It didn’t matter if I’d had soul-destroying sex with him earlier. The way I wanted to be close to West couldn’t be quantified. Being near him made me feel… alive. There was a certain rush to having a man like him be utterly obsessed with you. I feared and desired him at the same time. A heady rush of mixed emotions that set me on fire.
For now, I was content to be held by him. And to remember the way he looked at me as he came apart earlier. How he couldn’t hide the depths of his devotion to me. His love. It was like being suffocated but in a good way. In the very best way. I liked it when West choked me during sex and this feeling was no different. I wanted to be drowned in his abyss of violence and destruction, pulled so deep inside I could never find my way out.
As I leant over to drag my bowl and mug towards me, I heard Drake clearing his throat. I turned to him when I’d got settled, raising my eyebrow.
“I spoke to the others about this before you came down… after what happened yesterday, I think we all agree we don’t want you leaving Fortuity without one of us with you. In fact, I’d prefer it if you stayed here out of harm’s way entirely.”
It took me a second to gather my thoughts and feelings on that little matter.
“You want to lock me up here?”
Drake frowned.
“No, I would never lock you up, Scarlett. I want you to have your freedom. I’m worried about what Stuart will do next. You know you’re not safe alone, right?”
I hated it, but he was right. Whilst I could get away if it was one man, I didn’t think Stuart would send just one. It would be multiple. Especially when he realised sending three men after me hadn’t worked. Drake had killed them all himself without breaking a sweat.
“I don’t like it, but fine, I’ll stay here. Will that make you happy?”
“It doesn’t make me happy at all, but I need you safe where he can’t get to you.”
I went back to my food, disliking the prospect of not being able to leave Fortuity, but knowing it was in my best interests. It’s not even like I felt safe going anywhere without one of them, anyway. They were my protectors. My guardians. My Horsemen. Whilst I could handle myself just fine, I didn’t trust Stuart at all.
“You know, we might as well have Penn on retainer at this point,” West said. “We use the fucker’s services enough.”
“Will he give us mates rates since you two are so friendly?” Prescott asked.
West snorted.
“We’re already getting them.”
“Maybe we should invite him around for dinner to show our appreciation,” I said.
“I’m not having him at our dinner table. He will simply flirt with you all evening,” Drake said, giving me a stern look.
I batted my eyelashes at him.
“Don’t worry, I would never stray even if he’s rather handsome and the tattoos do it for me.”
Prescott, Francis and West started laughing whilst Drake glared at me. I was already sat on the only tattooed man I wanted between my legs.
“Brat.”
“If you’re that worried, I promise I’ll tell Penn he’s not allowed to flirt with me at the table.”
Drake turned back to his food, but not before giving me a suspicious look, as if he was wondering what exactly my game was.
“I’ll consider it,” he said after a few minutes.
I couldn’t really ask for more from him. Drake might be prickly and stubborn, but he bent to my will more often than not. I didn’t like to tell him he’d become soft when it came to me, no matter how many times he punished me. The care he gave me afterwards spoke volumes. The man loved me and he would do everything in his power to keep me safe. And it’s why I’d decided not to object to his request to stay in the building for my own safety. It would only be until we’d dealt with Stuart. I could deal with that… couldn’t I?
Twenty Three
Francis
My head was buried in my computer, running numbers for a meeting I had tomorrow with Viktor Bykov’s accountant. We’d almost secured his daughter’s account, but there were a few unresolved issues between us and the owners of the Syndicate. I hoped to have them sorted soon.
I was so busy, I didn’t notice my office door open, nor the two people who walked inside until they were right up at my desk. My head whipped up, my eyes falling on my parents.
“Hello, Francis,” Mum said with a smile. Her grey eyes that matched mine were full of joy.
It had been months since I’d seen them. I hadn’t been expecting them to just walk in here.
“Oh shit, I completely forgot about lunch,” I blurted out, smacking my hand against my head.
My dad chuckled and shook his head.
“Always busy, I see.”
“I’m sorry.”
I got up from my desk and came around to embrace both of them. I’d mostly taken after my father. We were matched in height and stature, with dark brown hair. Mum was willowy with blonde hair and I’d got her eyes. Eliza and Jasper Beaufort were the most normal parents a person could have. Mum had been a stay at home mother until I flew the nest, and Dad worked for a gas company. She worked a part-time job in an office now. They were proud of me for what we’d built with Fortuity. I’d paid off their mortgage when we made our fortune, but they’d refused to take anything further from me. Instead, I spoiled them on their birthdays and for Christmases. It was my way of giving back. And probably why I liked to give Scarlett everything I could. I wanted her to know how much I loved and needed her.
“Don’t be,” Mum said. “We wanted to surprise you, so we asked them not to call up. And we know you boys are always working.”
I shrugged as I let her go.
“How are they, anyway?”
“They’re fine,” I said as I walked back around my desk to save what I was working on.
“May tells me Drake has a girlfriend.”
I paused what I was doing to look up at her.
“Um, yeah, he does…”
Drake had told me about his conversation with his mother. No surprise she’d blabbed to mine, considering the two of them were best friends. I was going to get the third degree over it, no doubt. Not something I particularly wanted to deal with considering they were both wondering when I would settle down too.
“Frankie, do you need me to arrange that meeting with Mr Knox? He said he’d be bringing Mr Nelson this time… oh, I didn’t realise you had… oh…”
My eyes went to Scarlett, who was standing in the doorway with a tablet in her hands, staring at the three of us with wide eyes. I left my desk when I saw the fear in them. This was completely my fault for forgetting my parents were coming to lunch. Now I was going to have to explain why Scarlett was here.
Fuck.
Yet, the person I was most worried about was my girl herself. I ignored my parent’s shocked expressions and went straight over to her. My first instinct was to cup her cheek and stroke it to soothe her.
“I didn’t know your parents were here,” she whispered.
“It’s okay. We’ll deal with it together, okay?”
She nodded, leaning into my touch as if it was grounding her. Scarlett might be strong as fuck but seeing people from her past couldn’t be easy. Especially when they happened to be my parents.
I dropped my hand from her face and turned to my parents, taking a breath before I dived in.