Owned by the Dom: Part One (The Owners) Page 10

  Suddenly, he pulled away. Her own shirt had exposed the necklace she still kept around her neck.

  He spoke no words as he picked up the silver cross. “You’re wearing it.”

  She licked her lips and tasted him on her tongue. “You never gave me permission to remove it.”

  James laid the cross outside of the shirt. “Never hide it when you’re in my club.”

  “James?”

  He was gone. Prue stamped her foot. His disappearing act irritated her more than the job. He never gave her chance to talk about her position. She ran her fingers through her hair, then tied the length up with the band.

  She wondered what James had been thinking when he hired her. He was acting like he didn’t want her around.

  Prue left the safety of the closet. The broken glass had already been cleaned up. The bar remained busy, and Jermaine continued to train her.

  All the time she felt eyes on her.

  ****

  James watched her work on his computer screen. She spent a great deal of time cursing. He wondered if she cursed the job, or him. Most of his nights were spent watching her at the bar. Her training continued to be a slow process. The first night she’d been working Jermaine lost his temper. James had told the other man to either be patient or find another job. Now, Jermaine showed her nothing but kindness and patience.

  The kiss he’d shared with her had been a mistake. He’d not been able to help himself. Seeing that plump bottom lip between her teeth tantalised him. He’d needed another taste of her warm lips and soft body.

  The cross she wore captured his attention. She wore his token of dominance. Several members would see the token and leave her alone. They would know she belonged to him and no one else.

  He shook his head. For the past week he’d been making trips over to Possession. There was no fresh news from the paperwork. He’d looked through the files and seen nothing. Dane remained in their care with no more disappearing acts. He wondered what was going on over there. It was night time, and Stephen rarely had any clients at night anymore. James opened the drawer of his desk to find the folder with the paperwork he’d requested. All he needed to do was put his signature to the page, and Prudence would never struggle again in her life. He signed the document without blinking at the sum.

  He’d do anything to keep her safe. James knew where his thoughts were leading. This was how it had started for the others. His possessive feeling, the need to claim her as his own, only increased the more she was with him. He struggled to stay in his office when he saw other men flirting with her.

  She was not his.

  You want her to be.

  You can have her. Claim her. Own her.

  He opened his desk draw, placing the file into the drawer. The white envelope remained unopened in his desk. He stared at the thing that was responsible for bringing Prue back into his life. James hadn’t opened the letter.

  Running his fingers along the envelope, he decided not to open the letter yet. Veronica had been wrong about him. He wasn’t a monster, and he refused to be treated like one.

  He stared at his computer and saw Prudence serving once again.

  For the past week he’d let the taxi driver take her home. Tonight, he’d accompany her home. He liked to know she got home safe.

  ****

  Dane waited for Rebecca to lock her door. Isabella sat on the bed. The more he saw both women the harder it was for him to keep quiet. There were men in their lives who’d be able to keep them safe. He knew he could trust them with what he knew. Both women demanded he kept silent. Their silence was going to get them all killed. He stared out of the window, which overlooked the forests surrounding the property. His prison cell had contained bars when he was in England. This was an open prison. Freedom was never going to come cheaply. His freedom always came with a price.

  “What have you learned?” Rebecca asked.

  “I can get her, but the price has gone up to over a million,” he said, without turning around. Dane had received the email earlier in the day. “I can’t come up with that kind of cash in the next couple of weeks.”

  “We don’t even know if he’s got her, Dane. She could be lost,” Isabella said.

  “No. She had a value. Her virginity will keep her safe.” Dane slashed his hand across his body. He needed to believe she was safe.

  Dane wouldn’t be able to live if he thought she was being hurt.

  “This needs to stop,” Rebecca said.

  “How do we stop it?” Isabella asked.

  “Mary—”

  “Don’t say her name!” Dane yelled at Rebecca.

  Both women stared at him. He was losing his mind. “There is no way out of this. Once you’re part of him, you remain part of it.”

  “What has happened with the files?” Rebecca asked.

  “They haven’t worked out the connection yet. It is only a matter of time before they do,” Dane said.

  “I know this all started with Violet. The moment she came into the mix, everything blew up.”

  “She is not to blame, Rebecca.”

  Rebecca nodded her head. “I know. She’s a sweet girl. This has to do with Possession, Ravage, Green, and Black.”

  “They have no idea that they were taking girls from both clubs. I don’t think their fathers knew about it, but from what I’ve seen, Possession and Ravage were used as a way to smuggle women in and out of the States,” Dane said.

  Isabella gasped. “That can’t be possible.”

  “I think this is the lure. Good looking girls who are charmed by the idea of this place and are drugged and taken. It is a stretch, but I think that is the link.”

  “Stephen and James are not like that.”

  “But what about their parents?” Dane asked.

  Isabella remained quiet.

  “They’re dead,” Rebecca said.

  “Yeah, how did they die?” Dane asked.

  “I have no idea.”

  “Where I come from people die all the time, and it does not take much to make it look like an accident,” Dane said.

