Darling Villain (Forbidden Fruit #1)

Chapter 7

Adrien

I walk out of Tiffany’s room, more aggravated than ever. Tiffany Carter has an uncanny ability to make me lose my control and get under my skin.

The maid I meet on my way to the office takes one glance at me, like a deer caught in the headlights, and tries to scurry away, as if sensing the wrath of the devil coming her way.

What a smart girl. If only Tiffany had the same intuition.

“Wait,” I call after her.

The woman stops but doesn’t turn around. Her back stiffens. “How can I help you?”

“What’s your name?” I ask, my voice as gentle as I can make it.

She turns around, her eyes searching my face. She has probably never seen me like this—I’m usually calm and rational, but right now I’m a volcano on the verge of eruption.

“Katherine,” she whispers.

“Katherine,” I repeat slowly, eyeing her. She is young, in her early twenties, with a delicate, porcelain-like complexion, straight short brown hair, and big blue eyes I can’t help but linger on. My heart skips a beat and I clench my fist.

“That’s a beautiful name.”

She gives me a small smile, her eyes fixated on my mouth. The pulse in her throat is racing.

Is she scared? Excited? Or both?

“Katherine, come with me.” I struggle to keep my voice soft and even.

She follows me to my office without any questions. I close the door behind us.

I watch her for a moment before my gaze travels down her perfect hourglass figure—a round, firm ass I want to squeeze and caress, lovely, full breasts, and long, shapely legs. I try not to think about her eyes.

“You’re a very beautiful woman.”

Her cheeks turn a rosy red as her eyes shift towards the door. I approach her and lift her chin with my fingers, meeting her eyes with mine. She inhales sharply as I touch her, and her lips part in a small gasp.

“Listen carefully, Katherine. You have two options. You can leave this room right now and forget all about this encounter. Or you can stay and let me do whatever I want to you.” I pause, letting my words sink in. “What will it be?”

She remains quiet, her blue eyes fixed on me, her lips slightly parted.

“Take off your clothes.”

Katherine slips off her dress, revealing a lacy black bra and matching panties. Her nipples are erect and visible through the lace, and a small patch of dark curls peeks from under her underwear.

“Bend over the desk.”

Slowly, she leans over the desk, offering herself to me. Her hands grip onto the edge of the desk.

My hand runs over her ass, squeezing the flesh and eliciting a shudder from her.

“Lift your hips,” I command, and she complies eagerly. My hand slips inside her panties, finding her wet and ready for me. I slide one finger into her pussy, pumping in and out until she’s dripping and moaning, begging for more.

I pull my hand away, making her groan in frustration. Her pussy is on display, glistening with wetness.

“Spread your legs and lower your head.”

In one swift motion, I retrieve a condom from my desk drawer and put it on while still fully dressed, except for an open fly.

The anticipation in the girl’s eyes only adds to my excitement as I grab onto her hips and spread her cheeks with one hand before thrusting into her without warning.

With a sharp intake of breath, Katherine moves her hips back, fully taking inside her. I pound into her hard and fast from behind, my cock slamming into her with each thrust. My teeth are clenched tight, and I fix my eyes on the opposite wall while I relentlessly fuck her.

She gasps and bucks against me as I bring her closer and closer to the edge. Her pussy tightens around me, signaling that she’s about to reach climax. With one last thrust, I come inside of her before pulling out and disposing of the condom.

Tucking myself back into my pants, I step away from Katherine, who stands up straight. Her face is flushed, lips—swollen.

“Thank you, darling.” I reach for my wallet and hand her a stack of cash before gesturing for her to leave.

Katherine stands up unsteadily and quickly gets dressed, not bothering to count the money. She walks out of the room without looking back.

I slump into my chair and pour myself a glass of whiskey, closing my eyes in frustration.

Damn it.

Even after sleeping with two different women in the last twenty-four hours, I’m still thinking about her. Tiffany’s big blue eyes and soft lips flash through my mind. The contrast between her innocent angel’s eyes, messy curls, and her sinful whore’s lips haunts my thoughts.

I want to wreck her.

I want to possess her.

I want to break her and make her mine.

It’s inconvenient as hell.

I take a long drink from my glass, disgusted with myself.

I should focus on using her for my own gain, not fantasizing about caressing her cheeks and running my fingers through her messy curls. But every time I see those her eyes and that pink pout, all of my plans go out the window. I even made sure the guards fed her.

