Chapter 9
Prime
When I saw Zoe in the hallway dressed as one of the sweet butts who hung at the club I became speechless and angry.
I hated the idea of her being ogled and lusted after.
The men would think she was theirs to use anytime, anywhere unless I managed to put out the word that she was untouchable.
There was one simple way to do that, but I couldn’t mark her as mine, not without causing controversy.
The jealousy and anger came out of my mouth in cruel words. I suggested she was offering herself up for money. She hissed back at me like an angry cat baring it’s claws. I only got meaner.
Then I saw it, the tattoo that matched my own. It was a shock and a turn-on. I got hard, so hard I hurt. Zoe was marked as mine even though she didn’t realize it. Not a soul who knew me would dare lay a hand on her once they saw the tattoo.
But my mind spun around and considered how she had known about the tattoo and why she had gotten one for herself. Was it a devious plan to thwart her father or was it meant to make us his enemy? Did she wish me dead, and was all this rescuing shit a part of a deeper plan?
Her explanation sounded real. But I didn’t believe in coincidences. Instead, I believed in fate. Something was meant to be between us, whether it was just sex or something more wasn’t clear. It didn’t matter. I lusted after her. I wanted her. She carried my mark, so I took what I desired.
Her lips melded into mine so that it was impossible to tell whose was in control until I pushed my way into the heat of her mouth.
One taste of her sweetness had me losing all sense of time and where we were.
She seemed to feel the same. Her body molded itself to my chest and groin, rubbing my cock into madness.
I caught the deep, rich scent of her juices emanating from between her restless legs.
My tongue swabbed the roof of her mouth as it longed to do to her damp core.
I was lost in a lustful haze when her leg rose off the floor and touched my thigh indicating she wanted to wrap those long legs around me.
If I lifted her by her shapely ass I knew she’d rub against my cock until she orgasmed.
Maybe we would both find release and she’d still remain a virgin.
It was not to be. Rod called out, “Prime! Where are you? Come on man, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
I knew Zoe looked well kissed, lips swollen and a rash from my facial hair on her delicate white cheeks. I shoved her behind me, for some reason not wanting Rod to know what he’d interrupted. Maybe it was jealousy or maybe it was pride. Either way I didn’t want his gaze on her.
I was bulging at the seam of my fly, but thankfully Rod was more interested in the broken-down truck than my state of arousal.
He didn’t even appear to notice Zoe’s presence.
He spoke of wanting to screw Flame as if Zoe was invisible.
The idea that he wasn’t attracted to someone as sexy as Zoe and could only see Flame was very telling. The man was hog tied.
As for me, it took all of my will power and an enormous amount of sweat to push aside what had just happened and speak unemotionally.
I wasn’t able to glance back at where I knew Zoe was sliding down the wall because I was aware of my own weaknesses.
If I looked at her I’d make a fool of myself by running back and carrying her away to my bed, to take what she was offering and damn myself.
The problem with the truck wasn’t the only thing waiting for my attention. Ditch met me at my office door with the news I had been waiting for.
“Our snitch came through for us. We have some information on Aguilar. He hasn’t come out of hiding, and we don’t have a location on him yet. That’s the bad news.
“The good news is that we know there’s going to be an auction soon.
The asshole has a website where you can register for it and put up a downpayment to buy one of the girls before you’re given the time and location.
You have to be sent an invitation to even get to the private website, and if you don’t pass his background check or you decide not to bid you forfeit the downpayment which is about the price of a motorcycle,” Ditch explained.
“How do we get an invitation without giving ourselves away?” I demanded.
“Specs is working on that. He says he’s got a guy that can set up false information on a fake website for us.
But the downpayment has to show up in the listed account, so it has to be real.
And worse, they’ll look deeper to see if you’re rich enough to actually buy someone.
We’ve got money, boss, but not that kind of cash. ”
“If Petrov wants this job done, then he’ll have to pony up the money for it.
He’ll get most of it back once the accounts have passed the inspection.
The downpayment will just have to be his loss.
I’m not taking it out of what he’s paying us.
He’s forcing us to take this fucking job, so he can eat the money for all I care.
How soon can Specs get what we need?” I asked while scribbling notes in the files I kept on Aguilar and Petrov.
“It’s a delicate situation, Prime. It can’t be rushed, or something will get fucked up and we’ll be dead, literally.
It may take weeks, even a month. The snitch says we’ll be cutting it close on the timeline, but they always let big spenders in at the last minute.
He swears he can get us an invitation if we can do the rest,” Ditch replied.
I scrubbed my hands over my face and groaned. This was all so complicated. I just wanted to find Aguilar and kill him. The wait and the pressure I was under from Petrov were a heavy burden to carry. Now, I had Zoe to deal with, too.
With a sigh I asked, “Any news from Petrov’s compound? Where are they looking for Zoe now?”
“Her disappearance seems to have caused a rift between Drago and Damien. Drago believes his brother has taken Zoe to teach him a lesson, or to get him to end his bid to take over for Dominik. There’s a lot of infighting between them at the moment.
Of course, Damien denies he’s involved and laughs at the fact that Drago has lost her despite his efforts to keep her imprisoned. ”
“There’s always been a rift between all three brothers.
Otherwise, they’d have taken over the entire country.
Drago doesn’t really believe Damien has her.
He’s just making the accusation to cover up his lack of knowledge about where she is and to cause Damien trouble so that he loses votes.
It’s childish for two powerful men to act this way.
If they worked together they’d be too strong to ever take down,” I answered, reflecting on what it meant for us.
“What if it’s a diversion so they can keep watching us without us noticing? If they discover we have her we’re in deep shit,” Ditch declared.
“I know they’re still watching us. I can feel it. I have a plan. I just don’t know if Zoe will go along with it. I’m not sure I even like it, especially since it involves me getting too damn close to her. She’s off limits to me, but it’s too easy to forget that when she’s near.”
“I know, boss. She’s hot as hell. It makes a man’s cock hard just getting a whiff of that fancy scent she wears,” Ditch stated as he squirmed.
I went completely still and glared at him. He backed away knowing he had gone too far. He’d accidentally riled me without knowing it was possible.
He put his hands in the air and said, “I don’t know what I said, but I’m sorry. I forget sometimes that she’s not one of the girls. She acts more like Flame and Vikki than like some rich bitch.”
“You need to remember that Flame and Zoe are no longer considered on the same level as the “girls”. Their status is far above them now. They are equal to any new male member and will be receiving proof of that tomorrow.
“As to Zoe, she’s off limits. If she agrees to my plan she’ll appear to belong to me, which means she’ll be given the respect due her as my woman.
I’m walking a tightrope here in order to protect her from her father’s wrath and cover my own ass at the same time.
Because no matter how hard we try to keep him from learning of her presence here he will discover it.
I’d rather he got the information from us instead of his minions.
He’s going to go ballistic one way or another because he’ll have lost his prize possession, his bargaining tool with the rest of the mafia and the payment he’s been anticipating for her virginity price,” I explained.
Ditch was shocked by my plan as I expected. He knew I was most likely signing my death sentence by staking a claim on Zoe and announcing to the mafia that she was no longer innocent, even though it was just a pretense.
I figured Zoe’s reaction wasn’t going to be much better.