“I’m not sure your shoes are a good choice,” Maverick says, looking me over. I look down at my feet. I'm wearing a pair of yellow Chuck Taylors'. “And why is that?” I ask with a scowl on my face, trying to think of a reason why he would say that when we are just taking a tour of the property. Should I have worn gumboots? “You’ll scare my dogs.” I stiffen. “I’m not interested in seeing your dogs.” “You don’t like dogs?” I meet his piercing gaze and smile while bile rises in my throat. “I hate dogs with a passion.” I manage to say without my voice trembling. “That's too bad. You’re meeting them, anyway.” He takes my hand and leads me outside across the lawn. “Maverick, please. I don’t want to see your dogs!” I try to pull away as we walk around the estate. “Maverick!” I cry out, causing him to stop dead in his tracks, and he takes my chin between his fingers. “They're guard dogs, Angel, but they are unfamiliar with your scent. You must meet them so they can familiarize and ack
She's still terrified of dogs. I pause with my hand on the doorknob. I’m not exactly sure why the thought of my wife being scared of dogs has been playing in my head like a broken record. When I visited Joy before going through with purchasing the mansion, I demanded that she tell me everything she knew about Arnica. What frightened her and what brought delight to her life. When Joy had mentioned that Arnica rarely walked through their neighbourhood alone after being attacked by a stray dog, I knew I had to forcefully make her meet my guard dogs. As big and threatening as my boys are, they are also a bunch of softies that thrive on any affection you give them. Over time, I hope she will see that and come to realise that not all dogs are feral. It all comes down to how their owner treated them. “Where is my wife?” I ask Devin who’s on guard duty at the front door. “In the pool house.” I step inside and turn right toward the French doors that lead to the pool house. There are se
“So, we all agree with the decision that Maverick Quinn is going to take over the family?” Bishop asks. Under my father's rule, Bishop was his consigliere. I intend to keep him as my adviser, with Levi still at my side. The men sitting around the Elite table turn toward me. Saint nods first. Theo Knox follows, then Angelo Anderson, Jeremiah Cross and Alexander Reign are next. I do my best not to glance over at Matthias, who is standing with his back against the wall, shaking his head with his arms folded over his chest. I know the little fucker wants to throw a hissy fit, and cast me out, but he can't if he wishes to take over the Lorenzo empire. I never planned to accept my fate by taking over my father's position at the head of the table. I was happy with my own crew, doing what I wanted without having to deal with the elder Don's sitting around this table. Fresh blood is always frowned upon until you can prove your loyalty and show how much of an asset you can be instead of a l
I open the fridge door and poor myself a glass of chilled herbal tea from the jug. As I lift the glass to my lips, the sound of the front door crashing open resonates through the first floor.“Ms. Lorenzo, please… you can not enter the estate without Mr. Quinns knowledge or approval.” One of the female staff cry out with panic lacing her voice.I'm guessing this isn’t the first time this woman has let herself into Mavericks' residence without warning or permission. Either she is a sucker for pain, or she is untouchable.Which is odd because no one is immune to Mavericks' wrath.“Where is he? I demand to see him this instant!” A feminine voice screams, demanding to be heard. “Maverick you bastard! Come out here and face me this instant.”Lowering my glass and placing it onto the kitchen island bench, I raise my brows as a mysterious figure enters the kitchen. She appears incredibly polished, as if she's just walked off the cover of a fashion magazine. Just by admiring her stunning beau
“You tell that woman of yours that if she ever shows up at my place of residence again without warning or an invitation, I will make an example out of her.” “Ha, we both know that Tessa isn't MY woman. She belongs to no man. A free spirited bird that one. Besides, when has she ever been fond of following instructions, brother? She will do what she wants, when she wants, however she wants. You should know that better than anyone. After all, you were planning to make her YOUR wife, remember. ” Matthias replies over the phone in a cocky tone that makes me want to reach through it and gouge his eyes out. “Make her understand, Matthias. Or I will have to find her and personally put each and every fucking bullet in my magazine into her cold, black heart. Tell her that, and remind her to keep her fucking paws to herself as well. If she ever lays a finger on my wife, I will hack each of her fingers off with a steak knife and feed them to my dogs.” I toss the phone onto the bed, blowing air
“You promised me that I wasn't a prisoner here, Maverick. Restraining me to the bed certainly sounds like imprisonment to me.” I whisper, breathlessly, feeling every inch of my skin burning for him. “Fine,” he says between clenched teeth and turns toward the door to his room. “Have it your way.” He walks toward the door, and I try to keep my tears at bay, at least until he leaves the room. I can’t believe he wants me to beg him like a dog. When he reaches the door, he comes to a halt, gripping the doorway with both hands. He dips his head and stays in that position as if he is internally fighting with himself to stay or leave.I sit down at the foot of the bed, my fingers twisting in knots on my thighs, mirroring the knots forming in my stomach. This wasn’t how I pictured him to react when he walked in on me pleasuring myself. I waited until I heard his heavy footsteps resonating through the hallway before I started to touch myself. The way he stood up to Tessa in my honour turned
“I’m not buying anything else from you unless you can guarantee that there won't be any more fuck-ups with my shipment, Trex.” I say into the phone and scroll through the spreadsheets on my computer. I’ve spent the whole morning in my office, uptown at 5 Fusion, going over the cash flow of my clubs and the casino business I've recently dipped my fingers into. “There's a new line of home brew that everyone on the dark net is trying to get their hands on,” he says. “But lucky for you, I am in contact with the source themselves.”I lean back in my office chair, rolling my eyes and pinching the bridge of my nose. Trex is constantly trying to make himself sound more important than what he really is. He's like a shrimp. A cockroach of the ocean.“Is it pure?” I sigh.“Pure?” Trex asks me dumbfounded, like he doesn't know what I'm talking about.“Yes, Trex. Is the brew a hundred percent pure. As in, it's not laced with any illegal substances because you know full well that I don't meddle
“Now's not the time or place, Angel. Besides, only good girls get what they ask for, and you showing up here unguarded was a seriously naughty thing to do.” She blinks at me, lowering her skirt, and she stands up. “Well, I'm sorry you feel that way, and you won't hear me begging you, Maverick.” I watch as she walks to the door and sticks her head out, looking left then right. “See you at dinner,” she calls over her shoulder. “Oh, Thomas…” She calls out to one of my barmen in a singsong voice that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. “Why are you calling for Thomas?” How the fuck does she know who Thomas is too?“I need a problem solver,” she says and turns to look at Thomas when he reaches her. “Hey, Thomas. Do you consider yourself to be a problem solver?" Thomas’s gaze nervously darts between me and Arnica before he finally decides to answer. “Well… I've always been told that I have a knack for solving the impossible, most times.”I bite down on my molars, silently