THE EXPOSÉ 4

By Roxy Sloane

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Copyright © 2015 Roxy Sloane

Cover Design: British Empire Design

Cover Photography: Perrywinkle Design

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

CHAPTER ONE

ZOE

I can’t breathe.

I cough, desperately wheezing for air as I try to figure out what’s going on. One minute, I’m crawling into my bed to nap, and the next...?

It’s dark. Smoke billows, acrid, and I can hear the crackle of flames.

The apartment is on fire.

“Help!” I scream, dragging another lungful of air. I have to make sure Tasha’s ok. “Tasha?” I yell. “Where are you?”

I drop to the floor and crawl to the bedroom door. I pull it open -- and get hit by a wave of heat, like stepping into a sauna for the first time. But a sauna isn’t filled with smoke, and I can see flames in the living room, blocking the exit.

“Tasha?” I yell again in panic for my roommate before I remember: she’s gone home to visit for the weekend.

I try to focus on breathing, staying low to the ground like they taught us back in all those safety classes in school, but even on the floor the air is hot and smoky, burning my chest and throat with every inhale. My heart is pounding with terror, I feel totally paralyzed, but I know I have to keep it together if I’m going to get out.

My phone.

I crawl back to the bed and grab it, but the screen is black. Dead battery. Fuck! My window has been jammed all year, and the landlord refused to fix it, so I have no way to get air.

Air. Suddenly, it’s all I want in the world.

Grabbing a sweatshirt, I hold it over my mouth to block the smoke and head to the doorway again. Outside, the flames are roaring, licking up the curtains and along the cheap carpet. Beyond them, the front door is shut and locked. My one chance at freedom.

I brace myself and crawl closer, down the hall. The heat from the fire scorches the bare skin on my hands and arms. I yank down my sleeves, but it’s not enough.

I’ve never felt heat like this before. It’s terrifying, the roar of the flames and the smoke sucking all the oxygen from the room, but I force myself to keep crawling.

I have to get out. I don’t want to die.

CRASH.

The ceiling lamp suddenly smashes to the ground. I jerk back and curl against the wall, stifling a scream. But I have no choice – I have to keep going – there’s only one way out.

Bracing myself, I tug the blanket off the back of the couch and pull it around me. Then I crouch, tense my body, and lunge for the door, leaping just past the flames. I crash into it but I don’t care, all I feel is relief right now as I reach for the handle, shoving with all my weight—

The door doesn’t open. Something’s blocking it from the outside.

I can’t get out.

Tears sting my cheeks, and my eyes burn with the smoke and my own fresh panic. I can’t breathe.

I crawl back to the bedroom, the furthest I can get from the flames. I’m sweating under the blanket and dizzy from lack of oxygen, but I curl up on the floor beside my nightstand and press my cheek to the carpet, taking a few breaths and trying to clear my head.

As I look around the room, desperate for a way out, my eyes fall on the heavy lamp that sits on my nightstand, just above my head. I get to my feet, ignoring a wave of nausea, grab the lamp and swing it at the window with everything I’ve got.

A crack appears.

I’m faint now with the smoke and the heat and the lack of air, but I keep swinging, over and over until finally the window smashes and cool, crisp air comes rushing in. Thank God.

But my relief is short-lived. The fire is raging outside in the apartment, the flames getting closer with every second. I look outside, but we’re on the sixth floor, and there’s no way down, no escape ladders and nothing I can jump onto besides the concrete sidewalk far below. I see no cops, no fire engines, not even someone who could call for help. Fuck.

I have air up here, but for how long? And how am I going to get out?

I’m completely panicked. I sink to the floor by the window, hugging my knees to my chest. I don’t know what to do. A million thoughts race through my mind, but for some reason, they’re all about Dax.

His strength. His determination. The way he never backs down.

The way nothing else mattered when his body was slamming hard into mine.

I’ve only just begun to know him. I can’t give it all up yet.

I feel myself fading, everything in my line of sight going dark at the edges, and I slump to the floor. I can hear a banging noise, as if from far away, but when I open my mouth and try to yell, to tell them I’m right here, nothing comes out.

The last thing I see is figures moving through the flames. Firefighter yellow. Muffled calls.

Then everything is black.

CHAPTER TWO

DAX

‘You don’t care who you destroy. You won’t feel so powerful when someone you love gets hurt.’

The note is waiting for me in the mail when I get into the club office, just like the other two. Anonymous. Cryptic. But this one sends a chill straight through my body.

It’s a threat.

I leap up. “Griffin!” I yell. A moment later, my office door swings open and my head of security looks in.

“What is it?”

“Another one,” I growl, shoving the paper at him. I reach for my cellphone and dial Zoe’s number, but there’s no response. She left my apartment just a few hours ago; we have plans for dinner tonight. Our first official date.

The phone goes straight to voicemail.

This is Zoe, leave me your number after the-- BEEP.

I hang up and speed-dial again, calling my friend Maria this time. She answers on the third ring, and I hear noise in the background; Luca playing nearby.

“Are you OK?” I demand. “Where are you?”

“At home.” Maria sounds confused. “Why, what’s going on?”

“Nothing, I don’t think.” I force myself to sound calm. The last thing I want to do is cause unnecessary panic, especially coming so soon after her last encounter with one of my business rivals. Then, she wound up in the hospital. It was technically an accident, but it would never have happened if some brute hadn’t shown up to give her a scare. All to get to me.

What else might happen this time?

“There might be a situation here at work,” I tell her, trying to be vague. “I’m going to send Griffin over to look after you.”

I make eye contact with him across the room. He nods.

“You don’t need to do that,” Maria laughs. “We’re fine.”

“Humor me, okay? He’ll be there in half an hour. Don’t answer the door until he calls. And lock the windows too. You have the security system turned on?”

“Dax, this really isn’t—” she tries to interrupt me. I cut her off.

“He’s on his way.”

Maria pauses. She knows better than to try and stand in my way when I’m determined like this. “OK. I hope you work it out, whatever it is.”

“It’s probably nothing,” I lie. “I just want to be sure.”

I hang up. Griffin heads for the door. “Call me with updates every hour,” I instruct him, grabbing my jacket. I follow him out. “Anything suspicious, you let me know.”

“Will do, boss.” Griffin is curt. He did time in the military, Navy SEALs, so I know Maria will be in safe hands. “What about you?”

“I need to reach Zoe,” I dial her again. Voicemail. Dammit. “There’s no answer. I’m going over to her place.”

“You taking protection?” he asks.

It takes me a minute to realize he means a gun.

I think about it for a second, then shake my head. “No. It won’t come to that.”

Griffin raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t argue. “Good luck,” he says.

Luck won’t come into it. As I get in my car and break every speed limit on my way to Zoe’s apartment, I think again about the anonymous notes and how much is at stake.

They arrived out of nowhere several weeks ago, and despite assurances from Griffin that the person behind them would show their hand, there have still been no demands, just cryptic threats.

If it was Nikolai, my main suspect, then he would have made a move by now. I already know his agenda: using my knowledge from the club to blackmail a politician, Andrew Landsley, in a land deal that could make him millions. He’s already asked me to sell Landsley out -- and I’ve refused.

Is this him making a point?

Just how far will he go to get what he wants?

I head up 55th towards Zoe’s place just as a fire truck comes screaming past. Another blares after it, causing traffic to come to a stand-still. I use the break to try Zoe again, but it’s straight to voicemail again.

Why the hell isn’t she picking up her phone?

I turn down her block.

What the fuck.

The fire trucks are clustered outside her apartment building; a crowd of people being held back on the street as fire marshals head inside.

Smoke billows from a window on the sixth floor. Fuck. This isn’t happening. Which apartment is Zoe in? And where is she? I scan the street, but I don’t see her.

I screech the car to a stop by the sidewalk and charge through the people standing around.

“Hey, you can’t go back there!” A marshal tries to stop me.

“What happened?” I demand. “Is anyone hurt?”

“Just wait with the rest of them.” He takes my arm. I violently shake him off.

“I have to find her. Zoe?” I yell, looking around. “Zoe, are you here?”

Then I see her. Sitting in the back of an ambulance, an oxygen mask strapped over her face. She’s pale, too fucking pale. So fragile, in spite of everything.

But she’s alive.

I stride over and leap up into the ambulance. Zoe’s eyes widen as I pull her into a hug, cradling her body to my chest as relief pounds through me.

“Sir, you can’t be here—” an EMT starts to say.

“It’s OK.” Zoe pulls away, then coughs. “He’s with me.”

I sit her down again and take her hands, kneeling beside her in the back of the ambulance. “Are you OK? What happened? Were you inside?”

Zoe answers in a rasping voice. “I don’t know. I was sleeping, and then when I woke up, the place was on fire. I tried to get out, but...” she coughs, and I shush her, stroking her hair.

What the hell happened?

“Let’s get you to the hospital,” I soothe.

“No need,” the medic interrupts. “I’ve checked her over, it’s nothing but a little smoke inhalation.”

“She still needs a full exam.” I glare.

Zoe rolls her eyes, putting the oxygen mask down. “He said I’m fine. Really, I’d barely even passed out when they got into the room.”

Passed out?

I picture her up there trapped in the flames. Scared. Alone. She’s a survivor, through and through.

But she should never have been in this position to begin with.

“You’re staying with me,” I decide. “Get your things, you’re coming home with me right now.”

Zoe opens her mouth to argue, then closes it again. She nods. That’s when I know she’s really shaken up, because she doesn’t put up a fight. “I don’t know if they’ll let me back up,” she says instead.

“They will,” I answer grimly. I want to take a look around myself - and get some answers. “You wait here, I won’t be long.”

I go find the chief marshal, and convince him to take me up to the scene of the fire. He can probably tell by my tone, I’m in no mood for fighting tonight.

The apartment door is busted down off its hinges, and inside, the place is dripping wet, charred and sooty. Everything is destroyed.

“We tracked the source of the fire to a faulty wiring box, here.” The marshal shows me to a spot in the living room in the center of the charred wreckage. “Spread to the carpet, the curtains... Blazes like this can escalate fast.”

“Wiring?” I don’t buy it. “So it was an accident?”

The marshal is reluctant to answer. “The junction was jammed. The wires looked pretty frayed, it could have been wear and tear, you know, older apartments like this...” he looks away.

“Or?” I demand.

“Or, someone did it intentionally. I won’t know until our investigator does a full work-up. There was one other thing...” he pauses. “When my guys arrived, they found this under the door.”

He pulls a small wooden wedge from his pocket.

I frown. “I don’t understand.”

“It was blocking the door from the outside.”

My fists clench at my sides, and the marshal takes a step away from me, holding up his hands in defense.

“Now look, it could have been a coincidence,” he adds. “Someone passing in the hall, maybe kicked it accidentally. We don’t know that anyone wanted to harm your friend.”

Not to harm Zoe – but me.

I fight to keep my rage under control. Just standing here in the middle of the fire scene, looking around at all this destruction, seeing the lengths someone was willing to go to just to make a point. Hurting her. Even killing her...

“Oh my God.”

Behind us, Zoe is standing in the doorway, looking around in disbelief. “Tasha’s going to kill me! We’re never going to get our security deposit back!” she wails.

A few hundred bucks is the least of my concerns right now. “Why don’t you see what you can save?” I tell her. “Pack it up and we’ll move you over to my place,” I say, wanting to keep her out of the conversation I’m having with the marshal.

But Zoe sees right through me. “Why? So you can talk about the arson behind my back?”

I sigh. “I’ll fill you in later,” I tell her, before turning back to the man. “Keep me updated,” I tell him, passing him my card. “I want to know the minute you find anything.”

He nods, then heads back out.

I brace myself for Zoe’s questions, but instead, she’s looking sadly around at the wrecked, burned furniture. “I can’t believe this really happened,” she says, looking teary. “Everything’s ruined.”

I go straight to her. “So we buy you new things. What matters is that you’re okay.” I kiss her gently, holding her close.

“I was so scared,” she whispers, hugging me tightly. As I breathe in the smoke that clings to her hair, look around at the burned furniture and soot-blackened walls, I realize how close I came to losing her.

How terrifying that prospect really is.

“It’s over,” I promise her. “I’ll protect you. I swear, I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”

CHAPTER THREE

ZOE

Dax fills me in on what the fire marshal said on the drive over to his place. Somebody could have set the fire on purpose -- and trapped me inside?

I can’t believe it. Suddenly all the digging around and asking questions I’ve been doing seems dangerously real.

“There was a guy, I passed him on my way upstairs.” I pause, trying to remember. “He was dressed normally, but he had his hat pulled down so I couldn’t see his face. Do you think he might have been involved?”

“I don’t know. I’ll pass it on to the investigator.”

Dax answers in short, curt sentences. He’s gripping the steering wheel tightly, his anger and stress clear to see.

“I’m sorry,” I murmur, feeling guilty.

His head snaps around. “What the hell do you have to be sorry about?”

“All my snooping, the investigating—this is my fault too. I went and asked the wrong questions, maybe someone saw me—” I start to say, but he cuts me off.

“No. This isn’t about you. Somebody’s trying to get to me.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Dax doesn’t reply.

“Did you get another note?” I guess.

He darkens. “What kind of sick coward runs around hurting a defenseless woman, instead of just facing me like a man?” He slams the steering wheel. “I hate that I couldn’t look out for you.”

“I’m not defenseless,” I point out. “And there’s no way you could have possibly known what they were planning.” But even though I’m putting on a brave face, I still feel shaken up. When I think about how scared I was, how hopeless I felt...it feels hard to breathe again.

