Owned by the Dom: Part One (The Owners) (9 page)

“Sean and Lucas won’t let me run. I’m thankful for your help, but I can’t finish it. This is my home.”

“I can’t protect you here. You’re too vulnerable.” Dane wanted to hurt something. All of his planning was for nothing.

“We know you want to save her, Dane. We’re going to help any way we can to get her back.”

He closed his eyes as he was once again swamped by the pain.

“Nothing is going to help if you two are still around when the shit hits the fan. They’re coming, and they’re going to collect.”

At his words silence descended on the room.

“James and Stephen have no idea how far back this thing goes, do they?”

Dane didn’t say a word. From what he’d read, neither did their father
s or their fathers before them. Whatever happened between Possession and Ravage was about to get a whole lot worse.

“I better go before someone notices I’ve gone.” Dane held both women’s shoulders trying to comfort them. “Please, get out of here before it is too late. You will be nothing but pawns in this war among men.”

He left them going straight to the bathroom when he saw Sean walking up the stairs. Dane locked the door staring at his reflection. He needed more time and more money.

Another part of him didn’t want James and Stephen to be hurt.

Dane closed his eyes shutting off the painful memories. He needed to get Isabella and Rebecca to safety. That was the one promise he was going to keep. The other, he’d die in her place if he had to.

****

“Do you really think they’ll be coming for us?” Isabella asked. Rebecca stared at the younger woman wishing she could give her something to help her feel safe.

“If Dane says he’s coming then he’ll be coming
, and if we’re here, we’re as good as dead.” Rebecca thought of Tate and Kevin. They were in love with her. She’d seen the possessive glint in their eyes whenever they looked at her. They wanted to keep her safe, and she hated the fact that they were in love with an illusion. The Rebecca they’d fallen in love with wasn’t the real person she was.

She blinked away the tears filling her eyes. Lloyd Black had destroyed every part of her that was good. Now, she did everything she could to survive.

“Why don’t we run?” Isabella asked.

“I think you should run. I can’t. I owe Cadeon and Stephen so much. They protected me from Lloyd when it got too bad. Then there
are Tate and Kevin.” She cut off her thoughts.

“They will love you no matter what,” Isabella said.

She shook her head. “They won’t. Not when they learn the truth. Who could love someone like me?”

Isabella held her close. She took the small amount of comfort that she could in the younger woman’s arms. They both owed Dane so much. Rebecca knew he was putting his life on the line to help them and the men who’d helped to free him.

“I can’t leave Lucas to this. He’s all I’ve got.”

“Then it looks like we’re staying until the end.” They held each other for several minutes.
It was the only comfort they could afford themselves in this perilous time. Rebecca knew it was only a matter of time before Possession and Ravage were a distant memory. She hoped and prayed they were all strong enough to deal with the danger that was lurking all around them.

Another meaningless day at work and her feet were tired from all the walking she’d done. She needed to find better fitting shoes. The heels she wore were not doing the job she wanted.
Prue loved the way the heels made her legs and ass look, but they were a nightmare on her feet.

She leaned back on her sofa, clicking on the television when her phone began
to ring. She ignored the shrill tone intent on disrupting her quiet time. The phone went ignored for the next few minutes until the phone lay silent in its cradle.

Her thoughts turned to James as the television showed a romantic comedy. It was too early for any decent movie to be playing. It had been four days since she’d
seen James. Monday seemed like an eternity away. Anya and Becky went to Ravage every night after work. They were addicted to the club. She’d declined to go, preferring to stay at home with a tub of chocolate ice cream to keep her company.

Prue flicked through the channels trying to find something to capture her attention when the phone began ringing once again.

She growled before getting out of her chair and answering the call. “Hello,” she said.

There was no sound on the other line. She put the phone down
, and it immediately began ringing again. Frowning, she picked the phone up, waiting for the person to respond. Goosebumps erupted on her arms as she heard heavy breathing on the other end. The sound filled her with terror. She’d seen plenty of movies with heavy breathers down the line.

“Who is this?” she asked.

No sound other than the heavy breathing. She put the phone down then turned to sit on the sofa.

The phone began ringing.

Prue picked the phone up and placed it against her ear. The heavy breather was back. She slammed the phone down and disconnected the phone from the wall. Prue stared at the phone and screamed when someone banged on her front door.

She put a hand to her brow
, feeling the sweat on her forehead. The neighbourhood she lived in was a good one. She walked to the door surprised to see who was on her doorstep. James stood waiting for her. Prue would recognise that frown anywhere. She soaked him in through the little keyhole.

“Open the door, Prudence. I know you’re standing there.” She stuck her tongue out and pulled a face before putting on a bland expression and opened the door.

“James, I’m surprised to see you here. Veronica doesn’t live here.” Her heart was racing partly from the phone call and mostly because having your wet dream on your doorstep would cause any body to have a meltdown.

“I’m not here to see Veronica. I’m here to see you.” He brushed past her without giving her chance to invite him in.

“You could have waited for an invitation.”

“I’m not a vampire, Prudence.” He moved into her sitting room, glancing around him. She gazed at him stood in her sitting room. The house was a nice size. With him inside the sitting room made her place feel ridiculously small. “Nice place.”

“Thanks. Do you want anything to drink?” she asked, pulling out her ponytail and allowing the locks to fall around her head.

