Chapter 37 Dominic
DOMINIC
The email from Maddox Holdings burns in my mind as I pour another glass of Cabernet. Dinner sits untouched before me—an elaborate pasta dish Ryder prepared that I’d normally appreciate. My phone buzzes with another message from my CFO, but I silence it without looking.
“You’ve been pushing your food around and not eating,” Liam observes, fork paused halfway to his mouth. “Something wrong?”
“It’s nothing.” The lie comes automatically. I’ve built my entire life around handling problems alone. Weakness isn’t an option.
But Cora’s eyes catch mine across the table. The vulnerability she showed us yesterday, with her evidence boxes against Pike, still hangs in the air between us. She shared her darkest secrets, her proof, her pain. And now she’s watching me retreat behind my walls.
“Pike got to Maddox Holdings.” The words escape before I can stop them. “They pulled their forty million in funding for the harbor development this afternoon.”
The table goes silent. I take a long drink of wine to avoid their gazes.
“That’s your anchor investor,” Ryder says quietly.
“Was.” I set my glass down harder than intended. “Now I have seventy-two hours to secure replacement funding before the other investors can trigger their contingency clauses and walk.”
“God, Dominic,” Cora reaches across the table, her fingers brushing mine. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” I find myself taking her hand. “Pike’s been making calls all day. Suggesting there might be ‘ethical concerns’ with doing business with me. Pure fucking theater from a man who beats his daughter, but enough to spook Maddox.”
“We can fight this,” Liam says, already strategizing. “I still have contacts at Kimball Financial who owe me favors.”
“My cousin works for Stanton Investment Group,” Ryder adds. “Let me call him tonight.”
I look around at their determined faces and feel something shift inside me. The weight I’ve been carrying alone suddenly feels lighter, distributed across shoulders beyond just mine.
“I have to handle this myself,” I state.
“You don’t,” Cora says simply. “Not anymore.”
I stare at their faces, feeling something unfamiliar tighten in my chest. For my entire life, I’ve solved my own problems. Built my empire brick by brick, handled every crisis alone. People are assets or obstacles—never safety nets.
“I appreciate the gesture,” I say, my voice rougher than intended, “but this isn’t your problem to fix.”
Ryder leans forward. “That’s bullshit, Dom.”
My jaw clenches at the challenge. “Excuse me?”
“We’re in this together now.” He gestures between all four of us. “Pike isn’t just coming after you. He’s targeting all of us. So, we fight back together.”
The concept feels foreign, like trying on clothes that don’t quite fit. I’ve never relied on anyone. Not since my father made it clear that weakness wasn’t tolerated in the Vega household. “I don’t need—”
“Nobody said need,” Liam interrupts, eyes shrewd. “But tactical advantage? Four against one improves our odds considerably.”
I take another swallow of wine, feeling exposed. The urge to retreat behind my walls is overwhelming.
“Dominic.” Cora’s voice is soft. Her fingers intertwine with mine across the table. “Yesterday, you helped me carry my burden. Let us help carry yours.”
“This isn’t how I operate,” I admit finally. The confession leaves me feeling strangely light. “I handle things myself. Always have.”
“And how’s that working out for you?” Ryder asks, no judgment in his voice, just quiet understanding.
“I don’t know how to do this,” I confess, the words barely audible.
“Do what?” Cora asks.
“Depend on people.”
“Depend on people?” Cora’s eyes widen slightly. She withdraws her hand from mine, sitting straighter. “I have a solution.”
“What solution?” My voice comes out sharper than intended.
“My trust fund.” Her words land like a grenade on the table. “It’s worth thirty-eight million. Not the full forty, but enough to stabilize your position while you secure the rest.”
I stare at her, stunned. “Absolutely not.”
“Why not?” she challenges, chin lifting in that stubborn way I’ve come to recognize. “It’s my money. I can do what I want with it.”
“It’s not about the money,” I say through gritted teeth. “I don’t take handouts.”
“It’s not a handout,” she counters. “It’s an investment. Make me a partner.”
Liam raises an eyebrow. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea.”
“Stay out of this,” I growl.
“No, he won’t,” Cora says firmly. “None of us is staying out of anything anymore. That’s the whole point.”
I push away from the table, needing space, but Ryder’s voice stops me.
“Dom.” Just my name, but something in his tone makes me pause. “Would you turn down any other investor with thirty-eight million?”
The question hits its mark with uncomfortable precision.
“That’s different,” I argue weakly.
“Why?” Cora stands now, too, challenging me across the table. “Because it’s me? Because accepting my help means admitting you need someone?”