  “Do you really think Stephen’s and James’s parents were in on trafficking women?” Rebecca asked. The thought sounded ridiculous even to him.

  He shrugged his shoulders. “I have no idea. What I can tell you, from the paperwork they’re going through, is that any lawyer will be able to link Dominic Green with Stephen and James along with all the men downstairs. I’m talking Tate, Kevin, Sean, and Lucas. All of them could go down.”

  “They were not part of this,” Isabella said, getting to her feet.

  “No?” Dane asked, walking toward Isabella. “Then tell me, Isabella. Why did you throw yourself at Eugene Black? What happened when Sean rejected you? Lucas being the devoted brother that he is, why didn’t he find you?”

  Dane knew he hurt her with his words. He needed them to see how easily everything could implicate the people they loved the most.

  “You’re twisting everything,” Isabella said. Tears were spilling down her cheeks.

  “I’m telling you how others are going to see this thing. No one is safe, not even them. They can be the ones accused of everything, don’t you see?”

  “What should we do?” Rebecca asked.

  “You need to come clean to all of them. We need to get them involved before it is too late.”

  “I’m not ready,” Isabella said.

  “Then you better get ready. The longer we leave it, the worse it will be.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Two weeks later

  Prue leaned against the alcove watching the couples sway together. Her break would be over soon. She sipped her drink wishing she was the one in the arms of a loved one. Working at Ravage was not the best job, but true to James’s word, the money was good. The last two weeks had been a dream. Ravage opened every night, and she worked every night. James liked to keep her close. She’d noticed the way he moved around the club whenever she was working. Every night when the main part of th
e club closed, he’d take her home. The driver left them to their privacy. She loved it when he took her home. They’d hold hands, and James would pull her in close. She forgot about everything in his arms. Her sister was forgotten, along with all of her worries.

  James was part of her world. He made sure the cross he’d given her was always exposed for others to see. She knew why he’d done it. He was warning other Doms away from her. She’d found some information online. In his own way he was stating his ownership of her. Prue liked it. She fingered the necklace, longing for more than his chain of possession to be around her.

  “You’re on your own again,” he said against her ear.

  She closed her eyes feeling the shiver run down her spine. His body pressed against her back. She felt the hard ridge of his cock pulse against her ass.

  Neither of them was crossing that invisible line. Every night she lay in bed thinking of how it could be with him. What she’d do if his hands moved down her body to cup her breasts. Her own hands no longer satisfied her cravings. She needed more, and she felt like a total bitch for her own needs.

  Their kisses had started something that neither knew how to stop. At least she didn’t know how to stop. The more time she spent with him the harder it was getting to walk away. The chemistry between them sparkled brighter than ever before.

  “I’m on my break,” she said, leaning back to feel his warmth. One of his arms banded her waist. His fingers teased the flesh where her shirt ended and her jeans began.

  She’d walked into work the following day after their time in the closet in a skirt that fell to her knee. James made sure she spent the entirety of her shift away from prying fingers and lingering eyes. Did he even realise how possessive he was becoming with regards to her?

  “I don’t like you on your own. Anyone could be here.” His fingers moved up under her shirt. She closed her eyes, biting down on her lip.

  Her thoughts turned to mush as her body melted under the onslaught of his touch.

  His other hand grazed down her side. The tips of his fingers grazed her breasts. She gasped then turned to face him. His hand glided round to her back as his other took the drink from her fingers. The beat of the music reached them in their private alcove.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “Dancing. A pretty lady like yourself shouldn’t be alone.”

  Prue stared at him, amazed, then relaxed her body against his. The trust inside her when it came to him startled her. She knew he’d never hurt her. Biting her lip, she closed her eyes enjoying his scent surround her. She was becoming addicted to his masculine scent mixed with the hint of leather.

  “I want to go back to the dungeon,” she said.

  He tensed. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”

  She eased back staring up into his eyes. “I wear your token, James. That must mean something.”

  James withdrew. She saw and felt it.

  “It means I’m still taking care of Veronica’s younger sister.”

  Ouch. That one hurt.

  Prue pulled away then removed his silver cross necklace. She slammed the piece of jewellery against his chest. “I’m not a child. I don’t need someone looking out for me.”

  Without waiting for him to speak, Prue walked away. She moved toward the bar and helped Jermaine serve. James came to the bar to try to talk to her. She refused to speak to him. He was a fucking coward, and she couldn’t believe she’d ever hoped for something more.

  James tried to gain her attention. She ignored him, refusing to give him the satisfaction. She handed a couple their drinks when James caught her wrist in his hands.

  “Don’t ignore me,” he said.

  “Fuck you, Sir.” She pulled her hand away glaring at him.

  She was done with waiting. If he wanted nothing to do with her then she wasn’t going to waste her time. James was the one. She knew that, but he didn’t.

  “I quit,” she said when she saw Anya and Becky on the dance floor.

  “You can’t quit,” Jermaine said.

  “Yes, I can.”

