At forty years old, he looked good. Even with the life he lived, he took care of himself. He’d seen nothing but ugly all of his life. Knew the scum that lived among them. As he rose to power, taking over the city with an iron fist, he’d come to see that the wealthy could be even uglier than he ever imagined. Their greed knew no bounds. They came to him for every single dirty secret.
He stepped back, stripped out of his clothes, and got inside the shower. After he turned the water on, the rush of coldness ran down his back, soaking his hair. Tilting his head back, he wanted the cold to wash away the rampant need to fuck.
His cock ached. His balls were tight. His length stiff and ready to pound Laura’s pussy. No other woman would do.
Gabe wrapped his fingers around his length, closing his eyes and imagining the woman he wanted to possess more than anything.
Laura enticed him as no other. She was the prize he wanted to take.
He started from the base and worked up to the tip. Up and down, he slid his hand over his dick, feeling the need driving him.
She was more fire than he could ever have hoped for. The thought of her going to her knees, taking his cock between those lips, it was too much. Even better was her spreading her legs and begging for him. Hungry for him.
He worked his dick faster, feeling his orgasm build.
Slamming his hand against the tile wall, he spilled his cum onto the waiting shower floor below. His cum drained down the plug as he caught his breath.
It had been years since he’d used his hand to give himself pleasure. Women were at the push of a button, but the only woman he wanted was Laura.
After rinsing his body, he climbed out of the shower and headed back to the bedroom.
Laura would belong to him. It was just a matter of time. Every woman had their price, as did every single man.
With this woman, he was going to make her fall for him and what he could give her. She’d had power taken away from her as a young child. No one had wanted her. That kind of pain left a scar, he was certain of it. He’d repair it by offering her everything and only expecting her body in return. She’d belong to him by the end of the week. There was only so much a woman could take before she belonged to him.
He picked up his cell phone and organized the first delivery for tomorrow. A bouquet of roses.
Gabe flicked to her social media account again and noticed the rose tattoo on the inside of her arm. The only piece of ink on her skin and on her right inner wrist. The woman must love roses, and that was exactly what she was going to have.
Chapter Two
The bouquet of roses arrived first.
She sent them back. They were beautiful but unnecessary.
Next, a gold bracelet.
She returned it.
Chocolates.
A watch.
Tickets to a show.
A necklace.
Clothing.
A check with lots of zeros on.
She sent it all back.
All the gifts came from Gabe. They were pointless.
It had been two weeks since their first date, and he’d done nothing but send her lots of gifts. There was no reason to. She didn’t accept any of them.
Their date had been fun, but she didn’t see it necessary to accept any gift from him.
By the third week, she figured he’d given up whatever he was trying to do. Only, when she entered her first job on Monday, she discovered something … annoying. Her last paycheck waited for her. They had to let her go. The only job she’d ever been fired from was at the restaurant. Rather than cause a scene, as the owner wouldn’t look at her, she had an idea of what happened.
In a matter of hours, her second job also magically came to an end for no good reason. She gritted her teeth and started to interview for other places. Every single place miraculously had no work. In a city where she’d never struggled for work, suddenly they had everyone they needed.
By the end of that third week and a call from her landlord about raising the rent due the following day, she’d had enough.
The jewelry and pointless gifts were one thing. Taking her job and now raising her rent was another thing entirely.
One date. He hadn’t asked for anything else. She had no choice but to go get a decent meal afterward.
Now, she was angry. Actually, she was fucking infuriated, that was what she was. She ran a hand down her face trying to contain her anger. Nothing helped.
If rumors were true, she knew where his main office was. She paid a cab to take her to it. The line to get into the nightclub was long.
She wasn’t going to be waiting all night.
Squaring her shoulders, she walked up to the guard controlling the line and smiled at him.
“I need to see Gabe Moore,” she said. She wore a jacket that she tightened at her waist.
He glanced up and down at her and shook his head. “You need to go to the back of the line.”
Licking her lips, she looked past his shoulder and caught sight of one of the men who’d been by Gabe’s side during their only date. He watched her. Had he been waiting for her?
Unbolting her coat, she let the jacket spill down to the ground where she left it. She removed the pin from her hair, allowing her long brown hair to fall all around. Stepping up to the guard, she put a hand on his chest. “How about you and I go someplace?”
The man changed instantly. His hand went to her ass.
She counted in her head. One, two, three…
The hand was tugged off her ass and her arm was grabbed. Bingo. Gabe had been watching, just as she knew he would be, or one of his minions was. Within seconds, she was inside his nightclub. One she’d never frequented but had heard a lot about. She didn’t get to stay long as she was tugged toward doors guarded by two men. From there, she was walked up a flight of stairs. Then she waited as the man holding her arm knocked on the door.
Silence.
She waited.
“Come in.”
The man pulled her into the office.
“She was outside attempting to lure Ben to spend some time with her.”
Laura raised her brow but didn’t dispute it. She would’ve used whatever means she could to get inside this stupid building to see the man himself.
And there he stood like a king looking over his minions. The dance floor was in full display, but there was no sound coming into the office. The music had been loud.
“That will be all, Felipe,” Gabe said.
The man who’d grabbed her left without a single response. She didn’t bother to look back but stared at the man who was in her shit books.
“Hello, Laura.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Excuse me.”
“The gifts. The jewelry. I can understand all of them. Little trinkets in an attempt to buy me off.”
“All of which you didn’t accept.”
“I have no reason to,” she said. “My work. My home. Make your calls. I want my job back. Now.” She took a step toward him as he rounded his desk and leaned against it. His arms were folded, and she hated that he looked amused by this meeting.
“You haven’t mentioned your social media page.”
“I don’t give a fuck about them. They don’t pay the bills. My job, which I’m really good at, does. I want it back. You’re in the wrong.”
“You think you’re going to tell me.” He stood up.
Most would be threatened by him. She knew in the back of her mind she should be screaming at herself to stop and back down. But this was her livelihood.