Page 61 of Queen Of Dark Money

Fuck, the confidence and dominance oozing from him was equal parts arousing and infuriating.

Iwanted to rip his hair out, and at the same time,Iwanted to bend over and ask him to grip mine while he railed my brains out.

Conflictingemotions were abitch.

Hisgrip slipped as he wormed one hand up my chest, grabbing onto a breast like he owned me, likeIwas his fuck toy, a bitch who’d do anything for a leg up–literally.Hemoaned in my ear, the sound grating against every nerve ending in my body.Icringed away from him, hoping it’d be enough to encourage him to let me go.NotthatI’dcomplain if he didn’t under any other circumstance, but this wasn’t howIwanted this to go.

Ofcourse,Icouldn’t have been that lucky.

“Wheredo you think you’re going, sweet tits?”Henuzzled the side of my neck again, purring in my ear. “I’mnowhere near finished with you.”

Hissecond hand left my wrist, assumingI’dsit still and follow his orders.Heunderestimated me, though, and as it rose on my thigh and tried to worm its way under my skirt,Ispun on his lap and kneed him in the balls, scrambling for the door as he fell to the floor, writhing in pain.

Hisswearing followed me into the hall asItripped over the rug on the ground, frantically stumbling along untilIreached the stairs.Iknew the way–Sevenhad led me through this very hall to take me toRiverbeforeIslipped out of his line of sight and lined up for the pole.IfIwas going to be stuck in a fucking strip club, the leastIcould do was enjoy myself.AndImanaged to hide some of the cash, so the odds of escape were looking better.

Atleast ifIgot away from them,Icould afford a fucking cab back toEddy’soffice.

Iflung myself atRiver’soffice door, praying he hadn’t locked it, and was pleased to find it unlocked.Theguard at the end of the hall paid me no mind, and with the sound of an angryRafeon my heels,Iwasted no time shutting the door, turning the lock behind me, and sliding to the ground in relief.

Justin time, too.Rafeslammed his body against the reinforced office door, cussing up a storm at the barred entry.Icould feel his kick reverberate through my spine asIleaned against the door, panting heavily.Iwas afraid that ifImoved, he’d find a way in, andIcouldn’t risk it.

Justthen, a body on the couch moved, moaning something awful as it rolled and hit the floor.

“Fuck, this bed is harder than concrete,”Riverswore, shoving off the ground with one arm. “WhereamI?”

“Youroffice,”Isaid betweenRafe’skicks, wincing at the sensation of being nailed right on the spine.Eventhrough two layers of wood, it still hurt like a bitch.

Riversurveyed me, staring like he’d never seen me before, and then shook his head, blinking away confusion. “WhenItoldMaxineto send up some clothes,Ididn’t think she’d make you look like a stripper.Sorryabout that.”

Igiggled at his slurred apology. “Noworries.Notthe skimpiest thingI’veever worn.”Rafeslammed his fist into the door above my head, and nowIwas practically seeing stars. “Fuck, this guy doesn’t take a hint, does he?”

Rivergroaned, holding his head for a moment to regain his composure. “Rafe?” he asked simply, looking at me for an answer.

“Theone and only,”Ireplied, wincing with the next hit. “Canyou take him in your state, if he gets in?”

Riverlaughed and sat upright, leaning against the bottom of the sofa. “Hewon’t.”Hissmile widened, andIfound myself mirroring it despite the pain lancing through my bruised back.“Thatdoor is reinforced because my safe is in here.Rafedoesn’t have the power to break through it.”

“Areyou sure?”Iinched away from the door with some trepidation, but if anyone knew this place and the force it could withstand, it would be the bastard who owned it. “Idon’t wanna deal with him if he gets through it.”

Isettled in next to him on the floor, my hands in my lap, ass chilled from the cold concrete beneath me.Hiseyes were looking anywhere but at me, but his body shifted to lean into mine.Ididn’t fight him.Hell, he was wasted; he probably didn’t even realize he was doing it.

“I’llkeep you safe,” he whispered, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. “Don’tstress it, sweetheart.Ipromise.”

Irelaxed a little and leaned back, closing my eyes for a moment.Ididn’t think he’d stay conscious long, soIwanted to enjoy the moment while it happened.Theidea of sleep was a vague one, but it teased at the edges of my brain, taunting me as it skated around commitment, refusing to settle down.

IfIcould just grab a few minutes of shut-eye–

“Whatmade you come down here, sweetheart?”Rivermurmured against my shoulder, his lips sending shivers down my spine.

Itried not to move, tried desperately not to show him how affected by himIwas.Ididn’t know ifIcould trust him, butIhad no choice.Whatwould it hurt to tell him what happened upstairs?

“Rafegot handsy.”

River’shead shot up like he’d been electrocuted. “Excusethe fuck out of me, but what?”Hisslow blink was cute, in a lazy sort of way. “You’rekidding.”

“Nope,”Ireplied, shaking a little as his arm slid behind me and tucked itself around my waist. “Oh.”

“Thefloor is cold.Getup on the couch.”Hewaited untilI’dcrawled up, then stood, albeit a bit shakily, and moved toward a second door on the far wall. “I’vegot a blanket and some bar shirts in here.Doyou want one for the night?”

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