Defying Dorian: Bad Boy Billionaire Romance (14 page)

“Yeah,” I hissed, pulling his fingers out. “Is that what you like? Is that what you want?”

“Fuck!” Dorian grunted. “Goddamn, baby! Oh shit!”

Wiggling my hips, I leaned forward once more. I pushed myself down his entire length, taking all he had to give. Dorian let out a long sustained grunt, pressing his head into the middle of my back and gripping onto my hips. Wild thrusting rocked me from beneath, and he cried out.

“Aaahh, ahhh, ahhh!!!”

Dorian’s body hardened, and with a final thrust I felt him explode inside of me. I licked my lips, lapping away a trail of perspiration. With the salty reminder of my effort on my taste buds, I smiled while he continued to pulse inside of me.

The warmth streaming from his cock began to slow. I made tiny circles with my hips, drawing all of him all the way inside of me, never feeling more like a woman than I did at that instant.

“Come here, baby,” he whispered, a soft tone in his voice.

I climbed off of him, his sex dripping down my inner thigh. I pinched my legs together, delighting in the feel of the warm rivulets between them. Turning towards Dorian, I tipped forward at the waist, draping my arms around his shoulders. I leaned in towards his mouth, and our lips met. We shared a gentle kiss and separated.

“Thank you,” he said, looking up at me.

I frowned at him. “Why are you thanking me?”

“For staying. Here. With me. It means so much.”

I reached for his beautiful face, curling my fingers along his jawline. I kissed him again. “Thank you for everything you’ve done. I’m so sorry about earlier tonight. I…”

Dorian held up his hand and smiled at me. “That’s in the past. All that matters now is our future.”

Our future?

J
ust having
her here with me made every day better.

It’d been a long fucking time since I’d felt this way about a woman, if ever. I couldn’t get enough of her smile, her body, and her love. Now that she’d made the decision to stay with me, I vowed nothing would ever get in the way of us being together again.

A few days passed. She’d started staying in my room. In spite of everything that happened, the way things went down, it looked to me like she’d turned a corner.

There was only one thing I still had to do, and it was something I’d forgotten about after the first night. She’d just finished showering when I walked into the bathroom, carrying all of her belongings from the night we picked her up.

It was all there - her smashed phone, the keys to her apartment, and her purse.

“I’ve got something for you,” I said, approaching her.

With her hair wrapped in a towel and another covering her midsection, Tempest stood there, tiny droplets of water clinging to her exposed shoulders.

Looking at her, I licked my lips. “Fuck me… I’m about to get you dirty all over again.”

Tempest smiled wide. “Is that a promise?”

And it would’ve been, if not for a bunch of work bullshit I had to take care of that day. It’s funny – you’d think having all the money in the world would give you time, but somehow, there never seemed to be enough.

Extending the items to her, I replied, “You bet your ass.”

Tempest frowned, taking everything from me and changing the subject.

“My stuff? Where was it?”

“I kept it safe. Everything is there.”

I paused for a second, reaching into my pocket and pulling out a new cell phone.

“I also got this for you. The number is the same but your sim card got smashed to hell. There was nothing that could be done about it, so you’ll have to start from scratch with all that stuff.”

Tempest took the phone from me.

“Thank you,” she began, smiling. “You really didn’t have to do all this. I appreciate it though.”

I shook my head. “Don’t worry about it. It’s impossible to survive without a phone these days.”

While I spoke, she rummaged through her purse.

“Um…” she began, looking at me. “Is this all there was?”

I shook my head. “No.”

I’d have to be an idiot not to realize what she was looking for inside of her bag. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled it out and held it in front of me.

“I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about seeing it. The doctor had to get it off your finger when we brought you to the infirmary.”

I passed the ring to her.

She took it from me, not saying anything but thanking me with her eyes. She stared at it, turning it from side to side.

“I, um, had it appraised for you.”

She stopped what she was doing and looked at me. Although I didn’t come right out and say it, it surprised me the fucking thing was real.

“Okay, thank you for letting me know.”

I heard sadness creep into her tone. I was surprised she wasn’t asking me the most logical question of all. “Don’t you want to know how much it’s worth?”

Tempest leaned against the vanity. Still holding the ring, she looked up at me with a listless expression in her eyes. I couldn’t tell whether she wanted to know or not, but it was hers, so I didn’t want to keep the information from her.

