However, I was also reminded of one of the first lessons my father had taught me. I’d been a kid, a teenager when an asshole bully had picked on my kid sister. I’d tracked the son of a bitch down and even though he outweighed me by almost forty pounds, I’d beaten him so badly my knuckles had remained bruised for over a week. As he lay in a pool of blood, my father showed up with several of his soldiers, pulling me to the side while they cleaned up the mess.

  I’d asked him if the asshole would live. To this day, I’d never forgotten what he’d told me.

  “If you care at all whether he’s dead or alive then you care too much. Never think twice about an action you take, or it could be your last.”

  I raised my glass in a nod of respect to the powerful man. Even though he’d marginally accepted his retirement, taking Mama to Florida for a full six months of the year, he was still as influential as he’d once been. But his physical and mental problems were beginning to take a toll. He’d learned the hate the Armenians, especially Arman Zakaryan, the current pompous asshole who’d turned a nuisance operation into an empire over the last ten years.

  Theodore’s mindless betrayal had set the tone for severe consequences. And the stunning woman sleeping beside me had become a part of the scenario whether she was aware of it or not. It was up to me to either defuse the situation or end Arman’s reign. I took a deep breath as I heard her stir, my cock already aching even after several hours of rough passion.

  The darkness inside the room was only cut by the strange amber glow of a safety light near the door. I preferred the shadows, the usual quiet of night allowing me time to think.

  The Armenians believed I was weak, my jovial personality not brutal enough for them. Little did they know the monster lurking deep inside. Emotions made for weak leaders. Those who surrendered to a single deed of humanity were already lost. It was just a matter of time before their life and position was torn away, until death was the only comfort possible.

  Closing my eyes, I rubbed my hand across my jaw, snorting from the feel of soon to be three-day stubble. I’d gotten emotional about Elena’s predicament. That in turn had pushed me into making the decision to toy with Whitney in hopes of discovering what she’d been told.

  Was her wide-eyed innocence all an act?

  I’d need to play out the next few days very carefully.

  I took a sip of my drink, holding the scotch in my mouth. At this point, my father would have annihilated the entire Armenian population in Philadelphia, toasting with bottles of ouzo while blood rained in the streets.

  I wasn’t my father.

  I’d made certain Stavros knew that without question.

  Yet here I was in bed with the daughter of a known enemy. Maybe there was some sense of irony in the situation. Meanwhile, my dick ached, the longing to drive my shaft deep inside her tight pussy stronger than before.

  As the sounds of the train ticked away in the background, I concentrated on her soft breathing. She still had her back toward me, falling asleep with her head facing the window. If she sensed she’d succumbed to an artful master, she hadn’t shown it. Her trust that I had no ill intent was surprising, given what I’d learned about her profession and her life.

  She was a tenacious little thing, feisty when faced with any direct conflict. She was highly respected in a city where piranhas feasted on even the strongest. She’d never had a close relationship with her father and had done everything in her power to keep the distance between them significant.

  She’d parlayed her honors from Stanford into an internship that had led to a partner position with the powerful real estate development firm in Miami. Rich, talented, intelligent, and beautiful.

  A deadly combination.

  As I shifted my gaze to her hourglass figure, easing the sheet down to her waist, my balls tightened. I rolled the smooth glass all the way down her back, smiling when she issued a single moan. Her naked body shifted in the cheap sheets and all I could think of was seeing her underneath ones made of Egyptian cotton and silk instead. Then the image was quickly replaced with one more befitting my sadistic tendencies.

  Her wrists and ankles shackled by thick chains, waiting inside a locked room for my return. I took another sip, enjoying the smoothness of the liquor. Maybe that’s exactly what I’d do with her but only after finding the information her father stole from Elena’s computer and the money he’d embezzled.

