Page 64 of Sinner

Good girl.

He made the mistake of grabbing her arm, pulling her away with a hard jerk.

“Hey. Don’t you know who I am?” he barked.

“An asshole?” she responded.

I was proud of her, but far too angry to allow the moment to go unnoticed.

Or unpunished.

I snapped my fingers around his arm, digging the tips into pressure points.

The hold was instantly painful. I could tell that by the way Dorn winced. I did my best to hold back my anger as he tugged him toward me. “The lady isn’t interested, Dorn. I suggest you realize your limits.”

I was being kinder than I’d thought I had in me. I sensed Jessica was irritated instead of being thankful I’d intervened.

He jerked his arm away, adjusting his tuxedo jacket as if I’d somehow sullied his attire. “I know it’s your party, Xander, but you don’t own me.”

“Are you certain about that? Let’s be clear. You wouldn’t have a job if it wasn’t for our reality games. You know that. Everyone knows that. Your invitation was as a courtesy, but can be revoked at any time. You will not accost my guests.”

“King of the world. Aren’t you, Blackwell? One day you’ll get what’s coming to you.” He turned his attention back to Jessica and I crowded his space.

“I’m only going to say this once. Do not touch Ms. Turner or I will toss you out myself and trust me, it won’t be a pleasant experience.”

He snorted and acted like he was going to continue pushing my buttons. Fortunately for him, he decided otherwise and stormed away.

“What a jerk,” Jessica muttered.

“An asshole,” her friend said.

I watched him walking away before slowly turning my attention in Jessica’s direction. Seeing her in the stunning, form-fitting red dress with a long slit up her perfect leg, I found it difficult to act like a gentleman myself.

Yet she had a scowl on her face.

“Mr. Blackwell, while I do appreciate you looking out for your guests, I’m a big girl and I’ve been known to kick men like that to the curb.”

“I’m certain you have.”

Her friend was watching our banter with excited interest.

Jessica walked closer, the tall heels only requiring her to tilt her head by a couple of inches. “Yes. I learned a long time ago most men think women are weak. We are anything but.”

The friend cleared her throat. “Sophie. Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

It was interesting to note her friend was in on the ruse. Good for both. They were tight, something I admired, but had learned from sharing far too many secrets with the wrong man that I would never allow myself to become close to anyone ever again.

“Stephanie Winters, meet Xander Blackwell, one of the owners of the Blackwell Group.” When Jessica stated my name, it was done with a hint of repulsion. I wondered what I’d done to her prior to meeting her in the office. There was something familiar about Stephanie, yet I couldn’t pinpoint if I’d met her before. Maybe in passing during a gaming event.

Winters. Ah, yes. How could I forget? Her father had attempted to join the Obsidian Society. Another well-kept secret was that on rare occasions, we accepted members who had nothing to do with the company, but their influence could provide us with important connections. We’d turned him down cold and since then, he’d been a thorn in our side. Fortunately, he’d been smart enough to maintain the requirement of the NDA.

Stephanie stuck out her hand purposely, eyeing me with caution. Jessica had obviously mentioned her dislike of me. There were so many filthy things that were running through my mind of what I’d like to do to the beautiful woman that it was obscene.

“It’s lovely to have such stunning women light up the room.” I wasn’t a man to give idle compliments to anyone, but I wasn’t lying. They were exquisite.

“Be careful, Steph. Xander is a snake in the grass. If you’ll excuse us, Mr. Blackwell, we’ve yet to grab a drink and right now, I need one.” She wasn’t asking permission nor was she willing to wait to hear my response. She took long strides away from me and my desires turned even darker than before.

Oh, yes, soon she would be asking for permission for everything, including whether she could come. She would also be begging me to fuck her.

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