Finders Keepers

A Syndicate novel

BJ Bentley

© 2018 BJ Bentley

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief  quotations embodied in reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

The characters in this book are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons living, dead, or in spirit, is entirely coincidental.

A note from the author-

First, THANK YOU, to all my readers. Your willingness to take a chance on me humbles me, and I hope, more than anything, that I’ve done you proud. Second, thank you to my editor, Jenn, and my beta reader, Emma. You two are so much help to me when I’ve been staring at a manuscript so long, I fear I might go cross eyed. Third, this book is so far from where I began, it’s almost comical. My first published series was a set of romantic comedies. This series is at the other end of the spectrum. That being said…

TRIGGER WARNING: This book contains possible triggers for graphic violence and non-consensual situations. Read at your own risk.

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Epilogue

Prologue

Charlotte

“Come on, Char, you’re the best safecracker this side of the Mississippi. You got this!”

“Chace, keep your voice down,” I whispered urgently. I loved my baby brother, but sometimes his lack of awareness got us both into more trouble than I cared to remember. “Back up a little. Give me some space.” I couldn’t do this if he was crowding me.

I took a deep, steadying breath and picked up my stethoscope. Yep, we were going old school. Some people apparently thought that with all the hackers being able to crack the more high-tech, sophisticated systems that were popular these days, that meant that the ability to break into an old fashioned vault with a combination lock was a lost art form. Not so, in the Benson household. Chace and I were raised on the classics. In fact, this job was working out like it was going to be just too easy. And, well, when you’re thieving from one of the most feared men in the country, not to mention the criminal underworld as a whole, ‘too easy’ is certainly unexpected.

I heard the last click of the lock disengaging and sat back on my heels. Letting out a breath, I hand the stethoscope to Chace to shove back in the small duffle bag which carried the tools of our trade. Slowly moving my hand up to grasp the handle, I pulled the safe door open with bated breath and peered inside. Shit.

“Char?”

“Fuck, Chace, it’s not here. How the hell did we get this wrong? Did he move it?” I asked without turning to look at my brother. Instead, I shuffled through the various papers that lay inside the safe. There didn’t appear to be anything of significance on the papers. They looked like old shipping receipts. Certainly not the artifact we came here for.

“I don’t know, Char. Why don’t we ask him?”

“Ask him? Are you fucking serious right now, Cha-,” my voice died the second I turned around to confront Chace and that asinine idea, only to be met with several scary-looking men pointing several very large guns at us.

“Miss Benson,” a man with a thick Russian accent, pock-marked skin, and an angry scar from his temple to his chin, addressed me. “It seems you did not find what you came here to steal from me, did you?” He clucked his tongue, chidingly. “That is such a shame,” he mocked.

Dmetri Sokolov. The name was synonymous with ‘agonizingly slow and torturous death.’ And he was looking directly at me. Fuck.

“I don’t suppose you could just show me where it is, and then we can get out of your hair?” I said breezily. I hoped that if I didn’t show fear in the face of certain death, maybe he wouldn’t torture me before planting a bullet between my eyes.

Smirking, he took a moment to take me in. My cap of champagne blonde hair was cropped short. That, in addition to my dark green eyes, button nose, and petite frame actually caused me to appear younger than my twenty-five years. My youthful appearance often gave the impression of innocence, and I was hoping that would work to my advantage here.

“I think we can make a deal, Miss Benson,” was Dmetri’s cryptic and creepy reply.

Narrowing my eyes, I jerked my chin up. “What kind of deal? You want to make a trade?”

He nodded once, “Something like that, yes. I think you’ll find my terms generous.”

Now, that I didn’t believe for a second. And how was it that he knew my name?

“How do you know who I am?” My curiosity got the better of me. It didn’t really matter how he knew who I was, the fact that he knew at all didn’t bode well for me.

He raised an eyebrow and said, “You are Charlotte Benson, and this is your brother Chace, no? Your family’s reputation as thieves precedes you. I’m well acquainted with your parents’ work.”

“Actually, we prefer the term ‘antiquities procurement.’” I glibly replied. And I wasn’t really surprised that he knew us. Practically our entire family was thieves, with the exception of Uncle Sal, whose talent laid in check forging. Mom and Dad actually met on a job. They were both casing a museum when they realized they were in competition for the same item. They ended up partnering up, stealing the item together, and falling in love. A real fairytale romance, there. Once I came along, and then Chace not long after that, they slowed down a bit and focused on teaching their kids everything they knew. Since Myra and Daniel Benson were fairly well known in the trade, it only stood to reason that their kids who followed in their footsteps would have been too.

“Indeed, I’m sure you do. At any rate, my proposal would be in your best interest. Or, rather, your brother’s best interest,” he clarified, indicating Chace.

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at that. “How so?”

“Well, you see, there is an artifact that belongs to some friends of mine, and they would like it back. I think you can get it for me. For them,” he explained without really explaining anything at all.

“So… You want me to… procure this artifact for you? In exchange for what?” I asked dubiously. I could not trust this man.

“In exchange for your brother’s life, Miss Benson.”

Chapter 1

Charlotte

Two weeks. I was given just two weeks to retrieve the artifact that Dmetri Sokolov requested. Two weeks to scope out the lay of the land, come up with a strategy that wouldn’t get myself or Chace killed, and steal a priceless artifact from a man who could be arguably more dangerous than Sokolov, just based on the fact that he’s so mysterious that very little is actually known about him. Two weeks is not an adequate amount of time to perform a heist under these circumstances.

Being a member of the criminal underground, I was often privy to pieces of useful intel. But Jensen Holm was not a man who inspired a lot of gossip in my social circle. It was known, however, that he owned legitimate businesses in addition to illegal ones. He was extremely wealthy, and incredibly secretive. One other interesting fact that I managed to uncover is that he was a collector, and he had a weakness for rare and beautiful things. Which is why he came to be in possession of the item that Sokolov ‘commissioned’ (read: blackmailed) me to steal.

I was on day three of my fourteen day deadline. I perched in a tree at the edge of the property with my binoculars and scoped out the grounds. The house was actually a mansion, complete with manicured lawns and an inground pool in the back, sitting just inside the Las Vegas city limits. They were subtle, but I spotted some armed guards patrolling the perimeter and one stationed at the front door. I was sure there was also an electronic security system in place, but I couldn’t know for sure what make and model until I got in the house. And how did I get in the house without first disarming the alarm? If I had time, I could have reached out to someone in my network who could have likely hacked in remotely and disarmed it for me.

The next night I stuck to the shadows on the perimeter. I counted the guards again, just to make sure my initial assessment was correct. I sat back and watched them perform their duties. I took note of any habits or patterns in their movements. I watched long enough to time how long it took one of them to do a perimeter check or to go from point A to point B across the property. There didn’t appear to be any changing of the guard during the night. The guards on duty in the evening were there until morning. After a long night of recon, I made my way back to my crash pad to sleep. The next night I was going to do the job, and I was going to save my brother.

I realized the night before that there is at least one guard inside the house with a nasty nicotine habit. I watched him use the back door for his smoke breaks. So, theoretically, if I waited long enough, when he came out for his fix, my small frame would make it easy for me to wait in the shadows and slide in the back door when he came out. It wasn’t a great plan, but it was the only one I could come up with that didn’t involve making my presence known.

Just as I’d hoped, I saw my opportunity when the guard disarmed the security system before opening the back door. As he stepped out to light his cigarette, I slinked from the shadows and slid behind the door just before it swung closed. I knew from the blueprints that I was in the kitchen. Thankfully, the house was dark. Not only did it give me cover, but working in the dark was where I was comfortable. It was my zone. It bolstered my courage to get this job done.

I prowled through the kitchen and down a long hallway that took me past several rooms that I didn’t have the time or inclination to investigate. My feet softly padded along what was likely Italian marble as I stuck close to the wall. At the end of the hall I turned to the left in the direction of the office. I had no idea where Jensen Holm would keep the artifact I was looking for, but the office was a good place to start.

Moving into the office, I surveyed the room as best as I could in the dark. There were no displays housing the artifact, as I might expect. People who like beautiful things usually like them because they can show them off. I also didn’t see a safe in plain sight. After quickly checking behind the few paintings mounted on the walls, I determined that I needed to move up to the second story of the house. If what I was looking for wasn’t in his office, it was probably closer to his private quarters. I hoped it wasn’t in his bedroom.

Tiptoeing up the grand, curving staircase, which was flanked by the wall on one side and a wrought iron railing on the other, I paused at the landing to get my bearings. Moving to my right, I came upon a set of ornately carved double doors. Based on the blueprints I had obtained, I knew I was facing the library. Hoping the doors weren’t connected to the alarm system, I gently tried the door handles. They opened easily without a sound. Stepping into the room and leaving the doors ajar behind me, I felt my eyes bug out and my jaw drop in awe of all the treasures my gaze landed on. There were religious manuscripts, classical statuaries, ancient weapons, and then there it was. The artifact I came here for. An oval-shaped piece of amber set in gold. An amulet believed to have belonged to Ivan the Terrible roughly six hundred years ago. In my excitement, I forgot where I was. I forgot to tread carefully. All I could think about was getting my hands on that amulet and getting Chace free of Sokolov. And in my haste, I made a rookie mistake. I caught my toe on the edge of an area rug and tripped. As I fell forward, I swung my arms frantically, trying to regain my balance, but only succeeded in propelling myself forward. As I lost my fight with gravity, my head hit the corner of the pedestal display with a sickening thud, and that was the last thing I was conscious of.

Chapter 2

Jensen

Something was wrong. Something I couldn’t define- an awareness of sorts- jolted me awake. Noiselessly, I slipped from my bed and retrieved the Glock from my nightstand. I crept toward the door and listened intently to the sounds of the night. I could hear the faint conversation between two of the guards below my window, and I could hear the crickets chirping in the night. I listened for a moment more, not detecting anything, but I could feel it. Someone was in my house. Someone who didn’t belong.

I was a feared man. A respected man. I made a name for myself, not only in my legitimate business of real estate, but in my less-than-legitimate business of human smuggling. Not to be confused with human trafficking. I didn’t move people who were unwilling. I took volunteers, mainly from Latin and South America, who wanted to get into this country by less-than-legal means. And then I ran a protection racket on them. You see, my services weren’t cheap.

Moving into the hall, I stalked without a sound toward the library. I could see that the door was ajar. Picking up my pace, I raised my gun and swung my arm around to level it on whoever dared to break in to my private collection. I stared with confusion at the body on the floor.

I heard a weak moan come from a woman’s lips. Certainly not the kind of moan a man like me is used to hearing. Not a moan of pleasure. No, this was a moan of pain. Quickly scanning the room, and realizing that she was alone, I kneeled down next to her. It was relatively dark in the library, but the small light shining from a couple of the display cases illuminated the room just enough for me to take stock of the woman’s features. She had a cap of light blonde hair, a pert nose, and high cheekbones. Her frame was small. Petite. One could almost mistake her for a child if it weren’t for her plump breasts and rounded ass. She looked like fuckin’ Tinkerbell for Christ’s sake. A fairy. No, a pixie.

Who was she? She was dressed all in black and passed out in my library, the one place in the house where I kept all my most prized possessions- rare artifacts I obtained either by purchasing them through legitimate channels like museums, or by purchasing them illegally via the black market. I thought it was pretty safe to assume at that point that she was a thief. The fact that anyone was ballsy enough or stupid enough to try to take what was mine filled me

with equal parts rage and respect.

The pixie moaned again, and as I leaned in closer, I saw the blood. Shit, she must have cracked her head when she went down. I scooped her up and strode down the hall to the guest bedroom directly across from my own. I laid her down on the bed and grabbed a wet washcloth to clean the blood from her face. She whimpered, but didn’t wake. Once I assured myself she was still unconscious, I moved back to the library. As I bent to scoop up my gun from the floor where I had laid it in order to pick her up, it occurred to me that she had fallen directly in front of the amulet. Was she planning to steal the amulet? That struck me as odd only because there were far more valuable pieces in my collection. If a thief was going to take the chance that they’d incur my wrath, and quite frankly, their own death, why for a relatively small ticket item? The real money was in the jewels- the diamonds, rubies, and sapphires in my collection- or the gold or the priceless works of art. Well, in any case, she’ll answer to me when she wakes up.

I awoke before my alarm, as I usually did, and hurried to grab a quick shower and dress prior to meeting with my unexpected houseguest. When I stuck my head in the door, she looked like she was sleeping peacefully, so I called downstairs to have some breakfast brought up for her and also called my personal physician for a housecall. Hanging up the phone, I heard her begin to stir. I watched her struggle to open her eyes at first and then wince with the effort. Her gaze darted all around the room, and I could tell she was trying to figure out where she was and how she got there. Finally, her large, dark green eyes met mine.

Mine. That singular thought possessed my mind. Whoever this woman was, whyever she was here in my home, she now belonged to me.

“Hello, pixie,” I rumbled.

She gasped and struggled to sit up.

“Don’t move,” I commanded with all the authority I possessed. She froze like a deer in headlights. Terrified of the oncoming collision and at a complete loss as to what to do about it. “You’ve gone and hurt yourself, pixie,” I asked her like she was an errant child. “Tell me your name.”

She didn’t speak, just continued to stare at me. I arched my brow expectantly. “I don’t like to wait, pixie.”

I watched her swallow roughly and open her mouth to speak.

“Why should I tell you?” she responded, saucily. “You’re just going to kill me, right? Why bother with pleasantries?”

I felt my lips twitch in amusement. I couldn’t help it. No one has ever defied me. It’s a perk of my reputation. “Very well, pixie. Have it your way, for now. Breakfast should be up shortly. Make sure you eat it all,” I ordered.

I watched her brow furrow as she tried to figure out what my angle was. I knew her perception of me was formed based on my reputation, that which was true and that which was purely speculation or gossip. I could, and would, use that to my advantage. I straightened my tie and turned to leave.

“Wait!” she shouted. “Where are you going?” she asked, puzzled.

I turned back to face her. “I’m going to work. If you need anything…” I let my words drop off momentarily before finishing, “well, you’ll just have to go without, for now.” And with that, I turned and left the room, locking it from the outside.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called my head of security. “Raoul. I have a guest in the suite across from mine. She is to be kept under guard at all times until further notice.” I hung up the phone, and as soon as one of my men arrived, I made my way down to the kitchen for breakfast, smiling all the way.

Chapter 3

Charlotte

What the fuck happened, and how did I get here? After the door closed behind him, I sat there on the bed trying to remember what happened after I went into the library last night. At least, I think it was last night. My head was throbbing, and when I raised my hand to my temple, I felt the goose egg, wincing from the pain. I gingerly stood up and made my way to the bathroom. After relieving myself and washing the remains of dried blood from my head and neck, I stared dumbly at my reflection in the mirror.

Who was that man? I mean, I assumed he was Jensen Holm, but that man did not resemble the nightmares that are whispered about in certain circles. I mean, first of all, he was, hands down, the most gorgeous male specimen I had ever laid eyes on. Secondly, he was undoubtedly terrifying in the sense that he was unpredictable, yet he hadn’t hurt me or made any threat to hurt me. At least not directly, anyway.

He really was magnificent. Tall and broad with dark hair and eyes and a short, well-kept beard.  Plus, he obviously finds time to work out while ruling over his empire. His suit hangs perfectly on his Adonis-like body. “God, get a grip, Charlotte,” I whispered to myself, “and get the hell out of here.” Right. First thing’s first. I needed an exit strategy. Right after I got the amulet from the library, delivered it to Dmetri, and saved Chace. Easy peasy.

Marching to the door, I tried to turn the knob, but it wouldn’t budge. Locked. He’d locked me in. How rude. I mean, I’m a thief. From a long line of thieves. I slid my lock pick set out of my back pocket and had the door unlocked in roughly three seconds. I pulled the door open and ran face first into a solid brick wall.

“Oof!” I froze and looked up into cruel eyes and a sick grin. “Uh. Sorry about that. I just need to be going. You know, things to steal, lives to save, and all that,” I rambled.

“Stay,” came the order.

“Thanks. Really can’t.” I tried to move around him, but even as small as I was, there was no squeezing through the doorway. Suddenly, I had a perfectly large, perfectly sharp blade pressed to my cheek, directly under my eye.

“Stay,” he repeated, with a snarl.

“Right. Stay,” I agreed. I cautiously took a step back and slammed the door in his face. I could hear his sick laughter on the other side.

Breakfast arrived, but I couldn’t bear to eat. My stomach was in knots. I was in some serious shit here. I had two main objectives at that point:

1. To get the amulet

2. To get the fuck out of here

Since I wasn’t able to leave the room via the door, I started looking at possible alternatives. Obviously, there were windows. Unfortunately, I was on the second floor, and as far as I could tell there was no balcony or trellis, or even a drain pipe to shimmy down. I left all my gear, minus my lock pick set, in my duffle on the perimeter last night, because I didn’t want it to slow me down, so I don’t have rope or a weapon. Logistically, the only way out of this room was through that door.

Not long after breakfast a doctor arrived to tend to the wound on my head. He was a middle aged man with a very pleasant bedside manner. He glued my head wound, evaluated me for a concussion, and gave me a shot and some ibuprofen. He lectured me on after care and made me promise to say something if I experienced any of the symptoms he described.

The rest of the morning passed uneventfully. I took a shower because it gave me something to do, but I had to put my dirty clothes back on, so that was pointless. After what seemed like an eternity of pacing, the breakfast tray was removed and lunch was brought in by who I assumed was a member of the kitchen staff. I tried to get her to talk to me, but she only smiled politely and gestured toward the silver platter, which held not only my lunch but a couple of fashion magazines. Well, at least someone cared about my current state of boredom.

Again, I picked at the food instead of really eating it and spent a couple of hours flipping through the magazines. By mid-afternoon I was going stir crazy. I couldn’t take this captivity any longer. I thought about trying the door again, but I remembered the way that man’s eyes glinted when he held the knife to my face, and willingly dismissed that idea.

With nothing else to do, I took a nap. I woke up when someone shuffled into the room carrying a garment bag. I looked to the woman to ask what was going on, but I was cut off before I got the first word out.

“Dress for dinner,” was all she said before leaving.

I huffed out a frustrated breath. What the hell is going on? Was he going to torture me with this comfortable room, regular meals, and nice clothes? And then kill me? He’s fucking with my head.  Not feeling much like complying with orders, I moved the dress to the closet after unzipping the bag to find a black, Hervé Léger bandage dress. Nice.

Twenty minutes later, there’s a knock on the door. The same woman who has been delivering my meals and then the dress, let herself in.

“You’re not dressed,” she accused.

“Nah, didn’t really feel like getting dressed up. You can just bring my dinner up here,” I sassed.

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Mr. Holm will not be pleased,” she warned before leaving.

I could do nothing my shrug my shoulders. I may have just shot myself in the foot. Either my actions pissed him off and he did, in fact, kill me, which meant signing Chace’s death certificate as well, or…. Or, I played along until I could get back to the library and get my hands on that amulet. Quickly making my decision, I hurried to the closet and changed into the dress. The woman didn’t bring any shoes, and I didn’t have any makeup, so this was as good as it was going to get. I knocked on the bedroom door to be let out.

Big scary dude from earlier had been replaced by a slightly less scary, but no less solid, dude. Acting tougher than I felt, I said, “Hey,” as I jerked my chin at him in that cool way that people do.

He gave me a quick once over, smiling slightly when his gaze caught sight of my bare feet. “Let’s go, little girl.”

“I’m not a  little girl,” I grumbled as he led me down the hall and staircase to the dining room. It was a pet peeve of mine for people to think of me as a child just because I might have looked a little younger than I was. I was still a woman. I had the tits and ass to prove it.

Seated at the end of a ridiculously large dining table was Jensen Holm. He looked up as we approached.

“Ah, so you’ve changed your mind, then?” He turned to the woman who had been bringing my meals all day and said, “Sarah, please set a place for our guest.”

As Sarah moved to do as he bid, I asked, “So, exactly how long am I expected to be your guest?”

Meeting my eyes, he growled, “Indefinitely.”

A shiver stole up my spine at both his tone and the way he looked at me. The longer he stared, the more I felt my skin start to heat. Damn my fair skin; I knew my blush was obvious.

He broke the spell when he broke his gaze. “Sit, pixie,” he commanded, indicating the place setting Sarah had just finished with. “I understand you were… hesitant to join me for dinner.”

“I didn’t think I was that hungry,” I lied.

“That’s curious, since I also understand that you haven’t been eating,” he looked pointedly at me.

“I’ve been eating,” I insisted.

He took a deep breath, as though praying for patience. “Like a bird, it seems.”

Once our meals are laid in front of us, he waited for me to begin eating before he tucked into his own meal. The food was delicious, and so was the wine. I couldn’t help myself; I cleaned my plate.

“That’s better. Let’s continue with that, shall we?” he asks without really asking because it came out as more of a command. “Now tell me, pixie, what is your name?”

I chewed my lip in indecision. I’m wasn’t sure I should tell him. Will that information help or hinder my efforts?

“Pixie,” he growled impatiently, and my eyes shot to his.

“Charlotte,” I whispered.

I watched him lick his lips. “Come,” he commanded as he stood.

I stood and stepped forward when he gestured for me to proceed him. With his hand placed firmly on my back, and I swore, burning a hole through the fabric of my dress, he guided me to a set of French doors and out onto a small patio. I watched him light a cigar and take a puff.

“So, pixie, tell me what you came to steal from me.”

I jolted. Shit. What did I say? The truth? A version of the truth? A bold-faced lie? If I told him the truth, would he be sympathetic? I had no reason to believe that he’d help me, though.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I guess I was going with feigned ignorance.

“I’m curious, why would you choose to take the amulet over the more valuable pieces in my collection?” He gave me some serious side-eye and puffed on his cigar while he waited for my explanation.

My body stiffened. I looked away and swallowed.

“Pixie.”

His tone had me turning back to look at him once more.

“If you haven’t already learned that I don’t like repeating myself, I have ways I can teach you,” he promised and stubbed out his cigar.

Then he was guiding me back into the house and up the stairs.

“Where are we going?” I croaked. I’ve clearly annoyed him, and now he’s going to punish me. If he kills me, I hope it’s fairly quick and painless. I’m sorry, Chace.

I frantically looked around for a weapon or an escape route. I knew the basic layout of the house thanks to my prepwork with the blueprints, but the house has clearly had some modifications to it. I’d be willing to bet that some of these walls have been fortified. I was really wishing I had had more time to do recon.

Jensen led me, surprisingly, not to certain death, at least, not yet, but to the library. We stood in front of the display holding the amulet for a moment before he spoke again.

