PRETEND FOR DADDY

BB HAMEL

CONTENTS

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

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Ruby

I yawn and stretch and dig myself deeper into the
little nest I’ve built for myself on my boss’s couch.

It’s a little past five in the morning. I know he
won’t be here for at least another hour, maybe
more if I’m lucky, but I can’t press my luck. I sit up
and rub my eyes, exhaustion sitting heavy in my
skin.

I look around blearily for a second. The room is
large, dominated by a huge wooden desk.
Bookshelves line the walls and a little bar is tucked
into the corner, Mad Men style. The couch I slept
on last night is covered in blankets and some of my
discarded clothing, and I’d better get it back into
shape before he arrives.

Knox will kill me if finds me here.

I don’t know my boss that well. I mean, I’ve been
his secretary for a year now, but he keeps to
himself. He’s reserved but not quiet and has this
strange, almost magnetic quality about him. He’s a

dominating presence and almost hard to be around,
at least too closely.

He’s also the most handsome man I’ve ever met.
He looks more like a movie star than a business
person. Honestly, if I didn’t know any better, I’d
guess that he’s a male model.

That doesn’t change the fact that he’s strict, and if
he knows I slept on his couch without permission…

I’d probably get fired.

And I can’t afford to get fired right now.

I stretch and let the blanket fall down. I’m wearing
only a thin white t-shirt and a pair of boy shorts.
They’re a little too small for me now, which is why
I only wear them to sleep. I glance at the floor
where my jeans are tucked away beside a
sweatshirt, and I know I should pull them on, but
I’m still barely awake.

Getting fired would be the worst thing in the world.
Not because of the money, which would be bad
enough.

But right now, I’m not safe anywhere… except
right here.

I clench my jaw as I remember what I saw last
night when I got home. Knox had me working late,

like always, and when I finally got back to my tiny
little apartment over a bakery, the smell of bread
already starting to fill the space, I nearly screamed.

Everything was ripped apart.

The couch was torn to pieces, my kitchen trashed,
my bedroom ransacked. Nothing was stolen…

But everything was destroyed.

Staring at the mess, I knew what it meant.

I just knew.

It was a message.

So I got out of there. I ran as fast as I could and
came to the only spot I thought might be safe.

That’s how I ended up on my boss’s couch last
night.

I barely slept. I kept waiting for the guys that broke
into my apartment to find me half-naked, curled
into a little ball, snoozing on my boss’s couch.

That didn’t happen, obviously.

I groan and put my hand on my head.

What the hell am I going to do? I can’t go home. I
got away with sleeping on the couch for one
night… but for two?

Three?

I’m a mess, I know it.

I stand up, ready to put my pants on, when I hear a
noise. I’m not sure what it is at first, but then I hear
it again.

Someone humming.

Fear lances through me. I practically dive for my
pants, but it’s too late, I know it’s too late. I grab
them, shove my feet in the holes…

And promptly fall over. My shoulder slams into the
floor and I let out a groan of pain. The humming
gets closer… and the door opens.

My boss, Knox Reed, gorgeous beyond sensibility,
rich beyond my wildest dreams, stares down at me
with an almost bored expression.

Slowly, he switches on the light.

I’m lying there on my side, pain in my shoulder,
pants down at my ankles, and I just freeze. I stare
up at him in total, abject terror.

But he doesn’t look angry. Instead, his eyes roam
my body. I feel my skin flush, red coming to my
cheeks, as his eyes linger on my skin. It takes me
half a second to realize that my shirt came halfway
off in my tumble. Fortunately, it’s covering my

breasts…

But barely. And of course I don’t have on a bra.

“You’re going to have to explain to me why you’re
lying half naked on my floor,” he says finally after
an agonizingly long silence.

The barest hint of a smile flashes across his lips.

“I swear I have a good reason,” I manage to say.

“Go ahead.”

I roll over onto my butt and look at him for a
second. “Can I, uh, get dressed first?”

“No.”

I don’t know what to say. He’s staring at me with
this look in his eyes and he’s clearly amused…

But he also clearly likes what he’s seeing.

“I, uh—”

“I’m kidding,” he says softly. “You can put your
pants on.”

I smile uncertainly and manage to get to my feet. I
start to pull them on but he stops me by clearing his
throat.

“Turn around,” he says softly.

I blink rapidly, blushing all over. But slowly, I turn,
and finish pulling my jeans up. They’re tight and
they cling to my body as I pull them up over my
ass. He watches carefully, desire clear in his
expression. When they’re on, I button them and
turn back to him, adjusting my shirt.

My nipples are hard and clear through the thin
white cloth.

I’ve never been more embarrassed in my entire life.
I should probably be angry that my boss wants to
look at my ass and stare at my body like this, but
I’m honestly just so relieved that he’s not yelling.
I’d let him stare at me naked if he just doesn’t get
angry.

Okay, maybe not literally. I do have some dignity
left, after all.

“Now,” he says softly, glancing over at the blankets
on his couch, “tell me why you slept on my couch
last night.”

He finishes coming into his office. He puts his bag
down beside his desk and sits in his chair.

He’s a big man, tall and broad and muscular. I think
he’s forty, but he doesn’t look a day over thirty. His
eyes are green and sharp and his cheeks always
have that perfect amount of stubble, even this early

in the morning.

“I’m sorry,” I say quickly. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t
know where else to go.”

He holds up a hand. “Please. Just sit down and
gather yourself for a second, okay?”

I nod, trying to shove back my tears. The
embarrassment and fear come flooding back now
that he’s not trying to eye fuck me anymore. I walk
over and sit down in one of the chairs in front of his
desk.

He looks at his computer idly, clicking and logging
in as I gather myself. Finally, he looks in my
direction.

“Okay. Ready?”

I nod. “I’m sorry,” I start again, this time without
the tears. “I really am.”

“That’s fine. Just explain why.”

He still doesn’t sound angry. And that’s not like
him.

Then again, Knox isn’t the kind of man that needs
to yell to express disapproval.

He’s hard to please. He always has been, at least as
long as I’ve been working as his secretary. Those

first few weeks were hell as I tried to learn his
system and get everything down the way he liked it.
Things have been good now for a few months but
every once in a while, I do something incorrectly…

And he lets me know it. He arches an eyebrow,
frowns slightly, and shakes his head. “Try again,
Ruby,” he says. I hate those words with a passion.

Sometimes I wish he would yell at me.

But he’s not giving me that look right now.

Instead, he just seems…

Curious.

“I don’t feel safe at home,” I finally manage to say.

That makes him frown. He leans toward me again,
his eyes flashing down toward my breasts for the
briefest of moments. I’m very aware of myself and
feel that flush return.

I wish I could say that I don’t like it when he looks
at my body, but I’d be lying.

He’s my boss and twice my age. I should want to
keep my distance. But instead, the idea of him
looking at me like that…

Well, it sends a thrill down my spine.

We’ve never so much as hinted at anything beyond
a professional relationship, so this is very…

Surprising.

But I don’t have time to analyze that right now.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

“I think so,” I say quickly. “I got home last night
after work and my apartment had been broken
into.”

He leans back. “Did you call the police?”

I hesitate, grasping for words.

No, I didn’t call the police. I can’t call the police. I
don’t want to get them involved, if they get
involved, things might get more complicated,
and…

There’s a reason I’ve been running.

I want to say all that. Explain to him the truth.

But I can’t.

“I was too afraid,” I finally say. “I wasn’t thinking.
I just… freaked out.”

“So you came here.” He frowns slightly.

Halfway to that disapproving look.

“It was the safest place I could think of. I just had
to get out of that apartment. I’m so sorry, I didn’t
meant to, I’ll never do it again, I’ll—”

He holds up a hand and sighs. “Enough. I
understand.”

I stop talking and chew on my lip. I can feel the
tears again but I push them back.

I’m not going to cry in front of him. He caught me
off guard once, but I won’t let that happen again.

“I can forgive you,” he says softly. “But you’re
going to have to do something for me.”

I nod once. “Anything.”

That little smile comes ghosting back onto his lips.
“Are you sure about that, Ruby? Anything?”

I nod once. “I value our relationship, Knox. Our,
ah, working relationship.”

The smile spreads a bit. “Do you?”

“Yes. You’ve been good to me. I don’t want to take
advantage of that.”

“How have I been good to you?”

I glance down at the floor. Carpeted, plush and
dark gray.

“You gave me a job when nobody else would,” I
say. “I dropped out of high school, didn’t go to
college. I don’t have a lot of options. So just hiring
me… that was taking a chance.”

“You’ve lived up to that chance,” he says.

I look up at him, a little surprised. I don’t think I’ve
ever heard him praise me before.

“Really?”

“Absolutely. Ruby, Ruby, Ruby. I’ve had so many
secretaries and assistants come through here, and
you’re the first that I’ve actually liked.” He finally
gives me a real smile and warmth floods through
my body.

“Thank you,” I say.

“But if you’re really willing to do anything…” He
trails off and stands. I watch as he comes around
the desk and hesitates next to me. He puts his hand
on my shoulder as I look up into his green eyes.
“Come finished getting changed.”

I only hesitate the barest of moments. I slowly
stand and drift along beside him, over to where my
clothes are throw in a pile on the floor. He nods
down at them.

“Go ahead,” he says.

I meet his eyes. I know what he wants.

And god, the flood of desire that’s coursing through
my veins, the dripping wet between my legs…

I think I want it too.

Without a word, I pull my shirt off.

His eyes drift over my skin. He licks his lips, almost
absently, as he looks at my breasts. My heart’s
hammering so fast in my chest I think I might pass
out but I manage to bend down and pick up my bra.
I hesitate a moment, letting him look at me…

Letting him get his fill.

Slowly, I put my bra on. He doesn’t say a word as I
pick up the button-down shirt I grabbed from my
closet. I pull it on over my bra and slowly button it
up.

“Are you wearing jeans to work?” he asks softly.

I shake my head. I find the slacks I planned to
change into. I glance back at him and he’s still
watching, his face placid, his eyes burning.

I take the jeans off. I let him stare at my ass, barely
covered by the boy shorts. I know I’ll have to
change them sooner rather than later… especially
now that they’re dripping wet.

I pull the slacks on. I do it slowly… I let him watch.

When I’m done, I tuck in my shirt and turn to him.

“How’s this?” I ask.

He cocks his head and steps toward me. He pushes
a stray lock of auburn hair back over my ear.
“Beautiful,” he says softly. “Clean up your mess
and head to your desk.”

I nod once. I bite my lip and stare into his eyes…

And he steps closer to me, kissing me softly on the
lips.

I nearly fall over. The kiss slows, soft and simple.
His lips feel incredible against mine. I think I might
pass out…

But he pulls back, lingering for just a short moment.

“You’re dismissed, Ruby,” he whispers.

Before walking back to his desk and sitting down.
He looks at his computer screen like I’m not still
rooted in place, blinking rapidly, trying to get
myself under control.

After a moment, I find myself, and manage to grab
all my stuff. I shove it into the bag I brought,
hurriedly grabbed from my closet. I run out of his
office, heart beating wildly.

In the bathroom, alone again finally, I lean against
the sink and stare into the mirror.

I’m blushing like crazy.

I can’t believe he kissed me. Knox Reed kissed me.
He looked at my body like that, like he wanted me
so badly he could almost scream, and I wanted him
to take me. If he told me to get down on my knees,
to suck his cock, to swallow his cum….

To let him fuck me into submission…

I would’ve done it without question.

I wanted it.

Instead, he only gave me that kiss.

“Shit,” I whisper and splash water into my face.

Home isn’t safe for me right now. And I’m afraid
work is quickly becoming even worse.

Knox

A s soon as I sit back down at my desk, I have to
take deep breaths to keep myself in check. Ruby
practically runs from my office and I watch her go,
desire coursing through my veins.

God damn, that was the hardest thing I’ve ever
done in my life.

I wanted her. Right there, right on that couch. The
moment I walked in and saw her in that…
compromising position… I wanted her.

Splayed out on my couch, legs spread, pussy
dripping wet, my cock sinking deep inside of her
sweet spot while she gyrates, sweat falling on her
gorgeous porcelain skin…

I wanted her badly.

But I held back.

I clear my throat and hum softly to myself,
thinking. I know I hum, I do it all the time. I can’t
help myself.

It helps me think.

Finally, I pick up my phone and dial.

“Mitch here,” the man grunts on the other end of
the line.

“Mitch, this is Knox,” I say.

“How are you? Early for a call.”

I glance at the clock. “Sorry, you’re right.”

“It’s fine. I’m up before dawn most days, anyway.”

I glance down at my desk for a moment. “I need
you to do some digging.”

“Yeah?” He grunts something and curses. “Sorry.
You still there?”

“I’m here.”

“Who’s the target?”

“My secretary.”

He’s quiet for a moment. “Pretty girl, red hair?”

“Auburn,” I correct.

“Sorry?”

“Her hair. It’s reddish brown.”

“Right.”

“Sorry. Not important.” I clear my throat, kicking
myself. “Yes, I need you to dig into her.”

“I recall I did some brief work on her when you
hired her, like you do with all your employees.”

“That’s right.” I close my eyes for a moment. “And
you found nothing.”

“Nothing at all,” he confirms. “She was like a
ghost. Never seen it before. She’s got a legal
identity but it’s like…”

“Like it was just created.”

“Yeah.” He clears his throat again. “You want me
to look into that some more? Wasn’t that a year
ago?”

“Just about. And yes, if you wouldn’t mind.” I
consider telling him about what just happened, but I
decide against it.

He’s quiet for a moment. “Usual price,” he says.
“I’ll let you know if I need overtime.”

“Do what you need to do.”

“Fine.” He hangs up abruptly, just like he always
does.

I sigh and put my phone down.

It’s obvious why nobody would hire her a year ago.
When she came to me, I was impressed by her
interview. She was poised, intelligent… and
beautiful.

But she failed the background check miserably.
And not just because some arrest or minor thing
popped up, but because nothing came up at all.

My private investigator was flabbergasted. I
remember how taken aback he was. Mitch isn’t the
kind of man to run out of something to say, but at
the time he was totally speechless.

“Like a ghost,” he had said.

He told me to stay far away from her. Anyone with
that sort of hole in their past is bad news. Clearly,
she’s not who she says she is.

But for some reason, I hired her. I don’t know why.
Maybe I was just fascinated.

Well, yes, okay. I was fascinated. I was more than
just fascinated…

I was entranced.

The girl is beautiful. I’m not even sure she realizes
it. Full, pouty lips, blue sparkling eyes, curvy hips,
perky full breasts, and this thick, gorgeous auburn

hair. Not quite red, not quite brown.

She’s alluring, to be totally honest.

But also competent. She wouldn’t have lasted in
this job if she weren’t smart and capable. I don’t
care how fucking sexy she is, I would’ve gotten rid
of her a long time ago if she didn’t live up to my
expectations.

I almost forgot about her past if I’m honest. The
one thing I care most about in a person is their
ability to get their job done. I don’t care who they
are or what they’ve done, so long as they do what I
say and do it perfectly.

Ruby is all that and more. She follows directions
and goes beyond them, always giving me what I
want.

She’s the perfect secretary. I was thinking about
hiring a second assistant around the time that I took
her on, but I quickly realized I wouldn’t need one.

Ruby does all of that and more.

But this…

Maybe it’s nothing.

We live in Philadelphia, after all. People get robbed
here. Houses get broken into.

There’s just one thing that’s nagging at me.

When I asked if she called the cops…

The first thing a normal person would do if they
found their place ransacked is call the police.
Instead, she ran here.

What does that say about her?

I’m not sure, but I have my suspicions. And to be
sure…

Mitch will do some digging.

I sigh and lean back in my chair, closing my eyes.

I can still see her body. She was blushing like crazy,
clearly embarrassed…

But when she decided she was going to follow
directions, she did it perfectly.

Just like always, like I knew she would.

She took that shirt off and let me see her breasts.
She was clearly incredibly self-conscious, but she
knew what I wanted. And when I told her to
change her pants in front of me…

She bent over, just so. Just enough to let me see her
beautiful ass and the swell of her perfect cunt.

I sigh. I don’t know what’s happening to me right

now.

But I want that girl so fucking badly I can barely
stand it.

I knew I had to taste her. Just a little… just a soft
kiss.

She loved it. I could see it written all over her skin.

Ah, hell.

I’m an idiot if I think this won’t end in disaster.

I just can’t help myself.

She’s hiding something… and I want to know what
it is.

But more than that, I want her.

* * *

We make it through the work day without any more
incidents. We don’t talk about the morning and I
treat her just like I do any other day.

As I go to leave for the night, I linger near her desk.
She hasn’t packed up at all and I briefly wonder
where she plans on going tonight.

Probably home. Finally calling the police, I hope.

“I need you to print and collate the last few emails
I sent you,” I say to her. “Leave them on my desk
before you go home for the night.”

She just nods. “Yes, sir.”

I feel a thrill run through me. I love it when she
says that.

“Good night, Ruby.”

She looks up, meets my eye. For a second, I know
she’s thinking about changing in front of me….
About that kiss.

“Good night, Knox.”

I give her a small smile before walking away.

Fucking hell. That girl is trouble…

A lot of trouble.

I don’t make it far. I get outside and start my walk
back to my apartment. I could call my car service,
but I prefer walking when it’s nice. It’s good
exercise, and plus, keeps me humble.

But I head into the bar in the building next to ours.
It’s a fancy sort of place where businessmen like to
gather.

I hate bars like this.

I order a whiskey and sit there sipping it for a little
while, hoping nobody recognizes me. Ruby’s body
keeps running through my mind, her skin, her
curves…

When my drink’s finished, I sigh to myself.

“Another?” the bartender asks.

I shake my head and pay, tipping generously. I
throw my jacket over my shoulder and walk slowly
back to the office.

I should just go home.

She said she wasn’t going to sleep on my couch
again and I should just trust her.

This is stupid. I’m a little hungry and I want to get
my workout in before I do some more work. I don’t
have time for this.

But I don’t stop. I ride the elevator back up to the
office, humming softly to myself, thinking about the
way she blushed…

While looking at me with these brave, fierce eyes.

She’s hiding something.

I walk slowly and force myself to stop humming.

Sneaking into my own building…

The lights are off all over. There’s a cleaning crew
moving through. I give an older man with a vacuum
a little nod and he gives me a startled smile as he
moves past.

I linger outside my office for a moment, just around
the corner.

Then finally step out and toward it.

I push open my door…

And sigh.

Ruby looks up at me, wrapped in blankets, a guilty
frown on her face.

“I can explain,” she says, sitting up.

I stare at her. I try not to feel angry, but I can’t help
it.

“You lied to me,” I say softly.

She looks at the floor. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s what you said this morning, but here you
are again.”

“I didn’t mean—”

“Stop,” I say harshly, cutting her off. She looks
surprised.

Good.

“Why are you still here?” I ask her.

“I’m afraid to go home,” she says softly, staring at
the floor.

“Look at me.” She looks up. Beautiful eyes, fierce
and brave… “Do you have anywhere else you can
go?”

She shakes her head.

“Get your things,” I say.

She doesn’t move.

“Go on.” I nod at the pile. “You’re not sleeping on
my couch.”

“I can’t go home.” This time her voice doesn’t
shake.

“You’re not going home. You’re coming with me.”

Her eyes go wide. “Where?”

“Back to my place.” I cock my head. “Unless
you’d rather go down to the police station? We can
report your break-in together.”

She quickly stands. “No. I’ll come with you.”

I sigh and look away. “Thought so. Grab your

stuff.”

I wait for her in the hallway, mind racing.

Who is this girl and who broke into her apartment?

But as I stand there waiting, humming patiently to
myself, another thought slowly starts to solidify in
my mind.

An idea, really.

A vision of the future.

Not a prophetic vision, not exactly at least. It’s not
that kind of vision. More like an image of an ideal
future that I’d like to explore… like to make real.

I’ve always been good at seeing what I want and
finding a way to get it. That’s how I’ve ended up
owning the largest digital marketing and advertising
company in the world. That’s how I’ve ended up
filthy rich, completely self-made, and just forty
years old.

I see Ruby wearing nothing but an apron, down on
her knees, her cheeks flushed red.

“Ready.”

I look over at her as she steps into the hallway.

“Come on,” I say, and head toward the elevators.

She follows me obediently.

I keep seeing this image of the future. Ruby on her
knees, Ruby in my bed, Ruby in my shower.

Ruby with a diamond ring on her finger.

I call the elevator, a smile on my face. She looks at
me uncertainly, smiling back.

She has no clue what she’s walking into.

Ruby

I follow Knox back to his apartment, my heart
racing the whole walk there.

I thought we’d get a car at some point, but he
simply walks off down the sidewalk without
looking back. I have to hurry to keep up, my
backpack full of clothes and blankets stuffed to the
gills and slung haphazardly over my shoulder.

He strides along purposefully, walking fast. He
navigates the crowded rush-hour sidewalks with
ease, stepping around groups of tourists and sliding
between slow movers. I have to jog once or twice
just to stay close.

I don’t know what’s going to happen to me. He
didn’t seem angry when he caught me, not exactly.
Not even disappointed.

Just confused. And unhappy that I lied to him.

Still, he’s taking me back to his place. I want to
argue and find somewhere else to stay, but two
things are holding me back.

First, the comment about the police station.

It was like he knew that would make me agree,
which is a little scary. If he knows I didn’t call the
police on purpose, and don’t plan on calling the
police…

What does he think about me? What else does he
know?

And second, his place will be safe.

Even if they know I work for him, there’s no way
they’ll think I’m actually in his personal apartment.
He’s Knox Reed, filthy rich billionaire. I’m just his
stupid little nobody assistant.

There’s no way he’d bring me home.

And yet that’s what he’s doing right now as I hustle
next to him.

We cross Broad and head south. Just before we get
to South Street, we turn down one of the many tiny
little one-way blocks, barely wide enough for a
single car to get through. The houses here are all
gorgeous and slightly more modern with hanging
plants and fresh paint on their doors.

He walks up a stoop, types in a passcode that I
can’t quite make out, and pushes the door open.

“Home,” he says as I step inside behind him.

I expect something…I don’t know. Something other
than this.

It’s like walking into the drawing room of some
eighteen century British lord. The floors are rich
wood and the walls are painted neutral to dark
colors. There are wooden bookshelves everywhere
with paintings and books lining every single space.
There’s a modest couch, a modest television…

And a huge table that leads into a large, modern
kitchen.

It’s not enormous. It’s as big as a Philly townhouse
can be.

But it’s beautiful.

He walks into the kitchen, dumping his bag on the
table. He pulls open a cabinet, gets out two glasses,
and a bottle of something brown. I follow him,
curiously running my fingers over things as I pass.

“Here.” He pours two drinks, offering me one.

I take it and sip. The whiskey is good, strong and
dark.

He throws his back and pours another.

I sip mine. I don’t want to get drunk, not right now
at least.

Not until I understand this.

He finally smiles at me, cocking his head slightly.

“So,” he says. “Are you going to tell me why
you’re in trouble or am I going to have to guess?”

Fear spikes through me. “I’m not… in trouble,” I
say. “I’m just afraid.”

“Right.” He sighs. “Okay. That’s fine.”

I stare down at the floor. “Listen, this is really
nice… but I don’t have to stay here. I can find
somewhere else. There are hotels.”

“There are,” he agrees. “But I suspect I’ll just find
you on my couch again tomorrow.”

“You could make me undress for you again.”

The words come spilling out. I don’t mean to make
them sound malicious.

But he just smiles.

“I could,” he agrees. “And I’d like that. I think you
would, too.”

I can feel myself blushing. Why does this guy drive
me insane?

“Look, I’ll just go, okay?”

“Don’t go,” he says softly. “You don’t want to tell
me the truth, and that’s fine. But don’t leave. I
think… I think we can help each other.”

I look up at him with surprise. He’s giving me an
appraising stare, like I’m some piece of art and he’s
a collector.

Maybe that’s exactly what he is.

“How can I help you?” I ask him. “You’re, like,
filthy rich. I don’t have anything.”

“There are a lot of things money can’t buy,” he
says with a grin.

I give him a flat stare. “Really?”

“Not really.” He laughs and sips his drink. “But
that’s not how I want to do this.”

“What is this, exactly?”

He puts his drink down and looks at me for a
second. “Come with me.”

He turns and walks toward the back of the kitchen.
There’s a door leading out to the backyard, mostly
a paver patio with a little bit of green space around
the edges and a high fence. But he turns and opens
the second door.

I drift behind him. Stairs lead down into the

basement.

He flips on a light. “Come on,” he says, walking
down.

I hesitate for just a second before following.

I expect it to be humid and damp, like every Philly
basement. But strangely, there’s a slight whoosh of
air coming up toward me. It’s cool and dry, almost
perfect like it’s been filtered.

He leads me down into the basement. It’s finished
with a thick, comfortable carpet. The walls are
white and clear…

And covered in art.

He flips another switch. The art lights up, the
lighting hidden in the ceiling.

The walls are covered with it, painting after
painting in so many different styles. It’s all
crammed onto the walls. There are some statues
and other little trinkets lining shelves, but mostly…

Paintings on every single inch of the basement.

“This is my gallery,” he says with a laugh. “Clearly,
I’ve run out of room.”

“This is amazing,” I say softly.

There’s an early impressionist painting next to
what’s clearly a real Picasso. A modern self-
portrait, all twisting lines, hangs next to a beautiful
oil painting of the Virgin Mary.

“It’s my collection,” he says. “Please don’t think
I’m bragging, but it’s worth a lot of money.”

I glance back at him. “Not bragging?”

He laughs. “I’m telling you that for a reason.”

“What’s that?” I press.

He walks over to me and puts his hand on my lower
back. A thrill runs down my spine as he moves me
toward one painting in particular. It’s large and
beautiful and I swear I’ve seen it before…

“Is this Salvador Dali?” I ask him.

“That’s right. It’s an original and worth a fortune.”

We stand in front of the painting, elephants with
long thin legs, a rearing horse, a man thrusting a
cross up into the sky.

“It’s amazing,” I say.

“After I’m gone, nobody will get this.”

I look at him, a little surprised. “Don’t you have
family?”

“None,” he says. “No children, no wife. Parents are
gone, siblings are selfish assholes, extended family
is worthless.” He shrugs a little. “I have a lot, but in
one certain area, I’m lacking.”

I cock my head a little bit, heart starting to beat
faster. “What does this have to do with me?”

“I want a wife, Ruby.”

His words are so plain it’s almost… startling.

“Okay,” I say slowly. “But what does that have to
do with me?”

“I want to marry you.”

I take a step back. “Excuse me?”

“I want to marry you,” he repeats. “You can call it
pretend, if you want. Marry me, be my wife, and
give me a child… and in exchange, I’ll give you
protection.”

I stare at him like he’s insane. “Give you a baby?”

“You won’t have to raise it. But you will have to
make it with me.” He smirks. “That’s part of the
fun.”

“Make… a baby. You want to sleep with me… and
get me pregnant?” My head’s reeling. “This is
insane.”

“Maybe.” He shrugs. “But clearly something is
happening with you. And I have this problem that
you can help me solve. You’re young and beautiful.
Marry me, be my little toy, let me get you
pregnant… and when it’s all over and I have my
child, you can be free. I’ll even pay you a nice
severance.”

“Pay me,” I whisper, mind reeling. “For a baby?”

“For your time. It’s no different from surrogacy,
except you’ll get the pleasure of actually sleeping
with me.” He turns and heads back up the steps.
“Come.”

I linger there a moment, looking at the paintings…
at the priceless paintings. Millions of dollars…

I hurry and follow him upstairs just as the lights
snap off. We step back up into his kitchen and he
turns to me, head cocked to the side. I drift over to
the counter, pick up my glass of whiskey, and
knock it back.

The alcohol burn tastes good in my throat, the
warmth lingering in my stomach.

He shuts the door to the basement and looks at me.

“I know this is a lot to take in,” he says. “If you
need to think about it—”

“I’ll do it.”

He looks a little surprised. “You’re sure? I just
asked you to do something… huge.”

I nod once. “I’m sure.”

He laughs softly. “You must be in a lot of trouble.”

I stare at him. “If you want me to do this, promise
you won’t ask me about why I won’t go home
again. Okay?”

He laughs again and walks toward me. “No, I don’t
think so,” he says.

I take a step back but he doesn’t stop. He walks up
to me, hand running back through my hair. His eyes
flash and he grips it, taking my hair in his fist. He
grabs tight, sending a jolt of pain through my
scalp…

And a jolt of pleasure down my spine.

“You don’t get to make rules, little Ruby,” he
whispers. “If we do this, we do it on my terms and
my terms alone. But I can respect your wishes…
for now.”

I stare up at him, heart hammering. “Okay,” I say.
“Okay. I’ll do it.”