  His bank account had been swept, only a few thousand dollars found. What Jonas has discovered was that he owed money to several loan sharks. It would seem Mr. Canfield had a habit of gambling his money away, indulging in high stakes poker games. My instinct told me if he hadn’t died of natural causes, he would have been killed by one of three individuals who didn’t take kindly to loans remaining unpaid.

  There were no indications of offshore accounts or any suspicious activity on his home computer, which had been confiscated only hours before Whitney had gone inside with a real estate agent. If she’d found anything in the man’s pigsty of a house, I’d be surprised, but I couldn’t rule it out. A single jump drive could easily be hidden but the contents would be explosively detrimental.

  She’d been watched since directly after the funeral. When she’d booked a train across country, I’d been shocked. That didn’t seem like something a woman would do while holding damaging evidence against a ruthless crime syndicate. Maybe that’s why I’d become determined to get to know her.

  She truly had wanted nothing to do with her father.

  I half laughed to myself as I brought the glass to my lips. Seeing her at the funeral had left me with a slight desire, but the moment I’d walked into the dining car, my body’s reaction had shocked the hell out of me. Her face had appeared angelic at first, until I’d been within two feet. With high cheekbones and a perfect nose, rosy lips meant for devouring, my thoughts had turned from the need for retaliation to the desire to devour.

  My chest remained tight as I slowly brushed the tip of my index finger down the length of her back. The rumble of desire forced me to fist my hand. As I reminded myself that she should mean nothing to me, the ache in my gut was already increasing, weaving thick strands throughout my body.

  The dull ache in my temple couldn’t match the heated one in my loins. What I’d told her was the truth. I’d already claimed her as my possession. I’d done that once before in my life, a mistake that had cost me more than I’d been able to recoup. But this was entirely different.

  I felt the slow of the train’s engine and immediately reached for my weapon, only to realize I’d buried it in the bottom of my suitcase. As I sat up, she stirred again, rolling over onto her back. Within seconds, I was able to let out a deep breath. We were pulling through a small station, the railroad engineer showing no signs of stopping. As the lights of the platform shimmered in through the glass, my mouth watered from the sight of her hardened nipples.

  My heartrate increasing, it was all I could do not to drive my cock inside while she slumbered. Just as the train began to pass through the last section of the station, I closed my eyes once again. It had been days since I’d had a decent rest. Seconds later, the sheets rustled and the glass in my hand was removed. I slowly turned my head in her direction, inhaling the sweet scent of her perfume.

  She was sitting, holding the sheet over her breasts as she lifted the glass, her eyes never leaving mine. After she drained what little there was, she licked the rim then her lips. While she said nothing, the hard imploringness of his gaze allowed me to know she was attempting to dissect me as she’d done the first few moments of meeting me.

  The strange quiet between us would ordinarily be unnerving, but with her, it was as if she was upping the ante on the game. I threw back the sheet, moving toward the table and bottle of liquor I’d brought on board. As I returned, she lifted her head, pursing her already plump lips. She held out the glass, a slow smile spreading across her face.

  I enjoyed a few seconds of gazing down at her before pouring another shot and getting back into bed. The bottle was left on the side for easy access should the need arise. She didn’t seem to be in a rush to leave, saving face as I’d expected her to do. Her resume was spectacular, the friends she’d been photographed with all powerful in their own right. She’d never had so much as a parking ticket.

  There were no skeletons in her closets, no scandals lurking below the surface. However, her ruthless business tactics had left her with the reputation as an ice queen.

  She was also hiding behind a shield of armor thick enough even she believed whatever bullshit she continued to tell herself.

  I’d told myself that even if she was attractive, I wouldn’t care in the least, treating her as I would any other son of a bitch who’d crossed me. Yet the moment I’d seen her at the funeral, standing alone while the minister who was likely attached to the funeral home attempted to say something thoughtful about the deceased, a man he didn’t know, my cravings had skyrocketed. She hadn’t moved, had barely blinked. As soon as he’d finished, scurrying off like a rat, she’d stepped closer to the hole in the ground. I’d been able to notice she’d performed an act, either saying something to him or tossing something inside the grave. Unfortunately, I hadn’t been close enough to her location to discover what that was.

