Possessed by a Stranger (9 page)

Not everything could be bought and it was
high time Mr. Garret was taught that fact of life. If he wanted the
painting enough to track it down after the fact, he should have bid
higher. Not that it would have helped win the bid. That painting
belonged with her. She would have won at all cost.

“I want that painting.” He demanded slamming
his palm on the table.

She twitched, narrowing her eyes for a brief
second. The loud smack shook her confidence. Suddenly, his powerful
strength that she had found so appealing wasn’t. She stood her
ground, feeling a responsibility to protect a piece of her family
legacy. Not to mention, she spent three years of her life tracking
down that painting. Now, he thought he could buy it just because he
carried a wad of cash.

“If I’m thinking of the same painting, I’ve
heard that painting has made its way back to family and is no
longer on the market. What’s your interest?” The legend attached to
all four paintings made them a hot commodity. Her handsome stranger
hadn’t seemed like the fortune hunting type. He might want it for
the novelty of being a piece of a treasure map. You never know
about people. Sometimes first impressions were deceiving. Of
course, she hadn’t been the least bit interested in the business
side of him.

“You heard wrong. I’m interested in its
history.” His irritation seeped into his voice. His patience had
reached its limit. This painting nonsense was taking more time than
expected. She was supposed to be in his bed, not on his hit list.
Taking the time to break her in first hadn’t occurred to him. After
all, he thought he had already accomplished that feat. She jumped
into his bed the first time, so what was her hang up now?

“I’ve researched its history and will send
you a copy of my findings, if you like. At no charge, of course.”
In her politest voice, she told him to take his money and
stick-it.

Damn, what was her problem with this
painting? “How much money will it take to get the location of the
painting?”

She was now officially offended. “If I knew
the location, I wouldn’t share that information for any price,
without the owner’s consent. My integrity isn’t for sale.” He
crossed the line from business banter to insulting. She worked damn
hard to build her reputation and he thought it was for sale. He was
in for a rude awakening.

“Listen, little missy, everything has a
price. You sold your ass for two drinks.” The sweet taste of
success washed over his palate as he watched her eyes widen then
slowly narrow. He found the raw nerve that would get him his
answers.

Oh-no-he-didn’t … throw their night together
up in her face. Her temper combusted, flash burning through her
veins. There wasn’t one iota of her one hundred and ten pounds that
could be bought, inside or out. She gave herself to the bastard and
he better damn well realize the difference. The absurdity of her
lashing thoughts erupted as nervous laughter. Oh great, a whore
could be bought, but not her, no, she was a slut that gave it away
for free. With her emotions short circuiting, and her obvious loss
of control, it was past time to end this meeting.

Expecting her to explode she shocked the shit
out of him. His nymph laughed at his attempt to piss her off. Her
laughter ignited a red hot rage. Damn, she had succeeded in turning
the tables on him.

“This meeting is over.” She announced firmly
slamming both her hands on the table. Hannah stood to leave. “I
look forward to facing you at the next bid. I assure you, this
little missy will be celebrating afterwards. Let me know where
you’ll be drowning your sorrow and I’ll buy you a drink. No …
strings … attached.”

Garret raised from the chair enough to grasp
her by the wrist. He roughly jerked her toward him. “Wasn’t it you
that said there wasn’t a vindictive bone in your body?”

Her sweeping lashes lowered over her fiery
eyes as she blinked. She moved her fearless gaze from him to his
fingers indented in her flesh. Garret knew he succeeded in invoking
her rage. He waited for the pay off. Then he would take her fiery
little ass back to the penthouse.

Hannah tilted her head to look back into his
fierce glare. She wanted to slap the fire out of him. She refrained
knowing her hand would get the hurting end of that deal. Rage
boiled in her gut. She clenched her stomach to prevent the
eruption. Using her sugar coated voice she added a matching smile.
“There’s not. I just take great pleasure in beating the pants off
of men like you. It seems the last time we met, I got two drinks, a
painting and your pants off.” OH SHIT, she stepped over the line,
now wishing she had just walked away. An aura of rage engulfed his
presence, emanating heat she felt on her skin.

