Dirty Money (Bad Money #2) (3 page)

BOOK: Dirty Money (Bad Money #2)
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CHAPTER FIVE

Kate

 

 

"This conversation is over. Let me know when you want to talk products or need me to negotiate a deal on our behalf. Otherwise, you and your fears are welcome to leave." Kate moved toward the opening of her office as her heart tried to beat its way out of her chest.

Victor caused her to fear a loss of control. He knew no boundaries and seemed to put himself completely into who he planned on being, not who he was. How badly she wanted that confidence, the drive, that high.

He caught her arm, pulled her to a stop. "I'll leave soon. First, take me up to your place and I'll remove the bugs that I had planted."

She jerked her arm from him, anger rising in her. "How did you even get in there?"

"I can get into any place I want to, Kate." He brushed his thumb over her arm before releasing her. "I'll get out of your hair after this and we can talk business tomorrow night. I want to understand your desires and demands for the ring."

"My desire is to do just enough to keep you out of my life." She walked toward the club entrance door from the dark hall. The sound of Victor's fancy shoes clicking behind her filled up the small space, but her thoughts were suddenly consumed with saving Jon and Marcus. Could she get them released? Let them have a chance at life?

Marcus would never go for that. Jon... He might.

"I'm going to be in your life for a long time, Kate." Victor moved up beside her and held the door open.

She moved out and walked across the empty dance floor as various employees buzzed about, trying to get the place ready for the large crowd that was sure to show up. No one knew of her decision to let Marcus sell the drugs from the location, and she hated herself for having to do it. It put all of them in danger.

"I want four men guarding the club and the doors. I can't afford to hire them and they wouldn't know what to look for anyway." She walked to the large ornate door that opened to Bourbon Street at the front of the club and paused, looking over her shoulder at him. "Can you do that?"

"Protect you? Is that what you're asking me to do?" He moved in behind her, the heat of his breath on the back of her shoulder causing chill bumps to break out along her skin.

"Yes. Don't make me demand it." She pushed the door open as he chuckled under his breath. There was a way to deal with men like him. A little push this way and a small shove that way, giving in to his need to be in control while tugging the rug slowly out from underneath him. She just hoped to survive long enough to see him tumble over. She would love to be the one to put an end to his empire. The question as to whether or not to dissolve it or take it all for her and Marcus really relied on Jon's decisions.

He was the good in her world, or was supposed to be. Not having seen him in a week left her wondering if the reality of everything had set in and sent him packing. She tucked her thoughts away for analyzing later. Victor required her full attention, and she didn't want to miss anything he might be up to. He was a snake and would have himself wound around her and squeezing the life from her lungs if she looked away for more than a moment.

She paused at the door to her apartment, the wood almost blending in with the brick. Victor reached around her and entered the code, the button flashing green. She pulled it open and jogged up, needing to unlock the next door herself. The fact that he could get to her without any protection or barrier left her bare and wide open for an attack. She unlocked the next door and moved into her small apartment, letting out a shaky sigh before he walked in.

Kate turned and watched him close the door, his eyes hooded as they locked onto her. "You have to learn to trust me."

"Is that a joke? How can I trust you when I don't know you and you seemingly hold the cards?"

"I'll give you back any card you want, but you'll owe me something to slide into its place. I like holding a full hand."

Kate walked to her kitchen and pulled out a bottle of vodka. She turned and lifted it. "You want a drink before you go?"

"Yes, I'll have a shot with you." He walked toward her, his gait like a lion stalking his prey.

She poured them and felt her heart almost stop when he moved in behind her, his hands sliding from the middle of her back to her shoulders and squeezing. She turned and started to warn him, but his closeness stole her breath. She needed to get away from him, to run hard and fast as soon as possible. He didn't take no for an answer and his sights seemed to be locked onto her for his next victory.

Turning, she lifted the drink toward him. He took it and licked his lips before lifting the glass to his mouth. "To us. Whether you choose to recognize it or not. We will become a powerhouse that breaks anything that comes up against us."

"To our partnership." Kate nodded and threw the shot back, needing the world to dissolve and soon. There was nothing she wanted more than to look up and see Marcus or Jon standing in front of her.

