Eraser Crimson

Copyright © Megan Keith 2014
All Rights Reserved
Cover Design by Cover to Cover Designs
Cover Photo – Shutterstock, Inc. © mrkornflakes

Edited by Renee Kubisch
 

This book is a work of fiction.
  Any references to historical events, real people or real places are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.  Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All songs titles and lyrics quoted herein remain the property of the respective copyright holders.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the written permission of the author, unless in quote form.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.  It may not be resold or given away to other people.  If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient.  If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your retailer and p
urchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This novella is for
MATURE 18+ READERS ONLY!  It contains explicit sex scenes with BDSM type scenarios.

You must read the first three instalments of this series BEFORE starting this.  It picks up exactly where volume three ended.

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter,
and those who matter don't mind.”

~ Bernard M. Baruch

He slid on his jeans and pulled the cell from his pocket, noting a few missed calls.  Choosing to ignore those, he exited the bedroom determined to tell her everything.  He’d had a change of heart.  Thinking over their various conversations he’d concluded it was time for Mackenzie to know who he really was.  He trusted her.  He knew she was different, he’d known that all along, and he didn’t need to protect himself any longer.  But the instant he saw her standing just outside the kitchen, with a pained look on her paler than usual face, he knew something was wrong.  She’d jumped when he’d said her name, a look of dismay conveyed through her jade eyes.  She took a step back, her body rigid as she clutched her phone in a vice grip.

“What’s wrong, Mackenzie?” he asked, cautiously taking a step closer, trying to fill the void he felt, not only physically, but emotionally.  She didn’t answer.  He could literally feel her pulling away from him even though she now stood still.  She was withdrawing back into her shell and he had no idea why.

“
Nathaniel?
”

She said it like an accusation and he sucked in a quick breath of air, his heart thumping hard in his chest.  “Wh-what?”

“Nathaniel Pierce.  Is that who you are?”

“How did you …” he tapered off.  He swallowed hard, anger bubbling to the surface.  He hated the out of control feeling that overcame him and was frustrated that his plans were again thrown into chaos by this woman.  She stared at him with an unreadable expression and he was at a loss for words. 

“I really wish you told me yourself.  It seems the whole world knows exactly who you are!”

“What do you mean?” he asked with a frown.

Mackenzie’s thoughts were so focused on the article and what it meant for her that she didn’t hear his question.  The self-preservation skills she had mastered over the years kicked in and she shut down.  She ignored him when Sir closed the space between them and when he stopped mere inches in front of her.  The darkening sky beyond her apartment window drew her attention as she tried to process the information from the article.

“Mackenzie?”

She felt cheated.  She was beginning to fall for a man that was quite likely taken.

A man that hadn’t even trusted her enough to tell her his name.

How stupid am I?

She shook her head in disbelief, dropped her shoulders and loosened the grip on her phone.  She felt like she’d been made a fool of and the pain in her chest was suffocating. 

“
Mackenzie
,” he warned.  He needed answers and he needed her attention.  Her eyes snapped back to him at his tone.  “How did you find out?  How
long
have you known?” he asked angrily.

“Just now.  I just read the text now,” she stammered softly.

“The text?”  He snatched the phone from her hand.  “What text?”  He swiped the screen.  It was locked.  “Password?”

“Huh?  I’m not telling you my-”

“
Password
,” he repeated in frustration, causing her to flinch.

“1234.”

“Seriously?” he asked with an annoyed raised eyebrow.  She shrugged and he quickly entered the numbers.  It was a text from Alex, the guy from the bar. 
What is he doing texting her?
  He read the message:

Mystery solved.  He’s not just wealthy
, Mack, he’s a fucking multi-millionaire!

And then he saw the picture of him and Greg arguing in the street, the wording below it read:

Millionaire playboy, Nathaniel Pierce, is apparently up to his old tricks.  He was seen in a brawl outside The Blue Room, in Chicago, on Friday night.  This is not the first time the heir to the Pierce Empire has been caught fighting outside a club.  Insiders say the dispute was over a woman.

“Fuck!”
  The photo was scratchy at best, probably taken with a camera phone, but it was clear enough to see exactly what was going on and with whom.  “Fucking media!”

He wondered if his family had seen the photo yet. 
That’s probably what the missed calls from Mom and Tom are about.  Damn it!
  That was a headache he really didn’t need.  He tossed Mackenzie’s phone on the counter next to his own.  He stared at her for a long moment, the stunned look on her face now making perfect sense.  Running his hand through his hair he inhaled deeply. 

“I’m sorry Mackenzie, you shouldn’t have found out like this.”

“Exactly which part are you referring to?”

“Pardon?”  His face scrunched in confusion. 

“How stupid do you think I am, Sir?”

“I don’t think you’re stupid!”  He sighed and threw his hands up in frustration. 

“So, who is she?”  Mackenzie tightened the duvet around her body, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Who?”

“The woman you were fighting over!” she bit out loudly, catching him off-guard. 

“We weren’t fighting
over
anyone,” he said defensively.  He didn’t appreciate her tone.

“
Bullshit!
”  Mackenzie tried to walk past him but he blocked her.

