STEPBROTHERS (3 Book Stepbrother Romance Collection) (32 page)

Vincent.

And lord did I want him.

I wanted him without a second thought, wanted to spread myself open and let him devour me in front of everyone. All reason had gone out the window along with my sanity. And Donte? He was forgotten, a distant memory. Hoteliers with trust funds were two a penny in London, but this man, Vincent, was clearly one of a kind.

“
I
see
. Well I would prefer to talk to Rene about that,” I said trying to keep my gaze off the woman by my side.

She was too distracting, and it felt like my head was clouded; I was unable to process the words that I wanted to speak. The fight within me had gone out, I barely cared about Rene or this other guy. Before I’d seen her I’d been ready to have it out with this pompous idiot who stood between me and what I was owed. Yet one glance at her and the money became immaterial, inconsequential, something that I really didn’t need.

No, I needed her.

“Do I have to get someone to ask you to leave, or are we done here?” The man in the suit asked.

The vision beside me was staring at me, wetting her lips as she did so. My head roared as the blood rushed around, pulsing, making me feel like I couldn’t breathe in her presence. I wanted to tell her to stop looking at me; it was as if she saw beneath the leather jacket and the bravado… like I’d been caught playacting or doing something wrong. Guilty.

Yet for all the money in the world I didn’t want her to stop. Sharp, playful green eyes sparkled with mischief. I tried to bury the uneasy turmoil that was the result of her green orbs roaming all over me, but still she continued. A crooked and sexy smile played on her face, pleased with the reaction that she was getting.

She uncrossed her legs knowing we were both watching her. Her face told us that she wanted us to look, she wanted us to see, but just as quickly as she uncrossed her legs she crossed them again.

Her head tilted upwards;
your move
, she was saying, as if waiting for me to counter and respond to what she’d done.

Oh, she didn’t want to play that game, I thought. She wouldn’t win.

But her companion rudely interrupted the staring competition we were having. I was vaguely aware that he was trying to get my attention. I attempted to pull away from her gaze. Best to get business over and done with before playtime could begin.

“Er, sorry what did you say?” I said, my attention reluctantly back on the man in the suit, before he could reply I asked, “What’s your name again?”

“My name is not important, but if you must know, it’s Donte. I own this hotel.” Donte straightened; he was a fair few inches shorter than me which amused me greatly. “Can’t you see you’re interrupting here?”

“The lady doesn’t seem to be complaining,” I said as I gave sly wink to the stunning beauty who was obviously his date.

“Yeah, well I have asked you to leave.”

“Who’s going to make me? You?” I scoffed. This idiot may have money and the fancy clothes, but he didn’t have a lick of experience when he came to men like me.

Donte scowled and called over to the barman, whispering something I couldn’t hear above the sounds of the busy bar. While he was distracted, and as my mind and heart pulsed to an eager beat, I took the chance to study the woman again, to scan her pale, glowing skin, following the lines of her dress to intimate destinations. God, she was fucking mesmerising.

I stuck out a hand clumsily presenting it to her like a gift, she seemed uneasy at first or unsure. Her jade eyes gazed up at me questioningly.

“Pleased to meet you, the name’s Vincent,” I said, mustering all the manners I could. A woman like her was used to a life surrounded by rich men, with her smooth, unblemished skin, I could tell. She’d probably never had a real man or been fucked by one, for that matter—a man with bruises, broken bones, and dirt under his fingernails. But if I played it right, stayed polite, that could all change.

For a second I thought she wasn’t going to take my hand. Hers was currently resting on the stem of a champagne glass, but after a beat her fingers made the short distance from the bar and slipped into mine.

Her dainty hand fit perfectly into mine, and she smiled a serious smile at me. “Think you had better leave; it probably won’t end well.”

Still holding her hand, never wanting to let her go now that I’d touched her, I replied, “It never does. But maybe, if you tell me your name, I’ll go.”

Donte suddenly reappeared with two security men lingering behind him, dressed in matching black suits. When I saw the men I barked a laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Donte asked as a smile only got bigger. “If you think these men are here to give you rubdown you’ve got another thing coming.”