He set the shot glass down and began walking around the room, as if looking for something. He paused by the air conditioner panel and tugged the front off, a tiny silver device dropping into his hand. He lifted it toward her and winked. "Only three more."

She stood in stony silence as he finished taking the rest of them. The asshole had bugged the apartment in every room. She hadn't done anything in the last few days that he didn't know about. It had only been a few days... right?

"When did you bug my apartment?"

"A few weeks ago." He slipped the bugs into his pocket and pulled out a small bag from the other one. "I didn't listen to too many of the tapes myself. I'm not interested in spying on you now, Kate. I want to build trust."

"Which tapes did you listen to?" She felt her blood run cold at the realization that he might have heard some of the most intimate moments of her adult life. She had never made love to anyone before Jon. Fucking was her means of finding physical release, but making love was too intimate, to damning. She lived in the reality that Jon had given her a moment of hope that was quickly slipping away.

"Tell me what you really want to know. Be direct and bold as I know you're capable of being." He opened the pouch and pulled out two small white pills. Pressing his fingers together above his open palm, he crushed them into a powder.

Kate started to take a step back and forced herself to do otherwise. Weakness wasn't an option. He would offer the drug, she would refuse. "Did you hear me fucking Marcus and Jon?"

"I heard you fucking Marcus. I heard something very different with Jon." A smile lifted his mouth as her stomach shifted, causing her breakfast to rise into her throat. "I'm almost jealous."

"Don't be. I'm a whore at worst and a liar at best. Keep your distance or I'll rip your heart out." She glanced toward the powder on his palm. "I don't do drugs, so don't expect me to start now. It's not happening."

"What card would you like to pull from my fingers, Kate? I hold all of them right now. Let's even the playing field. What would you have me release?"

Jon.

"I want you to let Jon go. He's a good cop and if we force him to simply turn a blind eye, we can find someone else to take his spot on the police force. He's not a good liar and I don't want to rely on him."

"Trouble in paradise?" Victor lifted his palm to his face and ran the tip of his tongue through the powder, groaning softly as if tasting something delicious.

Kate had never witnessed a drug that was taken through the mouth instead of the nose except ecstasy. Having left the life of narcotics far behind, weed had been the only drug in her system for years. That and an occasional drink.

"I don't want this life for him. It's mine and Marcus's future. Not his."

"Consider him released. I'll take care of letting him know, but you owe me something to replace the loss I'll suffer at having had him so tightly by the balls and simply letting go. He would have been perfect." He moved a step forward, his tongue snaking out to run through the powder again. Kate had to force herself not to reach out and stop him.

"What do you want in return?"

"You know what I want." He took another step and she lifted her hand, pressing it into the firmness of his chest. Victor pressed his free hand to hers, locking her hand against him.

"I'm not for sale, nor will I ever be."

"A deal is a deal, Katelyn. You knew what you were signing up for in the warehouse that night." He smiled and slid his hand down her arm until he reached her throat. His fingers were tight enough to understand his intent, but not so much that they would leave a mark. "You for Jon."

"You already had me. That's no deal at all."

"I had you in theory, but I want you fully aware that you and me... we're going to happen over and over again until you’re lost in the need for my protection, my strength, my love."

"Monsters don't love."

He laughed and lifted his palm to his face, licking the rest of the powder from his hand before he leaned down toward her. Kate pulled back, pressing her other hand into his chest, but he was right. Victor being willing to trade Jon for her was an even trade. She would need to relent to him if she wanted it to work. She weakened her resolve, letting him move forward enough to press his soft lips against hers.

His tongue dove into the center of her mouth, the drug pasty and tart as she let her physical acceptance of him sign the dotted line. Her fingers curled around the front of his shirt as he worked the kiss into something almost frenzied. She tried not to swallow the drug, but he left her no choice. He took her mind far from the need to keep the horrid liquid in her mouth. Kate fought hard against her physical attraction for him as he dominated her. It wasn’t him.

It’s his power.