Dax can see through my bravado. He pulls up outside his place, then takes my hand. “You don’t have to be brave with me,” he says quietly. “You don’t ever need to pretend.”

I suddenly feel overwhelmed, on the edge of tears. I squeeze his hand, and try not to cry. “It’s been a long day,” I say instead. “I just need a shower and a good night’s sleep.”

He nods, and holds the door open for me as we head inside. “Did you manage to salvage much?” he asks, nodding to my overnight bag.

I sigh. “No, everything was ruined by the smoke and the water. Luckily most of it was cheap so it’ll be easy to replace,” I add. “And Tasha’s room was down the hall, so her stuff was untouched.”

“What about your computer? All your work—”

“My laptop is safe. Thank God Tasha was using it to look at shoes on the internet last night.” I’d never be able to make this up to her, but I sure as hell was going to try.

“Have you called her yet?” Dax pulls the elevator grille shut, and we head up to his level.

“No, it’s too late. I figured I’d wait until morning before breaking the bad news. And I need to call my parents too,” I remember. “Although I might not even tell them. The last thing they need is to worry about me.”

I follow Dax into the loft and look around. It’s such a bachelor pad, all industrial metal and bare bricks. I wonder how he feels about suddenly having to share it with me. “I won’t need to stay long,” I say hurriedly. “I can probably find a new place in a couple of days.”

“That’s not necessary.” Dax frowns. “You can stay as long as you need. I mean it. Besides,” he adds, moving closer. “I seem to recall you like this apartment. The elevator...the couch...the kitchen...” he says, naming all the places he’s made me lose my mind with pleasure.

Dax slides his hands around my waist and pulls me into a hot, thigh-tingling kiss. Right away, I see some advantages to staying under the same roof -- and in the same bed.

He breaks the kiss before it gets too hot. “You go get settled in upstairs,” he says, giving me a cheeky slap on the ass. “I’ll make us some coffee.”

“Coffee!” I protest. “Are you kidding? It’s midnight!”

“Irish coffee,” he corrects.

“Wait, don’t you need to be at the club?” I realize. His schedule is a total night-owl deal: the club doesn’t even open until nine, and runs right until 3am most nights.

Dax just smiles. “One of the perks of being the boss,” he points out. “Dominique has everything under control. Tonight, I’m exactly where I need to be.”

*

I go put my few toiletries and clothing away in the gorgeous walk-in closet on the mezzanine bedroom level. Then I walk over to the expanse of windows and stare out at the city lights. It’s soothing. Now that I’ve had some time to recover from my scare, I’m beginning to feel like myself again.

Something about being here with Dax makes me feel completely safe.

“Penny for them?”

I turn. Dax is leaning in the doorway, looking damn hot. Or maybe it’s just the fact that he’s a man bringing me coffee.

“I was just thinking about tonight,” I say. “You think it’s Nikolai behind all this, don’t you?”

Dax’s smile drops. “Let’s not talk about it. You said it yourself, it’s been a long night.” He hands me a steaming mug and I sip it, savoring the way the alcohol immediately loosens some of the tightness in my chest. I watch Dax over the rim of the mug. His jaw is tense, his gaze unfocused, and I know he’s pondering the same questions I am.

“But he’s the only suspect,” I press. “He wants to get you in a corner, and he already had his heavy pay Maria a visit. It has to be him.”

He shakes his head. “You don’t need to worry. Whoever this is, I’ll take care of it,” Dax says shortly, like it’s the end of the discussion, but I won’t let him just brush me off.

“But how? You already told him you won’t back down.” I pause, looking at him in horror. “Wait, you’re not going to do it, are you? You won’t sell Landsley out?”

“No, of course not.” Dax looks pissed now.

“Good. Because a guy like Nikolai won’t stop at that. Who knows what information he’ll want from you next?”

My brain turns it over, looking at all the evidence and angles. “The only thing is...this doesn’t feel like Nikolai’s style. Didn’t you say, he used to knee-cap guys who stood in his way? Setting a fire at my place seems too distant, too roundabout a way to get to you...” I frown, thinking hard. “Something doesn’t add up here. I need more information.”

“No.” Dax’s sharp tone makes me look up. “You’re not getting any deeper into this, Zoe. I forbid it.”

“You what?” I laugh, but he doesn’t even crack a smile.

“I mean it. I can’t have you out running around, asking questions.” Dax’s jaw is clenched. “This isn’t a game anymore. You could get seriously hurt.”

“I already have!” I exclaim. I can’t believe after all this he just expects me to shut up and mind my own business. “I was the one up there in the fire. I’m not just going to sit around and wait for another one of his thugs to try something again.”

“Dammit, Zoe I said no!” Dax explodes. “This is my problem, and I’m going to deal with it.”

I fold my arms, my temper flaring. “How are you planning to stop me? I’m not one of your obedient employees. I have a right to find out what’s going on in my life.”

Dax strides over and grabs me by the arms. “Don’t fight me on this.” His voice is steely, his eyes burning into mine. “You need to stay well away from this mess. From now on, you’re not leaving this apartment. Not until I find out who’s behind the threats.”

“You’re keeping me prisoner?” I gape. “You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, I am.” Dax takes another step, backing me into the wall. “In fact, you’re not leaving this bedroom until I say so. I don’t care if I have to lock you in myself.”

His eyes are dark, and despite everything, I can’t help noticing how hot he is when he’s all dominant and bossy. The chemistry between us is insane, but I fight to keep my head. “What about if I need to eat?” I counter.

“I’ll bring you up food and water.”

The edge of his lips twitch. He knows how ridiculous he sounds, but he’s not the kind of guy to back down.

And I’m not that kind of girl, either.

“I’m going to need to use the bathroom,” I try not to laugh.

“Then you’re lucky I have an ensuite.”

“What about work?”

“You have a very understanding boss,” Dax smirks. “You know, maybe it won’t be so bad. There could be some...fringe benefits to being confined to my bed.”

“Oh yes?” I say. “Like what?”

“Well.” Dax pushes me up against the wall. “It’s a very comfortable bed.”

“Really…” My pulse picks up as he takes my hands and pins them up above my head. After everything I’ve been through tonight, this is exactly what I need.

“Extra-soft,” he murmurs, grinding his hips against mine. God yes.

“Doesn’t feel that way to me,” I say, as I arch into him. His cock is hard and thick through his pants, and I see his eyes flash as I press myself against it.

“It will when you’re face down on the mattress and I’m fucking you.”

Oh. My. God.

I let out a whimper. Dax silences me with a kiss -- hard and fierce, demanding my submission.

On this, I’m happy to surrender. I open my lips, letting his tongue plunge deep, plundering my mouth. Fuck, even just kissing him turns me on like nothing else, a dirty promise of what’s to come. He tugs my shirt over my head and trails his hot mouth down the center of my chest, sucking on each nipple through the thin fabric of my bra.

“I’m just going to have to wear you out so hard you don’t have the energy to leave,” Dax growls in my ear. I pant against his neck, aching with need, and he rips off my bra and rolls my nipples between his fingers, squeezing the stiffened peaks until I moan.

He unbuttons my pants with his free hand and shoves them down, then thrusts two fingers inside my slick pussy so fast I gasp from the thrill of it.

Oh fuck.

Standing in front of these windows, stripped almost bare, I feel like the entire city could be watching us right now. The thought turns me on even more.

His fingers stroke up inside, thick and demanding. They stretch me open, pumping hard. I hear my panties rip, but I don’t even care. His palm rocks against my clit, sending shockwaves of pressure through my body.

“Dax,” I moan, rocking against him. He kisses me again, plunging his tongue deep in my mouth in time to the hypnotic thrust of his fingers. Deeper. Harder.

There.

His fingertips massage my G-spot from the inside as he continues to kiss my mouth, my cheek, the edge of my jaw. With his thumb, he massages my clit, keeping up the pressure as he works his fingers in and out of me.

“More,” I demand, rolling my hips against his thrusts, helping him hit just the right spot, moaning as I feel the intensity deepen, coiling tight in my core. “Yes. Fuck, yes.”

I’m about to lose control and Dax knows it—his fingers ease up inside me, now moving at an agonizing slow pace, teasing, but it only drives me even closer to the edge.

“So,” he murmurs in my ear, “Are you going to behave?”

Dax pulls his hand away and lifts it to his lips. “What do you think?” I reply, even as my legs feel weak and my whole body is buzzing.

“I think I’m going to have to teach you that I know best. Especially in here.” Dax picks me up and carries me into the bathroom. I was so close to coming, and I’d do just about anything to get him to touch me again.

But he sets me down on the edge of the sink and goes to turn the shower on.

It’s a huge marble walk-in, with multiple jets embedded in the walls. He turns on the faucet, then returns to me, yanking my torn panties all the way off my legs and then helping me stand, totally naked before him.

My skin is still sooty, my hair still reeks of smoke. I should feel shy right now, self-conscious at the state I’m in, but I can see the lust in Dax’s expression and I know that in his eyes, all he sees is me: raw, wild, begging to be fucked.

“Your turn,” I demand, impatient to see him naked again.

“I make the rules,” he says, but quickly strips and tosses his clothes to the floor.

Mmmm.

I devour the sight of his muscular, toned body and the jutting thickness of his cock. But before I have time to really admire him, Dax scoops me in his arms and carries me into the shower.

“Dirty girl,” he murmurs, setting me down under the hot jets. He reaches for a bottle of shower gel. “We’ll have to get you clean.”

I bite back a moan of pleasure as his strong hands glide over my body, soaping me up. He’s slow and methodical, covering every inch of me in slick suds. He washes under my arms, my ass, the bottom of my goddamn feet. I’m so turned on I can taste it, but he hasn’t touched my pussy again.

I try to touch him, reaching for his cock, but he bats my hands away.

“Not yet. I don’t want anything distracting me.”

He continues his tortuous exploration, dipping his fingers between my thighs and then sliding them back up before I can sink against the touch.

He moves behind me, his hands sliding over my breasts. I lean back against his chest as he soaps around my nipples, teasing them into stiff peaks. I can feel his cock nudging my ass, but he’s maintaining control. I wish he wasn’t.

“I think you missed a spot,” I gasp, grinding against him, angling his shaft between my legs. But he pulls back and slaps my ass.

“Don’t tease me,” Dax growls. “You’re gonna get what’s coming to you. When I say so.” He kisses along the curve of my neck, and I shudder at his touch. God, it feels so good.

“Lower,” I plead, wriggling impatiently in his arms. “Please.” I know I shouldn’t push him, but my clit is throbbing, my nipples are aching, and I can tell he’s ready too. Dax’s grip tightens on me.

“You mean here...” He suddenly pinches at one nipple, so hard my breath catches in my throat. Then he pinches the other, increasing the pressure slow and steady. I tilt my head back and moan.

“God, yes,” I pant. “I want you. I want you to fuck me.”

“Not yet,” Dax answers with a smirk in his voice.

Placing my hands flat against the cool tile, he kisses down my neck, my back, his hands following his mouth. “Don’t move,” he murmurs, his breath hot against my ass, the order making my skin prickle with excitement. “I pride myself on being very, very thorough.”

With another hard tweak of my nipples, he sinks to his knees behind me and spreads my legs wider. My breath hitches with excitement. What is he doing back—

Oh.

I feel a wet nudge of his fingers, and then Dax is parting my ass cheeks and licking up the seam. I moan, pressing my forehead against the cool tile. He finds the tight skin and laps, swirling his tongue around the sensitive spot.

The sensation is incredible. The heat of his tongue, pushing against me, it’s so raw and forbidden, and dirty as fuck. I pant against the shower wall, my knees going weak as Dax yanks my hips back, spearing my ass with his tongue.

I groan loudly.

God, I’ve never felt anything like this before. A tight, delicious heat rises to my pussy with every darting lick, and I press back, eager for more.

He stops long enough to ask, “You like that?” before he renews his hot, deep licking, and all I can do is hang on to the wall and moan out loud.

“Dax! Oh God, right there. Right fucking there. Yes.”

The ache in my pussy rises to fever pitch. I need more, right there, right now, so I reach down with one hand and rub at my clit, frantic strokes to keep pace with the tension building inside me, completely at Dax’s mercy. But it’s not enough, I need more, I need Dax inside me, and I’m so close, strung out on the sensation of his tongue delving into my most forbidden place, igniting nerves I never even knew I had.

I can’t take it anymore.

I break position and turn, dragging Dax up from the ground. We stumble back, until he’s sitting on the narrow ledge along the back of the shower.

I straddle his lap and sink down on all nine meaty inches of his rock hard cock, shuddering against him with a deep moan of satisfaction.

Yes.

God, he feels so good, filling me up inside.

“That’s it,” he growls. “That’s fucking it. Take what you need. Take it all.”

I grind down, so deep he’s all the way in me.

Then I clench around him.

“Fuck,” Dax groans, biting down on my shoulder. It’s going to leave a mark, but I don’t care, not when he’s lifting me up, and slamming me back down on that magnificent cock. Over and over and over. “Ride me,” he says.

I obey.

I cry out in pleasure, grinding like crazy. I rock against him, loving the pressure on my clit and the way he’s fucking me so deep, deeper than I’ve ever felt before. Dax grips my hips and thrusts up inside me. I can feel him, rubbing against my walls, hitting everywhere just right. He uses one hand to spread out my lips, so my clit is flush against him as he pulls me to him.

I look into his eyes. God, it’s so sexy seeing him this close to the edge. Wild, out of control. I clench around him again, and see his eyes flash with raw need before he dips his head to my breasts to tease at my nipples with his tongue and teeth, slamming into me faster and deeper as he sucks. I’m moaning and panting so hard I can barely breathe.