“I hoped you might.”

His lips meet mine again, but this time…

There’s a hunger in him. He kisses me hard and
slow, his tongue sliding against mine, his taste
invading my mouth, and god…

It feels good. It feels so good.

This is insane. I know it’s insane.

I’m going to marry this man and have his baby…
and then he’s going to pay me…

But I can’t see how I have any other choice.

I’m in so much trouble, so, so much trouble.

If he knew, he’d keep me far, far away.

But he wants this and god, I want it too.

Just one baby… just for him.

Knox, my boss…

My future husband.

He kisses me, presses me back against the counter,
and I swear my world shifts as pleasure rips all
across my skin.

Knox

I taste her skin and can barely control myself.

This morning, I never would’ve pictured anything
like this happening. At least, the part where I told
her that she’ll be my wife… and give me a baby.

But as I press her back against the counter and kiss
her lips hard, I know this is the right thing. God
damn, it’s the best thing I could possibly imagine.

I let her taste flow through me as I slowly lift her up
onto the marble countertop. She wraps her legs
around me and I hold her tight against my chest,
feeling her soft breasts and curves under my hands.
I unbutton her blouse, letting each button pop
slowly in my fingers, my heart racing.

“Are we really doing this?” she asks, her voice a
hoarse whisper.

“We absolutely are,” I whisper back. “Unless you
want to stop me.”

“No,” she groans as I push her blouse off her body.

I tease her breasts with my palms, kissing her neck.
“You don’t have to give me more than your body,”
I whisper to her softly. “Just your skin, your taste,
your dripping wet cunt.”

She moans, grabbing onto my hair. “And a baby.”

I smirk and look at her as I unhook her bra. “And a
baby,” I agree.

She bites her lip, staring into my eyes. “It’s a lot,”
she says at last.

I cock my head. “And yet here you are.”

I kiss her again, softly this time, lips lingering
against hers as I tease her full breasts. Fucking hell,
they’re gorgeous, perky and firm. Her pink little
nipples are stiff buds under my fingers.

“I just…” She groans and trails off. “I’m afraid.”

“Of what?”

She bites her lip as I grab her hair hard. She gasps
and groans. “I don’t want to say,” she says.

“You don’t have to, but you can’t lie to me.”

She nods once.

I kiss her hard, letting my tongue slide into her
mouth as I release her hair and unbutton her slacks.

She shimmies her hips, helping me slide them over
her firm ass and down her legs. I pull them off over
her ankles, letting them drop onto the floor.

I lean back and admire her. I can’t fucking help it.
She’s gorgeous. Her auburn hair falls in rivulets
down her tight body. Her skin is smooth and pale
and her breasts are perfect. She leans back on her
hands, staring with me with parted lips…

And I know I made the right decision.

I step closer again and grab her hips, sliding my
hands back to cup her ass. She moves closer, legs
wrapping around me again as I kiss her neck and
chest. I tease her nipples with my tongue and lips,
making them stiffen between my teeth.

She writhes under my touch. “Knox,” she whispers.

“You didn’t expect this to happen, did you?” I
growl to her. “You went to sleep on my couch
thinking you’d get away with it, and now…”

“Now I’m in your kitchen. Almost naked.”

I smile softly. “Maybe we can fix that.”

“Fix it?”

I nod and grab the hem of her panties, pulling them
down. “You’re almost naked. Let’s get you the rest
of the way.”

She groans as I slide them off her body. I toss them
on the floor and there she is, naked and perfect. I
spread her legs and reach one hand down between
her thighs as the other grips her hair.

I kiss her lips softly as I finger her soaking wet
pussy. She’s dripping down her legs and onto my
counter and fucking hell, she’s perfectly soaked,
rolling with honey. I tease her, spreading her lips
apart and gently brushing a finger against her clit.

She reacts instantly. I can feel it all through her
body. She tightens, stiffens, and kisses me harder.
Her hands find my hair, grabbing on tight.

I tease her more, pushing two fingers deep inside
her before pulling back out to roll along her clit.
She moves her hips with me, locked in a dance. I
can tell her muscles are taut and tense from the
pressure of my touch and the way she pants tells
me everything I need to know about how good this
feels.

“When I saw you there, nearly naked and half
asleep… I knew I had to taste you,” I whisper in
her ear. “But now, touching this wet little pussy, I
had no clue just what I was getting myself into.”

“Are you… not sure?” She looks almost hurt.

I laugh softly. “Oh, no, little Ruby. I’m very sure.

You’re just more gorgeous than I ever could’ve
imagined.”

She bites her lip, looking satisfied. I kiss her, fingers
plunging deep inside of her while I grip her hair
tight.

I want to dominate her, control her. I want to take
her completely and make her know exactly who her
man is.

I want her to owe all her pleasure to me… more
pleasure than she’s ever felt before in her life.

I don’t know where she comes from… but I know
I’m going to take her somewhere special.

I’m going to put a baby in her. But first, I’m going
to make it worth her time and energy.

Mostly because I want to.

I want to taste her, make her come, make her moan
my name.

I want her to call me fucking Daddy.

Soon. Not yet, but soon.

Right now…

Right now it’s all about her.

I tease her, sliding my fingers in and out, fucking

her tight cunt. She moves her hips, shimmying
along with me, panting and groaning. I love the way
she gasps, moans, whispers my name. Her eyes are
rolled back and her skin is so beautifully flushed
red. I can practically feel her heart racing.

I grab her hair tighter, kissing her breasts as my
fingers tease her clit faster. I kiss down her chest,
moving down her stomach… pushing her back to
lean on her hands again.

She stares down at me as I spread her legs wide,
kissing up along her inner thigh.

She’s vibrating with anticipation. I glance up at her,
a little smile on my lips. Her mouth is hanging open,
her eyes wide.

“Knox…” My name is a curse on her lips.

Or maybe a prayer.

I kiss her again before my tongue finds her honeyed
spot. I lick her top to bottom, just tasting her
perfect juice, drinking her in. I growl my pleasure,
unable to help myself. I find her stiff little clit,
licking all around it, sucking it into my lips before
letting it go.

She gasps and one hand pushes into my hair. She
grips it hard as I hold her hips, hands hooked
around her legs.

I lick her top to bottom and suck her clit for real.
She groans and pushes me down tighter. I can feel
the tension in her body and I know how badly she
wants to let loose.

I lick and suck her faster, tongue gliding along her
length, pushing inside and sliding back out again. I
lick up along her clit, sucking and letting my tongue
do its job, listening to her moans.

Tasting her perfect pussy.

Letting her muscles tense and tighten even more….

Anticipating what’s coming.

I’m losing myself in her right now. My cock is so
hard it’s threatening to rip right through my suit
pants but I keep myself under control. That’s what I
need right now, perfect control.

If I’m going to make her call me Daddy, I’d better
show her how I can take care of her first.

I release her leg with my right hand and slide two
fingers deep inside her pussy. She gasps, back
arched. I move up and kiss her, letting her taste her
pussy on my lips. She reacts with a hunger that
almost surprises me.

But no, I expected it. I know where she is right
now.

Just where I want her to be.

I go back down between her legs. She’s moaning
with wild abandon, her hair flung back, her head
tilted up toward the ceiling. Her back is arched and
her breasts shake with every shuddering buck.
She’s leaned back on one hand while the other
pushes my mouth tighter against her clit.

I fuck her with my fingers faster, rougher. I lick her
and suck her clit like I can’t get enough of it.

Because I can’t.

She’s gorgeous, the whole length of her, toes to her
head. She’s curling her toes and pushing them
outward as I keep going, licking and sucking,
fingers fucking, pushing her further and further.

“Oh, god, Knox,” she gasps. “Oh my god. You have
to keep going.”

I growl in response. I’d never stop, not for
anything.

I suck her harder, tongue lapping faster. I fuck her
deeper, my thick fingers doing their dirty work.
She’s moving her hips now in time with me, her
body sweating, a beautiful and perfect sheen in the
kitchen light.

Faster and faster, we’re moving in perfect rhythm.

We’re lost in the dance of this, of moving her
closer, getting her there, making her finally release
all of this pent-up frustration and energy.

“Fuck,” she gaps. “Fuck, fuck, fuck. Knox. Fuck!”

I know she’s nearly there. I keep going, pushing
her, pushing her, fucking her with my fingers,
licking her sexy delicious little clit.

“Oh my god,” she groans.

Everything tenses. Everything tightens.

She comes for me in that instant. She comes with
her entire body, every muscle contracting and
releasing, all her pent-up energy finally bursting
free. She throws her head back and screams my
name, her fingers digging into my hair.

I don’t care. I love her taste, love the way she
comes with such a fantastic passion. It drives me
fucking insane as I keep going, keep fucking her,
keep licking her. The orgasm last for seconds,
minutes, hours. I swear she comes more than once
in deep, shuddering breaths.

But finally, slowly, she comes down. She leans back
on both hands gasping. I give her one last lick, top
to bottom, before sliding my fingers back and
standing up.

She’s leaning back on her hands and staring at me,
mouth hanging open. She’s sweating and naked and
so fucking beautiful I can almost laugh. There’s a
halo of light around her and I want to tell her how
perfect she looks.

Instead, I cock my head.

“Get off my counter,” I say.

She hesitates, looking confused. But slowly, she
slides down.

Perfect, lean, lithe. Her breasts are perky, her hair
long and thick.

“Get on your knees.”

She knows what I want. Thinks she does, anyway.
She gets down on her knees, expecting to pay the
favor back…

“Open your mouth,” I say.

She does it.

I step forward. I take her chin in my palm and slide
the fingers that I had inside of her between her lips.
She’s surprised for a moment.

“Clean yourself off me,” I whisper, looking into her
eyes, her beautiful eyes.

Slowly, she sucks my fingers. She does exactly
what I want. She licks them sensually, tongue
rolling around, sucking all her juice from my skin.

She finishes, leaning back, and a trail of spit runs
from my middle finger to her lip. I lean down and
kiss it off, biting her gently before standing back
up.

She stares at me, flushed and breathing hard. I bet
she’s dripping onto my floor, ready for more.

I’m rock hard and barely able to hold back.

“Get up,” I say. “And get dressed.”

She hesitates but she follows my commands. I grab
my glass of whiskey and drink it while I watch her
put her clothes back on. My heart’s racing so hard I
can barely think straight, but soon she’s clothed
again.

“That was—” she starts.

But I stop her. “I know,” I say. “I know just what
you liked.”

She bites her lip. “Do you?”

“You’re painfully obvious.”

That annoys her. Clearly, she doesn’t like it that I
think I can read her.

“You don’t know anything,” she says, looking
away.

“Maybe.” I step up and make her look at me again.
“But you’re mine now, Ruby. Isn’t that right?”

She meets my gaze. There’s defiance in her
expression.

I like it.

“For a little while, at least,” she says.

I smile and let her go. “Come on. I’ll show you to
your room.”

She follows me upstairs. I have several guest
rooms, but I show her to the one right next to mine.

I open the door and flip on the light. “It’s a little
small. But I think it’ll be okay.”

She steps in, looking around. She lets out a little
laugh. “This is twice the size of my own bedroom.”

I smile as she walks over to the bed and flops down
onto it. The room is sparsely decorated with only a
desk, a large bed, a dresser, and a single nightstand.

“Bathroom is there,” I say, nodding at the attached
bath. “Closet is there.” I nod at another door next
to the bathroom.

“And what’s that?” she asks, looking at the final,
unopened door.

“Ah, that…” I trail off for a moment. “Well, I’m in
the other room.”

“That door… leads into your bedroom?”

“That’s right. No secrets between us. If I want to
come into your room in the middle of the night and
fuck you senseless, that’s what I’m going to do.
And you’re not going to complain.”

She stares at me and I think I see a little fear in her
eyes. But slowly she nods.

“Okay. If that’s part of the deal.”

“Good girl.” I walk over to her and lean down. I
kiss her gently. “You’re going to be perfect, aren’t
you?”

“I don’t know,” she says. “But I hope…”

“What?”

“I hope they don’t find me.”

I stare into her eyes. And I realize that the fear I
noticed isn’t directed at me.

It’s directed at whoever she’s running from.

And it’s deep, ingrained deep down inside of her,

down into the very core of herself.

“You’ll be okay,” I say. “Get yourself settled.
You’re welcome to anything in the kitchen. I’ll be
in my room.”

I turn to leave.

“What about my stuff?” she asks. “I mean… I
don’t really have any clothes.”

“We can get it from your apartment tomorrow.”

She shakes her head. “No. I can’t go back.”

I hesitate. “I’ll send someone then.”

“Okay, just…” She looks down at the floor, almost
like she’s ashamed. “Make sure they aren’t
followed.”

I hesitate for a second.

Whoever she thinks she’s dealing with….

They must be serious.

“I’ll make sure,” I say before leaving her room for
the night.

I’ll let her get settled.

In the morning, the real fun will begin.

Ruby

I expect to lie in bed all night, tossing and turning,
unable to sleep.

Instead, I pass into a dreamless slumber almost the
second my head hits the pillow.

It’s like the orgasm Knox gave me took away more
than just my stress. It took everything from me, left
me completely drained… completely satisfied.

I’ve never felt anything like that in my life. Never,
ever been touched that way before… let alone
come like that.

Well, I guess that’s not a surprise, since I’ve only
ever gotten myself off. I’ve never had a man touch
me like that before… ever.

And the idea of making a baby terrifies me.

Not because I’m afraid of sleeping with Knox.

No, that’s the easy part. I mean, that’s the part I’m
totally sure of.

Giving myself to Knox will feel so good, there’s no
doubt in my mind.

I’m afraid because I’m a virgin. Because the first
time I actually have sex…

Will be to make a baby.

That’s a little terrifying.

Of course, Knox doesn’t know. It didn’t exactly
come up in conversation yesterday.

So there’s that, on top of everything else.

I should be up all night with stress and anxiety,
obsessing about my future….

And instead, I pass out, and wake up just after six
in the morning, the sun streaming in through the
window.

I get up, a little groggy. For a second, I have to
really think about why I don’t recognize the room.

I slowly get up and stop before I can walk into the
bathroom.

There’s a set of clothes neatly folded on top of the
dresser and a folded note propped up on its side.

I walk over and pick up the paper. It’s Knox’s
handwriting, I’d recognize it anywhere.

Ruby, clothes for you. They’re new and should fit.
Come into the office whenever you’re awake. It’s
okay if you’re a little late. Knox.

I pick up the clothes, a simple skirt and blouse,
similar to something I’ve worn before…

But designer labels.

I bite my lip and laugh a little. Maybe there are
going to be other perks.

I lay the clothes out on the bed then get ready. I
shower and brush my teeth using the toothbrush
and toothpaste I find under the sink.

When I’m finished and dressed, I stare at the door
to Knox’s room. I’m so tempted to go in there…

He didn’t tell me I wasn’t allowed. But for some
reason, I’m sure that would be a violation. So
instead, I force myself out into the hallway and
down into the kitchen.

Another note, this one propped up on the counter.

Coffee in the machine, just hit start. Travel mugs
over the sink. See you soon. Knox.

That man is an angel.

I get my coffee started and idly look around the
kitchen while I wait. It’s just like any other

kitchen…

And I’m almost tempted to go into the basement
again just to see all that priceless art. But I hold
back.

When the coffee finishes, I fill a mug and head out
the door. It takes me a second to remember the way
to the office, but at least it’s a gorgeous fall
morning as I stroll along the sidewalk.

I keep mulling over yesterday in my head. It was
like a dream, but as I walk, I know it was real. I can
still feel his hands on my skin, solid and intense…
and the pleasure that ripped through my body.

It’s still coursing in my veins. It’s there whenever I
think about him.

About Knox.

I don’t know what to do. I’m not sure he can keep
me safe. Sure, he’s rich, filthy rich. But he has no
clue who we’re up against…

And what I think they’re willing to do to get me.

Knox is waiting in his office for me. He smiles
when I knock softly and step inside.

“How did you sleep?” he asks.

“Like a baby.” I grin and hold up the coffee mug.

“Thanks for this. And for the clothes.”

“Happy to help.” His smile is tight. “Now, are you
ready to work, or are you going to be too busy
thinking about how easily I made you come last
night?”

I blink rapidly, feeling a flush rise to my cheeks.
God, this man knows exactly how to make me
blush.

“I’m fine,” I say.

“Good. I have some things I need from you already
waiting in your email. Get to work.”

He looks back to his computer.

For some reason, I’m disappointed. I don’t know
what I expected. Maybe for him to kiss me again…
maybe for him to treat me like something other
than his secretary.

But that’s what I am.

I’m his secretary still, even if we also have this…
other relationship.

So I go to work, even though I want him to bend
me over that desk and slide his cock so deep
between my legs that I don’t walk straight for
weeks.

* * *

The day passes faster than I thought it would.

Part me of figured I’d be obsessing about Knox all
day, thinking about his tongue between my legs, his
hands on my skin, that orgasm ripping through me.

Instead, I fall into work. It’s like nothing is
happening between us. Everyone else in the office
is blissfully unaware, and I know I can’t exactly tell
them.

As if I’d want to.

I can only imagine the rumors. People in this office
can be vicious.

I think Knox likes it that way. Keeps people on
their toes.

But I make it through the day unscathed. People
slowly filter out around five, and by six-thirty, it’s
almost empty. Knox is the only one still working,
and I know I can’t go anywhere until he’s done.

Not that I have anywhere to go.

It’s strange how quickly I’ve adapted. I think I’m
just used to this. Staying in that apartment was the
longest I’ve been in one place in a long time, and it
was almost starting to feel like home.

I’ve been on the run for as long as I can remember,
ever since my father…

I force that out of my mind.

I can’t think about that right now.

“Ruby?”

The voice cuts into my thoughts. For a second, I
look up, thinking it’s going to be Knox.

But it’s not Knox.

The man smiles at me, a little uncertainly. He’s
wearing glasses, his light brown hair slightly
disheveled. His clothes are neat and clean, a dress
shirt tucked into a pair of brown slacks. A brown
jacket is draped over one arm. He looks like
someone’s kindly uncle or something like that.

“Yes?” I ask. “Can I help you?”

He steps closer. “You’re Ruby?” he asks.

My heart starts racing. “I, ah…” I stand up. “I
don’t think you have the right building.”

“Oh, no, no, dear. I think I do.” He grins at me.

He’s missing a tooth.

I turn and try to run but he’s faster than I thought
he’d be. I manage to get away from my desk and

halfway out of my cube before he grabs my wrist
and yanks me back hard.

I twist and stumble. He holds my wrist hard and
turns it again, forcing me down onto the carpet.

My face slams onto the floor with a soft thump, like
a rug being dropped onto concrete.

I groan, head swimming. I blink a little as I feel the
man’s knee suddenly shove against the small of my
back. He pins me down, one hand still holding my
left wrist.

I struggle, but I can barely breathe. I try to scream
but nothing comes out.

“Ruby, Ruby, Ruby,” the man whispers. “You
should’ve changed your name. Do you know how
many girls named Ruby I had to hunt down before I
found you? Not that many, believe it or not.”

I struggle some more but he pushes harder. Pain
lances through my ribs and I groan.

“Don’t make this a mess,” he whispers. “I really
hate messes.”

I can’t see him and my heart’s racing. I can only
hear his voice and feel his body pinning me down
with a force like concrete. My head’s turned
toward Knox’s office…

Oh my god. He’s going to kill me.

The thought hits me like a truck.

This man is going to murder me right here, right
near Knox’s office. And there’s nothing I can do.
Knox doesn’t know this is happening. I’m going to
die…

“You father is next,” the man whispers in my ear.
“But we wanted to find you first. It’s nothing
personal, honestly. I wish I could let you go, but
you know how these things go. You hurt the family
so the family hurts you… and everyone you love.”
He sighs, almost a bittersweet-sounding thing.
“You’re a pretty girl. It’s a shame. I almost wish I
had caught you somewhere more private. But I’d
better get this over with before—”

Knox’s office door opens. I can’t tell if the man is
looking or not, but I can hear his breath still.

“—we’re caught,” he finishes. “Don’t need any
witnesses.”

Feet come storming out of Knox’s office. There’s
no sound as they draw closer, running. I only hear
the man on my back grunt in surprise as the legs
slam into him.

The pressure releases. I gasp for breath, groaning,
and roll into a ball on my side.

I watch as Knox pins the man down on the carpet.
He slams his forehead into the man’s nose. Blood
sprays him in the face.

As I lay there, body aching, heart racing, I can’t
stop thinking one thing:

Knox looks so calm.

It’s almost spooky, almost terrifying.

The man struggles against Knox, pushing him back.
He holds something up and there’s an enormous
roar.

My ears are ringing when I realize that the guy has
a gun.

I scream.

But there’s no more blood. Knox roars something
and lashes out. He knocks the man back. Two more
explosions rocket out from the gun as Knox stomps
down onto the man’s hand and kicks the gun away.

Knox stumbles back as the man rolls and kicks out,
hitting him in the back of the knees. The man gets
to his feet and looks at the gun for just a moment…

But he knows Knox is closer.

So he turns and runs.

Knox grabs the gun and stands, holding it out in
front of him with a practiced ease. He aims at the
man as he runs through the office.

But he doesn’t shoot.

He sighs, lowering the weapon. He’s covered in
blood.

I get to my knees, crawling over to him, ears
ringing.

He says something. I can’t hear him. He pulls me
up into his arms, looking at me, checking me over.

I push him away. “You’re shot!” I say. “You’re
bleeding!”

He frowns and looks down at himself. It takes him
a second to realize.

Not my blood, he mouths to me.

I look at him, hands roaming his body… and he’s
right.

The man missed. Three times, he missed. The blood
is from the man’s broken, bleeding nose.

I throw myself into Knox’s arms. We stand there in
the office, a spray of blood on the dark carpet
already starting to soak into the fibers. My ears are
ringing but starting to get a little bit better as his

strong arms pull me tight against his chest.

He saved my life… and risked his own.

That man had a gun. He must’ve had it the whole
time and Knox had to have seen it. He was going to
murder me right in the middle of the office…

But Knox saved me.

I don’t know how, but he saved me.

He slowly pulls me back away from his chest and
looks at me. “Are you okay?” he asks.

I nod, probing my body. Nothing hurts too badly,
just some aches and pains. Nothing’s broken, at
least not that I can tell.

“I’m fine,” I manage to say.

The ringing’s getting better. He takes my hand.
“Come on. We have to head home.”

“What?”

“People heard that shooting. Do you want to
explain to the police?”

I stare at him. “Aren’t there… cameras?”

He laughs. “No, of course not. This is corporate
America. We’re way too cheap for that.”

I smile uncertainly. He squeezes my hand. “Come
on.”

“Wait.” I look around before running over to my
desk. I grab an old sweater from my bottom drawer
and thrust it at him. “Your face.”

He hesitates before taking it. He wipes the blood
off his face.

It helps. A little at least.

He frowns at the sweater before hurrying into his
office. He strips off his jacket and shirt. I stare at
his incredibly muscular body… at the scars that
snake along his skin, paler than pale.

He glances at them but doesn’t say a word.

There’s an extra shirt hanging in a little closet
behind his desk. He pulls it on.

“Come on,” he repeats, and finally we hurry out of
the office. We pass downstairs and through security
without incident, although people are already
talking about what happened.

He squeezes my hand and smiles. “Relax,” he
whispers, putting an arm around me and pulling me
tight. “Nothing happened. Just walk.”

We leave the building together. Police come in past
us and for a second, I think they’re going to realize

that we’re getting away…

But nobody says anything.

We step out into the evening and start our walk
back to his townhouse.

We don’t talk on the way. I let him keep his arm
around me. Really, I push closer to him and make
sure he doesn’t let me go. We walk with the crowd
this time, not going too fast, not bothering to snake
our way through the slower-moving people.

I think we’re both just happy to be alive right now.

Finally, we reach his house. He unlocks the door
and we step inside. He closes it, locks it, and turns
to me.

I think he’s about to throw me out.

I wouldn’t blame him if he did. I don’t think he
thought he’d be fighting off an armed gunman the
day after making this little deal.

Instead, he frowns thoughtfully.

“Take off your clothes,” he says.

I stare at him. “Excuse me?”

“Your clothes.” He nods at me. “There’s blood on
them.”

I look down at myself. It takes me a second before
I realize he’s right. The guy’s blood splattered on
my blouse. It’s not a lot, but enough.

Slowly, I unbutton the shirt. I take it off and toss it
over to him. He catches it.

“Skirt,” he says.

I obey, taking off the skirt.

I’m left in my bra and panties, standing in front of
him. I’m cold but my heart’s racing.

He walks over to me. I want him to kiss me…
touch me… make me feel alive.

Instead, he takes my hand and leads me upstairs.

He takes me into my room, opens the bathroom
door, and starts the shower.

“Strip,” he says, barely glancing at me.

I hesitate before taking off my bra and panties.
When I’m done, he looks over, a little smile on his
lips.

He strips next. I stare at him, at his muscular body.
He’s ripped, incredible. There are little white
puckered scars all over his skin…

And then he takes off his boxer briefs and I can’t

think about anything else.

His cock is enormous. He’s long and thick and
hard, standing rod-straight. He smirks, one hand
slowly stroking himself.

“Can’t help myself around you,” he says softly.
“Get in.”

We climb into the shower together. His cock
presses against my body and my heart’s racing
wildly. I can barely keep myself calm. I think he’s
about to fuck me… take me for the first time right
here in this shower…

But instead, he takes the soap and lathers his hands.

And he washes me, fingers trailing along my skin.

He’s so gentle. His hands are firm and strong but
still so gentle. He rubs the soap onto my skin,
cleaning me, washing every inch of my body. His
hands linger on my breasts, between my legs…

And the whole time, his enormous cock is rock
hard.

Fuck, I keep thinking, over and over again, my
heart hammering so hard in my throat.

When he’s done, he washes my hair and rinses it
out. He kisses me softly then hands me the soap.

“Go ahead,” he whispers.

I do exactly what he did. I lather the soap then
wash him down, my hands gliding over his ripped
and chiseled torso. The man is sculpted and
incredible and my heart’s racing as my hands move
lower… lower…

Finally I take his rock-hard cock in both of my
hands and stroke him. He growls, his face inches
from mine.

“Finish,” he says, although I think it hurts him.

So I do what he wants. I finish washing him. I clean
his back then his hair. And when I’m done, he steps
out of the shower and towels himself off.

I turn off the water. He hands me my own fresh
towel. I dry myself.

When I’m done, he disappears into his room before
coming back dressed in loose comfortable exercise
clothing. He tosses me some shorts and a t-shirt.

“Too big,” he says. “But good enough.”

I can still see the outline of his cock, half hard
through his shorts.

He wants to fuck me… with that?

“Dress and come downstairs.”

Without another word, he leaves the room.

I’m left alone for the first time since it happened.
My heart’s still pounding as I pull the clothes on. I
have to roll the shorts and tie them tight, but they
stay up at least. The shirt’s way too big, but I cinch
it in the back so it’s not hanging down practically to
my knees.

I sit down on the bed and gather myself. I close my
eyes and think about my hands wrapped around his
massive cock… slowly stroking him…

“Fuck,” I whisper out loud.

The ringing in my ears is almost entirely gone now.

I get up and leave the room. I find him downstairs,
standing in the kitchen, a glass of whiskey in his
hand.

Another is on the counter. I pick it up and drink it
back in one swallow.

“My father was a hit man for a mafia,” I say before
he can ask.

He simply frowns slightly. “When?”

I laugh. “I tell you my father was a hitman and you
just ask when?”

He shrugs. “It seems important.”

“Twelve years ago. I was eight years old when he
was arrested… when my whole world ended.”

He nods a little. “What happened?”

“I don’t know the full story.” I stare at the tile. He
walks over to me and pours me another glass. I sip
it gratefully. “I just remember my father being
arrested, some stories in the paper. My mother told
me some of it… but I read about the rest later.”

“What did he do?” Knox asks softly.

“He flipped,” I say simply. “He ratted. He sang.” I
laugh, a shrill, insane sound.

I’ve never told anyone this story before.

“That’s why they want you dead?” Knox asks.

“That’s right. My father gave the FBI enough
evidence to put the old boss away… but only for
twelve years. I bet he thought that would be long
enough.”

“It wasn’t,” Knox says simply.

“No, it wasn’t. I realized what was going to happen
a few years ago. I started getting messages…
warnings, I guess, or threats. Weird phone calls and
emails. They just kept saying the same thing, over
and over.”

“What?” he asks softly.

“I’m going to die.” I look at him in the eye. “They
said they were going to kill me.”

Silence hangs thick between us.

“What happened after that?” he asks.

