Page 10 of Unwillingly His

Logic had no place in this.

“You may be able to force a puppet judge to take my fortune, but even you couldn’t force me to marry you.”

My thumb brushed over her lower lip. “So naive.”

Poor little thing didn’t realize just how much power I wielded in this city.

If I wanted her for my wife, she could protest all the way to the altar, and it wouldn’t make a difference.

She would be my wife.

Morally wrong? Probably. Not that I gave a damn. “Keep fighting me, and there will be consequences.”

I backed up just enough to let her body slide down mine before stepping away from her.

Stella’s gaze darted around the room while she gripped both sides of her shirt, trying to cover her full breasts with her hard nipples peeking through the delicate pink lace of her bra.

“Consequences?” She barked out a laugh. “What more could you do? You’ve already taken everything from me.”

“I haven’t begun to take from you.”

“Is that a threat?”

“It’s a promise. I have decided you will be useful for my future plans. And I won’t allow your childish temper tantrums to stand in the way of what will be a lucrative and beneficial merger of assets between us.”

“A merger! Do you hear yourself? It’s a marriage, not a business deal.”

I shrugged one shoulder. “Same difference as far as I’m concerned.”

She crossed her arms. “Well, you can just merge your assets with some other woman, because I’m not interested.”

My fingertips rubbed the center of my forehead. Fuck, I hated tedious complications. “Once again, you are assuming you have a choice. I’m not sure how I can make myself clearer. This is happening.”

She bared her teeth. “Over my dead body.”

I chuckled as I shrugged out of my suit jacket. Twisting off first the left, then the right diamond cufflink, I said, “That could be arranged. After the honeymoon, of course.”

Stella lurched backward as if she’d been struck. “I’ll go to the media.”

“I control the media.”

“The police then.”

“Them too.”

She slid along the wall farther away from me. “You can’t get away with this.”

The heavy cufflinks clattered against the conference table surface as I tossed them aside before reaching for the buckle of my belt. “I already have.”

Her eyes widened. “Stay away from me.”

“No.” I unbuckled my belt and slowly pulled it from the loops.

I bent the belt in half, then tested it against my thigh. The leather did give a satisfying snap, and the sting was intense. Perfect for what I needed it for.

“What are you going to do with that belt?” Her voice was shaking as she pressed her body against the wall.

“Whatever the fuck I want,” I growled, reaching out and wrapping my hand in her hair before pulling her away from the wall and bending her over the large conference table in the middle of the room.

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