It’s pathetic.

I get up to pace back and forth, irritated with myself. After everything Dean Carter did, I should be able to keep my emotions in check. She’s just a woman—a potential complication, not someone who stirs up protective instincts within me.

So much for being a cold-hearted son of a bitch.

Eventually, I calm down enough to press an intercom button on my desk. “Daniel, come to my office.”

A few minutes later, Daniel enters the room. He’s a large, square-jawed man with blond hair and grey eyes. As head of my security and my right-hand man in the family business, he knows everything about me, and I trust him with my life—a rare occurrence in my line of work.

“Daniel.” I gesture for him to take a seat.

“What happened?” he asks. “You look like shit. I can tell something’s wrong.”

I take another sip of whiskey. “If Tiffany was sent by Dean, we’re in serious trouble.”

“Do you think he knows?”

“If she could connect the dots, then there’s a good chance Dean knows, too. But why would he send her to meet me and let me know about it? It doesn’t make sense.”

“It could be a trap or a message. Maybe he wants you to know that he’s one step ahead.”

I shake my head. “I don’t like it. We need to gather more information. If we’re not careful, we could end up walking into a trap.”

“I’ll start making inquiries and have the team run a sweep on her previous movements. What do we do with her?”

“We have to find out what they know. We can’t underestimate Dean—he’s been playing this game for years and always manages to stay ahead of us. It’s time we turn the tables.”

“I’ll call in some favors and see what I can dig up. And assuming Carter is still unaware of our intentions, what do we do with the girl? If he finds out we’ve kidnapped his heiress, we’re risking our element of surprise.”

Taking down Dean Carter, the leader of a criminal organization, was never going to be easy. He has wealth and influence throughout the entire country, making it difficult to dismantle his operation. I’ve been working on taking him down from behind the scenes ever since he tried to betray me to the German authorities. It’s taken years of careful planning and waiting for the right opportunity.

But now, with Tiffany here and me out of the city, the situation is urgent. We must calculate every move with precision.

“We’ll use her,” I say decisively. “Turn Tiffany against Carter and make her our ally on the inside. She already has connections to him, so she must know something that could lead us to his operation.”

“Is it wise to involve the girl in this? If Carter discovers our role in her disappearance, he’ll come after us with everything he’s got. No matter how many precautions we take or drivers we threaten, someone will notice that she’s gone. And we will lose any leverage we had against Carter.”

“You’ve never been one to show concern for others before. Why start now?”

Daniel furrows his brow. “I just think we should have a backup plan.”

Part of me wants to argue with him, but I can’t deny the validity of his point. However, his unusual display of empathy towards Tiffany is unsettling.

Maybe her presence has affected more than just me. It’s reassuring to know that, but it also makes me uneasy knowing that I can’t fully trust my men to stay level-headed around her.

Daniel raises an eyebrow, sensing the change in my demeanor. “I want us to be careful. We can’t afford any mistakes, so we must be smart about this.”

“I’ll handle it. I always do.”

He nods and stands up.

“Daniel,” I say as he reaches for the door handle. “Why does Tiffany have bruises on her hands?”

“What?” Daniel stammers, taken aback by the question.

“She has bruises on her wrists. I didn’t give any orders for that.”

Daniel shifts uncomfortably. “She tried to resist. There was no other option.”

“That’s not an excuse. I explicitly told you to be careful.” I let my words hang in the air. “I hope this isn’t a sign of you or my men losing your composure.”

“No sir, it won’t happen again.”

“It better not. Your job is to follow orders and you know I don’t tolerate mistakes, Daniel.”

“Yes, boss,” he says. “Understood.”

“Good. From now on, only I am allowed to interact with the girl until you prove yourself capable of handling this responsibility. No exceptions.”

“But—”

“No buts. This is non-negotiable, Daniel. You will not see her, talk to her, or touch her without my explicit permission. Is that clear?”

“Yes.”

My men have always been loyal, never questioning my authority or causing any issues. Yet, somehow, this girl manages to get under their skin just by existing.

Tiffany Carter is proving to be a much bigger challenge than I anticipated.

“That’s all,” I dismiss Daniel with a wave of my hand. He leaves quietly, shutting the door behind him.

I let out a heavy sigh and pour myself another drink.

That woman is going to be the death of me.