Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
I stared at the young man who looked like his father.
And to my disappointment, had his father’s business sense.
My plan was to mold the young man to run the company so it would benefit me.
However, it was apparent that even though his father was no longer the head and in jail for attempted murder, he still had a grip on this company.
“I don’t accept these terms,” the young man said with hatred in his eyes.
He slid the paperwork to me. It was a generous offer. He kept his company, but I got to funnel my money through it in the form of goods and services, but my money nonetheless.
“It’s all you’re getting,” I replied calmly. “It’s beneficial for both of us.” I wouldn’t show my irritation. What I really wanted to do was to knock the shit out of this cocky motherfucker, but I restrained myself.
“How the fuck is this beneficial for my father’s company?”
I chuckled. Yeah, he talked to his father. “It’s not your father’s company,” I said pointedly. “It’s yours.”
He hesitated like it was the first time he’d heard it, but it was true. “And I made it happen.”
“Yes.” The young Collins cleared his throat. “It is, isn’t it, and right now, I don’t accept your offer.”
I stood, buttoned my jacket, and straightened it. I strolled to the door of the conference room where Miss McLean waited. I’d only traveled to a different part of Chicago for this meeting, so I didn’t bring the entire security team.
“I’ll give you a few days. After that, you’ll have no other choice. Tell your father I said hello.”
I left the room. A yell and glass breaking sounded through the door.
“What the hell was that?” Miss McLean asked as she led me to the elevator.
“Mr. Collins didn’t like what I had to say.” I shrugged. I stood back and let her press the elevator button. I was used to her taking charge, although it took me a while to let her do what I hired her for.
I stepped into the elevator once she deemed it safe and waited impatiently for the doors to close.
I was on her so fast when the doors shut, she didn’t have time to react.
We had many of these stolen moments in elevators, cars, and late nights in hotel rooms when I had to go away on business.
But we were careful. I noticed the looks her team gave her when they thought we were spending too much time together.
I was starting to think I needed to revamp my security team.
Her moan brought me back to reality. Despite being in control all day, I discovered Tisha liked to be controlled in the bedroom.
Her willingness to submit satisfied my urge to dominate her.
It had been years, and I hadn’t introduced her to my chamber.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever get around to that or if she was ready.
It felt wrong to show her that type of darkness.
I broke the kiss when the elevator slowed. We quickly made ourselves presentable. When the elevator door slid open, she stepped out of the lift, with me following closely behind, and out to my waiting car.
I wasted no time activating the partition to separate us from the driver. At my request, Tisha started wearing skirts and no panties when she went out alone with me. She unfastened my belt and pants, my dick tenting my briefs. Tisha straddled me, released me, then lowered herself.
The warmth of her pussy made my head rest back on the seat and my eyes close.
I grasped her hips, digging my fingers into her curves so she couldn’t move.
Blowing out a few breaths to settle myself so I wouldn’t come prematurely like a teenager, I guided her up the full length of my shaft, then slammed her back down.
Over the years, I learned that when we had limited time, Tisha didn’t care for slow and drawn-out, no kissing or nibbling.
I’d gotten accustomed to what she preferred during times like this—hard and fast.
“More,” she moaned, and I finally opened my eyes, eager to see the pleasure on her face. I lifted her, then slammed her down again. I repeated the movement over and over until I was a slick piston, ramming in and out of her.
She took over, and I slackened my hold on her hips, letting her take control of her pleasure.
While I used my thumb to slowly circle her clit, Tisha’s grinding shifted to shallow bounces.
She leaned slightly back, changing the entry angle of my shaft as I continued my ministrations, holding her with one arm.
“Fuck,” I groaned when her pussy squeezed the head of my dick each time she lifted herself to the tip.
But I held my release. She was always the priority when we fucked. Her grind continued while I was along for the ride.
“Take what you need,” I groused. The grip on my dick was like a suction, pulling me deeper with her climax until I couldn’t hold back anymore.
We were close to Transient, and Tisha quickly regained her breath, then moved off me.
She never lingered in the euphoria like she used to, and it bothered me.
But I didn’t have time to wonder about it now.
I had other things I needed to take care of, including telling Donavon to take care of the charity event I was supposed to attend tonight.
Josh and I arrived at Darkwater Restaurant five minutes before closing. It took me almost an hour to convince Tisha that I didn’t need her to come. In the end, she went with Donavon to the charity event along with two more of her team. The other two were given the night off.
I could be a compassionate bastard when I wanted to. Tonight didn’t require compassion, but it did require me to have the iron fucking fist I had when it came to my money. I worked too damn hard to let these little shits think they were getting away with anything.
I was fucking tired of always looking over my shoulder. Hopefully, Joshua would be ready to take over, and I could just live. I pushed a breath out at the realization. I was ready.
We made our way to the back door of the restaurant, entering through the kitchen, then into the owner’s office.
“Mr. Smith, nice to see you again,” the owner, Carlos Denning, said as he stood to greet me.
“Mr. Denning.” I gave a curt nod. “Where are they?”
Mr. Denning called me when the little group showed up.
When some of my payments came up short, I asked Josh to pay him a visit to inquire why.
In a panic, he wanted Josh to make sure I understood why his money was short.
Josh immediately informed me about the situation.
He was coming into his own, closer to me, handing him the keys to the city.
I hadn’t fully given over the reins just yet, but the decision to leave everything to him was feeling more on point.
“They’re in the main room, eating,” the owner informed, heading to the door.
“You can leave,” I ordered over my shoulder, making my way down the narrow hallway. Before my arrival, Mr. Denning sent the other employees home and locked the place down. The windows were tinted, and the blinds were drawn so no one could see inside.
