This time, I chose to ignore him. There wouldn’t be any satisfaction in falling prey to his game of goading. That’s how he handled business, if not merely by bullying his employees, his clients, and his adversaries.
“Your dear mother tells me you’ve refused to see her. Your own mother. What a terrible daughter you are.”
Here we go.Asshole. Prick. At least the man was predictable.
I’d almost made it to the entrance foyer when he finally pushed a button that I wouldn’t tolerate. “Get away from me.”
“You do realize that with a single phone call I could destroy you and your mother. After what she did, it wouldn’t take much. One little phone call. That’s how much power I have in this city.”
I had no idea what he was alluding to, but I just didn’t care. That was it. I wasn’t usually prone to violence, but he’d plucked my last nerve to the point there was no holding back. “Try it, buddy, and face my wrath.”
His laugh was demonic. Pure evil.
“You will get married. Fortunately, he’s a buddy of mine and guess what? We’ve agreed to share. Much like we do with all our little lambs. You’re worth something, at least in the sack. We might even party with our friends. Would you like that?”
Oh, my God. The man was sick.
Taking long strides, I slammed him against the wall with a single hand. You bet he was shocked. He’d never even seen me lose my temper. I’d suffered in silence for long enough. Never again. “Listen, you fucking prick. You’re a tired little boy who obviously didn’t get enough attention growing up. You can play your sick games of power, but that won’t work with me. I’m not marrying anyone from this shitty town. And you’re never going to touch me. I’ll make certain of it.”
Perhaps I’d underestimated the prick and his strength. Before I realized what he’d done, he’d twisted the moment, spinning me around and shoving me into the wall. Now with his one hand wrapped around my throat, he used the other to yank up the bottom of my skirt. “You have no understanding of what I can do to you, sister of mine. Do you? There are no threats you can toss out that mean anything to me. You don’t understand who I am and what I can do. But you’re going to learn.”
“Get off me.” I jammed one hand against his chest, smacking and punching his other with my fist. I could tell by the look in his stone-cold eyes he’d been planning on using me for some twistedgame. My instinct had told me all the accusations leveled at his father’s company held merit.
Zane purposely squeezed his fingers, cutting off a portion of my air supply. His eyes were lit as if he was having the time of his life. When he laughed, the stench of his breath from expensive scotch created a wave of disgusting nausea. “It’s past time we talked about your future status. Everything is falling into line. Soon, I’ll have everything I want. Including the ultimate prize. You’re nothing but a whore. So here’s what’s going to happen. I won the bet. I get a taste of you first.”
What in the hell was he talking about? I drove my fist into his chest and yanked on his hand slowly trying to crawl up my leg.
“Tsk. Tsk. A little wildcat, huh? That’s fine. I like them a little crazy. Tonight, you’re going to learn a lesson you’ll never forget.”
What the fuck? The asshole was completely out of his mind. If the understanding we were stepbrother and sister held no meaning to him, then maybe my hatred of him might jog his mind. “Not a chance in hell.”
The bastard didn’t use his words for rebuttal, squeezing my throat until I saw stars.
I was rarely shocked by anything any longer, but his horrid actions shackled my response for long enough that he slipped his hand to my leg, his fingers coming dangerously close to the thin lace covering my pussy.
His grip became too strong on both my throat and my leg. With my air supply being cut, I was already having difficulty breathing, a few stars crowding my vision. The second the son of a bitch moved his hand up my leg, a switch flipped.
If the fucker thought he was going to take advantage of me, he was dead wrong.
Using every ounce of force I had from years spent in the gym and a few martial arts classes, I maneuvered my hands just so and shoved with all I had.
The connection broken, I hauled off and cracked my hand across his face. Hissing, I was thankful the force was enough he was pitched backward, smashing into a prized vase that had precariously been positioned on a stone column. As it came crashing down, I backhanded him, finally sending him to the floor.
“You son of a bitch. If you dare touch me ever again, I will have you arrested on sexual assault. Am I being clear enough for you?” I certainly had no intention of waiting for him to resurrect himself. Spinning on my heels, I took long strides toward the front door.
Agony tore through me again as he yanked me by my hair, pitching me against the thick pillar holding some twisted piece of art.
I fell onto my hands and knees, the pain blinding. Winded, for a few seconds I was unable to move. My God. What was I going to do? There was no one here to help me.
He was suddenly behind me, ripping at my panties. When I heard his zipper, I gathered the last of my strength, maneuvering my leg until I was able to jam my foot into his chest. He went sprawling across the floor and I scrambled away, my fingers touching the sculpture.
Just as he lunged forward, his leer of lust unlike anything I’d ever seen, I twisted, issued a primal cry, and slammed the heavy piece against his head.
Very slowly, he was tossed back onto his heels, taking gasping breaths until he finally fell onto his side on the floor.
I forced myself to my feet, no longer able to feel my arms or legs, the knot in my stomach suffocating. He was still breathing, but blood had already started to pool under his head.
An ugly realization hit me.