“My mother was checked out. Had been for a
while. Addicted to pills after some botched back
surgery.” I clench my jaw. “Maybe even before
that, I don’t know. I knew that she wouldn’t help…
so I ran away from home. I was so scared, I didn’t
know what else to do. She died a couple years
ago.” I choke back tears. I remember skipping her
funeral, too afraid to go back. I still hate myself for
that.

I know I’m ranting, but I can’t help it. “I knew this
guy, good with computers… I paid him everything I
had and he says he wiped my entire background. I
don’t know if that’s true, but I know I had a hell of
a time finding a job. I thought I could stay safe if…
if I just kept moving. If I was like a ghost.”

He smiles slightly. “I noticed that. So Ruby is your
real name?”

I nod once. “Yeah.”

“Should’ve changed it.”

“I guess.”

“What did you do since you left home?”

“Worked odd jobs. Waitress, bartender, that sort of
stuff. I moved around a lot. I was out in Ohio,
Florida, Colorado… I ended up here just before I
interviewed for you.”

He nods thoughtfully. “I see. And where was your
father based?”

“Los Angeles,” I say. “I was out there for a while…
until I ran.”

“Ah,” he says softly and just watches me carefully.
I feel insane, like he’s judging me, like he thinks
I’m lying.

I wish I were lying, but I’m not.

The calls stopped when I ran and changed my
phone carrier. But the emails never stopped
coming.

Always the same threats over and over. They’re
going to find me and kill me. They’re going to end
me for the sins of my father.

So I just kept running…

Until now.

“How did they find you?” he asks.

“I don’t know,” I admit. “But the boss... I think
he’s out of prison. I think that’s why they’re finally
moving on me.”

Knox watches me carefully without speaking for a
long moment. Finally, he sips his whiskey and walks
over to me. He places the glass down on the
countertop.

“This is complicated,” he says. “But I promised I’d
keep you safe, and I’m going to.”

I stare at him, shocked. “You’re… really?”

He tilts my chin toward him. “Really. But you still
owe me a baby… and your body. Every inch of it.”

“Yes,” I whisper.

“Good girl.” He leans down and kisses me gently.
“Now, go upstairs. I’m going to make some calls
and get you some clothes.”

“What are we going to do after that?”

He shrugs. “I’ll figure it out.”

I hesitate a second. I don’t want to be away from
him.

“Go,” he says gently.

And so I turn and leave. I catch one more glimpse
of him as I head up the stairs.

He’s sipping his whiskey, a smile on his face. It
sends a shiver down my spine.

What kind of man doesn’t run screaming after
hearing that the mob is trying to kill me? After
nearly getting shot?

A very, very scary man.

The kind of man that I want protecting me.

God, I don’t know what I’m getting myself into…

But that moment in the shower. That moment in the
kitchen.

They were the most sensual experiences I’ve ever
had and I know I want more.

I’m in over my head. But there’s no turning back
now.

Knox

“What the hell have you gotten yourself into,
Knox?”

Mitch Hole leans against the street light, his hands
shoved in the pockets of his jacket. He looks like an
old-school private eye, the kind you see in comic
books or on TV. I’m guessing that’s the vibe he’s
going for.

The thing is, Mitch is the real deal. He was a
homicide detective for fifteen years before going
private. He came highly recommended from a very
shady, very connected ex-business associate of
mine. And if that guy used Mitch then I know he’s
for real.

“Nothing good,” I say, crossing my arms.

It’s after midnight. We’re on the sidewalk three
blocks from my apartment. Mitch looks twitchy,
nervous. I can’t tell what he knows, but obviously
it’s as much as I do… or maybe more.

If it has Mitch scared, it must be pretty serious.

Well, I guess I know that already.

“Look, that girl, she’s trouble. Run away from her.
Run very, very far away.”

“What did you find?” I ask him evenly.

He pulls an envelope from his jacket. “It’s all in
here if you really want to know.”

I reach for the folder but he stops me.

“Think about this, Knox,” he says softly. “You have
a lot to live for. No reason to throw all that away.”

I raise an eyebrow. “You think my life would be in
danger?”

He shrugs. “That or worse.”

“What’s worse?”

“These people… they’re connected. They’re the
sort of men with business connections all over the
city. But not just business. They’ve got their hands
in politics… in everything.”

I grin at him. “You make it sound pretty serious.”

He doesn’t grin back. “Just think hard about this.
The less you know, the better.”

I take the envelope. “Truth is, I already know.”

He frowns. “You do?”

“The girl told me.” I open up the envelope and pull
out some papers, some photographs. I smile and
push it back inside. “How serious are they?”

“As serious as they come,” he says softly. “They
were more powerful a while back, when I was still
working homicide. I remember they put a lot of
those bodies in the river back then.”

“Hm,” I grunt at him.

“Are you seriously thinking about keeping her
around?” he asks me.

“The girl and I… we have an arrangement.”

“Not worth dying for,” he points out.

“No, but I don’t plan on dying.”

Mitch sighs and shakes his head. “Look, if you
know this much already, you’re compromised. I
shouldn’t even be out here with you.”

“Probably not.”

“But I like you, Knox. I don’t want to see you end
up dead. So let me give you a little advice.” I meet
his gaze and he looks deadly serious, but there’s a
glint of fear there… and it’s the fear that unsettles
me. “Run away. Run far and fast and never, ever

look back.”

“I’ll think about it,” I say, trying to smile.

He just nods. “All right. And if you don’t run, get
yourself a gun. Or better yet, hire some guys that
knows how to keep you safe.”

“Know anyone?” I joke.

“Nobody that would take this fucking job.” He
shakes his head and turns away. “Good luck, Knox.
Sorry I can’t help you anymore.”

“That’s okay, Mitch. I appreciate it.”

“And hey, if you’re still alive in a few weeks,
maybe we can still work together. Assuming the
girl’s gone.”

“She won’t be going anywhere. But I’m sure we’ll
be working together again.”

He stops and looks back at me. “It’s either you or
the girl, Knox,” he says before turning and hurrying
away.

I watch him walk into the night.

He’s so fucking dramatic.

I sigh and slip the pages from the envelope. I
carefully comb through it all, although there’s not a

ton of information, and not all that much more than
what Ruby already told me.

There’s a picture of her father at his trial… a
transcript from that same trial where he names the
mafia boss, Alfonso Grosso, as the real power
behind all the killings. There are pictures of Ruby
as a young girl, looking awkward and thin and
knobby-kneed, pictures of her mother looking wan
and empty and swaying, and police reports.

I frown at one of them. It’s an autopsy report that
states the cause of dead was strangulation… and
it’s the autopsy of Cynthia Hill.

That has to be Ruby’s mother. But Ruby didn’t say
her mother was murdered…

Unless she doesn’t know. Or she’s holding things
back still.

I sigh and slip the papers away. Mitch deserves a
little break from me… and a big bonus when we get
through this.

I hurry back to my house, taking the long way. I
double back, pass it twice, and finally slip inside
when I feel like nobody followed. I lock the door,
set my house alarm, and head upstairs.

Ruby’s fast asleep. I smile a little before ducking
into my own room.

I walk into my closet and take a box down. Inside is
a shotgun. I load it and carry it back into my main
room, leaning it against the wall next to my bed.

I brush my teeth, wash my face, and get into bed.

Sleep doesn’t come. I don’t expect it to.

I need to figure out what to do from here.

My mind races in a million different directions. I
keep wondering how much Ruby knows, how much
she’s holding back from me… I keep seeing a
thousand different possibilities…

But as I finally doze in and out, a plan starts to
form.

It’s a short-term plan, but that’s enough for now.

I need to get us through the next few days at least.
Give us some time to work out a longer term
strategy. There’s no way we’re hiding forever…

I won’t walk away from my business for that long.

For now though, this’ll work. It’s a temporary
solution.

And it might even be fun.

* * *

I wake Ruby up just after five. The sun hasn’t come
up yet.

I sit on the edge of her bed and run my fingers
through her hair. She jerks awake, blinking rapidly,
fear on her face.

“Just me,” I say quickly.

“Fuck… you scared me.” She groans and rolls over.
“That’s some stalker level shit right there.”

I grin at her and stand. “Sorry. Wanted to make
sure you woke up.”

“What’s going on?” She sits up, suddenly alert.

“Get up, get dressed, and come downstairs.”

“Why? What happened?”

I smile and head to her door. “We’re going on a
trip.”

I go downstairs before she can pepper me with
more questions. I make a quick breakfast and put
on the coffee. By the time I’m done, she’s coming
down the steps, her bag of clothes and blankets
thrown over her shoulder.

“Sit,” I say.

She sits at the table. I give her coffee and eggs. She

picks at the food, not eating.

“Where are we going?”

“I have a place,” I say. “It’s a small place, nothing
special. But it’s secluded. It’ll be safe.”

She bites her lip. “They’ll follow us.”

“Maybe.”

“The guy they sent isn’t dead. He knows who you
are.”

“True. But I don’t think he’s in any shape to follow
right now.”

“They’ll send others.”

“That’s why we’re moving now.” I cock my head.
“Do you have a better plan?”

“Yeah. Let’s run to Italy, hole up in some tiny town
for the next ten years, and live off your money. I’ll
give you as many babies as you want, you can—”

“No,” I say, cutting her off. “There’s no point in
making children if I have nothing to give to them.
No, I’m not abandoning everything I’ve built.”

She chews her lip again, looking anxious. “This is a
bad idea. We should stay here, in the city.”

“It’s not safe here, either. At least they won’t know

about this place.”

“How can you know that?”

“It’s not purchased under my name.”

She hesitates for a second. “That won’t matter.”

“Ruby.” I walk over to her, staring down into her
eyes. “Do you trust me?”

She stares back up at me and slowly nods.

“Good,” I say. “Then just trust me.”

She sighs but doesn’t argue any more.

We finish eating. When we’re ready, I lead her
outside, the sun just barely starting to come up.

We hurry two blocks over and stop in front of a
boring-looking Nissan sedan. I unlock it and open
the door.

“This is yours?” she asks.

“Not impressive enough?”

She laughs. “You’re rich. I figured you’d have a
Lexus or something.”

We climb into the car and I pull out. “No need for
something nice in the city,” I say. “Just need a car
that’ll get me places, not something that’s just going

to get vandalized or stolen sooner or later.”

She laughs softly. “You’re nuts.”

“But practical.”

We drive in silence for a while. She’s staring out the
window as we slowly leave the city, heading out
into the suburbs. We get onto the Turnpike heading
west and start putting miles between us and what
happened yesterday.

I’m careful as I go. I try to make sure nobody’s
following me. I even take a couple exits that aren’t
necessary, cut through some red lights, and get back
onto the Turnpike. I don’t think anyone’s following
me, but I can’t be sure.

Eventually, she yawns.

“Where is this place, exactly?”

“It’s called Arrowhead Lake. It’s up in the
Poconos.”

She makes a face. “The what?”

“Mountains in northern PA,” I say. “It’s actually
very pretty.”

“How far do we have?”

“Less than two hours normally,” I say. “But the

way we’re going, it’ll be at least three.”

She sighs. “Okay. Not bad.”

“Got somewhere to be?”

She just looks out the window. “I don’t like long
drives.”

I let it stop at that. I get onto I-476 and head north,
still taking the long way, but moving more direct
now. The landscape flashes by and I can tell Ruby’s
getting anxious.

“What about long car rides do you hate so much?”
I ask her at a rest stop halfway to the lake.

She shrugs, cracking open a bottle of Coke. “I
don’t know,” she admits. “I guess I just don’t like
being so cooped up.”

“You’re from LA originally, right?”

She nods. “Yep.”

“How’d you end up out here?”

She takes a long sip from her soda. “Drove,
mostly.”

I laugh a little. “There you go. Probably why you
hate it so much.”

“I guess I associate driving with running away.” She

sighs. “Are we going to analyze me the whole way
there?”

“Not the whole way.”

She rolls her eyes and gets into the car.

I linger outside for a second, stretching my legs.
She glares at me through the window before
looking off to the side again.

It’s amazing how annoyed she looks right now…
considering I saved her life last night.

I get into the car and we get moving again.

* * *

Lake Arrowhead is this idyllic little community in
the Poconos. It’s mostly home to retirees and
tourists, and at this point in the fall, it’s pretty
empty. Most of the houses haven’t even been
winterized, so they’re only good for three seasons
at best.

Some people do live here year-round though. We
drive past a few places, fixed up and looking lived-
in with cars in the driveway. We amble down a
narrow road while Ruby looks around.

“Are we close?” she asks.

“Very,” I say. “It’s right up here.”

I finally turn a bend and pull down a long, steep
driveway. When we get to the top, I park outside of
a low, sleek, modernist-style home.

Ruby laughs when she gets out of the car. “This
is… really nice.”

I grin at her. “Thanks. It wasn’t always like that.”

“You said someone else bought it?”

I nod. “My parents.” I turn to the house and walk
to the front door. Nostalgia washes over me but I
push it back as I unlock the door and step inside.

I haven’t been out to this lake house in a few years.
I’ve let friends stay in it most summers, just so that
it doesn’t go to shit. It smells a little musty and
dusty, like it’s been closed for a few months… and
I guess it has.

I flip on the lights and Ruby follows me in.

“This is nice,” she says.

“Thanks. I basically had it rebuilt when I inherited
it.”

“Your parents are both gone?”

I nod. “Ten years ago now.”

“I’m sorry. Was it an accident?”

“Freak thing,” I say softly. “Gas line leaked in their
house. They didn’t even know it…” I clear my
throat. “Anyway, it was a long time ago.”

She heads inside and looks around. I smile and
watch as she looks at the ‘50s style kitchen, the
porch, the living room. “I tried to keep as much of
it original as I could,” I tell her. “And obviously
updated and modernized everything that made
sense.”

“It’s really nice.”

“Happy we came?”

She shrugs. “If nobody followed.”

I show her back to her room. I’m letting her have
the master, in the very back of the house.

“Where will you stay?” she asks.

“There’s another room over there,” I say, pointing
across the living room. “I’ll be close.”

She chews her lip. “Okay, yeah.”

“Unless you want to share?” I smirk and step closer
to her. She takes a step backwards.

“I, uh—”

“We are going to be married, aren’t we?”

She nods slowly. “I guess so.”

“Then maybe we’d better share. Get used to each
other.”

“I don’t know.”

I laugh gently. “I thought so. You’re not sure.”

“What? No, I mean—”

“No, you’re not.” I watch her for a long moment.
“I saved your life once, but you’re afraid I can’t do
it again.”

“That’s not—”

“Don’t lie to me, Ruby.”

She clenches her jaw for a second then sighs.
“Okay. Fine. They’re serious, Knox. You got lucky
and we got through it, but… you might not get
lucky again.”

“That wasn’t luck, my little Ruby,” I say softly.
“But I understand what you mean.”

She glares at me defiantly. “I’m not backing out.”

“You’re not sure, either.” I turn away from her.
“Why don’t you stay here and think about it?”

“Wait, what?”

“Stay here and think. I’ll leave you to it.”

“Wait, don’t go. You can’t just—”

I walk to the door and step outside.

She follows me in a panic.

“Hold on, Knox.”

I turn and face her. “You’re safe,” I say. “And I
won’t be far. I promise. But if we’re going to do
this… we’re going to do it my way. I need you on
board, no questions, no hesitation. Otherwise,
you’re right. We will end up dead.”

She looks up at me, fear in her eyes. I know she
wants me to stay, but not for the right reason.

“Please,” she says. “Don’t leave me alone.”

“You’ll be okay.” I walk to the car and get in. “I’ll
be back soon, little Ruby.”

She looks terrified as I slowly back down the
driveway.

I know she thinks I’m abandoning her, but of
course I wouldn’t do that. She doesn’t know it, but
there’s another little cabin on the property. It was
my father’s workshop once upon a time, but when I

renovated this place, I turned it into extra living
quarters.

I’ll stay there. Close enough to watch over her, but
far enough that she can have some time to herself.

She needs to be sure. This isn’t just about the next
few weeks or months… it’s about the next year or
more. Having my baby isn’t going to be a small
thing.

I need her to be absolutely positive.

I need her to trust me implicitly.

And so I’m giving her space to think, to weigh her
options… and to decide.

Ruby

I ’ve never felt more alone and exposed in my
entire life.

I’m livid at first. I think he abandoned me to die.

But as the hours wear on, I start to wonder…

A box of food shows up on my doorstep along with
a note.

Don’t worry, you’re safe. - K

So he says. So he thinks.

But I know these people. They’ve done things…
terrible things… and gotten away with it. I know
I’m next on their list of victims.

Except I can’t forget that I’d already be a victim if
it weren’t for him.

I take the food inside and make myself something
to eat. The day wears on and the silence starts to
get to me.

I hate being alone out here. I feel so exposed. I
don’t know how to get away and I don’t even have
a car if I need to run.

I just have to trust him…

That’s the question, isn’t it? If I can trust him or
not.

I spend the day looking around the house. There’s
no TV or computer or Wi-Fi, so I’m stuck reading
books out on the back porch. At least I find a bottle
of wine, a little old but still good. I drink it slowly,
watching the sun set, before forcing myself to go to
bed early.

I slip into the large master bed and wrap myself in
covers.

That night, I dream about him coming into my
room. He touches my skin… kisses my lips… gets
me off again and again.

He has me down on my knees, panting and begging
him to keep going…

When I wake up early the next morning, I’m
soaking wet.

“Shit,” I whisper to myself.

I get up and shower, not sure what else to do. I
make some coffee and pour it into a travel mug that

I find in the cabinet… and take a walk down to the
lake.

It’s beautiful in the morning. There’s a dock at the
edge of the property. I walk out onto it and sit at
the end, my feet curled under my legs. It’s too cold
to dip my toes in, but I think I’ll try later.

I keep coming against the same problem in my
head, over and over. I want to give in to him… trust
him… follow through with his offer for real.

But I’ve never done anything like that before.

I’ve never had a man… inside of me.

I’m a virgin.

God, it’s so pathetic. Twenty-two years old and still
a virgin.

But I haven’t had time to settle down with any
guys. I’ve been too busy running away my entire
life, trying to find someplace safe to settle down.

He’s the first man I’ve given in to…

And he wants everything from me.

That’s what terrifies me the most. If I go through
with this, I’ll sleep with him for the first time… my
first time… and he’ll want to get me pregnant. I’ll
go from virgin to pregnant to… what?

I don’t know. Assuming I even survive.

“Excuse me?”

I turn around, startled. It’s still early morning and I
thought I was alone.

An old man is standing down near the end of the
dock. He has gray hair, light jeans, and a red down
jacket. He smiles at me and waves a little.

“Sorry if I startled you,” he says. “I didn’t know
you folks were here.”

“Oh, sorry?” I stand up, coffee clutched in my
hand.

The man smiles at me sweetly, but I feel a pulse of
fear run through my veins. Adrenaline courses and
I’m ready to fight him off if I have to. I’ll throw my
coffee, splash it in his face…

“You’re a friend of the Reed family? I figure you’re
a friend… since the Reeds don’t come much
themselves anymore. Well, I guess it’s been years
since I saw any of them. The son owns it, you see,
but I guess you know that.”

“Oh,” I say, blinking. “I know Knox.”

“Yes, Knox, he’s a good boy.” The man chuckles.
“I remember when Knox was just a little kid,
swimming in this lake with his parents. But now

he’s all grown.” He blinks a little, looking far off.
“Sorry, I’m being rude. My name is Gary.”

I walk toward him. “I’m Ruby.”

“Nice to meet you, Ruby.”

I shake his hand tentatively.

“Old Tiger’s around here somewhere.” Gary puts
his fingers in his mouth and whistles. “Tiger!”

I wince at the sound, breaking an otherwise silent
and pretty morning. I watch as a black dog
suddenly pulls itself from some underbrush and
comes bounding over. He’s a fat old black lab with
gray around his muzzle and chest. He runs right up
to Gary and nuzzles at his legs and comes over to
me, sniffing curiously.

I pet the dog on the head. He licks my fingers and
wanders off again.

“I walk Tiger along here most mornings,” Gary
says. “Nice to have him around, you know? Gets
lonely out here sometimes.”

“You’re alone out here?” I ask.

“Oh, sure, sure. Wife passed away ten years ago
now. Children all grown and gone. But in the good
days, we were always here, the whole family of
us… it was real nice.”

I frown a little. “I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s okay, Miss Ruby. I loved my family. Still do.
Just wish they were all here with me, but that’s
okay. I got my Tiger.”

The dog barks and wags his tail.

Gary grins at him.

“I’m sorry if I’m bothering your walk,” I say.

“Oh, no, no, no bother. Technically I’m trespassing,
but, well, folks don’t normally mind. Especially
since they’re hardly ever here anymore.” He smiles
at me kindly. “I’ll leave you alone, if you like?”

“I have coffee,” I blurt out stupidly.

Gary smiles wide. “Well that’s a tempting offer.”

We walk up to the house together. I make him a
cup and refill my mug. We sit on the back porch
and watch Tiger run around the yard, smelling trees
and digging at the dirt.

“Family’s important, Miss Ruby,” Gary says. “Real
important. That’s what I’ve learned in my old age.”
He looks at me for a second. “Married?”

“Nope.” I hold my fingers up.

“Ah. Too young for that these days, I guess.” He

smiles. “I was married at eighteen, stuck with her
my whole life. It was a good, long life.”

“How old are your children?”

“Grown, grown. But they’re good kids. They come
out as much as they can.”

Tiger barks, chases a squirrel.

I listen as Gary talks more about his family. At first
I thought he was just a doddering old man and I
was worried he was lost or something… but I
quickly realize he’s just lonely and happy to have
someone to talk at.

And I’m happy to listen to someone talk. The more
he mentions his family… the more I think about my
own future.

I never really had a family. Well, I did, but it was a
long time ago. I can barely even remember those
days when my dad was around and my mom wasn’t
an addict. Those were good days… happy days…

I forgot that it could be nice, having someone in
your life. I’ve been relying on myself for so long…

“Ruby?”

I look over at Gary, suddenly aware that my mind
was wandering. “Sorry,” I say. “I must’ve been
daydreaming.”

He smiles kindly. “My wife used to do that.” He
stands up. “Thanks for the coffee. Maybe I’ll run
into you again.”

“You don’t have to go,” I say.

He shrugs. “Gotta get the dog back. Plus, I have my
chores to do. Thanks for indulging an old man for a
bit.”

I smile and walk with him halfway down the hill.
He waves and disappears into the tree line, Tiger
hot on his heels, trotting along.

I wrap my arms around myself for a second. It’s
getting warmer, and my mind keeps spinning
around my problem.

Do I give myself over to Knox… or do I run again
and try to make it on my own?

There’s still no obvious answer. I end up at the
dock again, but now the sun’s up so I risk dipping
my toes in the water.

It’s cold but it feels good.

I lean back on my hands and close my eyes. I see
Knox staring back at me, his hands between my
legs… his lips against mine…

My back arches, orgasm ripping through my body.

I open my eyes and shiver.

I spend an hour down by the water and when I get
up, my feet are pruned. I smile and walk barefoot
back to the house.

When I get there, his car is in the driveway.

I stand outside, lingering there for a long moment,
not sure what I’m going to say when I see him.

But I sigh and head in through the back.

Knox is sitting in the living room, reading a book.
He looks up when I enter the kitchen.

“There you are,” he says. “Enjoying your day?”

“You shouldn’t have left,” I say angrily. “You
shouldn’t have left me here alone.”

“I was only down the hill,” he says softly. “There’s
another cabin down there.”

I frown at him. “How big is this property?”

“Biggest lot in the area.”

I sigh and stretch. “I met someone.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Old man named Gary. Had a dog named Tiger.”

Knox raises an eyebrow. “I remember him. He was

always pretty nice. I think he lives in the house
over there.”

“He kept talking about his family.”

“Did he?” Knox remains still, looking vaguely
interested.

“Here’s the thing. I don’t remember family as…
something happy. I just remember it as a burden I
have to carry. Do you have happy memories?”

He nods slowly. “Yes. I do.”

“I hate my family, Knox. I hate my father and my
mother. I hate what I’ve been through.”

“I can understand that.”

“Can you? Then explain to me why you’d want to
bring… to bring another person into all this.”

He sighs and closes the book, slowly standing up.
“Let me ask you something instead, little Ruby.
Why are you so sure that a baby will be better off
not born?”

“Because this hell I’ve been through, because the
men—”

“They won’t be around when this baby grows up,”
Knox says gently. “Believe me, Ruby. We’ll get
through this. My child will have a good life… a safe

life. I’ll provide the best life I possibly can.”

“How can you be so sure?” I ask softly.

“I guess I can’t. But that’s life, isn’t it? There are
no promises. There’s only what we choose to do.”

He walks toward me slowly. I back up and run into
the kitchen counter. He stops in front of me, close
enough to touch.

“I don’t know what to do,” I whisper.

“I know.” He reaches out and tilts my chin toward
him. “Give yourself to me, Ruby. Give me what I
want and I’ll make sure you don’t regret it.”

I stare into his eyes… and for the first time in a
long time, I don’t feel like running away.

It’s scary, but I want to stay here with him. I want
to trust him. And I think that’s what’s been holding
me back the most.

I’ve never felt this way before. I’ve never wanted
to give myself over to a man, to anyone really. I’ve
always been on my own, living my own way,
keeping myself safe.

Now I’m going to trust someone else to do it for
me…

That scares the hell out of me.

I stand up on my toes and kiss him gently. He
smiles and kisses me back.

“I want it,” I whisper. “I really do.”

“Good girl.”

He kisses me again, this time with more hunger. I
take a sharp breath as I feel his tongue against
mine, his hands on my body.

He pulls me away from the kitchen and into the
living room. As we stumble, he pulls my shirt off,
my bra. His hands are on my skin, teasing my
breasts, my nipples. I’m moaning into his kiss…

It’s going to fast and I can’t slow down. I don’t
want to slow down.

He kisses me nice and long and pushes me down
onto the couch. I land with a gasp as he kneels
down between my legs. My heart is hammering as
he unbuttons my jeans and pulls them down.

“There are benefits to giving yourself over to me,”
he whispers. “You know what they are?”

“I think so,” I groan.

“I think you do, too.” He kisses my breasts and
inner thighs. He kisses my lips, diving me wild. “Do
you still need convincing?”

“Maybe,” I moan.

He smirks. He wanted that answer.

His lips move down to my belly button, down to the
waistband of my panties. He pushes them aside and
his tongue laps me up, licking me top to bottom.

I gasp, surprised as pleasure rocks through my skin.

“That’s it,” he whispers. “That’s what I wanted.”

I moan as he licks me. I didn’t know this could feel
so good…

I run my fingers through his hair, pulling it, pushing
him down. My body tightens, clenches, relaxes. He
licks me, sucking my clit before sliding two fingers
deep inside me.

He fucks me with them and kisses my lips. I can
taste myself and I love how dirty it is. I let his kiss
linger before he drops back down between my legs.

God, I don’t know if I could ever get tired of this.

He licks and sucks me faster. I groan, hips rolling.
He knows where to push me, where to touch me.
He knows exactly what I want just before I even
know to beg for it.

“Fuck,” I moan as his fingers push deep.

He licks my clit faster. I’m rolling my hips, pleasure
rocking through me. I’m panting, gasping. I whisper
his name, let it linger on my lips.

I taste his name on my tongue as he sucks my clit
harder, his fingers pumping deep inside my tight
pussy.

“Knox,” I gasp as my body tenses again. This time,
the tension doesn’t ease.

He moves faster, pushing it further. I can hear my
moans filling the space and he doesn’t slow down,
fingers pumping, tongue licking, lips sucking, and
fuck, oh god—

I come hard on his mouth, my hips gyrating. My
body tenses and explodes as it rocks through me.
The orgasm feels so good I can’t think, everything
is blinding pleasure, blinding intense pleasure.

And slowly I come down. He’s kissing me again
and I’m cleaning off his fingers, licking them clean.
I want to taste more of him…

“That’s a good girl,” he whispers, stepping back.
“Now, I have one more thing I need from you.”

“Yes?” I’m leaning back in the couch, heart racing,
mostly naked. My panties are still pushed aside and
soaking wet.

He kneels down again, but this time… only on one
knee.

I sit up, eyes blinking.

“Marry me,” he says. “Give me all the babies I
want. Give me yourself, Ruby.”

I bite my lip.

Danger is so close…

“Yes,” I whisper.

He reaches into his pocket and takes out a ring. It’s
simple, but the diamond is massive and flawless. He
slides it on my finger.

“Perfect,” he says.

When he kisses me, I know I’ve just done
something I’ll never come back from.

And I’m not sure I’m going to want to.

Knox

We spend the next week at my cabin.

Well, Ruby does at least. I split my time between
the cabin and the office.

“You can’t just leave me,” she says the next day
when I tell her I plan on driving back into the city.

