Unfortunately, Natasha had been forced out of a mission that she’d had an immense passion for, simply because she decided to take action by letting a drunk and out of control egomaniac commander know that it was not ok to fondle her breasts at a department holiday party. She was naive, yet again, because she didn’t expect for the entire department to turn on her. She had no intentions of filing a lawsuit, but she was given no choice. She was under attack. Every so-called private statement that she’d given to Internal Affairs concerning her complaint was leaked. Not only leaked but misrepresented.
They leaked outright lies! They made Natasha look like a lying manipulative viper that only complained to gain leverage over the “poor misunderstood” commander. Natasha had absolutely no choice but to fight back, if she wanted to keep her job. So she hired a lawyer. The entire process terrified her. After all, she was still working for this commander since the department didn’t even contemplate moving him from Narcotics. They attacked Natasha’s character in a way that she had never, ever expected. Sometimes she wished that she’d followed her first instinct the night of the party; act like nothing happened. Natasha felt like the biggest coward in the world. But the next day she couldn’t look at herself in the mirror. It definitely was not an easy decision, but she simply had no choice. She needed to attempt to regain her self-respect. In the end, she was the one that got dumped out of Narcotics, not the commander; which is how she ended up in a unit that required her to negotiate the price of a blow–job: Vice.
Well, at least she had found a friend in Victoria. She’d watched Victoria expertly step into her role as a prostitute. Natasha studied Victoria’s signature stomp and the way she would lean into vehicles and hypnotize johns with her sexuality. She listened to Victoria’s alluring voice through the microphone in her earring. Victoria was walking seduction and Natasha had learned from the best. Victoria had welcomed her with open arms, and they’d become friends. So when Victoria was kidnapped by Harold Malone, a monster that had brutally tortured and murdered two dozen women including his own mother, Natasha was terrified for her. She had absolutely no problem risking her life and putting her job on the line to get Victoria back alive.
As Natasha made her way out of the hospital and headed for the visitor’s lot, she silently thanked God that she had made it to Victoria before that maniac was able to plunge his knife into her again. Her friend had been through hell and back only to get shot by a different maniac a few months later. Victoria was such a beautiful person, and she couldn’t catch a break. Luckily the bullet was a through and through wound. Yet, poor Jack, who was shot alongside her, wasn’t so lucky. He was shot in the chest. Everyone hoped for a good word from the doctor now that the bullet had been removed during surgery.
Natasha hopped in her car and attempted to leave her thoughts from the past in the past. She leaned her head against the headrest and closed her eyes. The gorgeous face and vibrant green eyes of Gianni Storm invaded her thoughts.
CHAPTER 2
JACK
Jack wondered if his eyelids were taped shut as he fought to open eyelids that were so heavy. He finally won the battle of opening his eyes and immediately wished he hadn’t. The light in the room was like a spear through his skull. Jack quickly closed his eyes, trying to shut out the light.
“Open your eyes lazy,” came from a familiar male voice.
Jack struggled to open his eyes again, to see his cousin Gianni leaning over him.
Groggily, Jack mumbled, “I must be dying. What else could get you back on American soil?”
“Dying? Please! That idiot missed every vital organ in your body. Couldn’t shoot worth a damn,” Gianni said with a crazy accent that was maybe a mixture between French and Italian. “Now, on the other hand, that pretty wife of yours is an excellent shot.”
Jack instantly thought of Victoria. He raised his head and frantically looked around.
Yet, Gianni assured him, “She’s fine. She’s sleeping.”
When Jack saw Victoria sleeping soundly in the other bed, he sighed and returned his head to the pillow.
Gianni told him with a smirk, “She’s beautiful. What’s it like to have your wife save your sorry ass?”
“Fuck you, Gianni. She’s a cop. She’s no ordinary woman. You should be so lucky,” Jack grunted, feeling the pain of his wound.
Gianni stood and walked toward the door. Jack watched him peculiarly.
“Yeah, well, you look ok to me. I’m going back to Paris,” he said over his shoulder.
