Ruined: Loving An Alpha Male: BWWM Romance (33 page)

There was so much I needed to do. Before I told her how much I couldn’t live without her, I had to make sure she was safe. Then and only then, can I go to her and hope she would forgive me and take me back. I needed her, and I will do everything I can to make sure she knows that.

The next morning we were packing everything in our cars, and I saw Max standing next to Tiffany. Last night, I couldn’t sleep at all. All I kept thinking about was how good she felt in my arms again, how my dick fit in her just as it always had, how she was everything I had ever wanted in a woman.

I took a deep breath and headed in her direction. I knew it was fucked up what we did last night, but I wasn’t feeling guilty at all. I hoped she didn’t, but as I got closer to her I saw the guilt in her eyes. Damn it, I fucked up again. She saw me coming, and she stiffened slightly. Tiffany turned and faced me too, with look of reproach in her eyes. I ignored her and stretched my hand out to Max.

I said, “Let me see your phone.”

It wasn’t a question it was a demand, and I didn’t care how she took it. She didn’t put up a fuss; she just reached in the back pocket of her shorts and produced her phone. She handed it to me, and I dialed my number. I handed her phone back and looked in her eyes. I was all business at that moment, and I wanted her to see that I was.

“Save my number in your phone. I’ll call you once we get back to the city. I have some leads that I need to follow and then I’m going to see your father.”

Her eyes got big. “Mason, why do you need to see him?”

“He and I have some things to discuss, Max. He has some information I need, and I have some things to iron out with him.”

She touched my arm, and I had to try and keep my emotions in check. Her touch was doing things to me that would no doubt end with my tongue down her throat. I couldn’t let her get in my head just yet.

“Wait, Mason. You don’t know what type of man my father is. I don’t want you to get mixed up in his shit.”

I sighed. “Maxine, I’ve dealt with men like your father for a very long time. I know how to handle him. Trust me; all we’re going to do is have a little chat. What I would like from you is to not speak with your father until I tell you its okay. Don’t go off to meet him. Don’t listen to anyone who says they are going to bring you to him, or they are trying to give you a message from him. In order to give me a piece of mind and one less thing to worry about, I need you to act as if that man doesn’t exist. Can you do that for me?”

She looked deeply in my eyes, and I knew she would find confidence, strength, and determination. I didn’t have any doubt in her whatsoever, and I knew she could see that. Finally she nodded.

“Yes, I can do that.”

I nodded. “Good. When do you start working?”

“Monday.”

“Okay, and when do you start working at AB’s restaurant?”

“Friday.”

“Okay, just proceed as you normally would. I’ll take care of everything else.” I risked touching her, and I rubbed her arms. “I told you I would protect you, and I will. No one will lay a finger on you because, if they do, it would be the last day they would draw breath.”

Both Max and Tiffany nodded, and I walked away. But I heard Max call me. I turned, and she walked up to me.

She said, “About last night…”

I shook my head. “Allura, I meant every word. I’m not sorry it happened. You had better not be sorry either.”

I looked deeply in her eyes and lightly touched her cheek.

I said softly, “There’s so much I want to tell you, but I can’t right now. But you best believe that, when I’ve done all I set out to do and you’re safe, we will continue where we left off.”

I didn’t wait for her to respond. I turned and left her standing there. I started to welcome the darkness and anger as it started making its way through me. There were so many things I needed to do, and I had little time to do it. And I’m not ashamed to admit this, but I’m looking forward to meeting Ray Shaw Jr.

The drive home started off uneventful. Diane and I didn’t talk much. She had to recuperate from the drinking she did last night, so she slept most of the way. I was talking on the phone periodically with Roland about all the information he learned.

I wanted to have a chat with Shaw sooner rather than later, but Roland needed more time to gather everything he needed. I didn’t feel the need to do that, but when he told me all that the man was into, I wanted all intel before I had a talk with him. I also didn’t want to piss in anyone’s backyard either, since other people were looking at him. I needed to do this covertly, so I had to pick the right time to strike.

Once I was done talking to Roland and we were almost home, Diane asked me, “So what exactly are you doing?”

I looked over at her.

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you getting involved in Maxine’s business? Why do you feel the need to be her protector?”

“Because I can. I’m capable of doing it, and I want to help her,” I said simply.

“Do you want to fuck her too?” she replied.

“What the fuck did you just say to me?” I asked her.

“Oh please, don’t think I’m stupid. I saw the way you looked at her the whole weekend, and how she looked at you. Ha, and don’t think I didn’t miss the little pet name you called her. I don’t know who you think you’re fooling, but if you think for a second I’m going to stand by while she becomes your whore…”

My emotions got the best of me, and I swerved onto the emergency lane. Not caring who was behind me, I came to a complete stop. I turned my body slightly to face her wide-eyed expression. “Let me tell you something, and I’m only going to say this once. Don’t you ever in your life call her a whore. You don’t know anything about her, and she is far from that. Secondly, I will do whatever I fucking choose to do. If I want to help a friend in need, then so be it. I don’t care if she’s an ex or not.”

I noticed she backed away from me slightly, but she was quiet. She was looking into my eyes, as the cars zoomed past.

Finally, she said, “I don’t know how you want me to feel right now, Mason. Here is this woman that clearly you have a history with that I know nothing of. You refuse to tell me what I need to know.”

“You don’t need to know.”

“How can you say that?”

“Easy. It’s what we agreed on, right? I don’t ask you about your past; you don’t ask me about mine.”

