Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

S elena

"What was that vision of beauty?" Bella asked, whistling under her breath.

"A firestorm," Willow whispered.

"That is my texting buddy," I said as I tried not to swoon. The man also looked fantastic in a suit, so much so I couldn't seem to take my eyes off his butt. Whew. What did that say about me?

"He is one hot man," Bella continued. "And he and his brothers own two exclusive resorts. Girl, I think you hit the jackpot. Hook me up on a blind texting date."

I couldn't help but notice Willow was pale, chugging down her drink as if her world was falling apart.

"What, no comment? You hooked us up. I would think you'd be beaming about now," I chided her.

"Tell me again. What company is your father worried about destroying him?"

"Um. Progressive Media Productions. Have you ever heard of them and why?" I couldn't help but notice the Lone Ranger was staring at our table. Unbelievable heat washed through me.

Willow seemed nervous, laughing in an entirely different way than she usually did. "Yes, I have heard of them. By any chance, do you have that note I gave you where I wrote down the number of the guy I was trying to hook you up with?"

Why did I have a very bad feeling? "I think so. Let me see." Snatching my purse, I dug through it, finding the note a few seconds later. "Here you go."

"What about your phone where you texted him?"

"You're acting very strange." Now she was worrying me, enough so my pulse was racing. I opened my screen, finding the Lone Ranger's number.

"Oh, God," she whispered after taking a look at it.

"What?" Bella asked for me.

"That's not a one. It's a seven." Willow's face was positively ashen.

I darted my gaze from her face back to the Lone Ranger's table. "Then who is that guy?" I felt a little sick inside. I'd had sex with someone I thought Willow kind of knew and trusted. To find out he was an absolute stranger was… sickening.

She grabbed her phone from her purse and I was honestly surprised her hand was shaking. Nothing rattled Willow Rivers. Not one damn thing.

"What are you looking up?" Bella pushed.

Willow threw out her hand. "I need to be certain I'm not losing my mind."

I glanced at Bella, who shook her head. We were both thoroughly confused. While Willow was scrolling, I glanced at my mystery man again. When he lifted his beer bottle in a toast, I found myself shivering to my core.

"The man you texted, and I am shocked how it worked out and it was not my intention, isn't just some guy," Willow started.

"No, he's a hottie. Who is he?" Bella asked as she leaned over the table.

Even the way Willow swallowed bothered me.

"Well, the man you texted and slept with is the rather notorious playboy and noted sadist, Valerio Royal. Those are his two brothers, Braxton and Gage. They own perhaps the most respected wealth management firm in town, catering to the rich and famous. Valerio didn't lie about the resorts. They purchased two islands in the Caribbean. One near St. Thomas and the other St. Martin. They aren't just any resorts either. They are highly secluded, extremely private, very expensive to the tune of fifty thousand dollars a stay."

"Sadist?" I asked, my heart catching in my throat.

"You bet," Willow huffed. "Think dungeons and shackles, being whipped until you pass out."

"Oh, for the love of God," I threw out. "That's not how BDSM is."

Both girls looked at me with shock on their faces.

"What? I read novels. Don't you?"

"What's the catch with the three guys?" Bella demanded.

"The first catch is that they own two kink clubs. Any kind of kink you want, you will find. From what I've heard, anything goes. Raw hedonism."

Jesus. Even Willow's voice was shaking.

I found myself dragging my tongue across my bottom lip. I hadn't told anyone this, including my two besties, but I'd often had burning fantasies of submitting to the right powerful man.

Suddenly, it dawned on me she said there were two issues. "What's the second catch?"

Willow was positively acting as if she was going to faint. "The man you think is so hot is the firstborn son of Sebastian Royal, the owner of Progressive Media Productions and your father's enemy. Valerio is the vice president and heir to the throne of power and glory."

At that moment, I doubted there was enough liquor in the entire restaurant to soothe the anger swelling inside of me.

"Excuse me?" I grabbed the phone from her hand, scrolling through the pictures as I compared the Lone Ranger's face with Valerio's smiling, pompous one on the screen.

In a half dozen of the pictures, he was with a woman, all of them different.

The son of a bitch was a womanizer.

On top of being a man who could potentially take my father to the cleaners.

Willow nodded and polished off her drink. "I don't know what happened but it's the truth."

I handed off the phone to Bella so she could also partake in my horror. The gods above, if there were any, obviously hated me. Completely.

My anger had shifted into rage, which wasn't good for anyone on the receiving end but strangely enough, I was calm.

So much so it shocked me.

I was no wallflower. I'd appeared in a half dozen company photographs myself. I'd been on television with my father too, one of the main morning news programs. The chance he didn't know my real identity was slim to nil. When I slowly rose to my feet, both besties followed me as I rose to my full height.

"What are you going to do?" Bella asked.

"Well, I do need to answer the man on his request to go away with him. Right?"

"There is a chance he had no clue who you are, Selena. I mean, not to rub in a sore spot but you were the one who texted the wrong number."

I slowly dropped my pointed gaze toward my friend. "It's obvious the man is a shark. All you need to do is glance at one of the many articles written on Valerio and his business tactics. I am not as conniving." But I just might learn to be. I grabbed my drink, plastering on my sexiest smile. "I'll be right back, girls."