Victor pulled back, his eyes glossy and full of passion. He tightened his fingers around her throat again and hovered just above her mouth, brushing his lips across her over and over. "Swallow it. I wanted you to try it first with me. It's going to change everything."

Kate forced herself to pull from him, angry at him forcing a drug upon her. Him kissing her was enough to piss her off, but this was beyond vile. "Fuck you."

"Yes. It's going to drive you mad as it does me. The latest enhancement to ecstasy. It will take effect in ten minutes and you'll be crawling the walls, begging me to cover this place in the sweet scent of our fucking."

"No." Kate walked toward the sink, reaching up and taking out a glass. She filled it and drank the lukewarm water in large gulps.

"Do you want me to leave? This is a moment of building trust between us, partner."

Kate turned. "Yes. Get out of here. I don't want to be lost in a lust haze and you the only one around to help me through it."

He smiled and walked to the door. "I'll release Jon because you've up'd the ante where you're concerned. I'll leave tonight simply to prove to you that I am in this for the long run. I might be a monster, but you are no better than me. I'll see you and Marcus at my house tomorrow night. You'd do wise to not disappoint me again. This is a two-way street. Let's keep it that way."

CHAPTER SIX

Marcus

 

 

 

Marcus walked out of Jon's house shaking his head. It had taken forever to get the bastard to agree to let Marcus take him home. Something about showing Marcus where he lived seemed to be the issue. Marcus didn't want or need the other man's shit, but this was for Kate. It was always for Kate.

Jon was a fucking mess and he needed to do something to get the other man freed from the situation. He wasn't going to do Kate or Marcus any good if he drank himself into a coma, which seemed to be his natural response to stressful situations. Jon could be with Kate on the side or something. Eventually the tide would turn again and Kate would be released from their partnership with Victor. Marcus had a plan to work hard enough to prove to the nefarious bastard that he was the one that should be in partnership, not Kate. She was simply a liability, and where he didn't believe any of that shit, he had to pretend like he did. He wanted freedom for her now as much as he had back when he went to deliver her to it.

His phone buzzed in his pants pocket. He sighed loudly and pulled it out, half expecting it to be Jon telling him to come back. It was from Kate. All it said was to stop by soon. He called, but didn't get an answer.

If she was hurt or in danger, she would have said so. Marcus pushed the feeling down in the pit of his stomach that something was off, and he got into his car. He needed sleep like a mother fucker, but stopping by for a few minutes wouldn't be that big of a deal.

 

He made it to the club in record time, the streets packed with people and forcing him to park a few blocks away. By the time he walked into the club, he was covered in sweat and rather pissy. Marcus stopped by the front desk and asked where Kate was. They hadn't seen her.

"Fuck," he growled and walked back out on the street before letting himself into her place. He jogged up the stairs and knocked loudly on her door. "Kate. It's Marcus, let me in."

He knocked again, louder, before reaching out to run his fingers along the wood. It was a new door, but the image of the old one still chopped up and looking like something out of a horror movie played along his vision. He had come far too close to losing her.

Fucking Jon.

She hadn't seen Jon in a few days from what he knew and some part of him was glad for it. Jon was a good guy and probably the best pick for Kate, but things were only going to get harder. If the cop wasn't able to handle the shallow end of the situations they were headed into, he certainly wasn't going to be able to live through the harder shit that was to come.

Victor hadn't even spoken to the specifics of how he planned to have his relationship with Kate work. Was he going to force her to sleep with him? Beckon her too? No way would she do that shit. She was protective over her body and she was in love with the cop. No matter how he tried to reconcile it, he couldn't.

Kate opened the door and giggled. Kate didn't giggle. She looked perfectly fine though. Her clothes weren't a mess nor was her hair out of place.

Marcus moved into the room slowly, shutting the door behind him. "Hey. What's up?"

"Nothing much." Her voice was slurred. Was she drunk? Did she mix weed and liquor again?

"You don't sound okay." He moved into the living room as she turned and reached for him. Her eyes were glossy, her lips wet, as if she had been licking them non-stop.

She pressed herself to the front of him and ran her hands down his sides before tugging at his shirt. "Just horny. The world’s spinning a little and I can't remember much about why I'm here."

