Page 19 of Arran's Obsession

“You’ve agreed to fuck me, but what about anyone else I order?” he asked. “Like right now. Get on the floor. Take off that dress.”

“W-what?”

But as I stuttered, an awful, icy recognition suddenly hit me.

That voice. The shape of him. I’d touched that rounded shoulder. Heard him say nicer words in a gentler tone. He’d tended to my injuries and returned to check I was okay.

I stood on shaky limbs. Crept forward to the desk so I could see beyond the blinding light and confirm my suspicion. The soulless grey eyes over the mask held mine.

Arran.

The man I’d spent two nights thinking about. He’d told me he worked in management. Liar. He led a fucking gang.

Outrage had my mouth dropping open, anger bubbling up. Reality quickly followed, my skin crawling from the hostility of the room and the wall of gang members.

Arran kept that steady gaze fixed on me. “You heard me. Prove yourself if you want me to believe a word you fucking say. You want to spread your legs for money? Get ready to be fucked.”

A wave of overwhelm eclipsed every other emotion.

Again, I fled the man and didn’t look back.

Chapter 6

Arran

Convict gave a low whistle. “Damn, that was rough.”

I glowered at him, unspeaking.

“What? You did the right thing in scaring the pretty little rabbit off. She didn’t belong here. She’s probably wearing a wire or some shit anyway. You were smart with your words.”

He left the office, Shade giving me a quirked eyebrow then following him. Leaving me with Alisha and her judging stare.

“That was cruel,” she said.

“Convict’s correct. She’s wrong for this place.”

“Even so, you don’t talk to the girls like that.” Her tone held a question as much as an admonition.

Fifteen years ago, Alisha had been one of my father’s pets, experienced and skilled though barely older than my twelveyears. She’d been allocated to see me into manhood. To take my virginity and start me on the path my father wanted me to follow.

She and I had spent most of our time in my room in his mansion playing videogames.

“Who is she? You knew her, didn’t you?” Alisha persisted.

I chewed over that, working back through the woman appearing in front of my car. Her calling to me from her window. Why the fuck I’d gone back to look for her?

“She’s sweet, a complete innocent,” Alisha continued. “She watched a private show and blushed so red she practically glowed in the dark. Then when Lara brought her back here and talked about the game, she shut down and didn’t make a peep. Lara told me outside the door. What’s the deal with her? There’s a reason you gave her that leeway. A freaking tour.”

“It was necessary.”

She paused, her gaze pensive and something else there I didn’t recognise. “I’ve never seen you like that. I don’t trust her.”

“She’s no one, drop it,” I snapped, ending the conversation.

Because she wasn’t. Not to me, not now. I was almost certain that Genevieve had targeted me for some reason I could only guess at. Maybe she worked for a rival gang or some other agency who wanted a piece of what I’d made. I had more enemies than I could count. A selection of whom would do anything to take me down.

My life was a balance of staying alive and running the business, and no pretty face was going to compromise either.

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