“It’s worth almost one hundred thousand dollars.”

I watched for any reaction from her, but none came. She held eye contact with me and then looked at the ring once again. Hoping to distract her, maybe brighten her mood, I decided to change subjects.

“Hey, listen -- today is the day. I’m going to be flying out of town to deliver the case. You are welcome to come with me if you want. It’s not necessary though.”

She looked at me again and smiled. “No, I think I’ll just stay here.”

I walked closer to her. “All right then. I’ll be back in time for dinner. That reminds me, you will need to be ready to go tonight by eight o’clock. I’ve got a big surprise in store for you.”

That last little bit seemed to lighten her spirits.

“A surprise? What is it?”

I leaned into her, sliding my hand around her hip. After kissing her on the cheek, I pulled away. “Well, it won’t be much of a surprise if I tell you. Will it?”

“No, I guess not.”

Reaching for the knot in my tie, I stood tall. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Don’t forget, eight o’clock.”

I turned to walk away. Before I took a second step, she spoke. “I was doing fine before the ring came back into my life.”

Stopping in place, I turned and looked at her. “What are you saying?”

She held the ring up, extending it towards me. “I’ll be even better without it in my life now.”

Everything about the expression on her face seemed genuine. I walked back to her. “Are you sure about this?”

“Yes. I don’t care what you do with it. It doesn’t mean anything to me.”

She gestured for me to take it from her. I opened my hand, and she dropped it into my palm.

“All right then,” I said, closing my fingers around it and slipping the ring back inside of my pocket. “I’ll make sure the cash equivalent of the ring finds its way to a worthy charity.”

A melancholy smile spread across her lips. “I like the sound of that.”

D
orian hadn’t been gone long
when my new cell phone started to vibrate.

I was still trying to get over the shock of seeing the engagement ring again. I hadn’t expected it. I mean, I hadn’t forgotten about it, but I hadn’t thought to ask about it either. Maybe I didn’t want to know. I wasn’t sure.

Reaching for my phone, I looked at the display. I didn’t recognize the number, but then again, all of my numbers got trashed. I decided to answer it anyway. It was my father calling.

“Dad?” I said, pressing the phone into my ear while covering my other ear. I could barely hear him. “Where are you?”

“Temp…” he replied, his voice hardly louder than a whisper. “Can you hear me?”

Something was definitely off. Not only did I have trouble hearing him but the normal recording that played, stating the call came from a correctional facility didn’t interrupt us as usual.

“No, not really. Why are you whispering?”

“I can’t talk much louder than this. I’ve got a burner. That’s all you need to know.”

The behavior was super out of character for him. The entire time he’d been locked up, my dad always played it straight, not wanting to do any more time than he had to. He’d always tried so hard to keep himself out of trouble and maintain a low profile that whatever was on his mind had to be important.

He wasted no time getting right to the point.

“Do you remember the rumor I mentioned to you? About Todd?”

A semi-frantic tone hung on every word coming out of his mouth. Still, I couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t just drop this whole thing with Todd.

“Dad, let it go. I already told you we broke up. We aren’t together anymore. I don’t get why…”

He cut me off. For the first time since the call started his voice grew loud, the next words out of his mouth crystal-clear.

“You’re in trouble, Temp. And I mean
big
trouble.”

I didn’t know how much longer I could stand to listen to him talk like this. “You aren’t making any sense. Slow down.”

I must have gotten through to him. He took a breath, pausing for a couple of seconds. “I don’t know how much time I’ve got. I just need you to listen.”

“Okay, all right.”

My dad blew out a deep exhale. “Do you remember the gang banger I told you about? The one with a nephew that’s a hitman?”

“Yes. What about him?”

“Hang on…” he replied. A muffled scratchy sound echoed in my ear.

“Dad, Dad. What’s going on?”

He came back on the line. “Guard went by. Shit, we need to finish this conversation and do it now.”

“I’m listening.”

“Okay,” my dad began, whispering again. “It’s about the nephew. He’s gone missing, and his uncle thinks you and Todd are involved in what’s happened to him.”

What?

My stomach went crazy, a sharp pain tying it into knots. How could any of this be happening? What did any of this mean? I had no idea what this gang banger’s threats would amount to. Would they hurt my dad? There was no way I could tell him the truth about Todd. I had to play it cool… For his own sake.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Dad. That guy’s crazy. Why would I… How could I possibly be involved in something like that?”

