Finn St Just cleared his throat impatiently.“Did you read it then?’ he said in a cold voice, and it took me a minute to figure out that he was asking me about the contract that I was holding in my hands.I quickly began to read in earnest. The entire document was couched in legal language and fleetingly, I wondered how many such women had read the deeds I held in my damp, sweaty hands.For surely, I was not the first! I had no illusions about myself. Or the brothers lounging splendidly before me.*In return for my'services,’ as it stated, I was to be given a handsome remuneration every month. My mind boggled as I saw the sum. I had never seen even a quarter of that in my life!Then again, as I read, I felt my incredulity grow.*I would, apart from the handsome stipend, be given a car of my own, an apartment and a sizeable income, that I could continue to keep even after my one year was up.I blinked and looked over at Liam O’Grady. *I gaped up at him.St Anne’s was a prestigiou
In a flash, Liam O’ Grady was on the phone, barking orders at people, arranging matters. Finn was doing the same but in a more controlled manner. I watched, fascinated. If Liam O’Grady had appeared to be a soft-spoken gentle man with the most charming manners earlier, now I saw a man who was ruthless. From snatches of the conversation, I understood that he was going after Dean Nelson. I squirmed in anxiety. I had not noticed Finn watching me gravely, so when he spoke in that deep baritone, I almost jumped. ‘Are you anxious, little pet?’ he growled and I turned t him in astonishment, Little pet. Yes, that was what I was going to be for them. A little pet animal to be replaced when a newer one came along. The thought that I would be displaced so easily, made my heart sink to the floor. But I did not let it show on my face. * Forcing a bright smile on to my face, I shook my head. “No Sir…it’s just…” But I did not get to complete my sentence. * The door flew open and two young
When Liam O’Grady released Paige Hardy from their torrid kiss, she was breathless. Liam smiled. He liked to think that he was in control all the time. * Liam O’Grady had come up the hard way. He had climbed to the top of his ladder when it came to being a street fighter, then turned to underground fighting, which was lucrative but he had no intention of making it a full-time career. No, he did not want to end up with Parkinsons or some such illness, he thought dismissively. Liam O’Grady had a plan. He needed to climb up in life, and make money. That was something he had desired all through his childhood, when he was growing up, seeing his father evolve into a small-time mob leader. But Liam wanted more. And he had found a way to get it too. * His charm, and his sexual magnetism meant that women fell for him. And he had chosen Paige Hardy, along with her rich and powerful father, Brett Hardy, to be part of his ascent. Brett Hardy was a political player and close to the Governo
Bianca Brian Jones, as the chauffeur said he was called, drove me to a quiet residential area in the upmarket area of Hunter’s Wood, near the state highway that led out of the little town, into the bigger city of New Haven. I had never been to this part of the town; all throughout our childhood, we had been confined to the poorer section of the town and our school, Dad’s tiny bakery and our home-all of them were around the same area. I had heard about the place I was now driving into, the residential area called Widow’s Retreat, because of the many wealthy widows who had bought homes or stayed in this beautifully designed, clean area of the town. I stared out, looking at the houses we passed, barely aware of the scenery or the palatial condos we were driving past. * The Widow’s Retreat Residences was supposed to be the apex at which life and play converge. Positioned at the highest elevation in the region, the luxury condominium residences combined expansive sunset and golf cours
I sat the girls down and made Heather sit with me as I spoke to them. They needed to know why I was sending them in different directions tomorrow. The How of it, what I was going to do myself, would not be for them to know. Dinner was a silent one; the twins ate, their eyes rolling as the dishes appeared before them. Burgers with wedge fries, sweet and tangy baked beans followed by apple pie. Nothing very special, all picked up from a local restaurant, Ms Benz assured me crisply when I thanked her. Heather picked at her food and I had to coax her to eat. It was not the thought of being denied a drink; I sensed the real worry in her as she met my eyes. We ate in silence and when she was done, Diana Benz excused herself and walked to the patio to make a few calls. * Left alone with my family, I looked at them. We cleared the table and as we stood in the kitchen, I hugged the twins. “Anna, Rose, you’re …” my voice faltered and then I continued bravely,” I’ve managed to get a job wit
Liam O’Grady woke up with a stiff shaft. And he knew he had been dreaming about a beautiful, olive-skinned virgin, her eyes like molten chocolate, her hair, all those deep chestnut waves, spread out across his bed, as she lay, her full breasts peaking. She had been staring at him, her plump lips parted and he had wanted to decide whether he was going to f*ck her wet pus*y, or her lovely mouth when his phone trilled loudly at his ear. Swearing loudly, like a trooper, the Mafia Don sat up. Bleakly, he peered at the caller’s name that popped up and his scowl became even more ferocious. Paige Hardy. He had left her at the party, unable to continue to pretend that she was doing anything for him and had left with Finn, who was as unperturbed as ever. Finn St Just did not think much of Paige, anyways! * Now she was probably calling to whine and make him feel guilty for leaving her high and dry. He threw the phone across the bed and rose, stretching his muscular body. He was going to hi