“I went through great lengths to acquire this amulet. I would be deeply disappointed should I no longer possess it.” He turned to face me fully. “Collecting beautiful things happens to be my greatest passion, and I will do anything and everything necessary to keep those things safe. Here.”

Something in the way he was eyeing me made me think he wasn’t just talking about his precious collection of art and artifacts. I started to wonder if he had any plans to kill me at all. I also started to think that he had no plans to let me go.

Chapter 4

Charlotte

Two more days passed, just like the first. I was left alone except for meal deliveries, and dinners were spent with Jensen in the dining room. We followed up both dinners on the same, small patio where he asked questions that I refused to answer and showered me with innuendo that left me with goosebumps.

By the morning of day four, I was at my wit’s end. I couldn’t leave my room let alone leave the house. I even tried to bat my eyes and suggested that a guard escort me. Anything to feel like I had some modicum of control over my situation. But I was still denied. I had to find a way out of this. Chace was counting on me. I couldn’t let Sokolov kill him. God only knew what that monster could have been doing to him at that very moment. So, that was why, when Sarah came in with my breakfast, I threw a hissy fit. A hissy fit that eventually caught Jensen’s attention.

“No! I will not eat it!” I moved with the intention of tossing the tray across the room in my anger, but his hand wrapped firmly around my throat to still me. Not enough to hurt me or hinder my breathing, but definitely enough to get my attention.

“You can eat that,” he intoned, indicating the tray of food with a slight tilt of his head. “Or, you can find yourself on your knees taking my cock for breakfast. Which will you choose?”

I froze at his threat, my eyes widening to take in the deadly serious expression on his face. “Fine,” I bit out.

He gripped my throat for a moment longer before letting go and taking a step back. He tugged on his shirt sleeves, straightening the cuffs as though manhandling me had been an inconvenience that rumpled his impeccable attire. “That’s a shame, Charlotte. I would really have enjoyed feeding you my cock.” When he was satisfied that his appearance was put in order, he gave me no more than a cursory glance before making his way to the door. He stopped once he reached it, and with his back to me, he said, “Pixie. I never make an idle threat.” With that, he was gone.

I shuddered at the absolute certainty and determination in his tone. I didn’t doubt for a single moment that Jensen Holm would follow through on any threat he made. No, not a threat- a promise. Begrudgingly, I picked at the food on the breakfast tray. Truth be told, I was starving. I just hadn’t wanted to give the bastard the satisfaction of getting his way. It seemed I didn’t have a choice in the matter. Yet another way for him to exert his control over me.

When Sarah came in with lunch, I was much more docile, though she obviously didn’t trust it by the way she was warily eyeing me as she moved across the room to settle the tray. As she did so, my attention was drawn to the open door. The guard that was posted there was taking a call. I quickly assessed the distance between here and the door, and when Sarah turned to leave, I made my move. Sending up a prayer for forgiveness, I swung as hard as I could muster and punched Sarah. She fell, unconscious, with a soft thud. I swung my head to the door to make sure the guard hadn’t heard. I tiptoed to the door and peeked around it. The guard was still on the phone, and he had his back turned. Idiot. Never turn your back on your enemy. I slipped quietly down the hall and almost made it to the staircase when I heard the shout.

Since the cat was out of the bag, I started to run. I booked it as fast as my legs would carry me,but I only made it halfway down the stairs when I noticed two guards standing at the bottom. I couldn’t turn around because the guard in the hall was right behind me. FUCK. The guard behind me, the super scary motherfucker from the first day, glared at me with malicious intent as he wrapped an arm around my waist and dragged me back to my room kicking and screaming.

“You just fucked yourself, bitch,” he sneered. “And when the boss is done with you, I hope he lets the rest of us have a go. I’d love to watch you swallow my cock. Maybe even at the same time as my buddy takes your ass.” The expression on his face was terrifying, and in that moment I realized I had just made an extremely dangerous enemy. And if there was one thing I didn’t need, it was another one of those.

Several hours later, I was staring out the window when I heard the bedroom door open.

“So, my pixie misbehaved today,” Jensen’s voice was eerily calm.

I pretended to ignore him. He said nothing else for awhile. All I heard was what sounded like the rustling of clothes. I caught sight of his reflection in the window and gasped. He was undressing.

“Wh..what are you doing?” I nearly screeched, incredulous.

“Come here,” he commanded.

“Fuck no. What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” I moved so that the bed was between us. I had a seriously bad feeling about this, and the guard’s words from earlier echoed in my ears. And when the boss is done with you, I hope he lets the rest of us have a go. Oh, God. Oh, shit. Oh, fuck.

“I will not repeat myself!” he bellowed.

He stood before me, in nothing but his boxer briefs, with his chest heaving. I couldn’t tell if his dark eyes were burning with anger or lust. Or both. When I still didn’t move, he stalked toward me. I scrambled to get away, but the only direction open to me was up over the bed, and I knew if I wasn’t fast enough, I would surely regret it. I made a mad dash for it. And I failed.

His body crashed down on mine, crushing me into the mattress face first.

“I warned you, pixie,” he growled in my ear.

I felt his hands grasp the waistband of my yoga pants and roughly pull them down over my ass. I felt his weight shift just before one of his hands came down with a resounding slap on one cheek, and I yelped.

“Get off me,” I screamed.

“Quiet, pixie. You’ve earned this today.”

He continued to deliver smack after smack to both of my ass cheeks until my eyes stung with tears.

“Please, stop,” I cried.

He stopped spanking me, but only so he could pull me up on my knees. It was then I felt him roughly shove a finger inside me.

“So wet for me,” he groaned, his voice rough with excitement.

I squirmed in an unsuccessful bid to get away. “No, please. Please stop.” My tears were flowing freely now. I didn’t want this. I tried to kick.

He withdrew his finger from me, and I heaved a sigh of relief and began to relax until his hands grasped my hips and pulled me back with such force that he impaled me on his cock. I screamed in pain. He was too big. Too long, too thick. Too rough. It hurt too much. He proceeded to pound into me, his thrusts forceful and sure. The more I struggled to get away, the tighter his grip on my hips became.

“Fuck, pixie, you are so tight. Exquisite.” He continued to grunt and groan until his orgasm overtook him and he came inside me.

I lay limp, like a rag doll, while he pulled out of me and turned me over to face him.

“You will not misbehave again. Sarah did not deserve what you did to her. I’ve already dealt with Keith.”

That got my attention briefly. “Keith?” I croaked, my mouth dry and my throat sore.

He narrowed his eyes at me. “The guard that fell down on the job of keeping you in this room,” he clarified.

“Oh.”

I tried to move away from him, but he wouldn’t allow me any slack. In fact, he only pulled me closer, and tucked me into him as though we were lovers cuddling after making love.

“Rest, pixie. I was rough with you.”

“Rough? That’s a funny way of saying ‘rape.’” I was hurting. I got snarky.

He didn’t answer me at first. Finally, he replied, “You are mine, pixie. I found you.”

We laid there awkwardly for a several minutes before he stood up and scooped me up into his arms.

“Put. Me. Down,” I insisted.

“Stop struggling, pixie. You’re getting a bath, that’s all,” he explained as he strode into the bathroom, setting me down on the toilet.

I sat there frozen as he ran the bath water, adding both oil and bubbles. When the oversized soaking tub was full, he forced me to stand, stripped me of my clothing, and scooped me back up to settle me inside the luxurious bath. The hot water felt good on my sore muscles, particularly the ache between my thighs. I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, refusing to look at Jensen. He watched me for a moment more before turning and striding out of the room. I heard him moving around the bedroom briefly, followed by the slamming of the door. In my isolation, I began to cry again.

Chapter 5

Charlotte

The next morning, I felt conflicted, and because I felt conflicted, I felt frustrated with myself. There was absolutely no excuse for what Jensen did to me last night, and when I woke up this morning and took stock of all my aches and pains, it made me angry all over again. I was having a difficult time reconciling the Jensen that spanked me and forced himself on me with the Jensen who held me tenderly afterward and drew me a bath so I could recuperate. Who provides after care to someone they’ve just raped? I understood it was a power play. A show of dominance because I had defied him. But I didn’t understand why he handled me with care afterward, like he felt remorse. I didn’t understand that twisted man at all.

Unable to lie in bed for another moment without fear of my bladder bursting, I padded to the bathroom for a pee and a shower. As I undressed, my eyes caught on the fingerprints bruising my pale flesh, and I felt my anger rise all over again. Mid-shower, something else struck me. Jensen didn’t wear a condom. I wasn’t on birth control. I swore to God, I was going to kill that bastard before I left here. I almost wished I had an STD just so I could have given it to him. It’s the least he deserved.

I toweled off and softly padded over to the closet in the hopes of finding something to wear. Much to my surprise it was stocked, but it was full of dresses. I moved to the dresser hoping I’d have better luck there, and I did. The dresser was stocked too, but it was full of things like socks, underwear, and casual clothes. I pulled on fresh panties, a bra, and socks before pulling out a pair of leggings and a t-shirt. It seemed that whomever stocked the clothing neglected to supply shoes, and my boots were still missing.

With nothing else to occupy me, I figured there was no harm in checking the door. Besides, I wanted to see who my guard was if Keith truly had been ‘dealt with’ as Jensen claimed. Unsurprisingly, the doorknob refused to budge, and I would have tried my hand at picking it if I didn’t know for sure there was a big, burly guard standing watch on the other side. I rapped my knuckles on the door, and it swung open almost immediately.

“You have permission to leave your room, provided it is with an escort and you must stay inside the house,” says the guard I had dubbed slightly less scary than Keith.

His tone and facial expression brooked no argument.

Taking a deep breath, I decided to catch a fly with honey. “What’s your name?”

“Jason,” he replied, expressionless.

I gave a small smile. “Hi, Jason. I’m Charlotte,” I introduced myself.

Jason says nothing and gives nothing away. He simply stares at me.

“You said I can move about the house, Jason?” Saying someone’s name fosters a sense of familiarity, and my goal was to get Jason to think of me as a friend. I needed all the advantages I could get.

He nodded once and stepped back to let me pass, but as I began moving down the hall, I felt him at my back. I guess I really was getting that escort.

I casually moved down the hall toward the library, but before I could even lay my hand on the door, Jason redirected me to the stairs. I should have realized it wasn’t going to be that easy. I already knew the basic layout of the house, but I didn’t want to give away what little advantage I had, so I pretended to wander aimlessly as though I was just exploring. I continued to move through the house with Jason at my back. I took note of the guard at the front door and the one at the back door as we entered the kitchen.

Also in the kitchen was Sarah. Crap. She’s the one person who had been kind to me up until this point, and I fucking punched her for her efforts. Despite my life and death circumstances, I felt like a total ass for what I did to her. I cleared my throat.

“Hey, Sarah,” I said quietly.

She froze in place, and slowly set the knife down that she’d been using to peel apples.

Before she could say anything, I rushed ahead with an apology. “Look, I’m really sorry about hitting you. I was desperate, and I really need to get out of here. It wasn’t anything personal. In fact, you were the only person who had been kind to me, and I really like you. I’m really sorry.”

Sarah assessed me for several moments, probably trying to determine if I was being sincere or blowing smoke up her ass. I guess I must have passed, because eventually she gave me a curt nod and then picked up her knife and resumed peeling her apples.

I decided to press my luck. “What are you making? Can I help?”

If I could make a friend out of Sarah, I’d have one more ally on the inside.

Her movements paused before she passed me a bowl of blueberries and gestured toward the sink. I guessed she wanted me to wash them. I had been hoping she would have allowed me to peel the apples, so she could have passed me a knife, but she clearly wasn’t stupid. Besides, it’s unlikely that Jason, my shadow, would have let me get far with it.

I washed the blueberries and carefully picked out any stems, leaves, or damaged fruit before settling the bowl back on the counter. Sarah continued to ignore me, so I stood there patiently awaiting my next instruction. She eventually gave me a large mixing bowl and a recipe card. The recipe was for a blueberry-apple cobbler. I looked around the kitchen in search of the ingredients I’d need, and Sarah directed me to the pantry. Once I’d collected everything, I sat down at the kitchen table to mix everything we needed for the crumble topping. While I worked on the cobbler, Sarah made me breakfast. Sarah and I worked together to get the cobbler in the oven, and I couldn’t help but salivate at the smell, despite the heaping plate of bacon and eggs Sarah forced me to eat.

“Is there anything else I can do?” I ask Sarah.

She glanced around the kitchen once, but then shook her head in response.

“Okay, well thank you for letting me help you,” I say with a small smile.

I’m not quite sure she’s forgiven me yet, but I definitely made progress.

I turned to Jason, who had stood guard not more than 5 feet from me all morning. “Can we walk outside?” I asked, hopefully.

“No,” was his only reply, his tone final.

Wracking my brain for a way to garner some trust, I finally said, “Okay, well, you guys got a T.V. around here?”

Jason gave me another wordless nod and led me into a den area filled with comfortable-looking, overstuffed couches and an 80-inch television. I pulled one of the quilts off the back of one of the couches, and settled in with the remote. Maybe if Jason saw that I was making myself at home and wasn’t so eager to escape, he’d let his guard down a little. That was my hope, anyway.

I got up once or twice to stretch my legs and ate lunch in the kitchen with Sarah and Jason. After once again trying to talk Jason into taking me outside, and failing, I made myself comfortable on the couch once again and settled in for a mindless afternoon.

Chapter 6

Charlotte

I’m woken up by a feeling of weightlessness. Feeling like I was about to fall, I flailed my arms and legs in an attempt to catch myself.

“Easy, pixie, I’ve got you,” Jensen soothed.

“Put me down, please,” I begged. My mind is still repulsed by what he did to me, and I’m ashamed of my body’s compliance.

Jensen ignored my plea, and carried me up the stairs to my room. He let himself in and strode toward the bed.

“No!” I cried out in panic.

“Shh. I’m only putting you to bed,” he said. “I cannot allow you to sleep on the couch all night.”

“Just let me go!” I demand as he set me down just long enough to pull the bedding back.

He scooped me up and deposited me in the middle of the bed.

“Sleep, pixie. Tomorrow will be better,” he said, and with that, he turned and left.

Sleep, right. I scrambled out of the bed and into the bathroom. The recent proximity to Jensen left a feeling of desperation in my bones. I started to frantically search the bathroom for anything that could help me get out of here. A weapon, maybe, or a tool of some kind, any kind. I don’t know what I expected to find that would be different from any other time I searched. The cabinets were bare except for bathroom necessities- extra rolls of toilet paper, bath towels, toiletries. I didn’t even have a razor.

I slumped down onto the floor in defeat. The only thing I still had was my trusty lock pick set that I had hidden under the mattress the first night here. Everything else was in my duffle that I had left at the property’s perimeter the night I arrived, and I’m sure Jensen’s men would have found it by now. I was utterly and completely screwed.

“Everything alright in here?”

A guard’s voice shocked me out of my moping. I didn’t even hear the stealthy bastard come in.

“Everything’s fine. Who are you?” I noticed him surveying the semi-trashed bathroom.

“You might want to clean that up. You don’t want to make Sarah do it,” he said pointedly but neglected to answer my question.

“No. Right. I’ll clean it up. Thanks.”

With a nod, he was gone again.

After I tidied the bathroom, I crawled back into bed. There was nothing else I could do then, so I slept.

The morning brought sunshine, singing birds, and Sarah. With breakfast.

“You’re an angel,” I smiled at her.

She’d brought me stuffed French toast with a side of fresh fruit and coffee. What she didn’t bring me, was a smile. Guess she hadn’t quite forgiven me yet. After depositing my breakfast on the side table, she scurried out. My appetite was back full force, and I practically inhaled my food. Once I was done, I scrubbed myself raw in the shower and got dressed. I had just finished tugging my shirt on when there was a knock on the door. Before I could answer, it swung open.

“Good morning, my pixie,” Jensen uttered.

The heat in my blood warred with the fear in my bones. I swallowed roughly.

“Come with me,” he commanded, albeit gently.

I didn’t really have a choice but to obey. I learned that lesson the hard way. If I was going to get out of here, it would be by using my brain, not my brawn (or lack thereof.) I followed Jensen out into the hallway, down the stairs, and straight to the set of French doors he had led me out the first night we had dinner together. Once we were outside, he bade me to sit in one of the chairs. Sarah arrived with more coffee, and we sat in silence for several moments.

“It’s a lovely day, pixie, wouldn’t you agree?”

His voice startled me. Such a banal subject, particularly from my captor. “Yes, it’s lovely,” I agree. Anything to keep him in a good mood.

“I’m told you were extremely well behaved yesterday,” he commented, as though I had been a naughty child previously, and he was then praising me. Why was I pleased by his approval?

He regarded me intently. “Come. We’ll walk the grounds.”

I wasn’t exactly thrilled at the prospect of spending more time in Jensen’s presence, but I jumped at the opportunity to check out the property in the daylight. Any small detail could potentially help me form an escape plan. I took note of the security the same way I did when I originally cased the property. I inspected the terrain, and looked for anywhere the ground might be uneven or that might have presented an obstacle for me while running for my life. Running for Chace’s life.

Neither of us spoke as we strolled around the manicured lawn and passed the rose bushes. Occasionally, I’d feel Jensen’s gaze on me. My skin would overheat, and the hairs on the back of my neck rose. If I turned his way, I could detect the lust in his eyes.

“Are you ready to tell me why you’re here?” Jensen inquired, although he sounded like he didn’t really expect an explanation.

I contemplated my answer for a moment. So far, being tight lipped has gotten me nowhere. I started to consider that since Dmetri Sokolov was a scary-ass motherfucker, then maybe it would do me well to have my own scary-ass motherfucker on my side. Maybe I could get Jensen to work with me instead of against me. I decided to take a gamble.

“I need Ivan the Terrible’s amulet.”

“You need it? Why?” he narrowed his gaze. “You wish to sell it?”

“No. I wish to trade it,” I specified.

Jensen seemed surprised. “Trade it? For what?”

“Not what. Whom,” I sighed dejectedly.

When he looked at me expectantly, I decided to lay it all out there and deal with whatever fall out I needed to if and when it happened. “My brother, Chace. He’s being held hostage and the price of his freedom, the price of his life, is that amulet.” I could hear the despair in my voice, and though I would have preferred not to reveal my weakness to this man, I can’t help that it bleeds through.

“And tell me, pixie, who is it that holds your brother hostage and forces you to break into the home of a man such as myself in order to attempt to steal it?”

Knowing that this moment could make or break Chace’s life, depending on whether or not Jensen chose to help me, I took a deep breath, looked Jensen in the eye, and said, “Dmetri Sokolov.”

Jensen’s entire body turned to stone. His expression hardened and his eyes were suddenly hard and cold.

“J- Jensen?” I stuttered.

He didn’t respond; he only stared.

The buzzing of his phone cut through the tension. Jensen snapped to attention and gave a signal to Jason to escort me back into the house while he took his call.

Once back inside, I told Jason I had a headache and wanted to lie down. Back in my room, I paced. I still wasn’t sure that I had made the right decision in telling Jensen about Chace. His reaction was slightly bizarre. I had assumed that Jensen would know who Sokolov was, since they ran in the same circles, being big league criminals and all. But what surprised me was Jensen’s reaction to hearing Sokolov’s name. The hardness in his demeanor. If I had to guess, I’d say there was some bad blood there. I could only hope that that worked in my favor.

Chapter 7

Charlotte

The next day, I still wondered if I’d done the right thing. I hadn’t seen Jensen since my confession the morning before, but the rest of the house seemed to run the same as usual. I once again joined Sarah in the kitchen with Jason as my escort. Sarah had warmed to me considerably, and even though I had set out to make her an ally solely for my own benefit, I found myself truly liking the woman.

Sarah didn’t appear to be much older than my twenty-five years. She was certainly no older than thirty. She had long, black hair that was kept in a tidy braid down the center of her back. Her large, dark chocolate brown eyes were wide-set in her face. Her skin tone and slight accent hinted at some sort of Hispanic heritage. We both stood somewhere around five foot six, but where I had plenty of tits and ass, Sarah was more slender.

“How long have you worked for Jensen… Mr. Holm, Sarah?” The purpose for my question was two-fold. I genuinely wanted to know her better, but I also wanted to get a feel for her loyalty to my captor.

She must not have seen the harm in answering my question. “About seven years, now,” she mused while she continued to slice potatoes for the casserole we were preparing for lunch.

I darted a glance over my shoulder to gauge Jason’s proximity, and say in a low voice, “And, are you happy here?”

Sarah looked at me with startled eyes. “Yes, of course. Mr. Holm has been very good to me.”

Yeah, that’s what I was afraid of.

Momentarily distracted by murmuring behind me, I glanced back to see Jason talking quietly to Keith, whom I hadn’t seen since the night of my botched escape. Jason caught my eye, and gave me a slight head shake, which garnered Keith’s attention.

I gasped as Keith turned and looked at me with an evil glint in his bruised eye. He snarled at me but winced when the action caused pain to what looked to be his broken nose, before he stormed out of the room.

“What happened to him?” I whispered to Jason, almost afraid to ask.

Jason seemed to weigh his words before answering, “He fell down on the job.” He gave me a pointed look.

Oh. Oh. I guessed that was what Jensen meant when he said he’d ‘taken care of Keith.’ Great. As if he hadn’t already hated me. I’d have to watch my back with that one.

Adjusting the skirt on my dress, this one a baby pink silk, I surveyed my appearance in the bathroom mirror.  I briefly wondered if I could break the mirror to use as a weapon. I would need a solid plan in place before I did something like that. I highly doubt a broken shard of glass would do much damage against armed guards twice my size.

Once I’d determined that I was presentable, I met Jason at the door, so he could escort me to the dining room.

“Aren’t you getting tired of following me around all day like a lost puppy?”

Jason snorted. “Woof.”

“Lord have mercy, the man has a sense of humor!” I teased.

We entered the dining room to find Jensen already seated, as he usually was, before I got there. He stood as I approached.

“Good evening, Charlotte,” he eyed me appreciatively. “I trust you found everything to your liking?”

“Yes, everything’s lovely, thank you,” I assured him. “Though, a pair of shoes would be greatly appreciated.”

Earlier in the day someone had delivered more clothing, both dressy and casual, as well as a plethora of high-end toiletries, skin care products, and make-up. But, still no shoes.

He eyed me speculatively for a moment. “Indeed. I’ll see to it that you have your choice of footwear.”

Sarah served us a delicious meal of steak with asparagus and salt potatoes, followed by some of the blueberry-apple cobbler I helped her make. I made an appreciative noise at the first bite of cobbler.

