been prepared to pay it no attention, until the driver asked if she was the guest Samuel Kane sent him to pick up. Samuel actually sent a driver for her.

  It made her feel a little giddy. No guy had ever done that for her before, and maybe it made her easy, but she already felt dazzled.

  The back door was opened for her and she slipped inside. There was a partition behind the seats in the front, and it was up, so once the driver got in the car and it started to move, it was as if she was completely alone. It was a new experience for her, and she turned down the window to have a clearer view outside, since the windows were tinted dark. People-watching, or just looking outside at passing scenery while she was in a car, was a hobby of hers. With everyone having cell phones, mp3s and access to the internet these days, it was more common to find people engrossed in their devices instead of watching the world pass them by, but Camila wasn’t like that.

  She only felt sad that she had to leave her camera today, since it was more something casual than an official meeting. She didn’t want to think of it as a date, since Samuel didn’t outright say it was a date, and she didn’t want to get ahead of herself only to be disappointed later.

  Maybe Mom had it right and I should have stayed away. It would be bad if I got the wrong idea and embarrassed myself.

  Camila had dressed nice again, and now that she was in the car on the way to his place, she regretted wearing the peach colored dress to the interview, since it was one of her better dresses. She got lucky and managed to find something in the back of her closet, a simple, black dress with a modest neckline that was fitted around the top and flared out from the waist, reaching to just below her knees. Paired with silver, strappy sandals, some silver jewelry and a gold clutch she had, she thought she looked okay. She’d also tried something with her hair, putting it up in a loose ponytail, letting a few wisps come out of the hold to frame her face. She thought the style suited the dress and jewelry well, but it had taken her about an hour to get ready this morning.

  She sighed to herself and leaned back in the seat. She really was taking this too seriously, but it was hard not to. Even without any deeper meaning, getting any sort of invitation from Samuel was something amazing.

  The car headed toward the outskirts of the city, to roads that led away from the large skyscrapers. Buildings got scarce, then placed further apart, and bigger. This must be the rumored area where the upper crust lived. Camila had wondered if they’d go all the way to the Hamptons, but it was in the wrong direction. Still, she got to see so much more lush green than she’d ever expected to within this short distance from the city.

  After a while, the car slowed, then turned down a smaller road. Camila only got a look from the side before the car completely turned onto the road and she couldn’t see anything ahead, but it led to a pair of large gates. It took a minute for the car to arrive at the gates, and there was a short stop, just a few seconds, then the car was moving again, even slower, and the gates closed behind the car. Camila fisted her hands in her dress and bit her lip.

  She was at Samuel Kane’s main house. The place he must have lived in with his parents before they passed away, where he was probably raised. As far as she knew the Kane siblings still owned the original house, and…she actually got to be here?

  Could she…possibly be the only one?

  Don’t get ahead of yourself, she reminded herself. Getting all worked up by herself would lead her nowhere, anyway.

  The car came to a stop, and Camila straightened out her back. She wasn’t sure what to do for a moment, open the door for herself, or wait for the driver to do it? Was he even planning on opening it for her? As she dithered, the door was pulled open, and she scrambled to step out. She stumbled a little when her feet touched the ground, and felt her face warm, but thankfully managed to right herself quickly, and could only hope not too many people saw.

  “Thank you,” she murmured toward the driver, who just gave a slight nod and got back into the car.

  Camila took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, and faced forward. The Kane house was, of course, impressive. It was large, a sprawling mansion with about three floors, though that didn’t account for if there was attic space in the building, and she was thinking there could be with the space between the third floor windows and the roof. She stepped forward carefully and made her way up the front marble steps.

  She c
ame to a stop at the front door, but before she could wonder whether to knock or find something that looked like a bell to ring, the door was opened. Two men, one on each side, were holding the double doors open, and another stood right in the middle of the open doors. He bowed slightly, turned to the side, and gestured her inside with a gloved hand. All three men were in white shirts, with black slacks, vest, tie and shoes. She imagined they were workers in the house, and they were all dressed in uniform, too.

  “Madam,” the man that gestured her inside said. “Mr. Kane has been waiting for you, so if you would please come this way?”

  Camila dazedly followed after the man to the direction he led. The foyer was wide, and connected to the rest of the house through archways. She was led through the middle one, then to the right. They stopped at what looked like a parlor, with several seats arranged around the wide room, clustered around small, glass topped coffee tables. There was a chandelier above, and large windows with the curtains pulled back that let in a lot of bright light into the room. The place was tastefully decorated with paintings and other art pieces, a few lamps and flower arrangements.

  It was like a scene straight out of a movie, or one of those books about royalty or…just anything out of her league that she couldn’t imagine she would ever get to see in real life.

  “Mr. Kane will be right with you, Madam,” the servant that brought her there said.

  Camila barely heard, or noticed that the man had left already. She was looking around the room with fascination, interested particularly in the art pieces around the room. Her eyes fell on one particular painting, tastefully done, and she wondered if she knew the painter. She’d been an art major in college, after all, even though her focus was mainly on photography, she still got to learn plenty about all forms of art.

  “You’re here.”

  The voice came from behind her, and it was the same as before, low and deep, and even from a distance away, it made her insides tighten and her heart flutter. Slowly, Camila turned around, and she saw him. Samuel Kane, in all his glory, descending a spiral staircase as if he was some sort of prince, with one hand on the railing.

  Something is different, she thought, even before she saw him. His voice sounded a lot livelier than their first meeting, too, but seeing how he looked was an even bigger surprise.

