The Player (Rouge Passion #1)

by J. D. Chase

  So that’s what I overheard . . . ‘I think I follow . . . but I have to say, it all sounds very odd and possibly illegal, Xander.’

  He laughed but it came across as almost a sneer. ‘You sound like my solicitor.’ Then he shrugged. ‘I was desperate. I still am. I was brought up in a culture of anarchy, and an abhorrence of rules and rule makers. My mother’s motto was always “it’s only illegal if you get caught” and while I know that’s the wrong attitude, and not strictly speaking true, I sometimes find myself taking her “desperate times call for desperate measures” philosophy to heart.’

  ‘Hmm, I can’t say that’s reassuring. Not at all. But please, continue . . .’

  ‘Things were okay until Gerald called earlier to say that he’s not happy with the arrangement. Easy for him to say now that he’s got half the money. He wants the rest of the money and the ownership transferred as soon as possible. When I said I don’t have it yet, he informed me that there was a property developer sniffing around but he offered less than me because he didn’t want the business, just the building. He’s given me a week to get him the money, or he’ll sell to the property developer and transfer my funds back. He had cold feet when I spoke with him yesterday, but I thought I’d talked him around.’

  Isla groaned. ‘And you can’t get the money within a week so what you’re telling me is that the developer will shortly be the new owner and the hotel will close, leaving me and all the other staff unemployed.’

  Oh well. Goodbye job. Goodbye home. Hello Mum and Dad. Oh great! She knocked back the rest of her drink. ‘Xander, I think I need another . . . and make it a large one. A very large one.’

  Xander obligingly fetched the bottles of Bombay Sapphire and tonic water. He mixed them both a large measure and sat back down. She began to sip hers immediately.

  He turned to face her. ‘Actually, there’s a chance I can get the money, or at least enough to hopefully stop Gerald taking any further action. It’s unlikely that he’ll want to begin the sale process all over again because of the ridiculous legal fees that he’ll incur.’

  Her eyebrows shot up. ‘So what’s the problem? I thought it was a foregone conclusion from the way you’d spoken.’

  ‘The problem was never about the money – well, except for making sure it wasn’t traceable back to me. The problem is that I can’t have the hotel in my name. Not yet. And even if Gerald was prepared to keep the hotel in his name for a while, which he’s not, I’d be taking a massive risk. I already have by giving him half the money with only a quickly concocted signed agreement that my solicitor refused to endorse and says would not stand up in court. Gerald’s worried about the risks of being found out by the taxman, although I think that’s highly unlikely and I’ve told him that I’ll pay any financial penalties that he’d incur, should that happen.’

  She frowned. ‘But why can’t you have the hotel in your name? I don’t understand. Is it simply to fool the taxman?’

  He held her gaze for a moment as if debating what to tell her. ‘Red, I can’t say why, but believe me it’s important. If I had it in my name I’d probably have to sell it again in the near future anyway. It’s complicated and you’re better off not knowing anything. I know that’s hard to accept but, if all goes well, within six months or so it will all be over, possibly sooner, and everything can be in my name and fully legal.’

  She gasped. ‘You’ve been declared bankrupt in the past, haven’t you? That’s why you can’t run another business yet. Well, whose name is your other hotel in?’

  Again, he studied her carefully before speaking. ‘It would be easy to say that’s what it is, but I promised not to lie to you and I’m sticking to that promise. I haven’t been declared bankrupt, no. It’s nothing that I’ve done, but rather circumstances that I’m reacting to in order to protect myself. I can’t say any more than that. I’m sorry.’

  She chewed her lip, her mind racing to find other possible explanations. She respected him for being honest with her – they both knew how easy it would have been to fob her off with a lie.

  ‘Red, I know it’s your nature to be inquisitive and to understand all the facts but I can’t give them to you. Not yet. But I promise that one day, I’ll be able to tell you everything. One day when the black cloud that follows me around has lifted and I can get my life back on track. But for now, I’m not expecting you to trust me, but just to believe what I tell you and to accept what I can’t.’