“I’m not,” I say, smiling. “I promise.”

“So then I’m coming with you.”

I shake my head. “Nope. You’re not.”

She throws up her hands. “So then you’re just
leaving me!”

I laugh and put an arm around her shoulder, pulling
her along toward the front door. “I’d never leave
you unguarded.”

Sitting out front is a black truck with three men
sitting inside.

Ruby stares at them for a second. “Bodyguards?”

“Israeli mercenaries,” I say. “They don’t really
speak English, but that’s fine.”

“How the hell did you find them?”

“I have my ways.” I grin at her and don’t bother to
mention that I’ve done work for the Israeli Special
Forces. Those were off-the-books jobs… just a
little propaganda for our allies in the Middle East.

“This is insane.”

“I know. But trust me, it’ll be worth it.”

She chews her lip then finally nods. “Okay. I’ll trust
you.”

“I know.” I kiss her cheek then head to my car.
“Good luck. They’re staying in the guest house so
they shouldn’t bother you for anything.”

She waves uncertainly as I pull down the driveway.

She’s fine, of course. I don’t think anyone knows
where we are, and if they do, they’re not about to
try to fight through three armed Israeli mercenaries.
They’re the real deal, actual ex-Special Forces
guys. A little crazy maybe, but competent.

I have an ulterior motive, of course.

This little situation won’t be solved by hiring
muscle. I know that as well as she does. The mafia

is patient, very patient. Sooner or later, we’ll slip up
and get whacked. It might not happen for years, but
it’ll happen one way or another.

So I need to solve this issue some other way.

Which is why I need to be in the city. I have
contacts, men that can help me. But I can’t do
anything from the fucking Poconos. I need to see
them face to face.

Another risk, but an important risk. All of this is
just mitigating risk, deciding what’s good risk and
what’s bad risk.

That’s all of life.

But the week passes without incident. I spend
Monday and Wednesday in the city and the rest of
the time I’m with Ruby, showing her around the
lake.

“I used to skip rocks down here,” I say, bending
over to pick up a nice, flat one. I toss it out onto the
water, flicking my wrist, and I get a few decent
jumps.

“Yeah? You skip a lot of rocks as a kid?”

Ruby moves up against me. The Israeli guys are
back at the cabin, probably watching porn and
drinking all my fucking beer. I can’t wait to be rid

of them.

“I guess so. Believe it or not, I had a lonely
childhood.”

“Why?” She cocks her head slightly, blinking up at
me with those pretty eyes.

I walk along the bank of the lake and she follows.
It’s a beautiful Saturday evening and the sun is just
starting to sink down through the sky, casting long,
gorgeous light over the otherwise still water.

“My parents didn’t have a good concept of how to
raise a young boy,” I say slowly. “They weren’t
interested in finding me playdates. They were more
interested in finding me books to read.”

“That doesn’t sound so unusual. I mean, you
could’ve found friends, right?”

“Not up here,” I say, shaking my head. “And back
home, well, I had friends. I just wasn’t allowed to
see them.”

“Really?”

“I had to do my reading first.” I can remember my
mother standing over me when I was young, maybe
six years old. She was glaring at me, her eyes stern.
If you want to play, Knox, you’d better finish that
book report soon. Otherwise, you’re inside all day.

“At least they cared about what you did.” She
jumps gingerly over a fallen log and I help her
regain her balance when she lands. “My parents
mostly just ignored me. At least, my mom did.”

“What was your father like?”

“Nice, actually,” she says softly. “He was kind and
gentle with me. Played a lot, told me stories.”

“Strange to imagine a killer with his own children.”

She looks out at the water. “I didn’t see him like
that. To me, he was just… dad.”

“What did they say he did for a living?”

“Sanitation.” She grins at me.

I laugh and step on a stick with a loud crack.
“Seriously? That’s the most cliché gangster thing
ever.”

“He really did work sanitation, though. He worked
on a garbage truck. Looking back on it, I think the
early hours and being able to move around… I
think that helped him get away with killing for so
long.”

“Hm,” I grunt, watching wind blow through the
grass. “Killer garbage man.”

“Sounds hilarious when you say it that way.”

“But it wasn’t so funny, was it?”

“No,” she says flatly.

“Must’ve been hard when he got caught?”

“Mom just about lost her mind.” She goes quiet for
a moment, remembering. “But I’ve always
wondered about that. When the cops first came and
told us Dad got arrested, she didn’t look surprised.”

“You think she knew?”

“Maybe. Suspected at least. Maybe she knew he
was in the mob but not what he actually did for
them.” She just shakes her head. “I’ll never know
now.”

“You could ask him.”

She looks at me quickly, eyes wide. “No fucking
way. I haven’t talked to him… well, not since he
went away.”

“Why not?” I ask softly.

“Probably because he’s a murdering fucking
psychopath that ruined our family.”

“Good point. Still, he’s your father. Did he ever
call?”

“He called back when he knew my number, but

that was a long time ago.” She doesn’t look at me
as she talks and I can tell this isn’t her favorite
subject. “I’ve thought about visiting him, but I
know that if I go, they’ll just find me.”

“That’s probably smart.”

“So he’s dead to me, as far as I’m concerned.”

I hesitate before putting an arm over her shoulders.
“Then we’re both orphans.”

She snorts. “Can you be an orphan at your age?”

“Sure, why not? I sweep chimneys now and beg on
the street.”

“Doubtful. I bet those shoes are worth more than
most real orphans make in a year.”

“Nah. But the whole outfit, maybe.”

She rolls her eyes and I laugh, squeezing her against
me.

We’re an odd pair, the two of us. Both of us
damaged for our own reasons, although hers are
much more obvious than mine.

We end up back down at the dock, sitting with our
feet in the water. She’s leaning against my shoulder,
looking out over the water.

“It couldn’t have been so bad,” she says softly.
“Coming out here every summer when you were a
kid.”

“Maybe,” I say. “But you didn’t know my parents.
They weren’t killers… but they weren’t kind,
either.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t compare our situations, I
know that isn’t fair.”

“It’s fine.” I tilt her chin up toward me. The
sunlight catches on the diamond on her finger and I
smile. “Do you like wearing that?”

“What, this?” She holds the ring up. “It’s okay. I
mean, I’m used to it.”

“Just okay? We can get you something different.”

She shakes her head quickly. “No, no, not what I
meant. I love my ring.”

I laugh softly. “Listen Ruby. You can have
whatever you want, do you understand that? The
ring, it’s just an object. If you want a different one,
you can have a different one. But the meaning
behind the object will remain the same whether it’s
that ring or another one.”

She looks at the ring on her finger for a long
moment. “You’re right,” she says. “It’s weird that

different objects can mean the same thing… in the
right context.”

I make her look up at me again. “Just like people.”

And I kiss her softly.

She returns the kiss, letting it linger for a long
moment before shouts from the cabin force us to
break it short.

I get to my feet quickly. Ruby’s climbing up to
follow.

“Stay here,” I growl at her. “Don’t move. Stay
here.”

“I should come. I shouldn’t be alone.”

“You need to be where you’re safe, and right now,
this is safe. I’ll know where you are. Just stay.”

Without another word, I hurry off toward the cabin.
There’s more shouting, all of it in Hebrew. I curse
myself softly, wishing I had hired guys that spoke
some fucking English since my Hebrew is shit.

I get up to the house and two of the three Israeli
guards are standing with their weapons drawn,
pointing them at an old man. His hands are thrust
up in the air while an old black lab growls at his
side.

“Okay, okay,” I say in Hebrew. “All good.”

They seem to get my meaning and slowly lower
their weapons.

“Knox?” the man asks in a shaky voice. “I was just
coming… to see Ruby. She was nice to me.”

“Shit,” I say and walk over to him. I barely
recognize Gary from the old days. He’s changed a
lot, but we all have. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry
about them. I told them to be on high alert and not
to let anyone near here. That’s my mistake, I didn’t
realize you’d be coming.”

“I just… wanted to say hello.” He’s still trembling.

“Come on, come inside. I’ll make you some tea.”

He shakes his head. The Israeli guys are already
walking away with disgusted looks on their faces.

Tiger’s still growling so I don’t get any closer. Gary
sighs and pats his dog’s head. But old boy doesn’t
back down.

“Just tell her I stopped by,” Gary says. “Okay? Just
tell her.”

He turns and walks off, Tiger trailing close on his
heels.

I sigh and turn back, walking slowly back to the

dock. Ruby’s there, looking anxious.

“It was Gary,” I say to her. “Our Israelis nearly
killed him.”

“Is he okay?”

“He’s fine. Just shaken up. He wanted to come say
hello.”

She groans. “He’s a nice man. I didn’t think…”

“I know.” I sigh and take her hand. “Come on. I
think it’s time.”

“Time for what?”

I lead her back to the cabin. “Time we go back into
the city.”

She stops walking. “Wait. Are you joking?”

I turn and face her, dropping her hand. “We can’t
stay here forever.”

“Why the hell not? We have the bodyguards, we’re
safe in the middle of nowhere, it’s nice out here, it’s
—”

“It’s not safe,” I say softly. “Even if it is for now, it
won’t be forever. The mafia, they don’t forget.
They’ll wait another twelve years if they have to,
but sooner or later, they’ll strike.”

“So what? You want to just go back to the city and
let them have us?”

“Oh, no,” I say with a grin. “We’re going back and
having our wedding.”

Her eyes go wide. “Wedding?”

“We’re getting married, little Ruby. So we’ll need a
wedding.”

“But I can’t… it’s so fast.”

I stare at her, at her wide eyes, the nerves clearly
raw. “I don’t want to have to keep saying this
Ruby, but you need to trust me. You need to know
that I have your best interests in mind.”

“I know, I just…”

“Trust me.” I reach back and take her hair in a fist,
pulling back and tilting her chin up. “You do trust
me?”

“Yes,” she groans.

“Good. Then we’re having a wedding on Monday.”
I kiss her gently, letting our lips linger. “Get ready,
little Ruby.”

“I will.” Her words are soft, nearly strangled, but I
can feel the desire pulsing through her, sparking
between us in the air.

She’ll get ready, all right, but I don’t think she
knows what I mean.

On Monday, the wedding…

And on Monday night, the wedding night.

That means I’m making her mine… every inch.

Ruby

We leave the lake early Sunday morning. I hate
watching it disappear behind us…

But what’s coming ahead is even more terrifying.

We get back to the city and end up checking into a
little hotel around the corner from Rittenhouse
Square. It looks like it was just old townhomes
someone renovated to create a bunch of smaller
rooms.

It’s surprisingly nice and centrally located—and
clearly off the beaten path.

“Just to be safe,” Knox says as we step into our
room. “I figured we’ll stay here for now.”

The room is decently sized with one large queen
bed, a beautiful modern bathroom off a short
hallway, and a little living space area. It’s not
enormous, but it’s more than enough for the two of
us.

“Who gets the bed?” I ask him and he just smirks at

me before dropping his bag onto the floor.

He disappears again for a few hours. “Don’t leave,”
he says. “Lock the door behind me and don’t open
it for anyone else, not even someone from the
hotel, not unless there’s smoke coming under the
door and you’re about to burn up. Even then… use
the window.”

I nod, biting my lip. “Do you have to go?”

He kisses me gently. “I’ll be back.”

So I’m left alone again. Another few hours in a
hotel room. At least I have TV this time. I spend the
day flipping through channels, bored out of my
mind.

You’d think that my life would be more exciting.
I’m engaged to a billionaire and I have the mafia on
my tail.

But mostly, it’s just been sitting around and waiting.
Sure, there have been some exciting moments… his
mouth between my legs… the orgasm ripping
through my skin…

Mostly it’s just sitting around and waiting. I almost
want to fall asleep, but I’m too anxious to do it.

Any noise out in the hall makes me practically jump
out of my skin. Once, I run into the bathroom, but it

turns out it was just the maid coming to turn down
the room. The locks keep her away.

It’s late when he finally comes back.

“It’s me, Ruby,” he says through the door. “Gary’s
dog’s name is Tiger.”

I go and open the door. He smirks at me and slips
into the room, a large black bag draped over his
shoulder.

“What’s that?” I ask him as he takes it over to the
bed.

He throws it down and steps away, gesturing
toward it.

“Go ahead.”

I hesitate just a second before approaching. It’s
clearly a dress bag although there’s no label or store
information on it at all. I glance at him, my heart
fluttering in my chest.

He watches impassively, just a hint of a smile on his
lips.

Slowly I unzip the front. The white dress blossoms
from the inside of that black bag like a flower and
my heart really does skip a beat when it’s
completely unzipped.

I pick up the dress, my mouth hanging open.

It weighs practically nothing. It has a high lacy
neck and intricate subtle flowers woven all through
the ivory white bodice. The skirt flows down in
gossamer folds of thousands of layers, lace and
tulle and silk. I hold it up to the light and it
practically shimmers from very subtle gems…
stones that give it just enough weight.

I look at him. “What is this?”

“It’s your wedding dress,” he says gently. “Do you
like it?”

“I love it,” I whisper, choking back a sob.

I never thought I’d have something like this in my
entire life. I always figured I’d afford whatever was
on sale, if I ever did get married, which never
seemed likely. I mean, I’ve been on the run for so
long, always paranoid that the mob was about to
get me, I never slowed down to actually date a guy.

Let alone get married to one. I thought this was
beyond what would happen for me.

I always figured my life would end in misery…

But this? I never pictured this.

“Get undressed,” he says. “Try it on.”

I stare at him, surprised. “That’s bad luck.”

“Fuck luck,” he says, grinning like a jackal. “I
make my own luck. Go on, undress.”

I hesitate just a second before taking off my
clothes. I don’t even care that he’s watching me
closely, staring at my curves, my skin.

I pull the dress on, stepping in and sliding it up over
my hips.

It’s like it was made for me. The chest is just a tad
snug, but it presses my breasts up and together
beautifully. I turn to him and he easily zips it up, the
dress draping all around me, clinging to my curves
and my hips just perfectly.

He steers me over to a mirror and steps back.

“What do you think?” he asks.

I look like a princess.

I’ve never, ever wanted to be a freaking princess
before. Seriously, I always thought that was dumb.

But staring at myself in this dress, I feel like I might
melt.

“Is it real?” I manage to croak at him.

“What do you mean, real?”

“This dress… it can’t be real.”

He chuckles. “It’s real, all right. Called in a big
favor to get it last minute. I estimated your
measurements and I think I was pretty close, don’t
you?”

I bite my lip. “You were dead on.”

“A bit on. Breasts are bigger than I thought.” He
steps up behind me, hands on my body, cupping my
chest. I feel a thrill run down my spine. “But the
color, it’s perfect. Makes your skin look like
cream.”

“Like a princess,” I whisper.

“Exactly.” He kisses my neck. “My princess.”

I feel a shudder along my neck. “Are you sure?” I
ask, staring at him in the mirror. “I mean, about all
of this. You can still…”

He stops me by taking my hair in his fist and gently
turning my head over toward him. He kisses my lips
softly.

“I’m very sure,” he says. “You don’t worry about
that.”

“But you can… you can go, if you want. I won’t
hold it against you. You already saved me once.”

“And I’ll keep on saving you, my little Ruby.”

I look back at myself in the mirror… at the dress.

It’s such a small thing, a stupid thing. It’s just a
dress you wear once, just one time during your life,
but it’s meaningful.

It’s like the ring. It has significance. It’s an object
but it’s the meaning of the object that matters more
than the thing itself.

And staring at myself in this mirror, it means a lot…
just having this dress on my body.

“The diamonds are real,” he whispers in my ear.
“Thousands of dollars’ worth of diamonds, just
sewn into your dress. You’re going to be dazzling…
I’m counting on that.”

“I’ll do my best.” I bite my lip gently.

“Oh, I know you will. Because this wedding is
important.”

“Why?” I look at him and suddenly feel dread in
my stomach.

“We’re meeting with your killers, my darling.”

I step away from him and nearly trip on the dress.
“W-what?”

“We’re meeting with your mob boss.” He grins
viciously at me. “Alfonso Grosso was invited to our
wedding.”

I back away from him, nearly trip on the train
again, and end up sitting on the bed. He grins at me
huge, laughter in his eyes.

Fear spikes through me.

“No,” I say. “That’s insane. They’ll… they’ll kill
me.”

“Not at a wedding, they won’t. Say what you will
about the mafia, but they do have rules.”

“You’re insane.”

“Maybe.” He grins, cocks his head. “But I’m all
you have. And this is my plan.”

“Invite them to our wedding and let them murder
me in front of everyone?”

“No,” he says softly. “Invite them to our wedding
and see if we can’t make a deal for your life.”

“But—”

“Otherwise, we’re running forever. And that’s no
life at all. So we figure out what they want and we
barter for you.”

“What if they don’t want anything?”

“Then…” He trails off and shrugs. “We’ll come to
that if we have to.”

I suddenly want to tear the dress off my body.

This plan is crazy. These men, they want me dead.
They nearly murdered me in our office where
anyone could’ve seen. Some wedding isn’t going to
stop them.

He’s wrong. I know he’s wrong. This plan is just
going to end up with this dress covered in red…
drenched in my blood.

But his eyes…

He’s not going to change his mind. I can see that
now.

This is what he’s been doing. Setting this up.

That’s why he left me alone in this room. Why he
left me alone at the lake.

He’s been planning this.

And now there’s no turning back.

Knox

I t’s surprisingly hard setting up a wedding at the
last minute.

Well, at least for people without unlimited money.
Fortunately, I could throw my checkbook at the
problem…

And rent out one of the biggest spaces available.

Thirtieth Street Station is one of the most beautiful
buildings in the whole city. It’s essentially the
transportation hub of Philadelphia. The subway and
regional rails and everything else run right through
it.

The architecture is sublime. High ceilings, classic
arches, beautiful busts and friezes.

It’s the perfect place to have my wedding.

Sure, it gets in the way of every single person trying
to travel through Philadelphia, but fuck them. Fuck
the whole goddamn world.

I have a mafia boss to impress.

We get there early. The main thoroughfare to
Thirtieth Street Station is closed down as guests
slowly arrive. Everyone was invited and clearly
they’re all taking off work for this spectacle.

Weddings aren’t usually on a Monday morning. But
this isn’t your normal wedding.

The high windows and beautiful Art Deco hanging
lights lend a very upscale vibe to the whole
proceeding. I hand Ruby off to the wedding
coordinator, a very intense woman named Jen, and
head inside to shake hands.

Ruby shoots me one last look, and I can’t tell if
she’s afraid because of my plan or because she’s
about to marry me for real.

It’s a smorgasbord of the rich and elite from both
Philly and New York. Politicians, business leaders,
athletes, singers, dancers, actors, they’re all
crammed into the huge space.

“I didn’t know you could rent this out!” the mayor
says to me with a laugh.

“You can’t normally. But when you have this much
money…”

He guffaws and shakes my hand again, pounding

me on the back.

I already wrote him a fat donation to help make this
happen. I’m sure it’s the first of many more.

Other people float past me. I have a few friends in
the mix, and they’re all equally confused and
excited by the whole thing.

“Are you sure about this?” Robert says. He owns a
competing firm, but we’ve been friends for years.

“As sure as I’ll ever be.”

He sighs. “Looks like you took a chunk out of
savings for all this.”

“I dipped into retirement a bit.”

He laughs and shakes his head, mystified.

More people come through. An actor, a basketball
player. The dean of Temple University. The dean of
the University of Pennsylvania. The head curator of
the Philadelphia Art Museum.

Finally, the one person I actually want to talk to
sidles up next to me as I take a breath and grab a
glass of champagne. It’s barely after eleven in the
morning but fuck it, why not.

“They’re here,” he says to me under his breath.

I turn and look at Giovanni. His dark hair is slicked
back and he’s wearing that same old suit, the one
he always wears. It’s trim and tailored but worn in
the shoulders and sleeves.

The man doesn’t care about his appearance, not
really. He just wants to look respectable… enough.

“Where?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “In the mix. I’ll introduce you
soon.”

“We should talk privately.”

He snorts. “I wouldn’t. They’re more likely to
behave if you don’t.”

I sigh and look up at the ceiling. “Are you sure they
won’t just murder us all?”

“Nope.” Giovanni grins. “But hey, it’s been a nice
life, right?”

I glare at him and he just keeps grinning.

I’ve known Gio for a very long time. We went to
high school together. He’s the son of a wealthy
doctor and a successful lawyer, but he never really
fit in anywhere. When I went into business, he
went into a sort of parallel business.

You could call him shady… a lot of people do.

But he’s just a businessman, just working in the
shadows.

He has connections everywhere. On the face of it,
he works in the gambling business, helping to open
Pennsylvania to more and more gambling
establishments.

But mostly, he works in the underbelly, setting up
meetings and cashflows and bribes.

He’s my connection to Mitch. And my connection
to Alfonso Grosso.

“Come on,” he says, smiling. “It’s your wedding
day, you psycho.”

“Right. Should put on a show.”

He grabs a glass and we toast. “You’re going to be
a lucky man. I hear she’s pretty.”

“She is.”

“Worth it?”

“Absolutely.”

He laughs, throwing his head back. “You really are
nuts. They’re going to kill you both, you know?”

“They’ll try.”

“But you’ll find a way, won’t you? Always do.”

I just nod once, eyes set.

I always find a way, and this is no different.

They’re businessmen, just like me. They want
something.

I just have to find what they want that’s more
important than killing Ruby. Once I figure that out,
I just find a way to give it to them.

That’s how I’ll save her life.

It’s only business.

The day wears on. Cocktail hour turns into cocktail
two hours. I shake more hands and Gio lingers
nearby, always keeping my mind on the real task at
hand.

Music plays once the second hour finishes and
people are ushered toward their seats. I feel a
strange sense of calm fall over me just as Gio
finally steps up and whispers in my ear.

“They’re ready to talk.”

I glance at him, frowning. “The ceremony is going
to start soon.”

“Now or never, Knox.”

I steel myself and nod. “Let’s go.”

He leads me through the crowd and down a side
passageway.

The sounds of the wedding start to recede. I feel a
jolt of anxiety like an off-tune piano shoot down
my spine.

Not because I’m about to meet in private with a
murderous mafia boss. No, that’s no big deal. I
know how these men work, at least to an extent.
I’ve known enough men associated with the
business that I have a good idea of how these old-
school mob guys work.

No, I’m worried because I’m afraid I’ll be late for
the ceremony. I don’t want to leave Ruby standing
up there alone. I’d hate myself if I caused her any
sort of embarrassment at all.

Which is an odd thing to realize as we walk into a
more industrial part of the station. I didn’t know I
was getting involved in this because I cared about
her in particular, more that I wanted to get
something from her. But apparently, she’s part of
this… just as much as the baby that she’ll be
carrying is.

Strange. I didn’t know that about myself… but it’s
good to know.

“Here,” Gio says, stopping outside of an unmarked

door. We’re just up the stairs from the actual
subway platform. The shops here are shuttered and
there are no people walking along. I think these
tracks are all closed down on account of the
wedding.

I put my hand on the knob but Gio stops me. “You
sure?” he asks quietly.

I raise an eyebrow. “Am I in danger, Gio?”

He shakes his head. “No. But once you start talking
to these men… they don’t let you go so easily.”

“That’s good.” I turn the knob. “I don’t want them
to.”

We step into a large supply closet. The light is dim
but we quickly make out several figures sitting in
the back of the room around a small folding table.

What I took for dim lighting at first quickly
resolved into cigar smoke. I suppress a cough,
mostly just because the air in here is so thick with
it.

Three men are sitting on the same side of the table.
One man is large and broad-shouldered, younger
with a bald head. Clearly he’s the muscle. The
other is middle aged, a slight paunch in his gut,
jowls under his cheeks, and a receding hairline
that’s vainly combed over.

And the last man is sitting in the middle wearing an
expensive-looking suit. He’s in his seventies at
least, with pure white hair combed back. His eyes
are sallow and yellowed and the irises are nearly
pitch black. There’s a birthmark on his right cheek
and I know who he is instantly because of it.

“Don Grosso,” I say, approaching the table.

The men stare at me and the oldest of them smiles.

“Knox Reed,” he says in a thin, almost quiet voice.
He puffs on a cigar for a second. “I admit I am very
surprised that you invited me to this wedding of
yours.”

“I wanted to speak with you,” I say. “I felt this
would be the safest way to go about that.”

He laughs, a hacking sound. He probably shouldn’t
be smoking.

“My associates here, they both said I should just
kill you,” Grosso says. The men don’t smile at me.
“But I told them, no, I don’t do that. We abide by
the old laws or we have no laws at all.” He laughs
again and shakes his head. “So here we are,
speaking on your wedding day, although I admit it
is not a happy day for me.”

I linger there and I sense Gio shrink back toward
the door. He doesn’t leave but he doesn’t stay

close.

“May I sit?” I ask.

Grosso laughs. “Of course. Sit.”

I take a seat and cross my legs. “Sir, you’re a
businessman, are you not?”

He murmurs for a moment. “Once upon a time,” he
says finally. “I was a businessman. And then I was
thrown into prison, my name smeared, my business
ruined. Now I am something else entirely.”

That’s not a good sign.

“I’m a businessman,” I say softly. “You know who
I am, I think. We have friends in common. You
must know the sort of man I try to be.”

“Honorable, they all say. You abide by the terms of
the deal always. You can be trusted to do as you
say you will do, so I am told.”

“This is a waste of time,” the middle-aged man
suddenly says. “Why are we doing this bullshit old
school—”

“Marco,” Don Grosso says sternly. “Be quiet.”

The man glares but says nothing.

“Please, let me get down to business,” I say, aware

that this whole meeting could shift at any moment.
“I want to offer you all something that will allow
you to spare the girl’s life.”

Don Grosso frowns. “The girl is the daughter of the
man that ruined my business. You see how I cannot
let that slide? It is not a small thing you are asking.”

“I can offer you many things, Don Grosso. I can
offer you money, but I suspect that’s not something
you want or need. So I can offer you other things as
well.”

He glances at his associates. The bald man keeps
staring at me with these empty, baleful eyes.

“What can you offer?” he asks.

“Influence,” I say softly.

The man named Marco scoffs. Don Grosso ignores
him.

“That isn’t always much,” he says, puffing on his
cigar.

“Don, you’ve done business long enough to know
that influence is everything in this city.” I stare at
the men for a moment before continuing. “I built
my business here for a reason. I have connections
and influence among the people that matter. That
influence has only grown over the years. Don, you

say your business was destroyed by the girl’s father,
then let me rebuild it for you.”

He watches me carefully for a long moment. I can
tell that this whole endeavor hinges on this very
moment.

I feel a thrill run through me. This is the moment I
love most in all business meetings. The moment
when all the masks are ripped off and the pure
naked deal is being made. When everyone puts
their cards on the table, makes clear what they
want… and we find out what we can really do.

That’s one of the most thrilling things in the world.
It’s even better that my life is potentially on the line
here.

“There is something I want,” Don Grosso finally
says. “Something we have been planning for many,
many years, but have not been able to make a
reality. Can you make this thing a reality for me?”

“Yes,” I say, although I know I shouldn’t. It’s a
very bad negotiating tactic to agree to something
without knowing the terms first.

But I don’t have much leverage and they know it.

“I want a casino in the city limits,” Don Grosso
says. He snaps at the bald man who produces a
manila envelope. The Don slides it across the table

to me, puffing on his cigar. “The details are
enclosed. Make that happen for me and you may
have your wife.”

I take the envelope and glance inside. “This will be
hard,” I say flatly. What I mean to say is, this is
probably impossible.

Pennsylvania has been against gambling for a very
long time. It’s only in the last ten years that
lawmakers have relaxed regulations and allowed
for more gambling. Opening another casino in the
city itself will be even more difficult.

“Yes, it will,” Don Grosso agrees. “It is not a small
task. But if you accomplish it, then you will have
your life and your bride’s life as payment.”

I nod once and tuck the envelope into my jacket. “I
will do it.”

“Two weeks.”

I stare at the man. “You want this in two weeks?”

“I want approvals in two weeks. I want proof that
we will be moving forward on a reasonable
timeline. If you cannot provide that for me, I will
take action against you and your new bride.”

I take a breath and nearly gag on the smoke again.
Fucking bastard wants me to do the impossible in

two weeks.

“I’ll get it done,” I say finally.

“Very good. Congratulations on your big day.” Don
Grosso smiles at me. “Good luck. I hope you
accomplish this task, for both our sakes. Maybe
then we can have good relations moving forward.”

I stand and nod at the men. Marco sneers at me and
the bald man just stares with a flat expression.

I turn to leave.

“By the way,” Grosso says. I turn back to him.
“The man you fought off. That was an impressive
feat, but he’s not happy.”

I narrow my eyes. “Are you going to control him?”