“What I wouldn’t give to hear you make that sound while I was inside of you, pixie,” Jensen’s voice barely carried above a whisper.

I nearly choked on my food. Jensen’s eyes, already so dark they were almost black, darkened even further with lust. I couldn’t stop the quiver between my thighs.

“Finish your dessert. We have a visitor this evening,” his tone suddenly cool again.

I gulped down my wine and followed Jensen out the French doors to side patio as he lit a cigar. My curiosity was piqued by the idea of a visitor. Any new face was a potential friend or foe. Though, considering the crowd Jensen ran with, my money was on foe.

“Sit, pixie,” he commanded.

I carefully sat down in the patio chair, mindful not to ruin my dress, then chastised myself for giving a shit about the dress. Despite my circumstances, I guess I was still a woman who could appreciate the finer things.

“I would like us to come to an arrangement,” Jensen brought me back to the situation at hand.

“What kind of arrangement?” I asked, hesitantly.

“You will stay here with me.”

“And…?” I waited for the rest of the details.

“That is the arrangement. You’re mine now,” he explained.

“That doesn’t sound so much like an arrangement as it does more of the same!” I felt my anger start to rise. “And what about Chace? What about my brother? I have to do something to help him!”

“Lower. Your. Voice,” he growled.

“No! You don’t own me!” I screamed in his face. My anger got the best of me and pushed me to my breaking point.

He grabbed my face roughly and pulled me in close enough to feel his breath on my lips. “That’s where you’re wrong, pixie.” He slammed his mouth down on mine and took me in a searing kiss.

I struggled as much as I could, but he only tightened his grip, and I knew he was going to leave a mark. As much as I hated his show of force and his apparent need to claim me, I couldn’t control my body’s reaction. My brain lost all control of my body, as my lips parted on a soft moan. He slipped his tongue inside and plundered every inch of my mouth, as I began to kiss him back. When my body began to melt into his, his touch seemed to gentle. My hardened nipples, which were pronounced through the thin silk of my dress, rubbed against the material of his suit jacket, heightening my arousal.

The sound of someone clearing their throat brought me back to myself. I shoved away from Jensen, taking note of the smug expression on his face, and my anger rose all over again.

“I hate you!” I hissed.

Wrapping a hand around my neck, he leaned in close and murmured, “Well, pixie, your hatred makes my cock hard, so you’re welcome to feel that way.”

I wanted nothing more in that moment than to punch that smirk off his devastatingly handsome face.

He turned to the doors and the guard standing there watching us. “What is it?”

“Your guest has arrived, sir.”

“Excellent,” Jensen says as he swept an arm out indicating that I should precede him into the house.

I watched him take a puff of his cigar before lifting my head high and striding through the doors. I passed through the dining room, intending to make my way to the staircase when a familiar voice in the hall stopped me.

“Char? Char!”

“Chace! Oh my God, Chace!”

I ran into my brother’s arms. He was alive. He was safe. He was here. He looked a little worse for wear with some cuts and bruises on his face. But he was breathing and standing on his own two feet, and that was more than I could have hoped for knowing where he was and who had been holding him hostage.

“How? What are you doing here? Are you okay?” I couldn’t stop the rapid fire questions falling from my lips.

Ignoring all the other people in the room, I stepped back to give my brother a once-over. I started at the top of his blond head, a shade or two darker than mine, and scanned down his torso. I didn’t see any gaping wounds, so I took that as a good sign. Arms and legs were intact.

“I’m fine, Char,” he said softly.

I felt the tears well in my eyes, and I was terrified I was going to let them fall. My relief was immeasurable, and the weight off my shoulders and my conscience was immense.

“Hey, hey. None of that now. Come on, Char. I’m really okay. A little bruised. Kinda hungry. You know, the usual,” he joked with a wink.

“How are you here?” I asked, almost afraid of the answer.

Before Chace could answer me, Jensen spoke up.

“He’s here because I wish him to be. For now,” Jensen clarified.

“But… What about Sokolov?” I asked, confused.

“You don’t need to worry about Dmetri Sokolov. He is no longer your concern,” Jensen brushed off my concern as though Sokolov weren’t one of the most dangerous men in the criminal world.

I swung my gaze from Jensen to Chace and back again. “So, now what?”

Jensen smiles coldly. “Now, our arrangement begins.”

Understanding dawns. “You’re blackmailing me?” I scoff.

“Such an ugly word, pixie. Think of it as a trade. You for him. Not so different than the deal you made with Sokolov. Just now, your deal is with me.”

“Hey, now, wait a minute! What’s going on?” Chace demanded.

“Mr. Benson, let me state it bluntly, so there is no misunderstanding. My terms are this: I want your sister. In exchange for her… cooperation… I will not kill you. But, let me be clear. She is mine, regardless of your agreement. Or hers.”

I looked to the floor. I couldn’t believe my ears. He was discussing me as though I were something to be traded. A possession. Which, I then realized, was exactly what I was to him.

Chace stood stock still. I could see the fire in his eyes. He was pissed, and I certainly couldn’t blame him. So, before he could say or do something to get himself killed, I did what had to be done.

“I accept.”

Chapter 8

Charlotte

“Charlotte, no! Look at me! You don’t have to do this.”

Chace’s plea broke my heart. Because I knew exactly what I had to do, and I would do it in a heartbeat for him. I would do anything for him.

“It’s okay, baby brother,” I tried to reassure him, but I’m sure my heartbreak showed on my face.

Jensen gave the men standing guard a nod, and with that, they escorted Chace out of the room.

“Fuck this! Charlotte!” Chace bellowed as he was led out.

I turned to Jensen. “Please don’t hurt him!”

“No harm will come to your brother so long as you adhere to our arrangement. He is under my protection, as are you.”

“Why can’t he stay here? What if I want to see him? Will you let me see him?”

“I think your brother will be more comfortable staying at one of my other properties for now. He will be under guard, so, as I said, no harm will come to him, and he will be made comfortable.” He paused. “And if you please me, I will consider letting you see him,” he finished.

“Please you?” I whispered.

“Yes, pixie. You will please me,” he confirmed, darting his tongue over his bottom lip.

His eyes became hooded and distant as if he were imagining all the things he wanted to do to me. Or wanted me to do for him, I wasn’t sure. I suddenly felt naked under his gaze, and I know my eyes widened when he reached down with one hand and blatantly adjusted himself.

“Rosario will take you upstairs to help you get ready,” he said.

“Ready? For what?”

“To please me, pixie. To please me.”

The woman identified as Rosario escorted me upstairs to my room, at which point she shuffled me into the bathroom and instructed me to shower and shave and handed me a package of disposable razors. Everything within me wanted to rebel and tell them all to go fuck themselves, but Chace’s image flashed in my mind and reminded me what was at stake.  I stepped under the hot spray and scrubbed and buffed and shaved until my skin was silky smooth. I toweled off and lotioned my legs before slipping on the plush bathrobe that hung on the back of the bathroom door. I stepped out into the bedroom to find that Rosario waited for me.

“Come,” she directed.

With no other choice, I followed her down the hall to a room that I had not been in before. She unlocked the door with a key she pulled from her pocket and led me inside. Just as I stepped into the dark room, I felt a sting at my neck. The already dark room went completely black as I lost consciousness and crumpled to the floor.

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I noticed was that I couldn’t see. I felt something soft, a blindfold, over my face. The second thing I noticed was that I couldn’t move my arms, which were restrained above my head. I was almost suspended, but my feet were on the ground. And they were restrained too, that was the third thing that I noticed. The fourth thing I noticed was that I was naked. I couldn’t see myself, obviously, but I could feel the air against my skin. The sound of the door opening had me lifting my head. I tried not to panic, but my current state didn’t leave me much choice.

“Good. You’re awake,” came the gruff voice of Jensen. Running his thumb over my bottom lip he practically purred, “Hello, my pixie.”

The sound of feet shuffling snapped my attention away from Jensen. Someone else was in the room with us.

“She’s lovely, Jen,” I heard one voice say softly enough that I almost missed it.

“Indeed, she is,” confirmed Jensen.

“May I?” the unknown voice seemed to be asking for permission.

“Of course. You may touch, but do not penetrate,” Jensen instructed.

Penetrate? I almost felt relief that he wasn’t going to let someone else rape me, but under the circumstances, there were other ways to be violated.

Then I felt the whisper of fingers over my skin. The strange touch ran up my ribs to the underside of my breast. The man cupped one breast and teased my nipple with his thumb. Stuck somewhere between lust and shock, I couldn’t move. I wanted to pull away at the same time that I feel wetness between my legs. My frustration caused tears to well. I wanted to scream, but I was afraid to anger Jensen.

I heard what I thought was the sound of a zipper come from somewhere on my right, and I turned my head, though I was still blindfolded, in that direction. How many people were in this room?

“I would very much like to fuck her, Jen,” another unknown voice growled.

“Not going to happen, Rafe,” replied Jensen, with what sounded like deadly calm, “but you may watch if you like.”

The hand that had been fondling my breast pulled away, and I felt the light touch trail down my chest to my belly and lower still. The barest of touches quickly swept over my clit, and my hips jerked back out of instinct, and I’m reminded of my limited range of motion. My brief struggle must have amused the men, as I heard all three chuckle.

Someone was standing very close. I caught the faint odor of cigar smoke, and I realized it was Jensen. His large hands spanned my rib cage, and he dragged his palms down my sides to my hips and around to my ass. He pulled me close enough that I could feel his skin. He was naked. His mouth was suddenly on my breast. He licked and nipped and suckled my aching nipple. He slid one of his hand between my legs, and I felt a finger enter me. I heard him growl and suddenly my blindfold was gone. The light in the room was dim but not dark. I could see that there were, in fact, two men in the room with us. Somehow, being able to see them was worse than being in the dark. Because they were staring at me hungrily. Without thinking, I started to pull away, as much as my restraints would allow, from Jensen. It only managed to irritate him.

“Still,” he commanded.

I instantly froze.

“She obeys,” one of the other men groaned as if extremely aroused.

I noticed then that both of the other men in the room were also extremely handsome. The one who spoke last had blond hair and an angular face. He probably had Nordic ancestry. The other man had slightly shaggy dark brown hair and model good looks with a bad boy edge.

“Pixie. You will look at me. Now,” Jensen commanded as he dropped to his knees in front of me.

With no other choice, I did as I was told. The moment I did, Jensen buried his face in my pussy and ate me like a starving man. He licked and sucked my clit with gusto. I forgot about the other two men in the room momentarily as my orgasm ripped through me. Before I could come down from my high, Jensen roughly thrust his cock into me. I was well lubricated from my orgasm, but Jensen’s cock was long and thick, and no matter how wet I was, it still hurt. I let out a small scream at the intrusion, but it only served to spur him on. The tears that had welled in my eyes at my earlier frustration began to roll down my face in full force. As I looked around the room, hoping for someone to see my pain and stop this, I noticed that the other two men had their cocks out and were stroking themselves furiously. They were getting off on this!

Jensen grabbed both of my ass cheeks in his hands and pulled me toward him as he continued to pound into me. With each grunt and groan he emitted, another tear left its mark on my face.

“Please stop,” I begged, but my plea was ignored.

When he finally came, he released his punishing grip on my ass and stepped away from me. And when he did, the other two men in the room stepped forward. They both continued to stroke themselves to completion, and when they came, they came all over me. Then they too, simply stepped back and walked away. All three men turned to exit the room, and I was left there. Naked. Alone. Ashamed. And dripping with the cum of three men.

I didn’t know how long I had been standing there, still restrained at the hands and feet, but it felt like hours. I used that time to take in my surroundings. The room was red. The walls, the ceiling, and the floor. Everything red. There were a few pieces of minimalist furniture which looked to be covered in red leather. The restraints on my wrists were connected to chains suspended from a wooden beam which dropped from the ceiling. The restraints on my ankles were also connected to chains, but these fed through metal hoops bolted to the floor. Both sets of chains had some slack, so at least I wasn’t strung tight. What few lights there were were recessed into the ceiling.

I was having a hard time keeping my head up when I heard the door finally open again. But none of the men walked in. No, this time it was Rosario.

I gasped, “Please, help me.”

Rosario only glanced at me briefly before turning to shut the door behind her. She walked toward me with my bathrobe over one arm. She quickly and roughly wiped the remnants of the men’s orgasms from my skin with a damp cloth and tossed it into a bucket sitting along the wall. She reached into her pocket and produced another key. She didn’t speak, but she gave me a look that practically screamed, ‘Don’t try anything.’ I nodded my head once to convey my understanding, and she proceeded to unlock the restraints from my wrists first, then my ankles. Once she repocketed the key, she hurriedly wrapped the robe around my shoulders.

“Can you help me?” I asked again, my voice hoarse from my earlier tears.

She didn’t speak nor make eye contact with me. She just led me out the door and directed me back to my room. I stood there in a daze for a moment, until I heard the lock click into place behind me. Slumping my shoulders in defeat, I surveyed the room and noticed that someone, presumably Rosario, but maybe Sarah, had left a plated sandwich on the tray table. My stomach growled its need, but I decided to forgo the meal in favor of a hot shower. I just wanted so very badly to feel clean.

Jensen

That will NOT happen again, I thought to myself as I entered my private quarters. Seeing Aleksander’s and Rafe’s cum dripping from her body ignited some primal possessiveness in me. She was mine alone. No one else would touch her, or they would die. And I would gladly do the deed myself.

I entered my bathroom, turned on the shower, and stood under the scalding hot spray. I scrubbed myself raw, trying to wash away my self-loathing. Her tears did something to me. I know I’m a sick fuck, but between her tears and her pleas, I’d never been more turned on in my life. Though they were the two men closest to me, I regretted inviting Aleksander and Rafael over to see my new pet. To touch her. The only thing giving me solace was the fact that I’d had the foresight to forbid anyone else from taking her sweet pussy. That belonged to me.

I realized that I’m now walking a very fine line. I was in control; I needed to be in control. But that woman had the power to bring me to my knees. I feared I was no match for her soft skin, the sound of her voice, her smell, or her taste. She was everything I’d ever desired in a woman. Feisty yet obedient at the same time. Her spirit made my cock just as hard as her submission did. Nevermind that she was acting under threat. She feared that I’d harm her brother if she defied me. Truth be told, I had no intention of harming Chace Benson. I was not a cruel or sadistic man, and Chace Benson had done nothing to earn my ire. I was just a man determined to get what he wanted. So much so, that I sent a group of armed men into the lair of Dmetri Sokolov, a dangerous and evil man, to steal his prisoner in a bid to gain leverage over the object of my desire.

Chapter 9

Charlotte

I woke up the next morning with a sore body but a strengthened spirit. I refused to cry anymore. I may have been forced into this situation, but I was going to do my best to spin it to my advantage. I was smart, and I was resourceful. What I was not, was simpering.

Growing up, in my family, we were taught how to improvise and adapt. There were times when preparing for a job would only get you so far. Sometimes, you never knew what you were going to get. You could case a joint until the cows came home. Studying blueprints, learning to deactivate different types of security systems, tracking the habits of the guards, and cracking different types of safes were all necessary skills, but none of them accounted for the human element in any situation. While people, in general, tended to be creatures of habit, one always had to account for the unexpected. The unexpected phone call that caused a distraction. The unexpected early arrival home.  The unexpected emotional response a man might have to discovering that you were being played for a fool by the wide-eyed, innocent-looking girl who insisted that she had no idea how valuable that item was, yet looked suitably impressed, when you flaunted it.

Or, you know, being clumsy enough to make the rookie mistake of tripping on the edge of the carpet, hitting your head hard enough you passed out, and becoming the prisoner of a criminal kingpin. Those kinds of things.

There were three things that I knew for sure about my current situation. One, that Jensen wanted me. Two, I would do whatever it took to keep Chace safe. And three, that I had an indispensable tool: feminine wiles.

With renewed determination and purpose, I bounded out of bed and into the bathroom. Forty-five minutes later, I was washed, dressed, and coiffed. I had purposefully chosen a pair of skinny jeans that hung low on my hips and hugged my curves in all the best ways. I paired them with a plain white tank top. My bra and underwear were a matching lace set in electric blue, and the bra was easily visible underneath the tank top. Since I was finally allowed shoes, I slid on a pair of strappy brown sandals.

Realizing that Sarah had not yet brought up breakfast, I knocked on the door to have Jason escort me downstairs to the kitchen. Only, there was no answer. I knocked again.

“Jason?” I called through the door.

Still not getting an answer, I tried the knob, which turned easily in my hand. I opened the door slowly and peered out into the hallway. No Jason. No guard at all, it appeared. I stepped into the hallway, shutting the door behind me. I walked down the hallway to the top of the stairs. It felt odd not having my every move monitored or constantly being shadowed. I made my way downstairs to the kitchen where I found Sarah humming softly as she worked.

“Good morning, Sarah,” I said cheerfully.

“Oh! Good morning, Charlotte,” she replied as her hand flew to her chest. “You startled me. You’re up early. Breakfast is almost ready.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

“No, no. Do you want to eat in the dining room?” she asked me with a raised eyebrow.

“What’s wrong with eating right here?”

“Well, Mr. Holm is in the dining room. I thought you might like to join him,” she hinted with a knowing look.

Taking a deep breath, I said, “Yes, you’re right. I think I would like to join Mr. Holm in the dining room. Thank you, Sarah.”

I only had the thirty or so feet to the dining room to figure out how I was going to play this, and what I figured out was that I was totally winging it. Here goes nothing.

“Good morning, Mr. Holm,” I said pleasantly as I pulled out a chair.

I purposely chose to place an empty seat between us. I was setting the stage. This was my game now.

“Good morning, pixie,” he returned and narrowed his gaze when he noticed that I was not sitting in the chair directly next to him. He smiled slightly, as if he knew what I was up to.

I was putting space between us. Not just physically, but emotionally, by addressing him so formally.

Sarah appeared then to place heaping plates of food in front of us.

“Thank you, Sarah, this looks delicious.” My compliment and my smile were genuine.

I ignored Jensen and dug in to my oversized Denver omelet and crispy home fries. God, Sarah could cook.

Suddenly, the chair that sat between Jensen and me was missing, and Jensen was grabbing my seat and yanking me, chair and all, toward him.

“That’s better,” he murmured once he had me where he wanted me.

He sat back in his chair, looking quite relaxed and satisfied with himself.

“I have some calls to make this morning,” he informed me as if that was supposed to mean something to me.

“Okay…,” I dragged the word out, expecting him to elaborate on why I needed to know what he would be doing this morning.

“You will be with me,” he stated matter of factly.

“Why do I need to be with you while you make phone calls?”

“Because I wish it to be so,” he said in a tone that brooked no argument.

“Fine,” I huffed, which only caused him to smile.

“There is no doubt that you are beautiful, pixie, but I must say, it is your spirit that is most alluring. I shall enjoy getting a rise out of you,” he says seductively. “And I particularly look forward to doing that with a firm hand.”

His words and tone had the desired effect of making my heart race and my skin flush. There was no doubt, I was as excited about the prospect as I was terrified of it. My mind and body were still at war with one another.

We finished breakfast, and Jensen led me into his office where he deposited himself into the chair behind the desk before promptly pulling me into his lap.

“Sit,” he commanded. “Stay.”

I huffed, “I’m not a dog, you know!” Which only made him chuckle.

I hated to admit, the rumble his chuckle generated in his chest felt good against my back.

I sat there, on his lap, with my back ramrod straight and my arms crossed over my chest. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of thinking that I wanted to be there. I was only there because I was, once again, being blackmailed.

He made several calls, some of which I paid attention to, but since I couldn’t glean anything that seemed particularly useful, I stopped listening and took my time examining the room. All the woodwork was dark mahogany, the furniture black leather, and the walls painted gray. It was very monochromatic. The only color was the wine-colored accents in the oriental rug that covered a good portion of the floor. One wall was lined with shelves filled with a collection of books and a couple of model cars. Jensen didn’t strike me as the type of man who enjoyed building model cars, but what did I really know about him?

I was so distracted taking in my surroundings, I hadn’t even realized that Jensen had gotten quiet. I felt his hand skim up my back, and I turned to find he was no longer on the phone. His touch left a trail of goosebumps in its wake.

His eyes moved over my face, searching. “I know we had quite the unconventional beginning, Charlotte, but I can feel how much you want me.”

I don’t know what unnerved me more about his comment- the fact that he addressed me by my name rather than ‘pixie’ or the fact that what he said was true. So, I deflected.

“So, tell me Jensen, what exactly is it that you do?”

I could tell by his expression that he was disappointed in the change of subject, but he allowed it. At least for now.

“I am in real estate.”

“Uh huh, and what about the stuff you do that isn’t real estate?” I asked because I think I probably knew a bit more about him that he realized.

His lips twitched before he answered, “I’m what some call a coyote.”

My face must have shown my confusion because then he went on to explain, “I assist those who wish to enter our country by less than legal means by smuggling them across the border. In Mexico, they call that person a coyote.”

I tried to stand, but his arm was like a vice around my waist.

“So, you’re a human trafficker?” the disgust in my tone obvious.

“No, pixie,” he snapped. “I do not force anyone to leave their homes or to come here. I only help those who ask it of me.”

I relaxed slightly against his hold. “Oh.”

He tapped my butt as a request to stand. “You may have the afternoon to yourself, as I have some other business to attend to, but you will be joining me this evening. We’re going to one of my casinos, so dress appropriately. I trust there are at least a few selections in the clothing I’ve provided?”

“Um. Yes, I’m sure I can find something.”

“Good. Be ready by eight. We’ll have dinner at the casino.”

Chapter 10

Charlotte

After being booted from the office, I went in search of Sarah. I helped her plan a menu for the week ahead and then we had lunch together. While we ate, Sarah explained to me that she was one of the people Jensen helped come into the country illegally. She was originally from a small village in Nicaragua. Her mother, an American humanitarian, and her father, a Nicaraguan native,  were dead and her uncle, who was supposed to look after her since her parents were gone, was vicious. Unable to withstand any more of the beatings, and beginning to fear rape or worse, Sarah ran. She told me that she stole what little money her uncle had not managed to squander on booze and sneaked out in the middle of the night. She survived by mostly by stealing food and water along the way. She made it across the border into Honduras when she started hearing rumors of a man who was able to provide passage for people into the US, but his price could be high. Sarah decided to take a chance, and while Jensen has been known to charge for ‘protection’ once in the States, he instead gave Sarah a job. She was extremely grateful. That was three years ago.

