7 Degrees of Alpha (a collection of seven new BWWM, Alpha Male Romances) (35 page)

After Marco agreed to take the case, Sydney gave him all the information on Megan and Thomas Moore that she had, except for the abuse. She wanted to see if Marco could find any trace of Thomas having an abusive past without bringing it up. Plus, Megan had vehemently stated that she didn’t want anyone else knowing of the abuse because her husband would definitely make it that much harder for her. As long as they found proof of the man he really was without her having to press charges or throw around abuse allegations, then she would be satisfied. Besides, like in many circles, especially theirs, her abuse allegations wouldn’t be fact; it would simply be allegations, and she would be made out to be the villain.

Sydney didn’t like withholding information, especially some that could possibly help move the case faster, but she would never go against her client’s wishes, so she didn’t tell Marco. Now it had been three days since the meeting with Marco Bellomi, and Sydney came to quickly realize that she liked saying Marco’s name and talking to him. Even though all of their conversations had been about business, she could tell he was an easy-going guy that was highly intelligent. He was also a man with swagger and confidence.  He was a man that liked control and knew exactly what he wanted, and he got it.  But it was his deep voice that did something to her.  The way he laughed or the simple way he said her name.  It was like he was caressing her with his voice. She started to look forward to their daily check-ins.  Sydney started to imagine what it would be like for Marco to whisper all the naughty things he would do to her in her ear.  She also realized that the attraction between the two of them was something that she’d never experienced before; just the sound of his voice would make her panties moist. She started having erotic dreams about Marco the same night after meeting him. She felt herself heat up at the thought of her dreams coming to life. His sensual lips were almost too pretty to be on a man. His bedroom eyes sparkled with mischief. And those arms…. Damn, those arms… she could only hope to be wrapped up in a strong pair of arms like that one day.

Maybe if I’m lucky I can be wrapped up in his arms one day.

Sydney laughed at her school girl thoughts. She was a woman that was nearly thirty years old, and she was daydreaming about a man.

Sydney sighed.
I have absolutely no time to be daydreaming about a man…No matter how big and fine he is… and how much I want to consume his entire body… Shit, I’m off track again!

A knock at Sydney’s office door brought her out of her reverie.

“Come in,” Sydney called.

Sydney’s assistant, Rose, stuck her head in the door. “Syd, you have a …uh…visitor. I tried to stop him, but he is very insistent. I can call security if you need me to.”

What the hell? Nobody but Bradford,
Sydney thought as she exhaled and stood from her chair.

“No, it’s okay, Rose. You can let Bradford in. If I need to, I can have him escorted off the premises myself. You can send him in,” Sydney said her frustration written all over her pretty face.

“How did you know it was him?” Rose asked, her confusion evident in her green eyes.

Sydney simply smiled. “It’s a gift.”

“Okay. I’ll go and get him.” Rose shrugged as she left the office.

Sydney knew it was Bradford because although it had been almost three weeks since their break-up, Bradford had just started back up with the messages and the nonstop calling. Sydney thought about taking Kelly up on calling her cousins to beat his ass if he kept this shit up. She just couldn’t figure out what reason Bradford would have for the constant contact. When she really thought about it, neither of them were into each other like a real couple should’ve been. They’d never slept together. Neither had ever expressed that they more than liked each other. Hell, they had never even said that they cared about one another.

Sydney was suddenly realizing that she was in a middle school type relationship at nearly thirty years old!

Sydney shook her head, clearing her thoughts as Bradford barged in her office. He had on a gray suit, a light blue dress shirt, and some Italian leather shoes. His reddish blonde hair was parted on the side, and his blue eyes had a menacing look in them.

“Sydney…..” Bradford started, then broke off.

“Bradford, why are you here? I have nothing else to say to you, and you for damn sure don’t have anything to say to me,” Sydney stated as she stood from her chair, and walked from behind her desk.

“Sydney, I recently learned that you have a client in which a friend of mine has a vested interest in. He wants to make this little misunderstanding go away before the media catches wind of what’s going on. We both know that neither of the parties involved need this to get out. Besides, this is someone’s marital problems. You shouldn’t have your nose in other people’s business. Who are you anyway to be giving advice about marriage? It’s not like you have ever been married,” Bradford replied in a smug tone.

Sydney was furious. How could this man, her ex of all people, come in her office and tell her what her business should be?

Sydney’s back was ramrod straight as she narrowed her eyes at Bradford, “Listen to me, because I’m going to say this one time and one time only; you don’t know shit about my business or who I give advice to. You think you can bring your smug, sniveling little ass in my office, and I’m supposed to what? Hop to whatever you tell me to do?” Sydney began to chuckle a psychotic sound that made Bradford step back and take a good look at Sydney. This was not the same woman he had spent seven months with. It was not the same woman that he easily controlled and walked over. No,
this
was a totally different Sydney.

Sydney’s laugh died down as she leaned against the front of her desk. She took a good, long look at Bradford. This was the first time that she had been face-to-face with him since their breakup. At that moment, she didn’t know what she ever saw in this little weasel of a man. Having the long conversations with her parents helped her realize that she needed to stop living for everyone else around her and start living for herself. She knew people pleasing would be a hard habit for her to break, but in the last month she was really starting to find herself. Volunteering at Haley’s House also helped her see that living for others could lead you down a path of destruction, and if these women that had been through so much in life could be strong, then, by God, so could she.

“Since you obviously don’t think my advice is worth taking, let me tell you a fact…If you ever show up to my office again spouting stupid bullshit, you will regret every foul word that leaves your lips. That is a promise, my friend.”