  She left the bar going out to the crowd. His eyes were on her. She felt it, and her heart hammered inside her chest.

  “What are you doing here?” Anya asked.

  “Showing a guy I can live without him and look after myself.” She threw her hands above her head and swung her hips to the beat pulsing on the dance floor. Veronica, James, and even Leo could fuck off. She was twenty-three years old and could look after herself. Until James entered her life for the second time she’d been renting a decent house with the hopes of buying it.

  “He’s watching you.”

  “Good.”

  He should be watching. I’m not going to take anymore of his crap, and he’ll learn not to take advantage.

  She knew he didn’t need to take advantage. Her response was not forced. He meant everything to her.

  Prue wanted him to possess her. She wanted him to be like the men he’d described. Prue craved his complete ownership.

  Her fantasies were filled with his possession. She yearned, craved, and desired to be his.

  Biting her lip she kept her back to him hoping he’d get the message.

  ****

  James stared at the beautiful curves of her ass. Why had he ruined their moment? Veronica and her age had been the last on his mind. He knew what he was doing with her was wrong. When she’d asked to go back to the dungeon his whole body had gone into hyper-drive. He wanted to take her down there and teach her what it meant to be owned by him.

  She wasn’t wearing his token anymore. Any man could claim her as his.

  He didn’t like it. Men surrounded her group like moths to a flame. Her entire aura made men move toward her. Unlike her two friends, she held an allure and sexuality that attracted men to her. He’d seen the beauty inside her when she was only eighteen, the sweetness she gave everyone she came into contact with.

  You want her. Take her before someone else takes what is yours.

  One of the men from the group reached out to touch her hips. Prue smiled and pushed him away. The action was subtle, but he saw it. Prue was on the dance floor to show him she could look after herself. He got the message. She didn’t want the men’s attention.

  Her gaze caught him as one man replaced another.

  She needs you.

  James made his way onto the dance floor. He pushed the man out of his way and caught her hips in his hands. She placed her hands on top of his, ready to push him off, he was sure.

  “Before you push me away let me apologise,” he said. James whispered against her ear. He only wanted her to hear what he had to say. Her two friends smiled at her and walked away.

  “You’ve sent them away.”

  “They know I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

  “You don’t want me, James. I’m tired of showing all the signs.”

  He’d seen the signs, and being the bastard that he was, he’d given her nothing and taken everything she offered instead.

  James held her waist, stroking the delicate flesh hidden beneath the blouse she wore. Her skin was soft. He wanted to peel every layer of clothing away from her body and caress every inch of her. The temptation she provided was more than he could stand. “I’ve seen the signs, Prudence. And I want you.”

  “Then why won’t you take me?” she said.

  He didn’t answer.

  She looked at him. He saw the yearning in her gaze. His age and something else held him back. James let her go.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, before leaving her on the dance floor.

  Without looking back he made his way to his office. He needed to get away from her before he did something he’d regret.

  He pushed past people in his way not interested in the filthy looks they sent him. Jermaine tried to stop him, and he ignored him.

  The moment he was in his office, he rubbed his eyes.

  “Fucking stupid.” He kicked the chair closest to him.


  “Why are you fighting it?”

  Prudence had followed him.

  His office door clicked open then closed behind her. James kept his back to her. The moment he looked at her, he knew he’d be lost.

  “I want to, more than anything.” He admitted the truth. His heart pounded inside his chest. He felt like he was having a fight between his head and his heart. His heart wanted her and was tired of fighting it, and his head kept telling him to walk away.

  She’s the one. You want her like a man possessed.

  “Then stop fighting.” She walked in front of him. Her blue eyes caught him in her gaze. Her dark pupils were dilated. He saw her need. James stared down her body at her hard nipples. Would her pussy be as hot as he imagined?

  She grabbed his hand pressing his palm down over her heart. Her heart raced against his touch.

  “I’ve always wanted you, James.”

  He’d known. God help him, he’d known she was eighteen, and he was sure her feelings had never disappeared.

  How could he fight this?

  There was no one else in the world for him. James didn’t want to let her go. She moved his hand down to her left breast. Her full mound filled his palms. She was just the right size for him. Prudence took his other hand and placed his palm between her legs.

  “I’m not going anywhere, Sir. I want you and will do anything to be owned by you,” she said.

  Her words were not lost on him.

  He removed his palm from between her thighs to sink his fingers into her hair. James brought her close to him as he thumbed her nipple feeling her tighten against him.

  “Do you have any idea what those words mean?” he asked.

  “I was listening to you, James. I want that, too, and I think you do as well.”

  James didn’t argue with her. It was true. The possessiveness that swamped him, the aggression he’d displayed—he’d seen it all in his two friends.

  “You’re so young,” he said.

  “Who cares? I don’t. Age means nothing to me.”

  James couldn’t fight it anymore. The longer they were together, the harder it was to deny himself. He hated other men talking to her, and he’d been the one to put her in this position in the first place. Through his own actions, he’d taken her own job away, giving her no choice but to accept what he gave her.