King's Trophy, page 1
Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2023 Sam Crescent
ISBN: 978-0-3695-0822-5
Cover Artist: Jay Aheer
Editor: Lisa Petrocelli
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
KING’S TROPHY
Sam Crescent
Copyright © 2023
Chapter One
Mason Campbell was fucking bored.
Leaning his head back in the booth, he closed his eyes. Even the whiskey didn’t help to numb this feeling. At forty-five years old, he had everything he dreamed of having. Actually, he had a lot more than he ever dreamed of having. The music filled the air, not giving any real time to hear people talking, or to think, but he was able to drown it out.
His thoughts drifted back to when he was a kid. He had nothing. No parents, no real home, nothing to his name. The people at the foster homes he was bounced between had always told him he’d never amount to anything. He’d just go through life being a lazy drunk bum.
None of them had known the monster they would create.
Every single one of them had eaten their words because not only had he amounted to something, he was the most powerful man in the city, and everyone feared him, as they should.
No one would ever fucking oppose him. He’d make them all suffer and he’d do so gladly. He’d visited all those men and women from his past who dared raise a hand to him, allowed them to see just how powerful he’d gotten. He watched the fear fill their eyes, the panic, the understanding that he could, if he wanted to, take them out. He hadn’t. No.
He wasn’t a cruel man, but he made sure they never fostered any more children. From time to time, he’d make sure to be seen in their neighborhood, to keep instilling the fear. Of course, not all the men and women from his past had gotten an easy ride. He’d killed those he knew were dirty, filthy scumbags. Their deaths had been easy to handle.
Mason knew he had it all. Women fawned all over him. Most of them just wanted to earn the reputation of being with the most feared man in the city. It was fun in the beginning but that had long since lost its appeal. He had no interest in the sluts that vied for his attention.
The music in the nightclub changed, became sensual, almost erotic in nature. It was Valentine’s Day so he expected it, but something made him open his eyes and as he did, he saw her.
One woman, dressed in red. The bodice of her dress molded to her tits, and seemed to press them together to outline a perfect cleavage. The dress seemed to curve in at the waist before flaring out with the skirt seeming to have splits all around, giving a hint of leg or thigh. She had long, black hair, naturally curly, or so it seemed. No man was with her.
She had completely captivated an audience. There were couples on the dance floor trying to get their men’s attention away from the woman, but she didn’t seem to care who looked at her.
Her eyes were closed as she danced, moving her hips to the beat of the music, and it was hypnotic to watch. The people faded away and Mason watched her, imagining this dance was for him and him alone.
The woman oozed sex. It was like she was designed for a cock, his cock. He could imagine putting his hands on her waist, thrusting his dick inside her, and riding her until she screamed his name and begged for more. Those lips, painted a dark red, would look so good wrapped around his length. An instant hit of heat rushed through his body and for the first time in months, Mason didn’t feel bored. He felt alive.
Tipping his whiskey to the back of his throat, he watched her. The couples on the floor moved out of her way as she let the beat of the music fill her body, and gave her the space to dance. She seemed almost untouchable.
He knew the song was coming to an end, and he’d never seen this woman before. She wasn’t a regular at his nightclubs and she certainly didn’t work for him.
When he clicked his fingers, one of his men quickly came to his side.
“Who is that woman?” he asked.
The man glanced at the dance floor and even he wore a flush to his cheeks. Her dancing had affected so many men.
All of her curves were barely on display, more of a glimpse here and there, nothing too revealing. Yet there were women wearing a hell of a lot less who were not getting a single bit of attention.
The music came to a close and the woman simply left the dance floor.
“I, er, I don’t know, sir.”
“Find out.”
Mason got to his feet, leaving his empty whiskey glass on the table, and made his way toward the bar, only to see the woman wasn’t there. She hadn’t gone to the bathroom, which meant she had left.
Stepping out of the nightclub, he spotted his man talking to the main bouncer controlling entrance to the club.
“Who is she?”
The bouncer looked terrified. This was a man completely covered in muscle but all it had taken was one question from him, and he was filled with fear.
“I … uh … I didn’t get her ID.”
He had one job to do.
One.
Not two or three.
Any other day, Mason wouldn’t give a shit. Underage kids tried to get into his club all the time. Any that got past the bouncer were often escorted out of the premises by cops. He was good like that, making sure parents were aware of what their little angels were up to. If a bouncer had let them in, he made sure that bouncer paid by moving him away from the door to do other work—the kind of work that involved threatening and breaking people who owed him money. Providing the jobs got done, he didn’t give a shit who did them. Looking down the street, he nodded at his man, and within minutes the bouncer was replaced.
Mason walked back into his nightclub.