“Zoe,” he moans, thrusting even harder, so hard, and as I throw my head back he explodes up inside me with a roar. Feeling him come sends me over the edge, and I feel my pussy clench around his cock, waves of ecstasy ripping through me as I ride out the incredible high of this pleasure.

I finally collapse against his chest, spent and blissful.

“Does this mean you’ll stay home and safe?” Dax asks, when he finally gets his breath back.

I make a weak noise. “For the next few hours, at least.”

CHAPTER FOUR

DAX

I only sleep a couple of hours. When I wake, Zoe is still curled up, breathing evenly beside me in bed.

For once, she’s silent; still. She looks so vulnerable like this, stripped bare of all her usual attitude and sassy comebacks. It reminds me that she may be strong, but she’s still human underneath it all.

She can get hurt.

I brush hair off her forehead, and wonder who the hell could ever harm her. When she first walked into the club, I knew she was trouble. She’s damn near driven me crazy with her stubbornness and risky behavior, but I can’t help respecting her too. She might just be the smartest, most determined woman I’ve ever met. She won’t take ‘no’ for an answer, and she doesn’t know when to quit. Just like me.

It’s only been a few weeks, but already I can’t imagine my life without her.

I was serious last night: I’d be happier knowing she’s locked up here until I deal with whoever’s causing this chaos. But I know Zoe by now, and I know there’s no way in hell she’s dropping this -- not unless I spend every hour of every day exhausting her in the bedroom. And as tempting as that proposition is, I know it won’t work.

I have to keep her safe.

Silently, I slip out of bed and pull some clothes on. I’m careful not to wake her as I go downstairs and over to my safe. I dial the combination, and open it up. There’s cash, legal documents related to my businesses, and the club files.

And my gun.

I grab it and exit the building. It’s still early when I get in the car and start driving.

I’m going to end this, once and for all.

The early morning streets are empty as I cross the bridge and drive out to my old neighborhood. I cruise past the gym, still shuttered, and head instead for Nikolai’s home. The house sits like a castle on the end of an ordinary block. He could have bought a place in the ritziest neighborhood around, but instead, he tore down a couple of lots and built one massive house -- just so everyone could see what a big deal he is.

I park the car and jam the gun in the waistband of my pants. My anger has hardened into a cool rage, and I walk slowly up the front steps and ring the bell.

Nikolai’s wife, Judy, opens the door. She’s still dressed in her robe and slippers. “Dax?” she smiles in surprise. “Look at you! How long has it been? Come in, what brings you out here? Nikolai!” She turns and bellows up the stairs without pausing for breath.

“He’s told me all about your nightclubs,” Judy says fondly. “I always knew you had a brain on you. Come, sit, can I fix you some breakfast? Nikolai!” she yells again.

I follow her back to the kitchen, trying to keep my head together. Judy is still the mother hen she used to be, but I can’t let it distract me from my mission. She knows what kind of man her husband is, knows the things he’s done to put this roof over her head.

She’s no innocent, either.

Judy parks me at a chair by the huge table and starts fussing in the kitchen, fixing coffee. Eventually, Nikolai strolls in, wearing a black silk robe over his pajamas.

“Look who dropped by,” Judy says brightly. “You want some coffee, hon?”

“Naturally.” Nikolai kisses her cheek and gives me a look. “Dax.”

“Nikolai.”

We wait until Judy serves a pot of coffee and a plate of pastries. “Well, you men get to business,” she smiles. “I’ll go put my face on.”

“Good seeing you, Judy,” I say, polite, as she bustles out.

There’s silence.

“How do you take it?” Nikolai asks, pouring the coffee.

“Black.”

He passes me a cup. I can’t believe he’s so calm, sitting there after everything he’s done. But then, he always did have ice water running through his veins. Cold and calculating, a sociopath through and through.

I picture Zoe, trapped and scared in the flames, and my rage returns.

He needs to pay.

I have to stop him.

“She’s alive.” I tell him shortly. “In case you were wondering.”

Nikolai frowns. “Who?”

I stare back. “Zoe. The girl you tried to burn alive last night, just to make a fucking point.”

His face betrays nothing as he sets his cup down. “Easy there, Dax.” He gets up. “I don’t know what this is about, but it’s not my doing.”

“Oh no? You didn’t threaten Maria? Send me these?”

I slam the notes down on the table. Nikolai takes a look, then snorts.

“Since when has anonymous bullshit been my style? C’mon, kid.” He frowns, shaking his head. “You know that when I want something, I damn well ask for it. I came to you, remember? At the club. But this? Why would I need to send you these?”

I don’t know what to think. Nikolai seems totally straight. So is he telling me the truth, or just lying through his teeth?

“Someone fucked with the wiring in her apartment,” I challenge him. “Blocked the door so she couldn’t get out. She would have died in there.”

He shrugs. “It’s a shame to hear it, but it ain’t on me.”

“I’m not fucking around here.” My voice rises with anger. “This ends. Now. Keep Zoe out of it. I swear, if you or one of your guys lay so much as a finger on her...”

“You’ll what?” Nikolai looks so damn complacent, it makes me see red.

I pull the gun out and lay it on the table, my thumb nestling over the safety. My gaze locks onto Nikolai.

He drops his smile.

“Now wait a minute,” he says, sounding pissed. “You come in here, to my home, and threaten me over something I didn’t even do—”

“Enough!” I explode. I raise the gun, and point it directly at him. “You need to come clean to me right now. Are you behind this mess or not?”

Nikolai stares back, even. Any other guy would be shitting himself by now, but he’s totally calm. It’s not the first time he’s had a gun pointed in his face, and it probably won’t be the last. “I’m not.”

I don’t move. I can’t read his face right now, but I’m making sure he can read mine—and it’s obvious he doesn’t like what he sees.

“Think about it, son,” he urges me. “How does hurting those girls get me what I want? I know you, I know you storm right into trouble if it means protecting the people you care about. Why would I want to set you off like that? It doesn’t make any sense.”

I clench my jaw, trying to think. “None of this makes sense, but there’s been trouble ever since you showed up at my club.”

“Not from me.” Nikolai begins to look nervous, the cool façade finally cracking. “I got a problem with you, I keep it between us. Settle it like men do. That’s how I operate. You know this.”

“What about that guy who went to scare Maria?” I point out.

“An accident. One of my guys getting over-eager, I take full responsibility, but that’s not the same as what you’re talking about. Arson? Murder?” He holds up his hands. “I swear to you. I’ve done some shit in my day, but I’m man enough to own up to it. I don’t hide behind notes and games. That’s the honest truth.” He shrugs. “So do what you need to do, Lord knows I deserve it. But not for this.”

I stay frozen for a long moment. I want to hurt him -- I want to hurt somebody for what they did to Zoe, but what he’s saying rings too true to ignore.

This isn’t his style.

I’ve known Nikolai all my life. I know when he’s lying, and right now, he’s telling me the truth.

“Fuck.” I lower the gun. It’s only when I take a breath that I realize how close I came to hurting him. My heart is thundering, and adrenaline pumps hard through my body.

Nikolai lets out a whistle. “Good boy.” He crosses to the liquor cabinet and pours himself a shot of whiskey. He gulps it down in one, his hand shaking.

I guess he’s not so stone cold, after all.

“You really had me there for a second, I’ll give you that.” He chuckles, pouring another shot. “Should have known you wouldn’t follow through. You never were one for the blood and guts of it all.”

“You don’t know what I’m capable of,” I answer coldly, getting up. “You better believe, if I thought you’d hurt her, I would have pulled the trigger in a heartbeat.”

Nikolai stops, and looks at me for a long moment. “I guess you have changed.” He nods, and I know he’s taking me seriously now. “I’m going to give you a pass, this time,” he continues, his voice casual. “Because of our history. But if you ever come into my home and threaten me again, I will end you.”

“And if you hurt Zoe, or Maria, or anyone I care about, I’ll kill you,” I reply, meaning every word.

I hold his gaze for a long moment. He nods, and for some strange reason, I feel like we’ve reached an understanding, a truce. The kind you make with a killer shark, but still, it’s one name I can cross off my list.

I get up to go. He follows me out. “I don’t want to see you around the club,” I warn him.

“Relax.” He looks smug. “You can keep your confidentiality. There’s more than one way to skin a cat.”

I wonder what he means, but I don’t want to stick around to find out. He claps me on the shoulder, like old times, but I leave without another word, striding away from the man I thought of as a father for so long. I can’t believe I just came so close to putting a bullet in his chest.

Would I have done it?

I ponder the question all the way back to the city. I always despised his violence, it’s the reason I broke free and started out on my own. But here I am, using force and threats to get my way, just like him.

Maybe I’m no different. Maybe deep down, we’re both the same.

The thought is chilling. No. It’s not true. Nikolai uses brutality to get his way -- I’m just speaking to him in a language he understands. But it makes me realize just how far I’ll go to protect the people in my life.

To keep Zoe safe.

I would have pulled that trigger for her. I would have hurt him, watched him bleed. In no time at all, she’s become the most important thing to me, and I’ll do anything to protect her.

Which means the battle is still ahead of me. Whoever sent those notes, started that fire, they’re still out there.

And she won’t be safe until I figure out a way to stop them.

CHAPTER FIVE

ZOE

I’m practically climbing the walls by the time Dax strolls back into the apartment. “Where the hell have you been?” I demand, rushing over. He’s carrying takeout bags and coffee, but I still punch him in the bicep. “I told you, you can’t keep me prisoner here!”

“You got my little gift then,” he smirks.

“If by ‘gift’ you mean the fact that you jammed the elevator, then yes,” I glare.

“Call it an insurance policy.” He unloads and then grabs me for a kiss, distracting me for a moment with the hot plunge of his tongue and the slide of his hands down my ass.

My anger may not be real, but my anxiety is. I worried myself sick about Dax while he was out this morning, and the relief flooding through me right now only makes his mouth on mine even hotter.

“You can’t distract me—” I protest, trying to pull away.

“Watch me.”

Dax kisses me again, hard, and I can’t resist. Damn this man for being so sexy. I sink into his embrace, greedily devouring his delicious mouth, until finally he releases me.

“You go back to bed,” he says. “I’ll fix us breakfast.”

Usually the prospect of having a hot guy wait on me hand and foot would send me straight back up to bed, but I’ve got more pressing things on my mind.

“What did Nikolai say?” I ask instead. I’ve been going crazy imagining what was going on.

“What makes you think I went to see Nikolai?” Dax turns away to unpack the food, but I can see right through the forced nonchalance in his voice.

I snort. “Please. Don’t even pretend you didn’t go straight over there to have it out. What did he say? How did he act?” I’m struck suddenly with fear. Lord knows Dax was angry when he found me last night. Angry enough to do what? “You didn’t hurt him, did you?”

Dax turns back to me with a sigh. “No, I didn’t,” he says. “But I sure as hell came close. If I thought that he’d hurt you...”

He trails off, and suddenly I feel my heart lift. He’s protective. He’s looking out for me. I’ve never liked guys who get all territorial and stake their claim, but on Dax, it’s sexy as hell. And it’s clear he cares about me, about keeping me safe.

“So he denied it?” I try to focus. “How can you believe him?”

“Because this isn’t his style, like you said.” Dax quickly fills me in on their meeting as he sets out breakfast bagels and pastries. We sit at his glass-topped table and go over everything that happened. “Believe me, I almost wish he was behind all this, at least then I’d know where we stand, but it doesn’t feel like Nikolai to me. If he wanted you dead, you’d be dead.”

I shiver.

“Sorry.” Dax wraps his arms around me. “This is why I don’t want you thinking about it anymore. Just put it out of your mind.”

There’s no way that’s going to happen.

“It’s OK. I’m just glad it’s over.” I give him a weak smile. “But if it’s not Nikolai, then who? Maybe we should run through a list of—”

“Nope,” Dax cuts me off. “You’re not getting involved.”

“Of course I’m involved!” I protest. “Someone else has it in for you -- and me too.”

“And I’ll take care of it, whoever they are.” Dax looks tense. “But you’re staying out of it.”

I lean back from the table and cross my arms, narrowing my eyes.

“No way.” I can’t believe he’s still pulling this lord and commander routine. After everything we’ve been through! “You need me, and we can work on this together.”

“No,” Dax repeats, his voice gone hard. “In case you haven’t noticed, you have a habit of getting yourself in trouble. Please, Zoe,” his voice softens. “Can’t you see, I’m just trying to keep you safe?”

I know he’s sincere, but I refuse to go into hiding, even if it would make him feel better.

“I understand that, and I appreciate it, I really do,” I tell him. “But I won’t just sit around. You wouldn’t stay out of it if you were in my position,” I point out. “You’d refuse to rest until you figured it out. Wouldn’t you?” I challenge.

Dax exhales, then gives me a begrudging look. “That’s not fair.”

“Tough.” I reach for another bagel. “Don’t treat me like I’m made of glass. I can help you, I’ve got skills for this stuff.”

“You mean snooping around and asking questions?” Dax arches an eyebrow. “Don’t remind me.”

I flush, remembering how we met in the first place. “Wait, is that why you were so suspicious of me when I started at the club?” I realize. “Because you thought I was involved in the notes?”

He nods. “The first one arrived the same day you showed up. And then I find you poking your nose places you weren’t supposed to be. Are you surprised I was suspicious?”

Finally, it makes sense. Dax wasn’t onto me and my investigative journalist exposé, he was trying to find the person who sent him those notes.

“No wonder you were all over me.”

He smirks. “That was one reason.”

