Chapter 36
DOMINIC
S amaira burst open the door to the brand-new apartment floor, leading the way, as the rest of the Wildcats followed her, exchanging furtive glances. I walked behind all of them, giving Samaira the chance to show them everything.
She turned to face them and spread her arms. “This is all from Dominic, and it was his surprise, so feel free to say no.”
“Solid endorsement, baby,” I piped in.
She smiled and winked at me. “He’s gifted the Wildcats the top ten floors of this building.”
“Happy to allot you more floors if you guys need,” I added.
Their gazes ping-ponged between us as Samaira continued, “Each one of us can have an apartment, and we can convert the remaining five floors into our workspaces. There are two massive apartments on each floor. So we can pair up and each pair can take a floor. We could literally convert an entire floor into our personal training floor. We can move our main headquarters from Thunder Claw to here, keeping Thunder Claw for client meetings or emergency operations. What do you guys think?”
Every woman looked around with a starstruck expression.
Lena, who had a slight inkling of what I was planning, turned to me and raised her eyebrows. “You said you were planning a little surprise.”
I shrugged. “I own this entire 135-story building. I’m gifting you ten floors. It is a little surprise. So if you need twenty stories, just let me know.”
Naomi bit her lip, her eyes shining with awe. “You think we could convert a floor or two into safe spaces for women who’ve got nowhere to go? These are huge apartments. At least ten people can comfortably fit in here.”
Samaira nodded. “Definitely. We can do whatever we want with the space. Right, Dominic?”
I kept my hands firmly in my pocket, afraid I’d pull Samaira into my arms in front of all her friends.
“Absolutely. I have a team of interior designers. You guys just need to let them know what you need, and they’ll do it.
No questions asked. I’ll have them all sign an NDA to work on this with you. ”
Tara had Shadow tight on his leash in her hand as he tried to run around everywhere.
Every time he got a glance at me, he gave me a vicious growl, which was the main reason his leash was firmly in Tara’s grasp.
One day, I was going to make him like me without needing any treats. Today wasn’t that day.
Tara looked around the room with an appreciative glance. “We can have a high-end tech room and surveillance system set up.”
I dropped to my knees and pulled out the treats from my pocket to give them to Shadow, earning a rough growl from him as he snatched them from my hand.
I looked at Tara, who had an amused smile on her face.
“Whatever machines, computers, security systems, internet speed, wiring that you need, just let me know. It’s all yours. ”
Sloane and Lena kept smiling and giggling with Samaira.
Sloane turned to me and asked, “You sure about giving us all of these floors?”
“Very sure.”
“What if you and Sami break up? Would we have to move out?”
I balked at her question as Samaira jabbed her in her ribs.
I walked to where they stood and wrapped Samaira in my arms, my chest meeting her back. I placed my chin on her shoulder. Pulling Samaira even closer to my chest, I smiled at Sloane. “We’re never breaking up. This is a forever kinda deal.”
That had Samaira turning and jumping into my arms. “You promise?”
I kept my hand under her ass as she wrapped her legs around my hips. “I promise.”
I didn’t know who moved first, but Samaira’s lips were on mine, and everything was right in the world. We kissed as her friends cheered around us. But to my utter dismay, I had to put her down.
She turned to her friends and bit her lip. “So? What do you guys think?”
Lena nodded, looking around. “It’s certainly safer and more private.”
Sloane sighed. “Definitely. We can all live together but separately. We don’t have to worry about each other’s safety while we’re away from the Den.”
Tara walked along the wall of windows overlooking the sky and the entire skyline of New York City, bright sunlight shining down on her.
“We can have a den with windows.” As a person who preferred to stay inside because of her own trauma, having windows was certainly a huge luxury for her.
And all these apartments had light streaming through the glass windows as if we were floating under the sun.
Naomi pulled Tara into her arms. “And we can have an entire floor of your tech stuff. I can have an entire floor converted to a clinic. We can treat as many women as we want, give them a safe space, and train them to join us.”
Samaira nodded and looked at all of them. “We can make the Wildcats bigger. We can do more. We can actively target gangs and mobs who’re out there hurting and kidnapping women. We can be stronger together, more powerful. We can be unstoppable.”
I stood aside and watched in awe as the five women talked about their goals.
And I knew I'd give every single dollar of my wealth to helping them achieve every one of them.
I knew these women could do anything they put their minds to.
They were destined for greatness. These were the women whose suffering had turned them into ruthless protectors.
The world needed more women like the Wildcats.
Once they’d hollered and cheered and decided to move here, I walked to where they stood. Every woman except Samaira knew where I was taking her next. So I gave them a nod as I pulled Samaira by the waist. “C’mon, I need to take you somewhere.”
Her eyes twinkled as she wrapped her arms around my neck. “Ooh, is it a surprise?”
I tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and pressed a kiss on her nose. “A big surprise.”
A surprise she might hate. But something I knew she needed to do.
I led her to the roof of the building, and that had her chuckling. “Are we ever using a car to travel to this building? Or is it only accessible through the sky?”
My girl came and took a seat beside me in the chopper, and I pressed a kiss to her hand. “A car would take too long for where we’re going. ”
Her eyes narrowed into a look of extreme suspicion. “Please tell me we’re not flying out of the country. I’m not even dressed properly. And I need my girls to travel with me this time.”
That had me chuckling. “We’re not flying out of the country. And it’s good to know that you still prefer the company of your girls over me.”
The chopper was high up in the sky as we flew over the tallest skyscrapers of the city, and Maira pulled me into her arms. “Aw, you’re my favorite person on this earth, Dominic Park.
But none of us has ever stepped foot outside the East Coast, let alone the country.
And I want them to see the world by my side, you know. We’re a team. We’re soul sisters.”
How could someone so fucking caring be that resistant to letting other people care for her?
She was a nurturer, my girl. She wanted to just protect and care for the people she loved.
She was willing to leave the people she loved if it meant they were safer.
She was selfless to the point of extreme stubbornness.
I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I promise you, baby. We go anywhere, we take all the girls. I want nothing more than to see a smile on your beautiful face. Be it with your girls or me. You deserve all the fucking love in the world.”
“How are you the way that you are?” Her eyes shone, and her voice trembled.
I bit my lip and looked around. “Keep that thought in mind when you see your surprise in a few minutes.”
Before she could look around and get ideas, and probably run away from me, I put a blindfold on her, hiding her view of the surroundings. “What did you do, Dominic?”
“Hush now, baby. You’ll thank me later.”
“I have a terrible feeling about this.”
My heart pounded as I walked her down from the chopper and got us in the car waiting for us at the helipad. I clutched Maira’s hand in mine on the entire way to the destination, her questions and warnings making me terrified that I was making a big fucking mistake.
But the moment the destination came into view, determination raced through my heart. With a surety deep in my bones, I got out of the car and pulled Samaira out. Standing behind her, I pulled off her blindfold so she could see her surprise.
I kept my eyes on her as she took in the view in front of us, and her eyes widened to saucers. “No.” She gasped.