  She didn’t have anything against the look he’d had on when they met last time. It was modest, but chic, though still, nothing that popped out too much. The man in front of her might as well have been a different person.

  Since he was above her coming down, she eyed him from his feet, and the blue sneakers he was wearing were particularly eye-catching. His long legs were encased in dark jeans that were loose around the calves, but tight around his thighs, and she even noted a few artificial rips. The only thing recognizable on him was the white t-shirt, and over it he had a black blazer, with a blue scarf hung loosely around his neck, along with a few silver and gold chains. On one wrist, he had several leather and silver bands, and on the other wrist he had a gold watch, not to mention the silver and gold rings on his fingers.

  The biggest shocker for her, still, was seeing him smiling. It was as if he’d turned from the reserved ex-soldier she’d met to a peacock, and she could feel her eyes widening and jaw dropping in her surprise.

  “I trust your drive here was uneventful?” he said, arching an eyebrow, a corner of his mouth raising a bit higher, and she could feel her heart skip a beat. “You’re a bit earlier than I expected, there was hardly enough time to finish preparing, but I can't say I’m disappointed.”

  After a few seconds, she found her voice.

  “H-hi,” she stuttered, her face warming up even more. “Uh, the drive was…nice. Thank you for sending a car to me, but I could have found the place fine if you’d left me with directions…”

  “But where’s the point in that?” Samuel said, an eyebrow jumping up, his look turning a little flirtatious. “I like to spoil the women I like, and I wouldn’t have invited you here if I didn’t like you.”

  He’d already reached the bottom of the steps, and Camila could only watch as he walked even closer to her. He was so much more friendly and charming, compared to before, that she didn’t know what to do with herself. So she just stood there dumbly, watching him get ever closer, with her hands holding onto her clutch purse in front of her and her heart beating so fast in her chest, she thought it wanted to escape.

  “You look absolutely amazing,” Samuel said, his voice dropping down an octave.

  As if she wasn’t already taken in before, she really thought she would swoon with that low tenor in his voice. She wondered what it would feel like, to have him call her name like that, and felt her breath hitch in her throat. Even if he was just playing with her, she didn’t think she would refuse him, and she wondered if that was the secret behind the rumors, how he could be known as a womanizer and still be so popular with women.

  His eyes intent on hers, he raised a hand slowly toward her, and her eyes shifted from his face to that hand. It was coming ever closer, and the closer it moved, the faster and harder her heart beat, and her breath even started coming short. Her eyelids fluttered as that hand got closer to her face. She thought he would cup her cheek, and a slight tremor went through her body at the thought of that wide, warm palm touching her skin.

  Before it could happen, though, they were interrupted.

  “You better not be doing what it is I think you’re doing.”

  If you want to find out what happens next, make sure to click here to read Buried Obsession!

  About Roxy Sinclaire

  Roxy Sinclaire writes steamy, suspenseful romantic stories as the main genre, and this includes a variety of different topics. Some of these include dark romances, action packed romances, mafia romances, and many more. She currently works in customer relations in New York City, but is trying to fulfill her passion in writing and eventually have her dream job become a reality.

  Follow her on Bookbub to know about upcoming sales and new releases!

  Sign up for her mailing list and find out about her latest releases, giveaways, and more. Plus, get a FREE book! Click here!

  For more information, be sure to check out the links below!

  roxysinclaire.com

  roxy@roxysinclaire.com

  Also by Roxy Sinclaire

  The Obsession Trilogy:

  Beautiful Obsession (FREE Prequel)

  Buried Obsession (Book 1)

  Tangled Obsession (Book 2)

  Shattered Obsession (Book 3)

  Deadly Passion Series:

  High Stakes (Book 1)

  Double or Nothing (Book 2)

  Triple Threat (Book 3)

  Mafia Romance Series:

  Dirty Indiscretions: A Dark Mafia Romance (Book 1)

  Her Protection: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance (Book 2)

  Deadly Ink: A Dark Mafia Romance (Book 3)

  His Revenge: A Mafia Revenge Romance (Book 4)

  His Betrayal: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance (Book 5)

  Dangerous Indulgence: A Dark Mafia Romance (Book 6)

  Bundles:

  Book Boyfriends

  Omerta Series Box Set Books 1-3 (Volume 1)

  Pass To Win Series:

  Touchdown: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Book 1)

  Line of Scrimmage: A Secret Baby Sports Romance (Book 2)

  Between The Tackles: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Book 3)

  Fourth and Goal: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Book 4)

  Game Winning Catch: A Secret Baby Sports Romance (Book 5)

  Second Chance Draft: A Second Chance Sports Romance (Book 6)

  Romantic Secret Agents Series:

  Lethal Seduction (Book 1)

  Deadly Seduction (Book 2)

  Toxic Seduction (Book 3)

  City Bad Boys Series:

  Object Me: A Bad Boy Lawyer Romance (Book 1)

  Entitled: A Bad Boy Romance (Book 2)

  Tempting Me: A Bad Boy Romance (Book 3)r />
  Fast And Loaded: A Bad Boy Romance (Book 4)

  One More Series:

  One More Kiss (Book 1)

  One More Turn (Book 2)

  One More Chance (Book 3)

  One More Night (Book 4)

  Standalone Novels

  One Night With The Tycoon: A Billionaire Romance

  Dirty Fighter: A Bad Boy MMA Romance

  The Devil’s Dream: A Dark Romance

  Trapped In His World: A Dark Romance

  Dirty Money: A Dark Mafia Romance

  Deceived By The Hitman: A Bad Boy Hitman Romance

  Standalone Novellas

  His Long Island Iced Tea