“Why did you let me stick around, then?” I ask, confused. “If I was such a threat. You should have just fired me.”

“Believe me, I wanted to. But I guess you just made it hard for me.”

Hard.

I catch his hungry stare. From the moment we met, the chemistry between us was hotter than anything I’ve known before. It’s why I got thrown off course in my investigation -- and why Dax risked everything to have me.

“So what do we do now?” I ask, and I’m not just talking about breakfast.

“Am I going to talk you out of pursuing this?” Dax counters.

I shake my head.

“Didn’t think so. Can I at least ask that you don’t go asking any questions behind my back?” Dax’s jaw tenses. “I can’t take another scare like that. I just can’t.”

His tough guy attitude slips, and I see the real concern in his eyes.

I go and slide into his lap. “I promise.” I say. “As long as you promise not to keep shutting me out. I mean it, I can help.”

“Fine.” Dax reluctantly agrees, skimming his hands over my hips.

I feel a surge of relief -- and excitement. “Do you have the notes here? I want to take another look--”

“Later.” Dax cuts me off with a kiss.

“I know what you’re doing,” I laugh, pulling away. “But is isn’t going to work. You can’t distract me twenty-four hours a day.”

“Says who?”

He slides his hands up my thighs, pushing my shirt higher.

I bite my lip. Focus.

“What about other suspects?” I say, trying to wriggle out of his lap, but he only holds me tighter. “Who else has a vendetta against you? We need to go back to the beginning and check everyone as a suspect--”

“Do you ever quit?” Dax lets out a snort of exasperation. “I’m trying to seduce you, dammit.”

“But there’s a case to solve!”

“You know, I’m beginning to seriously question your priorities.” Dax keeps me on his lap, and starts to unbutton my shirt.

He leans down and sucks my nipple through the fabric as he goes.

Maybe he’s got a point.

“But whoever it is...” I argue, even as heat rushes through my body. “They won’t stop.”

“They can wait a few hours.” Dax turns his attention to my other breast, licking across my skin. “But I can’t. I need to fuck you again, right now.”

His words send a thrill right to my center. I can feel his cock pressing up against me.

God, I love his cock.

For a moment, my want to solve this mystery wars with the desire raging in my blood. But it’s no contest. Desire will win with Dax, every time.

I slide from his lap onto my knees on the floor. I hear Dax’s breath hitch as I reach for his belt.

“Good things come to those who wait,” I tease, unzipping his fly.

His eyes flash with anticipation as I peel back the fabric and let his cock spring free: every last, thick inch.

Mmmmm.

I lean in, trailing my tongue up the length of his shaft, light, barely touching.

“Zoe,” he groans, grabbing a fistful of my hair. He pulls me closer, until I’m positioned between his thighs. Then slowly, I take him into my mouth.

I feel his body tense as I swirl my tongue over his head and lap at his shaft. He tastes clean and manly, with a hint of salty precum. I lift my head, suctioning all the way to the tip, then sink down again, taking him even deeper.

Dax lets out a strangled curse. He grips my hair tighter, pulling me into a steady rhythm as he thrusts up, fucking my mouth.

Fuck, I could lose myself like this. Totally under his control, and loving every minute of it. He reaches down to squeeze my nipples, tugging each one in turn as I suck him harder, and I know I’m already wet and aching for him. I wanted to tease him, make him beg, but too soon I’m caught up in the hard thrust of his cock and the way he’s pushing, almost too deep against the back of my throat.

I suck faster, swirling my tongue against him on every stroke. I can feel him harden, getting even stiffer in my mouth as he pistons up against me. It’s intoxicating, knowing how much he wants me, how close he is to the edge.

“Wait,” he gasps, trying to pull me away. “Zoe...”

But I don’t stop.

I angle my head, taking him all the way to the hilt, and then swallow; using my throat to massage his shaft in a vice-like grip.

“Fuck yes,” he moans, and I can feel him getting closer, too close to stop himself. “That’s it. Good girl.”

Dax explodes with a groan, spurting hot torrents down my throat. I come up for air, in time to see the release of his climax written all over his face.

He looks wild. Intense. Sated.

A fierce glow radiates through me, warm as if I was the one who just came.

I did this. I made this man lose his mind. And God, I can’t get enough.

CHAPTER SIX

DAX

I’m lazing in bed on Sunday morning for the first time in forever. Usually, I’m up at the gym, or over at the club going through the financials; I’ve never had a reason to stick around before.

Maybe because I’ve never had a woman like Zoe naked and willing in my bed. Usually I don’t ever let them sleep over; it’s always worked out better that way. But not with her.

I rip back the sheets and drink in the sight of her, my cock already stirring at the view.

“We need to get up,” she protests weakly, as I kiss my way down her body. “We’ve been in bed for like, two days.”

“I told you, I can be very diverting when I set my mind to it.” I focus on the spot behind her knee that makes her shiver.

“But I have stuff to do. Like find a new place to live, and send out more job applications...”

“You have odd priorities,” I smile, licking higher up her thigh. “Now quiet down, I’m doing good work here.”

“You always do good work.” Zoe wriggles in my arms. “Which is why if we don’t get out of bed right now, I’m going to be stuck here for another ten hours.”

“And would that be so bad?” I lift my head, grinning at her.

I shouldn’t be feeling so damn happy. With everything hanging over my head - the blackmail, and the fire, and God knows what else -- I should be a knot of tension right now. But Zoe is naked, and smiling at me in the way that lets me know she’s about to give in and blow my mind, and so right now, everything is fucking great in the universe.

“Not bad...” Sure enough, she bites her lip. I slide one hand higher between her legs, finding her cunt already slick and welcoming.

“But not good?” I curl a finger up inside her, teasing.

She inhales in a gasp. “Getting better...”

“How about now?” I thrust another finger into her and pump. She clenches in reply, rolling her hips to meet me.

My cellphone rings.

“Ignore it,” I order her, biting down on the inside of her thigh. I want to hear her scream in ecstasy, but instead, Zoe rolls away with a moan.

“No! It could be important. The club, remember?”

I sigh. I’ve got a raging hard-on that’s more concerned with Zoe’s delicious cunt right now, but she’s right. It could be an emergency.

I grab my phone from the nightstand. It’s Maria. My pulse skyrockets as I punch the answer button.

“What’s wrong?” I demand.

She snorts. “Good morning to you, too. And nothing’s wrong, unless you count the bodyguard parked outside my house. You know he’s been there all night?” she reminds me. “I tried to make him come in, but he just sits out there. He’s scaring the neighbors.”

Shit. Griffin. The real world comes crashing in; I guess Zoe and I can’t stay locked up in our sex bubble forever, no matter how hot it is in here.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t call him off yet,” I apologize. “Not until I figure out this problem.”

Maria’s voice softens. “Is everything OK?”

“It will be.”

I watch as Zoe slides out of bed and dances to the bathroom. “Hey,” I call to her. “Don’t even think about putting on your clothes.”

“Who are you talking to?” Maria demands.

“No one.”

“Bullshit,” she laughs. “It’s that girl, isn’t it? The one I saw before.”

“Zoe,” I admit.

“I want to meet her, for real this time! Come over for lunch,” Maria demands.

“Not today—”

“I won’t take no for an answer,” she talks over me. “Put her on the phone.”

“What?”

“Do it,” she insists, so I reluctantly hold the phone out to Zoe. “It’s Maria,” I explain. “She wants to talk to you.”

Zoe takes it, looking curious. She turns away, “Hi... Yes, I know, right? Is he? You’ll have to tell me all about it.... Uh huh.... OK, we’ll see you there.”

She hangs up and tosses the phone back. “She’s so nice.” Zoe looks amused. “Lunch is at two, and I said we’d love to be there.”

“I’m sorry, she can be stubborn sometimes.”

“Then I know we’ll get along.” Zoe grins. “Besides, I need to officially meet the other woman who gets away with pushing you around.”

*

We get on the road in time to make it to Maria’s for lunch. I’ve made this drive a thousand times, but somehow, having Zoe in the passenger seat as I head home makes everything different.

I look over at her. She’s gazing out the window, taking everything in as we drive through my old neighborhood.

I try to picture it through her eyes: the run-down strip malls, the bars on the windows. I’ve never been ashamed of where I came from, but now I wonder, is she judging me? Does she care where I came from?

No.

Already, I know Zoe isn’t that kind of girl. I still don’t know much about where she grew up, but I know she’s a fighter. A hustler. Just like me. She’s been working her ass off to get ahead without any connections or favors, and while I don’t approve of the way she’s tried to do it -- investigating me and my club -- I have to admire her ambition.

“This is where you grew up?” she asks, sounding interested.

I nod. “We lived just down there.” I point out the street. “My mom worked late shifts at the factory, and picked up cleaning jobs on the side.”

“She must be proud of you.” Zoe gives me a smile.

I relax. “She is. I moved her down to Florida, to get her out of these winters. Now she’s living the high life, country club membership and all the bingo she can handle.”

Zoe laughs. “You’re a good son.”

I shrug. “She did what she could for me. It wasn’t her fault I got in with Nikolai and his crew, it was tough for everyone back then.”

“And Maria?” she asks. “You guys go way back, don’t you?”

I nod. “She’s like my kid sister. For a while, it was the three of us: her, me and Jimmy. But when he went to jail, I tried to stick around. Help out when I could. When she’d let me,” I add, thinking of Maria’s stubborn ways.

“Look at you.”

When I turn again, Zoe’s got a smile on her face. “What?”

“You make out like you’re the big bad wolf, but you’re a softy, really. You take care of the people who matter to you.”

I hold her gaze. “Always.”

Zoe blushes and looks away.

“Here we are.” I pull up outside Maria’s place. It’s a modern townhouse in a decent neighborhood. I wanted to move them to the city, but she stood firm: her family is nearby, and she wanted Luca to have them around. So, I found a place for them in a safe section of town with a back yard and plenty of room for the kid to run around. She swears she’ll pay me back, one day, but we both know I’ll never let her.

We get out of the car, but Zoe hangs back. She looks nervous. “What if she doesn’t like me?” she whispers.

“Impossible.”

“I’m serious,” Zoe hits me. “This is like you’re taking me home to meet your family! She’s going to be comparing me to all your exes, deciding if I measure up.”

“She’s never met my exes,” I admit. “I’ve never brought anyone out here.”

Zoe blinks. “Oh.”

I give her a quick kiss. “Just relax,” I tell her, leading her to the front door. “And brace yourself.”

“For what?” she asks, but she’s drowned out by the sound of the bell -- and the thunder of small footsteps.

“Uncle Dax!” Luca yells, pulling the door open. “You’re here! Did Mom tell you I got a B on my science project, so she got me that remote control car I wanted? It goes so fast, you have to see. Mom, can I show him? Mom?”

Maria appears behind him. She rolls her eyes. “Maybe once you let them in off the street.” She smiles at us. “Come on in, sorry about the mess. Luca lost his backpack, so he decided to empty every drawer and cabinet in the place.”

I usher Zoe inside ahead of me. The house is small but welcoming as always: cluttered with toys and comfy furniture, with Luca’s artwork framed on the walls. The kind of home every kid should have growing up, but that Maria and I both went without.

“Hi, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Zoe says, looking like she’s at a job interview. “I’m Zoe.”

Maria smiles, and pulls her into a hug. “I know who you are. And believe me, I have questions. Like how you got this guy to agree to lunch. I usually have to pull teeth to get him not to work on the weekend.”

Zoe looks relieved. “Well, threatening to withhold sex works pretty well.”

Maria bursts out laughing. Zoe flushes. “Shit, did I really just say that?”

“Yes, you did, and I can tell we’re going to be best friends.”

She links arms with Zoe and pulls her through to the open-plan kitchen area. There’s a tug on my arm. Luca has his car controller in one hand. “Can you show me how to make it go really fast? The instructions say it can do tricks, but I can’t figure it out.”

“Sure thing.” I heave him up over my shoulders in a fireman’s lift and stride through the kitchen to the back door. “We’ll leave the girls in the kitchen -- where they belong.”

“Hey!” Maria and Zoe look over from where they’re sitting. “We heard that.”

“Just for that sexist garbage, you get to do all the dishes,” Zoe adds.

“You hear that, kid?” I carry Luca outside. “You’re on clean-up.”

*

After Luca and I give his new toy a good try out, we head back inside. Zoe and Maria are setting out lunch, gossiping a mile a minute.

“...And then Tasha says he tipped her a thousand bucks.”

“No!”

“Yes!”

I see Maria’s face lit up, and feel glad I introduced them. I forget sometimes how young Maria is, but she’s just a couple of years older than Zoe. It’s good for her to laugh and have some fun with friends.

“What are you ladies gossiping about?”

“What else?” Zoe smirks. “Men.”

“Uh oh.” I pretend to cover Luca’s ears. “This can’t be good.”

“You’re safe for now.” Zoe leans up and kisses me lightly. “But Maria promised to bring out the old photo albums later. I believe I heard something about a ponytail...”

“Traitor,” I laugh at Maria.

“I thought you looked super-fly,” she winks.

We wash up and sit down to eat. There’s a whole spread of sandwiches and pickles and chips. “Sorry it’s not fancy,” Maria apologizes to Zoe.

“Are you kidding?” she replies. “PB&J are my favorite. I swear, I lived on these in college.”

I sit back and dig in, relaxed.

“Where did you grow up?” Maria asks. “You said you studied journalism?”

Zoe nods. “I’m from Missouri, a town just outside Kansas City. Nothing fancy,” she shrugs. “My mom is a high school teacher there, and my dad worked at a chemical plant, until he threw his back out about five years ago. For college I got a great scholarship package to Indiana State,” she continues. “Their journalism program is pretty decent, and honestly I just couldn’t swing the financing for anywhere else.”

