Alpha Male Incorporated: Take Control (9 page)

“I’m sorry I didn’t ask sooner. How did your trip go with Thorsten? Was it as bad as you thought?”

Groaning, Jax raked his fingers through his thick, blond hair as he moved away from her. She instantly knew something was wrong because he only touched his hair like that when he was upset about a family member.

“I don’t even know where to begin with him. I keep giving him advice and nothing seems to be sticking inside of his thick skull. I swear if he wasn’t family I might erase Raya from his mind and just have the “sleep of the dead” take over his stupid ass. It would serve him right for not listening to anything I’m trying to do for him.”

She gasped. “Is it really that bad?”

He stopped pacing and looked at her from across the room. “Raya told Thorsten to leave her alone tonight because she had a date and couldn’t be bothered with him. Who is she dating? I thought you told me she was single.”

Frowning, she racked her brain trying to remember if Raya told her about a new man in her life. She didn’t think she had forgotten about her best friend confessing about anyone new. Raya worked so much that she wasn’t aware her girlfriend was even looking or on the market.

“I’m not sure why Raya told Thorsten she had a boyfriend, but it isn’t true. She’s single. I can’t even recall the last time she wasn’t buried in her paperwork. Do you want me to tell Thorsten for you? Is he at home or still at the office?” She spun around to Jax, who flashed in her path blocking her way.

“No, don’t say a word to him about her,” he told her. “Thorsten has been giving too much. Let him work for this relationship with Raya. A vampire winning over his mate is a rite of passage; it’s an experience he’ll never forget.”

“What if she truly isn’t attracted to him? I mean, he can fall under the ‘sleep of the dead’. Do you really want to lose him forever? I know the two of you fight, but he’s still a part of our family.”

Touching her arm, Jax brought her back to his body. “Sweetheart, Thorsten isn’t going to throw in the towel to anything. You are worrying about nothing. I want you to focus all of your attention on this concert. Let Thorsten and Raya work through whatever has them at each other’s throats besides this hedge fund business.”

Sahara ran her hands up and down his husband’s chest. “I can’t help but worry about her. She’s always been there for me, even when I was on the fence about accepting you in my life. How can I not be there for her? Maybe if I tell her the reason for Thorsten’s behavior she would give him more of a chance. Once Raya makes her first impression about a person, it’s hard to get her to change her mind.”

“My cousin is very persistent as we both already know. I love that Raya is his mate because she’s the perfect woman for him and he has to find out on his own without any outside help for us. Are you hearing me, Sahara?”

She hated the idea of not helping Raya through this important time in her life, but her husband was suggesting that she take a step back.
Could she really do this
? Raya was more than her friend. She was more like a sister to her and family stuck by each other.

“Stop overthinking this. I promise you everything will work out,” Jax promised her. “Thorsten might be self-centered, hard-headed and cocky, but he isn’t stupid. He knows who Raya is now and he isn’t about to let anyone stand in his way of winning over his mate. I swear to you she will be a part of our family.”

She wanted to believe what Jax was telling her was the truth, but she had known Raya so much longer than either one of them. She prayed everything worked out as Jax believed, but she still had her doubts. Raya had dated guys in the past, but none of them had been near the level of Thorsten. He was on a totally different playing field.

“Are you done for the day?” Jax asked against the side of her neck.

Sahara moaned as her husband’s fangs nibbled at her sensitive skin. Every time he got in the mood to make love or wanted something he loved working her spot and it got her every single time. However, she couldn’t get sidetracked by him tonight.

“I thought we could have an early dinner and then afterwards go bowling. I promise to take it easy on you this time,” he promised.

She pushed Jax away from her, then stepped back. “Baby, I wish I could but I have a late dance practice with Tomas after I finish going over the song you interrupted. I have been putting it off to work on my songs and afterwards I was going to spend some time with Sabrina.”

“I didn’t know you had plans with Tomas,” Jax said. “Why are you going to his studio? Why isn’t he coming here? Is that what I pay him to do? He works for me, it isn’t the other way around.”

She couldn’t believe Jax was still acting like this about Tomas. She offered to fire him and he told her not to do it. Nothing was ever going to happen with Tomas. Why couldn’t Jax see he was just trying to push his buttons?

“I thought you would be working late training those two new guys you hired last week. So, I agreed to meet Tomas at his studio along with having dinner with my sister-in-law at her house. We haven’t talked much since she got married to Zander. Why don’t you just relax while I’m gone?” she suggested. “I think SyFy is having a horror movie marathon tonight. Why don’t you watch them? I think they might even be showing the original
Fright Night
.”

Interest lit up her husband’s beautiful green eyes. “I usually don’t like vampire movies, but I’ve to admit I do like that one,” he said.

“Well, it’s about to start in forty-five minutes. Why don’t you take a shower and fix some popcorn? I’ll even let you watch it in our bed.”

Jax eyed her for a minute before he finally spoke. “Why? You never let me bring food to bed. What’s so special about tonight?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m trying to compromise. I hate leaving you here alone for so long and I wanted to do something nice for my wonderful husband.”

The smile he flashed her lit up his eyes and melted her heart. She loved this man more and more each day. He was so deep in her soul that he wasn’t ever going to leave.

“Sahara, I’m so sorry for getting jealous over nothing. Have fun while you’re out. I know how much you love driving at night with your enhanced senses.”

“God, I know. I mean, I can see for miles when I get behind the wheel. I wish it wasn’t so late or I would put the top down on my convertible,” Sahara answered.

“Don’t you dare,” Jax warned in a low voice, pointing his index finger at her. “The last time you did I got slapped with a huge fine because you were speeding and a cop caught you.”