"Here in the apartment?" He moved back, but she only pressed forward. He pushed her hands away from the front of his shirt as she started to unbutton it.

"Yeah. In the apartment." She pressed her lips to his chest, nipping hard at his nipple and pulling.

Marcus growled at her and took her by the shoulders tightly. He couldn't help the effect she had on him in normal situations, but seeing her aggressive and needy just made things far worse. He took a slow breath, trying to stop himself from getting too turned on. He would have her naked and sweaty within minutes if he didn't back away from her slowly.

Jon might have taken
his
place in her bed, but no one had taken hers. It had been more than a week since he had fucked anyone and years since it had been anyone but Kate. This wasn't good.

She wasn't at all herself.

Marcus reached out and took her face into his hands, forcing her to look up at him.

She brushed her fingers down his forearms and whimpered softly. The sound almost undid him.

"Kate. Stop it. You're in love with Jon and you don't want this. Victor fucking drugged you or you took something on your own. Tell me what happened and I'll stay with you until this shit passes from your system."

"I don't love anyone but you. You're the only one in my future. You and Victor." She twisted her face in his hold, licking and nibbling at his palm.

"Kate, please baby. I only have so much control, shit." Marcus started to release her, but she went slack for a moment.

He reached out and grabbed her around the waist as anger for their new employer rolled over him. He was going to find a way to fuck the old man up if it was the last thing he did. Why the fucker would drug Kate and leave her in such a state was beyond him, but he wasn't going to let it lie. He would find out what that bastard was up to and make sure he knew that the next time he tried this shit - retribution was headed his way.

"Fuck me. Fuck me tonight and tomorrow I'll be better." She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. The smell of her arousal mixed with the sweet strawberry soap she used left him needing her far beyond anything he remembered in the past. Her lips pressed to the side of his neck and he groaned.

"You don't want this, Kate. Snap out of this shit." Marcus picked her up and moved toward the bed, trying to unwrap her from the tight hold she had on him and yet not wanting anything but to get lost in the comfort of who they were together. He hadn't been with anyone but her in so long that it seemed a sin to not give into her.

"I want it. I need you. I'll always need you." She pulled him down with her as she fell toward the bed.

Marcus caught himself with his hands just before landing on her.

Kate pulled up, pressing her lips tightly to his.

That was it. Fuck the drugs. Fuck Victor. Fuck Jon.

Jon wasn't even slated to be part of the future anymore. He didn't want it. He had chickened out and his ass would soon be set free. Whatever he thought he had going with Kate seemed to be a lie from what Marcus could gather. It was going to kill the pretty girl in front of him, but he would be there when Jon broke things off. He would pick her up and remind her that he was her forever, her best friend and her rock.

Kate had been his for a long time, and tonight... she was going to be his again. He could hate himself in the morning, but tonight she was hyped up on ecstasy and he had no soul. Time to give in to something that one of them needed and the other wanted.

He moved back and worked to open her jeans, tugging them down roughly as she growled. The little purple panties she wore were stained with desire at the front, a sight that left his body hardening farther. He reached out and ran his fingers over her mound before tugging the panties off of her.

"Fuck yes. Please hurry," she whispered, the look in her eyes that of panic.

"I am baby." Marcus tugged her to the edge of the bed and pushed at her knees, opening her legs for him. She was so fucking sexy and he had never seen her so needy before. Something about it promised to break him in half. "What did you take?"

"Hmmm?" She closed her eyes and slid her fingers over her stomach and into her entrance, the jerking motion of her hand taking his attention. Her hips lifted as she took care of herself.

"Goddamn." He pulled at her wrist and locked it to the bed as she groaned and jerked from him. She wouldn't remember a thing in the morning. Whatever she had taken had locked her deep into carnality. He would research what the fuck got into her system and how later. He leaned over and pressed his tongue to her center, groaning at the salty taste of her need. He was going to take his time making sure she got any and everything she needed.

He slid his fingers deep inside of her as he licked and sucked hard at the swollen skin of her need. Surprise rolled over him as her hands slid over his head and clamped down. Her hips rolled and she moaned loudly. Marcus mumbled against her and picked up the violence of his assault, taking the same speed and aggressiveness that she had used on herself.