As soon as I left the table, I cocked my hip and tried to use my sexiest swagger as I headed to their table.

Valerio was beaming the closer I came. Sadly, I had to admit that all three brothers were hotties, but I couldn't allow that to influence me in the least. I had to consider the men enemies.

Especially Valerio.

When I was a few inches away, I felt the heat of his libido and I wanted to be sick.

"Boys, this is the beautiful and sultry Cupcake. There are my two brothers."

When he acted as if I was going to tell me their real names, I threw my hand out, shaking my head. "I thought I'd go ahead and give you an answer to your amazing invitation. That is the polite thing to do." I gingerly placed my drink on the table, leaning over until I was only a few inches away from the handsome man who'd been far too…

Devious.

"Any chance I can get your real name first?" I asked. "I'll go first. My name is Selena Michaels. My father happens to be Caldwell Michaels, the owner of Task Force United. As in your father's main rival given you are Valerio Royal, your brothers Braxton and Gage." I kept the smile on my face as all three men opened their eyes wide.

At least Valerio's brothers both had the good graces to whistle under their breaths.

"I had no idea, Selena. I really didn't," Valerio said in that sexy voice of his, the one that had gotten me stupidly to have sex with him in a goddamn overlook parking lot.

"I call bullshit. All those not so nice articles about you indicate one thing." I held up my index finger. "That you are a merciless businessman who will stop at nothing, including ruining your competitors with lies and attempted blackmail." Okay, so I was egging that on a bit, but the slimy dude seemed like the type to use those tactics.

He remained slightly surprised at first, which almost made me feel bad. Then the bastard smirked.

"So you know, Lone Ranger. While I'd originally quit my father's company to pursue my personal dream, my father asked if I would return as vice president. I've decided to accept for a single reason only. To fuck with your entire world. You have no idea how ruthless I can be."

My voice was rising in decibels and I was happy to be making a spectacle of his family.

"Maybe we should talk about this," he finally offered.

"Talk? Is that what you really want to do? And why in God's name did you invite me to join you at one of your twisted kink clubs? Do you really think I'm either that easy or stupid? Not a chance, buster. Here's my answer to your disgusting invitation."

I didn't bother continuing verbally. Instead, I tossed my drink in his face.

After spinning on my heel, I held my head high as I took off, hearing a few cheers.

Good riddance, Lone Ranger.

Valerio

Stunned.

There was the only word to use at this moment and I wasn't the kind of man to ever be thrown by anything or anyone. I kept my eyes closed until I felt one of my brothers handing me a napkin.

"That went well," Gage said, not bothering to try to suppress his laughter.

"Very," Braxton threw in, actually bursting into laughter. "Tough girl but I can see why you find her attractive. What is they say about enemies to lovers sex?"

"Hot stuff," Gage chortled. "Maybe karma intervened since she's the one Pops wants you to marry."

"I didn't plan it. I assure you," I hissed.

"Uh-huh. You are a conniving SOB and you know it." Braxton had his finger in my face and I really did feel the need to break it.

Karma hated me or else Cupcake had been given the task to hunt me down. That was more likely the truth. And I'd fallen for her feminine wiles. I knew better than that.

I took my time wiping the salt and tangy mix off my face, doing what I could to keep my cool. How the fuck had that happened? She must have intended on texting me. Although I wasn't certain how she got the number. I certainly didn't give it out.

If it was a wrong number, then…

Shit.

Nope. This was a plan.

I noticed Braxton was surfing on his phone and sighed. It didn't matter she was the daughter of my father's number one rival or enemy; she was even more attractive to me than before.

Perhaps more so.

So damn beautiful my cock was pinched in my trousers.

I hadn't believed it was possible but there was no doubt I wanted her now more than before.

"So, what are you going to do?"

Very slowly, I turned my head toward Gage. "You know I'm not the kind of man to take no for an answer. When I see something or someone I want, I take it. Period. If that little woman thinks she is going to be allowed out of my sight, then she has another think coming."

"O-kay," Braxton mused. "What exactly does that mean?"

I tossed the napkin, rising to my feet. "It means two things, the first one being war."

"And the second?" Gage was grinning from ear to ear.

"The second is that gorgeous woman with the ballsy attitude will be coming with me to our resort off St. Martin for several days where she will surrender to my every need. After that, she's going to become my wife."

I moved around Braxton's chair.

"Way to go, tiger," Gage chimed in.

It was my turn to swagger toward the woman. I was going to set the record and the issue at hand straight right now.

Her two friends were positively horrified, but Selena? She was entirely different than the night before, her eyes full of venom.

Goddamn it, my balls were tight.

"Let's get something straight, sweetheart," I said by way of opening a second conversation. "You texted me, not the other way around. If I had to guess, I'd say you were attempting to undermine both me and the company where I also serve as vice president. As you might imagine, I won't allow that, no matter how sexy and incredible you are. However, I do have a deal to discuss with you. Look for me to drop by your apartment later, cupcake."

She laughed as I turned, the sound sending shards of electric current into crevices within my body.

Why was it I had the feeling she'd like to shove broken glass into my eyeballs?

Perhaps it would be fun to watch her try.