Page 43 of Cruel Dominion

But black suit guy only grinned at my response. “Smart girl. Best not to get into cars with strangers.”

“We’ll wait here until you’re safely back to where you belong, Miss Vaughn,” jean guy added, jerking his chin in the direction of the road that would lead me back to David. “Go on, now. It’s not safe over here.”

I couldn’t believe I was just going to walk out of here, but as I turned and left, walking as fast as I could without breaking into a full on sprint, the men didn’t come after me. But I could feel their nearness. As if they were following at a distance. Only a few blocks away.

Our employer didn’t want to worry you.

Who the hell hired them?

Dad wouldn’t be above hiring bodyguards to follow me around. But he’d also probably tell me to my face. Plus, they would have brought David with them. It can’t have been him.

There was only one other billionaire in my life who was that presumptuous.

Carter Cole paid to have me followed.

14

CARTER

“Mr. Cole! I didn’t expect to see you here.”

An older woman who managed a hotel I owned approached me. I couldn’t recall her name, but it didn’t matter. I had no intention of talking to her.

She hovered several feet away, waiting for me to acknowledge her greeting. I glared at her and saw her face go pale. With a respectful nod, she backed away into the crowd of elegant guests.

I managed to scare away anyone who dared to try and sit down at my table. When I found out Hudson Vaughn had RSVPed to a charity dinner gala, I dropped a hundred thousand on a table of my own. I didn’t bother trying to fill it with guests, or even showing up for the meal.

All the action I was interested in started after dessert was served.

That was when guests would start to mingle. A band would play, people would dance. Then, I’d finally get the chance to sneak away with the reason I’d come tonight.

I spotted Anna the minute I entered. Her hair was lacquered into frozen curls falling over one slender shoulder. Her long-sleeved deep red gown covered every inch of skin, but hugged her figure perfectly. I couldn’t stop staring at the curve of her peachy ass. I could still remember how it felt under my hands a few days ago.

Fuck, it had been too long since I touched her.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one admiring her. Every straight rich asshole in this whole goddamned estate was staring at my girl. I made a mental list of names, noting anyone who needed their eyeballs plucked out.

Anna tucked her hand into her father’s arm while he led her through the crowd. Hudson stopped to speak with every single man under fifty, cutting short conversations with women and married couples. It couldn’t be more obvious what he wanted. He planned to marry his daughter off to whoever made the most advantageous match.

I stared as the pair stopped to talk with a tech CEO who recently graced the cover of Time Magazine. He had a reputation as a Silicon Valley playboy, and he obviously wanted Anna as his next conquest. The way he looked at her body, I was surprised his eyes didn’t pop out of his head.

It was enough to make me want to destroy him.

Fortunately for him, Anna didn’t even notice. She kept looking back at me, rage shining in her green eyes. Clearly, she was still angry that I’d gotten her to admit who hurt her.

Good. Better she be angry at me than flirtatious with anyone else.

I planned to hunt her down, but this was better. I’d wait for her to come to me.

Even when Vaughn introduced Anna to a gold-mining heir and a French ambassador, I barely felt a prick of jealousy. Those men seemed not even to exist to her. They were just obstacles, keeping her busy while she searched for a way to evade her father and come for me.

I leaned back in my chair, satisfied. My cock hardened in my pants every time I caught her emerald eyes flashing at me from across the room.

Anna and I meeting was inevitable, just like everything between us was.

We were like magnets. Always had been. While she was away she’d flipped her magnetic poles to keep me away, but they were turned back now and there was no separating us.

Finally, Vaughn left Anna alone with a real estate titan from Dubai. No doubt, he hoped the two of them would hit it off in Hudson’s absence.

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