“I’m afraid he’s an independent contractor,” he
says apologetically. “I’ll see what I can do,
however.”

I glare at them and nod before I leave. Gio slips out
the door beside me.

“Can you do it?” He sounds anxious as we hurry
back to the ceremony.

“I’d better,” I say softly.

Fucking hell. So not only do I have to get them

impossible approvals in two weeks, I also might
have a contract killer still out for blood. That
wasn’t the most successful meeting I’ve ever had…

But at least there’s a chance.

We stop just at the edge of the hall. I turn to Gio.

“How do I look?”

He grins. “Perfect. Still going through with this,
huh?”

“I don’t back down,” I say before striding out to
the altar. People look relieved when I step into my
position and nod at the wedding organizer. She says
something into her headset…

And the wedding march begins.

As soon as Ruby steps into the aisle, every single
person of importance in this city now standing and
staring at her, I feel my heart nearly stop in my
chest.

I forget all about that meeting with the gangsters.

Because Ruby…

She looks flawless.

My god. She looks radiant.

She looks perfect.

She walks toward me, blushing and holding a small
bouquet. Her hair is full and luxuriant, and whoever
decided to leave it down is a master and a genius.
She looks understated and yet elegant, and when
she steps up beside me, I feel nothing but pride.

She smiles at me nervously.

“This is too much,” she whispers.

I lean forward and whisper back. “This isn’t
enough,” I say.

She’s blushing when I turn to the minister and the
ceremony begins. She’s blushing even more after
I’ve put the ring on her finger and kissed her…

And made her my wife in front of a room full of
people.

In the back, I see Don Grosso clapping along with
all the others as we walk past.

Ruby

My wedding day passes in a blur of unfamiliar
faces.

I never imagined anything like this. It’s over the
top, it’s absurd, it’s…

Expensive. It’s rich.

It’s so beyond my wildest dreams.

And yet…

I should be more excited.

All morning, I kept thinking, I should be happier…
I should be more excited…

But it wasn’t until I was walking down that aisle
and I saw Knox standing up there that my heart
finally started to flutter.

And when he kissed me…

It’s odd. Knox is essentially a stranger to me. I
mean, he’s been my boss for the last year but that

doesn’t mean we know each other. And yet all I
kept wanting was to be near him.

Because I didn’t know a single other person.

Finally though, I stood up there in front of the
crowd of strangers, knowing full well that the
people that want me dead are among them, and yet
all I could see was him.

Knox made me smile… he made me happy. He
made me excited to be up there on my wedding
day.

I didn’t expect it. I thought seeing him up there
would only make me feel worse. It’s a marriage of
convenience, after all. It’s just a business deal.

I’m giving him this… and a baby.

He’s keeping me alive.

Easy, not big deal, just an exchange.

And yet seeing him made me happy.

I didn’t expect that… I didn’t expect it at all.

Afterward, at the reception, I stayed right by his
side. He never once left me or walked off to do
something else. He stuck close by, holding my hand
for most of it. He introduced me to person after
person, some of them rich and powerful, but

mostly…

I just listened to him talk. I just felt his hand slip
into mine, or slide along the small of my back.

I just felt him dancing close.

And it was magic.

* * *

My wedding passes in a blur.

“You look tired,” Knox says to me in the limo that’s
driving us to the hotel.

“I guess I am.” I stretch my legs and smile at him.
“Thanks for today.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Thanks for showing up.”

I laugh. “You thought I might run?”

“I was pretty sure you would, honestly.”

I grin and shake my head. “Nah. I’m not that kind
of girl.”

“Oh, yeah?” He leans closer to me. “What kind of
girl are you, exactly, Ruby?”

I blush and look down at my feet. “I don’t know. I
guess I’m still finding out.”

“I think I know.” He puts an arm around my
shoulder and I lean my head against him.

He doesn’t elaborate, but I can guess what he’s
thinking.

It’s our wedding night.

Certain things are expected of a bride on her
wedding night.

I’m supposed to do things… things I’ve never done
before.

To be honest, the thought of it doesn’t terrify me
like I believed it would. I mean, I never thought I’d
still be a virgin on my wedding night, to be totally
honest. It just sort of worked out that way.

But I’m not afraid of being with him that way. I
should be. He’s a stranger, after all.

But he’s Knox…

He made me feel so good already. He gave me just
a taste of what he can do.

I feel my heart flutter. Maybe he’s right about me.

Maybe I am…

The limo parks outside of a huge glass skyscraper. I
frown at him. “What about the hotel?” I ask.

“We’re staying someplace nicer now,” he answers,
climbing out of the car. He helps me out. “Don
Grosso won’t bother us for a couple of weeks at
least.”

I stare at him, shocked. This is the first time he’s
mentioning the mafia and he does it so… casually.

“You made a deal?”

He nods, his face unreadable. “Come on.”

I want to press for more details but he’s already
leading me inside. People are staring, people on the
street and in the lobby, I guess because I’m still
wearing my dress.

“Oh my god, you look so pretty!” a young woman
shouts.

I smile at her and Knox brings me inside. More
people stare and I feel like I’m famous or
something as he leads me through the lobby. He’s
smiling a little bit, clearly proud to be leading me
toward the elevators.

“Where’s our stuff?” I ask him as we head up.

“Already here. Don’t worry. I’m taking care of
everything.”

“That’s what you do, huh?”

He shrugs a little and pulls me against him. He
looks down into my eyes and there’s a dirty little
smile on his lips.

“I’ll take care of you,” he whispers softly. “And
you’ll return the favor.”

“You want me to take care of you? I’m not sure I
can.”

He laughs gently and tilts my chin toward him.
“Oh, no, no, no, little Ruby. You most certainly
can.”

I feel a tremble when I realize what he means.

He kisses me gently. I kiss him back, letting it
linger. It’s a lot like that kiss in front of the crowd,
our first kiss as man and wife…

Except it lingers longer. His tongue tastes more like
grass and air and sky…

The doors open. I expect to be greeted by a long
hallway like in any other hotel.

But instead, the doors open directly into a room.

“What?” I ask stupidly.

He laughs and leads me inside. “I guess you didn’t
notice me swipe the key back on the elevator.”

He’s right. I didn’t.

“Holy crap.”

He takes me inside and shows me around. The
elevator opens directly into a living room with
couches and chairs, everything comfortably and
expensively furnished in a modern style. There’s
one bank of couches and chairs grouped around
each other on a large red carpet near what looks
like a real, working fireplace.

On the other side of the room is a large couch in
front of a big screen television. Behind it all are
huge windows overlooking the city.

There’s a kitchen and two bedroom, and three
bathrooms but all I can do is stand at the windows
and stare.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” he asks me, appearing at my
shoulder with a glass of wine.

I take it and sip it. I didn’t drink anything all night. I
was too anxious and afraid I’d get drunk.

“Amazing.”

The view is incredible. We’re high enough that no
nearby buildings get in the way. I can see South
Philly spreading out toward the river, a tangle of
lights and buildings and cars, everything looking so

small… but like a puzzle. Like some puzzle only a
god could put together.

His hands are on my shoulders for a moment before
he kisses my neck. I smile a little, leaning back
against him.

And then I feel his right hand move to the back of
my dress and slowly unzip it.

I feel my breath catch as he slowly pulls the zipper
down.

“You looked amazing tonight,” he says softly. “The
most beautiful woman in that room by far. Did I tell
you that yet?”

“No,” I whisper.

He finishes unzipping me, but doesn’t take the
dress off.

“I was proud to stand next to you up there,” he
says gently. “Very, very proud. There were a lot of
jealous faces staring back at us.”

“I didn’t notice.”

“Of course you didn’t.” He pushes his right hand
into my hair and pulls gently, tugging me back
toward him. He kisses me over my shoulder, hand
buried in my hair, my dress unzipped and barely
staying on.

My heart’s racing hard. We’re in front of enormous
windows, anyone could see… and yet, I know
nobody can. We’re too high up and there aren’t any
windows remotely close by that could see.

He kisses me softly, before moving to my neck.
“You’re gorgeous, my Ruby,” he whispers and
takes the glass of wine from my hand. He places it
down on the end table to his left. “I got lucky when
you stumbled into my life and decided to sleep on
my couch.”

“Please. I was lucky… you saved my life. You’re
still saving it.”

“True.” He kisses me softly before his free hand
moves forward, sliding down the front of my dress
to lightly cup my right breast, teasing my nipple
gently. I feel a thrill run down my spine. “But you
should know something.”

“Yes?” I say, slightly breathless.

“You don’t owe me anything. If you want to back
out… I’ll let you. I won’t force you. To be honest,
my Ruby, I’m proud enough to call you my wife.”

I bite my lip. “Really?” I whisper.

He smirks. “But I don’t think you’re going to.”

For a second, a million thoughts run through my

mind. All my fears, all my worries, they all come
out.

I’ve never done this before.

But…

He has.

“No,” I say and it comes out almost a moan.

“No,” he repeats. “I didn’t think so.”

His hand leaves my hair and he pushes my dress
forward. I let it slide off, down my arms, slumping
down my midsection. I shimmy my hips and it
drops to the floor.

He pushes me forward. I put my hands flat on the
cold glass and groan. My gorgeous dress is lying
like a puddle on the floor as he kisses my neck,
hands moving along my skin. He teases my breasts,
cupping them and rolling my nipples. I look over
my shoulder at him, heart racing.

I could’ve said no… I could’ve stopped…

But god, I don’t want to.

I want this so badly and he fucking knows it.

He kisses me hard and I moan into that kiss. One
hand grabs onto my hair again as the other moves

forward, down my stomach, over my belly button,
and down the front of my panties.

I moan and my fingers curl, pulling along the
polished glass, leaving little prints. He slides a
finger down along my slit and I gasp, only just
realizing how dripping wet I am.

He practically coos into my ear. “Soaked,” he says.
“Like I knew you would be. Try as hard as you
want, my Ruby. You can’t stop yourself from
feeling how you feel.”

“And how do I feel?” I groan at him.

He slides a finger inside of me and back out. It’s
dripping wet as he rolls it along my stiff clit.

“You’re aching to be fucked by me,” he whispers
gently.

I let out a groan.

“You’re aching to take my cock… you’re aching to
be fucked and controlled. You want someone to
take care of you, little Ruby. And that’s going to be
me.”

I gasp as his fingers slide inside of me. He pulls my
hair hard and I groan against the pain. It mingles
with the pleasure, confusing the two, making both
so much stronger.

His fingers are fierce and uncompromising. He
presses me forward again and I can feel his hard
cock against me as my breasts press against the
glass. It’s cold and the shock of it only heightens
the sensation of pleasure as he teases my pussy,
fucking me with his fingers before sliding them
back out to press my clit in perfect knee-shaking
pressure.

I groan and roll my hips back against him. He’s
incredible and knows exactly what he’s doing…
and it drives me wild.

This isn’t what I expected… not what I expected at
all.

I’m losing it, letting myself drop into that space of
pure bliss where nothing else exists but this man
that’s touching my body. He can take me here so
easily, with only a whisper, only a nudge…

And he wants me to plummet so far.

His lips brush against my neck… and I feel him
release my hair. He grips my ass then spanks me.

I moan as he drops down to his knees and grabs my
hips with both hands. He slides my panties down
and I stare at him over my shoulder, pushing my
hips back again, arching my back. My hands stay
on the glass as he purrs and growls his delight.

“Look at you,” he whispers, spreading my ass wide.
He licks me and I gasp, shock and pleasure
mingling. He’s so dirty… so filthy. And it feels so
good.

“Delicious,” he growls and spanks me. I gasp and
he spanks me again before spreading me wide and
licking me. His tongue licks every inch of me from
behind, finding my pussy and rolling back to lick
my ass. I gasp as he spanks me again, harder this
time.

He stands and his fingers find my pussy from
behind. He slides them inside, two of them, thick
and deep. I gasp, arching my back again. I groan
and roll my hips as he kisses me. I can taste my
pussy on his lips.

He spanks my ass and grabs my hair. I’m naked, so
naked…

And he’s still fully dressed.

I turn around and push against him. He grins as I
fumble at his clothes. He grabs my hair tight and
pulls back. I gasp as I finally manage to unbutton
his shirt… and push it open.

His body is muscular and intense… incredible.

I groan as he takes off the shirt, releasing my hair. I
back up against the glass window again and watch

as he undresses, so easily and quickly and
gracefully. He tosses his clothing down onto the
floor… a black puddle to match my dress’s white.

When he’s finished, he stands in front of me, his
massive cock in one hand, slowly stroking. I feel
fear and desire mingle and spike as he steps
forward.

“Little Ruby,” he purrs. “So fucking beautiful. So
delicious. I need to feel your wet little cunt
wrapped around my big, hard cock. Can you take
every inch, my darling?” He purrs into my ear and I
groan as his fingers tease me again.

I reach down and take his cock in my hands…
stroking him with both of them.

“Yes,” I groan. “I’m ready. I think I’m ready.”

“Oh, I know you are.” He pulls his fingers back and
slide his index finger into my mouth. I suck it hard,
tasting my pussy… tasting how wet I am. “You’re
dripping, my filthy Ruby.”

I groan as he pulls me away from the window. He
takes me over to the huge couch and pushes me
down.

I fall onto the cushions… and my hair spills all
around me.

He kneels between my legs. My heart races, so fast,
so fast…

I can barely breathe.

He leans over me and kisses my lips. “Don’t
worry,” he says, and presses his cock against my
gaping, soaking pussy. “I’ll be gentle with you…
this one time.”

And he slides himself inside of me.

I gasp, back arching.

It hurts… and it feels good.

God, it’s confusing. It hurts and feels good and I
want more of him. I grab onto his back, fingers
digging deep as he slides his cock into me… filling
me… stretching me…

“Knox,” I gasp.

“That’s right, my little wife. You can take me so
easily, you filthy girl.”

He fills me to the brim. I know I’m full of him,
every inch of his huge cock buried between my
lips. I’m flushed and wild with pleasure. I kiss him,
grabbing onto his hair… as he starts to slide in and
out.

Slowly at first, so slowly. It feels like heaven as my

pussy relaxes and takes his massive cock in and
out. He’s easing me into it, I know he is. He knows
what he’s doing.

I moan into his ear.

I need more… more…

He fucks me faster. He kisses me, everything a blur
of bodies. I’m sweating and moaning, and he’s
growling his pleasure…

I can’t help it. I take his massive cock and he
guides me through this, easing me into it…

“Ruby, Ruby,” he growls in my ear. “You feel
incredible. God damn, your tight pussy is like
heaven. Slick and warm and fucking incredible.”

I gasp and let him fuck me. I feel the muscles in his
back tighten as he does his work, moving in and
out. I can’t help myself and start to roll my hips
against him. I’m moaning, saying his name,
groaning.

“My delicious wife… perfect tight cunt, beautiful
little breasts…” His lips find my nipples then my
lips, kissing me…

I take his massive cock. He fucks me faster and
we’re moving together, writhing and sweating and
fucking. I never knew it could be like this. I never

thought I’d be able to feel like this.

But my god.

It’s heaven. Every stroke is pleasure.

I need him to keep going. I dig my fingers harder.

“Knox,” I gasp in his ear. “Don’t stop. Oh my god.”

“You like it, you dirty girl,” he growls. He’s
groaning, panting.

He’s fucking me faster now. I roll my hips, taking
him, letting him fill me. I gasp his name, back
arching.

He fucks me harder, rougher. His lips find my lips,
my neck, my breasts, his hands move along my
skin, grabbing my hips, teasing my nipples, pulling
my hair. I’m in a frenzy and I completely forget
where I am or when I am. I forget the wedding, the
danger, everything.

There’s only Knox and his body.

I can feel the pulse between my legs, the glow
growing, the pleasure mounting. He keeps stroking
into me, gorgeous and muscular and hard. I gasp,
rolling my hips faster. I can’t help it, I push back
against him.

He groans and pulls my hair and rips into me. He’s

fucking me hard now and it’s all pleasure and pain
and so good, so good, god, so good.

“Don’t stop!” I gasp.

He growls and fucks me, grabbing my hair. He rails
into me, filling me, thrusting deeper and deeper. I
feel my breasts shake with every hard stroke and I
need it so badly I can barely understand what’s
happening.

And slowly it builds, so slowly, so deliciously. He
keeps going, making that spark turn into a fire, into
an eruption.

“Come for me, little wife,” he growls, a command.
“Come for me right now, you filthy girl, my Ruby.”

“Yes,” I moan. “Yes yes yes, Knox, yes.”

I feel it overwhelm my senses. It rips through my
body and I gasp, back arched, moaning his name.

“Knox!” I cry out and he keeps going, fucking me
as I come.

The orgasm is like heaven. I nearly black out, my
breathing stifled into moaning gasps, the only word
I can seem to say is his name. I come hard and he
keeps going, his ripped muscular body still doing its
work. I dig my fingers so hard I think I might break
skin.

He doesn’t stop. He growls… groans.

And I feel him fill me up.

His orgasm explodes into my pussy. I feel him come
and it fills me up, fills me deep. I’ve never felt this
before…

But god, I love it. I love it so much. His cum makes
my own orgasm so much sweeter.

We come together, sweating and groaning,
overwhelmed and intense.

And finally… slowly… we finish. I end up lying
next to him, his arms wrapped around me. We’re
sweating and breathing hard like we both just ran a
marathon.

I’m floating and smiling like a moron.

“Imagine,” he whispers, “that was only the first
time. It only gets better from here…”

I nuzzle against him.

My husband.

If it can get better… I can’t wait to find out.

Knox

O ur first night as husband and wife swirls through
my mind all the next day.

I can still taste her on my lips… still feel her warm,
tight pussy wrapped around my cock. I smile to
myself, stretching in bed, while she’s still asleep.

I sneak out into the little kitchen and make coffee. I
order down for some breakfast and stand near the
window, watching the city slowly wake up.

I know how to make this casino thing happen.

It’s obvious, if inelegant. I know all the right
people, all the right places. I know the strings to
pull.

It’s just a matter of writing big enough checks.

That’s my main worry. I’m afraid the checks won’t
be large enough… or if they are, two weeks is just
too fast. No matter how much money you have,
there’s always a limit.

Still, it can be done. The right bribes… the right
pockets…

“Good morning.”

I look over at Ruby, my beautiful Ruby, coming
from the bedroom. She’s wearing my white shirt
from last night, halfway buttoned, hanging down
her body like a dress. I can’t help but smile, she’s
so damn gorgeous.

“Good morning,” I say. “Come over here.”

She hesitates, almost shy, as if I didn’t taste every
inch of her last night. Still, she comes over and
stands next to me.

I put an arm around her shoulders.

“I’m sorry I’m not taking on a honeymoon,” I say
softly.

She looks surprised. “Was that even an option?”

“It’s always an option,” I answer, laughing. “But
we have important work to do for now.”

“Like what?”

“The mafia wants approvals for a casino. We have
two weeks to make that happen.”

She leans her head against my shoulder. “Think we

can do it?” she asks.

“I don’t know,” I admit. “I think so. It’s possible.
There are a lot of moving pieces, but…”

She doesn’t move, she just leans against me. I can
feel the tension in her, feel the worry.

But right now, it doesn’t matter.

I think this moment is our honeymoon. Standing
here in front of the window, I think this is the
closest we’ll get to real peace and quiet for a little
while. I don’t know where we’ll be in two weeks or
if we’ll even be alive…

But I can say for sure that this moment is a good
one.

We’re quiet. We’re calm.

It can’t last forever, but I want it to.

Eventually though, the elevator doors chime. I have
to walk over and press a button to unlock them.
Two men wheel the breakfast cart into the room,
accept my tips, and then leave again.

We eat together, sitting near that window.

“How did you rent out Thirtieth Street Station, by
the way?” she presses.

“A lot of money,” I say. “And a couple favors.”

She sighs. “I’m going to be very expensive, aren’t
I?”

“Yes, you are.” I lean toward her, a spark in my
eye. “But you’d better be worth it.”

She tries to smile back, fails, and takes a sip of her
coffee instead.

We lapse into silence. I stare at her auburn hair
glowing in the early morning light, almost like a
halo of fire. She turns to me and I can see the
honeymoon already starting to dwindle away. I can
see the uncertainty and the fear come back to her.

I can see the distance grow between us again.

“What now?” she asks.

I sigh and stand up, finishing my coffee. I drop it
down onto the tray with a clatter.

“Now we move,” I say.

“Move?” She arches an eyebrow and purses her
lips.

“Into our apartment.”

She lets out a little groan. “I don’t know why but
coming from you, that sounds sinister.”

“I promise you, my darling, it’s anything but.” I
chuckle and head back to the bedroom. “I’m going
to get ready. I suggest you do the same.”

She watches me as I head into the bedroom, my
mind already racing along the list of things we’ll
need to accomplish in the next two weeks.

I wish we could’ve stayed there in that moment. I
wish we could’ve held onto that feeling…

But it was inevitable. It had to fade.

Reality was going to come crashing back into this
room sooner or later. Now that it’s here, I’d better
face it head on.

Or we’re both dead.

* * *

“How many places do you own?” she asks,
astonished.

I shrug. “Just the two.”

“Oh, sure, right. Just the two. No big deal, you only
own two properties in the city.”

“Some men own more. I just like to keep things
simple.”

She sighs as we walk into my penthouse apartment
overlooking Rittenhouse Square. This place is more
lavishly decorated than my townhouse. I use this
when I’m entertaining business associates.

I want it to exude power. Some of my more
expensive paintings hang on the walls, though none
that are truly important. Every inch of the place has
been remodeled in the last year using the most
stupidly expensive materials I could find, purely to
make the place look as rich as possible.

This is part of being a businessman. You want to
project an image of competence and power, and
part of that is your living arrangements.

I stopped just short of a golden toilet. I’m rich, but
not tacky.

“What do you think?” I ask her.

She laughs. “It’s the nicest place I’ve ever seen.
But it looks like nobody ever lives here.” She opens
a cabinet in the kitchen and finds it completely
empty.

“Nobody does,” I say. “Normally I stay here for a
few nights when I’m trying to settle a deal with
someone. It’s just for show, mostly.”

She snorts. “Who the hell owns an expensive
apartment and furnishes it like this… just for

show?”

“Very rich men.” I grin at her and lean against the
back of a designer couch I don’t think anyone has
ever sat on before. “Do you like it?”

“I think so,” she says. “I’m afraid to touch things.”

“That’s okay. We’ll make it feels like home… at
least for a couple weeks.”

“Why here? Why not your townhouse?”

I glance away toward the window. “I want to
protect the paintings,” I admit. “Besides, this place
has more security.”

She frowns. “You think the paintings would be
safer without us there?”

“Pretty much. But like I said, this place has better
security.”

She sighs and opens the refrigerator. Completely
empty.

“Okay, that’s true, but it’s kind of creepy.”

“We’ll fill it up. Whatever you want, just tell me.”

“So we’re living here then?” She glances at me. “I
assume there’s a spare room.”

“You can have whatever room you want.

Truthfully, I don’t much care where I sleep in this
place.”

“Fine then. I get the biggest room.”

“All yours.”

She grins at me and skips back to the bedrooms. I
let her go, walking slowly in her wake.

“Okay, okay, I think I’ll like it here,” I hear her call
out.

I follow her into the master bedroom. It’s beautiful
and richly furnished… and the mattress on the bed
is like sleeping on a cloud. It’s unbearably
comfortable and almost impossible to get out of.

She’s lying on it and sighing like she’s in heaven.

I grin and jump onto the bed next to her. I crash
down and hardly even bounce. She doesn’t move
an inch.

“Heaven,” she whispers.

I laugh and stretch. “We need to get your things.
Write me a list of what you want and I’ll have it
brought over.”

“Okay.” She follows my lead and stretches like a
cat. “Oh my god. I could get used to it.”

“Go ahead. You can stay here as long as you like.
Well, as long as we’re married.”

I sit up and glance back at her. She’s frowning
slightly.

“Married,” she says softly.

“Ever pictured it like this?” I ask, genuinely
curious.

“No, not once. Maybe when I was a little girl, I
imagined I’d marry some rich person, maybe a
prince or something.” She arches an eyebrow at
me. “But you’re no prince.”

“No, I’m definitely not. I’m much better than a
prince.” I smirk at her and lean over her, kissing her
softly on the neck.

She purrs and I laugh, pulling away. I climb out of
the bed, despite every part of my body wanting to
stay right there next to her.

“About my apartment,” she says as I step toward
the closet. I peer inside and shake my head.

It really is weird how empty this place is. I
should’ve made it seem more… lived-in.

“Hm?” I answer.

“I want to keep it.”

I look back. She’s leaning up on one elbow and
watching me carefully.

“Keep it?” I ask.

“I don’t want to give up the lease just because I’m
living here.”

I snort. “You want to keep that little thing?”

“I mean, I need a place to go. Assuming we survive
the next two weeks, at least.”

“And then another nine months,” I point out.

“Fine, another nine months. But sooner or later…
I’ll go back to my old life. Right?”

I mull that over for a moment.

How is this going to look after we survive?

But it’s hard for me to plan that far. Survival isn’t
guaranteed… at all.

“I’ll buy it for you,” I say.

“No,” she quickly responds. “Don’t do that.”

“Why not? I can’t imagine it’ll cost much. Drop in
the bucket, all things considered.”

“I don’t want to owe you anything once this is
through. I want… I want it to be simple. A clean

break.”

“The end of a deal,” I say softly. “I see what you’re
saying.”

“I just want to keep it. Okay?”

“Fine. We can arrange for that. I can pay the rent
or I can take it from your salary. Whatever you
want to do.”

“You pay.” She drops back on the bed. “I may have
principles but I’m not stupid.”

I laugh but I don’t join her again.

It feels like a divide went up between us. For a
second, we bridged it and were coming close
together. Just before the wedding and during it and
right after, things felt…

Good. Like we were more than business partners.

But now that feeling is starting to diminish. I think
in part because of the apartment we’re in… but
also the reality of the situation is becoming evident.

She’s picturing an after and that means she’s seeing
this as something temporary.

Which it is, at least it’s supposed to be.

I just don’t know how I’m going to let her go.

Not after standing up in front of all those people
with her… and feeling so fucking proud.

If I hadn’t felt that, I don’t think I’d worry. It’d be
easy to fulfill this and be finished.

I’d get a baby and move on.

But see her up there, and feeling so proud to be
with her…

I want to keep feeling that way.

I want to parade her around like my trophy wife.

More than that, I want a partnership. I want to
share things with her… to spoil her.

“I have calls to make,” I say finally. “Make a list of
what you want.”

“Okay,” she says, her voice sounding sleepy. “In a
bit. I think… I think I have some work to do.”

“Don’t work too hard.”

I head to the door and glance back. She’s stretching
and curling up like a cat and I can’t help but feel
that pang in my gut.

I wasn’t supposed to feel this way… I wasn’t
supposed to want this to last any longer and go any
further.

But something changed for me.

And now I just have to survive the next two weeks.

Ruby

We spend that night in his apartment, separated
only by walls, but I can almost feel him buzzing
with nervous energy.

He spent the rest of the night on the phone. I
couldn’t tell who he was talking to… but he was
making plans.

We both went to bed early. I wake up to the sound
of him knocking on my door. “Rise and shine, my
Ruby,” he calls, laughing to himself.

I groan. “Bastard…” I check the time. It’s barely
past six, but I roll out of bed anyway.

He’s sitting in the kitchen, drinking coffee and
nibbling on some toast, dressed in a suit and tie. His
usual work outfit, actually.

“Morning,” he says. “Better get dressed. We’re
leaving for the office soon.”

I blink at him. “Excuse me?”

“Office. Where we work.”

“Work?” I bark a laugh. “But… we got married…
the mafia…”

“Work never ends, my darling.” He grins at me.
“Get dressed.”

“I don’t have any clothes.”

He nods at a bunch of boxes on the floor. “Your
things.”

I walk over and start opening them. Sure enough,
it’s everything I asked for, folded and packed
meticulously.

“How?” I ask.

“Magic.” He grins.

“Seriously.”

“Money.”

“Of course.” I sigh and grab a box of my work
clothes. “I guess I’ll see you soon then.”

He waves as I head into my room to get ready.

Work… of course we’re going to work. Knox isn’t
the kind of man to miss a day of work for any
reason.

Doesn’t matter if we just got married and the mob
is going to kill us both. Doesn’t matter if the sky is
raining blood and fire.

We’re going to work.

When I’m dressed, he meets me at the door. “You
look gorgeous,” he says, putting an arm over my
shoulders.

I just glare at him and we head into the office
together.

* * *

It feels bizarre sitting at my desk again.

I honestly thought I’d never be here another day in
my life. But instead, everyone’s coming up and
congratulating me on my new marriage, even
people I’ve never talked to in my life.