My dad cleared his throat. “I don’t think you are, but I can’t say the same for Todd. The fucking guy is nowhere to be found. The only thing I’m concerned about here is you, and I don’t want you getting caught up in something that you’re not responsible for and…”

He went silent.

“Dad? What’s happening?”

The muffled sound returned for a few seconds before he returned. “Another guard.”

I had to say something to reassure him, convince him I was safe. Only, I didn’t get the chance. Once the threat of the guard passed him by, he continued.

“The gang banger’s sister… She’s the mother of the hitman, and the bitch is frantic. The last thing she heard from her son was that he was headed north to Reno to do a job. She hasn’t heard anything from him since.”

I swallowed hard before responding, careful to keep the hesitation in my voice quiet. “A lot of people go to Reno. Maybe he’s just drunk or getting laid.”

“Maybe, maybe… But that’s not what they think, and what they think is all that matters.”

“What do they think?”

“They’ve got proof, Temp. Or at least it looks like it.”

I tried to keep my breath under control. While I struggled, my dad kept talking.

“She went by her son’s house, looking for him. Apparently she searched for any clue she could find but didn’t come up with much, except one thing.”

I replied, putting all of the false confidence I had into the next sentence.

“Oh I see. So the mother of a gangster claims to have found proof I was somehow involved in the disappearance of her son. Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds? What exactly would she have found anyway?”

“A cocktail napkin. It was from the Bellagio.”

“So, that doesn’t mean anything. People take those all the time.”

“Not one with your name written on it, Tempest.”

Holy shit!

And then, just like that, I remembered his face. The same guy who’d killed Todd was in the lounge only days before we drove north to Reno.

Holy fucking shit!

My dad went silent again, pausing for several seconds. “I need you to tell me the truth, Temp. Are you involved in what happened to that man?”

What the hell was I going to tell him? If I said I was, then he’d have to lie. I didn’t want to put him in harm’s way by telling him the truth. He would be safer if I stuck to the lie, which is exactly what I decided to do.

With the most confident tone I had, I answered him. “No, I’m not involved.”

For the first time, I heard relief in my dad’s voice. “You have no idea how good it makes me feel to hear that.”

“I’m glad.”

“Unfortunately, that still doesn’t mean that you are out of danger. I might believe you, but that doesn’t mean people on the outside do.”

Standing in front of one of the large bedroom windows overlooking Dorian’s estate, I nodded. “Dad, I promise you I am safe where I am. Absolutely nothing is going to happen to me here.”

“Where? Are you talking about your apartment? How hard is it going to be to find you there?”

“No, I… I’m staying with a friend right now.”

My father continued to drill me with questions. “Who?”

“What difference does it make who it is?”

For only the second time during the conversation, he raised his voice again. “Because I need to know you are safe from these psychos!”

“Look, Dad, I understand, okay? You just have to trust me when I tell you that I’m safe. All of this will blow over. I’m not involved. You need to stop worrying and give it time to work itself out. In fact, I’m so sure I have nothing to worry about, I’m planning on visiting you soon and…”

“No!” he barked, cutting me off. “I don’t want you coming here. Not until this is behind us.”

“Dad, I’m not gonna be bullied by anyone. You taught me that, remember? Now listen, I am coming, and that’s all there is to it. You can be sure I’ll be well protected.”

A long exhale from my father’s mouth followed. “I don’t guess there’s any point in trying to stop you. Just promise me you’ll be careful.”

“Of course, I will.”

“It will be good to see you again.”

I didn’t like the sound of his voice. It had a noticeable tone of sadness in it.

“What’s the matter?”

Once again his voice went soft.

“I never saw my life ending this way,” he muttered.

I frowned and shook my head. “Ending? What are you talking about? You aren’t going to die in there. Quit talking like that.”

He ignored me. “Temp, I need you to promise me something.”

“No, whatever it is, I don’t want to hear it. You’re overreacting right now.”

“Be quiet,” he snapped. “I only have a minute or so left. Let me get this off my chest.”

“Fine.”

“I want you to bring me something. I want your mother’s wedding ring.”

All the time he’d been locked away, my dad refused to have any mementos of my mom. He didn’t want to be reminded of her in any way and now this?