Bradford regained his composure and walked closer to Sydney. He was now directly in front of her, and she could feel his hot breath on her cheek. Sydney couldn’t step back because Bradford had her trapped between his body and her large cherry oak wood desk. He placed his arms on either side of Sydney and leaned down so that their eyes met. If anyone saw them and the position they were in, they looked extremely intimate, but they were far from lovers, and Bradford was using his bigger size to try to intimidate Sydney.

Bending down to look directly into her eyes, Bradford said, “I can promise you, Sydney, if you don’t get your client to back down, and if you don’t keep your nose out of this, it will be
you
that will have regrets. Now I’m not sure where all this sass came from, but I suggest you remember who I am. I have very powerful people on my side, and I am doing you a favor by giving you fair warning. Next time I won’t be so nice.” Bradford leaned in and with his right hand ran it down her now flushed face; he tried kissing her, but she turned her head and smacked his hand away from her face.

Sydney tried stepping around Bradford, but he grabbed her arm before she could move.

“Let go of me,” Sydney said in a low voice. Her self-defense training was about to be put to the test because she was not about to get manhandled by this ass.

Bradford started to laugh, but it was cut short when he was grabbed from behind, shoved up against the wall, and his arm was twisted behind his back.

The wind was knocked out of him, and he was trying to catch his breath. When a deep, baritone voice came from behind him and snarled, “I believe the lady asked you to let her go. Now I myself won’t ask you;
I’m telling you
. Now if I ever see you even close enough to touch Sydney, I will rip your fuckin’ hands off and feed them to you.”

To say that Bradford was shocked that it was Marco Bellomi that had him pushed against the wall in Sydney’s office was an understatement. Bradford wasn’t the only one shocked; Sydney’s face held the same look of surprise. She knew that she could handle herself with all the boxing and self-defense training, but she was relieved to see Marco, and how he manhandled Bradford, made her instantly hot.  His muscles protruded and flexed through his shirt as he shoved Bradford up against the wall.  Sydney’s body heated with desire.  She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

Marco looked as if he was about to kill Bradford, so Sydney tried to calm the situation down.

“Marco! It’s okay. Let him go, please,” Sydney begged.

Marco looked into Sydney’s pleading, beautiful brown eyes, and reluctantly let Bradford go.

Bradford immediately straightened his gray suit, trying to recover his composure. He narrowed his eyes at Sydney before looking at Marco. He had no idea what Marco was doing there, and he was going to find out if it was the last thing he did.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Bradford asked, his face still red and breathing hard.

Marco took another step back, trying to control his anger. “What the hell are
you
doing here?” he growled.

Marco was boiling; his body felt as if it was going to explode if he didn’t hit this asshole. He clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to regain control of his temper, but it wasn’t working.

Marco was coming to the office to let Sydney know that he had found some information about her case that would definitely help; he’d found an ex of Thomas Moore’s that was actually willing to talk to him, and since he was in the neighborhood, he couldn’t help but take any opportunity he had to see Sydney again. The last thing he expected however was to walk in on Bradford-fucking-Murray with his hands all over Sydney and a look of fear in her pretty, brown eyes. Marco was most definitely about to put his size thirteen’s in Bradford’s sorry little ass.

Sydney was so caught up in the scuffle between the two men that she failed to notice that they seemed familiar to one another. All she noticed was the anger radiating from Marco’s large, muscular body and the fear in Bradford’s eyes. And although Bradford tried to put up an act of being unfazed, she could see it in his arrogant face and beady little eyes that he was terrified of the huge Italian standing in the middle of her office seething with rage.

Bradford turned, murmuring to Sydney where he thought only she could hear. “This isn’t over…”

“The fuck it isn’t!” Marco growled, taking a step towards Bradford again.

“No, Marco, don’t.…Please? Not here,” Sydney pleaded again, coming to stand in front of Marco and putting her small delicate hand against his massive chest.

They looked deep into each other’s eyes, and the heat and longing passed between them. Marco immediately softened and took a step away from Bradford.  He was still ready to pummel the little weasel for daring to touch Sydney, but Marco didn’t miss the look of desire that heated Sydney’s gaze, so he took a deep breath trying to regain his control.

Marco snarled at Bradford. “Get the fuck outta here, man, and don’t let me catch you around Sydney anymore.”

Bradford, with his smug façade securely in place, smirked and left the office without another word.

On his way out of the door, Sydney noticed Rose and the security guard, Sam, coming towards her office.

“Is everything alright  Ms. Hamilton?” Sam asked, his round face red as he breathed hard, like he had just run a marathon.

“Yes, I’m fine, Sam. Thank you. Could you make sure that Mr. Murray isn’t allowed in the building anymore, please?” Sydney responded, slightly embarrassed by the scene that took place in her office.

A look passed between Sam and Rose, and Sam nodded his head in the affirmative. “Yes, ma’am. You sure you’re okay? Do you need anything else?” Sam asked while eyeing Marco suspiciously.

“No, I’m fine really. Thanks again. Can you handle that request immediately for me, Sam? Mr. Murray doesn’t need to be in the building for
any
reason,” Sydney stated firmly.

“Yes, ma’am. Will do,” Sam replied, leaving the office in a hurry.

“Is there anything you need me to do, Syd?” Rose asked, looking a little frightened and unsure.

“No, Rose. Thanks,” Sydney replied with a small reassuring smile.

***

Bradford left Sydney’s office in a huff. Why in the hell was Marco Bellomi in Sydney’s office shoving him around like he was some weakling?

Bradford stalked toward the parking garage pulling his phone from his pocket.

The call connected after the second ring. “We have a serious problem. We need someone to watch Sydney Hamilton. She is working with Marco Bellomi, and she didn’t take my warning seriously.”