As Sarah wrapped up her story, Jason entered the kitchen.

“Hey! There’s my shadow! I know you must miss following me around like a puppy all day,” I smirked.

“Yeah, I really don’t know what to do with myself these days. It’s like I no longer have a purpose” he replied, drolly.

I smiled widely at him, but his focus had already shifted to Sarah. And she seemed uncomfortable under his gaze. Interesting.

“Well, kids, I’m going to go on up to my room and pick out an outfit for tonight. You two have fun. Bye!” I scurried out of the room, but only far enough so that my eavesdropping wouldn’t be noticed.

“Sarah,” Jason rumbled.

“Can I get you something to eat?” Sarah replied.

“Please,” he replied as he sat at the table, never taking his eyes off her as she worked.

“What are you doing, pixie?” Jensen’s soft voice made me jump.

Damnit. I am an experienced thief. People aren’t supposed to get the drop on me, and unexpected noises aren’t supposed to unnerve me. How does he do that?

I whirled around to face him. “Nothing. I’m going upstairs,” I said as I breezed by him toward the staircase.

Up in my room, I perused the closet for something that would be appropriate for the casino. I found an emerald green slip dress that complimented my eyes. It was a form-fitting tea-length number with spaghetti straps and molded cups. It was sexy yet classy. I decided to pair it with some sparkly, strappy heels.

It was too early to start getting ready for tonight, but a bath sounded like heaven, so I went into the bathroom and liberally poured some of the expensive bubble bath into the deep tub.

I spent the next hour turning myself into a human prune and worrying about Chace. Could I trust Jensen when he said no harm would come to Chace? Was Chace comfortable or was he locked up in a cell with no natural light? I made a note to myself to get answers from Jensen tonight and see if I could convince him to let me see Chace for myself.

In the backseat of a very well maintained Bentley Mulsanne (where can I get one?), I squirmed under the heat of Jensen’s gaze. I tried to ignore him, but he lazily trailed a finger up my leg, pushing the shirt of my dress higher and higher.

“I can’t wait to fuck you,” he murmured.

His blunt words shocked me, although I should be used to it by now.

“I remember what it felt like to have your tight, wet pussy squeeze my cock. How it sucked me in like it didn’t want to ever let go.”

The more he talked, the more I squirmed. The heat and promise in his words almost made me forget that I was an unwilling participant both times he was inside me. He obviously remembered those times with more fondness than I could ever muster.

“Let’s not forget that you forced yourself on me. Twice,” I said bitterly. “And then shared me with two other men.”

I watched his jaw tick as he clenched his teeth. “I made a mistake with you, pixie. I am not used to women who do not welcome my attentions.” He tightened his grip on my thigh. “And I won’t share you again. I meant what I said. You’re mine now.”

“You won’t try to take me against my will again?” I asked with a mixture of hope and disbelief.

He said nothing for a moment as he inhaled sharply. “No. But I will have you. When you beg me for it,” he said with all the confidence that a man like Jensen Holm rightfully possessed.

At that moment, the car stopped in front of the casino. Jensen let himself out and extended a hand in my direction. The only thing that kept me from telling him to go fuck himself was the fact that he held Chace’s fate in his hands.

Once inside the casino, Jensen led me to a private dining area. Settling down at our table, secluded in the back corner, Jensen played the part of the gentleman by pulling out my seat for me and making sure I was comfortable. A waitress appeared with water and menus.

I had already decided that I didn’t care what I ate for dinner so long as it was the most expensive thing on the menu. And that I’d order two. It was a childish move, I knew, since regardless of what I spent on dinner, it would hardly make a dent in Jensen’s pocket change, let alone his fortune.

“Oh, excellent, I’ll have the surf and turf, please,” I informed the waitress who only had eyes for Jensen.

“What can I… do… for you, Mr. Holm?” she purred as she blatantly rubbed her thighs together.

Was she really that turned on by his mere presence? Maybe she had to pee really badly. Or maybe it was a nasty case of crabs.

Was she kidding me, right now? Could she be any more obvious? I blinked at my train of thought. Why did I care?

He regarded her with polite disinterest and repeated my order for the surf and turf, steak for himself, and a bottle of expensive wine.

“What’s wrong, pixie?”

My attention snapped back to Jensen. “Hmm? Nothing.” I shook my head, realizing that I had probably been glaring at the waitress as she walked away.

“You were scowling, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were jealous,” he smirked.

Arrogant ass.

“Bullshit!”I blurted.

He raised an eyebrow at my outburst.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You can nail every girl in here if you want. None of my business.” I shrugged, going for nonchalance.

“You’re right, I could. But I’m choosing to nail you,” he replied smoothly.

“You said you wouldn’t,” I hissed.

“No, I said it wouldn’t be against your will. But make no mistake. I will be inside you again, and you will be begging for it.” His voice got low and gruff.  “Begging… for my hard, thick cock to slide into your dripping wet, tight pussy.”

I inhaled sharply as I felt my nipples start to harden. Apparently, dirty talk was my jam.

He continued, “You’ll be moaning my name right before you start screaming it.”

The waitress chose that moment to return with our wine.

I guzzled my first glass. Classy, I know.

My liquid courage prompted me to start making demands. “Jensen?”

“Yes, pixie?”

“I want to see Chace.”

He studied me for a moment. Then two. “You want to be sure I’ve kept my word,” he surmised.

“Well, yes, that too. But I really do want to see my brother. I need to see him.” Chace wasn’t just my brother, he was my best friend. The closest person to me, and he had likely been through hell when he was held by Sokolov. I wasn’t going to just forget the fact that another dangerous man held him now.

“Fine. I will have him brought over tomorrow for you,” he conceded.

“No.”

“No?” he questioned with a cocked eyebrow.

“No. I want you to take me to him. I want to see where he is, what kind of conditions you have him staying in,” I wasn’t sure if the wine was making me brave or stupid at this point.

“You’re quite demanding this evening, pixie,” he growled, and I got the impression that he was both annoyed and aroused by my impertinence.

“Well, I’ve decided that I’m not a doormat. I’m taking back my power,” I declared while only slightly slurring my words.

One side of his mouth quirked in sort of half smile. “Are you now? How delightful,” he humored me.

Dinner arrived and was, unsurprisingly, scrumptious. My full belly tempered the effects of the wine, but I was still feeling pretty good. After dinner, Jensen escorted me onto the main floor of the casino. Everywhere I looked seemed to be saturated with handsome men and beautiful, yet scantily clad, women on their arms. The sounds of a slot machine dispensing a payout mingled with the sound of clinking champagne glasses.

Jensen nodded to the few floormen we passed along the way to the stairs leading up the upper level. These men obviously knew him by sight, and he appeared to be quite respected. Interesting, for a criminal. Then again, I was a criminal, and I wasn’t so bad.

Upstairs, we were halted by another man. This one was short and stocky and had beady little eyes like a weasel. I hated him on sight.

“Mr. Holm! We didn’t expect you this evening,” the little weasel crowed.

“Paul. This is my guest, Charlotte,” Jensen informed him as he indicated me with a tip of his chin.

“Ahh, how lovely she is, too,” the little weasel known as Paul leered at me.

There was a good chance I was about to throw up.

“Any concerns tonight?” Jensen asked Paul, effectively drawing his beady little eyes away from my chest.

“Nah. Everything’s running smoothly. No worries,” Paul insisted, but I detected something off about his tone and his demeanor.

A thief, at least any thief worth her salt, recognizes another thief. I would’ve bet these Jimmy Choos this little creep was skimming something. I wondered how he got away with it. Jensen didn’t get to be in the position of power he was by being stupid. He had to know his pit boss wasn’t legit.

We entered the security suite where several men were surveying the action down on the floor via closed circuit monitors.

I turned to Jensen. “You trust him?”

“No,” he replied simply.

“Good,” I muttered. “I wouldn’t.”

A chorus of “Hey boss” rang out as the men noticed our presence, and several of them gave me strange, assessing looks. Jensen singled out one man in particular and signaled to him.

“Any issues?” Jensen asked the man once he reached us.

“Nothing I can pin down, but I’m all over it, Mr. Holm. If it’s there to find, I’ll find it. You have my word,” the man promised.

Jensen nodded and proceeded to escort me around the room where he introduced me to so many new faces, there was no way I was going to remember them all. When I said as much, Jensen chuckled and informed me that it didn’t matter if I remembered them or not. The point was that they remembered me.

“You see, pixie, it’s important for my men to know that you belong to me, and that they extend the same respect to you that they would to me.”

“So, you’re just marking your territory?” I sassed.

“Ah, pixie. You’ve already been marked,” he said with a wink.

Chapter 11

Charlotte

I woke the next morning to the feel of warm hands stroking the skin of my lower back. I smiled and pulled my pillow in close to my body with a little moan at how good it felt. That was, before I suddenly remembered where I was.

“What the hell?!” I shouted as I bolted up into a sitting position so quickly I damn near fell off the bed.

“Tell me again how you don’t like my hands on you,” Jensen said, quite smugly.

It was obviously still early judging by the faint light filtering in the window. Jensen was dressed only in a pair of cotton pajama pants. No shirt. My mouth watered at the sight of his bare chest. The dark hair sprinkled over his pecs, the happy trail that my fingers itched to follow. Get it together, Charlotte! I swallowed.

“What are you doing in here, Jensen?” I demanded to know.

He smiled. “It’s time to get up, pixie. We’re going to visit your brother today, remember?”

“Yes, fine. I’ll meet you downstairs in half and hour,” I dismissed him.

He didn’t move from the bed

“Was there something else?” I asked impatiently.

His smile grew wider and his eyes took on a mischievous glint. “Do you want me to wash your back for you? You can wash mine,” he suggested hopefully.

I snorted. “Dream on, Holm!”

“Every night, pixie. Every damn night,” he said as he stood. “Downstairs. Half an hour.” He left the room and shut the door quietly behind him.

Forty-five minutes later, we pulled up in front of a high rise apartment building.

“Chace is staying here?” I asked, already impressed that he wasn’t holed up in some dungeon or cell somewhere.

“He is. Let’s go in.”

Jensen led me through the comfortable and welcoming lobby, past a bank of elevators, and straight to the private elevator to the penthouse. I didn’t say anything at that realization, because I didn’t want to give the impression that I warming to him, but I had to admit to myself, that Jensen clearly wasn’t a complete monster.

Once we reached the penthouse, I could feel my adrenaline spike. I wanted so badly to see Chace, to know that he was okay. The door opened, and there he was. Lounging and looking quite comfortable on an overstuffed sectional in front of an eighty-inch television.

“Are you fucking kidding me, right now?” I practically yelled at him.

“Char!” Chace exclaimed as he jumped up off the sofa and ran straight for me, enveloping me in a bear hug.

“Are you quite comfortable?” I asked, sarcastically.

He had the decency to look guilty. “I am,” he admitted, sheepishly. “How are you?”

“I suppose I’m fine if you’re okay,” I grumbled, happy that he was okay, but annoyed that he didn’t seem to be all that worried about me.

“Look, Char, I know this looks bad from the outside, but I really was worried about you. But, Jensen here, assured me that you weren’t hurt and that you were being taken care of. After what went down, I didn’t want to have to worry about Sokolov getting to you.”

Shit. I hadn’t even considered that Sokolov might come for me. He’d still want that amulet, after all.

“Wait. Jensen told you I was fine? And, what? You just took his word for it? What are you guys, friends now?”

“Calm down, Char,” Chace soothed. “Consider the fact that these accommodations here are far superior to where Sokolov held me, and I’m being clothed and fed. Holm can’t be all that bad, right?”

Chace didn’t know about the rapes, and right now, there was no point in enlightening him. It would only serve to piss him off, and for now he was being well taken care of. I didn’t want to jeopardize that for him. At least, not until we could figure a way out of this mess. So, I agreed.

“Yeah, Chace, you’re right. He’s not so bad.”

Jensen

Charlotte was proving to be a surprisingly strong woman. It was clear she hadn’t yet forgiven me for taking her without her consent or for allowing Aleksander and Rafe to have their fun, but she managed to put her anger aside in order to ensure her brother’s well-being.  It was impressive. Just another confirmation that I did the right thing in making her mine.

Allowing her to see her brother was a gamble. There was a chance she could have seen how comfortable he was and figured since he was under no threat from me, that she would be safe to act out. She could still go that route, but I think she’s too smart for that. Too smart to think that I’m a soft man. I wouldn’t hesitate to crush Chace Benson like a bug if I thought it would gain me Charlotte’s compliance.

I was also surprised by her assessment of Paul last night. Not necessarily because she picked up on the man’s duplicitousness, but because she mentioned it to me. As though she had some care that I might have been taken for a ride by the foolish man. Foolish, because no one could say that double-crossing Jensen Holm was a wise move.

Charlotte was different than the women I usually spent time with, and I needed to treat her as such. There’s no doubt my men at the casino realized it as well. They had seen me with other women, obviously, but I had never brought one into the control room at the casino before. Never introduced one to my employees. I was an intensely private man and a highly suspicious one. It must have seemed strange to them for me to break my regular protocol that way.

She may not want to admit it, but I think Charlotte might be warming up to me. Mulling all this over during the drive home, I was distracted. And that’s why I never saw the attack coming. Never saw it until it was far too late.

Charlotte

We were cruising up the tree-lined road toward the mansion when I felt the first tap. The second tap was hard enough to cause the car to fishtail despite Jensen’s defensive driving maneuvers. Trying to get a look at the vehicle behind us, I caught sight of a man in a ski mask and the glint of his gun just as he shot the back tires out. The car careened over the embankment and into the trees. It was over before I could scream.

Someone was dragging me out of the car. I must have hit my head because I was drifting in and out of awareness. The last thing I remember seeing before it all went black was Jensen slumped over the steering wheel.

“Wake up, bitch!” the growl came with a slap.

Slowly coming awake, it took me several minutes to remember what happened. The other car. The gunshots. The accident. Jensen. I took stock of my body first. It was pretty safe to say I ached all over. I laid on a dirty cot in a dirty room. A basement, maybe? And standing over me, looking like the devil himself, was Keith.

“Keith? What happened? Where am I?”

“No time for questions,” he said as he grabbed my shirt and ripped it clean down the middle.

I gasped and struggled, but he was too big, too fast. And too mean. He backhanded me, and I fell backward, hitting my head once again. I didn’t know how many more hits my brain could withstand.

As I lay there weak and dazed, Keith dragged my pants and underwear down to my knees.

“No, no, no!” I tried to yell but only croaked. I couldn’t go through this again.

I lifted my arms to ward him off, but he only laughed and knocked them back down. I felt too weak to fight back.

“I told you you were fucked, bitch. Now I’m gonna show you.”

“Keith… please. No,” I whimpered when I felt his hands go between my legs.

Digging deep and finding whatever morsel of inner strength I could muster, I waited until he turned my body so my feet were hanging off the side of the cot, and then I swung my feet up between his legs and nailed him in the balls.

He grunted as he doubled over, and I took that opportunity to swing my feet up to make contact with his temple. Unfortunately, I only managed to piss him off. As I tried to scramble up from the cot and yank my pants up at the same time, one of Keith’s fists caught me in the cheek. I heard as well as felt the bone crack as I stumbled toward one concrete wall. I slumped down to the floor as my vision swam, but Keith had other ideas.

He grabbed me under the arms, yanked me to my feet, and punched me square in the nose. It was lights out.

When I woke up again, I was back on the cot, lying face down and naked. Oh, no. God, no. My vision was hazy, and my head felt like it had gone all Wile E. Coyote and taken an anvil hit. I tried to lift my head to look around, but my neck was stiff, and the more I tried to move around, the more it hurt. I was pretty sure I was alone in the room, though I could hear voices on the other side of the door, but I couldn’t make out any of the words. I had no idea how long I’d been lying there, unconscious. Minutes? Hours?

The door opened.

“Good, you’re awake. Now the real fun can begin,” Keith sneered at me with pure malevolence oozing out of his every pore.

“No,” I said, but it was no more than a pained whisper. Even speaking hurt.

I watched helplessly as Keith unzipped his pants and stroked himself while he stared at my naked backside. He stepped closer, and I could hear his breath quicken. I tried to stop the fear from overtaking me. He moved to the end of the cot and positioned himself between my legs. Instead of reaching for my pussy, his hands went to my ass to spread my cheeks. I couldn’t stop the tears that welled in my eyes. This was far worse than what Jensen had done to me. Far, far worse. Just as I felt him prodding at my back entrance, I heard a commotion happening outside of the room we were in, but Keith wasn’t going to be deterred. I felt him begin to breach my tight hole, and I let out the wail of a banshee just as a shot rang out.

Keith’s dead weight crashed down on me as his blood coated my skin. He was too heavy, and I began struggling to breathe. His weight was suddenly gone, and I gulped in as much air as my lungs could hold. Somewhere in my foggy brain, I registered the sound of popping buttons, and then I was being covered by a man’s dress shirt. I lifted my head to see my savior and realized he was also my captor. Jensen.

“Hush, now, pixie. I’ve got you,” he cooed, and it was then I realized that the tears were flowing freely.

As he lifted me into his arms to fit me against his chest, my own arms circled his neck, and I hung on for dear life as he carried me out of the dark basement of what turned out to be a rather dilapidated warehouse. Jensen tried to settle me in the back seat of a black SUV, but I refused to be let go, so he cradled me in his lap when I started to panic and tried to soothe me as best as he could. There, in his lap, with his arms around me and mine around him, I fell asleep.

Chapter 12

Charlotte

The next time I woke up, I was in a warm, comfortable, king-sized bed. And it wasn’t mine. The confusion concerning my whereabouts triggered another panic attack, but before I could get too worked up, the door opened, and Jensen walked in.

“Pixie,” he said gently. His expression was wounded.

“Is this your room?” I croaked out.

“Yes,” he nodded. “I didn’t want you to be away from me.”

He approached the bed cautiously, like I was a skittish animal he feared might bolt. Right then, I was the opposite. There was no way in hell I was leaving that bed.

“Are you okay?” I asked, remembering that one of the last times I saw him was slumped over the steering wheel of his car.

He made a noise that sounded like a cross between a huff and a snort. “After what you’ve been through, you’re worried about me?”

I grimaced and shrugged one shoulder. I looked him over and noted the bandage over one eye. That seemed to be the extent of his obvious injuries. Lucky bastard. I didn’t need a mirror to know that my body was fucked up.

“Keith?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

“He will never touch you again,” Jensen promised.

“I know,” I said, weakly, and cleared my throat.

“So, how bad am I messed up?” I asked, even though I really didn’t want to hear the answer.

Jensen sat down on the edge of the bed. “My personal physician just left. I had him give you a thorough exam. He didn’t think you were…,” he trailed off. “But, I have to hear it for myself. Were you… Did he…?”

He seemed to be struggling to find the words, and though I could appreciate the irony in that, I put him out of his misery. “No. At least, I don’t think so. I mean, he was going to. He tried, but…,” I struggled to finish my sentence. “But, then you came.”

He nodded his head enthusiastically. “Right. Yes. Good,” he said, seeming relieved. Some of the tension seeped from his shoulders.

“What about the rest of me?”

His eyes met mine, and he looked furious. His jaw tightened, and his nostrils flared. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he started emitting steam. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he said, “Ah, you have a broken nose, a broken cheekbone, a black eye, and some various bumps and bruises.”

“So. Could have been worse, right?” I tried to smile.

My joke fell flat.

“Would you like to see Sarah? She’s been asking about you. She’s as worried as a mother hen could be,” he smiled slightly.

“Um. Could I maybe have a bath first? I feel gross.”

He nodded and left to draw the bath water. I took the opportunity to lift the sheets and give my body a once over. He was right, various bumps and bruises. And I already knew my face was a wreck. Just because I couldn’t see it, didn’t mean I couldn’t feel it.

Jensen came back in to scoop me up and deposit me in the tub. I reclined for a moment just to soak in the healing heat of the water.

“Wait!” I said as Jensen turned to leave the room. “Could you wash my back for me? I’m afraid it hurts too much to reach,” I pleaded shyly.

He didn’t say anything, he simply knelt beside the tub and with a generous helping of his herbal scented soap, began to lather me up. It was the gentlest he’d ever been with me, and it nearly caused the tears to make another appearance. There was something profound I was beginning to realize about experiencing such kindness and gentleness from someone right after a traumatic event at the hands of someone else. Despite the way we began, I suddenly felt very safe with Jensen.

Once I started to feel clean, and the water began to cool, Jensen scooped me up out of the tub. Setting me on my feet, he wrapped one of his oversized, thick, fluffy bath towels around me, scooped me up again, and deposited me in the center of the bed. Thankfully, while I was in the bath, someone had snuck in to strip and remake the bed with fresh sheets. Jensen dropped his pants and climbed in next to me. We spooned as I slept again.

I stirred sometime in the mid afternoon. I snuggled into Jensen’s weight at my back, but froze as I felt his erection prodding my backside.

“Sorry, pixie. I can’t help myself around you,” he mumbled, just waking up himself.

I swallowed roughly before replying, “Do you think I could get something to eat now?”

He pulled me in as close as he could and whispered in my ear, “I’ll go see what Sarah has in the kitchen,” before stretching and climbing out from between the sheets.

He came back a short while later with Sarah in tow.

“Sarah would not be denied any longer,” he said, sounding amused. “She insisted on seeing you for herself.”

I looked to Sarah as she entered the room with a tray overflowing with food.

“Sarah, don’t you think you went a little overboard there?” I teased her.

She started muttering in a language that definitely was not English when her gaze landed on my face. I’m fairly certain it was mostly Spanish swear words. She started fussing over me, making sure I had enough pillows and that I was warm enough.

“Sarah, please. I’m fine,” I tried to comfort her.

“Ha! You are not fine! Look at you! You were hurt!” she exclaimed, and I could see the tears in her eyes.

She was worried for me, and her tears triggered my own.

“No, no, no. No tears, chica,” she insisted as she swiped at her cheeks.

Once she was satisfied with the state of affairs, she left Jensen and me to eat. The tray she had brought was heaped with soup, simple sandwiches, yogurt with fruit on the side, and orange juice. We ate in silence, and when neither of us could eat another bite, Jensen set the tray out in the hall to be picked up.

“How did you know where to find me?” I asked, my curiosity taking over.

“I came to just as they were loading you into the back of their SUV. I couldn’t come after you myself with the car being totaled, so I called Raoul and told him to send whichever guard was closest to the gates and have them tail the vehicle. It happened to be Jason.”

I’m thankful it was someone like Jason. Someone that I felt safe with and someone who was obviously still loyal to Jensen.