Almost envious of her ability to control her
anger, Garret unleashed his. That little lady needed to be taught a
lesson. He stood up, grasping her other wrist. He pinned her arms
behind her, tilting her backwards until her feet barely touched the
floor. His mouth covered hers with a bruising kiss, forcing her
lips to part. He assaulted her mouth with a showing of strength,
his power to take whatever he wanted. Conscious that there were
witnesses, he curtailed his lesson. He slowly raised her to an
upright position. The shocked look on her face was especially
satisfying.

Taking a page from her playbook, he smiled
with a cool calmness. He lowered his voice to a whisper with his
lips grazing her neck. She smelled and tasted as sweet as honey
fresh from the hive. Damn, he wanted this woman.

“I’ll be seeing you soon, Hannah Greer. I
suggest you have the painting in your possession or know where to
find it.” He released his hold and casually returned to his
seat.

Garret kept his eyes on Hannah. He thought he
might have underestimated Hannah Greer, free spirit, with an
innocent naiveté. Her business technique showed a controlled
professionalism that contrasted with her warm, open personality.
She had sliced through his demands like a knife through butter,
without revealing a hint of any information. She was a force of
nature he intended to enjoy harnessing. As a worthy opponent and
his perfect match sexually, that little lady stimulated all his
senses.

“Run an in-depth financial check on her. See
if she sold the painting. If she bids on anything, double the bid.
I’ll make her pay for anything else she wants.”

She would be forced to crawl back to him.
That thought brought up an image he wouldn’t soon forget. He
imagined his hands around her tiny waist pulling her naked ass
toward him as he fucked her from behind.

“She’s a firecracker. I can’t believe she’s
the one that has been kicking my ass on bids.”

Garret snapped at Ted after having his erotic
thoughts interrupted. “You mean kicking my ass, since it’s my
money. You’re the lackey, dumb shit, in case you didn’t get her
insult. Maybe I should hire her. She knows how to get the job
done.” Yes she did, know exactly how to get the job done. He
remembered their night in vivid detail. One thing for certain, she
was a quick study easily learning everything he taught her. She
earned an A plus and made his honor roll.

“What do you want me to do with the
merchandise if I win the bid?”

“Donate it to a women’s shelter or something.
I don‘t care as long as she doesn‘t get it.” The game was on with
Hannah Greer. He hoped she was prepared to lose because he was sure
as hell going to win and she was the prize.

With all the calm she could muster, Hannah
walked past the shocked stares of the other patrons to the
register. Her body trembled from head to toe. Her breath was sharp
and shallow, fighting back tears of anger. If the tears escaped all
hell would break loose. Tears marked the point of no return when it
came to her temper. She signed for the drinks, politely leaving an
open tab for the so-called gentlemen at her table. With
professionalism as a priority and worn as a mask to protect her
flustered state, she left the bar, hoping her shaky legs distanced
her from him before collapsing.

She fumed inside with her
mind raging out of control. That pompous ass of a man had insulted
and assaulted her. There was the off chance her bone marrow
contained one-hundred percent
vindictiveness.
Even if her bones did, she knew her blood was filled with
lust. Her traitorous body responded to every offensive action and
word from Mr. Garret. What was it about that man that triggered her
sexual desires? She wanted to murder him and fuck the hell out of
him at the same time. If ever there was a conflict of interest,
this was it.

The air of danger that surrounded his
presence, his authoritative personality, the possessive way he
touched, no, grabbed her and the fact he was the sexiest man she
had ever seen, was exactly what attracted her to him in the first
place. Well, she hadn’t reclaimed her identity from one man to lose
it to another. She wanted Mr. Garret with every fiber of her being.
She planned to have him, on her terms. He was in for a shock if he
thought his abusive tactics would make her fold.