“So, seriously, how did you score him?” an older
woman with graying hair asks. She leans over my
desk, stinking of perfume. I don’t think I know her
name… or if I’ve ever seen her before.

“Luck,” I say, forcing myself to smile.

She winks at me. “Smart girl. Marry rich. He’s not
too young, either…”

“He’s not old.”

She shrugs. “Don’t get me wrong. Knox is a very
handsome man. But he’s, what, twice your age?
You’ll have a long time without him.”

I stare at her like she’s insane. I mean, this woman
thinks I married Knox out of love or whatever, but
she’s talking about living longer than him like I
should be happy about it.

What a bizarre world.

“Have a good time, dear. Remember, keep him
happy or take all his money.” She cackles and
walks off with a wave.

I sit there in total disbelief.

More people stop by. Everyone I’m friendly with
seems happy, but I do notice something.

Nobody lingers too long. Nobody talks to me about
the office gossip.

Maybe it’s just my imagination, but everyone seems
very… polite. Very polished.

Which I should probably expect. I’m married to the
boss now. I’m part of the problem. I’m not one of
them anymore.

I can’t help but feel a little disappointed.

The day wears on. I’m not busy and Knox doesn’t
seem interested in doing anything but talking on the
phone. I want to ask him who he keeps calling but I
decide it’s better if I don’t know.

I keep looking down at the rug, at a round brown
stain that trails off into nothing.

I know what that stain is. I know who it’s from.

The man holding me down on the floor… the gun
that nearly killed me, nearly killed Knox.

I stare at the blood and it’s easy to forget about
everything else.

These past few days of relative safety have been
like a dream. I can’t remember a time when I felt
like I could relax. But now that we’re back in the
office, all that horror comes back…

I know I’m safe for a couple weeks at least.
They’re not going to kill me and ruin the deal
before even giving him a chance to try.

But still, seeing that stain, remembering how I felt,
the horror of it being so close…

It gets to me. I can’t help it.

An hour after lunch, Knox calls me into his office. I
almost run inside, happy to be away from that stain,
at least for a few minutes.

He watches me carefully from across his desk.
“How are you doing?” he asks.

I frown. “Sorry?”

“I’m asking how you’re doing.”

“Ah, uh… fine, I guess.” I blink quickly. “You’ve
never asked me that before.”

He ignores me. “I noticed you staring at the floor
out there.”

I clench my jaw. “I’m fine.”

“I’m not so sure you are.” He stands up and comes
around the desk. I’m always amazed at how big he
is… how muscular and handsome. “I’m worried
you’re going down a bad path, my darling Ruby.”

“Bad path? We’ve only been back in the office for
a day. I’m still dealing.”

“I see.” He stops in front of me, trailing a finger
along my jaw. “Even still. Thinking about you out
there, worrying…” His finger moves back and he
grabs a fist of my hair, looking into my eyes. “I
want to do something to take your mind off it.”

I groan slightly as his other hand finds the small of
my back. He turns me toward the desk, pushing me
over onto it. I stumble and land facing it, hands flat
on the top. I look over my shoulder.

“Stay,” he says as he walks over to his office
windows. He slowly closes the blinds, effectively
shutting us out from the outside world.

Nobody would walk into his office without his
permission.

He turns and walks back over to me. I feel my heart
racing in my chest. I know that look in his eye… I
know why he closed the blinds.

His hands find my hips as he leans over me, kissing
my neck softly.

“Ruby, Ruby, Ruby,” he whispers. “Do you think I
can take care of you?”

“Yes,” I say. “I’m betting my life on you.”

“I want to believe that’s true,” he growls. “But I’m
not so sure.”

His fingers trail down the nape of my neck, down
my back… down to the hem of my skirt. I gasp as
he pulls it up, almost violently. I rock forward as he
reveals my ass, barely covered by my underwear.

I can’t help but feel a thrill run down between my
legs as he pins me there on the desk, my ass
exposed for him. I love the way he groans as he
cups me, feeling my firm body, before he spanks
me hard.

I gasp as pain flashes. He spanks me again.

“You need to give in to me, darling Ruby. And I
think I might have to find a way to make you.”

I groan and glare at him. “I’m doing the best I can.”

“You can do better.”

He spanks me again, again. He leans forward and
kisses my neck before spanking me a third time…
and pulling down my panties.

I stifle a moan. His fingers slide between my slit,
finding my soaked pussy from behind. He teases
me, parting my lips and rolling along my clit.
Pleasure blooms all around my skin and I writhe
against his touch.

This is filthy… this is crazy. We’re in the office. I
never once imagined that he’d actually spank me in
here… and touch me like this.

My boss, taking my body.

“I want to take care of you, Ruby,” he whispers in
my ear. “I want to be more than your boss… more
than your protector. Do you understand?”

“I don’t know,” I groan.

He spanks me. I gasp as his lips find my neck and
his fingers find my pussy again.

“I want to be your Daddy,” he whispers.

“Daddy?”

I gasp the word as his fingers slide inside of me.

“That’s right,” he says. “I want to give you
everything… but I also want to control everything.
You’ll owe yourself to me… and I’ll give you the
world. Pleasure, pain, everything you want and
more. I’ll be your Daddy, little Ruby. Can you
handle that?”

“I don’t know,” I moan. His fingers feel too good
and I can’t think straight.

Daddy… control… pleasure and pain… it all swirls
together in my mind. He spanks me again before
teasing my pussy faster, fingers going deeper.

And then it stops. I look over my shoulder, ready to
tell him to keep going, when I realize he’s taking off
his belt.

He’s sliding off his pants.

And his big, hard cock is in his fist, stroking
himself.

I blink rapidly. He smirks and turns me around,
pushing me down onto my knees.

I take him into my mouth…

He’s so big I can barely fit it. I suck his tip and roll
my tongue, tasting him. He pushes me down and I
gag, sucking him faster.

“That’s right,” he croons, a moan on his tongue.
“Suck my cock. Suck your new Daddy’s big cock. I
need you to take it, my darling Ruby… take every
inch.”

I moan and suck him faster. I want him… want
everything he has to offer.

I gag, suck him, gag again. He growls and pushes
me down his massive length. I can barely fit him in
my mouth but I keep going, sucking him, tasting
him.

He pulls back with a gasp and a groan. He grabs my
hair, pulling me up to my feet… and kissing me.

His taste on my lips… his tongue in my mouth…

His fingers between my legs, teasing me.

I take his cock between my hands and stroke him
as we kiss like that, teasing each other.

“Say it,” he whispers in my ear. “Say it now.”

“Daddy,” I moan.

He turns me around again and I brace myself
against the top of the desk as he presses his cock

against my soaking slit.

Slowly he takes me… sliding deep into my pussy.

“Oh, god,” I gasp.

Taking him from behind…

It feels like heaven, like pleasure in its purest form.

He sinks deep inside. I gasp and shudder, my body
shaking with the need and the intensity of it. He
fills me completely, every inch of my tight pussy
spread bare for him. He strokes in and out,
crooning and groaning and growling his pleasure.

I moan right back. I pant his name… I call him
Daddy.

I’m not sure I know what I’m saying. I’m not sure I
know what it means to call him Daddy.

I know I’ll find out… and I know this feels
incredibly good.

He fucks me harder. He grabs my hair, roughly
pulls back. I gasp as his cock hits hard and deep at
the same moment. Pleasure and pain swim in my
vision as everything goes black and wavy.

I groan and push back, grinding down his length.

I want every inch, every single inch of him.

He fucks me faster, harder. He’s an animal, not
being gentle, not holding back.

And it’s ecstasy, heaven. It’s everything I want and
more. His body is hard, his cock like granite, and he
takes me so easily. He takes me and makes me his
and fucks my pussy the way I need it.

I gasp, pushing back, sliding down his shaft. I need
it… I need it badly.

He growls in my ear. “Say it,” he says.

“Daddy,” I gasp. “Oh, fuck. Daddy.”

He keeps going, my breasts shaking, my body on
fire. He fucks me rough, pulling my hair, controlling
me… making me his.

Becoming my Daddy.

I gasp as the orgasm rolls up to the edge. I’m sitting
on the brink, the abyss just below me, pleasure
making my body tense and shake, my hips shimmy,
my breathing come in ragged gasps.

“Go ahead,” he whispers in my ear. “Go ahead.
Come on my big cock… come for me, little Ruby.”

“Daddy,” I moan. “Fuck!”

I come then, letting it rip through me. I come hard,
the orgasm overwhelming me, pushing me to

heights I never needed… never knew about.

I come hard and grind back groaning, moaning,
gasping.

I take him deep between my legs and I feel him
stay there… and burst.

He groans in my ear. “Daddy,” I whisper like a
chant as he comes deep inside my pussy.

He fills me with his cum and it feels like heaven.

“Oh, god,” I groan.

“Fuck, you feel good,” he whispers in my ear.

He stays like that for a moment, his cock buried
between my legs.

But slowly he pulls back. I turn and face him,
breathing hard.

He stares at me, sweat on his brow. I realize I’m
sweating too, my shirt askew, my panties a wrecked
mess.

I gather myself the best I can. He watches as I dress
before finally getting dressed himself.

When he’s done, he heads back around his desk
and sits.

I clear my throat. I’m put back together, just about,

although my panties are a soaked mess between my
legs.

I need to bring a few backup pairs. Just in case.

“Anything else you need from me?” I ask him.

He shakes his head, eyes flashing. “I have more
calls to make.”

“Very good.”

I turn to leave but he clears his throat. I pause and
look back at him.

“We have a meeting tonight,” he says. “Dinner
with a few associates.”

“Okay.” I chew on my lip. “Should I expect you
late?”

“We’re both going.”

I cock my head. “You want me there?”

“Yes,” he says gently. “What happens from here on
out affects you just as much as it affects me. You
need to be there.”

I nod once, meeting his gaze. “Okay then. Who are
we meeting with?”

“People from the mayor’s office. People that have
his ear… members of his staff. We’re taking them

out to dinner to discuss the casino.”

“You set that up fast.”

“We have two weeks.”

The way he says it doesn’t make me feel any better.

But I nod and hold his gaze. “Okay then. I’ll be
ready.”

“Good.”

I turn and leave his office. I can feel his eyes
lingering on my body as I leave…

And god, I like it.

I really, really like it.

I don’t know what that says about me. I thought I’d
just do my duty, sleep with him a few times, get
pregnant, and then go from there.

But now I’m thinking about what else we can do…
what else he can make me feel.

How much further we can go.

The way that woman earlier characterized our
relationship repulsed me. But she wasn’t so far
from the truth.

She saw what Knox and I have as some kind of

business arrangement, one where I put up with him
in exchange for his money and power. Then I get
that money when he dies.

That made me feel sick and disturbed but that’s not
so far from the truth. I am in a business
arrangement with Knox. Our relationship is very
much a business arrangement.

So why would I feel so strange about what that
woman said… when that’s what I’m doing?

It’s a disturbing thought and one that I need to look
more closely at.

There’s a reason the idea of using Knox that way
made me feel off.

I think it has something to do with what happened
in that office.

With calling him Daddy.

Daddy…

I don’t know what else Knox has in store for me.

But I do know that I’d better not let this distract me
too much.

Our lives are on the line.

Knox

Ruby and I arrive first. We take our places in the
large private table toward the back of Butcher and
Singer.

It’s an old-school-style steakhouse with a definite
upscale flare. I like this place because it’s huge and
loud… and it’s easy to have a conversation that
gets drowned out by all the other noise.

It’s private by being very, very public.

“I’ve never been in here before,” Ruby says to me.
“I always walk past it and wonder how people can
ever afford to go inside.”

I smile at her and run my fingers up her thigh under
the table. She’s wearing a beautiful black dress I
purchased for her during a short break earlier today.
It accentuates her curves and her beautiful perky
breasts just right… exactly what I need tonight.

“You’re living in a different world now,” I say to
her.

“I just hope I get to live in it for a little while
longer.”

I laugh, a rueful chuckle. She’s right about that, of
course. She really should enjoy this while she can.

Who knows if either of us is going to enjoy
anything for long.

They come as a group, like I knew they would.
Jackson, Ricky, Junior, and Arian. They’re the
mayor’s closest aides, the men without official
titles… because what they do isn’t official, and
can’t be.

Arian is their leader. He’s known the mayor for a
very long time. As far as I know, Arian and the
mayor go back to high school, maybe even grade
school. They’re always vague about that.

I stand and shake hands. I notice the way the men
look at Ruby, with a little hunger and jealousy in
their eyes. They may be powerful men with the
powerful ear of the mayor, but they’re not rich or
glamorous.

They covet that life, but it’s just out of reach.

“Sit, sit,” I say. “Please. I already ordered wine for
the table but if you want something else, indulge.
It’s on me.”

“Of course it is,” Arian says. “You think we could
afford this place on our salaries?”

“I think this entree costs more than my rent,”
Jackson grumbles.

Ricky laughs. “They’re kidding. We’re taken care
of.”

Jackson rolls his eyes. “Hardly.”

“Please. You three will complain about anything,”
Junior cuts in.

“What my very rude associates mean to say is we
appreciate your hospitality and generosity,” Arian
says. There’s a reason he’s the leader.

“Of course. You gentlemen have been very good to
me during the mayor’s administration and I hope
that goodwill can continue.”

Drinks are poured, conversation starts. Junior and
Jackson both talk to Ruby about her life and she
does a good job, smiling and laughing at their jokes.
She falls into the role effortlessly. I’m glad I don’t
have to explain what she’s here to do.

Arian and Ricky share a bottle of whiskey with me.
Arian looks out over the crowd. “Getting thinner all
the time,” he says.

“Come on. Things are good in the city.”

“Maybe.” Arian shakes his head. “But it’s not good
for everyone.”

“Uh oh,” I say. “Are you turning into a socialist,
Arian?”

He laughs. “Something like that, maybe. We are
Democrats, after all.”

“This is Philly,” Ricky says with a smirk. “Of
course we’re Democrats.”

I laugh a little although inside I hate these political
things. Everyone’s duplicitous, everyone has
ulterior motives. Not a single one of them means
what they say… and the ones that do are never
listened to.

“Your boss is doing well though,” I say. “He’s had
some good business move through here lately.”

“Part of the mandate,” Arian grumbles. “Bring jobs
to the city at all costs.”

“Jobs are important.”

“True, but it depends what kind of jobs.” Arian
sighs. “He doesn’t want to get his hands dirty with
all that.”

“Which is why we’re here,” Ricky says, grinning.

Arian shoots Ricky a look.

I raise an eyebrow. “What’s that?” I ask him.

Ricky looks at Arian apologetically.

“Nothing,” Arian says.

“Come on, just come out with it,” I counter. “If you
want to ask for something, just ask. I’ve never said
no.”

Arian gives me a long look and swishes his glass.
Ruby says something and makes the other two men
laugh. They’re leaning over her and I feel a pang of
jealousy.

“We’re looking for donations,” Arian says softly.
“Boss wants another campaign, wants another
term… but he doesn’t need cash.”

“He doesn’t?” I ask.

Ricky leans forward. “He needs a win.”

I lean back and sip my drink, feeling a pang of
excitement.

“I might be able to help,” I say.

Arian grins. “I’m sure you can.”

“We need jobs,” Ricky says. “But not just any jobs.
We want you to open another office.”

I laugh a little. “Open another office? Seriously?”

“We’ll give you work,” Arian says. “City contracts,
that sort of thing. Pledge to the mayor that you’ll
hire at least… a hundred people. And you’ll get the
work.”

I shake my head at them. “Gentlemen, a hundred
people at a boutique firm like mine… that’s a lot.”

“Expand.” Arian says it simply.

Ruby laughs and glances in my direction. I think
she can sense my anxiety.

“The truth is, I wanted to ask something of you
gentlemen,” I say softly.

Arian grins. “Well. Looks like we’re in positions to
help each other.”

“I have a proposal.” I take an envelope from my
jacket and slide it over to Ricky. He takes it, raising
an eyebrow, and opens it up. Inside is a copy of
everything Don Grosso gave me about the casino…
all the plans, the permits, the actuarial charts,
everything.

Ricky whistles and hands it to Arian who instantly
shakes his head.

“No way. Not another casino.”

“Jobs,” I say simply. “Not bad jobs, either. Look,
they mostly pay above minimum wage. Lots of jobs

pay good, actually. I could bring you fifty, maybe a
hundred… but this could bring you five hundred. A
thousand.”

Ricky’s eyes light up. “That’s a win.”

Arian glares at him. “No casinos,” he says. “We’re
not doing it. There’s no way we could get the state
to sign off.”

“All I ask is that you try.”

I’m suddenly very aware of all the men looking at
me now… including Ruby.

Arian sighs. “No way.”

“Arian, come on. We can—”

“I said no.” Arian glares at Ricky.

I reach into my pocket and take out anther
envelope. I slide it over to Arian, who takes it and
opens it.

His eyes bug out.

“Take the plans to your boss,” I say softly. “And
tell him there are more donations where that comes
from.”

“Knox, we can’t—”

“Hear him out—”

“Let’s see—”

I interrupt the men by producing a final envelope.
“That’s for your boss. This is for you gentlemen.
Since you’re not so appreciated normally… I
thought I’d appreciate you.”

Arian takes it tentatively, glancing at the others.
They all look hungry…

The way I want them to.

He opens it. He laughs and nearly chokes.

“Holy shit,” he says.

Ricky snatches it away.

That’s right. Greedy fucks.

That’s the biggest bribe I bet he’s ever seen. Even
split four ways.

“Knox,” Ricky says, looking up with a grin. “I
think the mayor just might take a look at this
proposal.”

Arian looks grim but he doesn’t argue. They all
laugh, including Ruby, and the night continues on
like nothing just happened.

Afterward, the four of them leave drunk and
smiling, a lot richer than they were before. I linger

out on the sidewalk with Ruby.

“How much did you give them?” she says to me
softly.

I take her hand and start walking to our apartment.
It’s just across the park and we pass right through
it, walking along the moonlit paths.

“Enough,” I say.

“Knox—”

“Don’t ask for details,” I respond firmly.

“Is this how business is always done in this city?”
she asks.

“More or less. Unfortunately for this city.”

She shakes her head and I feel her fingers slip from
my grip. “I know you’re just doing what you have
to do… but is this really the best thing for
everyone?”

“It’s a casino, Ruby. It’s not a nuclear reactor.”

“Still.”

I stop and pull her toward me. She doesn’t struggle
and I hold her tight. The moon shines down on the
center square and for a blessed moment, we’re
alone.

“Do you want to live?” I ask her gently.

“Yes.”

“Then this is how it’ll happen. We’ll bring a casino
here, another one, and more jobs will flow. The
mafia will be happy… we’ll be happy, because
we’ll be alive. We’ll all win.”

“I hope so.”

“Trust me.”

I kiss her softly, not thinking about anything but her
lips, about making her feel special.

I need her to feel it.

Slowly I break the kiss off and we keep going. We
head back to the apartment.

I can sense her hesitation, but I don’t press her on
it.

We sleep in separate rooms… but I’m dreaming
about her.

About my Ruby, smiling, soaking wet and begging,
whispering…

Daddy.

Ruby

F or some reason, watching politicians take bribes
like that, even if they weren’t the actual politicians,
still felt a little…

Unfair, I guess is the obvious word.

I mean, why should Knox get special treatment just
because he has a big checkbook?

But that’s how the world works. And I should feel
lucky that I have him. Otherwise, I’d be dead by
now, or at least still on the run.

We’re at work the next day and things seem to
have fallen back into something of a normal
pattern. We’re sleeping in different rooms but he’s
constantly on the phone so I barely even see him at
night.

At least so far.

Who knows what it’s going to be like…

When this is all over.

But I can’t let myself get that far.

“Ruby,” Knox says, standing in his doorway.

I get up and obey his summons like always. I stand
in front of his desk as he sits back down and looks
up at me.

“Yes?” I ask him.

“We have another dinner tonight,” he says.

“Who are we bribing this time?”

He grins at me. “Unfortunately, these aren’t the
kind of people we can bribe.”

“Really?” I arch an eyebrow. “I didn’t know there
were honest people left in the world.”

“Oh, there aren’t.” He waves that idea away
dismissively. “These are people that have as much
money as I do. They don’t care about that.”

“I see.” I chew on my lip. “So what are we giving
them? I assume you have to give them something.”

“Something…” He trails off and sighs. “Favors,
mostly. I’ll do work for them or I’ll owe them.
Something like that.”

“Okay.” I take a breath and let it out. “I guess I’ll
be entertaining again?”

He stands with a smile on his lips. “You know, I
didn’t say yet… you were lovely last night.” He
comes around his desk and steps toward me. I stay
still, not daring to move as he trails his fingers down
my shoulder and along my arm. Shivers move up
my spine… desire wells its way into my stomach.

“Thank you,” I finally manage to say.

“You did exactly what I hoped you’d do…” He
trails off, looking at me thoughtfully.

“What?”

“How did you know?”

I shrug a little. “I just… figured. I don’t know. I
was just being nice.”

“Ah,” he says softly. His fingers trail into my hair
before catching hold. Not hard, but not soft, either.
He tilts my chin back and I feel my heart race. A
strange, fervid longing rings in my bones just
looking into his eyes. “You’ll have to do the same
thing tonight, but on a bigger scale.”

“Bigger?”

“We’ll be attending a charity gala.”

I laugh a little uncertainly. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.” He sighs and lets me go, stepping away

over toward his windows. “I know, it’s a cliché, but
rich people love to throw charity events. It makes
them feel like they’re not just leeching away all the
money in the world while giving everyone an
excuse to drink too much and network with each
other.”

“We’re not meeting with politicians?”

He looks back at me with a gloomy, strange
expressing on his face. “No,” he says. “We’re not.
We’re meeting with the power behind the power,
my dear.”

I chew on my lip again, unable to help myself. An
old habit, coming back with a vengeance.

“I have a dress ready for you back at the
apartment,” he says, looking out the window again,
his hands behind his back. “And I’ll have a car
ready by six. You’re free to leave here whenever
you want. Take as long as you need to get ready.”

I let out a breath. It’s strange, I should be happy
that I get half the day off from work… but I can’t
shake the anxiety.

“You seem worried,” I point out.

“This is the harder part.” He turns to me and I can
tell he’s doing his best not to look strained. “With
the politicians, it’s money. But with these people,

it’s always something else… something harder.”

“I wish I could help,” I whisper.

“You can.” He walks over to me again, a real smile
on his face again. “Be beautiful and charming.”

“Easy. I wake up gorgeous.”

“You really do.” He tilts my chin toward him again.
“See you tonight, my Ruby.”

I step away from him, letting his fingers trail along
my skin until I’m back and turning to the door.

I feel his eyes on my body and I wonder…

Does he really mean it?

He keeps calling me his… calling me beautiful.

I don’t know what he means and what he’s just
saying for my benefit.

This is supposed to be a business arrangement for
him. I never imagined he’d think of me as anything
more than just a convenient vessel for a baby. I’m
just a womb with legs.

That can’t be true though. Not after everything so
far…

I head back to the apartment, trying to decide if
there really is something sparking between us,

something real beyond the little game we’re
playing.

The game of life and death… and sex and love.

* * *

Knox picks me up at six on the dot and we’re off.
The gala is being held in a large banquet hall on the
first floor of a hotel right off Chestnut Street, right
in the heart of the city barely two minutes from city
hall.

From the outside, it looks like any other event.
People in suits and ties and women in expensive-
looking dresses wander around… until we get
inside and it becomes clear what this is.

Platters of champagne, clearly expensive. Heaping
mounds of fresh seafood, steaks, and other hors
d’oeuvres that I can barely name. Absolutely
everyone is wearing their finest, and some of the
dresses the women are wearing are truly striking.

Knox put me in a simple black dress with a single
ruby necklace. The dress clings to my bust and
curves and flares slightly down along my thighs.
The heels are simple but designer and I’m glad I
know how to walk in them. Otherwise, I’d look like
a moron compared to the women floating around

gracefully in their absurdly uncomfortable and
impractical footwear.

“Ready?” Knox whispers to me as we step into the
hall.

“Ready,” I say. “But one thing. What is this whole
thing for, anyway?”

He hesitates. “You mean, what charity?”

“Yeah.”

He frowns and looks around. “Well, shit. I don’t
even know.”

I laugh. “That’s bad.”

“I bet half these people have no clue. Hell, I bet
more than half.”

“Does it matter? You just write a check either
way.”

“Bingo.” He gives me his arm. “Come on, my wife.
Let’s mingle.”

I let him lead me into the room. Instantly we’re
talking with people I’ve never seen before,
although Knox acts like they’re all his best friends.
I can tell he’s straining a little bit… clearly
uncomfortable with all the friendly small talk and
forced pleasantries.

But he’s good at it anyway. I don’t think you get
into his position of power and wealth without being
good at coming off as friendly and interested. He
makes whoever he’s talking to feel like the center
of the world, and it’s an intoxicating trait.

I can tell right away that I’m something of a
novelty. “How’d you tie him down?” one woman
asks me, leaning close. “I never thought Knox
would, you know, tie the knot.”

“Good luck,” I say, smiling.

“Good genetics, more like.” She gives me an
appraising look. “You’re very pretty. And what,
half his age?”

“Just about.”

“Good for you, sweetheart.” She puts her hand on
my arm. I have no clue what her name is. “Very
good for you.” She winks and is drawn away a
moment later.

It feels so much like that conversation with the
random woman back in the office… except she
wasn’t being horrible about it.

She seemed to genuinely think I landed a good deal.

Which shouldn’t surprise me. Knox is clearly very
popular, just based on the number of people we talk

to. After a while, the names start to coalesce in my
mind and lose shape entirely.

“How are you holding up?” Knox asks me after
about an hour of this. We’re standing off to the
side, tucked away in the space between the bar and
the back wall. He hands me a glass of champagne
which I sip gratefully.

“Fine,” I say. “Just a lot of people. You weren’t
kidding about this being on a bigger scale.”

He sighs and looks around. “Honestly, you haven’t
met anyone important.”

I groan. “Seriously?”

“Not yet.”

“What about that one guy… the Duke of
Whateveristan?”

“You mean Lionel?”

“His name was Lionel?”

Knox laughs. “He’s not really a duke. Just likes to
pretend. Or maybe he bought the title, I’m not
actually sure, to be honest. But he’s nobody, just
some rich guy part of an ancient family with roots
back into the Inquisition. He could probably buy
this whole city ten times over but he has no real
power.”

“What does that even mean?” I ask him. “I mean,
‘real power.’ What even is that?”

He looks back at me, a little smile on his lips. He
steps closer to me, one hand on the small of my
back. “Do you really want to know?” he whispers.

“Go ahead. You’re dying to explain.”

His eyes twinkle. “Real power is influence. Money
is one thing, but connections are another. The more
connections and influence you have, the more
power you accrue. The ones with the real ability to
make change are like little spiders in the middle of
some vast web, tugging at strands… making their
dead flies dance.”

I picture rich men in expensive suits laughing
gleefully as the poor dance for them… and shudder
with revulsion.

“Who are we looking for?” I ask him.

“His name is John.”

I can’t help but feel a little disappointed. “John?
Not a duke or a king or something?”

“Just John. At least that’s the name he gives
people.” Knox cocks his head, looking around the
crowd. “He’s what you’d call a political
operative… but only came into the scene about ten

years ago with the advent of social media.”

“Social media?”

“He runs social media campaigns for people… ah,
there he is.”

I follow Knox’s gaze and spot a man walking
through the crowd. He’s not in a hurry, but he’s not
walking slowly. He’s moving with purpose, eyes up,
a little frown on his face.

“He’s young,” I say, unable to hide my surprise.

“Come on.”

Knox leads me right to him. John stops in his tracks
as we approach and his frown turns into a neutral
expression… which I guess is his version of a smile.

“Hello, Knox,” John says.

“Glad you could make it.” The men shake hands.

“Who is this?” John’s eyes land on me and I feel a
chill run down my spine. Those are eyes that have
seen things, I’m sure of it.

“This is my wife,” Knox says. “Ruby.”

I shake John’s hand. He finally smiles, ever so
slightly. “I heard you married. I can see why.”

He releases my hand.

I give him a quick once-over, trying to decide
where I know him from. He has one of those faces,
totally nondescript and boring. There’s nothing
interesting about him at all: brown hair cut short,
brown eyes, pale skin, no beard. He looks like a
thousand other people. Even his clothes are drab
and boring, just a simple suit, no frills, nothing at all
to identify him.

The man’s like a ghost in this room among all these
people trying so desperately to stand out.

“I’m sorry you weren’t invited,” Knox says. “I
wasn’t sure what you were going by these days.”

“Oh, no worries. You know me. I prefer to stay
hidden.” He looks at Knox for a long moment. “I
got your message.”