  One day I’d find out.

  In what had to be an act of defiance, she’d worn a red suit, tailored, the skirt short.

  As I’d stood watching her, Jonas and my soldiers remaining behind me, she’d glanced in our direction but hadn’t attempted to find out who we were or why we were hovering near the sad occasion.

  “It’s late,” I told her for no other reason than to get a reaction.

  “It’s the perfect time to start a day, at least in my world.”

  I checked my watch, chuckling as I noticed it was almost four-thirty. “You must have an important job to go to every day.”

  She pulled the tumbler to her lips, taking a few small sips before answering. “Are you forgetting the rules of the game?” I found it curious she looked away.

  “I never forget anything.” I gripped her chin, forcing her to look in my direction. “It was a casual comment, omorfiá.”

  “Nothing with you is casual, Phoenix.”

  “You seem to think you know me very well.”

  “You’re not a difficult man to figure out.” She dragged her tongue across her lips on purpose, taunting me as she’d done before.

  “What do you think you know?”

  “You’re used to being in control of everyone and everything around from business to pleasure. You rule with an iron fist, offering no compassion whatsoever. The hard shell you keep around is usually invisible given your disarming and often charming personality. Yet underneath lies the fortitude of a predator.” She had a wry smile on her face as she waited for me to confirm or deny.

  “Nicely done,” I growled.

  “A requirement of my business, which shall remain nameless.”

  “It’s interesting. You now have me at a disadvantage. You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”

  Her laugh was laced with the same sense of command that she’d had before. However, there was a slight difference, likely the fact she’d surrendered to me without hesitation coming into place. “You’ve already selected my name. Your beauty.” She allowed her gaze to fall and even in the darkness, I could tell what she was thinking, her inability to mask her desire as tempting as everything else about her.

  “Yes, you are right. You belong to me.” I brushed my fingers across her cheek. Her reaction was the same as the first time I’d touched her, her fire burning brightly.

  “So you believe.”

  I pulled her closer, lowering my head then ripping away the sheet. “There is no question. You will not cover up your beautiful body when I’m around.”

  “You intend on keeping me naked, perhaps tied to your bed?”

  “Absolutely, unless you’re a bad girl. Then I’ll parade you naked through the train cars, forcing you to eat from a plate at my feet while I indulge in caviar and champagne.”

  “You wouldn’t,” she purred as a challenge.

  “Hmmm… Don’t tempt me, my sweet. You have no idea what kind of man you attracted.”

  “Now, you know I do.” She lifted her head, adding to the temptation.

  This time as I captured her mouth, she rolled her arm over my shoulder. The way she tangled her fingers in my hair was a subtle yet powerful gesture. Her hunger knew no bounds.

  The taste of her was sweet, the scotch adding to the sultry undertones. My cock was hard and throbbing, something she already knew. She slowly crawled her hand over my shoulder, allowing it to slide ever so slowly to my lap. I leaned back, pulling her onto my chest before taking the glass from her hand. I barely managed to place it on the floor before she pulled the sheets away, wrapping her hand around the base of my cock.

  I eased back against the headboard, placing one arm under my head. She tugged the sheet away, a wicked smile remaining on her face. Then she crawled between my legs. There was an ease about her, a quiet storm waiting just under the surface. I had a feeling she’d bite if provoked. That did entice the very predator she’d managed to uncover. She was very perceptive, far too much so not to know that her father was in bed with the Greek mafia.

  The only illegal activity that occurred behind the plain walls of Elena’s office was the files kept hidden, detailed notes regarding men who believed they were still in power. I’d held both their lives and their wealth in the palm of my hand. Then the encrypted files had been stolen.

