Tangled Deceit, page 17
“I’ve been busy,” I say as the doors close. “I made sure that Justine would update you through Jaxon.”
“Oh, she told me,” Olivia replies, then the two of them share a look that has my shoulders tensing. “And we’ve decided that we’re both going with you.”
The rumble that comes from Jaxon only serves to put a smile on my face considering the conversation we were just having.
“Not fucking happening,” he says, looking only at Justine. “You have no reason to be there.”
“Olivia is my friend,” she says. “My only friend that I can truly be myself with. So, yes, I have a reason to be there for her and to make sure she has backup while the rest of your brutes are blowing heads off.”
“She makes a point,” I say as we get to the fourth floor, only Olivia and me stepping out.
The look Jaxon gives me is something I haven’t seen in a long time, and I decide pushing his buttons should be something I do more often.
“We’re going to our room,” he says, then presses a button, shutting the doors.
Olivia looks up at me, a smile on her face. “I didn’t expect you to enjoy that so much.”
“Neither did I.” I pick her up, wrap her legs around my waist, and start walking her toward the apartment. When she doesn’t start to kiss me like I expect, I pause. “What’s wrong?”
She tugs her lower lip into her mouth and looks slightly to my left. “Tori is still in there.”
“I told you what would happen if you didn’t find her somewhere else to sleep,” I say, though I know there isn’t all that much time for me to ravage her like I want. The sun has set, and plans have already been set into motion.
Olivia shoves at my chest playfully. “You wouldn’t force me.”
I lean forward and bite at her mouth. “No, but I’d make you really want to fuck me, regardless of who could hear, and then tell you we need to go.”
Her face pales, and her lips part. “You would do that, you evil son of a bitch.”
“You’re lucky we have someplace to be, or I would fill your mouth with my cock instead of those filthy words.” My darkly spoken words leave her speechless, just what I was aiming for, and I open the door into our apartment with Olivia still wrapped around me.
Sure enough, Tori is there, sitting on the couch, and her eyes widen when she sees us. I don’t wave or say hello. Honestly, if I’d thought she was going to be such a pain in the ass about Titan, I might not have saved her.
That’s a lie. I know it the moment I think the words. Olivia would have never been okay without her best friend, but Tori better get over whatever sentimental feelings she has toward the bastard.
He’s dying tonight. No matter what anyone else thinks or wants.
Olivia waves at her. “Be right back.”
Tori isn’t likely considering the two of us need to change and talk, but I don’t bother to say that. I carry Olivia into our room, kicking the door closed behind us, and wait to set her down until we enter the closet. As soon as she’s on two feet, I start to lift up her tank top.
Her brow raises. “I thought you said we had somewhere to be?”
“We do,” I confirm. “And that means you need to be dressed properly.”
Once the clothing is over her head, her palms settle over my dress shirt. “So do you.”
“If you’re hoping to undress me, you better move faster than that, Raven.”
Her hands slide down to my pants, forgetting all about my upper half, and she has them undone before I can even process what she’s doing.
Olivia drops to her knees and has her sexy mouth around my cock in the next second, causing me to brace myself against the doorway of the closet. “What are you doing?”
She pulls back only long enough to answer. “Filling my dirty mouth with your cock. Sounded like fun.”
This fucking vixen.
I reach one hand down, grip the back of her head, and give her everything she’s just asked for. My dick drives into her mouth, hitting the back of her throat, and the choking sound she makes has me getting harder.
Her hands reach around me, and she digs her nails into my ass cheeks, taking every inch of me with renewed enthusiasm.
I’m not gentle with her, either, but that only lasts so long. If she wants part of me, then she’s going to have all of me, the guest in our apartment be damned.
Once I’ve let her have her fun—and enjoyed the hell out of it as well—I reach for her shoulders and haul her up with one jerk. My cock slips out of her mouth with an audible pop, and the adorable pout on her face almost distracts me from yanking her pants off.
Olivia helps, wiggling them down and kicking them off with just as much urgency as I feel inside me. It isn’t until I’m reaching for her again that her stare darts toward the living room. “Tori.”
“Not my fucking problem,” I grumble, lifting her back up and shoving my dick inside of her dripping pussy. “You are all that I care about, Raven. Everyone else can fuck right off.”
As soon as I’m fully seated within her, she seems to forget all about her friend, and when I press her back against the closet wall, she rides me hard, not withholding her pleasure.
I fuck her hard and fast, fully aware that we don’t have time for this if we’re to get where we need to be on time, but still, I can’t deny I needed this. I’ve craved her touch all damn day, and I’m going to savor the minutes that I give myself to escape reality with her body.
“Harder, Luc,” she begs, panting heavier and gripping tightly to my shoulders as she bounces up and down.
“If I go any harder, I’m going to put you through this wall,” I warn.
The smirk on her face is nearly my undoing. “You can have it fixed.”
My ass clenches as I surge up into her, eliciting a gasp from between her swollen lips. I repeat the action over and over until I feel her pussy tighten around me and she squeezes her eyes closed. My hips move faster, and when I’m close, I grip the back of her neck, dragging her face closer to mine.