The moment of boredom had passed. Now all he was focused on was finding that woman. He went straight to his security room. Stepping inside, he saw Michael, his computer whiz, sitting in the chair.
“Hey, boss man,” Michael said.
“Did you see the woman on the dance floor? Black hair, dressed in red?”
“Yeah, I did.” Michael laughed and immediately stopped as he looked at him. He cleared his throat. “Er, I might have seen her, sir.”
Mason stepped closer. “I want you to find her.”
“Sir? Did she not pay her bill?”
“She paid her bill but I want to know everything about her.” He was aware of Michael’s skills. The man could find anything with a few clicks on the keyboard. Mason had never been a computer genius. He always used the power of his fists and his mind. Many years ago he’d saved Michael from serving time. He called in a few contacts and several owed favors to keep him out of the firing line. Michael was loyal to him, and only to him. It also helped that he’d played matchmaker, and Michael was a happily married man with two children.
Michael didn’t ask any questions, just leaned forward and began to click away at the keyboard. Mason watched as he found the image of her and began to run searches.
“Will I need to call in a few more favors?” he asked, knowing Michael wasn’t exactly going through the legal route.
“I’m covering my tracks, and besides, we’re not stealing anything. Just attempting to fill in the blanks.” He continued to type away.
The image of his goddess had been frozen on the screen. She hadn’t been dancing for anyone but herself. He saw that, even now. Her eyes were closed and when she did open them, she didn’t look anywhere or at anyone. Mason couldn’t help but wonder what her story was.
He hoped she wasn’t underage, getting a kick out of sneaking into a nightclub. Staring at that body, there was no way she was a child. She was all woman.
“I’ve got her,” Michael said.
Pulling his gaze from the screen, Mason looked to Michael, who’d been able to locate this mystery woman. He couldn’t help but smile.
His mystery woman was Holly Allan, a thirty-year-old librarian. Her hair was pinned back in the picture and she was also wearing a pair of glasses. At first glance, the two images looked nothing alike but Mason saw it. It was in the eyes.
“Email me all the details,” Mason said.
He would hunt for this woman and he was going to possess her.
****
Holly winced as she slid her finger down the edge of the paper. Stupid paper. There was a small line of red and she quickly shoved her finger into her mouth and began to suck up the blood. The metallic taste made her wince.
Books were not supposed to be dangerous.
She had experienced so many papercuts and scuffed fingers. Pulling her finger from between her lips, she stared down at the cut and saw that it was no longer bleeding.
Wiping her finger down her skirt, she went back to filling the bookshelves. Her feet also hurt, but that was to be expected when she’d worn those expensive heels last night. She couldn’t believe she had actually gone and done what she’d been wanting to do for ten years. She had gotten married ten years ago. At the time she had thought William was everything. An adventurer, or at least he’d seemed it with his tales of going abroad. He’d been older than her, thirty to her twenty,
Nine years they’d been married. He never once took her out of the country. They never went dancing. They vacationed to cities where he was needed by his firm. Her role as a librarian was often the source of mockery amongst his friends. She never understood why. There was nothing to make fun off. She studied hard to be where she was today. Her love of books and the written word had driven her to become a librarian.
Holly hadn’t wanted to give up her job, which had become a bone of contention between them. He earned the money, she didn’t have to work. Staying at home all day, waiting for him, didn’t sound like fun. Nor did shopping. So, she kept her job and was still home before him.
Everything about married life had bored her. They didn’t have any children because William wasn’t ready. He had a name to build and until he had made partner, there would not be any children.
Holly had known he’d never been faithful to her. She never could prove it, though. He went through assistants and secretaries so fast. Their names were constantly changing, and it seemed a new one was in place each time she phoned the office.
A year ago, she had picked up her cell phone and was about to call him about lunch. William often canceled lunch when he had a new girl to train. Holly had known there was a new woman working for him. She hated her marriage. Hated her husband. Hated her life. So, rather than call and go on pretending, she had walked up to his office, and that was where she had stood, door open, watching him fuck his latest secretary.
To help with the divorce, she had filmed several minutes of it before they had even realized someone was watching them.
She had gotten half of everything he had. There had been no arguing. Even with his lawyer, a friend of them both, or at least he had been until then, had tried to suggest her lack of support in leaving her job had ruined the marriage.
What William hadn’t known was that his infidelity had caught up with him. Holly had kept a record of the women who worked for him as it seemed odd how many employees he went through. From the moment they were married, she finally had proof he’d never been faithful. All the women he’d screwed had been angry he got them fired. They all helped her.
The divorce had been final six months ago. For six months she had kept to her old ways—working, going home, eating alone, watching television, going to bed, and then getting back up, and the cycle repeating. Until last night.
