It took a week before Shania finally found the opportunity to leave the casino on her own. She had spent the week in a gilded cage, enjoying every pleasure Khalid could offer but freedom. While he lavished his wealth on her, she had spent her time watching and waiting, her sharp mind hungrily taking in every detail. Khalid spent much of his days in his office, running his various business interests. In the evenings and late into the night he would keep her up talking. At first she had resisted, but the ever present threat of more intimacy kept her agreeable to his terms. She had learned that Khalid owned a lucrative construction company as well as the casino. She suspected he was involved in less legitimate businesses as well, but they never discussed it. Mostly, Khalid wanted to know about her. She was loathe to talk about herself and would offer only pointed answers to his questions, but gradually he had coaxed more out of her than she had intended to give. She had told him about
Khalid glared impatiently down at his watch, then back up to the table he was supervising. It was a high stakes table in one of the casino's back rooms. He was glad he decided against buying in tonight. He was anxious to get back to his woman, and the game was going longer than expected. Ash had texted a few minutes before to let him know that Shania was in the casino. Khalid was eager to join her for a game and then escort her upstairs for a private meal. Shania had been more forthcoming last night than on their previous evenings together. He had finally allowed her to discuss her work and, in doing so, discovered a topic that she was exquisitely passionate about. She had introduced the subject herself as they sat in a corner booth at the casino buffet, where he had met her. "What did you tell my supervisor at the shelter about my leave of absence?" Khalid frowned down at her. "Why does it matter, Shania? You're here now. You won't be going back to your job any time soon, if e
Shania knew that her time was up the moment she saw the bus driver take a call on his cell phone and then swiftly glance back at his passengers. She pulled the ball cap that she'd hidden in her purse down lower over her forehead and slouched further into the seat. She leaned her head against the window and watched the city lights grow closer. So close she could almost touch them. She wondered what would happen. There were a few other people on the bus. A group of drunk, laughing women bouncing around on the seats behind her and a guy who looked like he was asleep. What if she just started screaming for help? Shania wasn't certain, but she was pretty sure Khalid's reach was endless within this city, perhaps even further. It didn't matter where she went, he would track her down. Shania glanced sideways out the window in time to see a black blur of vehicle overtake the bus with a roar. She gasped and sat up straight, watching apprehensively as it cut in front of the bus and stopped. A
The hallway on the fifth floor was dimly lit. No sounds came from any of the rooms they passed. "Where are we?" Shania dared to ask. "Unless we're overcrowded, this floor is reserved for me and my people." Frowning, Shania asked the obvious question. "But you have the penthouse. Why do you need another apartment?" Khalid unlocked a door and, pushing her inside, turned and locked it again. He took his time answering her question, unzipping his leather coat and pulling it off his broad shoulders. Shania shivered, sharply reminded of his superior size, outlined clearly in a dark T-shirt and jeans. "I bring people that have annoyed me here, to the fifth floor, so we may talk in relative comfort." Crossing to the bar, he said, "This is also where I bring my women so I can fuck them without having to take them into my home." Shania clutched the back of the couch hard, surprised by how much his words hurt her. She hated thinking of that hard body having sex with other women and she
Khalid shoved her toward the bed where she collapsed in a shivering heap. Fear and hate warred within her. She wanted to lash out at him for daring to hurt her, but she feared he could (and would) do much worse if she hit him again. She dropped her gaze and shrank back, turning away from his hulking form at the end of the bed. Clearly not liking her submissive retreat, he turned and punched a hole in the wall. "Fuck, Shania!" he snarled, rounding on her. "You have me all fucked up! I can't even beat you properly." He paced angrily, like a wrathful tiger along the side of the bed. "Khalid," she said, rolling on the mattress to face him, pleading, hoping any regard he had previously had for her might surface, "don't do this. Please, I can't take it, you have to let me go." Khalid punched another hole in the wall, ignoring the crumbling drywall drifting around him. "I have to finish it, Shania. I can't let you fuck with my head like this." He pointed a finger at her. "You won't wi
She held her breath, half afraid and half hopeful as he dropped his head between her legs. He looked like a dark, swooping predator, casting a black shadow over her, covering the intimacy he was about to force on her. When his lips made contact with her dripping pussy, the sensations were so intensely good she thought she might die if he changed his mind and stopped. He slid his tongue from her vagina to the top of her clitoris and back. Shania bowed her head back and moaned loudly. Her knees dropped helplessly open, giving up the fight against his intrusion. He tasted every inch of her over and over again with increasingly aggressive swipes. Sometimes his tongue was too rough against her sensitive clitoris and she would jump, but then his soothing lips would gently caress her. She was so lost in the incredible feelings he was arousing that she barely noticed the pressure when he pressed one long, thick finger into her slick passage. She definitely noticed when he added another finge
The first thing Shania became aware of was the deep, borderline unpleasant ache of her body. She frowned and twisted a little before coming fully awake. With a moan, she shoved herself into a sitting position and tried to reach back to touch one of the aching stripes that marked her back. As the heavy quilt fell away from her naked body, she became aware that she wasn't in that horrible room Khalid had taken her to last night, nor was she in her own room. The heavy, dark furniture came into focus and she realized she was in the penthouse. His room. She tried to think of how she got there when a scraping noise caught her attention. Khalid was sitting in the chair against the corner wall watching her intently. Shania blushed and pulled the blanket back up her body. "It won't happen again." She knew right away what he meant. His voice, deep with regret, assured her of his honesty. She dropped her eyes as the memory of his beating swept over her. It hadn't hurt nearly as much as she
Khalid stared down at the thick envelope on his desk without seeing it. His thoughts were all for the curvy, baffling woman that currently occupied his penthouse. The smile she had given him this morning after he offered to take her into the city for a meal was like a punch in the gut. He had thought just having her would be enough. Now, he wanted her smile too. He wanted to own her happiness and take her heart. He had no idea how a mobbed up son of a bitch like him was going to get a woman like Shania to fall for him. The task seemed insurmountable. He had learned work ethic from a young age, clawing his way out of the gutters of Kabul and making a name for himself in this section of America. He had fought tooth and nail for the respect of his soldiers. He had embarked on countless successful ventures, both legal and illegal. But he had never wooed a woman. Hadn't had the time or inclination. He had always fucked his women and then left them behind. He thought that was how he was bu