139
I shifted my gaze towards him first, then to Christian. “She won’t be of interest to either one of them. Only the three of us will be.”
“And what if something happens when she’s with us?” Weston asked through gritted teeth.
“It won’t because we won’t allow it to.”
Christian laughed, the sound bitter. “Same old Clinton. He thinks he can control the world.”
“Do you really want to spend your life wondering when or if you’re going to be shot at or arrested?”
Weston dropped his head, cursing under his breath.
“I hear what you’re saying, Clinton, but that beautiful woman doesn’t deserve to be used.” Christian was adamant. “I thought you were interested in Maria, not in the fact she’s simply someone we can share. That’s no longer acceptable. I want to spend time with someone I care about, not just want to fuck. I’m ready to share my life with a special lady. Maybe have a few kids. The three of us talked about sharing someone for a long damn time. And you know? The idea was ridiculous to me at first. Then the more I thought about it, the better I liked it. But I will not use her. No fucking way.”
“Ditto,” Weston snarled.
There was no denying what I’d wanted. I glanced in her direction, overwhelmed with the kind of desire that would never leave. I’d experienced it once in my life and lost it. I wouldn’t do it again. “I care about very few people. You both know that. Women matter little in my life, or at least they haven’t up to this point. Like you, Christian, I long for more than just a night or a weekend of fucking. It was fun while we were younger. It’s not fun any longer, just… it simply satisfies a physical need. I want her. Maria. The woman. The beautiful talent with a laugh that can light up a room. I want her body and soul, but yes, I want her damn love as well.”
The two men were silent for a few seconds. Then Weston moved in front of me once again. “Maybe you do have a heart after all, Clinton. If you really feel that way, then fine, we will enjoy getting to know her, hoping for more. But you will fucking promise me that you’ll do everything in your power to keep her safe. If anything happens to her, I’ll fucking kill you myself.”
I knew in my blackened heart that I would do anything to protect her, no matter the circumstances or the cost.
“Then so be it. We begin the process. Within a few days, the lovely Maria Sadler will belong to us.”
--
Maria
“Imagine what else we’re going to do to you, little pet? In the end, we’re going to fuck every hole, taking you over and over again.”
I could hear Clinton’s voice in the back of my mind, the promise sounding more like a warning during the middle of passion. While it should be unnerving as hell given the dream I’d had, my skin continued to tingle from the thought.
Déjà vu.
I wasn’t certain why I had that feeling other than it had struck me the moment the three men were standing together. As if we’d been together before. But with one being from New York, another from Philadelphia and Clinton from Chicago, I couldn’t imagine where I could have possibly been in the same place at the same time with them.
Maybe I’d gotten the feeling from the intense sexual prowess they exuded, but it remained unnerving.
Even some of the words they’d used had presented a thick fog over my mind, leaving an eerie feeling that I’d yet to shake.
Little pet. I stared at myself, thinking about what that would mean. I was no prude. I’d seen enough movies, had read countless romance novels about BDSM and submissive women. I’d convinced myself I couldn’t stand the thought, but now, I wasn’t so certain given my reaction to being pulled into a man’s lap.
Like I was a little girl.
Whew, it was suddenly very hot in the bathroom. I spritzed some perfume, then grabbed my purse, uncertain why I was so nervous.
Maybe because it wasn’t every day that a girl was asked out by three gorgeous men. At the same time. I laughed softly and returned my attention to the mirror, making faces at my reflection. I’d enjoyed a delightful lunch with them, although Clinton was called away on business only minutes after sitting down at the table. What had shocked me was the intensity of the three men as well as the obvious camaraderie.
That alone had instantly made me comfortable around them. I found them more than just pleasant to be around, their banter keeping me laughing almost the entire time. It was funny that they were so different in their actions and demeanor, yet they were also very close, even able to finish each other’s sentences.
However, there was an electric charge humming through all three men that exuded danger, as if I were their prey. It was something else I couldn’t push aside. I knew who and what they were. Perhaps that was the only reason for feeling that way.
The fact that they’d been college buddies and had remained friends wasn’t that unusual, but their strong connection was. Or maybe I didn’t know what I was talking about. Being in Julliard hadn’t necessarily given me a true representation of the life of a college student, especially since I’d only attended for one year. That was okay. I’d met all the right people, and here I was today, a mega star.
It was strange, though. As I’d waited for them while they’d had a business discussion, and I’d observed their actions to try and learn more about them. There was no denying their closeness or the fact that they were attracted to me. However, their conversation had taken a darker turn. At one point, I’d been certain they were going to start fighting. The strangest thing of all was that I was certain they were arguing about me.
As to whether they wanted to share or whether they had to fight amongst themselves for a date with me? A girl could dream that she was the object of affection for three hunky, powerful men.
I rolled my eyes and took another look before spinning around, checking the time on my phone. I wasn’t entirely certain where we were going or who would pick me up, but I’d been told to be ready at seven sharp.
While both Weston and Christian had told me what they did for a living, I gathered a sense that both men were dangerous as well. It was the way they carried themselves, and the fact that I’d caught a glimpse of the weapon Christian carried. He’d also scanned the restaurant and bar several times. Maybe the dead giveaway had been the beefy looking man standing only fifteen feet from the table on the bottom deck.
What I hadn’t told them was that during their lengthy discussion, I’d searched the internet on my phone. The information I’d found had been enough to skyrocket my pulse and should have been the reason I walked away from the table before they returned. Two were from mafia families, although Clinton’s family had disguised their operations, his parents living in the lap of luxury in the Hamptons alongside senators and ‘A’ list actors. Their businesses were mostly legit, though it had been easy to sort through the glossy magazine spreads and realize that their underground businesses had made their fortune.
Christian’s family either didn’t have that luxury or had never wanted to. In South America, they were gods, ruling almost everything. The fact that his father had been recently murdered had allowed for his rise to power.
Weston was the anomaly. His father had built a textile empire that had limited competition. However, he’d taken the massive corporation to a darker side, using blackmail on a regular basis. Or so said the single article I’d been able to scan prior to their return to the table. It had been written recently, including on a university they’d all attended. I’d tagged it as a favorite to return to at a later time.
Everything I’d learned had given me the chills, although strangely enough, I’d been excited the entire time I’d spent with them after their return. I’d felt alive, free of the obnoxious tether to being a good girl I’d had my entire life. I had no idea what to expect for the night, but I was looking forward to it, nonetheless.
When I heard my cellphone ring, I groaned. I was a grown woman living on my own and had been for years, yet my mother had told me more than once that she required a once-a-week check-in like I was still in high school. I adored my parents, but it was getting ridiculous.
“Hello, Mom. Yes, I’m doing great, Mom. Of course, I’ve been eating, Mom.” I couldn’t help but laugh when she snorted.
“Is that any way to talk to your loving mother?”
“It depends. How are you and Dad?”
“If the man will ever stop finding excuses to go back to work, I’d be just fine.”
“I thought he was retired for good.”
She sighed. The poor woman had been dealing with daddy going out of town with limited notice for years. Granted, she lived in a gorgeous estate in San Diego, but I knew how much she wanted to travel.
“You know your father. He likes to have his hands in the middle of everything. That’s just the way he is.”
“Oh, yes. Your daddy is an assassin for some terrible men.”
What the hell? I glanced from one side of the room to the other. A man’s voice. Oh, God. I was absolutely losing my mind or needed some additional sleep.
“Maria, are you there?”