“Just proves you’re not man enough to fight your own battles.”

“Battles?” Donte laughed. “What year do you think this is?” The bar seemed to quiet down. All eyes were upon us, people eager to know what was going on.

I merely grinned at him, getting under his skin, and by the way his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat, I was getting to him. “That’s OK. I understand. You’re scared; don’t want to get your suit dirty or make yourself look the fool in front of this nice lady here.”

Donte lunged for me. But I saw it coming, could’ve predicted it. His erratic fist swiped at nothing but the air in front of my face, completely off target. I stepped back for good measure and lightly pushed Donte away, encouraging the momentum he’d built up from his swing causing him to stumble, very undignified, to the floor.

He face flushed with embarrassment, and the woman covered her mouth with a hand, trying to suppress a giggle. “Get out!” he yelled at me, then two his staff, “Well, what the hell are two just standing there for? Get him out of here!”

My time was up, and I went straight to the two men, Donte looked pleased that he’d finally got the upper hand, but the joke was on him and his face fell as I embraced the first of the men, the one with a crew-cut and a broken nose.

“How are you doing, Jimmy, mate?” I asked after I stepped back to get a good look at my old friend.

“Oh, not too bad, you know how it goes,” Jimmy said with a shrug.

“What the hell is going on? How many times do I have to say it? Get him out of here if you value your jobs!” Donte almost screamed.

From behind him I could see that the woman was completely entertained by what she was seeing. And I had to wonder what she was doing with a prick like Donte. Was it a blind date that had gone wrong or some sort of set-up her girlfriends had made her go on? But then again, she looked like she knew what she was doing. That dress and the confidence that radiated from her made me question whether or not she was what my old gran would call a lady of the night. Though I couldn’t give two flying fucks if she were; like that would bother me?

“Sorry, mate,” Jimmy said to get my attention back. “Gonna have to ask you to leave now.”

“Yeah, no problem, I get it—you work for a prick. Give me two seconds. I won’t be a moment.” I quickly dashed back to her side. Donte’s face paled with astonishment as I bent down so I could lean into her ear. “If you don’t tell me your name, you’ll be the reason why I get beat up by those men over there, and you wouldn’t want that, would you?”

She tilted her slightly, a ghost of a smile on her lips. “I think you can handle yourself,” she replied quietly. Being this close to her was maddening; I couldn’t find the words to reply. I inhaled her scent that I knew was to become an addiction—no other smell would ever be this good. “You look like a resourceful guy. I’m sure if you want to know my name you’ll find a way around it without me having to tell you.” The cockiness and cheek, I had to admire it, and it only made me want her more.

“Okay that’s enough. Seriously, get him out of here.”

I held my hands up in defeat as Jimmy escorted me away from the pair and out through the hotel. I turned to get a last glimpse at her. I was down and out, but I wasn’t going to give up that easily.

In the fresh December air I rubbed my hands together, pacing on the pavement outside the hotel, wracking my brain trying to think of away to get her name and number. I turned back towards the hotel’s entrance, and Jimmy shook his head. “I can’t let you back in, mate. I need this job, and he’s been on a rampage last few days. Firing anyone that crossed him.”

“Donte?” I asked. Jimmy nodded. I thought for a moment, then came up with a plan. “Well, fancy earning some money on the side? ‘Cause I have a proposition for you.”

“Keep talking.”

“Two things, and I’ll make it worth your while. One, the name of the girl inside.”

“The one with the dress?”

“As if you have to ask”

“The second?” Jimmy enquired.

“Find out where Rene is.”

He grunted. “The second will be easy enough. The first though might be a little tough; looks like he’s got his claws dug straight into her, and by the looks of things she didn’t seem too keen about you,” he said with a sly grin.

“Oh, she was keen all right. Let me worry about that, but first I need a name, a number, anything.”

“May take me a while.”

“I can wait.”

“What? You want it now?” He raised his eyebrows, and I nodded. “Jeeze, Vin, you don’t ask for much do you?”