“It wasn’t my fault. How was I supposed to know that cop was hiding behind those bushes on that back road? I wouldn’t have been driving so much over the speed limit.”

“It’s never your fault when you go driving at night but pay attention to me and I do mean it. Do you promise to be good?” he asked. “If you can’t do it then I’ll have to go with you to your dance lesson with Tomas.”

For a second she thought about lying but decided it wouldn’t be in her best interest to lose her husband’s trust. “Alright, I promise to be good. No more trying out my new powers on humans, but I thought I could erase his memory and it didn’t work,” she complained.

“I have told you some people’s will is stronger than others, so you might not be able to erase their memories. However, you aren’t ever allowed to use your powers on any other law enforcement officers. Promise me you won’t try it again.”

“You do know you’re taking all of my fun away,” Sahara pouted. “I have all of these cool new powers and you’re putting a limit on what I can do with them.”

“I can take you shoe shopping tomorrow to make up for taking away all of your fun,” Jax suggested.

She couldn’t keep the excitement from racing through her body. Her blood pumped at the thought of buying new shoes—nothing compared to it. “Alright, I’ll take you up on that offer, Mr. Irizzary,” Sahara said, then gave her husband a quick kiss. “You better get ready or you’ll miss the beginning of your movie. I need to go over this song one last time before I leave.”

“Okay, but don’t leave before coming and telling me goodbye. I want to know when you leave and also let me know when you get to Tomas’s studio,” Jax told her.

“I can do that for you.”

Jax gave her another kiss as he stared into her eyes. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Sahara said, then watched as her husband vanished from the room.

God, sometimes he acted like he was still her bodyguard instead of her husband. Shaking her head, Sahara went back over to the piano and set down. Looking over her lyrics, she found where she was at before Jax interrupted, and started singing the next line.

So why won’t you give a little for me?

I have done what you wanted more than once.

So it is time for you to do it for me. I promise you
It will be a compromise you will love.

Have you thought about my offer?

Will you let me have you anyway I want?

I’m a patient woman, but don’t make me wait too long.

You never know I might find a more willingly man than you.

So, think about my sexy offer. I promise you.

It will be better than anything

You ever dreamt about in your life up to now.

Let me take control of you. I mean I would

Give it to you so good better than any other girl from your past.

How could you look at me and not want me to have my way with you?

I’m not trying to be self-centered, but I know I look good.

You have told me yourself that I’m the best looking female
You have ever seen.

So why won’t you give a little for me?

I’ve done what you wanted more than

Once, so it is time for you to do it for me. I promise you
It will be a compromise you will love.

Several blocks away, Raya rubbed the back of her hands across her tired eyes and tried not to yawn. She should have been home hours ago, but she had to finish getting the last of her new client’s information into the computer system.

The few employees working for her left over two hours ago and headed home to their families, but she sat hunched over her desk burning away the midnight oil. She wondered why she was still fighting so hard to save this place.

Neither her brother nor her father was interested in it anymore. It pained her heart to think of her legacy in the hands of someone like Thorsten Irizarry. He only wanted it from her to build it back up and then sell it to the highest bidder.

He didn’t understand the memories this place held for her. How she remembered riding her bike all the way down here after middle school to stay with her father. She did her homework while he sat behind this very desk and dealt with all of his clients.

Half the time, she was the one at her father’s side watching how the business was run. Cedric was nowhere in sight because he would be with his buddies instead of working with their father. Nothing about keeping the family going ever entered his mind. He would rather spend his time impressing some hot girl or strangers than help the individuals related to him.
Sometimes, Cedric’s ability to not think about his future completely perplexed her, but that was how he lived and he had no problems with it. She, on the other hand, seemed to have problems following her around no matter how she worked at trying to get rid of them, Thorsten being the main one.

Kicking her high heels off her tired feet, Raya rested her head against the back of her chair. She tried to erase thoughts of Thorsten from her mind, but like always he stayed there, taunting her. What was it about her that he couldn’t get enough of her anytime he was around?

She usually didn’t have problems with men who were outspoken or full of themselves. She had dealt with plenty of them, but Thorsten took it to an entirely different playing field. Nothing she told him swayed his persistence. Months ago, she might have found his behavior a little pushy, but not aggressive.

What did he want from her that he could find with another woman? Most women would jump through hoops to get Thorsten’s ice blue eyes to glance in their direction, but her objective wasn’t to have his captivating eyes on her.

For the past eight months, she had gotten into this daily routine of eating, sleeping, and coming to work early then leaving very late at night. She realized she was working too hard for someone as young as herself, but she didn’t have anything else going on.

She couldn’t call up Sahara anymore and invite her over to drink wine and gossip. Her best friend was a happily married woman who loved spending all of her time with her new husband. Anytime she made plans to go shopping with Sahara things changed because something more important came up to do with her new, attentive husband. She hadn’t minded her girl changing their plans to do a promotion as Coco.

Singing was her best friend’s first love since they were teenagers and she would
never
think about coming between her and it. Writing and performing was the outlet which helped Sahara overcome her parents’ sudden deaths. If her Uncle Frank hadn’t picked up on that hidden talent, Sahara wouldn’t be where she was now with her career.

Growing up, she never let on how she harbored a little resentment at the closeness Sahara shared with her uncle. He was always there listening to her problems and giving her all of this great advice.

She never thought he wasn’t there for her, but it wasn’t the same. Her father worked so many hours at this company, the only free time she could get with him was after school. She cherished the time because it was only hers and her dad’s.

But anytime her brother decided to make an appearance by walking through the door, Cedric instantly got all of the attention from their father. He got all of the pats on the back and encouraging words since he was the one struggling with school. She’d stand in the background and watch how their father acted with her older brother.