  She nodded. ‘Okay. So whose name is the other hotel in?’

  ‘It’s in my name and has been since I purchased it a number of years ago.’

  She gave a sigh. ‘So what you’re telling me is that you need someone you trust to agree to have the hotel in their name until your current circumstances change. What about a family member?’

  He laughed and it wasn’t a pleasant sound. ‘Yeah, I guess that would be the obvious choice but I only have my mother and, even if I knew where to find her, I’d never get her to agree. She’s somewhat of a hippy, and resides wherever she feels like it – as long as it’s warm, so that tends to be the south of France or Spain.’

  ‘Wow! Your mum’s a hippy? But surely you could persuade her if she knew you were desperate.’

  He shook his head. ‘It’s not as glamorous as it sounds. She’s an alcoholic pothead, along with a load of others, and can’t be relied upon for anything. Especially not helping out her only child . . . hell, she couldn’t even be bothered to raise me properly.’

  The resentment in his voice was clear. ‘Oh, Xander, it can’t have been that bad. Look at you – you’re a successful, well-educated guy.’

  ‘No thanks to her. My wealthy, upstanding grandparents disapproved of her lifestyle when she had me. Oh, and I’m a bastard by the way – no father’s name on my birth certificate because it could have been one of several unfortunate men who crossed her path. So she cut my grandparents off completely and refused to allow them to have anything to do with me. But they became concerned for my welfare, rightly so apparently, and they tracked us down when I was about ten. We were living in squalid conditions – and not because she was short of cash, they gave her a considerable allowance every month. They tried to persuade her to return to the UK, she refused and they argued with her about my welfare, but she wouldn’t let them take me back with them without a substantial pay off. So they paid it, cut off her allowance and raised me themselves. It was their inheritance that I used to buy this hotel, amongst other things. No, left to my mother, I’d either be dead or some deadbeat druggy by now.’

  His usual arrogant demeanour had vanished completely. Isla could almost see the vulnerable little boy he’d been. His features were tinged with sadness and she felt her heart go out to him, for the useless mother he’d had and for the loss of his caring grandparents.

  ‘I’m sorry, Xander. You must miss them terribly.’

  He smiled weakly. ‘I do but they had a good life, despite their black sheep of a daughter, although they blamed themselves for spoiling her, their only child. As if that was somehow responsible for her behaviour and who knows? Maybe they were right, but I’ve had nothing to do with her for years and I plan to keep it that way. If I transferred the hotel into her name, she’d probably sell it for a fraction of its worth just to get her hands on some quick cash.’

  ‘There’s always the possibility that she’s changed. How would you know if you don’t have anything to do with her?’

  ‘When my grandmother was very ill, my grandfather sent someone to track her down and persuade her to come back and visit her mother before she died. She refused, so the request was sweetened with a cash sum. She agreed, spent the cash, and never even bought a ticket to come over. She didn’t come to the funeral either, so my grandfather cut her out of his will and I inherited everything when he died a couple of years later. Well, except for a trust fund that he set up for my children but that’ll go to the government coffers eventually.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I don’t have
any children and I never will so it will go unclaimed,’ he said simply.

  A malicious expression marred his features until he picked up his still full glass and drank it down in one go. He then picked up the bottle of Bombay Sapphire and poured half a glass of neat gin before tossing that back too.

  ‘I’m sorry. It must be painful for you to talk about it,’ she whispered, suddenly wanting to comfort him in any way she could. She reached out and clasped her hand over his large one lying in his lap.

  His lip curled slightly before he muttered, ‘Red, you have no idea.’

  They sat in silence for a few minutes before he said, ‘So yes, basically we’re fucked. I’m sorry, Red, and if a job comes up here in the future, I’ll be sure to come knocking on your door.’

  ‘I doubt I’ll still be there. With no job, I’ll lose the flat.’