“Hey, you got your degree, that’s more than either of us,” Maria protests.

Zoe looks over. “You didn’t go to college?”

“I took some business classes at night, while I was working to open my first bar,” I explain, reaching for another sandwich. “But I didn’t see the point in spending all that money, I just wanted to get out there and start working.”

“Building that empire.” Zoe smiles. “You’ve come a long way.”

“So have you,” I reply.

She gives a wry smile. “I’m unemployed, with like a literal mountain of loans. But thanks anyway.”

I’m about to argue -- that she’s got all kinds of skills that employers should be fighting over -- when there’s a loud banging on the front door.

“Maria? Maria, I know you’re in there!”

I’m already out of my seat. “Who is that?” I demand, tensing. “Are you expecting anyone?”

She shakes her head. “Nobody.”

I glance at Luca, eating happily. “I’ll go.”

I go to the hallway and open the door, just wide enough to see who’s outside.

It’s Jimmy. I haven’t seen him since the night he covered a bartender’s shift at my club, and although security told me he ducked out early, Jimmy never called me afterward to apologize or explain, and wouldn’t even return my texts. He’d sworn to me he was getting his act together now that he’s out of jail, but at this moment all I see is the old Jimmy, the one who lived for trouble and never gave a shit about the consequences.

“Maria!” He’s yelling.

“Hey!” I snap, stepping outside. “What the hell are you doing? Keep it down!”

Jimmy sneers. “Fuck, should have figured you’d be here... Can’t keep away from her, can you?” He turns again and bellows. “Luca? Daddy’s here!”

The door opens behind me. Maria peers out, looking nervous. “Jimmy, I told you it’s not a good time to see him.”

“And now I see why.” Jimmy looks furious, but he’s swaying slightly. “You’re all cozied up with him.”

Maria sighs. “You’re drunk again, Jimmy. Go home.”

“This is my home!” he slurs. “You’re my goddamn family, you can’t keep him from me. Luca!”

I grip him by the collar and shove him back. “I told you to keep it down, for fuck’s sake.”

“And I’m supposed to do what you tell me.” Jimmy’s breath stinks. “You’re not the fucking boss of me. You don’t get to replace me! I told you, this is my family. Dammit, Maria, you can’t keep my kid away from me!”

Jesus. I turn to Maria. “Has he done this before?”

She hesitates, and then nods. “He’s shown up a couple of times now. I’ve tried to tell him, he needs to go to court if he wants visitation, I’m happy to work something out. But not like this. Look at yourself, Jimmy,” she adds. “You’re a mess. Do you really want Luca to see you like this?”

“A kid needs his father,” Jimmy slurs angrily. “Luca!”

“Daddy?”

We all turn. Luca is in the doorway, looking confused.

Shit.

Before anyone can move, Zoe comes out and scoops him up. “How about you come show me that new car of yours?” she says brightly. “You let Mom and Dad have a quick chat. I want to see all those tricks you were talking about.”

I send her a grateful look as she heads inside. The door closes behind her.

“Who the fuck’s that?” Jimmy slurs. “I want my son!”

I feel a flash of anger. After everything he’s put this family through, he’s still acting like he’s the victim here.

“Luca’s done just fine without you so far,” I growl, pushing Jimmy back away from the house.

He turns on me, his pupils wide with anger. “Who the fuck are you to tell me anything?” he demands, trying to shove me away. “You don’t get to come in and take them from me.”

“Jimmy, please!” Maria begs, but he won’t stop.

“You think I don’t know what you’ve been doing behind my back? Taking what’s mine, you fucking thief—”

“Don’t push me!” I growl, looking him dead in the eye. “Go home. Sober up. You want to be a father so bad? Prove it. I gave you a chance, working at the club. You said you’d changed. But that was all bullshit, wasn’t it?”

Maria pushes me out of the way. “You’re not welcome here,” she says loudly, folding her arms. “Not until you show you can be a good father. And showing up drunk, yelling the house down, that doesn’t count.”

Jimmy sags. “But...”

“I mean it.” She scowls. “Go, now.”

Jimmy shoots me a final glare, then stumbles down the front path again. “You’ll be sorry,” he yells back at me. “You can’t take them from me!”

CHAPTER SEVEN

ZOE

“Well, that was fun.”

We’ve been driving in silence for thirty minutes now, Dax wound tight enough to snap.

He looks over. “Are you kidding me?”

“Yes,” I try to smile. “And no. It was fun -- before that guy showed up. I’m sorry,” I add, feeling uncomfortable. Talk about a third wheel.

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about.” Dax takes my hand. “And thank you, for taking Luca out of there.”

“Of course.” I pause. “My parents fought a lot, when I was a kid,” I add in a quiet voice. “He shouldn’t have to see that stuff.”

“And he won’t.” Dax sounds determined. “First thing Monday morning, I’m going to get Maria in with a lawyer to file a restraining order. Until he shows he’s got his shit together, he’s not getting anywhere near them again.”

“He looked really mad.” I remember the look on Jimmy’s face, so full of loathing. “Will they be OK?”

“I’ve still got Griffin looking in on them. And I know Jimmy,” Dax sighs. “He likes to rant and yell, but he’s all talk. The guy could never follow through to save his life.”

I squeeze his hand. Even with all the drama, I’m glad I got to see this part of Dax’s life today. It makes me admire him even more: that he’s achieved so much, and that he’s still looking out for Maria and Luca after everything.

Every day, I’m realizing how strong and extraordinary he is.

Eventually, we get into the city. We pass Dax’s street, but he keeps driving. “Where are we going?” I ask, looking around.

Dax gives me a wicked grin. “As much as I like getting you naked, I haven’t forgotten you’re living out of a duffel bag. I’m taking you shopping.”

“You don’t have to do that,” I protest, but he silences me with a look.

“Don’t even think about arguing. It’s because of me that all your stuff got burned to a crisp. Let me do this, it’s the least I can do.”

Hmm, let me think about that: a hot rich guy wants to take me shopping and replace my entire wardrobe. I’d have to be crazy to disagree.

“OK,” I smile, deciding not to stand in his way. “Let’s shop.”

*

Two hours and five stores later, I’ve given up trying to keep track of how much Dax is spending. I felt bad the first couple of times he passed over his black AmEx, but soon he didn’t even let me look at the price tags before telling the sales staff to take it all. And this isn’t Forever 21 we’re talking about, no, Dax insists on taking me to the most exclusive boutiques in the city.

“Just for the record, I don’t need a five hundred dollar pair of shoes,” I say, modeling the black strappy pumps in the store mirror.

Dax grins, lounging on a chair nearby. “No, but I need to see you in them. Nothing but them,” he adds. I take them off, and he beckons over an assistant. “She’ll take them,” he decides. “And all those dresses she tried.”

“Absolutely,” the clerk breathes, probably calculating her commission. “Can I get you anything else, sir? Champagne, perhaps, or coffee?”

“Zoe?” he asks.

I shake my head.

“We’re fine.”

She scurries off to ring up all the purchases.

I go barefoot over to Dax and slide into his lap. “So is this what life is like for you all the time?” I tease, putting my arms around his neck. “You wave that card around, and everyone runs around obeying your every whim?”

He smiles. “It’s stupid, I know, but I still get a kick out of it. Ten years ago, none of these people would have looked at me twice. But now...”

“Now you’ve earned your place in this world.”

“So I may as well enjoy it.” He slides his hand over the curve of my ass and winks.

I wriggle away, laughing. “No wonder you couldn’t deal with me at the club. I’m probably the first person to talk back to you in years.”

“The first employee, for sure. But that doesn’t mean you don’t know your place.” Dax’s eyes flash, teasing.

“My place?” I echo, arching an eyebrow.

He gets up, and slowly paces closer. He leans in, sliding his arms around me from behind, so I can see us in the mirror. His breath scratches my ear, hot.

“Your place is on your hands and knees with my cock buried deep inside you. And don’t you forget it.”

Oh shit.

In an instant, my cheeks flush red and my nipples tighten. I can see it in the mirror, there’s no hiding my desire.

“Or up against the wall, your dress hiked up, no panties,” Dax continues in his low, hypnotic voice. “Spread for me, so I can taste every inch of that delicious cunt.”

I shiver. We’re in the middle of an exclusive store, people just a few feet away, but I’m already hot and wet for him.

Dax’s eyes meet mine in the mirror. He smiles, knowing the effect he has on me.

The power.

“The minute we get home,” he murmurs the promise. “I want to fuck you in nothing but those kinky heels.”

“Then why are we not at home yet?” I shoot back.

His lips quirk in a smile. “Now you’re talking.”

I quickly change while Dax pays, then we load the huge collection of bags into his car. I swear, he runs half a dozen red lights on the way back, and I feel just as impatient. Just the thought of him delivering on all his dirty promises is making me hot: my thighs clenching as I feel my pussy grow wet.

I slide my hand over into his lap. He’s already hard, and I trace the outline of his massive cock through his pants, teasing.

Dax lets out a growl. “You want me to crash this car?”

I drag my hand away. Crashing would mean police, and the hospital, and that much longer before I’m fucking him again. “Just drive,” I beg him. “Or I’ll have to start without you.”

Now, that’s an idea.

I move my hand down between my thighs, massaging through the fabric of my dress. My clit feels swollen and tight as I stroke it in slow, deep circles. I let out a deep sigh.

“Hey, that’s not fair,” Dax yanks the wheel, taking us around a corner.

“Life’s not fair,” I grin, enjoying the frustration on his face. I decide to tease him more, and use my other hand to toy with my breasts. I pluck my nipples into stiff peaks through my dress, tilting my head back and letting a smile play across my lips.

Dax glances over, and lets out a hissed curse. “You’re going to pay for this,” he warns me.

Good. “As long as my punishment is hard and deep,” I reply.

Dax pulls up to the sidewalk outside his building with a screech. He practically bolts from the car and pulls my door open, dragging me out.

“The bags--” I start to say.

“The bags can wait.” He hustles me into the lobby, pushing me up against the wall and claiming my mouth in a hard, hot kiss.

Yes.

His tongue plunges deep as his hands grip me to him, massaging my ass and pulling me snug against his bulging cock. I arch against him, greedily kissing back as he tugs up my skirt and--

“Ahem.”

Somebody clears their throat, just a few feet away. Dax owns this whole building, so I’m immediately on alert, and when he wrenches back from me, I blink to see who’s there.

It’s Griffin: loitering in a windowless corner with something under his arm. Relief floods through me and then I feel myself blush; I didn’t realize we’d had an audience.

“What?” Dax demands, breathing heavily.

If Griffin doesn’t like the rudeness, he doesn’t say a word, just arches an eyebrow.

“Thought you might want to see this,” he says, holding out something. “A contact gave me the heads-up, they’re already going to print for the Monday morning edition.”

“What is it?” Dax unfolds the newspaper.

My stomach drops.

It’s a copy of the New York Daily, and the front page is my worst nightmare.

ANDREW LANDSLEY: EXPOSED.

There’s a photo of Andrew Landsley, another of the exterior of The Underground club.

I read over Dax’s shoulder, my heart racing in horror.

It’s the exposé. But not the way I planned it, talking about corruption or ethics, no, this is tabloid trash journalism. Sensational. Scandalous.

“Wild sex parties... bondage and spanking.... ‘Landsley couldn’t get enough.’”

The article details the club, even mentions Dax by name. They have a source on record saying Andrew loved to get spanked and fuck in public, and all kinds of other things.

“The councilman couldn’t be reached for comment.”

And there, above it all, the byline reads ‘Zoe Warren’.

My blood runs cold.

“Dax--” I start, but he turns on me. His eyes are cold.

“You did this?”

“I—I—”

“Answer me!” he demands.

“No! I swear, I told my editor I was off the story,” I insist. “He must have used my old notes, or something like that. I promise you, this has nothing to do with me!”

“But you told him about it.” Dax towers over me, tense as a rock. “He wouldn’t even have known about the club if you hadn’t served it up on a silver platter.”

My protest dies on my tongue. Oh God, he’s right. This is all my fault.

Griffin slips out the exit door, leaving us alone in the lobby.

“I didn’t write this, and I don’t know who did. I told him I didn’t want to do the story,” I insist, but my voice falters. “I said it wasn’t our business what Landsley did in private.”

“Well, it’s not private anymore.” Dax is grim. “It’s all over the fucking front page. His career is over, do you understand? He trusted me with his secrets. They all do!”

I shrink back from his rage. Guilt floods through me.

“I didn’t realize...”

“What?” Dax cuts me off. “That there would be consequences for you snooping around? Dammit, Zoe. These are real people, with lives, and families, and careers! They come to my club because I promise them privacy. But you’ve just gone and thrown that all away!”

I try to blink back my tears. I wish I could argue, but I know he’s right. Even if I didn’t write that story, I had planned to. So what if I walked away in the end? The result is the same, either way.

And the truth is, I would have done this to them, if I hadn’t fallen for Dax first.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, crying. “I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry won’t fix this fucking mess!” Dax yells. “This is my club, my reputation you destroyed. Not to mention Landsley. Fuck!”

He turns and drives his fist into the wall. I flinch back.

“Just go!” Dax won’t look at me. “You’ve done enough here.”

“But...” I stutter. He can’t mean it. It can’t just be over in the blink of an eye, not after everything we’ve been through. “Please, just listen to me. We can talk about this. I can explain!”