“Told you, I’ll make it worth your while.” I pulled out a wad of creased bank notes. “Don’t take too long, though; it’s fucking cold out here.”

T
he bloom had truly come
off the rose now, and it was all because of that Neanderthal. Oh, but he was a sexy as hell Neanderthal.

Donte was furious, his face red and unsightly. He had an unattractive side that he obviously hid beneath his charm and money. Vincent had revealed that. Showing him up, embarrassing Donte in front of his staff, his customers, me. But I couldn’t help but enjoy the show; I enjoyed Vincent putting Donte in his place. Yet I was stuck now. Here I was, having to spend a whole evening with him, when I wanted nothing more than to end our time together and go after Vincent.

But I had a job to do whether I liked it or not; my reputation and career as an escort came first. And of course, most of the time I loved doing what I did, but that evening something within me rebelled, was revolted by what was to come later in the evening with Donte. Before, the thought of Donte’s hands on me would have left me excited, quivering with unrestrained lust, but now the very same thought made my skin crawl.

“So where were we?” Donte said as he presented me with a new glass of champagne, his shattered glass now replaced with one that was intact.

I plastered a smile upon my face as if this were the one place in the world I wanted to be, yet it was far from it. I wanted to know more about Vincent, not Donte. I didn’t want to have to persist with small-talk about how great his hotel was or his recent investments. I longed to find out more about my stepbrother. My preoccupied mind ran wild with ideas about who he was and what his dealings were. He certainly wasn’t up to any good; the talk of owed money put to mind shady dealings. Not to mention his rough, unpolished exterior and his acquaintance with the security guy, who, though he wore a suit, didn’t look too wholesome himself. So that only begged the question, who was he really?

“Hello? Where are you?” Donte said impatiently.

I had to put my game face on. Scolding myself, I shook my head; I was being completely unprofessional. “I’m so sorry,” I said as I wracked my brain for a legitimate excuse to give him, one that he would buy. “I think it must be the champagne; it’s gone straight to my head.”

“Oh, you poor thing. Maybe it’s best if we take this to a more private…” he trailed off, letting me fill in the blanks.

I knew exactly what that meant. He’d paid for his time, and he was gonna use it no matter what, regardless if I had a headache or not. He wasn’t the one to be happy and accept a refund.

At that moment I saw the rest of the evening flash before my eyes. I would have to let him get on top of me, let him touch places I no longer wanted him to touch, not any more. But like I said, I had a job to do. This was my livelihood, and if my behaviour got back to my other clients… Well, reputation was everything in this game.

“Sure, that sounds like a good idea,” I said, trying to hide the hint of defeat in my tone.

I got to my feet, and Donte instantly claimed me as his; his hand went behind my back, his fingertips lightly touching my bare skin as he escorted me through the bar and into the hotel’s hallway. He nodded to a few men as we passed by, no doubt friends of his or business acquaintances, and they politely nodded back. He was trying to show off by flaunting me, to regain some of the respect he’d lost earlier. Trying to show me that he, not Vincent, was dog’s bollocks in this little empire of his. But I wasn’t convinced. I had a role to play, that was all… another mask to wear?

We reached the lift and stood in silence as we waited. I could guess with certainty where he was taking me—a penthouse. It was cliché but expected. I couldn’t imagine Vincent doing the same thing; he probably had some kind of shack where he took his conquests, using every surface—all but a bed—to pleasure them, and I smiled at the thought, letting my mind drift, pretending I was one of those women.

“What’s so funny?” Donte asked as he caught me.

“Oh, nothing, just enjoying being with you,” I said quickly, trying not to puke as uttered the words. But he bought my fib, hook, line, and sinker. His hand reached out to brush back a red curl of hair, tucking it behind my ear. I had to remind myself not to swipe away his hand; in his mind he’d bought the right to touch me.

“That’s good to hear. And I have to apologise for what happened earlier. You must understand we have to keep up standards in this place. There’s no place for the likes of him.”

“Of course, you can’t be letting anyone in, you have a reputation to keep,” I said almost sarcastically, but the double meaning went straight over his head.