  If they got into the hands of the Armenians, they could ceremoniously turn the tables of power within days. If Theodore’s intent had been blackmailing the family and nothing more, then it was possible the issue had died with him. However, I was not only a cautious man but one who refused to believe in good fortune.

  Especially since the Armenians had orchestrated the raid.

  Whitney slowly rolled her fingers along the insides of my thighs, trying her best to tease me. As she came closer, dropping her head and dragging her hair across my groin, I resisted forcing her mouth onto my cock. That would come soon enough. I was enjoying her playfulness, something I hadn’t allowed in a long time.

  Women had meant nothing to me through the years other than a method for release. I wasn’t into casual relationships, and I certainly had no desire to enter in marriage, no matter what my father continued to push.

  Then what was this exactly? Not what I’d expected, that was for certain. I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t shoved her into the back of my rental car, driving her to an abandoned facility where I’d visit her ever so often until she’d spilled her guts.

  Because you took one look at her.

  Exhaling, I fingered her soft tresses, and she promptly pulled her head away, wagging her finger in front of my face. I chuckled from her actions. There hadn’t been a single woman I’d been with who’d dared be so bold. Then again, she wasn’t just any woman.

  She continued teasing me, sliding the tip of her finger close to my balls. When she lowered her head, she kept her eyes on me as if certain I’d interrupt her moment of control. The light breeze as she blew across my cock was enough to add more tension to my muscles. I took several deep breaths, slowly starting to relax as I’d done before.

  “What do you want?” she asked coyly, darting a single lick across my cockhead.

  “Mmm… it’s not what I want but what I need.”

  “And what is that?” she purred as she slipped her hand between my legs, rolling my testicles between her fingers.

  “Every inch of you.” I fisted her hair, yanking her closer. While there was a look of surprise in her eyes, there wasn’t one of fear or annoyance. Just amusement. Perhaps she’d been trying to push my buttons, forcing me to react.

  “What if you can’t have all of me?”

  “Then I’ll take it. You’re a smart girl. You’ve already figured that out. Now, open your mouth.”

  Instead of following my command, she added pressure to her hold, smiling like the vixen she was. “I wouldn’t threaten me if I were you. I might be more dangerous than you are.”

  “Omorfiá. I never make threats. In my world I don’t need to.”

  “Why, that’s no fun. Then whatever do you do?”

  I tugged her mouth closer to my cock. “I make promises. Suck me.”

  “Only if you’re a good boy.” She darted her tongue across my sensitive slit, doing her best to pull away after that.

  I was already at the point the ache was becoming painful. As soon as I sat up, I lifted her head. “You’ll learn soon enough that I will taste, take, fuck, and own every single inch of your luscious body. I plan on finishing what I started tonight.”

  “Meaning?”

  “I’m going to fuck you in your hot, wet mouth. Then I’m going to claim your ass. Can you handle me?”

  “You obviously have no clue who I am. I can handle anything.”

  If she only knew what her words did to a man like me. I pushed her head down, sliding a full two inches of my cock into her mouth. She greedily accepted it, swirling her tongue back and forth. The anger toward her abated, leaving me wanting to fulfill my promise. As her strong jaw muscles clamped around the thick invasion, I closed my eyes, taking several breaths of her perfume. Her scent covered every inch of my body and I longed to paint every inch of hers with my cum.

  I released the firm hold, allowing her to move up and down the length of my shaft. She wasn’t tentative in her actions, taking more of me until the tip hit the back of her throat. The slight gagging sound turned almost immediately to soft moans, further fueling the raging beast inside of me. While I could enjoy this for hours, my needs were too broad to accept the single gesture. Still, I allowed her to play, keeping my fingers pressed against her scalp as she rose to her knees, switching the angle.

  When I stroked her head with my other hand, she undulated below. “That’s a good girl. Take all of me.” I forced her to accept the rest, her bottom lip pressed against my balls. God, her mouth was hot, so wet that my cock was slickened, the sound she made while sucking the sweetest music possible.