“The only explanation I need is right there in black and white.” Dax replies grimly, throwing the newspaper down at my feet. “Nothing you can say will change what you’ve done.”

Shame hits me hard. It feels like everything is crumbling under my feet, but there’s nothing I can do. No way to explain myself or make him see -- I didn’t mean to do this. I stopped investigating for the story, I walked away from it.

I chose him over my career.

But I’m losing him all the same.

“I’m sorry,” I sob again, but Dax still won’t look at me. He gets in the elevator, the grille closing with a final clang.

As the elevator ascends, taking my heart with it, I’m left alone.

CHAPTER EIGHT

DAX

Goddamn.

I can’t believe that I fell for it again. That after everything, I let my guard down long enough to really care about her -- and for her to stab me in the back like this and destroy everything I’ve ever worked for. Whether Zoe wrote the article or not, it’s her dirty work that’s led to this, her snooping, her carelessness with my secrets.

I don’t even have time to prepare for the blast: the online edition goes up early, and within an hour, my cellphone is ringing every few minutes with panicked members and investors worried that their own secrets will be splashed across the front page before too long.

CEOs, sports stars, celebrities... My client files include some of the most powerful and famous people in the country. And now they all know I can’t be trusted.

The Underground is secret no more.

“No, I can’t be sure what other names were revealed. Whoever the source is, they didn’t access my files, I can promise you that.”

I’m in my office at The Underground now, trying to run damage control on the phone with another scared client. The club is shut down on Sunday nights, and there’s nobody around to field calls. I raced over as soon as I realized the extent of the damage.

“I understand your concern. I promise that if anyone breached their non-disclosure agreement, they’ll be dealt with to the full extent of the law.”

I hang up, and grab the bottle of whiskey that’s been emptying all night. It’s lies, all of it. I know damn well who spilled my club’s secrets to the press.

And still, I can’t bring myself to set the lawyers on her. Not Zoe.

“Fuck,” I curse.

“Bad time?” Dominique is waiting in the doorway.

“It’s all bad timing.” I grit my teeth, and beckon her in. “You’ve seen it, I suppose?”

She nods. “I came in as soon as I got the news. It’s not just the newspaper,” she adds, taking a seat. “Gossip blogs, news stations, they’re all running with it now. This club is the hottest story in town. You’ll have reporters and camera crews lined up outside the minute they get an address.”

I slump in my chair. “And there goes our business. Nobody will want to risk having their face plastered on the six o’clock news. I’d be surprised if we have a single member show up tomorrow night.”

“What do you want to do?” Dominique looks sympathetic.

“I haven’t a fucking clue.”

I take another drink. Bad enough that my business is crumbling around me, but I feel like I have a bullet wound in my chest.

Zoe did this.

I trusted her. I let her in. And now look at the wreck she’s made.

“Should I call the staff, and tell them we’re closed temporarily?” Dominique has her tablet out, ready for my command.

I don’t want to think about a plan. I don’t want to think about anything at all. I just want to drink until the pain numbs.

“Sure.” I gulp at the whiskey. “Why the hell not?”

“How long for?” she presses me. “A week? Do you think it’ll have blown over by then?”

I snort. A political sex scandal will keep the feeding frenzy alive for weeks, if not months. People will be crawling out of the woodwork to go on the record now: former employees, the few members we’ve had to ban permanently, current members’ guests. The floodgates are open, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.

“Dax?” Dominique asks again. “What do you want me to do?”

“I don’t fucking know, OK?” I see the disapproving look on her face and try to pull it together. “Sorry, my head’s a mess right now.”

“We need damage control,” Dominique decides. “To shut this thing down before anything else leaks. If we’re lucky, this stays a story about one guy. Not everyone else on our membership list. Our PR firm has been emailing and calling, and I’ll also have the lawyers call every single person who’s ever crossed the threshold and threaten to sue if they breach their agreements. If we come out fighting, we should be able to stop anyone else going to the press. If anything, it’s still publicity, right?”

I nod, worn out. “Sure. That all sounds fine with me. You really think it’ll work?” I pour myself another drink, spilling some on my desk in the process.

Dominique looks pissed. “I don’t know, but at least it’s a plan. I happen to like this job. I’m not just going to sit around drinking myself into oblivion while the whole place falls apart.”

She stalks out, leaving me alone with my self-loathing anger.

Fuck, she’s right. I should be fighting, at the top of my game. But somehow I can’t find it in me to care.

Losing the club seems like nothing compared to Zoe’s betrayal.

She said she quit the story -- and I believed her, too. But why else would her byline be at the top of the front page? Who else would write the story for her, and take no credit? And how else would the newspaper get ahold of such confidential information? No, Zoe had to have written it. She must have been lying. It wouldn’t be the first time.

I click online and scan through the story again, still looking for any sign that Zoe isn’t the traitor I think she is. But the details are unmistakable. They’ve got a source describing the different pleasure suites, the public demonstrations, everything about Landsley’s visits, right down to his drink order.

She sold me out. It couldn’t have been anyone else but her.

But I’m to blame, too. I let her in. I showed her where I came from, showed her every part of me. I held nothing back. I should have trusted my instincts. I knew from the start she was trouble, but I wound up thinking with my cock, not my brains.

Fuck her. Fuck all of them.

There’s another knock at my door. “What?” I yell, half-way to drunk.

Andrew Lansley walks in.

He looks about as shitty as I feel: unshaven and a mess. That’s when I remember: my business may be screwed, but his whole life is on the front page.

“You promised me!” he yells. “You promised this was the safest place in the city. Nobody talks, you said.” He slumps into a chair and runs his hand over his face. “My life is fucked.”

I could throw him out of here, call security, go at it with him myself. But instead, I level with him. Owning up to this is the only thing I can do. “I’m sorry. This never should have happened. I don’t know what to tell you.” I get up and pour him a drink. “I guess it was stupid to think this place could stay hidden forever. But I never saw this coming.”

I hold out the drink to him and brace myself, expecting more anger and accusations. But instead, when Andrew meets my gaze, he just looks defeated.

Broken.

“I’m a fucking laughingstock,” he says, taking the glass. “My re-election is done for. My campaign manager already jumped ship to the opposition, and donors won’t return my calls.”

My own ruin couldn’t rouse me from my despair, but seeing Andrew like this lights a fire in me again. He’s an innocent victim here, and as a politician he’s always tried to stay above the bullshit—refusing bribes and staying away from underhanded dealings, talking straight to the media and sticking to his guns on important issues. That’s why the newspapers are having such a feeding frenzy now—Landsley’s the one politician who’s always come up clean, which makes this scandal even more of a shock. But I’ll be damned if I’ll be the one to destroy his career.

“You can fight,” I tell him. He snorts with laughter.

“How? You’ve seen the headlines!”

“I’m serious. Get a great PR team, make a statement. Private is private. You’ve had a great track record prior to this, and people respect you. Hell, you know politicians have come back from worse!”

“People with money,” Andrew corrects me. “Contacts. Support. I’ve got none of that, I’ve burned too many bridges doing things my way.”

“So, I’ll help connect you with backers,” I urge him. “You can’t quit because of this. We both know what you do in the club has nothing to do with your job. Hell, if we all got judged by what we get up to in the bedroom, not a single person would be able to run for office.”

Andrew offers a weak smile. “Thanks, but I think this is it for me. My polling is in the garbage, and short of a miracle, I’m going down in flames.”

“It’s not over,” I tell him, and I can tell he’s mulling it over as he sips his drink.

Finally he gets up. “I’m sorry,” he says.

I let out a sigh. “What do you have to be sorry for?”

He shrugs. “This wasn’t about your business. It was always about me. That newspaper has had it out for me since day one, they’re my biggest critic. I went after the owner on some media competition rules a few years back, and ever since, they’ve been picking me apart every chance they got. So I’m sorry your club got dragged into it.”

“I’m the one who should be apologizing.” I shake my head. “Someone here talked. I promised you privacy, and I didn’t deliver.”

Andrew gives me a regretful smile. “C’mon, we both know it was a calculated risk, me coming here at all. Nobody can guarantee secrecy, and that was my decision to make. I guess I always knew this day might come.”

He shakes my hand, then heads out.

“If you change your mind about running, let me know. I mean it,” I tell him. “I want to make this right.”

He nods, and closes the door behind him.

But his words linger.

“It was always about me... The newspaper has it out for me.”

Could he be right? Zoe said she dropped the story -- that the editor used her notes without her knowing about it, that she had no idea the exposé would run.

What if this is bigger than her? If she got caught up in someone else’s vendetta against Andrew, then she wouldn’t have known what they were planning.

Is she the traitor who destroyed my world -- or a pawn in someone else’s power play?

I clench my jaw. I’m trying to make excuses for her, to find a way that she isn’t the enemy. This is the kind of thinking that got me in this mess to begin with.

But is it a sign that she matters too much to me to just walk away, or evidence of my weakness?

My whiskey bottle is empty, so I head out to the bar. My buddies Cam and Ash greet me, they’re just climbing the staircase from the front door.

I sigh. “Jesus, what is this: ‘let’s go babysit Dax’ day? The club is closed. And don’t you guys have work to do?”

“Great to see you too, buddy.” Ash slaps me on the back.

“Always here to show our support,” Cam adds. He looks me up and down. “Whiskey straight from the bottle? C’mon, show a little dignity in your hour of need.”

“Is this your version of support?” I grumble, but I’m glad to see them all the same. They’re both high-profile businessmen, and if they were thinking smart, they’d be far away from my doors right now.

“You should be careful,” I add, remembering the focus on the club right now. “Use the back exit. There will be camera crews outside the minute they figure out the address.”

“Too late,” Ash replies cheerfully. “They’re already out there.”

“I made sure they got my best side,” Cam tells me. He moves behind the bar and starts mixing a batch of martinis.

“Guys, you can’t be associated with this place. You need to think this through—” I start to protest, but Ash talks over me.

“I don’t give a fuck who knows I’m here. You’re forgetting, I own my company. One of the perks of being a billionaire.”

Cam grins. “And who’s going to fire me? I practically run Ashcroft Industries, and last I checked, I was pretty tight with the CEO.”

I exhale. “Well.... thanks for coming. I don’t know why you bothered. This place is as good as dead.”

“This location, maybe.” Cam passes the martinis out. Dry, the way I like. “But I’ll bet you’ve got a core client list who would follow you anywhere.”

“You mean start over, someplace new?” I lift my head.

“Another location, even more under the radar, and maybe a new concept.”

Ash nods. “You could branch out, maybe do weekend getaways, at luxury properties. Smaller guest-list, only the most trusted few. You could charge a premium for something like that, hire a planner to handle logistics so the clients don’t have to deal with any of the details.”

I nod, mulling it over.

“And since the location would change every time, it would be harder for anyone to get wind of it and infiltrate,” Cam agrees. “I’d go.”

The more I think about this idea, the more sense it makes. I’m already feeling less defeated. “You know, that’s a pretty great idea.”

“I’ve been known to have a few,” Ash smirks.

“The mystery could be part of the draw,” I brainstorm out loud. “Guests could be picked up by a limo, taken to a private jet... They’d only find out the destination once they were in the air.”

“A tropical island one month, a ski lodge the next...” Cam finishes. “There you go. Business problem solved, and we’re barely one drink down.”

I exhale, for the first time feeling the weight lift from my shoulders. This won’t solve my immediate problems with the press, but it’s good to know my business empire will survive. I’ll just need to evolve, think of something new.

“So who was it who blew the whistle?” Cam asks. “I’m surprised you haven’t got them strung up in your office for fifty lashes by now.”

My tension returns.

“Zoe,” I answer shortly.

“The hot hostess?” Cam asks.

I nod.

He chuckles. “I wouldn’t like to be in her shoes right about now. Did you set the lawyers on her first, or Griffin?”

“Neither.”

They both look at me, confused. Then Ash’s face changes. He snorts with laughter. “Wow. You sure know how to pick them.”

“Tell me about it,” I grumble. “If I hadn’t let my dick do the thinking, I would have sent her packing out the door the very first night we met.”

Then there’s no way this story could have ever run, no way my client’s secrets would be out in the open.

Unless Andrew was right. This was inevitable. If not him, then some other high-profile client, some other leak. Sex and secrets can never mix for long without someone letting something slip.

Maybe my empire was really just a house of cards, ready to fall.

Which means Zoe isn’t to blame, after all.

I pause, the thought sinking through me like a lead weight. Because if she’s not at fault, then I might have just walked away from the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

And what kind of fool does that make me?

CHAPTER NINE

ZOE

As soon as I leave Dax’s apartment, I head to the New York Daily offices. It feels like I’ve got a bullet lodged in my chest, but I can’t break down yet. I have to channel all my pain into anger to go confront Granger.

I can’t believe he did this--

No: I can’t believe I didn’t see it coming. From the start, the minute I mentioned Andrew Landsley, that was all he wanted to talk about. I was so naive, thinking that just because I backed out of the story, he wouldn’t find a way to plaster the sex scandal all across the front pages.

He used me to get what he wanted, and I was dumb enough to believe my investigation was about ethics and corruption, not some splashy, sensationalized story.

By the time I hit the lobby, I’m spitting mad. I steam straight past the receptionist, and back into the newsroom. It’s Sunday evening, but the place is still half-full with people working.

Granger is in his office talking on the phone when I storm in.

He looks up, surprised. “I’ll call you right back,” he says, and hangs up. Then he smiles at me. “Come to thank me?”

My mouth drops open. “Thank you?” I echo in shock. “You stole my story!”

“I did no such thing,” Granger frowns. “You’ve got your byline, just like I promised. Front page, above the fold. All my other cub reporters are green with envy,” he adds.