“Exactly,” he said with a nod. Finally the lift dinged, announcing its arrival, and with a slight nudge Donte encouraged me to step forward. There was no turning back now; I had to see it through. But as the doors were sliding closed, I looked out into the hotel’s lobby and saw the security man from before, the one Vincent had embraced, walking fast towards us. His eyes were on me, almost as if he had something he wanted to say to me. A look of disappointment cast a shadow upon his face as the doors finally slammed shut and I could see him no longer.

T
he penthouse was
like that in any other four- or five-star hotel: when you’d been in one, you’ve been in them all. I sounded jaded, but it was the truth. All of them had plush carpets and expensive, mass-produced furnishings, views to die for, and of course a master suite. At the end of the day, they were soulless rooms.

But Donte wanted me to look excited. He wanted to show off the room as if he’d decorated the place himself, his pride and joy. “Like it?” he asked, looking for validation. And of course I had to reply, to stroke his ego.

“It’s gorgeous! I love the wallpaper,” I said as I escaped his grasp and walked around the room, my head in the air taking in the surroundings, like I was in a museum.

“It’s recently been refurbished.”

“Mhmm,” I replied noncommittally. I hated the small talk aspect of the evening when all I wanted to do was get the night over and done with; putting this night in my past where it belonged. But he was nervous, and that surprised me. He seemed like a guy who’d done this several times before, even mentioned his regular girl, but maybe I was wrong about him. Maybe he, like the rest of us, put up a front, a sharp exterior, hiding his true self. Or perhaps he was still agitated by his humiliation downstairs.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Donte asked as he came towards me. Before I could give him an answer—it was like he didn’t need an answer, he was going to speak for me—he frowned and he continued, “Ever since that idiot interrupted us you’ve not been the same.”

I could feel the blush rise on my face and forced it to not betray me. “No, I told you, it must be the champagne. Gone straight to my head.”

“May I remind you I have paid a lot of money to have you here tonight.”

“I—”

“Please don’t give me anymore excuses,” he said abruptly. His words had a cold edge to them; I felt chastised, even though I was sure I had done nothing wrong. I wasn’t the source of irritation.

Of all the turns I thought this evening would take, this was not one of them. Uneasy now, I felt vindicated in my original assessment of him. I hadn’t been harsh; he was showing his true colours now.

And I had to be careful.

I’d only been in this kind of position a couple of times before in my career. And each time I’d managed to see the signs early, ended the date and got out of the man’s clutches quickly. Donte seemed furious now, as if rage had been bubbling underneath the surface the whole ride up to the suite, ever since Vincent had called him out in the bar, made a mockery of him. And against my better judgement I’d still came up here with him, instead of putting a stop to the whole thing while I could.

I had to try something to ease the tension, to calm him down, at least. “I’m not sure what you mean, I thought we were getting along well?”

That seemed to placate Donte for a moment. I was on a knife’s edge—the need to tiptoe around him was required to get his mind on other things. I had to take charge of the situation, and I gently slipped my hand into his and started to lean towards the bedroom. He followed but he seemed resistant, as if he almost wanted to explode upon me.

His voice turned bitter. “You can’t stop thinking about him, can you? What is it with women and guys like that?”

I stopped, halted in my tracks. I was definitely in dangerous territory, and I had to think quickly about what I was going to say, to stir it into a less terrifying outcome.

“All I can think about right now is getting you into the bedroom,” I said and attempted again to lead him there, but he resisted and was not going to be moved. He stared at me and I almost wished he’d get it over with, that he’d hit me right there and then—anything would be better than this cold glare and the unknown intentions he had.

“You’re lying,” he sneered, but his hand gripped mine.

I was no longer in control. His grip upon me was uncomfortable, but I refrained from crying out. It would only make matters worse, I thought. I had to see whether this was going to play out… letting him think he was in charge.

He quickly moved us to my original destination but nothing within me wanted to go there anymore. He pushed me onto the bed, expensive covers beneath me wrinkling under my weight and I slowly, with as much seduction as I could muster, scrambled back towards the headboard, although my heart was pounding. I prepared myself for it to be rough, uncomfortable… I told myself I liked it that way, but I wasn’t buying my own bullshit. This wouldn’t be the same as all those different times, with men more gentle than Donte, when I was actually willing, and the look in his eyes told me so.