“Gentlemen,” I bellowed from behind, startling them. “Nice to see you all.”
I perused the trio. They were young, barely in their twenties. Too bad they weren’t going to live long enough to see their thirties. An example they would be to anyone who ever tried this shit with me.
“Who are you?” one growled, staring at me with beady eyes. He knew who I was but was trying to put up a front for his friends.
I smirked. “I think you know.” I sat down at the one seat left at their table. Joshua stood between the table and the front door. “So, boys. You owe me some money.”
They looked at one another, however, the other two looked confused. That told me a lot and might save their lives tonight. However, the one I pegged as the leader knew exactly what I meant. This was a one-man show, and the other two were along for the ride.
“What are you talking about?” the tall man to my right questioned.
My eyes pierced their leader. He wore a fitted hat, brim low on his eyes, with gold in his mouth.
“Oh, you didn’t tell them?” I chuckled. “Well, let me point it out to you. These streets are mine. These restaurants are mine. When I come to collect my payment, it’s short, because apparently you three have decided that Darkwater needs some type of protection.
” My gaze lingered on each of them. The leader fidgeted in his seat, his leg bouncing rapidly.
The other two squirmed when it dawned on them their friend got them in some shit.
Josh’s phone rang, but I continued on. “Protection from whom?” I asked.
“The owner is a friend of mine. There’s no one in their right mind who would dare.
” I lean forward on my elbows, searching each of their faces.
They were scared shitless, especially the two tag-alongs.
They were oblivious and didn’t know who the fuck they are messing with.
“So, where’s my money?”
The guy to my left cracked first and pointed at the ringleader. “He planned this.”
They started arguing, but it was clear who would die. I’d let the others live to get my money and to bear witness. Someone had to remind these fuckers.
“We have a problem,” Josh whispered in my ear.
I nodded, pushing up from my seat. I pointed to the two tags. “My money. Tomorrow. Bring it here and give it to the owner.” I faced Josh, thumbing over my shoulders. “Take care of him.”
Sitting in the car, I retrieved my phone to call my cleanup crew to take care of the body. A few moments later, Josh planted himself behind the steering wheel.
“What’s the problem?”
“There’s been a shooting,” he informed, watching me in the rearview mirror. My stomach felt as if stones were dropped into it. My heart raced, scared shitless for Tisha.
“What happened?” I asked, swallowing down the lump in my throat. I silently prayed she was okay. I don’t think I’d ever been this scared in my life.
“Someone thought Donavon was you.”
Relief swept through me at the news. Shitty, I know, but I was glad it wasn’t Tisha hurt. My relief was replaced by anger. I was tired of bitches coming for me.
“How is Donavon?”
“He’ll live. A through and through to the shoulder. He’s on the way to the hospital.”
“What about the team?”
“All good. At the hospital with him.”
I nodded. “Take me there.”
“Already on the way,” he said.
I glanced out the window. I’d been so focused on what happened and concerned about Tisha, I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings. I was always cognizant of what took place around me. I had to be because I never knew who was watching, coming for me, or wanted to do me harm.
I wasted no time getting out of the car when we pulled into the emergency room parking lot.
I wanted answers. The more I thought about the incident, the angrier I became because Donavon could’ve been me.
Hell, it should’ve been me. No one knew Donavon was taking my place except for my security team and Josh.
I pushed through the doors. My team stood huddled in a corner, having a heated conversation from the look on Tisha’s face and the other two’s animated hand gestures. I strolled to the information desk.
“Donavon Brown, please.”
The nurse was startled by my voice but quickly recovered, pasting a smile on her face.
“Name, please?”
“Smith,” I grumbled, trying to keep the irritation out of my voice but failing miserably. She gazed at me but didn’t comment, writing my name on the sticker badge, then handing it to me.
“Room 113, straight through that door.” She pointed to my left.
Not taking the time to talk with Tisha or the others, I followed the receptionist’s directions. Tisha’s eyes were on me, but I refused to look. Falling into her tear-filled eyes was not who I was. Knocking on Donavon’s room door, a muffled sound came through for me to enter.
“Donavon,” I called his name to announce myself.
“Yeah?”
A pale pink leather chair sat in the corner of the room by a large bay window that overlooked one of the parking lots. I sat, gauging Donavon’s mood.
“How are you feeling?”
“High as fuck,” he snickered.
They’d pumped him full of pain meds. He would be asleep soon.
“I’m glad to hear it.” It wasn’t often I apologized to people, but Donavon was a loyal employee. Despite the shit he put up with from me, he’d always done me a solid.
“Don’t worry about the bills. I’ll take care of those.”
“Thanks.” He smiled briefly, then a hardness I’d never seen before in Donavon’s eyes settled in. “They thought I was you.”
My hand trailed down my face. People wanted me dead. If those employed by me got in the way, it didn’t matter. They were collateral damage. I’d made this clear to whoever worked for me.
“I know,” I growled, jumping from my seat and heading to the door. I liked Donavon as much as I could like someone, and it pissed me off that this happened to him. “I’ll get whoever did this.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He waved my declaration off. His eyelids were heavy now, fighting to stay awake. “They got him, he’s dead.”
“But not the fucker who hired him.”
Donavon nodded, and I opened the door. “Smith,” he called out, and I stopped, not facing him. “I quit.”
“I expected you to,” I said, closing the door.
“Fuck!” Donavon was the best fucking personal assistant I ever had, now I had to find another one. But not before I put whoever was gunning for me in the ground, no matter how long it took.