He ruined Dax, and Landsley too, and I’m supposed to be pleased?

“I pulled the story!” I yell. “I told you, it’s not public interest what anyone does in the bedroom!”

“And I told you, I disagree.” Granger rises behind his desk. “Someone’s private life tells us about their morals, their character. The people deserve to know.”

“And what the hell does his sex life say about his morals?” I counter, furious. “Everything that happens at that club is between two consenting adults. What gives you the right to judge him?”

“Public interest,” Granger repeats again, but there’s a smug grin on his face.

“Fuck the public interest, and fuck you!” I explode. “What do you get up to in bed, huh? Do you like it rough? Maybe you like being spanked? What about your porn: do you jack off to videos of barely legal gang-bangs once your kids are settled in at night?”

He turns red. “That’s none of your business.”

“Why not?” I demand. “You’re in a public position, editor at a big newspaper. Maybe your readers have a right to know.”

“That’s enough!” Granger looks seriously pissed now. “I did you a favor here, giving you credit. I was even going to offer you the follow-up piece. But it’s clear you don’t give a damn about your career.”

“Not as much as I care about my— friends.” I’m about to say ‘boyfriend’, but I quickly cover, crossing my arms. “And doing the right thing.”

Granger sneers. “Good luck with that. Let’s see how far your high and mighty act takes you. This is a goddamn business I’m running here!”

“Business doesn’t mean screwing people over,” I shoot back with a glare. “No wonder people don’t trust the media anymore, with people like you chasing after all the wrong stories. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

I turn on my heel and stalk out. Adrenaline pumps through my body, but it’s only when I emerge on the sidewalk outside that I realize what I’ve done.

I just told one of the most powerful editors in the city to go fuck himself.

And I don’t even care.

This isn’t why I wanted to be a journalist: snooping in people’s personal lives just to get ahead. I started out thinking that The Underground exposé would make my career, but the deeper I got, the more I realized that a story like that isn’t real news. I didn’t want to be a part of something so tawdry, and it breaks my heart that I unwittingly helped expose everything.

Expose Dax.

The anger disappears, leaving nothing but hurt and regret.

I think of the look in his eyes when he saw the newspaper. Like I’d just taken a knife and stabbed him in the back. He opened up to me, he showed me where he came from and the people who matter most to him, and after all that, he thinks I let him down.

Because I did.

It doesn’t matter if Granger is the one who ran the story -- I brought it to him in the beginning, and I gave him all my notes and research. If it wasn’t for me, everything would be fine. Dax would have his secret club, Landsley would have his career. And me?

I wouldn’t have lost the most incredible man I’ve ever known.

*

I call Tasha and find out she’s already back in the city, crashing at Miles’s place: the tech mogul I saw her with at the party last week.

“I’m sorry for showing up like this,” I apologize on the doorstep. “But after the fire, I haven’t figured out a place to stay just yet.”

“Please!” she hugs me, and pulls me inside. “I’m rattling around in this place on my own. Miles is out of town for work all week, so we’ve got run of the whole place.”

“He just left you alone here?” I blink, looking around at the massive penthouse with sweeping views of the river.

Tasha beams. “We, uh, kind of hit it off after you left the party. Turns out he’s a real sweetie once you get to know him.”

She waltzes across the vast living room and collapses with a sigh of satisfaction on the couch. “He’s got a whole wine cellar, a whirlpool tub... Plus, he’s got a great eye for real estate! I always thought the only thing he cared about was computers. Go figure.”

I smile, for what feels like the first time in forever. “I really am sorry about the fire,” I say, joining her on the couch. “You managed to get most of your stuff out, right?”

“Nothing was really damaged,” Tasha replies. “I just can’t believe you were stuck in there. I would have had a total breakdown.”

“I almost did,” I say, remembering my panic. I shudder. “I just hope they find who did it.”

“What do you mean?” Tasha’s forehead crinkles. “I thought it was faulty wiring.”

Shit.

“Right, that’s what I mean,” I quickly say. “The landlord must have known, renting out a place like that.”

“Well, you deserve to relax.” Tasha gestures around. “Take a soak in the tub, order up some food. Whatever you want!”

But the only thing I want is Dax.

Suddenly, the stress and loss of the past few days comes crashing down on me. Before I can stop myself, I burst into tears.

“Babe!” Tasha sounds horrified. “It’s OK! What do you need? Miles has a cabinet full of prescription meds. I can get you a Xanax!”

“I don’t need a Xanax,” I wail through the sobs. “I just need Dax to forgive me!”

“What? You mean big Boss Man?”

I nod through my tears, and understanding washes over Tasha’s face.

“Oh, sweetie.” She puts a reassuring arm around me. “I’m so sorry. And I wanna talk about this as much as you want, and give you as much wine and ice cream as you want, but believe it or not I have a callback audition this evening.” Tasha looks helplessly at the clock on the wall. “I feel awful. Maybe I should just stay with you?”

“It’s OK,” I sniffle. “I’m really proud of you. But you need to go. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” Tasha looks so worried, I force myself to nod and stop weeping.

“Definitely. I’ll have some wine, take a bath, and wallow in all the stupid mistakes I’ve made. And meanwhile you’ll dazzle those casting directors and when you get back you can tell me all about it.” I smile weakly, but Tasha looks relieved.

“At least you have a plan.” She checks her phone. “Ok. I’m gonna do it. I’ll be back later. Make yourself at home.”

She heads out to her audition, leaving me alone in another strange luxury apartment. I’m glad she’s landed on her feet, but now I feel more alone than ever.

I grab the wine and go run myself a bubble bath in the huge tub. I lean back in the water, and try to figure out how everything got so messed up.

I’m pretty sure it started the first time Dax laid me over the desk and showed me what a real man could do with his hands...

For a moment, I let myself sink into blissful memories of Dax. How he fucked me so deep, and those hands... gripping my hips, yanking me back against him in perfect time...

And now I’m never going to feel him again.

And it’s not just the sex, as mind-blowing as it was. Dax is different. He’s determined, ambitious, but loyal too. He pushed back when I put my foot down.

Fighting with him was hot as hell. He respected me, challenged me, and tried to protect me too.

No man’s ever done that for me. Not even close.

Dammit.

I duck my head under the water, and try to wash away my tears. When I surface, I hear the door buzzer going.

I get out and wrap myself in a robe. I wonder if Tasha ordered some food -- or if her audition went so badly she’s back early.

But when I look through the security hole in the door, I see Dax.

CHAPTER TEN

DAX

Zoe’s mouth drops wide open as she stands in the doorway looking at me. “Dax? What are you...I mean, how did you find me?”

“I called your roommate,” I answer stiffly. I came here to talk. To give Zoe a chance to explain. But now she’s looking at me with those blue eyes, her hair wet and dripping small rivulets down her neck. Her body naked under that robe.

Naked and ready for me.

“I’m sorry,” Zoe stands back, letting me into the apartment. “I’m so, so sorry. You have to believe, I didn’t write that story. I wouldn’t—”

“I do believe you,” I cut her off. “That isn’t the problem.”

“What is?” she whispers, tugging her robe closed. I catch a glimpse of her glistening, naked breast, and fuck if all my sound logic doesn’t get obliterated under the surge of lust.

“You,” I growl, reaching for her. I yank her tight against me, her body melting just where it belongs. I tilt her face up to me. “You make me forget everything I learned the hard way,” I tell her, my voice rasping. “Like never to trust anyone. Like how one mistake should be the last.”

Her lip trembles. Her eyes fill with tears.

“I wish I could take it back. The story, the job I wanted at the newspaper, it was before I knew you,” she explains. “Back when I thought my career was the only thing that mattered. Before I knew what it was like, to feel...”

“Feel?” I prompt her, tracing my thumb over her plump lower lip.

“This,” she whispers, her pupils dilating from my touch. “Everything. I need you.”

Her words strike through me. “I need you, too,” I say. And it’s true. I pull her close, but she pushes away and looks at me, her brow creased.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“Nothing’s wrong. It’s just that. I—” Zoe hesitates, but then sets her hands on my shoulders and holds my gaze. “Dax, I love you.”

I can’t believe how much I needed to hear her say it until right this moment.

Love. Zoe loves me.

It was unthinkable, and now it’s real. How far I’ll go to protect her, how deep she could hurt me if she tried.

I can’t wait any longer. It feels like forever since I’ve tasted her lips, slid my tongue deep to plunder her sweetness.

I kiss her hard and deep, already tugging the belt of her robe loose and sliding it from her naked shoulders.

It falls to the ground between us. She’s naked, wet, willing. Mine.

With a growl, I push her back against the wall, sliding my hands over her gorgeous body. She yanks my belt free, kissing me as ravenously as I’m devouring her. She shoves my pants down, and closes her hand around my cock.

Fuck yes.

I grab her ass and wrap her legs around my waist, slamming her back into the wall, thrusting inside her slick, tight pussy in one deep stroke.

“Dax!” Zoe cries out as I plunge deep inside her willing cunt. She thrusts back against me, arching up to meet my cock. I withdraw, listening to her whimpers, and slam into her again, losing myself in the clench of her heat; the unbelievable friction.

Every fucking moment. Each goddamn stroke.

I lift her away from the wall, carrying her across the room to the living area. There’s thick carpet here, so I set her down, turning her onto her hands and knees, her ass in the air.

Damn.

I enjoy the sight of her body, her breasts swinging free and that perfect round ass jutting back towards me. I position myself over her and push back inside her, slowly this time, feeling every tight inch.

Zoe whimpers again, grinding back, hungry for my cock. And I give it to her.

“Yes,” she moans. “So good. Fuck yes.”

I drive my hips, riding her deep, loving her filthy mouth. I’m on my knees too, bracing her body against me, squeezing at her perfect breasts as I thrust in an animal pace. Zoe’s moans are getting high-pitched, a frenzy of helpless pleasure as I lose myself in her heat, her wild thrusting, the goddamn rightness of my cock claiming her sweet cunt once and for all.

“Dax!”

I feel her body buck against me, fast and frantic. She’s close now, gasping and moaning, but I need to see this. I want to see everything.

I pull out, laying her down flat on her back so I can see the desperate desire in her eyes, and how her cheeks are flushed; her nipples hard and pink.

“Look at you,” I say, dipping a finger into her mouth and then tracing it down her body, pausing to stroke her clit with my thumb. “You’re perfect.”

“Dax,” she whispers, watching me. So fucking beautiful.

It’s the only name she’ll ever need. I’m not letting her go. Never again.

“You’re mine,” I growl. I grip her knees, lifting her legs wide and setting them on my shoulders. Now she’s spread open, waiting for me. Right where she’s supposed to be.

I savor the moment, brushing my fingers over her clit again, rubbing in slow circles. Her head tilts back and she whimpers, keening against my hand. “Please,” she begs.

“What do you want?” It’s torture holding back. I want to ravage her, shove my dick in that hot wetness where it belongs, but I need to hear her say it. I need to know she feels this too.

“You.” Zoe’s eyes lock mine, full of emotion and a desperate need. “I want you. Only you. Please, Dax! I need you.”

“Good.” I rock slowly into her slick cunt, and watch her come undone.

Her mouth parts in a silent scream as I thrust so fucking deep, I can feel her start to convulse. Her cunt clenches at me, her body arches up. I slam into her again, starting a chain reaction that sends us both over the edge.

“Fuck, Dax, yes,” she moans.

Every wild spasm of her climax grips at my cock, so fucking good, but I don’t stop, I ride it out, pounding mercilessly until her wild screams mingle with my own animal roar.

Fuck. Harder. Deeper.

Yes.

I explode, pulling out and spurting over her gorgeous body. Marking her. Owning her.

Mine.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

ZOE

When I wake up, I’m bundled up in blankets in a guest room I don’t recognize. Dax’s arms are wrapped tightly around me. Safe and secure.

It all comes rushing back. He’s here. That must mean he forgives me—that he cares.

I roll to face him, and find he’s awake.

God, I could look at that face forever.

“What time is it?” I murmur. I kiss him and he pulls me tightly against his chest, cradling me in his arms.

“Eleven, maybe. You slept a while,” he smirks. “Someone must have worn you out.”

“Just a little,” I smile, wriggling against him. “You go hard.”

“Not always.” Dax’s hands slide under the covers, caressing my skin in a whisper. “I can be soft...”

He dips his head, making his way along my collarbone in a delicate trail of kisses. I sigh in satisfaction, parting my legs to give his hardening cock access.

Right where I need him the most.

Dax presses his cock against my opening, teasing for a just a moment, and then rocks into me gently. Too gently, barely moving at all, but still filling me up, splitting me open. So deep. Right there.

Fuck.

I slowly clench around him, feeling every thick, demanding inch. I gasp for breath, feeling my blood spark with heat.

“See...” Dax lifts his head, capturing my lips this time in a slow kiss to match the lazy pace of his body. “It doesn’t always have to be a fight.”

Our hips move together, inch by delicious inch. The heat is rising, such a deep, slow burn, it spreads everywhere, setting my whole body ablaze.

I try to speed the pace, but Dax keeps me locked in place. Teasing me with every shallow stroke.

I drag my nails slowly down his back.

He groans against me, angling to thrust even deeper. But still, he keeps the pace slow. Relentless.

“Please,” I gasp, writhing under his touch, but Dax just kisses my shoulders and breasts, grazing my nipples and making me shudder with sensation.

I can barely hold back. I’m so close. God, so fucking close.

He tilts my chin up, making me look at him. Our eyes lock, and I can see the fierce hunger in his eyes. The lust, pure and simple.

And something more.