She had been walking home when she passed a clothing store. There in the shop window a beautiful red dress had called out to her. She’d not been able to resist. With one look at the dress, she had known she wanted it for herself. She’d never splurged on anything quite so extravagant. Even though her husband had been quite wealthy, she hated shopping, hated buying clothes, but in that instant, she wanted it. So, she walked right in and lo and behold, they had the dress in her size. She changed into it right then and there, dumping her other clothes in the trash bin outside. Before she left, she picked up a pair of matching shoes, and then on a spur of the moment, she found the first nightclub she could find, and danced.
The moment she wore the dress, all she wanted to do was dance, and it had been one of the most exhilarating moments of her life.
She hadn’t stuck around. There hadn’t been any reason to.
Holly smiled.
William never once took her dancing. She could imagine him taking out many of his assistants and secretaries. Looking back over her married life, she had to wonder what she ever saw in him. Any kind of love had died a long time ago. She pushed the thoughts of him out of her mind, because each time she thought of her ten-year marriage, she felt embarrassed to have stayed with the man for so long. He’d been truly awful throughout it all.
She focused again on the books. Her papercut had gone to a dull throb, and she quickly picked up the books and started to place them back in order on the shelves. She loved being a librarian, loved surrounding herself with books. There was so much knowledge and of course fantasy, be it fiction or nonfiction. She loved them all.
Once her latest trolley was empty of returned books, she headed to the end of the aisle and went straight toward the elevator. Reaching out, she pressed the button that would take her down to the main floor.
Would she go dancing again tonight? She had no idea.
She’d taken the dress to be dry cleaned. Usually when she purchased clothes, she always had them washed before she wore them. This time was so different.
The elevator doors opened and she stepped out, pushing her trolley toward the main desk. The second trolley had a couple of returns already.
Evie, another librarian, stood at the counter, working on the computer. They had an order of new books coming in a couple of weeks, which they were pretty excited about. Funds for the library were always sparse and they had no choice but to fix building damage rather than purchase books. This time, though, with the building repaired and maintenance handled, they were able to order new books.
They had a lot of customers lately. Renting books was a lot cheaper than purchasing. Over the years the closing of the library had always been met with anger from the locals, and so far they’d been able to remain open.
“Done already?” Evie asked.
“Not many books to put away and you know I like to organize them down here so it’s a lot easier when I go upstairs.”
Evie chuckled.
“Everything still going according to plan with the new books?” she asked.
“Yes, and we’ve also had a donation of books as well, which should be arriving next Friday.”
“Sounds great.”
Evie stepped away from the computer and rubbed at her eyes. “What are your plans for the weekend?”
Holly thought about last night. At the library they didn’t exactly have much of a weekend. It was Saturday, so they closed a little earlier than throughout the week, and had Sunday off.
“Not much, probably rest, read a book.”
“You’ve been divorced for a long time now. Why don’t you go out and meet someone?” Evie asked.
Holly wrinkled her nose. “I’m not interested in meeting anyone. Trust me. For now, I’m more than happy to remain single.”
“You’re a beautiful woman and trust me, you’re not getting any younger.” Evie winked at her. “You wasted way too much time on that asshole husband of yours.”
“Exactly. I don’t want to make the same mistake twice.”
“Impossible to do. You know what you’re looking for. I didn’t say you had to look for husband number two. There’s nothing wrong with going out and having a whole lot of fun.”
“You’re encouraging me to sleep around?” Holly asked.
“I’m encouraging you to have a lot of fun. If that means sleeping around, then enjoy that. I’ve seen how miserable you’ve been these past ten years. Marriage is not supposed to make you that sad. Not until you’ve been married thirty-plus years.”
Holly chuckled. “Would you know something about that?”
Evie was a married woman in her fifties. She married her childhood sweetheart, and they’d been married for thirty-two years. Married at eighteen, five kids, and still going strong.
“Not everyone can be like me and my Christopher.”
“But people like me wish for a marriage like yours,” Holly said.
“One day, Holly, you’ll have it, but to find someone you want to spend the rest of your life with, you’ve got to be willing to go out and explore. You can’t hide forever.”
Chapter Two
It didn’t take Mason long to find the library where his siren worked. Glancing through the large windows, he saw the endless rows of books. There were not a lot of people. It was a Saturday afternoon and the sun was shining. The outside was much more alluring than the inside of a stuffy old library.
He’d never stepped foot into a library.
The call of his woman was too great to ignore. He needed to see her again. Stepping into the main building, there was a sign for bathrooms to his right, and then doors leading to the first level of the library. Past the bathrooms he saw an elevator and a set of stairs. Walking into the main part of the library, he moved slow, perusing the shelves, when he was in fact looking for Holly. The beauty in red.