  She felt his hand flex into a fist under hers. The thought of losing her job and her home was just too much. She didn’t understand the reason why Xander would have to let Gerald sell the hotel but she knew from his behaviour during the week that something was going on and it was serious.

  ‘I’m so sorry, Red. I should never have tried to buy the hotel.’

  She shook her head. ‘I doubt it would have made any difference. Gerald would have sold it to the developer anyway. At least this way, I might get a little bit of warning before my P45 arrives. I’d rather sell my flat than have it repossessed by the bank. And at least I can look for work while it’s on the market and, if I get lucky, I can take it off sale but I won’t hold my breath, not with the state of both the job and property markets at present.’

  ‘All I can do is apologise again. And, like you say, now you know the situation, you can at least be prepared for the worst. And you can take any time you need for job hunting, interviews and so on. I guess the only upside is that I can buy my beloved Holden back from the dealer, who will no doubt rip me off again.’

  ‘Oh yeah, your car! I guess that will be little comfort though . . . although you’ll get your money back from Gerald so you can find another venture to invest in.’

  ‘True. But there was something about that hotel – when I saw it, it was as though I was meant to buy it. I know it sounds stupid but that’s how I felt. I wasn’t looking for another hotel, I was supposed to be diverting money into something that couldn’t be traced to me. Well that’s a lesson learned, stick to what makes good business sense . . . don’t follow your instincts.’

  He looked so crestfallen – a million miles from his usual confident, arrogant self

  ‘I for one, will never regret you buying it. I wouldn’t have met you and I wouldn’t have found out that I can orgasm so easily if sex is done right! If I had the money, I’d give it to Gerald, just to keep you there . . . and in my knickers!’

  She’d intended to attempt to lift his mood, hopefully even make him smile, but he jumped up and shouted, ‘Oh my God, that’s it!’

  He’d startled her and she sat blinking at him in surprise. ‘What’s it?’

  He fell to his knees in front of her and grinned like an idiot. ‘We can put the hotel in your name, that’s if you’re willing.’

  She frowned, not understanding. ‘But Xander, I’ve just said I don’t have the money!’

  ‘I’ll get the rest of the money over the next week or so and then we get Gerald to transfer the hotel into your name until I’m in a position to have it in mine. Don’t worry, we can sort it. What do you say, Partner Red?’

  What? Me? Own a hotel? What? She opened her mouth and closed it again. Then opened it, but no words were forthcoming.

  He chuckled. ‘I only ever thought I’d get to see you speechless when I was doing unmentionable things to your body.’

  ‘But . . . but you don’t know me. You can’t put the hotel in my name when I’ve not paid a penny for it,’ she managed, thinking the whole thing was absurd.

  ‘I know you intimately, Red. And I trust you instinctively. You’re honest and decent and I’ve got more faith that you’d never cross me than I have Gerald – he is a total stranger to me. But I’m desperate – and please don’t take that the wrong way – I feel backed into a corner financially and I need some security. If you do this for me, whilst helping to keep yourself in a job and home at the same time, then I’ll have it. And I promise you that if it works and I need a GM for the hotel, the job’s yours without question.’

  She stared at him unblinking as the idea began to sink in. Eventually, she spoke. ‘I guess that means that once I’m the owner, you’ll be working away underneath me for a change! Now, about the no-sex-let’s-be-professional rule . . . I think, as the new owner, that I may wish to revisit and revise that little gem.’

  He laughed loudly. ‘Don’t get ahead of yourself, Red. The hotel’s not in your name just yet. I must warn you that over the next few months, I may have to spend a lot of time here so that rule may not be such a problem for a while. Oh don’t look like that . . . besides, we aren’t in work right now and I think a celebratory fuck’s in order. I’ve been lusting after that pussy all day after you flaunted those naked thighs around the office. And do you realise just how tightly that skirt stretches across your big, beautiful arse? It makes my cock twitch just thinking about it.’

  She squealed in delight as he pounced, sending her gin and tonic flying everywhere. He kissed her hard and long as his fingers unfastened the buttons of her blouse and pushed up her bra, freeing her heavy breasts. His tongue and teeth teased her eager nipples as he wrestled with her skirt until she helpfully lifted her arse and he slid it down, along with her knickers.