“Raoul came to pick me up, and Jason led us to you,” he finished.

I nodded because what could I say? I got up out of bed and made my way to the door just in time for Jensen to pluck me from my feet and place me back in the bed.

“No,” he stated simply.

I narrowed my eyes. “I’m going to my room,” I said as I rolled toward the edge of the bed.

“No, you’re not. You’re staying here, in this room. With me,” he insisted.

Knowing there was no way I was going to get past him in my current state, I relented. Pick your battles, and all that. “Fine. Then you go across the hall and find me some clothes to wear,” I said as I crossed my arms over my chest.

A devilish smile spread across his face. “Well now, my little pixie, why would I want to cover you up? Bind those delicious tits? Hide that sweet pussy? Hm? Tell me.”

I cursed my fair complexion as I felt my face flush. Then I remembered what my face looked like. “You cannot possibly be thinking about fucking me when I look like this,” I insisted.

“On the contrary, Charlotte, I think about fucking you constantly.”

I knew by the look in his eyes and the tone of his voice and the confidence in his stance, it was going to happen. I was no longer in a position to deny him. He was going to fuck me, and I was going to beg for it.

Chapter 13

Jensen

I knew she was ready for me. We’ve spent the majority of the past three days in bed, only getting up to answer the call of nature, shower, and eat. We spent time watching movies or talking. Charlotte told me about some of the jobs she and her brother, Chace, did, and I told her the bare minimum about my various businesses. Notably, what we didn’t talk about was what happened to her in that basement. Part of me wanted to push her to get it out. To acknowledge it and deal with it. The other part of me wanted to hold her close and reassure her that nothing and no one would ever touch a hair on her precious head ever again.

Something shifted in our relationship since the accident and her kidnapping. She no longer hated me, and I could barely contain my elation at that. I wanted to do one of those ridiculous fist pumps like a frat boy. I finally felt like I was about to get the only thing I truly needed. She was under the impression that she could leave when I was done with her and our agreement. She had no idea that I had absolutely no intention of ever letting her go.

Finding her the way I did, seeing the bruises on her perfect flesh, it was enough to awaken a fiery rage in my soul. I wanted to bring Keith back to life just so I could kill him again. Never has a women evoked feelings of such possessiveness and protectiveness within me. I was self-aware enough to acknowledge that this was no longer a simple physical connection. I wanted her heart and soul as well. I was pretty sure she already possessed mine.

Leaving the bathroom, I walked to the side of the bed and stop. She turned to look at me with a confused expression.

“Are you coming to bed?” she asked softly.

My hands to go the waistband of my pajama pants, and I slowly hook my thumbs inside, all the while watching her body language for any sign of panic. I see none. I slowly tug my pants and boxers down and let them drop to the floor. Stepping out of them, I begin to crawl across the bed, making my way straight to my pixie. When I got to her, I didn’t touch her. I simply slid in between the sheets next to her.

“What are you doing?” she asked me, looking adorably confused.

“Going to bed,” I replied, as though it was obvious.

“You’re naked,” she pointed out. Breathlessly, I was pleased to notice.

I shrugged nonchalantly. “Just trying to get comfortable.”

“Bullshit, Jensen,” she accused me, gaze narrowed.

“Go to sleep, pixie,” I said, as I reached out to shut the lights off.

I wrapped myself around her, as I had been doing for the past few nights. As we spooned, I listened to her breathing. I could feel her heart racing under my hand, but still, I said nothing, and I made no moves to initiate anything sexual. It didn’t take long before she started to fidget. I smiled to myself. I knew exactly what I was doing to her. My cock was achingly, but perfectly, cradled by the crack of her ass.

She managed to roll over in my arms, so she was facing me. The tips of our noses brushed, and her sweet breath fanned my face.

“Having trouble sleeping, pixie?” I asked with feigned innocence.

She shifted closer, and I groaned when my cock bumped her belly. Her arms hesitantly slid around my waist, and when I still didn’t take advantage, she gave a gentle tug.

“Can’t get close enough, pixie?” I whispered to her.

Her only response was to try to snuggle closer, and at that point I had to chuckle because if she were any closer, she’d practically be in my skin.

“Jensen,” she huffed in frustration.

“What’s the matter, pixie? Do you want something?” I goaded her.

“Please don’t make me say it,” she whined.

“You know what I want to hear, Charlotte,” I said sternly. She would know who’s in control.

She let out a very unladylike grunt. “Please,” she said so softly, I almost didn’t catch it.

“Please, what?” I stroked a hand up and down her back, from her shoulder blades to the curve of her ass. “Tell me what it is you want from me,” I coaxed.

She swallowed roughly. “Please touch me.”

“I am touching you, sweetheart.” I continued to stroke her back.

She made another frustrated sound, and reached down to grasp my cock.

I stilled her hand. “No, Charlotte. You have to say the words.”

“The words?”

I bent my neck so my lips could lightly graze over hers, and spoke directly over her mouth. “Tell me you want me to fuck you.”

She squirmed. “I want you to fuck me,” she said quietly.

“Good. Now tell me you want my huge cock in your tight pussy,” I continued.

She whimpered again. “I want your huge cock in my tight pussy,” she whispered, but it didn’t matter, I was already on her before the last word was out.

“I don’t want to hurt you, pixie, but I won’t treat you like glass, either,” I warned her as I slid my hands to her thighs and pulled them apart.

Her pussy was dripping wet. I knew it. I lowered my mouth and licked her from her hole to her clit before pulling her clit into my mouth and sucking like I was ravenous. It didn’t take her long to come undone beneath me.

“Again!” I demanded, as I went back to working her pussy with my mouth and bringing her to another orgasm.

Before she could come down from her high, I spread her legs and wide as they would go, tilted her ass up, and slid home.

“Fuck,” I hissed. “You feel so fucking good, pixie.”

I stroked in and out, slowly at first, mindful of the fact that I hurt her last time. I felt her muscles contract around me, and it spurred me to pick up my pace. My strokes became hurried and my hips slammed into hers. The way my balls slapped against her ass felt like heaven.

“Jensen!” she screamed as she came for me for a third time.

The way she scratched her nails down my back triggered my own orgasm. At the last second, I pulled out and spent myself all over her belly, marking her.

“Mine,” I grunted, as I collapsed next to her.

Chapter 14

Charlotte

I woke up with Jensen’s mouth on one breast and his hand on the other. Last night, after we had sex the first time, he cleaned me up and spooned me as we fell asleep. Sometime in the middle of the night he woke me up with his cock poking me in the back, and we were suddenly all over each other again. I was sore in all the right ways in all the right places. It appeared, this morning, that he still wasn’t  done with me.

I threaded my fingers through his thick, dark hair and gave a little tug at the same time I pushed my breast further into his mouth.

“Greedy for my attentions this morning, pixie?” he teased.

In answer, I spread my legs and lifted my pelvis so my pussy rubbed over his abs. He growled at my brazenness, flipped me over, and hoisted my ass into the air. When I tried to turn to look at him, he gave my ass a light slap.

“Stay still. If you move, I will punish you.”

I gulped at the threat at the same time my nipples hardened painfully at the promise. I felt him move away from me, and then I felt his tongue at the back of one knee. He flicked his tongue from the back of my knee up to the curve of my buttcheek. Then he repeated the process on the other leg. His fingers fluttered up the front of my thighs as he curled his body over me to lay soft, wet kisses across my back. He took his time paying attention to each part of my body except where I wanted him the most. He drew his hands across my ass until he held a cheek in each hand.

“I’m going to take you now, pixie,” he growled.

“Finally,” I sassed with frustration.

He chuckled and slipped two fingers inside me, pulling them back out and spreading my wetness backward toward my… Oh, no.

“Jensen, I don’t think…” I shook my head as I tried to pull away.

“Stay still, pixie. I won’t warn you again,” he declared roughly.

“Jensen,” I tried again, but he interrupted me.

“Pixie, you must learn that you belong to me. All of you. I know what I walked in on that night, and I’m claiming it for myself,” he declared.

With that, he continued to lube me with my own juices, and then I felt a finger, maybe a thumb, breach my hole. I tried to shut out the flashback I had of Keith violating me that way, but I tensed up.

“Relax, pixie. I will make it good for you,” he cooed.

I pushed back against him, thinking if he just got it over with, I wouldn’t have time to freak out. He nipped one cheek with his teeth, and it sent a shiver coursing through me. He must have decided I was sufficiently lubed and stretched because the next thing I knew, he was pushing his cock into me.

“Ow!”

He paused. “You have to relax, sweetheart.”

“Relax?! Your giant cock is in my asshole!” I yelled.

“That’s right, pixie, my huge, thick cock is in your tight little asshole, and I’m going to fuck your tight little asshole, and your pussy is going to cream,” he finished on what almost sounded like a purr.

His dirty talk did exactly what it was designed to do. Make me beg.

“Please fuck me now, Jensen,” I whimpered.

“Fuck, yes,” he hissed as he began to stroke in and out.

He was right when he said he owned me. He worked my body over with the same finesse I used when cracking a sophisticated safe. Every touch the perfect amount of pressure, every movement made at just the right angle. When he reached around to circle my clit with one finger, I exploded, and I knew my pieces would never fit back together the same way again.

The next several weeks passed in much the same way. When Jensen wasn’t working, we were in bed. Or on the dining room table. Up against the wall. In the pool. One time, he even took me bent over the kitchen island when Sarah was out picking up groceries. I made sure to sanitize the countertop before she came home. I had broached the subject of a possible pregnancy with Jensen, since we weren’t exactly being safe, when he informed me that he had taken it upon himself to have his personal physician give me a birth control shot when I first got here. The shot that I had assumed was pain medication or something else related to the concussion I had at the time. Presumptuous bastard. But then he gave me another orgasm, and I forgave him. I was so easy.

The only other blip in those blissful weeks was the evening that Aleksander and Rafael showed up at the house. They had heard about Jensen’s accident through the grapevine and showed up demanding to know why they hadn’t heard about it from him. I shamelessly eavesdropped from the doorway, unobserved, as Jensen explained to the men what happened. They seemed more surprised about the fact that Jensen seemed to be invested in me than they were about the accident or the fact that Keith had been a raging psychopath hell bent on betrayal. Not wanting either of the two visitors to spot me, I turned to leave, but I must have somehow alerted Jensen to my presence because he called my name.

“Charlotte, you remember Aleksander and Rafael?” Jensen asked.

Noticing my obvious discomfort, the lighter haired one of bunch, Aleksander, stepped forward with a genuine smile and said, “Charlotte. It’s nice to officially meet you. I’m sorry that you had to go through that.”

I realized with a scowl that he was referencing what I went through with Keith but not at all sorry for what happened the last time the four of us were in a room together. Jensen obviously caught on to my train of thought.

“I’ve informed Charlotte that what happened before would not happen again,” he announced.

Rafael looked to Jensen with surprise. “You’ve claimed her?” he asked.

“I have. Every inch of her,” he added, making my face flush scarlet.

“Was that really necessary, you Neanderthal?” I demanded to know, exasperated.

He grinned and planted a quick kiss on my temple.

Both Aleksander and Rafael looked on with shocked, but amused, expressions.

As uncomfortable as that interaction was for me, it was thankfully short lived, as the two men said their goodbyes and were gone. That was a little over a month ago, and now Chace and I were lounging by the pool behind the extravagant mansion Jensen called a home. I had to be very careful. A girl could get used to this.

“What do you think he’s doing?” Chace asked, staring off across the property.

“Who?”

“Sokolov. Do you think he’s looking for us?”

“I don’t know.” I had wondered that as well a time or two. “I was kind of hoping he’d forget about us,” I said, even though I knew it was stupid.

“Come on, Char. Men like Sokolov don’t just forget about the people who try to steal from them. Or the people who are stolen out from under them, for that matter,” Chace said, swirling the rapidly melting ice in his iced tea. “They hunt them down, torture them mercilessly, and then kill them slowly.”

“I suppose you’re right,” I sighed. “Maybe he knows we’re under Jensen’s protection. Or maybe he doesn’t even know where we are,” I said hopefully.

“I’d be willing to bet he knows exactly where we are. Men like Sokolov, hell, men like Jensen, have well-paid eyes and ears all over this city,” Chace said.

I nodded because Chace was not wrong. Men like Sokolov and Jensen were rich and powerful, and money talked. Especially in a place like Las Vegas.

“I’m going for a swim,” I said as I shed my cover-up and dove into the deep end. Maybe some laps would clear my mind.

“I’m leaving.”

“You can’t be serious, Chace! You’re going to get yourself killed! You said yourself that Sokolov doesn’t let these things go. He’ll hunt you down, and then I will be without my brother! My best friend!”

I was freaking out. Chace got it in his head that he wanted to take another job, but this time he would be working alone, because I was here. With Jensen.

“How did you even hear about this job?” I asked. “You’ve been holed up in Jensen’s penthouse for the most part, and I know when you do go out, it’s with an armed guard.”

“I’ve still got contacts, Char. It wasn’t hard to keep my finger on things, even when I was on lockdown,” he said with a shrug.

“I’ll tell Jensen that I’m going with you,” I decided.

Chace started laughing uncontrollably. “Right, Char. Wait, I’ll go with you when you tell him. I want to see his reaction for myself,” he said as he wiped a fake tear away with one finger.

Chace ended up being correct, of course. Jensen’s response to my request was a resounding “FUCK NO.” I really hadn’t expected anything less, but I had to try.

Chapter 15

Jensen

When I was seven, I witnessed my first murder. Two, actually. One of my father’s men had been fucking one of the housekeepers in the pantry. I stumbled upon them when I wandered downstairs for a late night snack. I didn’t understand what fucking was at that age, but I was fascinated by the act that I witnessed, so I hid in the shadows and watched the man wrap a hand around the housekeeper’s throat and squeezed. She struggled, but I didn’t understand that it wasn’t part of their game until her lips turned blue and she went limp in his arms.

When my father’s man realized I was lurking in the shadows, he dragged me in front of my father and demanded my father teach me about minding my own business. My father asked me what it was that I found so interesting that I felt the need to spy. When I told him what I saw, he didn’t miss a beat as he pulled out his gun and shot his man dead. My father didn’t take kindly to one of his subordinates questioning his authority or his parenting skills, but he especially didn’t condone violence against someone who was under his protection.

By the time I was twelve, I already knew how to handle a gun. By sixteen, I was proficient in both jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai. Growing up in my father’s world and following in his footsteps required that I know how to defend myself. I earned enemies at an early age, based solely on who my father was. As I got older, I earned my own enemies due to my own actions, some knowingly and some unknowingly.

Alaric Holm was powerful in his own right, in his own time. Like me, he had both legitimate and illegitimate businesses. But compared to me, his wealth and his power were small time. He was king of Las Vegas. King of Nevada, even. But me? I’m king of the entirety of the southern United States and half of Latin America.

I don’t remember much of my mother growing up. My father seemed to be under the impression that she got pregnant with me on purpose in order to trap him. She lived here with us for awhile, but once it became apparent she had more interest in spending my father’s money than she had in actually raising her son, my father kicked her out. I saw her once or twice as an adult, and last I heard she was married to some schmuck who was dumb enough to try to give her everything she wanted. They lived in Sarasota according to the last Christmas card I got from her. Six years ago.

The point is, I’ve lived this life for a long time. I was literally born to it. I knew how men like me think, and I knew how men like Dmetri Sokolov think. And Charlotte must have been out of her Goddamn mind if she thought, for even a second, I was going to let her go off on some half-baked job with her brother. Absolutelyfuckingnot.

So, in order to get Charlotte’s focus off her brother, and back on me, where it belonged, I proposed a night out on the town. With an armed escort, of course. I would keep our activities to my own properties for the sake of convenience. My employees all knew me on sight, and the security at my properties was the very best that money could buy. She would be safe there.

“Get dressed, pixie, we’re going out tonight.”

“Where are we going?” she asked over her shoulder.

We were laying in my, now our, bed where I had just finished fucking some sense into her. My chest swelled with some sort of male satisfaction at the sight of my come running down her thigh. Her body was limp and sated next to me, her skin glistening with a slight sheen of our mixed sweat.

“It’s a surprise. But dress casually.”

“Casually? So, we’re not going to the casino?” she asked.

“Not this time, pixie. Come on, up,” I commanded with a smack to her ass.

We pulled into the parking lot of L'Ecrevisse, the Cajun seafood restaurant I owned.

“Stay here. I’ll be right back,” I said before running in to grab the dinner I had called ahead to order while Charlotte was getting ready earlier.

Back in the car, with the food, we drove to the same high rise apartment building where I’d been housing Chace. I typically use the penthouse apartment for visiting friends and/or business associates, but since Chace has decided to tempt fate by going off on his own, unprotected, it’s sitting empty.

Inside, I ushered Charlotte to the wall comprised of floor to ceiling windows. I tossed a few blankets and pillows into a pile on the floor and urged her to sit. We divided up the food and enjoyed our meal on the floor while taking in the bright lights of Las Vegas below. There weren’t any flowers or soft music, but it was about as romantic as a guy like me could get.

“This is really nice,” Charlotte said softly.

“I’m sorry it’s not roses and candlelight,” I apologized.

“No, no. This really is nice. Simple. I like it,” she said shyly. “The view is beautiful.”

“Yes, it is,” I agreed, but I wasn’t looking at the city below. I was looking at the blonde haired, green eyed dynamo next to me. The one with the petite body and the lush curves. The one with the smart mouth and the feisty attitude. The one that made my dick hard. The one I’d kill for. The one who, I then realized, could break my fucking heart.

By the time we finished our seafood platters of shrimp, catfish, and crab, I had decided it was time to show Charlotte a little bit more of what made me Jensen Holm. She wasn’t exactly dressed properly for what I had in mind, but I figured I could get around it. Charlotte went to wash up, and I made a call to Rafael.

Chapter 16

Charlotte

I stood in the bathroom, gazing at myself in the mirror while I washed the scent of seafood off my hands. Who knew that a simple meal in a simple setting with a complicated man could have made me feel all girly inside? Jensen had the potential to make me fall in love with him, and that was dangerous. I dried my hands and tried to steel my heart as I walked back out into the living area of the penthouse.

“Are we leaving already?” I asked when I saw Jensen talking to one of his men by the door.

“Yes. I have something I want to show you,” he replied.

Thirty minutes later, we were hustled into the back entrance of a building I never thought I’d find myself in.

“What is this place?” I asked, shocked but curious.

“It’s called Bound. It’s Rafael’s,” he said.

We were escorted into a private room, and I was thankful for two reasons. One, I was way under dressed for a place with this much class, and two, I was a bit uncomfortable with the few looks I got on the way in. Even though there was no explicit activities taking place in my line of vision, I wasn’t completely naive. We were in a sex club. A sex club owned by Rafael, apparently.

“Why did you bring me here?” I asked nervously. The room were in had both a bed and a love seat that faced a wall of glass that looked into a similarly designed room next door.

“Relax, pixie. We’re just here to observe,” he nodded toward the wall of glass. “It’s a two way mirror. We can see them,” he indicated the couple entering the adjacent room, “but they can’t see us.”

“Do you come here often?” I said, cringing when I realized it sounded like a cheesy pick up line.

Jensen shrugged. “I used to, yes. I like to watch, and sometimes to be watched.” He must have read my mind, because he continued, “But I will not let anyone else see you, pixie. You are mine and mine alone.” He gently chucked me under the chin with one finger.

Movement in the next room caught my attention. I watched as a man and a woman slowly stripped the clothes off of one another to the soundtrack of The Weeknd’s “Feel it Coming.” The song was a perfect fit for the sensual display. I watched in fascination as they caressed and fondled each other. It wasn’t overtly sexual or explicit, but rather sweet and loving.

“Are they a real couple?” I asked.

“Yes. Max and Carrie are members here. Exhibitionism is only one of their proclivities.”

“I could tell. That they’re a couple, I mean. They seem very ...attuned to one another, I guess.”

“They are. Not every pairing in the club carries over outside the club, however. A lot of single people come here only looking for a partner for the evening. Someone to act out a scene with and then they part ways,” he explained.

I made a noncommittal sound as I continued to watch the couple who was now kissing. Surprisingly, I felt myself getting aroused. Who knew I had an inner voyeur? Max and Carrie continued to kiss and stroke each other in various places. A touch on the cheek, a caress on the waist. The more I watched, the more aroused I became.

Jensen stepped behind me and slowly wrapped his arms around my waist until he could grab the hem of my shirt. He pulled it up over my head and tossed it aside. He ran his hands over my shoulders, unclasped and discarded my bra, and then continued his journey down my back. His lips were at my temple, placing soft, sweet kisses there. His hands circled my waist again, this time going for the button of my jeans. Slowly peeling them down my legs, he urged me to step out of them, losing my shoes in the process. I stood there in only my panties, when Jensen came around to kneel in front of me.

“Put your hands on the glass, sweetheart,” he commanded.

I did as I was told while he hooked his fingers into the sides of my pants and tugged them down only far enough that my lady bits were exposed. Then he leaned in, ever so slowly, and flicked my clit with his tongue, making me gasp.

“Don’t look at me, pixie. Watch them,” he said, indicating the couple on the other side of the glass with a flicker of his gaze.

I directed my attention to the other couple, who were now on the bed, continuing their sensual display with more intimate touches than they were initially sharing. Once Jensen was satisfied that I was doing as I was told, he continued his ministrations. He spread my thighs as far as he could with my underwear still binding my legs, and licked me from the back to the front with slow, languid strokes. When he got to my clit he suckled slightly and then repeated the process. My hips began to rock back and forth, begging for that delicious pressure, at the same time the show Max and Carrie were putting on became more explicit.

Max and Carrie sat on the edge of their bed, facing the two way mirror. Carrie was impaled on Max’s lap in reverse cowgirl position. As she leaned back against him, Max spread her legs as far apart I assumed they could possible reach. Carrie’s hands were on Max’s thighs, and Max was stroking Carrie’s clit with two fingers. It was obvious that these two seriously got off on putting on a show. It was also obvious that I was seriously getting off on watching it.

“You are so fucking wet. Fucking soaked, pixie,” I heard Jensen growl approvingly.

He continued to eat at me while I watched Max and Carrie, and when my orgasm hit me, it was blinding. I stood there, hanging my head while I tried to catch my breath. I opened my eyes to see Jensen’s face covered in my wetness, and the look in his eyes was feral. Before I knew what he was about, he tore my panties off the rest of the way and tossed me onto the bed. He didn’t even take the time to undress himself, he just unfastened his pants enough so that he could pull his erection out, and slammed into me without ceremony. I felt a second orgasm building in no time.