BiancaI am in a new dress, one of the clothes Daisy and her team have selected for me. It’s a flowing green gown, floating around me. Some transparent material that makes me feel like I am a creature from another world … * Diana Benz called me early this evening right after Shelly Jacobsen had left. “Mr O’Grady is sending a car to collect you at 6 pm. Be ready.” Her voice was clipped and businesslike and she replaced the phone before I could ask her anything more. Be ready for what? I asked myself nervously. * But here I am now, dressed like a sacrificial virgin, for that is what I am, dressed to win, to charm, to seduce. But my fear makes me tremble. Makes me want to turn tail and run. Only, I can’t because I foolishly signed away my life for a year to two of the cleverest, most ruthless men in the country. Liam O’Grady and Finn St Just. A tear trickles down my cheek but I know it is too late for weakness. One year, I tell myself bravely, just one year… * A large black
BiancaMy heart was pounding.I swallowed, noting the deep blue eyes on my throat, fixed on the pulse that was fluttering wildly as I said, in a whisper,‘Ta..Taste…Taste me?” And then, as I heard the low growl of St Just as he rose to his feet and came to stand behind me, I asked, trembling,‘Wh…what do you mean? Ummm…Sir?” Laim O’Grady raised a mocking black brow. He looked supremely in charge, like the Devil, I thought in fright. I took a step back and felt myself come up against Finn St Just’s soft, rich dinner jacket. His hands landed on my upper arms which were bare and I felt as though my flesh was burning now. I looked up helplessly into the face of O’Grady who had moved closer.Together, between them, they had hemmed me in.On one side was the large grey couch, on the other, the coffee table with it’s elegant glass top.I swallowed.‘Taste me…wh…where?” I asked, my voice a husky whisper, my chest rising and falling as I felt my agitation grow.O’Grady smiled. A cold, hard
Bianca had just returned from the University and settled down at her desk, careful to see that her feet were placed on an elevated stool. Barry the biker’s old lady, Sylvie wandered in, her chunky bangles clinking as she placed a tall glass of lemonade on the table.“You’re a lifesaver, Syl, “ breathed Bianca with feeling as she pushed her damp curls off her forehead. She was feeling the heat all the more and was now almost THERE, as she thought of it.The end of the race, or whatever it was, she would be a mother, holding her son in her arms in a few months. The doctor had suggested that she come to hospital but Bianca had stubbornly held out. When her Masters had pleaded she had snapped,“I want to be with you, both of you, till I feel the pains. Not in some hospital!” Listening to her storming, they had given in, but with some reservations. “There could be complications,” the doctor had warned,“The position of the infant…”He had not gone on but O’Grady knew it was bad news. St J
The continuing mystery of her missing friend, Roxanne Piccolo, continued to make Bianca feel gloomy. She was trying to put in some study, for her baby was due soon, and she wanted to be free for a while.But every time she picked up her books, he kept thinking of Roxanne’s small, pinched white face as she gazed at her son, after hearing about Van Dyke spending the night with Martina. It had looked as though poor Roxanne’s world had shattered. The news of the betrayal of the man who had been her world, had left Roxanne devastated.When she had urged Bianca to leave the hospital, she had looked so sad, uneasy and broken. Bianca had been kicking herself for not having put her foot down and stayed with Roxanne…Liam O’Grady flung himself down on the large bed where Bianca was sitting, her books strewn around, a pencil in her mouth as she chewed it aimlessly. With one swipe, the Irishman snatched the pencil from her mouth, glowering as he said,“You trying to give my boy here lead poisonin
Bianca yawned and stretched like a cat, smiling deliciously to herself as her thoughts returned to the night before. Her Masters had made love to her, no other expression for that. Tender love, and she had revelled in their gentleness.This morning, long after O’Grady had left, St Just had woken her gently, kissing her nipples as he growled,“ Wake up, sugar.”He had kissed her swollen belly with reverence, bringing tears to her eyes, before sliding down to her pus*y. Bianca had gasped as he smiled and bent to lick her, sucking her clit till she had sobbed out, squirting in exquisite pleasure as she came…Could there be a better way to come awake, she asked herself, smiling, her eyes shut in bliss.After promising her a full Irish breakfast, at which she had giggled, he had left, leaving her inhaling the slight tang of her Master, a mixture of clove and something else. Rolling over gently, Bianca mused at how her Masters had changed.St Just, who had first appeared to be so aloof, a D