Donte slowly undid his shirt and slipped off his jacket. He peeled off his clothes but kept a watchful eye on me as if waiting for me to bolt, and he was right about that. I had to wait for the right moment. His shirt came off and his toned torso was revealed. In any other circumstances I would have been glad at the sight, but as he continued and unbuckled his belt I wanted to be anywhere but there.

His gaze was unwavering and he had a frown line in between his eyebrows, a little crease that was becoming more prominent the more he looked at me. “I’m sure I
have met
you before,” he said with quiet menace. “I do know you… I’ve seen you before, I never forget a face.”

I tried to hide the swallow at my throat, the little gulp that I had to take. No one could know who I was—it would ruin not only me but the only other person I cared about. My father, his job, the look of shame he’d have if he ever find out. He would kill me.

“Maybe in your dreams,” I said sweetly beaming up at Donte, still trying without success to steer this ship back into port and not into the stormy seas.

A shudder like any before wracked my body as he slowly, cruelly, shook his head from side to side. His trousers fell to the floor.

“I think I’m just gonna freshen up,” I said as I dashed towards the end of the bed, directly away from him on the opposite side. Fear was getting the best of me, and as my feet hit the floor, I knew as soon as the words were out of my mouth that I’d made a mistake.

He was upon me in seconds, his hands grasping me as he forcibly pushed me against the wall. My head made contact with the hard surface, and I suddenly saw stars. He shook me again, then with an almighty shove I tumbled at an awkward angle, my skull bouncing off the wall.

The combination of the blows and the couple of glasses of champagne I’d had were not doing me any favours. But somehow, desperately, I managed to scramble on all fours away from him as he lost his own balance from the shove and went toppling into the corner.

My scramble turn into a half-run with my hands still finding their way along the carpet. I knew I wouldn’t make it to the penthouse’s exit, and even if I did, there was still the long, quiet hallway and the elevator far away; he’d be on me again in seconds. I could see it, dragging me back into the room kicking and screaming, with no one to hear.

I spotted my little clutch on the side table in the main section of the suite, and I lunged for it, accidentally sending it crashing to the floor, its content spilling out onto the carpet. Luckily my phone had bounced my way, and I grabbed it as I ran towards the bathroom—the closest enclosure that I had a chance of reaching.

Sensing him behind me, getting to his feet and lurching in my direction, I hastily darted away just in time, just as his hand reached out to claim me. I launched myself into the bathroom, shutting the door with all the force I could muster, searching for and twisting the lock.

F
uck
! Fuck, fuck, fuck, I chanted in my head. What the hell was I going to do? I was trapped at the top of the building in a bathroom with a crazy man outside, who seemed intent on either hurting me or having his way with me, or both.

I paced around the large enclosure trying to sort out what I could do. There were a few options, each with their up and downside; I could phone the police and get everyone involved, but as soon as the police knew my name they’d call my father, the judge, and he’d find out everything.

Of course I could probably twist the events into my favour, explaining that it was just a date that had gone wrong. But my father was sensible man and would soon remember I wasn’t supposed to be on date… I was supposed to be picking up an unknown friend from the airport.

The other option of course was to phone Roísín at the agency and see if she could send someone to collect me, to discreetly get me out of here. Surely Donte, who had now begun to pound on the door yelling for me to come out, didn’t want any bad press… not with the recent opening of the hotel I was trapped in.

And there was always the option of blackmail. He had hit me. I stood in front of the mirror and gazed at my reflection. There was a nice bruise starting to appear and a cut with a small dribble of blood eking its way down my face. I rubbed at it angrily. How did I allow myself to get into this situation? I’d known there was something up with Donte ever since Vincent had muddied the waters. Bloody Vincent. This was all his fault. I’d let my fantasies and instant attraction to him cloud my judgement instead of concentrating solely on the client, on Donte.