He surges into me again, faster now, hitting just the right spot, and I can’t help it anymore. “I’m coming,” I pant into his mouth.

“I want you to,” he says, and that’s my undoing.

The orgasm rips through me, a blaze of pleasure that goes on and on as I moan in Dax’s ear, whispering his name. Dax lets out a strangled roar and unleashes, slamming into me a final time, filling me up as he comes. He groans my name, over and over in my ear until we’re both spent and breathless.

Oh. My. God.

Dax rolls off me, then spoons me against him. “Goddamn,” he says appreciatively, “You’re going to kill me if we keep this up.”

“But at least we’d both die happy.” I stretch, feeling the amazing rush in my bloodstream.

This man could fuck for America.

He chuckles. “I have no plans of leaving you anytime soon.” He lands a light slap on my ass.

“Good.”

I’m wrapped in a haze of satisfaction, but one thing is still casting a shadow on my bliss. I lift my head to look at him. “Did you want to, you know, talk about everything?”

Dax looks back. “Is there anything else I need to know?”

I shake my head. “I went to see that editor today,” I admit. “I told him to go to hell.”

Dax grins. “I wish I’d seen that.”

“So you’re really not mad anymore?” I can’t believe it, after the way he acted when he read the article.

Dax strokes my cheek. “No. I promise. I’m sorry I went off on you like that. I jumped to conclusions and assumed the worst.”

“I don’t blame you, I haven’t exactly given you a reason to trust me,” I say, rueful.

He shakes his head. “You did the right thing in the end. That takes courage. I know that running with the story would have made your career. It must have been a tough choice to walk away.”

“It wasn’t,” I reply, honest. “Not once I knew you. Knew what kind of man you are.”

Dax answers me with a kiss, until the sound of his cellphone interrupts us. He sighs. “Probably more lawyers threatening me with lawsuits if details about their clients get out.”

“Is it really so bad?” I ask, guilty.

He gives me a smile. “It’s fine. I’m thinking of it as a fresh start, time for a new challenge.”

I still feel terrible, and it must show, because he brings my hand to his lips and drops a kiss in my palm.

“This was going to happen one day, Zoe. You can’t keep beating yourself up over it.”

I study his expression, but he really means it.

Relief sweeps through me.

Dax answers the call. “I’m kind of busy—”

He pauses.

“Seriously? Sure, I’ll be right in.” He hangs up, then turns to me. “It’s the club.”

“Something happened?” I panic.

“No,” he shakes his head, looking bemused. “That was Dominique, she says there’s a line out the door. Everyone’s come out tonight. Even with the news, and the cameras. I don’t understand it.”

“They want to show their support!” I clap my hands together. “This is great. You need to get in there.”

“You mean, ‘we’.” Dax grabs my hand and yanks me into his lap. I laugh.

“I don’t have anything to wear! I left all my fancy new clothes at your place, remember?”

“So borrow something of Tasha’s,” he shrugs. “I seem to recall you looking damn good in her dress.”

“OK, but it’s going to take me longer to get ready than you.” I toss his shirt at him. “You go ahead and take care of business. I’ll be right behind you.”

*

I take my time getting dressed. I want to look my best -- and it’ll be the first time I’ve entered the club as a guest, not a hostess. By the time I get out of the cab, I can see that Dax wasn’t kidding: there’s a line around the block, and nobody seems concerned with the paparazzi taking photos of everyone.

I guess The Underground has become the hottest club in the city, anonymous or not.

I head to the woman scowling at the front door. “Hey Dominique.” I brace myself for her icy stare, but instead she smiles.

“Come on up. Dax is just making the rounds. He says to meet him in the Diamond Suite,” she adds with a wink.

I feel a thrill. What does he have planned?

Upstairs, the place is buzzing: people mingling, laughing, enjoying drinks. Usually, there’s an air of mystery about the club: a hushed kind of secrecy, but tonight, all that’s blown away. It’s a massive party. I guess Dax is going out with a bang.

And if I’m lucky, I will too.

I slip through the crowd, and head for the back hallway. As I make my way to the suite, someone bumps into me.

“Sorry,” I say, looking up. It’s Jimmy, his head down. I haven’t seen him since he showed up at Maria’s the other day, but maybe he’s here to apologize, or maybe he and Dax have already made up. He doesn’t pause before hurrying away towards the offices.

I get a weird flash of deja vu for a moment, but I shake it off when I reach the Diamond Suite.

It’s the most luxurious room in the club: a lavish four-poster bed, and a wall filled with high-end toys.

Floggers, whips, bondage gear.

I feel a shiver of anticipation. I scoot up on the bed, feeling impatient. I know Dax needs to take care of business, but I can’t wait to see him again.

Feel him thrust inside me again.

As I look around the room, my thoughts wander. Something is still lingering in the back of my mind. For all the drama with the club exposé and the newspaper, I’ve been distracted from what started all this for Dax in the first place:

The anonymous notes. The threats.

The fire.

I shiver. Whoever did that is still out there somewhere. He wants to hurt Dax -- and anyone he cares about, too. Who could be driven to such extremes? What kind of vendetta could fuel such a dangerous game?

That deja vu hits me again, sending chills all over my body. And then it hits me.

The neighbor who pushed past me in the hallway before the fire.

Jimmy, out in the club just now.

It’s the same guy.

It’s him.

I leap up. Oh God, all along he was right there in front of us. Of course, I saw for myself just how jealous and angry Jimmy is. He thinks Dax has stolen his family; replaced him as husband and father with Maria and Luca.

I dash for the hallway, racing back to the main room of the club. I look around, desperately searching for Dax, but he’s nowhere in sight.

“Dominique!” I stop her as she passes. “Where’s Dax?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugs, looking around. “His office, maybe?”

I’m already hurrying away. My heart pounds with dread. Jimmy was heading this way. God, what’s he planning now? He won’t quit until he hurts Dax -- or worse.

I careen down the hallway and reach Dax’s office. I grab the door handle, ready to throw it open.

A gunshot comes from inside.

CHAPTER TWELVE

DAX

“Put the gun down, Jimmy.” I hold my hands up, speaking in a low, calm voice. “You don’t know what you’re doing here. Just stop and think this through.”

Jimmy waves the gun wildly. “Don’t talk to me like I’m one of your fucking minions, Dax. You’re forgetting, I know how to use this thing.”

I think fast. I can’t believe I didn’t see it from the start, but I guess I wanted to believe he’d changed. That he wanted to make good on all his promises, get his life back together and be the father that Luca needs.

I was wrong.

He’s still too caught up in pride and stupid grudges to do the right thing.

“You’re the one who sent me those notes.” I try to stall for time. “What did you want, money? Some kind of blackmail?”

“I wanted you to worry, for once in your goddamn life.” Jimmy’s face twists into an ugly sneer. “You, up here in your club, so fucking comfortable. You think you own the world now, don’t you? You’ve got this place, Maria, my son--”

“I don’t have them,” I argue. “It’s not like that. It never was.”

“You didn’t set them up in that fancy townhouse?” Jimmy throws back at me. “You don’t give Luca all those expensive toys? How the fuck am I supposed to compete with that?”

“It’s not a competition!” I explode.

He was the one who hurt Zoe. He would have killed her, given half the chance. I clench my jaw and try to keep from lunging at him right now.

But he doesn’t care about Zoe. To him, she was just a way of getting to me. There’s only one thing he cares about: hurting me.

“I was just being there for them when you couldn’t be,” I say through gritted teeth. “Remember, you’re the one who took that last job. Maria begged you not to, but you couldn’t stop. You had to be the big-shot criminal. This is on you.”

“Shut up!” Jimmy yells. His eyes are wild, and I wonder if he’s on something. I wouldn’t put it past him. “Just shut the fuck up! You don’t get to talk now, I’m the one in charge. I’m in control now!”

“Is that what you want, to be in control?” I edge around my desk, trying to get closer. “Because I told you, you’re not thinking this through. What are you going to do, kill me?”

“Quit it. I know what you’re doing— you’re trying to get in my head and play me from the inside out.” Jimmy gestures erratically.

I don’t take my eyes from the gun. “This isn’t a trick,” I say. “But if you hurt me, then what? You’ll go right back to jail. What will Luca do then without you? You’ll be leaving them all alone. For good this time.”

“Stop!”

“You won’t shoot me.” I take another step closer. “Deep down, you know this isn’t right. There’s another way, just trust me. I can help you.”

“No!”

But Jimmy looks like he’s wavering. This is my chance. My only chance.

Suddenly, I lunge, reaching for the gun. His arm flies up.

A shot rings out.

Pain shatters through my shoulder. We go crashing to the ground. I try to grab for the gun, but Jimmy hits me across the face with the barrel and struggles to his feet. He aims again, but just as he’s raising the gun, the door behind him flies open.

Someone barrels into him with a cry.

“No!” She grabs him from behind, yanking him away. I catch a glimpse of dark hair and a familiar body.

Zoe?

Panic grips me. Somehow, this is worse than facing death myself. A hundred times worse.

He can’t hurt her.

I ignore the fire in my shoulder and rear up from the ground. Zoe is grappling with him, clawing at his face. I pull him off her, and slam my fist into his face with a crack.

Jimmy reels back, blood spurting from his broken nose. The gun falls to the ground, but I don’t stop. I hit him again, blind with rage.

He trapped her. He set that fire.

I could have lost her.

“Dax!” Through the anger, I hear her voice. “Dax, stop. Both of you, stop!”

There’s noise. A commotion. Someone drags me off him. Griffin. He yanks me back against the wall.

“That’s enough,” he tells me gruffly. “It’s done.”

I snap back to reality. Jimmy is collapsed on the ground. He’s choking through the blood, gasping for breath.

To think, he was like a brother to me.

“You’re out of second chances,” I spit. “The moment you hurt Zoe, you were dead to me.”

But Jimmy says nothing.

I turn away and glare at Griffin. “Where is she?” I demand. “Zoe?”

“She’s outside. The cops are already on their way, and an ambulance for you. I’ll see to this mess,” Griffin says, nodding at Jimmy.

I leave them in the office. Zoe is in the hallway, her eyes filled with tears. “Are you OK?” I ask, cradling her face. “Did he hurt you?”

“I’m fine.” Zoe holds me tight. “When the gun went off... I was so scared for you.”

“I’m OK,” I tell her. “This is nothing. Really.”

“It’s not nothing—you’re bleeding,” she argues, then examines the tear in my shirt, and the wound beneath. She sucks in a breath. “My God, Dax, he shot you!”

“Just my shoulder,” I shrug. The truth is, I barely feel a thing. I’m too relieved that she’s OK. She’s the only one who matters. “What the hell were you doing, walking in like that? You could have been killed!”

“But he was going to kill you.” Zoe’s face turns stubborn. And I know without a doubt she would have walked through fire for me.

“God, I love you,” I tell her, gripping her tightly.

“I love you too,” she whispers.

EPILOGUE

DAX

One Month Later…

I’m looking at Zoe, racing RC cars in the grass with Luca in Maria’s backyard. I’ve never seen her so happy.

“I’m winning!” she crows, her blue car almost to the big tree in the corner.

“No way!” Luca says, zooming his car past hers.

Maria laughs at their antics and sets a glass of iced tea in my hand. “Zoe’s so good with him,” she tells me. “And with you.”

“I know,” I say.

I’m lucky. I can’t believe I almost lost her, almost walked away from everything.

Zoe catches me staring. She gives Luca a congratulatory high-five and walks over with that sexy ass sway of hers that has me eager to get her home later.

“Here comes trouble,” I say with a smirk. Zoe smiles, shaking her head at me.

She perches on my lap and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Is that all you got?” I tease. I grab her to me and press my mouth to hers, parting her lips with my tongue and tangling a hand in her hair. Zoe pulls away, breathless, and swats me playfully.

“Not in front of the kid!” she laughs.

“Luca!” Maria calls. “Let’s go wash up for lunch.” Luca reluctantly puts down his remote control and walks inside behind his mother.

I grab Zoe closer to me, breathing her in. “Better now?” She melts against me, grinding in my lap. “Mmm.”

I trail my hand down her thigh and squeeze her bare knee. “You know, after all the drama we’ve been through, I think a little rest and relaxation is in order…and it just so happens I need to test out the beds of a possible vacation property.”

“All you want me for is my body,” Zoe grins. “But I accept. As long as the place is safe.” Then she adds, with laughter in her voice, “Just no more vendettas and fires and gunshots, please?”

She’s right, but now that Jimmy’s in jail and—with the help of a certain large donation— Landsley’s campaign is back on track, everything finally feels like it’s back to rights. On top of that, business at the club is booming, better than ever. We’re notorious, and everyone wants in.

“What about undercover investigations?” I tease.

“Nope. All done with that.”

“Sounds kind of boring to me,” I shrug.

“Hey!” Zoe hits my shoulder lightly.

I wince, still a little sore. I was lucky that it was just a superficial wound, but it hasn’t healed pretty.

“Shit, I’m sorry.” Her eyes widen. “Are you sure you’re up for a trip? We can wait—”

“No we can’t.” I slide my hand up her shorts and stroke a finger just under the elastic of her panties.

Zoe leans into me with a sigh. “How about Europe, then? The British elections are coming up, and I could try and work on some pieces for a blog here—”

“My little workhorse,” I laugh. “Alright. As long as you find time for some R&R...and by that, I might mean S&M,” I whisper, leaning close to blaze a trail of kisses down her neck.

She smiles at me. “I’ve always wanted to try the Mile High Club.”

That’s my kind of woman.

“Sounds like we better get packing.”

THE END.

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