Chapter Sixteen

**Tempest**

I sit quietly as one of the men brings us drinks, myself included. I’m forced to take a shot of whiskey for my nerves and Sargent keeps one hand on my thigh at all times. He wins a few hands, loses a few, but it isn’t until Devon, the suit guy who I know now to be called Banks, and the last guy in a leather cut who isn’t serving drinks, are out, that things get tense and Sargent releases me.

At this point it’s no longer a game of skill but a game of luck and stupidity.

Their piles of chips shift in height as they both win and lose. That is until finally, after another hour and a few more drinks giving them both a buzz, Sargent leans back and speaks.

“This is getting boring.”

“I agree,” Stone replies, winking at me. “You wanna make it more interestin’?”

“Depends what you want,” Sargent places his hand back on my thigh.

“Depends on what you want.”

His warm hand stiffens, gripping my thigh with near pain as he looks at his cards again. “I want out of our contract.”

Stone’s eyes turn… well… stony. “Scuse me?”

What sort of contract does he have with this kind of person? Stone oozes danger. He terrifies me.

“I lose, you get a bigger percentage,” Sargent continues, shrugging and downing the rest of his drink.

Devon eyes them both warily. I just want to be anywhere but here.

Stone grins, showing a slither of teeth beyond his parted lips. He too leans back and looks at me. “I’ll accept your deal, but you’ll have to sweeten it.” His eyes drag over me again, his tongue runs over his lip, making it shine in the soft light coming from the kitchen area. “If I win, I get thirty percent of your company, and a night with your girl.” The room stills and Sargent’s hand grips my thigh so hard it hurts.

My stomach is in knots. I feel sick. He can’t be serious?

“That’s only a ten percent increase, I’m being generous,” Stone adds, looking at me again.

“You can’t be fucking serious?” Devon laughs humorlessly, standing quickly. “We don’t trade women, especially unwilling women.”

“Only need a few seconds to work my magic and she’ll be as willing as a bitch in heat.”

I look at Sargent who has yet to talk. He’s staring at Stone, a vacant look in his eye.

“Are you considering it?” I hiss, pulling away so sharply I nearly fall from my chair.

“Just one night, can’t promise she won’t leave you for me though.” Stone winks at me as I look back and forth between them.

“I don’t want to sleep with you.”

He looks unphased by my words and simply stares down Sargent. “You called this for your freedom, didn’t you?”

“This game is over,” Sargent declares, standing and pulling me up beside him.

My body deflates, the fear leaving me as he pulls me into his side and kisses my hairline.

“Aww, man, I was just twisting your dick.” Stone grins, leaning back but his eyes linger on me. “Don’t end the game.”

“I think it’s prudent at this point.” Sargent’s arm remains firmly around my shoulders. “I need to look into who the fuck was in my yard looking at my woman in her room.”

Stone’s eyes become stony again. “I hear that. You need any help dealing with the creep you just let me know.”

Sargent nods his thanks and looks at Devon. “See them out, I need to check over the surveillance.” I look up at his profile and smile at him shakily. My body is still humming from the adrenaline of the night but even more from the fact he just ended the game for me. I know, from his earlier tone, how important this was to him, I hope he gets another chance to make the changes he needs.

“You figure out who it is, just call,” Stone insists, shaking Sargent’s hand and winking at me. “We’ll make sure he doesn’t bother you again. You know you got our protection, Wolf. Use it.”

Sargent leads me to the stairs.

I let him guide me to his room which when I enter, I take in like it’s the first time seeing it. I’ve been in here a few times but I can’t help appreciate it with each visit. The dark wall on the left, the windows overlooking Malibu and the yard, the four-poster king bed with dark blue bedding and rather fluffy white pillows. It’s a nice room. A really nice room.

The rug is still in the corner of the two walls of glass that the bed rests opposite. I bite my lip at the sight of it. We haven’t touched it since the day of the photos. I imagine it still smells like the sweet, strawberry body oil.

“Are you alright?” he asks me softly when I stop in the space between his bed and the door. His fingers dig into my shoulders and arms, sliding up and down. It feels nice and helps alleviate some of the stress I feel. I’m not sure anything has kicked in yet. My mind keeps replaying the man at the window with the knife, then fast-forwarding to the moment Stone decided to enter me into the wager.