“Get your ass back here!” Jack fussed.
Gianni chuckled, before walking back to Jack’s bed.
“I’ve missed you cousin. How’s the nightclub business?”
“Business is good. But now that I see that you’re not dying. Let’s talk about something important. Tell me about Natasha Walker.”
Jack narrowed his eyes at Gianni. “Not your type,” he answered simply.
Gianni tilted his head. “What’s my type?”
Jack looked his cousin straight in the eye. “Petite French submissives that don’t speak. Not a woman that’ll shoot your spoiled ass.”
Before Gianni could respond, Victoria stirred in bed and averted their attention. They both watched as she lifted her head from the pillow. Jack noticed the way Gianni looked at her, and he didn’t like it. He punched his arm causing him to turn back to Jack.
“Stop looking at my wife like that.” Jack warned.
Gianni laughed. “Or what? You gonna throw your bedpan at me?”
Victoria ignored the exchange between the cousins and jumped from the bed, too quickly for Jack’s comfort, and ran to his bed.
“Baby! Thank God you’re awake. How do you feel? I’ll get the doctor.”
Gianni touched her elbow to calm her.
“I spoke to the doctor.”
Victoria turned to Gianni, narrowing her eyes. She was getting ready to chastise him for breaking his promise, but he raised his hands in defense.
“The doctor said that he’d be fine. The bullet didn’t hit any vital organs. He just left, and I was preparing to wake you, but Jack woke up and began to taunt me,” he said pointing to Jack.
Victoria looked at Jack sternly. Jack couldn’t help but admire the charm that his cousin possessed that had successfully transferred the blame to him.
“Okay, thanks for sitting with him... Gianni, right?”
Gianni nodded and turned to Jack.
“I’m going to the apartment. I’ll check on you in the morning.”
Jack nodded and thought that it was funny that Gianni modestly referred to the enormous downtown penthouse that he owned, but hadn’t slept in in ten years, as an apartment.
As Gianni left the hospital room, Victoria ran her fingers through Jack’s dark hair and kissed his forehead.
“I love you so much,” she whispered with tears in her eyes.
“I love you too, Vic. You’ve been taking care of my baby?”
Before Victoria could answer, memories came flooding back to Jack. Suddenly, he attempted to lift himself from the bed. “You were shot!”
His eyes frantically searched her body. Victoria gently pushed against his shoulder to calm him. “Shh. It’s just a scratch. I’m fine and the baby’s fine.”
Jack relaxed against the pillow, visibly relieved. “Victoria, you saved my life,” he whispered.
Victoria shook her head and looked lovingly at Jack. “No. Baby, I saved my life, because I can’t live without you.”
She leaned in and kissed his lips. Jack’s heart swelled. He was more in love with his wife than he thought possible.
VICTORIA
Jack closed his eyes and slowly dozed off. Victoria was relieved that everything would be fine. She covered him with a blanket and walked out of the room in search of Jack’s doctor. She needed to hear for herself that he was okay. She spotted his nurse, who confirmed that Jack would be fine and that the doctor would be back in the morning to speak with her. With that, Victoria
decided to go back to Jack’s room and rest. Her back was killing her from the extra weight she carried.
Even though Victoria was exhausted, the blonde woman leaning over her husband put Victoria on high alert. She was rubbing Jack’s face and whispering in his ear.
Jack was clearly asleep.
Victoria was livid! “Bitch! Really?”
Victoria wasn’t in the mood to deal with Caroline. She was tired and hormonal. Caroline’s head whipped around. She looked Victoria up and down like she was a non–factor. The tramp actually had the nerve to grunt as if Victoria was getting on her nerves. Victoria quietly walked over to the bed that she’d abandoned and pulled her gun out of her purse. She stalked toward the bitch standing over her husband. Caroline noticed the weapon and her expression quickly changed from smug to fear. Caroline’s fear didn’t deter Victoria in the least. She stalked over to Caroline and grabbed her by the throat. When she opened her mouth to protest, Victoria pressed the barrel of her nine millimeter against Caroline’s temple.