“What? Are you being serious? Why have you changed your mind?”

“I just am, okay? Do your father a goddamn favor!”

Pain laced his words. Where was this coming from all of a sudden? Unfortunately, there wasn’t any time to find out. Rather than fight with him, leaving things on a bad note, I agreed.

“I will, I promise.”

“Thank you. I have to go.”

“I love you, Dad.”

“I love you too, Temp.”

Not long after, we hung up. His request concerned me -- hell, it freaked me out. What would possibly make him want to say something like that?

I looked out over Dorian’s estate again, sunlight shining in on me. It might’ve been more than one hundred degrees beyond the window, but inside, my dad’s strange request left me ice cold.

* * *

A
couple of hours passed
.

I managed to put my dad’s strange behavior out of my mind. I had to. There wasn’t anything I could do about it at the time.

Instead, I decided to run to my old apartment and get my mom’s ring. It wouldn’t be long before I saw my dad again, and with Dorian out of town until that evening, it seemed like the perfect time.

There was only one problem – I had absolutely no way to get there. My car was still at my apartment. The only option I had was to see if one of the security guys could take me.

After walking downstairs, I’d just about reached the front door when a voice called out from behind me.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Ainsley yelled.

My hand had just reached the handle of the front door. I pinched my eyes tight.

Bitch.

“Hey!” she continued. The soles of her shoes
clipped and clapped
across the marble flooring. I even hated the way she walked. “I know you can hear me.”

Peeling my fingers away from the handle, I turned and looked at her. Ainsley strutted in my direction. I’d seen that smug look on her face before when she told me Dorian put her in charge of keeping me medicated.

“Dorian may be on his way to deliver the case, but that doesn’t mean you’re free to come and go as you please.”

I glared at her. “What are you talking about?”

She closed to within a few feet of me, stopping and flipping her hair away from her face. “You’re not getting out of anyone’s sight.”

I scoffed at her. “Whatever. If you want to keep track of me then you’re going to have to come with me to my apartment. One way or the other, I’m going.”

Seriously, the last thing I wanted to do was get into a big fight with her. I tried to diffuse the situation.

“Look, it makes you feel any better, I was planning on having a couple of the security guys go with me.”

Ainsley shrugged. “No, actually, that doesn’t do anything for my feelings. I’m still going.”

I groaned. “Okay, fine. I’m going. Do whatever you want.”

We arrived at the security gate to the estate not long afterward. With two of Dorian’s men in the front, Ainsley finally got her way.

I hadn’t been to my place since this whole mess started. It seemed strange going back there. It was almost like I hadn’t been there in months.

My apartment wasn’t in the greatest neighborhood, but it was cheap, clean, and all I could manage on my cocktail waitress salary and tips. The ride wasn’t a long one, and soon we rounded the final turn, entering the apartment complex.

“Looks affordable,” Ainsley sniped.

I just rolled my eyes at her. There were more important things for me to focus on than her endless stream of snark.

“Which way ma’am?” Robert, one of Dorian’s security men asked.

I leaned forward in the seat, straightening my arm and pointing ahead. “It’s the last building on the left, building G.”

Robert pulled the vehicle into a parking spot, and almost before he put it into park, I started to get out, leaving my cell phone and purse behind.

“Hey!” Ainsley called out. “Do you want your stuff?”

With my hand hooked over the top of the car door, I glanced down at her and shook my head. “No, this won’t take long. You can leave your stuff as well.”

Closing the car door, I started to walk towards the building, both of Dorian’s security men and Ainsley following behind. I hurried up the stairs, holding the keys in my hand before pinching the house key between my fingertips and sliding it into the lock.

Opening the door, I groaned to myself.

What a fucking mess.

Oh well, there wasn’t anything I could have done about it anyway. In passing, I offered a half-assed excuse for the state of my apartment.

“Sorry about the mess. I wasn’t expecting to leave town in a hurry.”

“In a hurry?” Ainsley replied. “Did someone
chase
you out of here?”

She was really trying to push my buttons. I wasn’t about to get into it. I ignored her.

“Why don’t you guys wait out here? I’ll be right back.”

The security guys looked at each other and nodded. I didn’t bother to wait for Ainsley to say anything. I walked down the hallway and turned the corner, entering my bedroom to grab my mother’s wedding ring.