“Good. Since you’re here, I guess you want to
talk.”

“I’m open to it.”

“Come on.” He leads John away from the crowd,
back to the little spot we had been standing in a
moment before. John glances at me then back at
Knox, almost like he’s surprised I’m following.

“What you want can be done,” John says without
any leadup. I’m a little surprised at the total lack of
small talk. With everyone else, Knox spent time

asking about them, checking in on their lives,
showing interest.

With this man, he’s getting right to business. It
almost makes my feet feel chilly.

“But the price is the issue,” Knox says.

John nods. “Of course.”

“What do you want?”

“I have clients that need work done.”

“What clients?” Knox asks warily.

“You won’t like it and I’m not going into specifics
here. But suffice to say, they’re not American, and
many people don’t want to see them succeed.”

I feel a sudden weight fall down over my body. I
look between the two men and it takes me a second
to realize that they’re talking about global politics.
They’re talking about pulling strings… they’re two
spiders in their webs, negotiating between them.

“How distasteful?” Knox asks. “I have certain
lines.”

“No genocide,” John says, as if that were
something on the table in other situations. “No
mass murder.”

“Hm.” Knox frowns for a moment. “Okay then.”

“That’s it?” I blurt out.

Both men look at me. Knox seems annoyed but
John seems thoughtful.

“And her,” John says. “What about her?”

Knox shakes his head almost violently. “Absolutely
not.”

“I know you married her, but—”

“No,” he says firmly. “She’s not on the table.”

John gives me that flat stare again. I feel so creeped
out I want to vomit.

“Okay,” he says finally, looking back to Knox.
“You help my people and I’ll help you. I’ll have a
secure list delivered to you with further details. You
start work tomorrow… and I’ll start as well.”

“Deal.”

They shake. I think I just watched the world
change.

“Good luck,” John says to me before walking away.

Knox watches him go. He doesn’t say a word. He
just grabs the first available glass of champagne,
downs it, and shakes his head.

“What just happened?” I ask him softly, sliding my
arm through his arm.

He leans on me, which surprises me. He looks
exhausted, haggard, like he just aged a year.

“Just made a deal with the devil,” he whispers.

“What does that mean?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“Knox. This is all for me. If it weren’t for me, you
wouldn’t…”

I trail off as he turns and faces me, taking my hands
in his.

“Don’t,” he says. “What I do is my decision. I told
you that I’d keep you safe, and now we’re a big
step closer. John is going to get that proposal in
front of a lot of important people. That wheel will
turn.”

I nod a little. “But what did you have to give him in
exchange?”

“Nothing I can’t live with.”

I want to push him harder but I know that won’t get
me anywhere.

So I do something else instead on the spur of the

moment.

I stand up on my tiptoes and kiss his lips.

He pulls me against him and kisses me deeper. It
takes me off guard but I melt into that kiss.

When we break apart, I notice people watching. I
turn bright red and Knox grins, looking like himself
again.

“What’s wrong, Ruby?” he asks. “We should give
the people what they want.”

He kisses me again, this time with a flourish. When
we break apart, there’s laughter. He grins and
waves… playing up the audience.

I can’t help but feel embarrassed… but the kiss
worked. For some reason, my kiss made him feel
better.

I file that away, not ready to think too much about
what that means.

Knox

I get the secure thumb drive the next morning and
it’s exactly what I knew it would be: dictators and
thieves.

At least there aren’t any known mass murderers or
killers on the list, but still.

The shit I do for…

Well, for this.

For her.

Days pass and nothing happens.

Well, a lot happens. I make more calls, I send the
proposal everywhere. I threaten, shout, bribe some
more. But nothing happens.

One week finally passes and we’re at the halfway
point. Meanwhile, I’m doing triple-duty, putting in
part-time on the mayor’s upcoming campaign along
with John’s list of tin-pot dictators that all need a
little boost.

I want to act like it’s not a kind of fucking hell, but
I’d be lying.

I think Ruby can see it. I’m up late every night,
barely spending any time with her, barely spending
any time with anyone. I’m busy working all the
extra jobs I’ve agreed to take on while still trying to
ram this proposal through a state government that
desperately does not want any more casinos in city
limits.

“You’re going to work yourself to death.”

Ruby’s voice cuts through my own dire inner
monologue Sunday afternoon. I look over at her
and rub my temples. I’ve been furiously typing
away on my laptop for two hours trying to get
through this pile of shit I need to finish… or else
risk bringing down the wrath of John.

Which I really don’t want to do.

“It’s either work myself to death or not work
enough and end up dead.” I arch an eyebrow. “You
can see the problem.”

She drifts over to me. I’m sitting at the kitchen
table, my things spread out in front of me. She sits
down on a chair, pushing a pile of folders onto the
floor with a splat. I wince a little but don’t
reprimand her.

She’s right, after all. I am working too hard. There’s
just no alternative.

“Let’s do something fun.”

I laugh. “Seriously?”

“Come on.”

“We’re going to die in a week if I don’t figure this
out.”

“I know that.”

“So maybe I should work harder.”

She sighs and gives me a look. “Come on, Knox.
I’m supposed to carry your baby, right?”

My eyes flash at her. “That’s right.”

“I might already be pregnant, you know.”

I lean back. “That’s true.”

“So if we get through this but you drop dead from
overwork, I’m going to be left raising this baby
alone. And that’s not what I signed up for.”

I grin at her. “So this is purely for your own benefit
then?”

“Purely.”

“All right. What do you have in mind?”

“Let’s start with a nice walk and see where that
takes us.”

I sigh and stand. I stretch a little bit and my eyes
rake over Ruby’s body as she grins up at me. I
can’t help myself, I feel a little stirring in my chest.

“Okay, fine. Lead the way.”

She hops to her feet and puts her shoes on before
we head outside. She’s wearing tight jeans and a
crewneck sweater that shoes off the swell of her
perky breasts just perfectly. She smiles at me as we
ride the elevator down and head out into the crisp
fall afternoon.

“I love the city,” she says as we walk down the
sidewalk. “Even if you’re bored and have nothing
to do, things are always happening.”

“All the people,” I say, nodding. “That’s the whole
point, right?”

“Right. I guess I get why people like living out in
the country or whatever, but this is for me.”

I nod a little. Can’t disagree with that.

“I guess you’ve experienced it all, haven’t you?”

She laughs. “Oh, yeah. Lived in a tiny rural town
down south for a couple months. That was awful.
Tried living in the suburbs and that was even worse.

I kept ending up in cities.”

“Easy to disappear.”

“I guess. But it’s not easy to stay disappeared, you
know?”

“Oh, I know.”

We walk down the block and head through
Rittenhouse. There’s a guy playing the guitar in the
back corner and we end up sitting on a bench near
him. He’s playing show tunes and sounds pretty
good, but I end up tuning him out and watching
Ruby.

She seems so happy just letting people pass us by.
She stretches her legs out and sighs, a little blush
coming to her pretty cheeks. I have to admit, I feel
proud to be sitting next to her. It’s that same feeling
I got up on the altar… the same feeling I got at that
gala when we kissed in front of everyone.

Ruby’s the kind of woman I can feel proud of for
real. The kind of woman I’d want to stay with long-
term.

It’s a scary thought but one that’s starting to make
more and more sense…

If there is a long-term, anyway.

“I want to know something about you,” I say to

her.

“Like what?”

“What were you like as a kid?”

“I was a sporty brat,” she says with a laugh.
“That’s what my mom would call me, anyway.”

“I can’t picture it.”

“Soccer was my jam. Always in the backyard trying
to learn to juggle the ball.”

“Were you good?”

“Oh, I was vicious. I ran bitches over.”

“Scored goals then, huh?”

“Constantly.”

“Did you play at school?”

She hesitates a second, looking at the ground.
“Yeah. Until I ran away.”

“I guess you haven’t played since.”

“No, not really.” She chews her lip for a second.
I’ve noticed her doing that more and more… a
nervous habit. “What about you?”

“I was a total nerd.”

She grins at me, coming back to herself. “Liar.”

“I was, really.”

“I just don’t believe you.”

“Believe it. I was more into computers and rockets
than I was into girls or sports.”

She shakes her head. “I can’t picture it.”

“I wasn’t always so dashing and handsome, you
know.”

She gives me a look and leans closer to me. “No,
it’s not that. It’s your personality. You’re too
outgoing.”

“Ah,” I say, sighing. “That.”

“What do you mean, that?”

“It hasn’t always come so easy for me.”

She’s quiet for a second. “You learned to be
outgoing?”

“Pretty much. I realized young that the most
interesting people, the ones that always seem to get
ahead, are loud and obnoxious and rude and
completely outgoing. So I forced myself to learn.”

“Well, you’re definitely obnoxious,” she says.

I laugh and nudge against her. “It wasn’t really easy
to learn, you know.”

“But you did it. I don’t even know how someone
learns to be something they aren’t.”

“People do it all the time. It’s just… practice.
That’s all.”

She snorts. “Practice being outgoing. Okay, that’s
new.”

“You can try it, you know.”

“Nah.” She watches a couple stroll past, both short
and old and well dressed. “I’m happy with what I
am.”

“What are you, little Ruby?” I ask her softly.

She glances at me with a frown. “I’m… I don’t
know. I’m me.”

“Obviously, but what are you? Do you even know?
You’ve been on the run for so long.”

I can tell that gets to her. I wasn’t trying to get
under her skin but I couldn’t help myself.

She shifts in her seat. “I don’t think you know me
at all.”

“Maybe not.”

“Just because we’re married doesn’t mean you
know me, okay? Just because we…” She trails off,
flustered and frustrated.

I wish I had it in me to apologize, I really do. I
didn’t mean to piss her off. I just genuinely wasn’t
sure if she truly ever had time to sit down and look
at herself closely. I think the answer is probably no
and that scares her.

“If this ends and we live through it, you can be
whatever you want to be,” I say softly to her.
“After the baby comes, of course. I’ll help you.”

“Help me.” She snorts. “You’ll make sure you get
something out of it first.”

“You think so?”

“You’re a businessman.”

“True. But I’m also a person.”

She glares at me for a second but her expression
softens. “Yeah, maybe. I haven’t seen that side of
you just yet.”

“I think you have, though,” I answer. “Every time I
kiss you when I don’t have to… hold your hand…
put my arm around you. The way I’ve been
working myself ragged to get us out of this mess…
that’s me being a person.”

“That’s you saving your life. And enjoying your
property.”

I smirk at her, head cocked. “Are you my
property?”

“You think so.”

I lean closer to her, lips inches from her ear. “I’m
your Daddy, Ruby… but I don’t own you.”

She looks at me and her flush is getting deeper. “I
know that.”

“Good.”

For a moment, I think I might kiss her. But the
busker changes song and I decide to pull away.

“Come on.” I stand up. “I have more work to do.
And you probably shouldn’t be alone out here.”

She sighs and stands. “Fine. I’m just so bored in the
apartment.”

“Read a book.”

“Great suggestion. I’ve never thought of that
before.”

I laugh and we head back to the apartment. We
take the long way though, skirting through the park
and down south.

This part of the city is very, very old. It’s the heart
of the city, really, and there are a ton of tiny side
streets and little blocks that lead nowhere. We cut
down one, barely wide enough for a single car to
get through. Cars are parked on the curb, half on
the street and half off. The houses are quiet and
immaculately kept.

“I’d like to live here one day,” she says wistfully.

“I can make that happen.”

“I’m sure you can.”

I turn to say something, but a movement catches
my eye.

It’s a blur coming up from behind us. It’s moving
FAST, coming hard. I flinch toward Ruby,
instinctively putting myself between the blur and
her.

It hits me hard. I groan as the air’s shoved from my
lungs. Ruby stumbles back, a scream swallowed in
her throat.

The thing is a man, I realize after half a second. He
slams his shoulder into my midsection and shoves,
pushing me off balance and back into Ruby. I hit
her and she goes backward, landing hard on her ass.
I hit the ground and scramble backward as the man
lunges at me.

The sound of metal on stone scrapes through my
ears, sending a shiver down my spine. My heart’s
racing as I roll away and jump to my feet.

The man grins at me wickedly… and I recognize
him.

“They’re not after me anymore,” I say, catching my
breath.

It’s the man from my office. The one that Don
Grosso warned me about.

“I don’t care,” he says, spitting on the ground. “It’s
personal now.”

“You don’t have to do this.”

He advances, a knife in his hand. “I really do. Men
like me don’t get more jobs if they can’t finish
them.”

He lunges at me, knife flashing. I dance back,
knocking into the stoop behind me. He keeps
coming, stabbing forward. I try to twist out of the
way but I feel a sharp jolt of pain in my side.

I let a growl from my lips as I slam my elbow
sideways. It catches him in the temple and he
stumbles to the side. He groans and slices at me. I
put my arms up and the blade bites into my right
forearm, scoring a shallow cut.

He slices again and I manage to dance away. He
comes at me, eyes narrowed and angry.

A mass of red hair comes flying at him like a
hurricane. I shout but Ruby jumps on his back,
grabbing at his hair and slamming her right fist into
his neck.

He goes to stab back at her but I jump forward. I let
loose a primal shout as I barrel into him, knocking
Ruby sprawling. The man lets out a groan as I grab
onto his knife hand, shoving my thumb into the
pressure point at his wrist as I slam my forehead
into his nose.

I feel it crunch for a second time as blood spurts
out all over again. He screams in pain as I slam my
fist into his gut and twist his knife arm behind his
back.

I force it up as hard as I can and feel a sharp crack
and a pop as his arm breaks.

He falls to the ground, screaming in pain. I kick his
knife away and turn to Ruby.

She’s getting up from the ground, looking a little
shaky. “Ruby!” I run to her, throwing my arms
around her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she says. “I’m fine, seriously.”

I look into her eyes. “Did you hit your head?”

“No. Seriously, I’m fine.” Her eyes go wide and she
raises her left hand. “Shit. You’re bleeding.”

My blood, fresh and red, stands out on her palm.

“Come on.”

I pull her behind me as fast as I can. We hurry
away and I can feel my shirt soaking through. The
apartment isn’t far but people give me a strange
look as I limp past them as fast as I can.

We head upstairs. My shirt’s soaked now and my
forearms are dripping. Blood splatters on the carpet
and I curse as the pain starts up in earnest.

“Come on,” Ruby says, tugging me into the
bathroom. We peel my shirt off together.

There’s a bright gash down my flank. I touch it and
curse.

“It’s deep,” she says. “I don’t think it’s too deep
but you need stitches. We have to go to a hospital.”

“No,” I growl. “No, we don’t have time for that.
Get my phone.”

She frowns at me. “Knox, you can’t work like
this.”

I shake my head. “I know a doctor that makes
house calls. Get my phone.”

“Of course you do,” she mutters and hurries into
the other room. I press a towel against my flank
nice and hard, and although it hurts, I think it helps
stem the bleeding a bit.

I take the phone and make the call. Dr. Bitter
sounds annoyed but when I offer him four times his
normal rate, he suddenly has a free schedule.

I hang up and drop the phone onto the counter. I sit
back on the toilet and sigh, feeling the pain, my
pulse.

Ruby kneels next to me. “You’ll be okay.”

“Yeah.” I squeeze my eyes shut then look at her.
“You saved us.”

She frowns. “No, I just—”

“Seriously, Ruby. You saved us. If you haven’t
jumped on him like that, I doubt I would’ve won
that fight. Not unarmed, not surprised like that.”

She laughs a little. “I guess I did.”

“You did.” I reach forward and touch her face
gently. I lean and kiss her, wincing with pain.

“Okay, enough,” she says, helping me lean back.

I sigh and groan. “I’ll be fine.”

“I’m sure you will. Stay here, I’ll get a fresh towel.
Is that doctor on his way?”

“He’s coming.”

She leaves the room and I watch her go.

That girl… she really did save our lives. Not many
people would be so fucking brave like that.

But that’s Ruby.

That’s why I’m proud of her… proud to be with
her.

God damn, Ruby. You mystify me. I don’t know
how she was under my nose for so long and I never
even realized just how incredible she is.

But now I’ve seen it and there’s no going back.

Ruby

Dr. Bitter pushes his glasses up his nose and sighs.
“He needs rest,” the doctor says, “but he’ll be
okay.”

Relief floods over me. “Nothing serious?”

“Aside from the knife wound?” Bitter raises his
eyebrow. “No, it didn’t hit anything life
threatening, fortunately. But you were right to call.
That’s a nasty wound.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

“Any time.” Bitter sighs and shakes his head. “I
wish I could say that I’m shocked to see Knox like
this, but that man…” He trails off.

“I know what you mean.” I look back toward
Knox’s bedroom door. “He’s reckless.”

“That’s putting it mildly. Believe it or not, I’ve
known Knox for a long time, and that man will do
anything he sets his mind to, no matter how stupid.
I can only guess what kind of trouble you two are

mixed up in.”

I give him an apologetic smile. “Well, he’ll figure it
out.”

“I’m sure.” Bitter pushes his glasses up again. He’s
about the same age as Knox and just as handsome,
with frosty gray eyes and a muscular, broad build.
“Let him get some rest. He’ll be okay. And make
sure he takes his antibiotics and the pain
medication.”

“I will.”

He nods and heads to the elevator. I see him out
and he just shakes his head as the doors close.

I can only imagine what he thinks happened.

As I head back to Knox’s room, I replay the doctor
stitching him up over in my head. I can see the way
Knox refused to show the pain as the doctor did his
work, closing the wound on his side. The cuts on
his arms weren’t bad, although one did need a
couple stitches, but it’s the slice down his side that
was ugliest.

Still, he’s going to be okay. I step into his bedroom
and he smiles at me as I head over and sit down
gently next to him.

Relief washes over my body when he cocks his

head. “Why do you look like someone died?” he
asks.

“Because you almost did.”

He snorts and shakes his head. “No way.”

“Knox, come on. He cut you open.”

“I know that. But I’m fine.”

I sigh and he grins bigger at me. He reaches out and
pulls me against him, leaning me gently against his
chest. I sigh and rest my head there, trying not to
put too much weight on him.

He adjusts, sitting upward. He looks down into my
eyes and pulls my face back slightly.

“You did good,” he says softly. “Not just with that
asshole earlier. But with the doctor just now.”

“Yeah?”

“Bitter’s a good man, but I don’t want him to know
the details of what happened. Thank you for
keeping that to yourself.”

“I didn’t think that would be a good idea.”

He smiles and gently kisses me. I feel a strange
thing run down my spine… a thrill that reaches
through my body, my blood pumping, my pulse

spiking.

“It’s a good thing I have you,” he says softly.

“I think I’ve brought more pain than good into your
life.”

“I’m not sure about that.” He smirks at me and
kisses me again, this time slower, deeper.

I’m afraid of hurting him but I can’t help myself. I
kiss him back, my whole body shaking suddenly. I
think all the fear and terror that I’ve been holding
back since we were attacked comes flooding back
over me.

But there’s also relief.

I’m happy to be alive.

And I’m happy Knox is going to be okay.

It hits me like a truck, how close we just were.
Knox reacts to my kiss as it gets deeper, hungrier.

I need him. I need him badly, in a way I never
needed someone before. It’s not just his protection,
but it’s him.

I need him to touch me… to make me feel good.

I need him to make me feel alive.

I kiss him and he pulls my hair, tugging me closer.

He kisses my neck, adjusts himself, and I can feel
his body stiffen.

I push him back onto the pillows and get up on the
bed. I straddle him and pull off my shirt. His eyes
are roaring flames as he takes my body in. I take
my bra off and lean forward, kissing him again,
trying not to put too much weight on him.

He growls in response, sitting up and teasing my
breasts with his palms. He shouldn’t move, he
could open his stitches, but we’re both so far
beyond that.

I can feel it in his kiss and his touch. He feels the
same way, the rush and relief of survival.

I kiss him hard and let his hands roam my body. He
grabs my hair, tongue on my neck, my chest, my
breasts. I lean back and moan as he sucks and bites
my nipples gently before pulling me back down.

I can feel him getting hard under my wet and warm
pussy. I feel him stiffen beneath me and my body
reacts, almost against my will. My pulse goes faster
and I roll my hips, riding along his length. He’s
wearing thin cotton sweats and I can feel every
inch of him, every contour, every detail as I press
down on his enormous hard cock.

He growls in response, kissing me harder. I grab

onto the head of the bed and grip it, trying not to
put my weight too hard on him as I roll my hips
along his length, my breath coming in pants.

“This is why I keep fighting,” he whispers in my
ear. “This body, these breasts… the way you can’t
get enough.”

“Yes,” I pant. “Oh, god, Daddy.”

“I’ll take care of you. Even with this fucking
scratch, I’ll protect you.”

I moan and kiss him. I know he’s not lying.

He kisses me back, his hands gripping my ass. I roll
my hips again, bearing down on him. I feel him
wince though and pull back.

“We shouldn’t,” I say.

He shakes his head, grabbing me, keeping me there.

“Don’t you fucking stop,” he says.

I kiss him again, but this time, I kiss his neck. I
want to pull his shirt off, but I don’t want to disturb
the bandage… so I move down and pull off his
pants instead.

He’s wearing boxer briefs and I’m on all fours
above him, one hand stroking his cock while I kiss
him. God, he’s so hard and big, I have to marvel all

over again how that thing ever fit inside of me.

How it’s going to fit inside of me.

I stroke him slowly then drop back down to slide
his briefs off. He’s stiff, rock hard, like granite. I
take him in my hand and stroke him, staring into his
eyes, my breasts bare and my hair spilling down
over my shoulders.

I love the way he looks at me. It’s intoxicating,
explosive. His eyes are voracious and his touch is
eager, almost starved. It’s like he’s never seen a
woman’s body like this before, but the easy way he
navigates me, gives me pleasure, proves that’s not
true.

It’s just me, it’s just the way he looks at me.

I take his cock in my right hand and slowly lick him
top to bottom. I see the fire in his eyes as I taste
him and look up. He grabs my hair and lets me do
the work as I take his thick cock between my lips,
sucking him as far as I can.

He growls, a low purr in his throat. “Fuck, that
feels good,” he says. “Worth getting stabbed for.”

I suck him faster, letting my spit slide down his
shaft. I use it to stroke him with my other hand,
moving up and down. He pushes me deep, his cock
slipping into my throat, and I have to pull back to

gasp in a breath.

He leans forward, wincing slightly, and kisses me. I
kiss him back, ravenous. I push him back down
gently then take his cock in my mouth once more,
sucking faster, stroking faster.

He groans, holding tight to my hair. “You drive me
wild,” he says. “Every inch of your perfect, tight
body makes me rock hard. I want to press my cock
deep between your legs over and over again, little
Ruby, make you gasp and beg my name. I want to
hear you call me Daddy over and over again… until
you have a baby inside of you.”

I moan as I suck him. I love the way he talks to me.
I love the taste of him in my mouth. I suck him
faster, gagging deep on his cock, pulling back. He
holds my hair tight, directing me, showing me what
he likes.

“Your tight little cunt drives me wild. Every night I
dream about it wrapped around my cock or pushing
against my tongue. I want to taste you, Ruby, every
inch of you. I want to tie you up and make you
come again and again until there’s nothing left. I
want to leave you moaning, trembling, begging
me… and then I’ll give you more.”

He gasps when I take him into my throat. He
pushes himself up, holding my mouth down on his

shaft, groaning. I pull back with a gasp and he
kisses me, deep and slow while I keep stroking him
with both my hands, sitting up on my knees.

He tastes like heaven and I can feel my pulse
between my legs. It’s driving me wild, pushing me
further and faster as I start sucking his cock again.

“I want to see your breasts shake as I slide my
thick cock between your legs,” he groans, holding
my hair tight. “I want to see your body tremble,
sweat on your skin, while you bear down and come
hard, your tight pussy stretched and spread. You
dirty girl, I want to hear you beg to come again.”

He grabs my hair and I gag on him before he pulls
me back up. I kiss him hard and can’t stop myself.

I pull off my pants and panties, throwing them on
the floor. He’s stroking himself while he watches
me, eyes blazing. I straddle him, pussy juice
dripping down my leg, and slowly push back
against his rock-hard cock.

He growls as he slips inside me, so easily, spreading
me wide open. I gasp and kiss him and slowly lower
myself back.

I shiver and moan. I’m aware of his injury but he
doesn’t seem to care anymore. I ride him slowly at
first but his hands guide me faster, one hand on my

ass, the other in my hair.

He kisses me, pulling my hair tight. He grabs it
hard, kissing my neck and breasts, thrusting up
inside of me. I gasp and ride him faster, moving my
hips.

I feel it hit me all at once. The pleasure of his cock
inside me, the thrill of being alive… I can’t help
myself. I push back and ride him fast and the
orgasm hits me out of nowhere. I gasp and he holds
me there, cock buried between my legs, and I come
in a deep explosion that drives me wild.

“Shit,” I say, panting. “I can’t…”

“Good girl,” he whispers in my ear and pushes me
down his shaft again.

I shiver and moan. “Oh, god, Daddy. It still feels…
so good.”

“I know it does.”

We move slowly again. I can feel the pleasure
coming back, building again… growing inside of
me. That one orgasm wasn’t the end… no, it can’t
be, not with how good this feels as I ride his cock
back, rocking down along his length.

He kisses me again, teases my breasts with his
tongue, spanks my firm ass. His hands are going to

leave prints but I don’t care. He spanks me again,
again, grabs my hair. He makes me ride him faster,
faster, faster.

I’m soaking wet and the heat’s growing. He grabs
my hair and I ride him, moving back and forth,
rocking with his motion. All thoughts of his injury
are gone now and we’re both in the zone, groaning,
moaning together, bodies sweating and doing our
dance, grinding to the rhythm.

He spanks my ass and pulls me close. “You feel like
heaven,” he growls. “I can’t get enough.”

I moan and ride him faster, locking eyes with him. I
put my hands on his chest and he grabs my ass,
spreading me wide open and thrusting up inside.

I gasp when he hits my spot and I know I can’t take
it anymore. I groan, rolling back, pushing down. He
moves with me, sweat dripping down my back,
down my body. I gasp and every muscle tenses as I
feel pleasure growing between my legs again.

“That’s right,” he groans. “Come again for me,
little Ruby. Come on my big cock. I can’t take
much more.”

“Yes,” I moan. “Yes, yes, yes. Oh, god, yes,
Daddy.”

I arch my back and feel him sliding deeper inside

me. I lose it completely, my mind whirling and
spinning in patterns of pleasure and heaven, lost
entirely in the physical act of fucking, lost entirely
in the bliss that’s coursing through me.

I come again, this time a wrecking thing. I come
hard, ripping my core into pieces, gasping and
straining as it rolls over me like a wave. I feel him
stiffen, feel him groan, and feel him fill me to the
brim.

We come together in one blissful, intense,
incredible moment.

I’m left shaking, leaning on him. I’m breathing hard
and he groans softly.

“Shit,” he says. “That was… shit.”

“I know.” I kiss his lips, so happy to be with him,
touching him… alive with him.

My hands stray down to his shirt and I notice
something wet. I pull them back and there’s blood
on my fingertips.

“Oh, shit!” I pull back off him. He winces and
touches his wound, fingers pulling back bloody.

“Damn,” he whispers. “Ripped the stitches.”

My hands fly to my mouth in horror. “Knox! I’m so
sorry! I’m so sorry, please, I’m so sorry!”

He laughs, winces, laughs again. “It’s okay, really.
Seriously. Worth it.”

“No, it’s not, you idiot.”

He groans and laughs. “Get a towel. And call the
doctor again. Please.”

“He’s going to kill us.”

“Yep.” Knox grins at me… and I can’t help it.

The absurdity of the moment washes over me. I fall
down next to him laughing and he laughs right
along with me, up until he winces in pain and
groans.

That makes the laughter stop. I sit up and grab the
phone, already dialing Bitter’s number.

I don’t know how we’re here, but we’re still both
giddy with the joy of being alive and the joy of
feeling good. Even though Bitter is pissed on the
phone, and even more pissed when he sees the
ripped stitches, we just don’t care.

It doesn’t matter. We’re alive, we’re together.

That’s all I care about right now.

Even if our other problem isn’t close to solved, I
just don’t care.

We’re alive and happy and feeling good in this
moment and I just can’t let that go.

Knox

I ’m out of commission for a day. I should probably
lie low for at least a week, but we don’t have time.
I let Ruby convince me to stay in bed for one single
day, although I’m on the phone the whole time
while she lies in bed beside me.

I keep glancing at her as she sprawls out cat-like on
top of the covers, reading a book, her hair dangling
in her face. She keeps pushing it back absently, and
that gesture drives deep into my heart for some
reason.

It’s so endearing, so simple. I want to roll over and
kiss her softly and let that hair fall into my face. I
want to breathe her deep and let that linger for
hours.