“You’re an intelligent woman, Mackenzie,” he squeezed her shoulders as he spoke, his voice full of bitterness, “surely you know better than to believe everything you read.”  The look on his face was irate and Mackenzie struggled to pull herself from his tight grasp.  “Fucking media!”  He shook her a little before he loosened his hold, seeming to realize what his hands were doing to her.  He took a couple steps past her.

“What did they report wrong then?”  Mackenzie asked hopefully.

“For one, they put an ‘m’ where there should have been a ‘b’,” he said sardonically, before swinging around to face her, a menacing look embedded on his handsome face.

It took Mackenzie a moment to realize what he meant. 
Billionaire, not millionaire
.  “You’re kidding?  That’s what you’re upset about?”

“No, of course I’m not fucking upset about that!”  His voice was getting louder, matching hers.

“What then?” she shouted in annoyance.

When he didn’t answer Mackenzie decided she’d had enough.  Storming over to the front door she flung it open and turned to pin him with a dismissive glare.

“You may leave,” she said, throwing his words from their first night together back at him.

“Excuse me?” he asked, flabbergasted.

“You heard.  I’ve dealt with enough jackasses in my time and I’m not interested in wasting my time on another.”

He didn’t budge.  He was shocked at her reaction.  He recognized the countless ways he’d hurt her but hadn’t factored in that one; the night he’d tossed her out of his apartment.  The sting of rejection hit him hard and he closed his eyes briefly.  He deserved that but it didn’t mean he had to like it.

He watched in a daze as Mackenzie dropped the duvet from around her body, and began fishing through the bags dotting the floor from their day’s shopping.  She didn’t seem to care that the door to her apartment was wide open and she was stark-naked.  He wanted to stop her but at the same time he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

She pulled a long sleeved wrap dress from one of the bags, put it on, and then slipped on a pair of flats that were by her front door.  Rushing to the table, she collected her keys and purse then headed for the door.  Before shutting it behind her, she swivelled to face him.

“You won’t go, so I will.  Don’t be here when I get back!”

He flinched when the door slammed. 

“Mackenzie!” he shouted after her but got no reply.

What the fuck just happened?

Sinking down on her sofa he shook his head with frustration.  Not normally one to justify his actions to anyone but family, it both pissed him off and comforted him that he wanted the chance to explain himself to Mackenzie.  It reiterated just how much he wanted this relationship to work.

He was kicking himself for not taking her home from The Blue Room that night.  She deserved better.  He had to make this right.

Visions of her naked body, as she angrily put on that dress, crossed his mind and made his cock twitch. 
Fuck, she’s sexy when she’s mad!

Mackenzie found a quiet table in a late night café a few blocks from her apartment, ordered a coffee and tried to calm the hell down.  She wasn’t used to getting so emotional but she wasn’t normally one to put up with other people’s shit either.  It could have very well been the reason why she hadn’t had much luck in the relationship department.

She’d wanted victory when she found out who he was.  She wanted him to trust her; trust that she wasn’t going anywhere.  Mackenzie wanted his name but she didn’t want to find out like this, and she certainly didn’t want to find out that he was involved with someone.  She needed to know who she was up against. 
Greg’s wife? 
She wanted his honesty, if he couldn’t give it then there would be no future for them.

She took her time finishing her coffee, allowing him the chance to get gone.  But as she was walking the last block to her apartment she started to wonder if she’d done the right thing.  She wanted him in her life, instead, she’d kicked him out of it.  The realization hit her full force as she walked the last of the stairs to her door.

She slid her key in the door and was annoyed to find it unlocked. 
He could have at least locked the place up when he left!
  She stepped through the door and stopped dead when he stood in front of her.

“Our introduction at the bar that first time should have gone a little more like this:  Hi, my name is Nathaniel Pierce and I’d like to take you home,” he said with a crooked smile, making her heart go pitter-patter.  He held out his hand for her to take but Mackenzie stood her ground.

“You can’t charm your way out of everything,” she said, unable to stop her lips from curving slightly in one corner. 
He stayed.

“Can’t I?” he countered, his smile turning up a notch at the sight of her.

“No.”

“Can I get you to sit so I can explain then?” he asked, sitting back on the sofa.

Mackenzie remained where she was, the door to her apartment wide open for anyone to see, but he could tell by her expression her resolve was weakening.

“Please Mackenzie.”

She hesitated for a moment more, before finally relenting, shutting the door and slowly walking his way.

“Explain,” she said with a wave of her hand as she took a seat beside him.

“This wasn’t the way you should have found out who I was.”

“No, it wasn’t,” she agreed.

“I’m not normally a ‘jackass’,” he chuckled at her term, “and fighting on the street is not something in which I would generally partake.  I’m pissed that it was reported in the media because it’s not good for my family, it hurts them and it hurts our business.  I’m also disappointed in the way this played out … with us.  I’m sorry, Mackenzie, but I did explain to you why I hadn’t yet told you my name.  I told you I wanted you to know me first.”

“You did and I thought I was getting to know you.”  Mackenzie spoke with honesty.  “I want you to know me, too.  I want you to trust me.”