“I thought you were considering his offer,” I whisper, recalling Sargent’s face

He kisses my neck, which feels so good, and wraps his arms around my waist as we stare across the dark room together. I shiver in his embrace, always ready and willing to be touched by him. “Never.”

“You told him I’m yours.”

“You are,” he murmurs, trailing the tip of his nose along the edge of my hair. “I’d never hurt you.”

His words stop my breathing. “Don’t say things that will make me feel more for you than I should.”

He walks me to the rug and doesn’t stop until my bare toes are wriggling in the super soft faux fur. When his fingers find the hem of my dress and lift, I raise my arms and wet my lips.

“We’re just sex,” I say quietly. “We’re just doing this. No complications.”

His hand holds mine above my head as he circles me and then dips his lips to kiss my throat. After hooking my arms around his neck, large, warm hands finally drift over my curves before palming my breasts through the black lace.

“You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on.”

His words and following kiss make everything else melt away for a while. He normally has me on my back by now but he seems content to just taste me and I’m okay with that. I like kissing him. More than I should.

“Get in bed,” he whispers after another moment. “I have to deal with Devon, check the surveillance and lock up. In no particular order.”

I’m about to protest when he lifts me into his arms and strides to his bed. He lays me on it and looks at me with so much longing.

“I’ll be back soon.”

“Maddox will be home soon,” I remind him, talking about the fact I’m in his bed and not my own.

“I know,” he replies, kisses me again as I pull the blanket over my body, still donning my underwear. I’ll get changed into one of his tops after he’s gone. “I won’t be long.”

Does that mean he’s actually going to sleep with me?

I don’t know how I feel about that. Normally he fucks me and goes away or escorts me back to my own room, or essentially kicks me out. Hence the fact when we do screw, it’s usually in my room because it complicates things less. This is whole new territory.

**Sargent**


I watch the man stand at her window, the cameras around the house caught him trying the back door, but getting spooked and running around the side of the house as a way to escape, only to find her in her room, likely trying on her new belongings as she said she was doing before she saw him.

He tugs on his dick, his movements fast and almost angry as his other hand grips the knife. It looks like a standard knife that we use to chop things up in a kitchen. This terrifies me even more because what the fuck is he going to do with it? Why was he trying to get into my house? Who is he looking for? Was it her all along? Does he know her? It’s hard to tell who it is due to his hood being up but I have a couple of half-decent stills of his face. I’m going to edit them for a clearer look.

I’ve sent a few through to Stone, and some to Devon who left twenty minutes ago, and some to Tucker, my company’s head of security.

There’s little else I can do but wait to see if they recognize him. I plan on showing some of the edited stills to Tempest but I don’t plan on telling her about the fact he has masturbated to her through the glass. It makes me sick knowing he stood there for over an hour watching her, twisting that knife in his hand.

Until we catch this fool we can’t let her out of our sight.

I have never known fear like the fear I felt when I heard her scream. It had us all tossing up our cards and racing to her room. Stone had his gun out before he was even out of his chair.

I’ve never heard a scream of fear like that before.

I’m still feeling the adrenaline from it.

The house is locked up and safe, my son is on his way home but I don’t plan on keeping her out of my sight tonight. He can discover us and question me all he likes, tonight I just need to keep her close and keep her safe.

On that note, I shut down my computer and join her in bed. She’s rid her delectable body of the underwear that we all unfortunately saw her in and is wearing one of my T-shirts and a pair of my boxer briefs. She still looks ridiculously sexy.

I climb in behind her and lie on my back, looking up at the ceiling, fighting the urge to wrap my body around hers. This is getting complicated.

I double-check on the pistol in my bedside table, it’s loaded, the safety is on, it’s there for when I need it. I mean if I need it which I hope I never will.

Sighing, I rub my hand over my face and glance at the sleeping woman beside me again.

Why did it have to be her? Why can’t I be with anybody but her right now? Feeling the way I feel…

I don’t even know what I feel, but I know that it’s more than I should and definitely not just sex anymore.

“Stop,” she murmurs, tensing in her sleep. “Please, just stop.”