Instead, I’m cajoling state senators.

“Did you see the proposal my office sent over?” I
ask one particularly reticent man from the
Pittsburgh area.

“Ah, yes, I believe so. And I saw your donation to

the campaign, it was very generous, I just—”

“Please, read it,” I say. “Look it over.”

“I can’t say my constituents think much about
casinos in Philadelphia, but—”

“You’re part of the legislature, and I’m going to
need all of your help, Senator,” I say. “I understand
this isn’t your domain, but I’d be happy to help you
out whenever you need it, if only you’d look over
the proposal.”

He hems and haws but finally agrees to read the
damn thing. I almost make him do it on the phone
with me but that’d be a step too far.

I mark him down as a maybe. I’ll give him a day or
two and push again. I think he’ll crack if the
check’s big enough.

But there are fifty members of the senate… and
over two hundred in the house.

It’s not an easy process. Every single person I
speak with is either uninterested or slightly against
the idea. I have to write check after check, push
and prod and beg and plead, and it feels like I’m
pushing rocks up a hill.

“You should take a break,” Ruby says to me after a
few hours of this. “Seriously, you look exhausted.

How’s your side feel?”

“It’s fine,” I say absently. “Look, we have five
days to get this finished. I can’t take any more time
off.”

“Six days,” she corrects. “And you can if you’re
going to bleed out.”

But I don’t listen, of course. I give her a ten-minute
break and let her make me some tea, but soon
enough I’m calling another name on my list and
writing another big check to some campaign in
bumblefuck Pennsylvania that I don’t care about at
all.

Just how it goes. The day passes, and although
Ruby’s not happy about it, I do manage to turn a
few votes in our direction and grease a few
important palms.

Reluctantly, I give up for the day. Ruby makes me
dinner, a surprisingly good pasta dish with sausage
and plenty of garlic, before we go to bed.

“Should I… sleep in the other room?” she asks me.

God, she’s so beautiful. She looks shyly at me,
lingering in the doorway.

“No,” I say gruffly. “Come on. Sleep with me.”

“Promise you’ll keep your hands to yourself? At

least for another night, I just… I don’t want your
stitches to tear again. Bitter will seriously report
us.”

I laugh softly and pat the bed. “Get over here. I
promise to be a perfect gentleman.”

That night I sleep on my good side with her hair in
my face, her smell in my nose, feeling her warm
body up close, and I know I’m falling.

* * *

The next morning while changing my bandage, it
hits me all at once.

There’s no fucking way this is happening.

Ruby gingerly peels back the cotton covering and
stifles a noise.

“What?” I grunt at her.

“Nothing.”

“Just say it.”

“You’re going to scar.”

I snort. “No kidding.”

“Bad.”

“Good. It’ll look awesome.”

She bites her lip and doesn’t say anything. She just
replaces the bandage and hands me my antibiotics
and Percocet.

I take the antibiotics. “No drugs,” I say.

“Bitter said—”

“Fuck Bitter. You want me fucked up on that shit
all day instead of trying to save your pretty ass?”

“It’s just one pill.”

I shake my head and look in the mirror. “No
drugs.”

She sighs and puts it away without another word.

But it’s in that moment that I feel it hit me, all the
weight of what’s happening. It falls on my
shoulders and I just fucking know…

I fucking know…

It’s not going to happen.

I turn to her, madness in my eyes.

“I have to do something drastic.”

She looks a little startled. “What?”

“I have to do something stupid,” I amend.

“Something I probably shouldn’t do.”

“O…kay,” she says slowly. “You’ve been doing
smart things up until now?”

I nod sharply. “Things that wouldn’t get me
arrested, at least not outright. Things I could
plausibly deny or hide. But fuck that.” I step
toward her. I’m wearing just my boxer briefs and
my side hurts like hell. “But it’s time to do
something reckless.”

She bites her lip. “Bitter said that’s what you are,
reckless.”

I grin at her, feeling giddy with my decision.
“Bitter’s probably right.”

“Please don’t do anything that’s going to get us
arrested.”

“Can’t promise that.”

She sighs. “Please?”

“Would you rather be dead or in jail?”

She hesitates just a second. “How long are we
talking?”

“Ten years at most.”

We stand in the bathroom in silence, letting the

weight of that linger between us. She stares back
into my eyes and I know she’s weighing everything
in her mind.

“Do it,” she says finally.

I laugh and pull her against me. I kiss her without
thinking, the kind of kiss you’d give to someone
you love… someone you want to share joy with.

She kisses me right back.

I spend the rest of the morning planning. Well, not
so much planning as getting dressed and psyching
myself up.

Our first stop is the bank. I have to go inside and
speak with a teller, considering the amount of cash
I want. They’re a bit reluctant to give it to me…
until I remind them who I am.

When we’re done there, I have the driver take us to
city hall. There’s a big old bag of cash tucked under
my arm and I can’t help but laugh to myself.

“How much is that?” Ruby whispers sharply,
glancing up at the driver.

“A lot,” I say in reply. “More than you make in a
year.”

She frowns. “You don’t pay me that great.”

“Ten times what you make in a year.”

Her eyes go wide at that and she shrinks back from
me like the cash is radioactive.

In some ways, it is.

Here’s the thing about bribing politicians.

You can’t give them too much money and you can’t
do it too obviously. What people normally do is
they make political donations. They offer the
maximum amount allowable by law. If that’s not
enough, they find other vaguely legal ways to
siphon them as much money as possible.

That’s what I’ve been doing so far. I’ve been
making ostensibly above-board political donations.
But my donations have come from me and all the
companies I own. I’ve spent tons and tons of
money but I’ve done it all slowly, legally, to
campaigns.

Well, except to the mayor’s aides. Those were just
straight-up bribes.

I need to do something drastic though. Something
that’ll get this proposal moving… today.

The driver drops me outside of city hall.

“Wait here,” I say to Ruby. “I’ll be back soon.”

She looks worried. “What if you’re not?”

“I will be, one way or another. It might be in
handcuffs, but I’ll be back.”

I grin at her wildly and shut the door gently before
she can protest any more.

I head into city hall with a bag of cash under my
arm. It’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever done but I
can’t help myself.

I find the elevators up, but security stops me. Once
they realize who I am though, they’re willing to call
up to Arian. Fortunately, he’s around today and
answers right away.

“He says to head up,” the old security guard says,
frowning at my bag. “I should check that.”

I give him my best smile. “That’s okay. It’s just a
bag of cash for the mayor.”

He chuckles and shakes his head. “Yeah, right.
Okay, whatever, head on up.”

I thank him and keep going. The elevators slowly
grind up and up, moving at a snail’s pace. That’s
typical for city hall. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this
ancient building without some sort of construction.

Finally, I reach the top floor, practically right under
William Penn’s ass. I walk down the quiet hall to

the mayor’s office and am greeted by Arian,
looking haggard and annoyed.

“Bad time,” he says to me.

“It’s not,” I answer back. “It’s a great time.”

He frowns at me then glances at the bag. “What’s
that?”

“Bomb,” I say wickedly.

He glares. “Not funny, asshole.”

“It’s cash for your boss.”

“Not funny, either.” He glances around. “Are you
trying to get arrested?”

“Let me see him, Arian.”

“No can do,” he answers. “Mayor’s in a meeting
with some special interests and you’re not invited.”

“Then I’ll wait.”

“He’s booked. Come back another day, Knox.”

I stand there and face Arian down, but the man
isn’t budging. He stares right back at me with all
the weight of a jaded political operative behind
him.

“Okay then,” I say and walk right around him.

“Hey!” Arian steps to grab me but I shimmy away.
I feel the stitches in my side pull but they don’t
break as I skirt around the secretary’s desk and
walk fast for the mayor’s office door. “Knox, damn
it, he really is in a meeting!”

I push into the office abruptly, letting the door slam
on the other side. The sound echoes through the
wood and marble space and three men look back at
me.

The mayor’s sitting behind his desk, a look of
surprise on his face. Two men sit in front of him,
both old and gray and wearing suits that are way
too big for them. Union boys, I recognize
immediately, probably dock workers or something
like that.

“Knox?” the mayor says.

I close the door behind me before Arian can barge
in.

“Sorry to disturb you, Mayor,” I say.

The mayor cocks his head. “I’m in a meeting,
Knox.”

“I know you are, sir. But I need a moment of your
time.”

“We booked this a month in advance,” the man on

the left says. “You can fuck off, Knox.”

I recognize him suddenly. His name is Sully
Fitzpatrick, not a dock guy, but a carpenter.

“Fuck off yourself, Sully,” I bark at him. “How
much did you pay to get in here? I’ll triple it.”

All three men look aghast. I grin at them wildly.
“This is beyond the pale, Mayor,” Sully says.

I walk up to the mayor’s desk, ignoring the two
men, and drop my bag of cash in front of him. The
mayor hesitates before peeking inside.

He nearly chokes.

“Excuse us, would you please, gentlemen? Don’t
leave, when Knox is finished we’ll pick right back
up.”

“This is outrageous!” Sully says, standing. His
partner hesitates before standing as well. “I won’t
be treated like this, Mayor. You need my support.”

The mayor stands, shooting me a look, and walks
the two men out. I’m sure he whispers placating
words to them as he goes.

When they’re gone, he comes back to his desk and
sits back down.

“Okay, Knox. Two minutes. Why is there a bag of

what looks like half a million dollars on my desk?”

I don’t bother sitting. I don’t have time.

“All of that money is for you,” I tell him straight
up, “if you’ll get the casino proposal approved this
week.”

He blinks at me. “Are you fucking joking?”

“Every single penny. Hell, I’ll double it, in cash,
delivered to your house on Friday.”

“Knox—”

“I’ll triple it. One point five million, in cash, in your
house.”

“Goddamn it, Knox.” He leans back in his chair…
but he doesn’t throw me out.

“Mayor, I need this. It’s life and death.”

He’s quiet for a second before sighing. “Sit down.”

I hesitate but decide to sit. My stitches are hurting.

“Listen, Knox, I now you’ve been calling all over
town, talking to every damn politician and city
planner you can corner. You’ve written more
checks in the last weeks than most billionaires write
in a year. And yet here you are, still pushing. You
know the damn thing will get approved, right?”

I frown at him. “Nobody’s said that.”

“Of course not. You’re throwing money around so
they’re all gobbling it up. But the city’s been
relaxing its standards for years, Knox. Your
proposal came at the right time.”

I lean back in my seat, floored. “When?”

“I don’t know. Soon. A month, maybe two.”

“No. I need it this week.”

“Why the fuck do you need it so fast?”

“You wouldn’t believe me and you don’t want to
know.”

The mayor sighs and rubs his eyes. “Look, I don’t
know if I can do it. Your friend, that spooky
motherfucker, John, he’s been pushing hard for
you, lobbying everyone. You’re right there on the
edge, but if you keep pulling this sort of stunt… it
won’t happen.”

“And I’m telling you, it has to be this week.
Tomorrow would be best.”

The mayor throws up his hands. “You’re crazy.”

I lean forward, eyes ablaze again. “No, Mayor. I’m
in love.”

He looks at me like I’ve just grown two heads. “I
don’t know what that means, Knox. I know you
just got married, but…”

“Take the money. Make it happen.”

“I can’t promise that.”

“One point five million.” I stand up and stare at
him. He looks back at me, weary and tired and old.
“Not a political donation. No PACs, no bullshit.
Just straight cash.”

“That’s not as tempting as you think.”

“Yes, it is,” I say, laughing. “I know you have
businesses all over this city you can run the cash
through. You’ll have it squeaky clean in no time.”

He glances at the bag… and his fingers twitch
toward it.

“Three times this, huh?” he says softy.

“Make it happen. Personally, make it happen.”

He finally, slowly, reluctantly… nods.

“Good,” I say and leave without another word.

Arian’s waiting for me outside.

“You have any idea what that stunt’s gonna cost
us?” he growls. “The damn carpenters union is

talking about pulling—”

“Go sit on it, Arian, you whiny asshole.”

He blinks at me and doesn’t respond as I walk off. I
get into the elevator and ride it down, smiling to
myself the whole way.

I keep waiting for the police to show up. I keep
waiting for the mayor to report me. That wouldn’t
be such a dumb move. I mean, if he got caught with
that money, he’d be as fucked as me.

And yet nobody arrives.

I always knew this city was corrupt… I just didn’t
know how badly until now.

I make it outside, out into freedom, and spot Ruby
sitting on a low concrete wall. She jumps to her
feet, her red hair shining in the light.

And I know it, right in that moment. I know it
without a doubt in my mind.

I love that girl. Fucking hell, do I love her.

“How did it go?” she asks, running over to me.

I grin and pull her close. “It went great.”

And I kiss her nice and slow.

Ruby

We go back to work the next day.

Not back to the work of pushing through the
proposal… but actual work.

“Why are we even here?” I ask him as we get into
the office bright and early. “Seriously, what’s the
point?”

He just smiles at me enigmatically. “Trust me,
Ruby, darling.”

I sigh and shake my head. “You’re going to get me
killed.”

“Maybe, maybe, but you’ll have fun on the way
out.”

I roll my eyes. “Not worth it.”

“Very worth it.”

I sigh but decide not to argue.

He’s been in a good mood ever since we left city

hall yesterday. He won’t tell me what happened in
there, but it could’ve have been bad.

He spends most of the day on the phone again, but
this time there isn’t the same level of urgency. I
keep thinking about the day before, about him
taking risks for me, about him being reckless.

And I keep seeing that man attack us.

When he first appeared, he slammed into Knox…
and then, instead of thinking about himself, Knox
stood up in front of me. He protected me, even
then, when the guy had a knife and he was
unarmed.

That’s why I threw myself at that bastard, because I
knew Knox was willing to do whatever he needed
to do for me.

That thought keeps running through my mind. Knox
would do anything for me, anything at all. It can’t
just be for the baby he wants. That’s just absurd.

He could get a child a million different ways. There
are women that would die to have a baby for him.
Plus, he could pay a surrogate, or adopt, or do any
number of things.

Instead, he’s sticking with me. He’s doing this for
me.

I don’t think I realize that fully until the end of the
day when we’re leaving together. Instead of
heading out, he lingers by my desk.

“Ready to go?” he asks casually, like it’s totally
normal for the two of us to leave together.

I look up at him and I can just see the way he’s
looking at me. I see the expression, the simple
devotion, right there in his eyes.

“I’m ready,” I say.

He grins. “Okay then. Let’s go.”

I get up and follow him. We walk close together
and as we hit the sidewalk, his hand slips into mine.

It’s such a simple gesture. He doesn’t even seem to
notice that he does it.

But I grab onto his hand tight and I feel tears in my
eyes. I have to bite them back or else risk looking
like a total psycho.

We head back to the apartment, hand in hand, and
it feels like we’re married.

Like we’re really, truly married.

There’s something different in him today. I don’t
think I really could pinpoint exactly what
changed… but as we walk, I think I feel it.

“You’re in a good mood,” I say.

He glances at me. “I guess.”

“Why?”

He shrugs a little and looks up at the sky. It’s a
startling blue and the wind is crisp and the sidewalk
is clean and it’s a beautiful day. “Just am.”

“Did the proposal go through?”

He snorts. “Not yet.”

“So we might still die.”

“Yep. We might.”

“But you don’t think so.”

“Honestly?” He looks at me and shrugs. “I have no
clue. But I know that I’ve done everything humanly
possible and a few things that shouldn’t be. I
survived getting stabbed, I bribed every politician
in the state, I dropped a bag of cash on the mayor’s
desk… and I feel in love with you.”

I stop in my tracks and stare at him. He’s just
smiling at me like he didn’t just drop the biggest
bomb on me possible.

“You… what?”

“Fell in love with you, little Ruby.” He grins and

shrugs a little like it’s no big deal. “Didn’t even
realize it was happening until it happened. And
now, I can’t help it.”

“You love me,” I whisper, more to myself than to
him.

“I hope that’s okay.”

I suddenly can’t help it. I press myself against him,
despite the slight wince he can’t quite hide, and I
kiss him hard.

We linger there on the sidewalk, people passing us
by like nothing is happening. I kiss him and taste
him and let it finally break inside of me.

“I fell in love with you too,” I say, breathless,
cheeks bright red.

“So you did,” he says, hand on my cheek, body so
close. “What do we do with that?”

“I don’t know,” I say, laughing stupidly. The giggles
bubble up from inside of me. “We’re probably
going to die, right?”

“Probably,” he agrees.

“We might as well just… enjoy it, I guess.”

He smiles and kisses me again. God, it feels good.

I love him. I fell in love with him almost instantly
the moment he caught me sleeping on his couch
and decided to show me his paintings. I fell harder
when he saved my life in the office, again at his
lake house, again at our wedding… again during
our wedding night…

Over and over, I fell in love with him.

And now, hearing it out loud, it all finally makes
sense. It just feels right, clicked into place.

I kiss him back and we linger in each other’s arms
until we finally start walking back to the apartment.

“What do you want to do with our last days on
earth?” he asks me.

“I don’t know,” I say. “We’re already married, so
that rules that out.”

He laughs. “You’d want to get married if we
weren’t already?”

“Sure. I mean, I want to die with my husband, not
some random ass guy.”

“I’m your boss.”

“And my Daddy.”

He grins at me and pulls me close against him, arm
around my shoulders.

“Damn right.”

“So what should we do?”

“Let’s go back to the apartment, turn off the lights,
and not leave bed for at least a day.”

“Sounds good to me. Think you can handle it?”

“Ruby, if my stitches rip open, we’ll just call the
doctor again. But I’m not worried.”

“Good.” I laugh stupidly and he laughs with me.

It’s the laughter of the condemned, the damned. It’s
the laughter you scream out at the top of a
mountain in front of a mortal, impossible, insane
drop down into the valley floor. It’s laughter into
the void.

It’s the best kind of laughter. It bubbles up and we
both can’t help it. We’re stupid with laughter, with
love, with the pure simple realization that we’ve
found each other in this insane, huge, unlikely
world, and yet found each other in this crazy
situation that neither of us is going to get out of
alive.

And yet we’re laughing because it feels so good to
be with each other and it feels so good to finally,
finally, say it out loud.

We get back to the apartment, practically breathless

with laughter. He’s grinning at me as he walks over
to the refrigerator and takes out a bottle of
champagne.

“I was saving this for when we survived this whole
thing, but fuck it,” he says, pouring two glasses.

“I’d better take it easy. You know, in case I’m
pregnant and we actually do survive.”

“Good point.” He downs both glasses. “I’ll drink
for you.”

I laugh and kiss him. He pulls me against his body
and lets the kiss linger. My blood pulses in my veins
and I can feel the heat growing between my legs as
I kiss him, kiss my love, my husband.

Before he can drag me off like a caveman to his
bedroom, his phone starts ringing. He glances at it
and hesitates just a second.

“Normally, I’d ignore it, but…”

“Who?” I ask simply.

“John.”

“Better take it then.”

He pauses before answering. He puts it on speaker
and gives me a look.

“John,” he says. “How are you?”

“Hello, Knox.” John’s voice is flat and emotionless.
“Good news.”

Knox raises an eyebrow at me. “Tell me.”

“You did good with my guy in Cambodia, so I
decided to give you a little extra boost. Turns out,
that helped more than I had predicted.”

“Tell me what you’re trying to say,” Knox presses.

“The mayor brought the proposal up to the city
planners this morning and it looks like they’re going
to approve it. Apparently, there was a huge social
media movement over the last few days that they
couldn’t help but notice. I think your timing is
perfect.”

Knox looks at me, completely shocked. “It wasn’t
my timing at all, was it?”

“Nope,” John says and I swear there’s a little smile
in his voice. “Not at all. I think you’re going to be
okay, Knox.”

“Which means we’ll have more business together, I
think.”

“It means that,” John confirms. “Good luck.”

He cuts off the call and Knox stares down at the

counter before grinning at me. He pours two glasses
again and this time I take one of them.

We toast. “To living,” he says. “Still love me?”

“Still love you.”

“I know.”

We kiss, drink, and finally he drags me off to his
room.

Maybe we’re really going to get through this in the
end. Maybe we really do have a future together.
Babies, marriage, life beyond death… maybe we
really do get it all.

For me, for now, I’m not thinking about it. I don’t
care. I just want him, in his room, his body against
mine, deep between my legs.

My love, my husband, my Daddy. He’ll take care of
me, I know he will.

I can’t imagine more.

Ruby

T wo Years Later

The lights are bright, almost overwhelming, and it’s
louder than I thought it would be. Andy clings to
my leg, blinking and hiding back away from the
sound.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” I say, scooping the little boy
up into my arms. He keeps staring straight ahead, at
the glowing, glittering machines making their
tinkling, bumbling noise.

He says something that sounds like “loud” and I
laugh, nuzzling against him.

“I know, honey. But it’ll be okay. Let’s go find
Daddy, okay?”

“Dada!”

I carry Andy deeper into the casino, floating
through the well-dressed crowd, heading through
the fields of slot machines.

The ceiling is high and barely visible and the carpet
is plush and red with blue and black patterns. It’s as
nondescript and boring as possible, which I guess is
the point. The only things that look interesting at all
are the games.

It’s opening night and people are going wild. There
are lines to the machines, and although everyone’s
well dressed, it looks like a herd trying to slake
their thirst. I can’t help but shake my head at them.
These are the rich and the elite of the city, invited
here for this special grand opening ceremony, and
yet they act like they can’t help themselves.

I know they can’t, honestly. After being with Knox
these last two years, I know what this group is like.

He showed me the dark side already, and it only
gets darker.

“Mama,” Andy says, craning his neck. “Dada!”

I follow his gaze and spot Knox standing with a
group of people surrounding him. He’s telling a
story, and by his posture and the gestures he’s
making, I know the story.

He mimes a knife stabbing into his side and the
group gasps and laughs at his joke.

Knox has that story down perfectly these days,
honed over weeks and months of telling. I bet half

those people have heard it before, but they still love
it.

I wander over to the group. Knox gestures for me
to join him.

“And here’s the reason I got stabbed,” he says,
cracking them up again. “My lovely wife, Ruby,
and my son, Andrew.”

“Hi, everyone,” I say, embarrassed, and get
introductions all around.

Knox finishes his story, with only a few minor
corrections from me, mostly pointing how that I’m
the real hero in this whole thing, and he just
basically got stabbed.

When they finally disperse after more handshake, I
pass Andy over to Knox. “Hey, bud,” he says,
hoisting his little boy in his arms.

“Dada,” Andy says, banging on Knox’s chest.

“How’s it going?” I ask him. “Entertaining the
crowd, I see.”

“Always am.” He leans down and kisses me. “It’s
going good, actually. Ran into Grosso earlier and he
actually proposed another job.”

I groan. “Are you kidding?”

“Nope. It’s legit though, actually. I think they’re
moving away from crime… at least mostly.”

“No, they’re not.” I roll my eyes at him. “You’re
not that naive, are you?”

“Okay, yeah, maybe.” He shrugs. “But it pays
well.”

“We’re rich, remember?”

“Good point. I guess I can get out of it.”

I sigh. “No, it’s okay. I’d rather stay on the mob’s
good side.”

He grins and kisses me again. “That’s my girl.”

“Have you seen John around here?”

“Nope. That spook hasn’t been around for weeks.”

“I wonder if he’s dead.”

“Could be.” Knox takes my arm and we walk into
the crowd again. “I finished the last of his little jobs
for me and I think we’re finally free of him.”

“For now.”

“For now,” he agrees.

We drift deeper into the crowd, greeting familiar
faces. Knox is still as popular as always, maybe

even more popular than ever. People tend to like
you when you got on a huge bribing spree, writing
checks to every single person that matters in the
whole damn state.

How we’re not behind bars, I’ll never know. I
suspect we have friends in high places now, but
Knox isn’t admitting to anything.

I guess it doesn’t matter.

Knox hands Andy back over to me. “I’ll be right
back. The mayor is summoning me.”

I spot the mayor and his retinue standing nearby,
gesturing for Knox to join them.

“Go ahead,” I say.

He kisses my cheek and heads off.

I stand there with Andy, looking around. I can’t
believe how quickly this has become normal for
me.

Two years ago, we were running for our lives.
Before that, I never settled down and always lived
in fear.

Now, I’m established. I’m settled. I’m in love.

I have my little boy… and another on the way. I put
my hand on my belly almost without thought.

I found out just the other day. Knox was so happy
he nearly screamed when I told him the news.

I think he wants a big family… and I think I want
to give that to him.

“You look lost, little lady.”

I look over and Arian, the mayor’s top aide, is
standing nearby.

“Hi, Arian. Here to yell at me again?”

“I come in peace.” He holds up his hands. We
haven’t been on good terms since Knox pulled that
stunt with the mayor, although things have been
better since the mayor won his reelection
campaign, in no small part to Knox’s efforts. “I just
wanted to congratulate you.”

“On?”

“The baby.”

I groan. “Knox is already telling people?”

“Yep. He can’t help himself.”

“He’s not supposed to,” I grumble.

“It’ll be okay.”

“I’m sure.” I give him a flat stare. “What do you
want?”

“Tell your husband to come back to work for the
mayor. We have some people we want him to help
out.”

“I bet you do. Ask him yourself.”

“You know he listens to you. Plus, you’re a
stakeholder now.”

I sigh. Knox insisted on making me a partner in his
business. I didn’t want it… but here we are.

“We’ll see. Why should I help you, anyway?”

“Because we want to let bygones be bygones. I’m a
good friend to have, Ruby.”

In that moment, I feel it. I’m on the edge of
entering the great game, the political dance Knox is
so good at. They want to draw me in because I
have influence with Knox… which I guess gives me
a sort of power in my own.

“Maybe,” I say to Arian finally. I’m not sure I’m
ready to take that plunge… and besides, I’m a mom
now. I’m going to be a mother of two, or three…
four… five…

Do I really have time for politics?

“Ah, come on, Ruby. Help me out.”

“What’s in it for me?”

I guess I do.

“I can find something worth your while.”

“Figure that out then come talk to me.”

“Fine.” Arian gives me a grin. “Running a hard
bargain.”

“Make it good.”

He nods and waves with a smile, heading back over
to the group.

I’ll tell Knox about this… later.

I don’t want to step on his toes right now, but I
think he’ll find it funny.

We’re in this together, after all.

The night wears on. I don’t see the mobsters and I
think that’s on purpose. I haven’t heard from them
or thought about them in two years, not since my
father died mysteriously in jail a week after the
casino was approved.

That’s fine with me. I’m glad he’s gone.

“You look tired,” Knox says, leaning against me.

“Speak for yourself.”

“Dada.” Andy leans over into Knox’s arms,

drooping against him.

“We’d better get this guy home,” Knox says with a
sigh. “You ready?”

“Always.”

I slip my arm through his. He carries Andy and
leads me away from the party.

We’re going home early, but we’re going home
early… together.

We’re a family. Married, children, happy.

It’s simple and strange but so complicated and
incredible with Knox. Everything is bliss, laughter,
smiles.

This isn’t the ending we expected. Back then, we
thought we had days to live, not years, not a whole
life.

Back then we were just clinging to each other, ships
tossed in a storm, finding love to keep us afloat.

Now that the weather’s calm, we’re still together,
still in love.

He still makes me smile… makes me feel things I
never thought were possible.

He’s my man, my Knox. My husband… my Daddy.

I’ll give him anything he wants. And I know he’ll
do the same for me.

“I love you, kid,” Knox says to me as we leave the
casino.

“I love you too.”

“By the way, what did Arian want earlier?”

I laugh and lean against his shoulder. “Oh, you
know. Just the great game.”

He grins at me. Andy leans against his shoulder,
half asleep.

“Going to be a player now, huh?”

“We’ll see.”

“Good. It’ll suit you. Maybe I can concentrate on
collecting art and you can run our business.”

I give him a look. “We’ll play together, okay?”

“Of course.” He pauses for a second and looks at
me. “We’re a team, always, no matter what.”

“Damn right.”

We kiss, get into the car, and head to our home.

THE END

Your next series is ready! Best Friend Baby Daddy
is the first in a series of steamy secret baby / baby
daddy romances. Mixing business with pleasure is
always a mistake… but with Everest it’s nothing
but pleasure.

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Also by BB Hamel

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Series include Steamy Daddies, SEAL Team Hotties,

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Document Outline

Title Page
Contents
Copyright
Grab your free book!
1. Ruby
2. Knox
3. Ruby
4. Knox
5. Ruby
6. Knox
7. Ruby
8. Knox
9. Ruby
10. Knox
11. Ruby
12. Knox
13. Ruby
14. Knox
15. Ruby
16. Knox
17. Ruby
18. Knox
19. Ruby
20. Ruby
Also by BB Hamel

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