Jensen was out of control. He fucked me without mercy, and I knew I was going to have the most delicious ache between my thighs come tomorrow. I grabbed his ass and dug my fingernails into his cheeks, urging him on. I came on a small scream, but Jensen came on an animalistic roar.

We laid there, panting. Sex with Jensen was always amazing, always satisfying. But tonight was, hands down, the most erotic experience of my life. And now all I wanted was for Jensen to hold me. I snuggled into him as close as I could get, and we continued to lay there for several more minutes, before he pulled away. He got up and walked over to a small sink I hadn’t noticed before tucked into the far corner. He came back with a warm, wet washcloth and gently cleaned me up. As he tossed the washcloth into a hamper tucked under the sink, I got up and began collecting my clothes.

Once we were both presentable, Jensen and I were escorted out the back entrance of the club, the same way we had come in, and into the car. The ride home was quiet, but not awkwardly so. I could tell Jensen had something on his mind. Just as we were pulling into the driveway, and I turned to ask him about it, he spoke.

“I’m never letting you go, Charlotte. You have to realize that. Never,” he blurted. “I know you think I’ll grow tired of our agreement, which, let’s be honest, at this point is null and void since Chace is off doing his own thing, anyway,” he said, sounding exasperated. “But it isn’t going to happen. I fucking love you, pixie.”

With wide eyes, I stared at him. “I…,” I faltered.

“Tell me you won’t go,” he demanded as he turned in his seat to face me. “Look me in the eye and tell me you will never leave me,” he begged.

I wasn’t used to seeing Jensen appear so vulnerable. He was always so confident. Arrogant, even. Always in control. I didn’t know how to deal with this Jensen, so in my panic, I agreed.

“Okay,” I started.

“Look me in the eye,” he repeated.

I did. “I will never leave you,” I promised.

If I only knew.

Chapter 17

Two weeks later

Charlotte

The sights and sounds of the casino in the Starlight resort continued to be overwhelming. Gazing down on the main floor from the upper level, I wondered how anyone could stand to be enveloped in the sea of bodies. The scent of stale smoke, alcohol, and sweat filled the air. The excited shouts of someone winning a big hand clashed with the voices of dealers calling out for bets. I stood there alone, except for the armed guard stationed several feet away. Jensen had gone to meet with one of the security officers for the casino, the same one I vaguely remembered him speaking with last time we were here.

“Ah, Miss Benson, so good of you to join us this evening,” said the slightly whiny voice of Paul, the pit boss at Starlight.

“Hello, Paul, how are you?” I struggled to remain polite, even though the weasely little man made me uncomfortable.

“I’m very well, my dear, thank you.” He leaned in closer and lowered his voice. “I’m afraid I’ve heard some troubling gossip,” he baited me.

“Oh?” I replied, though, frankly, I was pretty disinterested in anything he might have to say.

“Yes, but, you see, if the gossip turns out to be true, then I’m afraid it could be quite dire. And I could just never forgive myself should something happen…,” he trailed off.

I turned my body, so Paul had my full attention, and I noticed the sheen of sweat across his brow, and the way he tried to hide the fact that he was wringing his hands. He was nervous. Why?

“Is this something that Jensen needs to be aware of?” I asked, also keeping my voice low so the guard couldn’t hear me.

“No!” he said a little too loudly before lowering his voice again. “No, I’m afraid, the gossip I’ve heard pertains to you, my dear.”

“Me?” My stomach started to turn. Had Paul heard about Sokolov? Was he looking for me? Shit, was Chace in danger?

“Yes, or more specifically, your brother,” Paul whispered, and I realized my worst fear was about to manifest.

“Chace? What have you heard about Chace?” I demanded to know.

Paul shrugged his shoulders slightly. “Nothing concrete, just that there’s someone who’s looking for him. Knowing your connection to Mr. Holm, I thought maybe this was something I should mention to you. You know, just in case it turns out to be more than gossip.”

I didn’t trust Paul for a second, but I couldn’t discount the fact that Chace was out there somewhere, unprotected, and there was a very real possibility that Sokolov could get to him. My first instinct was to go to Jensen for help, but knowing that he wouldn’t allow me to have any part in whatever Chace was doing, I made a decision.

“Tell me everything you know,” I said to Paul.

As it turned out, Paul didn’t know much. Just that someone had been around asking questions about Chace. I ditched my bodyguard by telling him that I had to use the ladies’ room, and slipped out when his back was turned. I cringed with guilt, remembering what had happened the last time a guard had allowed me to get by them. I didn’t have time to worry about that now. I had no money for a cab, so I dusted off my hotwiring skills and stole a ride. I couldn’t go back to the mansion, because that was the first place Jensen would look when he realized I was missing.

I drove until I saw a nightclub that had a line of people out the door. Swinging the car around the back of the building, I slid into the line behind two particularly preppy-looking college-aged guys who likely had large trust funds and flirted with them just long enough to slip my hands in their pockets and relieve them of their wallets. Sorry, dudes. Truth be told, it was exhilarating to be back in the game. Thievery was like second nature to me. It was like getting some of the old Charlotte back, and I finally felt like I had some control again.

I didn’t have any way of contacting Chace directly, and I had no idea where he was. But I did remember how to get in touch with some of our contacts, so after lifting a cell phone, I initiated the protocol that would connect me with someone I was sure knew where Chace was. Twenty minutes later, the phone rang.

“Olá,” I answered.

“Olá, menina,” Adriano said in Portuguese.

“I need to know if you’ve heard from Chace,” I got right to the point.

“Last I heard, he was on a job. You know there’s strict radio silence until the job is complete,” came the gruff reply.

I sighed. “I know, I just heard a rumor that maybe he was in trouble. I need to find him, Ad.”

“If I hear from him, I’ll tell him to call you, sim?”

The line went dead before I could answer. Yeah, Ad, you do that. I kicked the tire of my stolen car in frustration. I needed to figure out my next steps. First, I needed to wipe this car down and ditch it, ASAP. I opened the door to look for a cloth of some kind to get on that when I felt a prick at my neck.

“Ow! What the..?” I started to spin around and caught sight of a face I hadn’t expected to see. And then the world went black.

Jensen

“What do you mean, she’s missing?!” I roared.

“Sir…” started the guard who was tasked with keeping Charlotte safe while I was gone.

“What? I was gone for what? Twenty minutes? You couldn’t keep her in your sights for TWENTY FUCKING MINUTES?!”

“She was in the ladies…” he tried again.

“I don’t give a fuck! No excuses!” I pulled out my phone and called Raoul.

“Raoul. Leave two men to guard the property, and every other man you have is out looking for Charlotte. NOW.” I hung up, and I felt the panic set it. I couldn’t lose it now; wherever she was, she needed me. She promised me she wouldn’t leave me.

I turned back to the guard who lost my woman. “Before she went to the restroom, where was she?”

“On the balcony, sir. Overlooking the main level. She…” he trailed off.

“She, what? Tell me,” I demanded.

“She was talking to Paul, sir.”

I turned to seek out Michael, the security officer in charge of reporting to me on Paul’s shady activities. Michael has had Paul under surveillance for a while now, but the little rodent was apparently smarter than he seemed, because no matter how closely we watched him, we couldn’t find any definitive proof.

“Michael!” I shouted, just as he came running in my direction.

“He’s gone, sir. We can’t find him anywhere,” he said, slightly out of breath.

“Who’s gone?”

“Paul, sir. He’s missing too.”

Charlotte

“Seriously?” I slurred as I woke up. I was already over my kidnapping quota for this lifetime.

“You were out for longer than I anticipated. I was worried I might have give you too much. Wouldn’t want to kill you too soon,” said the cold, flat voice.

My head swiveled in the direction of the sound, and my eyes blinked furiously as they tried to clear themselves. “Who’s there?” I rasped.

A figure stepped closer, and as my vision began to clear, I gasped.

“Rosario? What’s going on?” I asked, confused. Rosario worked for Jensen. Why would she do this?

“Because Jensen killed my son,” she hissed.

“What? What are you talking about?” The fog had started to lift, but not enough that I could make sense of what she was telling me.

“Five years ago, Jensen Holm came to my village in Mexico. Told us how he could get us passage into the United States. Promised us better opportunities. For a fee,” she said. Her voice sounded distant and she gazed off into the distance when the memories took over.

I knew Jensen was what they called a coyote, a human smuggler. And I knew that Sarah had gained entrance into the States that way, but I didn’t know Rosario had as well.

“I had heard the stories. I figured he’d stuff all of us together in a shipping container or hidden in the cargo hold of some other vessel or vehicle. But no, Jensen had money and with money comes connections. He had documents made for Luis and me. They looked real, but they were not. We used them to get across the border. It was surprisingly easy. But it was expensive. Once we were here, and we were settling in, a man came to our apartment. He informed me that my debt was not yet paid. If I wanted Luis and myself to continue living here, then I had to pay Jensen a fee or he would turn us into the authorities, and we would be jailed or sent back. We couldn’t go back, and I couldn’t go to jail and leave my baby with someone who would never love him as much as I did.”

My stomach started to turn, but I wasn’t sure if it was a side effect of whatever drug she injected me with or if it was the dread I was starting to feel at hearing this story. Rosario continued speaking, but not looking at me, almost as if she had forgotten I was even there.

“So, I scraped together every penny I could. Got a second job. Even stole a little, though I’m ashamed to admit it, but I was desperate. Unfortunately, during that time Luis got sick. We did not have medical benefits. Between my two jobs, neither of my employers offered any health insurance, and the public assistance office claimed I made too much to qualify. I couldn’t pay for a doctor since every penny I had I owed to Jensen. I did what I could for him on my own. I even stole a bottle of medicine to help with his fever, but nothing I tried helped.”

I gulped, already knowing the answer, but asking anyway, “What happened to Luis?”

“He died. Because of Jensen Holm,” she sneered.

“I’m so very sorry for your loss, Rosario. I’m sorry that you had to scrape and struggle to survive, and I’m sorry you lost your little boy, I truly am. But what do you think you’re going to accomplish by keeping me here?” I said softly and sincerely.

“I’m going to take from Jensen what he took from me. The only person he loves.”

Chapter 18

Jensen

“Tell me where she is,” I growled, tightening my hand around his throat.

We found Paul, in the vault of Starlight, frantically stuffing a few duffle bags full of cash. After all the fruitless surveillance, the search for proof of his extracurricular activities, we literally catch the moron in the act of stealing from me. Now, I’m showing him exactly what that will get him in a secure location in the resort usually reserved for ‘conversations’ with people who owe me money.

Paul, sputtered, gasping for air, so I loosened my grip a bit.

“I… I don’t… know!”

I tightened my grip again. “I don’t believe you. Where. Is. She?” My anger was going to get the better of me, and I was going to kill him before I had my answers if I didn’t play this just right. “Tell me, Paul. Why was today the day you tried to steal from me?”

Paul’s eyes darted around the room, looking for answers or salvation, I wasn’t sure. Either way, he was only going to find death.

“Uh, Mr. Holm,” he started, raising his hands in a placating manner.

I socked him in the gut. “I’m going to ask you nicely, Paul. Where is Charlotte?”

Paul groaned in pain, but didn’t speak. I motioned for one of my men to hand me their gun. I placed the muzzle directly between his eyes.

“Okay, okay! I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you!” His screeching was accompanied by the faint scent of urine as he pissed himself. “You weren’t supposed to be here. You were supposed to be out looking for her. Distracted, ya know? That was the plan.”

“But I’m not distracted, am I Paul? I’m very, very focused,” I whispered menacingly.

“Y-yes, sir.”

“So, tell me, Paul. And this is your last chance,” I cocked the gun, “to tell me where my woman is.”

Charlotte

I think I passed out again. I had no idea how long I’d been there, tied to a chair in a nondescript basement. Rosario had left the light on when she left the room earlier, so I looked around me for anything I could use. A weapon or a clue as to where I was. The one smart thing Rosario had done was secure me with zip ties. Had it been rope, I would have gotten free by now. There wasn’t a knot I couldn’t work my way out of. Unfortunately, struggling against the zip ties only served to cause me pain.

I strained, but couldn’t hear any sounds coming from outside. No people, no traffic. There was a small window, but from my position I couldn’t see out of it. The floor was tiled. That was interesting. Real tile, too, not linoleum. This wasn’t a dilapidated property or warehouse like where Keith had held me. The room was relatively small, too. I thought we were in a residence.

There was something in the corner that caught my eye. A pattern on a pillow that looked familiar. Wracking my brain, trying to place it, it suddenly hit me. It was just like the cushions on the lounge chairs by Jensen’s pool. Was that a coincidence? I took another look around the room as a whole, trying to gauge the size of the structure. Could we be in the basement of the guesthouse on Jensen’s property? If I screamed would one of the guards hear me? I knew once Jensen realized I was missing, he would check the house, but would he think to check the guesthouse?

I heard footsteps as Rosario entered the room wielding a huge kitchen knife, and my adrenaline surged. “Wh- what are you doing?” I tried to scoot my chair backward in a bid to get away from her, though it was useless.

“My Luis died slowly. Painfully. So will you,” she said, the pain at the loss of her son and her hatred for Jensen oozing from her every pore.

“Rosario, please don’t do this. I know you hate Jensen, but what have I ever done? Why do you want to hurt me?”

“Shut up! You’re nothing but a whore! You forget. I was there that night. The night you took all three of those men. You’re disgusting!” she ranted.

She was there. She cleaned me up after Jensen, Aleksander, and Rafael…. I shook my head. “No, Rosario. It’s not what you think. I didn’t do that. Not willfully. That was something that was done to me. I was a victim, too.” I tried to appeal to her. Tried to get her to empathize with me.

“Lies!” she screamed, raising the knife above her head and bringing it down into my shoulder.

I screamed in pain as the knife tore through the flesh between my shoulder and my collarbone. A little too close to my neck. She ripped the knife back out and raised it above her head again, this time bringing it down into my thigh. I screamed again. If she hit my femoral artery, I was fucked. I’d bleed out in minutes. Tears were flowing freely down my face, as I began to beg. “Please, Rosario….”

She only raised the knife once more. This time, when she brought it down, I threw all my weight to one side, tipping the chair over. I hit the tiled floor with a thud just as the door behind Rosario burst open. I watched in both relief and horror as Jensen put a bullet in Rosario’s head.

“Pixie,” he croaked, his face awash with grief.

“You found me,” I rasped.

“Yes, I found you. I will always find you.”

Someone cut my bindings and Jensen scooped me up. Just like the last time he rescued me, I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck and sobbed.

Chapter 19

Charlotte

Almost four hours later, I left the hospital with plenty of stitches and a prescription for pain medication. The nurse tried to wheel me out in a wheelchair, but Jensen insisted on carrying me everywhere. Other than putting his foot down with the hospital staff, he was pretty quiet.

Once we were home, he carried me upstairs and placed me into bed.

“This is becoming a nasty habit of ours, isn’t it?” I tried to joke, but Jensen didn’t even acknowledge that I had spoken let alone react to my horrific attempt at ill-timed humor. “Too soon?”

Once I was tucked in, he turned to leave.

“You’re not going to stay with me? Just for a little while?” I said despondently.

“Rest,” was all he said as he shut the door behind him and left me all alone.

Jensen

I was both relieved and furious. And if I was completely honest, I was hurt. Stepping out into the hall, I left Charlotte alone in our bed. Shutting the door, I took a deep breath and rubbed my dry, aching eyes. I would deal with Charlotte later. Right now, I had work to do.

I had left Michael to dispose of Paul, so he was no longer a threat. Rosario was obviously not going to be an issue any longer. But I had other enemies. Several that I knew off, and likely more still that I didn’t.

I strode down the stairs and into my office. I made a call to Raoul and gave him instructions to assemble a team of his best men. Then I called Aleksander and Rafael and asked them to spare a few men each.

My first order of business was to assemble a strike team. My second order of business was to review all my business dealings, both legitimate and illegitimate, and make a list of anyone who could possibly want to hurt me. My third order of business was to find all those people and take them out. I would kill them before they could get to Charlotte. They would not hurt her. They would not hurt us.

Charlotte

I laid awake, alone, in our bed. It was now around noon. Jensen had put me into bed at roughly eight o’clock that morning and he had not come to bed at all. I should be sleeping. I was exhausted. But I couldn’t sleep without him. I needed that sense of security I found in his arms. Not being able to sleep, I dragged myself out of bed and downstairs to raid the fridge.

On my way to the kitchen, I passed Jensen’s office, and inside, passed out in the chair behind his desk, was Jensen. I grabbed a throw from the den and tiptoed back into the office so as not to wake him. He didn’t wake as I covered him up.

I fixed myself a giant bowl of Greek yogurt with blueberries and raspberries, then I added an English Muffin with Sarah’s homemade orange marmalade. It was carb overload, and I didn’t even care. After eating, every bite, I might add, I cleaned up the mess and headed outside to the pool. The sun was shining, and I could use the vitamin D.

I was staring off into space thinking about how crazy my life had become over the past couple of months. Kidnapped twice, raped, nearly raped, blackmailed, stabbed, fell in love. Fuck. I just admitted that, didn’t I? I fell in love with Jensen. A loud crash and shouting roused me from my musings.

“Where is she?!” I heard shouted. “You were supposed to keep her safe!”

Shit, that was Chace! I limped back into the house and straight for the sound of the commotion. “Chace!” I threw myself into his arms, even though it jarred my shoulder and hurt like a son of a bitch. “You’re okay!”

“Of course I’m okay. How the hell are you? Holy fuck, Char, what happened?” Chace demanded noticing my injuries. “Adriano called. Said you were worried about me. Did you go and get yourself into trouble?”

“That’s what I’d like to know,” came Jensen’s low voice.

I pulled away from Chace and looked back and forth between the two most important men in my life. “I, uh, I heard a rumor that you were in danger. I just wanted to warn you,” I said softly.

“I was fine, Char. I was never in any danger. Or, no more than usual, anyway,” Chace smirked.

“Why don’t we all sit. I’d like to hear the full story,” Jensen said coolly.

I tried to read his expression, but he was giving me nothing. There was no warmth in him, just cool detachment.

“Uh, okay,” I agreed as we all made ourselves comfortable in the den.

I told them about how Paul approached me with the ‘gossip’ that Chace was in danger, and how I knew Jensen would never let me go off on my own, so I did what I felt I had to do in order to protect my brother. The ‘gossip’ was obviously just a ruse to get me alone, unguarded, and I fell for it.

“That was really fuckin’ stupid, Char,” Chace said.

I jerked my head back. “Excuse me? I thought you were in trouble! I thought you needed me!”

“I love you, Char, you are, hands down, the best sister in the entire universe, and I appreciate that you wanted to help, but you put yourself in danger in the process. You can’t be doing shit like that,” he lectured me.

I sputtered. “What? Are you fucking kidding me right now?” I stood up quickly, wincing when I jolted my injured leg. “We have always, always worked as a team, Chace. That doesn’t suddenly change because you decide you want to go rogue. I’m still your sister. I’m still your partner.”

“Not anymore, Char,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m sorry. But you’ve got Jensen now to take care of you. You don’t have to take care of me anymore.”

I felt the tears well up and rolled my eyes. “Too fucking bad, Chace Benson, because I will always look out for you. Whether you want me to or not!” I ran out of the room as fast as my injury would allow before I became a bawling mess in front of the both of them.

“Char…” I heard Chace call my name.

Jensen

“Let her go,” I instructed. “I need to talk to you in private, anyway.”

“What? Why?” Chace asked.

“Because I need you to know something. I love your sister. And the fact that she keeps getting into these dangerous situations because of me, does not sit well with me. I have a lot of enemies, and that’s my fault. I want you to know I’m doing something about it,” I explained. Though I didn’t really owe him or anyone an explanation, he mattered to Charlotte, and I would put his mind at east just so she wouldn’t worry.

“And what, exactly, are you doing about it?”

“I’m killing them all,” I said succinctly.

Chace looked at me for a moment, nodded, and said, “Good.”

Chapter 20

Charlotte

I sat on the edge of the pool, kicking my feet in the water when a large glass of iced tea appeared in front of me. I looked up to find Sarah staring at me with a small smile.

“You’ve got to stop doing this to me, chica. I can only take so much,” she said.

I smiled back. “It’s not like I go and get hurt on purpose, Sarah.”

“Si, I know,” she agreed softly. “If I had thought she was a danger to you, I would-”

“No,” I cut her off. “Don’t do that, Sarah. This was not your fault. Rosario was obviously a deeply troubled woman.”

“She was my co-worker. I saw her nearly every day,” she said shaking her head.

“Sometimes we can’t see the things that people want to hide. Don’t take on that guilt. No one else saw it, either.”

Sarah had become my best friend in the time I had been here. Chace and I had always been close, but it was different having another girl around to talk to, to share things with. We sat there together at the edge of the pool and just basked in each other’s presence for a few moments.

“Where’s Jason?” I asked, suddenly realizing that I hadn’t seen him or several of the other guards I was used to seeing around the property. There were guards there, sure, but most of the familiar faces were missing.

“I’m not sure,” she said. “I’ve noticed that many of the men were missing, though.”

“Yeah, me too. That’s odd,” I mused.

“Sarah,” Jensen said, startling us. “Could you give us a moment, please?”

“Of course, Mr. Holm,” Sarah said as she stood up to leave.

“Where’s Chace?” I asked, looking around him.

“Helping himself to my best Scotch, I imagine,” Jensen mumbled. “You should be resting.”

I shrugged. “I am. I mean, it’s not like sitting here enjoying a glass of iced tea is particularly strenuous.”

He sighed and rolled his eyes, and that just set me off. As I struggled to get to my feet, I shot my mouth off.

“You know, I don’t get you. I’m sorry that I had to go protect my brother without telling you, and I’m sorry I went and got myself kidnapped. Again. And I’m sorry that you had to come rescue me. Again. But if I’m such a Goddamn nuisance to have to deal with, then I’ll just get out of your hair!” I yelled as I started to stomp away, again, not feeling so great on my injured leg.

“Stop,” came the low command.

“No!” I yelled back as I kept walking.

“Charlotte,” he warned.

Charlotte. He only called me Charlotte when he was being serious about something. And he hadn’t called me ‘pixie’ since he rescued me. And I was starting to recognize that that was a significant change in our relationship.

I spun back around. “Why are you being so cold, Jensen?! Forcing me to sleep without you after what I went through? Actually, I take that back, because I didn’t sleep at all. I couldn’t sleep without you, and YOU LEFT ME!” I screamed at him. Then I watched his eyes go from cold to burning in their intensity.

