Chapter Three
Maximus – Present Day
The view from the window of Dad’s office hadn’t changed in a decade, and yet today there was a major difference – I was officially in charge of our organisation.
He had “retired” as he had promised to take Mum on a world cruise.
In reality, he would never retire, and would be poking about in the background, and giving me advice that I neither needed nor wanted.
“Boss, visitor for you,” Jake’s voice sounded over the intercom behind my desk. My door opened a few moments later, and I heard footsteps behind me.
I slowly turned to face whoever had arrived.
Her face was familiar, but I couldn’t place the woman who stood dressed in a long red coat with a belt tied at the front.
Her heels were six inches to elongate her legs, and her hair and make-up had a professional finish to them.
In our world, beauty was valued, and the women who resided here knew how to accentuate every asset they owned.
“Can I help you?” I asked, knowing that this could be a trap sent to ensnare me.
“My father sends his congratulations on your rise to power. In accordance with tradition, he sent you a gift.” She slowly untied the belt of her coat, allowing it to fall open. She wore nothing but lace underwear that left nothing to my imagination.
I watched as she sauntered over to my desk, dropped her coat on the floor, and proceeded to lie on my recently cleared workspace, opening her legs suggestively.
No wonder Dad was always late home from work.
“What exactly is the gift?” I asked, already knowing the answer was lying spread wide on my desk.
She balanced her heels on the edge of my desk, slipping her hand into the scrap of material that was her panties, and began to rub her clit. “Unwrap me and find out.”
I had no problem filling my bed every night with willing women, I didn’t need some sleazy asshole pimping his daughter out.
I had two sisters, and would put a bullet in our father’s head if he tried this shit with either of them.
I made a promise to myself a long time ago, and that was to never fraternise with the enemy, and that included their wives and daughters.
She moaned, seductively tilting and wiggling her hips in an attempt to entice me. My dick didn’t even stir and take notice of the performance that was happening on my office desk. I turned back to staring out the window, my hands in my pockets, and my mind somewhere else.
My sister Willow had recently returned to our family after being abducted three years ago.
It left a bitter taste in my mouth that some asshole had wandered into our family and taken what didn’t belong to him.
To add insult to injury, she had been saved by a man who had a reputation which rivalled mine.
I wanted better for my sisters than to align their lives to a monster like me.
“Ahhh,” a moan sounded from behind me. Her performance was better than the average porno. “Are you coming to join me?”
There was only one woman I wanted to sink my dick into, and I had spent a lot of money manipulating the world to bring her one step closer to me. Success was almost in my grasp.
I turned to face her. “Is this the life you want?” I asked. “Having your body sold for your father to gain favour, or video the encounter to blackmail a business partner?”
She stopped touching herself, pushing herself up to stare at me. “You were born a man in this world. I wasn’t that fortunate.” The expression in her eyes told the remainder of her story.
“Tell your father I appreciate his gift, and enjoyed it immensely,” I said. “You don’t need to sell your body.”
The image of my sister when she had been released from that camp in South America flashed through my mind, followed by what I had personally witnessed in some of the other camps we had freed.
She sat on my desk and studied me. “Why?”
It was a simple question, yet not as simple to answer.
I returned to my vigil of staring out the window. “We come from a world of privilege, which should include protecting all members of our family.”
The window acted like a mirror and I watched her wrapping her coat tightly around her slender frame.
“My father auctioned my virginity,” she said in a low voice.
“I was one of several girls who were paraded in our underwear while they bid on us. The smell of his body odour still haunts me in the dark.”
I didn’t doubt her story – I had attended those auctions, watching the predators as they scented their victims and whipped themselves into a frenzy. It had been part of my training to attend, but that didn’t mean I enjoyed it.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Helena.” She didn’t add her family name, but I knew who she was from her first name. In the dark world we lived in, our destinies were decided from the moment we were born, and her father had had too many daughters to be married off.
Her eyes were haunted when I finally spun around to face her, and I noticed the tremble in her fingers as she held the knot in her coat. Each of us had scars that were invisible to eyes and touch.