  Wearing just her silk scarf, she attempted to redress the balance by undressing him, but he was having none of it.

  ‘Stand up,’ he panted. ‘Bend over the back of the sofa and show me what an obedient little slut you can be. I want to see that big, soft, beautiful arse in all its glory. And then I’m going to make sure that everyone in this hotel knows you’re being fucked. And being fucked properly. I want every woman to hear you and wish they were being fucked like that . . . and I want every man to wish he was the one fucking you and making you scream!’

  Oh fuck! Yes! He’s so pussy-clenchingly hot when he gets dominant and starts talking real dirty . . .

  She scooted off the sofa and willingly obliged, and he began to massage her buttocks.

  ‘Oh yeah. Big, heavy, perfect cheeks. Do you know how hard that sight is making my cock?’ He pushed himself against her so she could feel the rock solid length.

  Fuck . . . it feels like a truncheon!

  ‘Now hold those cheeks open with your hands. Pull them back and let me see you. All of you.’

  Bare my arsehole? Oh God. She hesitated. The thought made her feel slightly uncomfortable.

  She felt him bend over the sofa so that his mouth was near to her ear.

  ‘Come on, Red. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before and you have no idea how much I’ve thought about seeing it again. I’ve been picturing your little holes in my mind all day and thoughts of what I’d do to them have driven me half insane. Now let me see them. Let me worship at the altar of your femininity. Let—’

  ‘Um . . . altar of my femininity? What the fuck?’

  ‘I was trying to be romantically seductive.’

  ‘Well don’t! It’s not you, it’s . . . wrong. Just plain wrong!’

  He stood abruptly and spanked one cheek, three times in quick succession, making her squeal in shock and then squirm with pleasure as liquid heat pooled in her pussy.

  ‘Fair enough. Fucking spread your arse for me, you dirty, little slut!’ he growled.

  That’s better! She complied without another thought, her fingers digging into her flesh as she pulled her cheeks apart, which also opened her labia.

  ‘Damn!’ he breathed. ‘It’s even better than I remembered.’ Then he plunged his face into her, his mouth open wide and his tongue fully extended.

  ‘Oh yes! Eat me, you filthy fucking deviant!’ she cried, hearing
his answering moan.

  He ate her with even more forceful desire than he had previously, and her legs trembled. Her skin slipped from her grasp as she prepared to surrender to her body’s need to come.

  ‘Hold your fucking arse open!’ he growled, lifting his face and making her almost scream in frustration.

  Quickly, she grabbed her cheeks and parted them again, not willing to risk diverting her impending climax.

  Within seconds, she was a quivering, moaning mess, but she hung on to her arse cheeks as he tongue fucked her into her orgasm.

  ‘Yes, fuck me. No, stop. No, don’t . . . Arghhhhhh!’

  She couldn’t think of anything but keeping her hands in place. She could feel her nails digging into her buttocks and she held on with determination as her body bucked and writhed.

  As the shockwaves subsided, she hung limply over the sofa, her brain and bones a mass of mush. Xander removed her hands and caressed her buttocks with extreme tenderness until she showed signs of coming out of her post-orgasm haze.

  ‘Right, I’m hungry. Get yourself dressed, we’re going down for dinner. Oh, and leave your knickers off . . . I want to smell you.’

  She stood, unsure of whether he was joking, but she could see from the devilment in his eyes that he wasn’t.

  ‘But I thought you were going to fuck me . . .’ she pouted, although she was just as concerned about going commando at dinner whilst wearing such a short skirt as she was about missing an opportunity to have Xander’s cock inside her.

  ‘Oh and I will. Repeatedly. You’re staying here tonight – don’t bank on getting much sleep. Now hurry, get ready for dinner – I need energy.’ He grabbed her knickers from where they lay, strewn on the floor and sauntered off into his bedroom.