“No. I want you to quit your job,” he said, turning to look at her.

“What? Why?”

“I know where you work
, and I don’t want you working there anymore,” he said, removing his coat.

The moment the coat was gone she lost all sense of her argument as she merely watched him.
His body was so large and muscular.

It is not the first time you’ve seen a decent body, Prue. He’s not even naked. Stop simpering
, you silly girl.

“You can’t tell me where to work,” she said, folding her arms underneath her breasts.

She saw it.

His gaze went down to her chest and quickly looked up at her. If she’d been looking elsewhere she’d have missed it. That one glance gave her hope.

Why are you hoping? He’s Veronica’s ex. You can’t have him.

She didn’t want him. You do.

Take what you want.

Prue felt like a bitch and was confused. Veronica was a happily married mother. Why couldn’t she be with James? Her life was turning into one long drama. She couldn’t stand it much longer.

“Give me one good reason why I should give up my job?” she asked, pulling his attention back to her. She wondered what he’d do if she opened her blouse revealing the white lacy bra she wore.

Stop! Don’t be bad, Prue.

She wanted to be bad with James so much.

“You work for Cadeon Ashwood,” he said.

“Wrong. I work in the building owned by Cadeon Ashwood. I’ve never met the guy. I know Violet, the woman he’s married to. She was a quiet little thing. I’m not quitting my job.”

She watched him grind his teeth. His jaw locked in anger.

“I’ve told you to quit your job.” He took a step closer.

Prue licked her lips from the way his gaze penetrated her own. She’d never seen him so serious before.

“No, you can’t order me around, James.” She stopped speaking the moment he stood in front of her. She stared up his body wondering what was going on in that mind of his.

“I don’t want you working for him.”

“He’s your friend?” She knew the answer. His and Cadeon’s name had been linked together in the news.

“I know
, and I don’t want you working for him, Prudence.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, Mr. Castleden, jobs are scarce in this market. The work I do for Cadeon is good
, and I get paid a decent wage. Not many women can say the same.”

Her heart was racing purely for him. His subtle masculine scent teased her nostrils. The scent of leather and hard muscled man was intoxicating. He w
ore his leather pants making him look sinful.

“What was your relationship with your professor, Prudence?” he asked.

She looked at him, staring into his eyes, and she knew. James had run a check on her. Prue knew she should be angry at him checking her out, but it made her pleased.

Prue loosened a hand and pressed her palm against the front of his shirt. She felt the coil of muscle tense against her touch. A chuckle escaped between her lips.

She took one step closer, closing the small distance between them. Her hand was the only part of her touching him. It was enough for her to feel the heat escaping from him.

“I never knew I was so important for you to check up on.” Her nipples were hard points
, and her pussy was on fire, her need escalating in a short space of time.

“What was your relationship with your professor?” he asked again.

She didn’t speak a word only stared at him.

What did it mean for him to be checking up on her? In her heart she thought it meant so much. Did he care about her? Want her the way she wanted him? Her head
, however, made her doubt herself.

He’d been with Veronica. She’d seen him happy and knew from the look on his face that he wasn’t happy.

“You’ve checked up on me, James. You find out what went on between the professor and me.”

She moved away taking a seat on her sofa. If she hadn’t been wearing her pencil skirt she’d have folded her legs under her. Prue picked up the remote and turned the volume up on the television. Her hand shook giving way to her nerves. She wanted to challenge James and show him she could give as good as she got.

“You fucked him, didn’t you?”

Her pulse leapt in her body. She’d never heard him be so crass before. Prue liked
the way the word “fucked” rolled off his tongue.

Again, she didn’t answer flicking through the channels instead.

“He was older than you, Prudence.”

She smiled recalling the way the other man had shown her the delights of the body.
It was a nicer and subtler way of saying how well the older man fucked.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the stress on his face from her lack of words. Why was she doing this to him? James had
always been nice to her.

He ran his fingers through his black hair with the few specks of grey. She wanted to run her own fingers through the locks. How would they feel when she tightened on the length as he drove his shaft inside her?

James sat down on the coffee table in front of her. She saw the bulge in his pants and knew he wanted her. The signs she’d been looking for on Monday were present now.

What should she do?

Prue didn’t want to be another notch on his bed post. Or a guilty fuck the next morning. She’d hate for him to regret being with her.

He took the remote from her hand and placed her hand within his. She saw how much bigger he was than
she. She wasn’t scared. His size comforted her. In the modern world they lived in, she knew she wasn’t supposed to need a man to keep her safe but she did. Prue liked the thought of being taken care of. Prue’s secret fantasy was to have a man who not only wanted to possess her, he also needed to own her.

****

James felt the smooth softness of her hand. Since the moment he learned she worked for Cadeon, alarm bells had been going off through his mind. He didn’t want her working for Cadeon, and he knew it was silly. He’d known Cadeon a long time. The man was completely devoted to his wife, Violet. All of James’s concerns were not founded. She was safe with Cadeon where at other offices she wouldn’t be.

No matter how many times he tried to talk himself out of it, he couldn’t stop the unease inside him. She shouldn’t be working for
Cadeon inside that office. Then to top it off, the report that Tate had given him explained the rather dubious relationship she’d had with her professor in college, Michael Lovell. He recognised the name and the man. He’d been a frequent visitor to the dungeon at one time. Prudence’s name had never been mentioned once.