“Tempest,” I whisper, placing my hand on her stomach.

She curls into me immediately and sighs. Her hand rests on my chest and her thigh shifts over mine. I adjust my arm under her neck and relax. This is not something I do but I’ll allow it because it feels really fucking nice. She feels really fucking nice.

She smells of berries too, which is also really fucking nice.

I drift to sleep and I don’t even feel it.

Warmth surrounds my cock.

So much warmth and wetness.

My eyes blink open, it’s still dark but I feel her hands digging into my chest, I feel her bucking against me, slowly at first but faster when she sees me open my eyes.

“What a way to wake up,” I groan as my balls begin to burn and tingle and my cock gets harder and thicker inside of her.

She moans, leaning forward and pressing her forehead to mine as her hips circle and move.

“Do that thing you do,” she breathes, squeezing her eyes shut.

“That thing?” I question, gritting my teeth because I’m so sensitive I might only last another minute if I don’t focus.

“With your thumb,” she snaps, sounding angry at me for not immediately knowing what the fuck she’s talking about.

“As you wish.” I grin in the dark, sliding my hands up her thighs as she continues to bounce on me, sitting upright again. My thumb finds her clit and rolls over it, softly at first but then quicker as she gets wetter.

She mewls and gasps and I know I’m doing it just right. It doesn’t help me much though because she’s squeezing my dick like never before.

“Your pussy feels like a fucking clamp,” I laugh, grabbing her hip with my free hand and forcing her to slow down a bit.

She growls at me and glares too as her hand grabs mine and brings it to her breast. Oh, I like this version of Tempest. She’s bossy, and needy. An excellent combination in the bedroom.

“That’s it,” I tell her, smiling smugly as she grinds on my cock and I play with her sensitive clit. “Get angry, fuck me.”

“Yes,” she murmurs through her moans and her eyes close. She’s losing it. Thank fuck. I’ve been struggling to hold on for a while now. I want to roll her over and power into her until I find my release but seeing her so wild, free, and unashamed has to be the sexiest thing I’ve witnessed in my entire life. “Sargent…”

“That’s it… say my name, baby. Remember whose cock it is you’re fucking.”

She stops and gives me a look. “You serious right now?”

I laugh and roll her onto her back before kissing her lips, still shaking with laughter.

She joins in the amusement until I slowly roll my hips back and sharply thrust forward.

I groan when she comes, the walls of her sex flutter, quiver, and pulse around me, making me join her. Why have I never felt like this before her? Why has sex never been this good? With or without a condom it’s incredible with her.

She’s stunning, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I wish I was joking.

I collapse on top of her and fall asleep before my head hits the pillow.

When I wake up again, she’s still fast asleep beside me and unfortunately, somebody is standing at the end of our bed. At first, I panic, ready to reach for my gun, but then I see who it is, and mutter a curse under my breath.

“Maddox…”

He looks at me with so much hatred in his eyes. I never wanted him to look at me like that.

“Aren’t you going to tell me it’s not what it looks like?” he grits, his hands fisted by his sides.

Tempest stirs, I feel her shift on my chest.

I roll out from under her, startling her.

“I was going to talk to you,” I say honestly because I was. I’d decided to tell him, with or without her permission because I plan on taking her out on my arm. I plan on making it known that she’s mine because I’m not ready to let her go yet. Even as fucked up as this is, I just need a bit more time with her. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way.”

“Maddox.” She sits upright, her eyes wide as she grips the blanket to her chest and I yank up my boxers that she tugged down last night.

“Him?” Maddox asks her, his face crumpled with disgust. “My dad, Tempest? Really? You’re fucking him?”

She stares at him, wide-eyed and frightened.

“Son…”

“Don’t fucking call me son. I told you to stay away from her!”

I pass her the T-shirt she was wearing when I crawled into bed with her and she immediately yanks it on.

“Let’s talk about this downstairs, over coffee…” I try, reaching for my son but he shoves me away with the strength of a man and I go back a step.

“Fuck you,” he hisses.

“Mad…” Tempest whispers, her eyes swimming with tears as she climbs out of bed and reaches for his arm. He shakes her off, gently in comparison to how he handled me.

“Mad, please,” she begs, chasing after him.