Victoria spoke in a voice so calm that it was scary. “You want my husband?”
Caroline didn’t answer, so Victoria continued.
“He doesn’t want you! Do you hear me? He doesn’t want anything to do with you, you desperate ass slut!”
Caroline’s eyes widened with fear as Victoria continued her rant.
“Don’t let my polite behavior from our previous encounters fool you. I will end you. Don’t fuck with me! I’m angry and hormonal!”
Victoria tightened her grip on Caroline’s throat, causing her to gasp for air.
“Do you understand me, you ignorant racist bitch?”
When Caroline nodded, Victoria released her throat. Caroline instantly fell to her knees.
Victoria stood over Caroline and watched her attempt to catch her breath.
Victoria continued to use a quiet yet very threatening tone in order not to wake Jack. “Get. The. Fuck. Out!”
Caroline tucked her cosmetically altered tail between her legs and ran from the room. Victoria exhaled a breath that she was holding. She was thankful that she didn’t have to kill Caroline, but she would have.
Hormones were a bitch.
Victoria was rubbing her injured arm when she heard a soft chuckle. She turned toward Jack, who was awake and clearly amused by Victoria’s behavior.
“Bad ass Victoria is too sexy for me,” he mused.
He had a sexy grin on his face that caused Victoria’s mood to instantly transform from fury to love. Victoria loved him dearly. She didn’t care that some people disapproved of their racial differences, because she loved him enough to fight the world. And, her declaration to him still held true; he didn’t even have to love her because she loved him enough to make them work. His love for their unborn child was undeniable. This was her family, and she’d do anything to protect them. She’d die for them.
Jack had put his life and freedom at risk to rescue her from a serial killer. He’d assisted her team by finding her when the department wouldn’t. She would always love him for that.
Even her team took a huge risk by putting together an unauthorized rescue mission. Working for a department that deals in politics and protocol could have put them in danger of unemployment, or worse, criminal charges being filed against them after that unauthorized mission. Not to mention, they could’ve gotten killed. Yet, the department wanted all the credit for the rescue, so Victoria’s team was safe. She loved her team. They’d given her the chance to marry the man that she loved and to bring their child into this world. The way they fought for her reminded her that, you’re only as good as your team. They were a family, albeit a dysfunctional family, but a family none the less. She thought of pretty, sweet, soft spoken, Natasha taking Harold Malone down with very precise shooting.
Victoria would be forever grateful to her entire team. However, the bond that she and Natasha formed would be forever, and unbreakable.
GIANNI
Gianni walked into his downtown penthouse apartment. He was expecting a visit from the new flight attendant that his cousin, Luca, hired for their company jet. Coco was the dark haired Parisian beauty that served him drinks and more during his flight to Chicago.
Though Gianni was looking forward to her visit, he couldn’t get the shy innocent beauty, with the fire behind her eyes, out of his head. He was unable to erase the memories of her dark skin, chestnut eyes, and full lips. He also noticed that Natasha attempted to hide her beautiful body behind oversized clothing. Yet, the huge sweatshirt that she wore couldn’t mask her ample sized tits, nor the curve of her hips. Even though, professionally, she held a position of authority, Gianni couldn’t wait to make her submit.
He was feeling the beginnings of a hard–on. Not for his expected guest, but for Natasha. When Coco finally arrived, he tried to divert his thoughts. She came exactly as he instructed; in a black corset with garters and no panties. She hid her nakedness under a trench coat. It was cliché but effective.
He let Coco in, walked across his penthouse, and flopped down on the sofa. Coco dropped her coat and stood naked. She walked over and dropped to the floor in front of Gianni.
When she reached for his zipper, Gianni grabbed her hand. Coco looked up at him with confusion. Gianni took a deep breath and exhaled with breath full of reluctance. Natasha was so heavy on his mind that this woman on her knees before him was not alluring to him. His dick was soft, when before she arrived, it was hard enough to cause countless orgasms in the mirage of Natasha that was before his eyes.