She whimpered loudly and continued to use him for her pleasure. He dove in deeper, giving her all he had and wanting to take her far over the edge. He might not get the chance to love on her again. Tonight would have to be a good reminder of why he loved her enough to leave her alone.

The scream that ripped from her as she came almost caused him to join her. She pushed at his head, but he simply pressed down harder, lapping slowly to drink everything she offered. She slapped at him as she panted loudly.

He moved back, sliding his fingers into his mouth and cleaning them too. He didn't want any part of her left untouched, untasted. "You want me?"

"I need you." She arched her back, jutting her large breasts into his view. He reached up and palmed at one of them before tugging at her nipple through her shirt. He pulled her up and pulled the shirt over her head.

"Take off your bra, baby. I want to taste your tits." Marcus moved back, unbuttoning his shirt and stripping the rest of his clothes from him. His cock sat thick and heavy, ready to show the pretty girl what she had been missing.

He stroked himself a few times as she pulled her bra off, her large breasts beautiful and begging for his attention.

"How do you want it, Kate?"

She sat up, moving to her knees and reaching for him. "Lay down. I want to fuck you."

He moved onto the bed, fixing the pillow behind him and taking her by the hips as she mounted him. He reached down and positioned himself to enter her as she pressed back against him. The loud guttural sound she let out took his breath away as she worked herself down his shaft.

They hadn't fucked facing each other in years. When they first began sleeping together he most enjoyed watching her face as she reveled in the physical pleasure he could offer her, but as they grew as friends, he knew those positions would leave them wanting more. Marcus reached up and palmed her breasts as she finally took all of him inside of her.

The look on her face melted his heart. He closed his eyes and fought back the need to claim her as his own. It would never work between them and he didn't want to be another bastard on the long list that Jon would soon be added to.

"Oh fuck... why do I need this so bad?" Her voice broke as she pressed her hands into his chest and pushed back harder, her pace picking up speed.

Marcus reached for her, pulling her down to lay flush on him. Huge mistake, but if he were making them, he fully wanted to experience all of it with her. He tightened his hands on her back, one sliding up into the silkiness of her hair. She looked up at him as another orgasm took her.

"Kiss me," she whispered.

He would have told her no any moment before this one, but he couldn't deny her - wouldn't.

"Anything for you." He pulled her down and made love to her mouth as her hips stilled for a moment. Marcus took that as his opportunity and rolled them, never breaking the kiss or his deep push into her tight, wet body.

She groaned into his mouth and he drank her in before lifting up a little and fucking her the way he had wanted to for as long as he could remember. His thrusts were deep and slow, her breasts bouncing with his efforts. She slid her hands along his chest and wrapped her legs tightly around him.

"God you’re fucking beautiful," he mumbled as he let his eyes move down the length of her. "You take this cock so well, Katie. Such a good girl."

"Your girl?" Her voice was softer than he ever remembered hearing it, the timbre almost that of a scared girl, unsure of herself or anyone else. This was the woman he made her out to be when he protected her.

"Always and forever. I'm not going anywhere." He flattened himself against her, drowning in the deliciousness of their position. Pressing her to the bed tightly, he picked up his assault as he pumped in and out of her faster and faster. Marcus moved down a little, sucking one of her nipples into his mouth as she moaned over and over.

"I'm going to come," she groaned just before her body tightened, warm liquid running down his sack and both of his legs.

"I'm going with you, baby. So hot." He moved up, increasing the depths of his thrusts as he pressed his lips against the side of her mouth. He wanted to watch her as he came, needed the connection. It was one he had never experienced, but he was going for broke tonight.

She reached up and slid her hands around his face as she arched her back, seeming to understand exactly what he needed. The little bitch was going to milk him from below.

"Oh fuck, Kate."

"Yeah... fuck me harder. Lose yourself in this with me. Just us." She pressed her nails into the back of his neck as her eyes widened. She was coming again and he wasn't missing the opportunity to ride the wave with her.

BOOK: Dirty Money (Bad Money #2)
10.81Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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