“I left you? I left you? YOU LEFT ME!” he roared as he swept up one of the lounge chairs and hurled it into the pool in a fit of rage. “Do you know what it was like for me? To find out that you were gone? To realize that you left of your own volition after you looked me in the eye and promised me that you’d never leave?!” He shook his head in disbelief.

I had hurt him. I was so worried about Chace that I never really considered what Jensen might have been going through. He trusted me. I made a promise, and I broke my word. “I’m sorry,” I said softly.

He bit his bottom lip in frustration and shook his head. “You didn’t hesitate to gut me, did you, Charlotte?”

The pain in his voice was killing me, and I couldn’t bear to hear him call me Charlotte again. “Please, Jensen. Please forgive me. I’m so sorry.” I sniffled. “I know… I know what I did was reckless and selfish. I just…,” I let my words drop off. I didn’t know what else I could say to make things better. “Tell me what I can do to fix this,” I pleaded.

“I don’t know. I just don’t know,” he whispered.

I nodded. It was all I could do. “I’m actually feeling tired, so I’m going to go lie down,” I said.

Jensen didn’t answer as I walked away.

Chapter 21

Charlotte

That night I went to bed on my left side, since both of my injuries were on my right. I had tossed and turned for what seemed like hours before I finally started to doze off, only to be awakened by Jensen climbing into bed. He wrapped himself around me, careful not to jostle me too much, and began planting soft kisses on my neck.

“Jensen?” I whispered.

“Yes, pixie?” he responded and I relaxed back into his body. It was all I needed to hear.

Jensen slid his hand up under the tank top I had worn to bed and cradled one breast in his palm. He stroked his thumb over my nipple until it hardened for him. I rolled so I was on my back and cradled his face in my hands.

“I love you, Jensen,” I said, my voice strong and sure.

“I love you too, pixie. So fucking much,” he said, his voice raw.

He slowly and gently stripped me bare and we made love for the first time. Every touch, every kiss, every whisper conveyed every bit of love and devotion we had for each other. Each time we joined together was a promise. I knew I couldn’t live without this complicated man. This man who ruled a criminal empire. This man who would kill for me. Who had killed for me.

Our lovemaking was beyond beautiful. It was perfection. It was divine. And that’s why I was devastated when I awoke in the morning to find him gone.

Jensen

I had to leave her. I had to find those that would harm her and put them down. Yes, I would kill for her. Hell, I’d burn down the world for her. I would even die for her.

Chapter 22

Charlotte

Jensen had been gone for seven weeks. Technically, it had been six weeks and four days, but it’s not like I was keeping track. Okay, I was totally keeping track. I spent most of that time with Chace or Sarah. I hated to be alone. The more time I spent alone, the more my heart broke, and Chace and Sarah were good distractions. My stitches had come out over a month ago, and I was given a clean bill of health. I took advantage of being able to swim again, and did so on a daily basis until I was too exhausted to do anything but fall into a dreamless sleep each night.

He didn’t call. I tried calling him, but it always went straight to voicemail. There seemed to be extra guards on the property, but most of them were new faces. I think Sarah was more bothered by Jason being gone than she let on. Chace seemed to know something about the situation, but he refused to tell us anything other than “Jensen had some shit to take care of,” which is alpha male speak for “Now don’t you worry your pretty little head, missy. The menfolk have this handled.”

The three of us were in the den considering having a movie marathon, but none of us could agree on what to watch. A commotion at the front door halted our deliberation, and we all raced out to see what all the ruckus was. Some of the guards were racing down to the front gate, so we followed. One of the guards at the gate had a hand splayed firmly on the upper chest of a woman, holding her at arm’s length.

“What’s going on?” I asked one of the guards near me.

“She says she’s here to see you, Miss Benson.”

“Who is she?”

“She says her name’s Margaret Thompson. Says she’s Mr. Holm’s mother.”

Fuck.

The four of us sat in the formal front living room, where Jensen typically received guests, in awkward silence.

“So,” I began, “you’re Jensen’s mother?” I addressed the woman who introduced herself as simply ‘Margaret’ as though I should have already been familiar with her identity.

“Yes, of course, I’m Jensen’s mother,” she said in that condescending manner that snobs had about them. “I really would like to speak to you in private, darling, if you don’t mind.”

Margaret looked at Sarah and Chace expectantly, but neither of them moved.

“It’s okay,” I encouraged them to give me some time alone with the woman.

“We’ll be right outside if you need us,” Chace said as he led Sarah out of the room.

Turning my attention back to Margaret, I said, “So, what is it that you wished to speak to me about?”

“Where is my son? Why isn’t he here?” she demanded to know.

“Jensen is away on business, currently,” I informed her curtly. “But I expect him home any day now.”

“Home? You speak as though you live here,” she said, one eyebrow raised in question.

“Yes, I do live here. Do you find that strange?” I wondered what she was getting at.

She shrugged with feigned nonchalance. “Well, it’s just that Jensen has a nasty habit of going through women like underwear.” She said that last bit with her voice lowered as she leaned forward like she was sharing some intimate secret with me.

“He had that habit, yes. But he is committed to me and I to him.”

“Alright, let’s cut to the chase, then, shall we?” All illusions of social propriety were suddenly gone. “How much is it going to cost me?”

“Excuse me?” I know my face must have shown my confusion.

“How much money?” When I still didn’t answer, she elaborated. “How much money do I have to pay you to get you to leave my son?”

I couldn’t help it; I laughed. Not giggled. Not chuckled. No, it was a full-on belly laugh, and I’ve never seen someone look as horrified as Margaret Thompson did right then.

When I finally caught my breath, I said, “Oh, there isn’t any amount you or anyone else could pay me to get me to leave Jensen. I’m in love with him.” I shook my head at her audacity.

“Everybody has a price,” she insisted.

I sat back in my seat and looked her over for a moment. She wore expensive, tailored clothes and designer shoes, though they were slightly scuffed, and if I had to guess, probably a few seasons old. Her hair was perfectly coiffed and her makeup expertly applied. Jensen must take after his father in the looks department, because this woman was blonde haired and blue eyed. Overall, I’d say this was a woman who was used to living a specific kind of lifestyle, but had recently been struggling to maintain it. I wonder how wealthy her husband is. Or, I should say was, before she blew all his cash.

“Tell me, Margaret, do you know who I am?” I asked, genuinely curious, although I also had a point to make.

“That’s a ridiculous question. What do you mean?” she said impatiently.

“I mean, do you know who I am? Who my family is?”

“Yes, of course, you’re Charlotte Benson,” she said as though the answer was obvious.

“That’s right. I’m Charlotte Benson. Sister to Chace Benson. Only daughter to Daniel and Myra Benson. And the best damn safecracker this side of the Mississippi.” I could see the understanding starting to dawn on her face. “You see, Margaret, I am a professional. Some people use the term ‘thief,’ but I prefer the term ‘procurer of antiquities.’ And your son has an entire room dedicated to several millions worth of jewels and other treasures. If riches were my weakness, I could have stolen any number of items from Jensen’s personal collection ages ago and disappeared somewhere he would never have found me,” I concluded smugly.

“I see,” Margaret said, her face flushed and her jaw tight. I pissed her off. Good.

“So, if we’re done here…” I gestured to the door, indicating it was time for her to leave.

Margaret left with her nose in the air, but I was still counting it as a victory. I even got a wide, beaming smile from Sarah and a slow clap from Chace.

“Way to go, sis!” he gloated.

“Shut up,” I said, but I couldn’t hide my grin.

Chapter 23

Charlotte

Two more days passed before Jensen finally returned, looking a little worse for wear. His hair was slightly longer, his facial hair bordering on full blown beard, and his clothes looking clean, but rumpled. Looking closer, I noticed dark circles under his eyes. When he entered the room, I had frozen in place, just wanting to take him in, make sure he was okay. But when his gaze landed on me, he opened his arms wide and I was powerless to resist. I flung myself at him, planting kisses all over his face and neck, causing him to chuckle.

“I’ve missed you, my pixie,” he rumbled, his voice like gravel.

“Please don’t go away again. I don’t think I could bear it,” I shamelessly begged.

Jensen turned to one of his men that had been left to guard the house and said, “Debrief can wait,” and then carried me up the stairs to our bed.

“I can’t wait to get my mouth on you,” Jensen said.

“Tell me what you want to do,” I urged. I wanted to hear his dirty talk. I needed it.

Knowing exactly what I wanted, he did. “I want to lick your sweet pussy until you come all over my face.”

“Mmm,” I murmured. “What else?”

“I want to hear you scream my name when I finger your tight little asshole.”

I gasped. My breathing turned into panting and wetness gathered between my thighs. Jensen began stripping my clothes off, but paused when he got to my panties. Then he gripped both sides and tore them completely in half as he ripped them from my body.

“I want to slide my thick cock into your dripping wet pussy,” he paused to lean in toward said pussy, and inhaled a deep breath before continuing, “and fuck you until you’re too sore to walk without a limp tomorrow.”

“Yes,” I whimpered.

“But first,” he growled, “I want your sexy, sassy, mouth wrapped about my cock. Now, suck me.”

At his command, I immediately dropped to my knees as he unfastened his pants. Taking his swollen erection in both hands, I guided him to my mouth. I licked and sucked just the way I knew he liked. His hands went to my head, and I could tell he was trying to refrain from thrusting, but he couldn’t stop the slight rocking of his hips. His groans and words of encouragement spurred me on. I moved one hand to his balls and tugged gently on them, causing him to thrust into my mouth, seeking more of what I could give him.

“Take all of me, pixie,” he commanded gruffly, “and swallow every drop.”

I did as I was told, licking my lips after pulling him out of my mouth.

Jensen sighed in appreciation and then tossed me back onto the bed. “My turn,” he said with a wicked glint in his eyes.

He licked and sucked and did exactly what he said he wanted to do, until I came all over his face. And then he did it again. I had barely come down from my second orgasm when he was suddenly inside me, fucking me so hard, the bed slammed against the wall. He flipped us, so I was on top.

“Ride me, sweetheart,” he said, and when I did, he slipped a finger into my back entrance, triggering yet another orgasm. He didn’t let me come down from that high either before he had me on my back again and resumed his powerful thrusts. He roared his satisfaction when he came, grinding into me, and I was fairly certain he fulfilled his promise of making me walk funny tomorrow.

Lying together, trying to calm our breathing, I trailed my fingers over his chest. I couldn’t bring myself to stop touching him. His arm curved around around me, and he tucked my head under his chin, keeping me close.

“Where did you go?” I asked.

“I had some business to take care of.”

Well, that wasn’t vague at all. I rolled my eyes. “What kind of business? Just spit it out, Jensen.”

He took a deep breath before speaking. “I have enemies. People who would try to hurt you in order to get to me. Like Keith. Like Rosario. Only far, far worse. So I’m taking measures to ensure that they can’t get to you. Some of them I’ve had killed, and a few of them I’ve killed myself.”

I froze in shock. I knew Jensen to be a ruthless man by reputation, but I hadn’t really thought that he’d go through such lengths for me. I also hadn’t really considered the ramifications of that. I lifted my head to look at him.

“You can’t just go around killing people!”

He cocked an eyebrow at my declaration. “Yes, I can. These people are the worst of the worst. People like Dmetri Sokolov.”

My eyes widened. “You killed Sokolov?”

Jensen shifted uncomfortably. “No. Not yet. But I will.”

After dozing, and waking up alone, I went back downstairs in search of Jensen. Now that he was home, I didn’t want to let him out of my sight. I found him in his office along with Raoul, Jason, and several other members of the security team. Jensen spotted me in the doorway and nodded his assent for the others to clear out.

“Shut the door, and come here,” he said.

When I got to him, he rested his palms on either side of my neck and leaned in for a deep, wet kiss.

“What was that for?” I panted.

“I saw the surveillance video.”

Confused, I asked, “What surveillance video?”

“The one where you told my mother that you couldn’t be bought,” he smiled.

“Oh,” I breathed. “I didn’t realize I was under surveillance.”

“I know. There are cameras all over the house.  As a security measure, not to spy on you,” he quantified when he saw I was about to protest. “But when one of the men told me that my mother had been here, I wanted to see for myself what had happened. You made me proud, pixie.” He leaned in for another kiss. “And now, my sweetheart, as your reward, I’m going to fuck you,” he informed me. And he did.

Several days went by where Jensen spent his days coordinating plans of attack with his men, and I spent my time with Sarah and Chace. Nights were always spent together and always included plenty of orgasms.

I had started helping Sarah with meal planning and prep, but mostly I think I just got in her way. So, instead, I started picking up the slack in the housekeeping department. With Rosario gone, the staff was down a set of hands. I didn’t mind the work as it kept me busy, and I had assigned myself the library as part of my responsibilities.

In Jensen’s library full of priceless artifacts, I stood in front of the display case that housed Ivan the Terrible’s amulet and wondered what was so special about it that Dmetri Sokolov would go through so much trouble to have me steal it in the first place. It wasn’t very remarkable. It was kind of plain, actually. It was a half dollar sized chunk of amber encased in an unadorned gold setting. No other jewels. No intricate metalwork. Simple.

“Kind of ugly, isn’t it?” Chace asked from behind me.

“Yeah. So, what do you think the big deal is?”

Chace stepped forward, so he was standing next to me. “I don’t see one, but you know how those fanatic types are,” he shrugged.

Sokolov didn’t strike me as a fanatic. Cold and ruthless, definitely, but not the kind of man who would dedicate his life to seeking the next Holy Grail. I told Chace as much.

“Oh, Sokolov doesn’t want the amulet for himself,” Chace said. “He was tasked with finding it by a high ranking officer in the Bratva.”

My blood turned to ice in my veins. “Bratva?” I asked. “You didn’t think it was important to mention this before?”

“Relax, Char. I don’t really think we have to worry about the Bratva showing up on Jensen’s doorstep.”

I wasn’t so sure about that, but that wasn’t really my main concern. My main concern was still Dmetri Sokolov. Because he was working on behalf of the Bratva, and the Bratva was comprised of some of the scariest motherfuckers you never wished to meet. And if the Bratva didn’t get what they wanted from you, then they made sure you ceased to exist. And Sokolov would know that. So, the question became, how far would Sokolov go in order to ensure he stayed alive?

None of us were safe.

“Char? Are you listening?” Chace interrupted my internal freakout.

I shook my head. “I’m sorry, no. What did you say?”

“I said, I’m taking another job,” he said as he peeked at me from the corner of his eye.

“Chace, please don’t do this to me. You’re going to give me a stress-induced ulcer before I’m twenty-six, which isn’t that far away, you know!”

He chuckled. “It will all be okay, Char. Besides this job is for Jensen,” he said, stunning me, and as he turned to leave the room, he added softly, “And for you.”

Chapter 24

Charlotte

Chace had been gone for two days, and I was a certifiable nervous wreck. Jensen wouldn’t tell me anything about the job Chace was doing for him other than he was safe, and I shouldn’t worry. Like he could just command my thoughts and feelings. I rolled my eyes at that thought. Good fucking luck.

All the stress was finally catching up to me, because I began to feel like crap. Jensen quarantined me to our room, while Sarah force fed me chicken broth, crackers, and ginger ale. When I wasn’t puking all of that back up, I was sleeping. Sleeping was all I wanted to do. I didn’t want to watch T.V., I didn’t want to swim or sun, and I certainly didn’t want to have sex, much to Jensen’s dismay. After nearly a week in bed, I couldn’t sit still anymore.

I dragged myself downstairs on day six just so I could spend time in any other room in the house besides the bedroom. Plopping myself down in one of the chairs at the kitchen table, I moaned, melodramatically, in agony, and Sarah set a glass of flat ginger ale down in front of me.

“Drink,” she directed. “Sip!” she said when I started to swallow a large gulp.

“I’m so thirsty!” I whined.

Sarah poured me a large glass of water and sat down at the table with me. She didn’t speak at first, just stared at me. I started to feel like a bug under a microscope.

“What? Do I have a booger?” I said, surreptitiously wiping my face.

She smiled at that. “No, chica. But I wonder…”

“Wonder what?” I asked when she didn’t continue.

“How are you feeling?”

I thought for a minute. “Better than I was, I guess. Still slightly nauseous. Exhausted.”

“Hm.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “What do you mean, ‘Hm?’”

“ Do you have any other symptoms?” she prodded.

“Like what?” I had a sinking suspicion where she was going with this.

“Oh, I don’t know, tender breasts?”

I bit my lip. “But I got a shot,” I whispered.

Sarah reached across the table to grasp my hands in hers. “When did you get the shot?”

“Um. Like, four months ago.”

“Ahh,” she said, nodding in understanding. “Charlotte, that shot is only good for three months. You have had another one recently.”

As I thought about it, I realized Sarah was right. My first shot would have expired during the time that Jensen was gone, and I hadn’t even thought to get another. It just never occurred to me. I pulled my hands out of Sarah’s and covered my face. “Now what?” I mumbled into my palms.

“Now, I think you need to tell Mr. Holm,” was Sarah’s answer.

I had never really given much thought to having children. Mainly because I lived a life of crime. I loved my parents, but I didn’t want to raise a child in the same way my parents raised Chace and me. I wanted something more for my potential family, but I’d never found myself in a position to hope for more. And my parents and Chace and I were just thieves. We didn’t hurt people. Now, I find myself pregnant with the child of a man who has recently made it his mission to systematically eliminate his opponents from the playing field. Did I even want to bring a child into a that kind of situation?

I loved Jensen, more than anything. But I was an adult. I could make that choice for myself. A child couldn’t. And if Jensen’s enemies were willing to use me in order to get to him, which, so far, they have proven they would, who’s to say that they wouldn’t also use an innocent baby? What about what happened to Rosario’s son, Luis? Could I raise a child with a man who values money more than a child’s life? On top of all of that, I felt conflicted about falling in love with a man who had proven himself to be devoted to me at the same time seemingly callous to others. Was he really who I thought he was. If he was who I thought he was, was I just being a bitch for doubting him?

I felt like pulling my hair out. I was going ‘round and ‘round in circles, and I still had no answers. Before I could make any sort of plan or decisions, I need to know for sure. First order of business was to somehow get my hands on a pregnancy test without Jensen finding out. Sneaking out of the house might prove difficult. But I was a thief procurer of antiquities. If anyone could be stealthy, it was me.

Plan A: hide in plain sight. I headed downstairs, and as I got to the front door, I casually yelled out, “I’m going to the store!” As I opened the door, Jensen’s head popped out of his office.

“Don’t you dare walk out that door without an armed guard!” he yelled back.

Uh, no. “I don’t need an armed guard! I’m just running to the store. I’ll be back in twenty minutes.”

“You’re not going anywhere by yourself, pixie, and that is non-negotiable,” he declared.

“Fine. I’ll take Sarah with me,” I replied.

“You can take Sarah AND an armed guard,” he retorted.

I was just about to bail on Plan A when I heard Sarah say, “That’s a good idea, Mr. Holm. We will take a guard.”

I gave Sarah a look that essentially said, ‘Have you lost your ever-loving mind? I can’t have one of his men see me buying a pregnancy test!’ But she gave me a look back that said, ‘Don’t worry, I got this. Just play along.’ So, I did. Sarah managed to wrangle Jason into being our armed escort, which was really a genius move on her part, whether it was intentional or not, because I could do what I needed to do while Jason was distracted making goo-goo eyes at Sarah. At least, that’s what I hoped for, anyway.

Jason insisted on driving, so I directed him to go to the nearest drug store. He’s under the impression that I’m in need of tampons, so he won’t ask too many questions. Grabbing a basket and heading directly for the feminine hygiene products, I glance over my shoulder to make sure Jason isn’t watching me. He was busy casing the store for potential threats, because he takes his job way too seriously, but I’m able to take advantage of that by sliding a pregnancy test two-pack into my basket and throwing an economy size box of tampons on top of it. Once I was at the register, I noticed Jason watching me, so I shot a look to Sarah and hoped she takes the hint. And, boy, does she ever. Just as the cashier was about to ring up the pregnancy tests, Sarah threw herself at Jason and planted a huge kiss on him. By the time they pulled apart, I was halfway to the SUV with my bag and a giant smile on my face.

Chapter 25

Charlotte

Phase one was complete, and it was official. Pregnant. I waited for the panic to set in, but all I felt was calm confidence, which was not what I was expecting. I had it all planned. I was going to see that plus sign and I was going to proceed to freak the fuck out. Now, all I can think about is how I’m excited to tell Jensen that he’s going to be a father. Chace is going to be an uncle. Oh, sweet Jesus, I’m going to be a mother. Who thought that was a good plan?! Okay, minor freak out. It’s okay. I’m okay.

“Charlotte,” Sarah called softly with a light rap on the door. “Are you okay, chica?”

I cleared my throat. “Um, yeah, I think so.” Moving from the edge of the tub, where I’d been sitting, I moved to the door to let Sarah in. She took one look at my face, and she knew.

“Oh, chica,” she said as she wrapped me in a firm hug. “I am happy for you. This is great news!”

I wasn’t entirely sure about that, so I didn’t say anything. Just kept my eyes on the floor.

Somehow sensing what I was thinking, in that creepy sixth sense way that she always does, Sarah said, “You have to tell Mr. Holm. Talk to him,” she said sternly, but also gently.

“I know,” I said. I would tell him about the baby, but not until I got some answers of my own.

I found Jensen in his office, where he always was these days. I watched him from the doorway, and noted his scruffy jaw and bloodshot eyes. He obviously wasn’t sleeping well. I’m sure he must have been eating, but I rarely saw him do it. I watched him put his head in his hands and scrub his face in frustration over something. He was haggard, and here I was about to make it worse. I knocked on the door jamb.

“Hey, baby, you got a minute?” I asked.

He looked up, and his eyes sparked when he saw me. “For you, pixie, of course. Come here,” he gestured to his lap.

I went, but when I got within touching distance, I hesitated. I needed distance for this. Jensen didn’t appreciate my hesitation or my distance. He grabbed my hand and tugged me onto his lap, wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close.

“What’s on your mind, pixie?”

“I, um,” I cleared my throat, “I need you to tell me about Rosario’s son,” I spit out, refusing to make eye contact. Instead, I stared down at my wringing hands.

His body stiffened. “What about him? And why won’t you look at me?”

I glanced up at him, but only briefly. I wasn’t sure that I could do this if I had to face him. “Is it your fault he died?” I asked quietly.

His arms suddenly loosened from around me, and he urged me to stand up. “Yes.” He turned back to his desk and started shuffling papers, seemingly trying to dismiss me.