“This isn’t a good idea. I’ll see you on the jet.”
Normally, Gianni would never leave a submissive unsatisfied, but he couldn’t think straight. He had Natasha on the brain. Gianni knew that she was disappointed when she turned, retrieved her coat, and walked towards the front door without saying a word. Gianni was so taken aback by his fascination with Natasha that he didn’t bother seeing the flight attendant out. As he heard the door shut, he relaxed his eyes for a few minutes before rising from the sofa and heading to the shower. He couldn’t believe that he was still thinking of her, so he decided that he had no other choice than to seduce Natasha Walker.
CHAPTER 3
NATASHA
“That’s great Vic! I know that Jack can’t wait to get home,” Natasha said into the phone.
“Girl, yes. He’s been bugging the shit outta his doctor to release him all week. I think the doctor just gave in to get rid of his bossy ass,” Victoria giggled on the other end.
“I’ll bet. Are you gonna need help at the house?”
She was worried that helping Jack get around while eight months pregnant might be too much for Victoria.
“Nah. We hired a nurse, but I don’t think we’re gonna need her. Jack’s getting around really well.”
Natasha could hear the joy in Victoria’s voice.
“Oh, that’s wonderful. You guys have been through so much. I’m glad it’s over,” Natasha said with sincerity.
“Oh God, me too. I just want my man home. So that we can live a normal life,” Victoria sighed.
“I know, and you will Vic.”
“So what are you doing tonight?” Victoria asked changing the subject.
“Well, Malik and I are going to The Red Zone tonight. He’s in a dancing mood.”
Natasha knew that her voice lacked enthusiasm. She wasn’t a nightclub kind of woman. She preferred listening to the blues and sipping on whiskey in her favorite hole in the wall, a place where she didn’t have to get dressed up just to fight off drunk horny ass men.
“Well, try to have fun tonight. You need a little fun. You’re too young to be so boring,” Victoria giggled.
“Whatever! I gotta go get ready. Tell Jack that I said hey.”
“Will do. Talk to you later.”
They ended the call and Natasha headed to her closet to pick out something to wear. She decided on a pretty green sweater and black slacks. Natasha undressed and readied her shower.
Aft
er showering and dressing, she inspected herself in the full length mirror that was attached to her bathroom door. She ran her hands down her favorite sweater. Natasha smiled at her reflection and walked over to the mirror that hung above the bathroom sink. She flat ironed her hair until it was bone straight and applied some mascara and a little lip–gloss. She heard a knock, so she slipped on some pretty black heels and hurried to the door. When she opened the door, Malik stood in her doorway looking like supermodel, Tyson Beckford, sporting his drop dead gorgeous smile. He wore a black button up shirt, which clung to his unbelievably muscular chest, and a pair of True Religion jeans. Malik was a little over six feet and had a deep bronze complexion. His hair was lined with precision and cut low. He was truly a gift to a woman’s eyes. Natasha believed that Malik could’ve had any woman that he wanted had he not been married; to a man.
Malik and his husband, Parker, lived in the condo directly under Natasha’s. She and Malik had been friends since high school. They did everything together. He was the brother that she never had. As a matter of fact, he was the closest thing to family that she had, considering the way that her aunt had treated her. Natasha was an only child, and her parents died when she was thirteen. And after their death, she was sent to be raised by her, unbeknownst to the authorities, drug addicted aunt. Since Evelyn could never be bothered with her, it was clear that she only took Natasha in for the insurance money and government checks that she was getting. When Natasha turned eighteen, and the checks stopped, Evelyn kicked her out into the streets. She ended up moving in with Malik Harper and his very loving family. Natasha smiled at her gorgeous best friend, but as soon as he saw Natasha, his smile fell from his face.
“What?”
He responded, pushing past her to enter her apartment, “You ain’t wearing that shit!”
“Why? What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
Beautiful Prey 2: The Storm Series (BWWM Romance) Page 2