As I pound into her relentlessly, I own her mouth just as much as I do the rest of her body. When she can’t hold back her pleasure any longer, her head jerks back and she cries out. The sound of her moans and the pulsing of her pussy have me following right behind her.
I hold her tight against me as the final waves of ecstasy roll through the both of us, but there’s no time to waste. We’re already going to be late.
“Go clean up, Raven,” I say, pulling out of her. “You have five minutes to be dressed in jeans, boots, and a long-sleeved shirt. Nothing bulky. You’ll be wearing a vest.”
Both of her brows go up. “As in bulletproof vest?”
I grab her shoulders and point her body out of the closet. “Yes. Hurry the hell up or you’ll be leaving here with my cum still leaking out of you.”
Her mouth opens and closes, but before she can form proper words, I smack her ass, urging her to get going before I tug my shirt over my head and use it to clean her juices from my cock.
As I’m getting dressed, I realize there are raised voices coming from the living room, but it doesn’t take long to figure out that it’s the television turned up loudly. That has me grinning when Olivia returns to the closet.
She tilts her head to the side. “I know why you should be smiling, but I could be wrong…”
“Your friend has the TV on and turned up.”
The one sentence has Olivia’s entire face turning red and her eyes bouncing between me and the direction of the living room. “I can’t believe I did that to her.”
“You probably made her night,” I say, reaching for my vest and slipping it on.
Olivia punches my stomach before it’s covered. “Don’t put those thoughts into my head.”
Before I have to tell her again, she’s pulling on clothes and moving with urgency. As she finishes getting ready, I check my phone for updates.
Damon: Just as you thought, Titan is still at his house. They have tarps up and he’s going by his neighbor’s houses. I assume to apologize for the earlier commotion.
Damon: He’s back inside and hasn’t left for more than ten minutes. Other men have shown up, all of them armed.
Damon: I’ve counted at least twenty men inside, but there’s probably more.
Damon: Where the fuck are you?
Me: Leaving the compound in less than five.
Damon: Make sure Jaxon has the fifty-cal.
After the texts, I check my email. My chest tightens as soon as I see one at the top.
Subject: Urgent Board Meeting
Allegations have been made against our CEO and we need to discuss a plan of action before the media gets a hold of this information, which should be tomorrow according to our source.
Mr. Monroe, if you’re not here for the board meeting, we will be forced to assume you’re guilty of such allegations and your position will be at risk as per Article 34, Section 6.8, the board can take majority ownership of the company should the entirety be proven to be at risk.
The meeting, to happen at Monroe Investments, is set for 8:00pm tonight. Do not be late.
Signed,
Steven Griffith
Board Vice President
Fucking Titan. Bryson hadn’t been exaggerating when he said that the fucker was going to target every part of my world. Worse, there’s not a chance in hell that I’ll make it to that meeting. Too many other things have been set into motion, which means I need a proxy and within the hour.
The only people I trust to do so are already going to be with me, which serves as another problem. I’ll need to figure it out once we’re in the SUV and headed to meet the others.
Olivia exits the closet dressed in dark jeans, black boots, a white long sleeve, and the vest fitted over her chest. It’s not on tight, but I’ll fix that once we’re out of the car.
I grab her hand and pull harder than necessary, thanks to that fucking email. “We need to go.”
“What’s wrong?” she asks, mouth turned down into a frown.
I don’t answer her as we exit the bedroom. The moment we step out, Tori turns down the TV, cheeks red.
Knowing Olivia will want a moment with her friend, I release my hold on her. “Thirty seconds and then out that door.”
I leave without waiting for her reply and text Jaxon, reminding him about the gun and hoping his insightfulness is about to save my ass again.
26
OLIVIA
It’s harder than I expect it to be when I look at Tori, but I don’t dare apologize for something I’m not exactly sorry for doing. I needed to fuck Luca almost as much as it seemed he needed to pound into me. Though, I do feel mildly bad for forgetting that we weren’t alone.
I stand in front of Tori, and she keeps her eyes averted as I speak. “I don’t know how long we’ll be gone, but don’t wait up.”
She glances behind her. “Is it always like that?”
The grin that rises on my face can’t be avoided. “Better. We were in a hurry.”
“Riiight.” She says the word slowly.
I glance at the open front door, then back at her. “I need to go. I love you, and please believe that we’re doing the right thing.”
She quiets for a beat, then asks, “When is murder ever the right thing?”
“When a man beats his daughter and plans to kill her.”
I don’t say anything else, nor do I wait for her reply. Instead, I turn sharply to meet Luca, closing and locking the door behind me as I go.
I thought I would feel more tension walking away from her, but when my eyes settle on Luca’s back, I know I’m doing the right thing.
My fingers entwine with his, and we step into the waiting elevator. I let the doors close before I ask, “What’s wrong?”
“Titan got to my board members,” he says tersely.
Motherfucker. He’s like the mold that just won’t stop spreading. “Once he’s dead, they’ll have no proof of anything.”
“It’ll be too late,” he replies. “They’re holding a meeting tonight, making a decision about whatever they’ve been told, and if I’m not there to defend myself, I’ll be removed as CEO.”