“Tell me what happened, Jensen. I need to know,” I pleaded.

“Why?” he asked, looking at me again. “You want to hear proof of what a monster I am? You want to hear about how a young boy lost his life because of my unethical business practices? Are you looking for a reason to hate me, Charlotte?”

“Don’t!” I cried. “Don’t call me Charlotte,” I begged.

He looked at me, confused.

“Trust me, Jensen, it’s extremely important that I hear your side of the story. Especially now,” I finished softly.

“Why do you say that?” he asked, head cocked to one side as he looked me over.

“Just please tell me!”

He worked his jaw and then nodded once. “You already know that I charge a protection fee to those I help get into the country. Rosario struggled to pay that fee. Her son got sick, and instead of using what little money she had to get him to a doctor, she used it to pay me. The boy died.”

“There’s more, isn’t there?” I asked, knowing he wasn’t giving me the full story.

He took a deep breath before elaborating. “She never told me he was sick. I don’t know why. Maybe she was too scared of me. Maybe she thought I wouldn’t give a damn as long as I got my money.” He looked me in the eye. “You know that’s not me. I’m not a good man. Never claimed to be. But I wouldn’t have let a young boy die knowing I could have done something to stop it. Rosario paid her fee and never said a word about young Luis.”

I studied his face, the pain and shame there, and something clicked in my brain.

“You hired Rosario out of guilt, didn’t you?”

He nodded. “It was the least I could do. Put a roof over her head, pay her a healthy wage. Make sure she wouldn’t ever have to go without. I knew it would never come close to making up for the loss of her boy, but it was all I had control over at the time.”

By the time he finished speaking, I had rushed back at him to plant myself in his lap again. “I’m so sorry, Jensen,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. “It wasn’t your fault, you know. Not really. Rosario, as a mother, should have taken responsibility for her boy’s welfare. She should have spoken up. If it had been me and my baby, I would have begged, borrowed, and stolen to make sure he had the care that he needed. Whatever it took. Anything. That’s what parents do.”

He shook his head as though he were about to disagree with me.

“No, Jensen, I mean it. It wasn’t your fault. And it wasn’t your fault she came after me, either, so don’t even go there,” I admonished.

“You’re very bossy today, pixie. Do you need the sass fucked out of you?” he asked as his hands slid down to grab my ass.

“Don’t distract me, mister. We’re not done talking.”

He heaved a sigh and sat back in his chair. “Alright, sweetheart, what else is there?”

I panicked.

“What’s wrong?” Jensen was suddenly on high alert.

“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong, I just…”

Cradling my face in his hands, he implored, “Whatever it is, sweetheart, you can tell me.”

“I’m pregnant,” I blurted. Yep. Just threw it out there. No preamble, no warm up.

Jensen looked at me in shock for a long moment and then the biggest shit-eating grin I have ever seen in my life spread across his face. Holy shit, he was happy! I hadn’t even realized just how much I was worried about what his reaction would be. I was so wrapped up in all the other stuff like what happened to Rosario’s son and the threats against us, I never really considered the possibility that Jensen might not want this baby. A weight I didn’t realize I was carrying was lifted.

“You’re having my baby?” he asked softly. “My pixie’s having my baby,” he said with wonder.

I nodded, getting all misty eyed. He kissed me thoroughly before ordering me to stand up. Shoving my pants down, he turned me away from him, bent me over the desk and fucked me silly.

Chapter 26

Jensen

I was on cloud fucking nine. My woman was having my baby. I had never considered having children of my own. I didn’t think I had much to offer. My own parents weren’t exactly ideal role models. I want to beat my chest with the primordial pride I felt at getting my woman knocked up. Shit, I never knew it could feel this good. It altered my perspective. There were things I needed to do now. My priorities weren’t necessarily changing. Charlotte was still first. But I needed to reevaluate everything else in my life.

I still had threats that needed to be eliminated. I had businesses that needed to either be restructured or sold off. There were connections with other powerful players that needed to be made. So many things to do. But I was going to start with calling Chace.

Charlotte

Jensen accompanied me to my first prenatal appointment. I was between four and five weeks along, but not far enough along that the doctor could tell us anything other than it looked to be a healthy pregnancy so far. So far. I had a feeling I was going to be an anxious wreck until the baby was here and in my arms.

Once we were back home, Sarah commandeered me. Ever since the big pregnancy reveal, she’s been on me like a mother hen. Making sure I eat, making sure I rest, giving me all sorts of advice that she’s apparently getting from pregnancy and parenting magazines. She’s a force, and I wouldn’t dare defy her.

Today’s kick appears to be breastfeeding versus bottle feeding. She also wants to talk about decorating the nursery.

“Sarah, we can’t decorate the nursery until we know the gender,” I said.

“You want to find out the gender? Don’t you want to be surprised?”

“I think I’ve had enough surprises, thank you very much,” I muttered.

She smirked. “Fair enough, chica.”

Later that evening, in our bedroom, I stood in front of the window gazing out over the property. I could barely make out the shadowed men who patrolled the property moving back and forth along the perimeter. Jensen moved in behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist so his palms splayed across my belly.

“You know,” he paused to plant a quick kiss on the top of my head, “I’ve always been known as the man who collected rare and beautiful things. I have an entire collection of rare artifacts, precious jewels, and priceless art.” He gently turned me around in his arms, so we were facing each other. “I haven’t even stepped foot in that library, not once, since you came crashing into my life that night. You, pixie, are the most valuable thing in my life. The most rare, the most precious, and the most priceless.”

Tears welled in my eyes at his heartfelt words, and I reached up to stroke his jaw. “I love you so much, Jensen Holm. You are my everything.”

His hand suddenly appeared in front of my face, and it was holding the most exquisite Art Deco style diamond ring. A large, round cut center stone surrounded by smaller emeralds set in platinum. I couldn’t help the tiny gasp that escaped me .

“Marry me,” he demanded. Not asked. Demanded.

I smiled because that was so very typical of him. “If you insist,” was my sassy reply.

“Actually, I do.

If I thought Sarah was becoming a holy terror with the baby planning, throwing wedding planning into the mix sent her right over the edge. It had been about a month since Jensen decided we were getting married, and Sarah and I had dived right into planning because, while I had wanted to wait until after the baby was born, Jensen was adamant that I legally be his as soon as possible.

Jensen had also wanted to hire a wedding planner in order to take some of the pressure off me, but Sarah nearly cried at the suggestion, so I nipped it in the bud. We had decided to keep it small for a couple of reasons. One, I didn’t have a whole lot of people I would have invited, anyway. My parents and Chace essentially made up my guest list. And two, Jensen was still concerned about potential threats, and the bigger the event, the more of a security risk it became. So, we decided to keep it rather intimate.

Being reminded of Chace sent a stab of pain straight to my heart. He still hadn’t returned from whatever job Jensen had him on. He didn’t know he was going to become an uncle or gain a brother-in-law. The only thing keeping me from completely losing my mind over it was that Jensen seemed to be in regular contact with him and assured me daily that everything was fine and that Chace, wherever he was, was safe.

At the end of next week, in the garden of the estate, I would become Mrs. Jensen Holm. My parents were going to be here, and Jensen promised me he’d have Chace back home by then. Sarah was going to stand up with me, and I was going to be wearing a fabulous designer gown and holding a bouquet of pale pink peonies. We would promise to love and cherish each other and our baby in front of the people who mattered most. It was going to be perfect.

Chapter 27

Charlotte

I was right; it was perfect. The afternoon ceremony went off without a hitch thanks to Sarah’s obsessive planning. Jensen held me in his arms as we gently swayed to the sounds of The Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody,” and I began to replay the day in my mind.

Jensen woke me up early this morning by granting me with some five o’clock shadow burn on my inner thighs. Pretty sure he does shit like that intentionally as just another way to mark me, but I really don’t mind. He could wake me up that way every morning for the next fifty years, and I’m pretty sure it would never get old. Sarah prepared a huge breakfast feast for us, including my parents and Chace, who had made it home the night before.

During breakfast, my parents and Jensen got to know each other a little better. It’s safe to say my parents were intimidated by Jensen at first, based on his reputation, but he was warm and welcoming toward them, and it went a long way toward making them feel comfortable. Plus, my parents weren’t stupid. They knew that this new connection to Jensen would afford them some extra protection in the family business. I couldn’t fault them for wanting to take advantage of that. It was a dangerous world out there.

When we had a private moment, I tried to cajole Chace into spilling the beans about this mysterious job Jensen had him on, but he wouldn’t tell me anything other than it wasn’t dangerous and it was mostly recon.

“Recon? So, he’s got you casing a place?”

“Not exactly,” was Chace’s incredibly uninformative reply.

While the caterers and musicians were setting up, Sarah and I headed upstairs for hair and makeup, and I gave Sarah her Maid of Honor gift, a week in Barcelona. Okay, so Jensen paid for it, but it was totally my idea, and I was taking all the credit. I also gifted her with an emerald pendant and matching diamond and emerald tennis bracelet to match her kelly green bridesmaid dress.

My own dress was a v-neck ivory sheath style with a lace overlay on champagne silk. In addition to my engagement ring, I wore modestly-sized diamond and emerald studs, fashioned in the same Art Deco design as my engagement ring, in my ears. Much to Sarah’s dismay, I opted to go barefoot. My hair was in it’s usual pixie-cut style, and my makeup was light.

Jensen wore a charcoal gray suit with no tie or vest, just a crisp white dress shirt with an open collar under his jacket. He had both Aleksander and Rafael stand up with him today, and they were both dressed similarly in gray suits but with kelly green ties to match Sarah’s dress.

As I looked around the small tent, I noticed our little group had already put quite the dent in the food and alcohol present. They were talking and smiling and laughing, and I don’t think I could have been much happier.

I gazed up at my handsome husband’s face. “Hey, baby?”

“Hm?” he responded.

“Do you ever think about giving up your life of crime?” I had already decided I was officially retired from the field of antiquities procurement.

His lips twitched slightly. “Completely? I’m not sure it’s possible, pixie. I’m in too deep.” He must have seen the disappointment in my expression. “But, I have already taken measures to, shall we say, restructure some of my business models. I promise to keep you safe. I just need you to trust me.”

I smiled. “I do trust you. And I love you. So very much.” I leaned up to kiss him.

It was only a few moments more before Jensen decided that the wedding night portion of the festivities needed to commence sooner rather than later. Taking my hand and leading me off our makeshift dance floor, we barely made it inside the backdoor when we both froze in our tracks. Standing just inside the kitchen, holding a gun, was Dmetri Sokolov.

Chapter 28

Charlotte

“I’m impressed, Miss Benson, or I guess it’s Mrs. Holm now, isn’t it? I sent you here to retrieve the amulet and you manage to steal the man’s heart instead,” Sokolov sneered.

“How the fuck did you get in here?” Jensen hissed. He glanced around quickly, obviously wondering how Sokolov got past the guards.

“You’re not the only one with connections, Holm,” he said cryptically. He waved his gun in the direction of the front of the house and said, “Let’s move our little party elsewhere, shall we? We wouldn’t want those enjoying themselves in the backyard to look in here and think there’s anything wrong.”

I chanced a quick glance over my shoulder to make sure nobody was looking in our direction through the sliding glass doors. The last thing I needed was my family or Sarah coming in here and getting themselves shot.

Once we were in the formal living room, Sokolov positioned himself between us and the front door while Jensen positioned himself between Sokolov and me. “Where is the amulet?” he asked Jensen.

“Secure. Why do you want it so badly?” Jensen asked.

Sokolov shrugged. “It’s very valuable to me.”

“Is it? Or is it valuable to the Bratva?” When Sokolov didn’t immediately answer, Jensen continued, “You’re scared. You should be. The Bratva will carve you up before they kill you.”

Sokolov shifted his weight and raised his gun toward Jensen.

“Tell me, how long have you been working with my mother?” Jensen asked him.

“What?” I said, shocked. Jensen squeezed my hand, and I took it as a hint to keep quiet.

“Margaret has been very… accommodating,” Sokolov sneered. “Bitch will do anything if you wave a little cash in her face. Now, stop stalling, and take me to the amulet.” He raised his gun at us again, and a shot rang out.

But it was Sokolov who took the bullet. Jensen raced to Sokolov’s body and grabbed his gun, putting another bullet between his eyes. I gasped as my hands flew to my face. This was the third time I had seen Jensen kill someone, and I was sure it was a sight I’d never get used to. Nor would I want to. Suddenly realizing that the shot that took down Sokolov didn’t come from either of us, I spun around only to find Jason wrenching a gun from Sarah’s tight grip.

“Sarah?” I approached her hesitantly. She looked like she might be in shock.

When I got to her, her eyes snapped to mine. “He was going to hurt you,” she whispered. “I couldn’t let…” Her words ended abruptly because she started sobbing.

I looked to Jason. “I’m trusting you to take care of her.” He nodded and took Sarah in his arms.

I turned back to Jensen, who was on the phone ordering someone to come clean up the mess in the living room. I closed my eyes and let out a sigh of relief. Despite this shit happening on my wedding day of all days, I’m grateful that Dmetri Sokolov is no longer an issue for us. The Bratva, on the other hand….

“Hey, guys! Look who I found!” Chace exclaimed with fake cheerfulness as he entered the room with Margaret Thompson in tow.

Looking between Chace and Jensen, I finally put two and two together. “Recon, huh?” I said drily. Chace just winked at me.

Jensen nodded at one of his men, and the man stepped forward to take custody of Margaret. Where they were going with her and what they planned to do, I probably didn’t want to know.

“Do we know how they got in?” Jensen asked the room at large.

Turned out there were two guards down at the gate, but they weren’t discovered right away due to everyone being distracted by the festivities. Thanks to Chace’s recon, they had known Margaret was near or on the property, but they hadn’t been expecting Sokolov to show his face. That just proved his desperation in trying to get his hands on the amulet.

That damn amulet. More trouble than it was probably worth. I was going to have a chat with my husband about that as soon as possible. In the meantime, I was going to ignore the fact that a body was being removed from my living room, and I was going to take my husband upstairs and give him his wedding gift.

I stood in the middle of the red playroom, naked and blindfolded. I had forced myself to spend time in here on occasion just to get over what happened in here the first time. Now that I knew Jensen, and trusted him, I had nothing to fear.

I felt what I thought might be a feather caress my upper arm and shoulder before gliding down my back.

Smack. I gasped.

Nope, not a feather. My wicked husband was wielding a flogger. The sting on my ass was both pain and pleasure, and I felt my arousal flood between my legs. Jensen lightly tapped the insides of my calves so I would spread my legs wider. I felt the the leather strips graze over my sex right before a quick snap of the leather against my skin had me on the edge of orgasm.

I heard a soft thud, which must have been the flogger hitting the floor. He wrapped his hands around my waist and his lips around my nipple. He suckled and nipped at me, while I threaded my fingers through his thick hair and gave a firm tug. “Jensen…,” I whimpered.

“My sweet pixie. My sweet, sassy, sexy pixie. Would you like to come?” he purred.

“Yes,” I moaned.

“Now?” he asked, flicking my clit with a finger.

“Yes,” I moaned louder.

I squealed when I suddenly found myself hoisted into the air and flung over Jensen’s shoulder in a fireman’s hold. He smacked my ass and shushed me as he carried me across the room. He maneuvered us around until he was sitting, and I was straddling him. He slowly removed my blindfold so that we were gazing into each other’s eyes.

“What do you want, pixie?”

“To come,” I breathed.

“Then ride me,” he dared.

I lifted my hips and teased him by stroking his erection against me but not taking him inside me. He groaned, and I watched as his eyes drifted closed and he bit his bottom lip. I reached down with my other hand and lightly grasped his balls.

“Pixie,” he warned. “If you don’t fuck me, I’m going to blow my load all over your tits. Those are your two choices.”

While I thought that seeing his come all over my chest, marking me, was something I might enjoy, I really needed an orgasm of my own. I lifted up and paused to make sure he was watching me, then I slowly sank down on him until he was fully encased in my wet heat. I started out rocking and grinding into him, but the need became too much, and we both needed more. I lifted up and stroked back down once, and his hands went to my hips to help guide my motions.

Our mouths came together, and our pants and moans mingled as we moved together faster and more urgently until we shouted each other’s names as we came apart at the seams.

“Mine,” Jensen whispered.

“Yours,” I agreed.

Chapter 29

Charlotte

In the days that followed the wedding, Jensen and I had a serious discussion about his businesses, and he filled me in on all the changes he was planning to make, which ones had already been implemented, and which ones were still in process. I felt much better about our relative safety knowing that Jensen and I were on the same page, and that he was handling things. We also talked about the Bratva.

“I have an associate I’ve already contacted,” he said. “I’m going to gift Ivan the Terrible’s amulet to the Bratva as a peace offering with the stipulation that they never make any moves against me or my family. I don’t have any personal beef with them, so if the amulet is truly all they want, they can have it.”

“I agree. It’s not worth risking our family,” I said as I laid my hand over my belly.

“No, it’s not,” he said, stroking his thumb over my bottom lip.

We also discussed the possibility of taking a honeymoon and the merits of doing it now versus waiting until after the baby was born. As I was only around ten weeks along, we had plenty of time before it became unsafe for me to fly, and life was going to be so different with a baby. That’s why I opted for a honeymoon now. Jensen didn’t want to leave the country until he felt confident that his plans concerning his businesses and the Bratva were on solid ground. So, we waited about two weeks while he got a few things in order and we made plans to visit Paris and Vienna, two destinations on my bucket list, and Jensen wanted some tropical beach time. He made no bones about the fact that he couldn’t wait to watch me prance around in a bikini. I didn’t consider myself a woman who pranced, but if it made my man happy, I would put on a bikini and shake my ass all over the Caribbean or wherever it was we were going.

So, leaving Sarah in charge of the household, with Jason’s assistance, I was sure, we set off on our happily ever after.

Strutting my stuff in a bikini on a beach in Thailand was far more fun that I had anticipated. I glanced slyly over my shoulder at my husband. The tent he was pitching in his board shorts was impressive. He was so riveted by my ass he almost missed the call that was coming in.

“Baby, answer your phone,” I giggled.

“What?” he snapped as he did as he was told. “Oh, hey, Chace. Everything go okay? I mean, you’re talking to me, so they obviously left you breathing,” he smirked. “Okay. Good. Yeah, see you at home,” he said as he ended the call.

“What was that about?” I asked, ever concerned where my baby brother was involved.

“That was Chace. The hand-off went smoothly, and my terms were accepted,” he explained.

“Hand-off? Terms?” I shook my head in confusion, and then I remembered. “You sent Chace to meet with the Bratva?!” I screamed. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!”

“Pixie. Calm. Down,” he ordered me sternly. “This is precisely why I didn’t tell you. Chace actually volunteered. He did the job, and he did it well. Don’t worry so much,” he chided.

I huffed. “Unbelievable,” I mumbled. Chace had apparently taken to working for Jensen and obviously neither of them felt the need to fill me in on anything. “You’re driving me to drink,” I accused as I flagged down an attendant.

“You can’t drink, you’re pregnant,” he scolded.

“Yeah, and whose fault is that?” Hormones were making me snarky. I ordered a virgin daiquiri and melodramatically threw myself into my lounge chair. Jensen didn’t answer my question, but when I looked over at him, he was smiling.

“This is going to be fun,” he mused as he gazed out over the ocean.

“What is?”

“Life with you.”

Epilogue

Jensen

Charlotte’s grip on my hand was strong enough that I heard bones crack. Fuck. Her yelling and swearing would have been comical if she wasn’t in pain and I wasn’t utterly fucking terrified.

“Just one more push, Mrs. Holm,” cooed the nurse as she glanced between my wife and the doctor about to deliver my son.

“Stop telling me what to do, you strawberry cuntcake!” Charlotte screamed at the red-headed nurse.

I was, undoubtedly, going to have to make a substantial donation to the hospital before we left.

“Come on, sweetheart, you can do this,” I encouraged her, which only caused her to turn her ire on me.

“This is all your fault! You and your stupid sperm! I should cut your dick off!” she screamed at me, causing some of the hospital staff present to chuckle.

As I met her eyes and stared at her, her expression went from one of pain and fury to one of remorse. “I’m sorry, baby, I didn’t mean that,” she whimpered.

“I know, pixie, it’s okay.” I kept my eyes on hers. “Just give us one more big push and you can hold our son in your arms. You want that, right?” I soothed.

“Yeah,” she said nodding, and then turned her attention back to the doctor.

When the doctor gave her an encouraging nod, Charlotte bore down, and by the time she was done, the room filled with the cries of baby Elijah Holm.

Five years later

Charlotte

Sarah and I sat by the pool while we watched Elijah and Mason, Sarah and Jason’s son, run around the yard. Elijah had Jensen’s dark hair but my green eyes. He also somehow ended up with his Uncle Chace’s daredevil personality. It really was a cruel twist of fate. It’s also why I insisted that Chace babysit as often as possible. So he could feel a little of what he put me through. Mason looked more like his dad, mostly. He had Jason’s dark blond curls and blue eyes, but his complexion was that of his mother’s. It was an interesting and exotic combination.

While the eldest two boys played, my three year old daughter, Alexis, was attempting to teach Sarah’s two year old daughter, Molly, how to best wrap her daddy around her finger. As if that wasn’t already the case. The two girls were showing their daddies how they are supposed to beat up boys who “try to get handsy.” Personally, I thought two and three were a bit young for that particular lesson, though I couldn’t fault the sentiment behind it. Start ‘em young, I guess.

“Baby, we need to get the food ready, everyone should be here soon,” I hollered at my husband.

Aleksander and Rafael were coming over with their families, and I expected Chace and his wife any minute now. Sarah and I headed into the kitchen and threw together the last few things we hadn’t already prepared while the men manned the grill.

An hour later, the whole lot of us were gathered around the giant hand-carved picnic table Jensen bought me because I insisted on these huge get-togethers. Looking around, everyone had heaping piles of food on their plates, full glasses of water, tea, or beer, and smiles on their faces.

“Happy birthday, pixie,” Jensen whispered and kissed the shell of my ear.

“I’m so glad you found me,” I whispered back with a smile I’m sure was bright as the sun.

Other books by BJ Bentley:

The Intuitive series (Books 1-3):

Handcuffs and Coffee: A Psychic's Guide to Dating

Masonry and Margaritas: An Artist's Guide to Dating

Temptation and Tea: An Empath's Guide to Dating

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Website: https://bjbentley.wordpress.com/

Table of Contents

Finders Keepers

BJ Bentley

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Epilogue

Other books by BJ Bentley:

Let’s be friends!