Jamie was delirious with relief when her brothers arrived in a matter of seconds to take her back home. Captain Davis wanted to question her, he declared, but one look from Claude silenced him. “Our sister needs a doctor, mate,” drawled Louis, who was beside his brother, his hiccupping sister in his arms. “You can come home and ask her all the questions you want,” added Claude, hefting her tenderly into his arms. Jamie curled into her brother’s safe embrace and shut her eyes. “Pappa…” she whispered as she was carried away. The Captain stood, hands clenched, watching them go. He could not very well question her now, of course, for she had been so very agitated. But…he sighed. The scent of Jamie’s body- a strawberry fragrance? he wondered- clung to his body, and he turned to meet the knowing look on his Lieutenant’s face. “Right, let’s get down to asking those men some questions,” he said crisply and his team were soon fanning out, trying to find out more about the mysterious man who ha
Captain Davis watched in stupefaction as the man who had been dragging Jamie Delano, suddenly swayed and went down in a heap, blood all over the place. Jamie screamed in terror as the man fell on top of her and she wailed as she struggled to push his dead weight off her body. The Captain did not waste a minute. He was beside her, pushing the dead weight of the fallen man off Jamie, and he lifted her into his arms, soothing her, his face in her fragrant hair, as he spoke hoarsely,“Hush, baby, I’ve got this, I’ve got you…” Jamie clung to him, sobbing hysterically, barely aware that she was being cradled by the man of her dreams.In the corridor, Hila Zidi shook her head in exasperation, The girl was already like a moon calf, swooning over the dashing policeman; now she would imagine it was a divine sign and go after the fellow hammer and tongs. Well, that was a problem for another day, she told herself decisively.Looking around swiftly, she jerked her wig off and hurried down the c
The back garden was deserted, and the man who was dragging her along had planned his escape down to the last T.He had however, not taken into account the fact that Jamie had only had one drink all evening. The cautious teen had refused to get inebriated, for she did not want to disappoint her father. So the job of taking her to the waiting car without difficulty was proving to be a huge challenge. The man swore and tried to pick her up, but she wrestled with him, using all her self-defence training to her advantage. But the trained assassin was too much for her. With one hard blow, he felled her to the ground and began to drag her unwilling body.Jamie was struggling for all she was worth. Something was off and she was not about to go without a fight.“You…” she screamed but her voice came out soft, whining. She tried to hang back but the man smacked her across her head, hard. Jamie literally saw stars as she cried out. Once, long ago, when she was a child, an attempt had been made
Jamie felt a little lightheaded as she was firmly guided to another room, down a long corridor. She giggled hysterically as she noticed something odd..She had spotted some women, young women at that, with pacifiers worn around their necks on plastic strings. She stumbled, staring as she wondered why they wore them.“Like babies,” she thought and giggled.The man who was escorting her impatiently looked down at her from a great distance and his voice was loud as he said, in exasperation.“What’s so funny?”Jamie giggled again but shook her head. She felt disoriented but also, vaguely, cheerful. Se kept staring at the man who seemed to be glowing, like an angel.“You’ve got an aura!!!’ she cried in wonder.The man rolled his eyes but continued to tug her along the corridor, his movements getting more agitated as he did so.He ahd a deadline to keep; the car would be waiting outside and he had to spirit this wretched girl away at the earliest. Or Jana Rudenko would eat him for breakfast
Jamie stepped out of the car, having been driven to the door by her father’s men. She beamed at them, for she had known them since she was a toddler. Bidding them goodbye, she said softly,“Thanks,” and then, she was entering the modest house. Music and laughter echoed in the corridor as she hesitated, for she did not know many of the guests, who mostly belonged to the crowd that Sadie currently moved in.Older youths, with long hair and tattoos, girls in the shortest of clothes, their bodies on display as they swung their hips exaggeratedly and walked.For a minute, Jamie considered the option of turning and heading back home. A deep sense of uncertainty swept over her. A sixth sense, like her Mumma called it, begging her to turn and leave before it was too late.When she had been in the protected confines of her old school, she had been cosseted, protected from reality. But Lucien Delano had abruptly announced his decision to shift his children, Rudolph and Jamie, to a school closer
Jamie danced down the stairs and then, hastily sobered as she walked down the passage to her Pappa’s study.She wanted to meet her father, promise him that she would be back soon and then leave. Because she loved, nay worshipped her Pappa; he had always been the star in her life, the only man she had looked up to, the one who never let her down.Her very own Knight in Shining Armour.And now, as she walked, she beamed at her Pappa’s valet, old Gustav, who smiled benevolently at her as he held the door open for her to enter.“Ummm…is he alone, Uncle G?” she asked in a small, diffident voice for she did not want to anger the Boss by going in when his associates were around. The room was inevitably full of cigar smoke and the smell of alcohol when he had guests over and the law that was never to be broken, was that none of the Mafia Don’s women were to be anywhere around at such times. Mumma always obeyed Pappa and so did Jamie and her sisters. Lucien Delano had flown into an unholy r