I look away, walls crumbling faster than I can rebuild them.
“You helped me face my father,” she says, softer now. “Let me help you fight him too.”
The room falls silent as I wrestle with instincts honed over decades. Every fiber in my body screams to refuse, to handle this alone.
“My entire life,” I finally say, “depending on others has meant weakness. Vulnerability meant being exploited.”
Ever since my childhood, I’ve relied on myself. It’s not like I could have relied on my parents. They cared about nothing but their careers, social circles, and their own image. I learned to expect nothing but coldness at home, rarely seeing my parents for weeks, and being left to the maid.
“Maybe for the man who raised you,” Cora steps closer, “but not with us. Not with me.”
I look at her—really look at her—and see strength, not pity. A partnership, not charity.
“Fifteen percent stake,” I say finally. “As a silent partner.”
“Twenty percent,” she counters without missing a beat. “And a seat at the table for major decisions.”
A startled laugh escapes me. “You drive a hard bargain, Pike.”
“Did you expect anything else?” Her smile is part challenge, part affection.
“Fine. Twenty percent.”
As our hands clasp to seal the deal, something shifts inside me. This isn’t surrender. It’s an alliance. Not weakness, but a different kind of strength—one I’m only beginning to understand.
Cora’s eyes spark with something mischievous as she steps around the table toward me.
“Let’s seal the deal with a kiss, partner.” She slides her hand behind my neck, pulling me down to her height.
I surrender to her touch, letting her guide me. When our lips meet, there’s nothing tentative about it. She kisses me like she’s claiming territory, her tongue meeting mine with deliberate intention. My hand finds the small of her back, pulling her against me as the kiss deepens.
A groan breaks the silence—not from Cora or me, but from across the table.
“Is dinner officially over?” Ryder’s voice has dropped an octave, that familiar hungry edge creeping in.
“Because I’m suddenly craving dessert,” Liam adds, loosening his tie with one finger.
Cora pulls back just enough to break the kiss, though her body remains pressed against mine. The smile curving her lips makes my cock harden instantly.
“Actually,” she says, tracing a finger down my chest, “I’ve been wanting to try something.”
“What did you have in mind?” I ask, my voice rougher than intended.
Her eyes flick between the three of us men, calculating. “I want to watch the three of you fuck. While I direct... and touch.”
My eyebrows rise. “You want to watch?”
“I want to see you in the middle again, Daddy, it’s so hot,” she clarifies, and the name sends heat surging through my body. “But this time, you can fuck Liam’s ass while Ryder fucks yours.”
“You want me to bottom again, to Ryder?” The question comes out more strangled than commanding.
“I want to see you taking it again,” she explains, her fingers trailing lower. “Getting your dick strangled by Liam’s tight ass while Ryder fills yours.” Her hand cups my erection through my pants. “Look how hard you are just thinking about it.”
I glance at the other men. Liam’s eyes have darkened with interest, while Ryder’s mouth has fallen slightly open, his breathing visibly quickened.
“What do you say, Dom?” Ryder asks softly. “Willing to try something new for our girl?”
“Yes.” The word escapes before I can overthink it.
“Thank you, Daddy,” Cora purrs, rising on tiptoes to press a kiss against my throat.
She leads us to my bedroom, her small hand clasped in mine. The familiar tension builds in my shoulders—the need to control warring with the desire to surrender.
Liam strips, his movements hurried. His gaze finds mine, something vulnerable flickering in those green eyes.
“Come here,” I tell him, my voice steadier than I feel.
He obeys, and something tightens in my chest. Liam has always been dominant too, so seeing his submission so freely given is beyond hot. I guide him to the edge of the bed, positioning him on his hands and knees.
Behind me, I hear the snap of the lube cap as Ryder prepares himself. My pulse quickens.
“You’re going to look so fucking hot, Daddy,” Cora whispers, perching at the head of the bed where she can see everything. “Opening Liam up while Ryder opens you.”
My cock throbs painfully at her words. I squeeze lube onto my fingers, circling Liam’s entrance with deliberate pressure.
“Fuck,” Liam hisses as my finger breaches him. His back arches beautifully.
“That’s it,” I murmur, working him open with practiced care. “Good boy. Take it for me.”
Cool slickness touches my own entrance as Ryder’s fingers press against me. I tense involuntarily.
“Relax, Daddy,” Ryder’s voice is low, steadying. “I’ve got you.”
“Listen to Ryder,” Cora commands softly. “Let him take care of you while you take care of Liam. God, Daddy, you’re so fucking hot like this.”