“Yeah, well, my past hasn’t stuck its perfect little tits in your face now has it?”

She folded her arms and frowned.

I leaned in slightly.

“No, but I have to see his pencil little dick ass Monday through Friday when I go to work, now don’t I?”

She turned pale, and her mouth opened in shock. She tried to recover, but she didn’t do it quick enough.

“What do you mean by that?”

The force and bluster in her voice was no longer there. I could hear her voice quiver, ever so slightly.

“Oh come on, sweetheart. You think I don’t know about you and my brother-in-law? The fact that you two used to meet up twice a week during lunch hours isn’t a huge secret.”

“I did no such thing, and I can’t believe you would say something so cruel.”

“Really? Diane, you know I was wondering all that time ago why my brother-in-law kept trying to push a merger with my company and your father. They tried to make it a personal thing with me when I said ‘no,’ but in actuality it was a personal thing all along.”

Diane kept her arms folded, but she wouldn’t look at me. I grinned and peeled back out on the highway.

I added, because I know exactly what she was thinking, “And yes, I have proof; and no, Rick doesn’t know. Neither does my sister. So don’t make it seem like your past is squeaky clean, and I don’t have to deal with your shit. Because I do. Again, don’t ask me about mine; and I won’t ask you about yours.”

She didn’t reply, and I continued driving. I didn’t really have to tell her that I knew about her and my brother-in-law. This here is a business arrangement that she and I have. But I know that this arrangement is going to have to change. It’s no longer going to work for me. But for right now, I need to take one step at a time.

                           
****

I decided to give Max space. I wanted to call her so bad, and I wanted to see her even more. My body got one taste of her, and she’s been all I’ve thought about since then. I needed to stay professional, so I made sure to not get close to her. For two weeks, I watched her from afar. On the weekdays, Roland and his team watched her every movement as well as her daddy. The man was so fucking predictable. Anyone would be able to take him out without any effort.

My talents and energy were used within my company. I was making moves and decisions that my brother didn’t like. But he knew it had to be done, especially when I showed him why I was making the decision. Diane and I have been dating for over a year. During that time, her father has been trying to get the inside scoop on me again through her. What he didn’t realize is I wasn’t that naive boy that I was when he tried it the first time. I had no doubt that Diane wanted to marry me. We were the perfect power couple. The problem was I couldn’t trust her.

I knew no matter what, she would stay loyal to her father. Her father and my dad were trying to save money to branch off and take my clients with them. So I’ve taken steps to protect myself from this little coup. I’ve actually been planning this for a few months, and I wondered if I should follow suit. I wanted to know how loyal Diane would be when I cut ties. But finding out about the relationship she had with my brother-in-law and how long it lasted, I didn’t think she was capable of loyalty.

I won’t say I was completely loyal to her, as well. But as our relationship went on, I decided to give it a try. I wanted to see if I was completely lost in my darkness, and I found out I wasn’t. I just needed the right motivation. When I saw Maxine, she was my motivation. So in three days, on Friday, my plan of a counter attack will commence. I couldn’t wait.

As I said before, my brother wasn’t completely on board until I showed him everything I had. I showed him how Bernstein was trying to take our business up from under us by using a shell company and feeding us information, so we would invest in it. He knew if we invested our funds, then our clients would do the same. And when we lost, so would they. Then we would lose our creditability.

Our father started pushing for this deal to go through for weeks, and so was Rick. Every time those two are excited about an investment, I take notice. Four years ago when they wanted to get into bed with Bernstein, they lost a considerable amount of money, and they also learned I wasn’t backing them. I told them they would enter that business deal without the backing of my company, and I meant it.

So when they lost a large sum of money, they were pissed when I shrugged my shoulder and told them, “I can’t help you.”

They somehow blamed me for their screw-up, saying if I would have cosigned, they would have had more backers and more money, and their business venture wouldn’t have folded. I, of course, felt they invested foolishly with blinders on, and they got caught out there. Ever since then, they have been after me. The only reasons why I won’t burn the both of them are Marcus and my grandparents. But after I showed him what our father was doing and also told him that Diane and Rick were seeing each other, Marcus was on board.

On Friday, I called a board meeting. When I entered the room, I had my lawyers behind me with stacks of papers. My brother and I sat next to each other, and I looked at the board of eight men and women.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I called this meeting to announce our separation of West Enterprises.”

Murmurs started, and my father and brother-in-law looked stunned.

I continued, “We have used the business for our purposes long enough. It’s time we return it to its rightful owner. Dad, the company is yours now as is. The contract is being passed out for you to look over and sign, but you have until Monday morning to agree to the terms.”

“Are you serious?” he asked.

I looked at my brother and then at the man that was responsible for my existence, “Yes. The company is yours to maintain and run as you see fit. Please take a look at the terms.”

My father, ever the business man, did just that. He then raised his eyebrows.

“So all current investments will stay in place?”

“Yes. Whatever clients you brought on will stay with you. But you cannot solicit any of mine. They stay with me. You have no rights to any software or paperwork from this company. Any said usage will be deemed breach of contract, and you best believe I will sue you. You have to find a new home. I trust you won’t have a problem finding a suitable place to run. As a matter of fact, your old office building still has the space open for you to occupy. However, effective two weeks from today, your badges and access will no longer be valid. So you have two weeks to find a new home.”

“Wow, two weeks isn’t giving us much time,” Rick replied.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll find a way.”

My brother and I watched our father gain all the posture he lost when I took his company from him all those years ago.