“This life isn’t easy for any of us,” I said, holding my hand up when she shook her head in disagreement. “We both get fucked by the wrong men, and either end up in a loveless marriage or dead.”
Her lips pursed together as she considered my words, before her knees gave way and she sank into my sofa, covering her face with her hands. “I had wanted to study law.”
“In this world, my hands are tied, but I have friends who operate outside our restrictions.” I paused, contemplating the situation, and finding myself influenced by what had happened to Willow. “They could help you find a new life.”
Helena sucked in a shaky breath. “I have to think about this.” She finally took her hands away from her face. “No one is ever kind to me. Why?”
I shrugged one shoulder. “Because my sister had to rely on the kindness of a stranger. Consider this as me paying it forward.” My other reason was more complicated because there was a woman just outside my reach who could be in the situation without my intervention.
She slowly nodded, standing and smoothing her coat down. “Dad will expect a favour in return for me being here today.”
“I can deal with your father,” I replied. I had made a reputation for myself by being the biggest asshole I could be in every situation. It meant that no one could second guess me as I continually changed my opinion to mask my true intent. I hadn’t lost a business deal I wanted yet.
She tightened her belt again, fluffing her hair, and letting out a slow breath. “You missed out on a mind-blowing experience,” Helena said, her head canting to the side.
My lips twitched in a half smile. “I have no doubt, you’re a very beautiful woman.”
I watched as she donned her arrogant persona and stalked toward the door. We all hid our trauma in different ways, and I admired her fa?ade.
Jake wandered in after she left. “Is that what I thought it was?” he asked, nodding at the door.
“That her father pimped her out to try and gain a favour?”
“I heard it happened, but Giovanni would never have considered selling his family,” Jake replied. He was right, Dad was a monster, but his family values were sacrosanct. “Have none of them realised you don’t date within the organisation?”
He was the brother I hadn’t inherited biologically, and we had bonded through experiences which could see both of us spending the rest of our lives incarcerated. We’d also gone through our manwhore phase together as each other’s wingmen. Jake was one of the few people I trusted in this world.
“Apparently not,” I said, wandering over to my desk and sitting in the chair my father had occupied most of his life. It felt awkward and uncomfortable sitting on this side of the desk, as if the ghost of my father still sat there haunting it. “In fairness, they weren’t asking me to date her.”
Jake nodded thoughtfully, his lips twisting into a smile when he looked up at me. “Not even tempted a little bit?” He pinched his thumb and fore finger together to illustrate his point.
I leaned back in the chair, scrubbing my hands down my face, and staring at the ceiling. “I am fucking sick of being wanted because of who my family is, and what they think they can get from me.” Only one woman had ever seen the real me, and that was beyond fucked up.
“You need to get rid of that chip from your shoulder,” Jake commented. “Those women who throw themselves at you don’t give a fuck who your daddy is, they’re interested in your dick, and what you can do with it.”
I couldn’t stop my laugh since he was being his usual asshole. “Now you’re objectifying me.”
“More like dicktifying you,” he retaliated. “Come on, you have a meeting across town in an hour and the traffic is mental out there.”
“Yes, mummy,” I muttered, pushing myself to my feet.
“Is that like a woman calling a man daddy? Are you trying to come onto me? I’m not that easy a pushover.” He was grinning like an idiot when I stormed past him, slapping the back of his head.
“Asshole!”
“You leave my ass out of this. I work hard in the gym for these buns of steel.” Jake was on a roll now, so it was best to ignore him.
The elevator at the end of the hall required a fingerprint to activate it, our security ensuring no one was able to get in or out without our knowledge.
Cameras were a discrete part of the décor, hiding in plain sight so we could monitor everything in this building.
Dad had been paranoid, and it was the reason he held all the power in this city.
He knew everything that was happening because he was a nosey bastard, and spent his life ensuring he was one step ahead of his enemies.
The network of cameras and spies he employed helped.