My grip on his hand tightens. “They can’t do that.”
“They can,” he murmurs. “It’s written into the corporate laws of the company.”
I turn toward him, shaking my head. “Why in the hell would you allow a rule like that when you know who you are?”
He doesn’t answer me, and I instantly feel bad for rubbing salt in what I assume to be a gaping wound.
“Can you postpone our attack until tomorrow or later tonight?” I ask, hoping there are options to get Luca to that meeting.
Luca shakes his head curtly as the doors open to the garage floor. “We’re doing this. Now. The longer that bastard lives, the more of a risk he is to our lives. I won’t let him take what’s most important from me.” His eyes practically burn into mine. “I can build another company. I can’t replace you.”
I want to say something else, but Jaxon honks the horn of the SUV, interrupting our tense moment.
Luca leads us forward, and I follow without saying anything else, since I’m not sure how much he wants to share with the others, but he barely has the door shut before he’s sharing what he just told me with them.
“That son of a bitch,” Justine hisses, and I decide having her with us is the best idea we had all day.
“You need a proxy,” Jaxon says, staying parked even though we’re supposed to be in a hurry. “Do you have one on paper or can you choose anyone?”
“It’s supposed to be you,” Luca replies, “but it could be anyone. Except there isn’t anyone else I trust to go in my place that we don’t need at the fight with us.”
Jaxon’s fingers drum over the steering wheel, then he looks at Justine with all the admiration in the world in his eyes. “You could do it.”
I glance at Luca, expecting him to object, but surprisingly, he waits in silence.
Justine points at her chest. “Me? Like really, me?”
“Yes. You.” Jaxon turns to Luca. “She could do it. She knows enough to make this work, and she’s frightening enough to keep them from trying to bully her.”
My eyes bounce between the three of them, tension filling my body until I know what’s going to happen.
Luca stares at Justine, whose eyes are still wide with shock. “Can you do this?”
She takes a deep breath, shoulders rising toward her ears before dropping back down. “I can. I would be honored to do this for you, Luca. You welcomed me into your home when you didn’t know me. Let me help.”
Her confidence grows with every word she speaks, and a smile rises to my face. I have no doubt that she’ll help Luca keep his company and make those board members cower in her presence.
“Okay,” he says. “Get out, wear something respectable, and take whatever car you want.” He reaches for his phone again. “I’ll tell them to expect you in my place.”
Justine looks at me and winks. “We’ll have to slay together another day.”
“That we will.” A soft chuckle escapes from between my lips.
She leans over to kiss Jaxon, warning him to be careful or else, then gets out of the SUV and rushes back to the elevator.
And just like that, one problem of the evening is solved. Here’s hoping everything else goes as smoothly.
Within twenty minutes, we’re pulling up to the house that Luca bought earlier this week, but this time, we don’t park in the garage. Jaxon backs the SUV into the driveway, next to the one I assume the others drove over in, and leaves the keys in the ignition again.
We all get out together, but Luca holds me back, standing on the porch as he pulls the front door closed. His eyes practically burn into mine. “It’s not too late to back out.”
My face scrunches. “What do you mean?” Hadn’t he just said that this is happening tonight, right now?
“For you,” he adds. “You don’t have to do this with me.”
I cross my arms and stare up at him with defiance written all over my face, daring him to force me to stay behind. “I’m going.”
He reaches for me, holding my shoulders gently. “And I’m not saying you can’t, but I want you to consider the consequences of being present when your father is killed.”
“He hasn’t been my father in a long time,” I retort, not backing down.
“I know that, Raven, but your heart and mind might not,” he says softly. “I just want to make sure that you’re prepared for the mindfuck this might cause.”
My head is already shaking. “I’m going to be fine, Luca. I know I’ve said that I hate him, which could make you think he still means something to me, but that’s not it at all. What I mean when I say that is I hate everything he’s done. The man himself means nothing to me. He is nothing, and I know that with every fiber of my being.”
His hands move up my neck and cup my cheeks. “You’re fucking incredible.”
He kisses away my smile, but it’s only seconds before he’s grabbing my hand and leading us inside.
I follow without another word, but I also hope that he believes me. Seeing Titan dead will only bring me joy. I have no doubts about that whatsoever.
When we enter the house, I expect to see much of the same as I did earlier, but instead, the place has been stripped of everything left behind by its previous tenants. Dozens of men fill the empty spaces.
Some faces I recognize from being in the compound, but most of them I don’t and nearly all of them I’ve never spoken to before. What has me most in awe is that when Luca enters the room, the murmurs quiet and all eyes go to him, full of respect.
These men are all willing to die for the man before them, and that says a hell of a lot more about Luca than it does them. It’s just another reason I feel certain I’ve made the correct choice and that I’m right where I’m supposed to be—beside Luca.
“We only have a few minutes,” Luca begins. “Some of the men are already in place around the house, but for those of you here, you’ll be going in head on. We’re attacking quick and dirty. Anyone still fighting beside Titan is to die except for the young man whose picture you’ve all been shown already.”