She had what he wanted. Unfortunately, for
him, he was under the misguided impression it was a painting. When
in fact she knew, he wanted a worthy opponent. Hannah knew she had
the tenacity to fight for what she wanted and give him what he
needed.

Hannah flagged a cab. After relaying her
address to the cab driver she closed her eyes taking deep breaths
to calm her nerves. Now, safely distancing herself from him, she
headed to her apartment to finalize her old life. Tomorrow at this
time, she would be at the cottage. She would start a new beginning.
She hoped this time with a love found, or at least borrowed for a
few more nights of wild abandonment.

The movers loaded the last
of her furniture onto the truck just as she arrived. She checked
the back of the truck to insure the protection of her antiques. The
drivers were used
to her meticulous ways
since she hired them on a regular basis to pack and deliver any
sold inventory.

“How’s it looking Miss Hannah? You know we
take good care of you.” The same burley driver that lifted her on
the truck had helped her off.

“Safe and sound like always, Hank. I really
appreciate your efforts to protect my antiques.”

She finally found these men after numerous
disasters with other incompetent drivers. After they proved their
conscientious work habits, she paid them extra, under the table, to
be her drivers. She scheduled her deliveries directly through them,
bypassing the company’s schedule.

“Anything for you, Miss Hannah. I almost
didn’t recognize you in a suit.” Hank smiled gratefully from her
approval.

“Last minute business meeting.” Yeah right,
that was anything but a business meeting.

“Just give us a call when you want this load
delivered to its new location. If anything gets sold just give us a
day’s notice and we’ll put you at the top of the list.”

“Thanks guys. It may be a bit slow until I
get the cottage set up but don’t give up on me. I don‘t want to
lose the best, now that I’ve found you.” They appreciated her money
but compliments went a long way toward their loyalty. They were
good at their jobs and deserved both.

The men locked up the trailer and loaded into
the cab of the truck. She waved goodbye as she watched her prized
possessions drive away. Knowing they were temporarily being stored
was easier than deserting them permanently for a life with Jay.
They would soon be reunited in a home where they all belonged.

She walked inside the apartment building with
the taste of Mr. Garret’s kiss burning on her lips. For some
undefined reason that man brought out something inside her, she
hadn’t known existed. She had relived that night repeatedly in her
mind. It hadn’t been love, only lust and lots of it. He enjoyed
controlling the situation by restraint. It didn’t matter how
willing she had been, he forced pleasure on her. Not that she had
any complaints, since she may have needed that extra shove. She
filed that night under memory only, not ever expecting to see him
again. She had allowed herself one night of mystery and intrigue
with no reason to ruin it with reality, until now. She suspected he
had a darker side but she benefited from it in his bed. Now, after
today’s meeting, she had a different glimpse of his controlling
nature.

She wondered now, if their meeting that night
wasn’t by chance. He wanted her painting. Had he known then, what
he knows now? One thing was sure; she intended to find out how he
knew about her bid. The compromised web site would be reported. She
didn’t pay a thousand dollars a month for nothing. She played
hardball when it came to her privacy.

Opening her front door the empty apartment
was a sad reminder of wasted years. She had tried to build a dream
life without a solid foundation. She would miss Jay’s friendship,
which was all they actually had together. He ruined the friendship
with his betrayal. In his doing so, she found the strength to move
on with her life. Now, that she had tasted pleasures of the flesh
that she had repressed with Jay, she wanted more. It seemed only
Mr. Garret found the way to turn on that desire as she was quickly
reminded today.

Hannah smiled, remembering her first
impression of a handsome stranger sitting down beside her. He may
control his money but Hannah Greer wasn’t anyone’s bitch. Mr.
Garret was about to discover what his money couldn’t buy.

She opened one of the last remaining boxes
on her apartment floor. Her laughter echoed off the walls of the
empty apartment thinking of Mr. Garret’s reaction to her brilliant
ploy to show him just how vindictive she could be. Little did Mr.
Garret know her acquisition of a life time completed the set. She
owned all four paintings. They belonged to her. They were her
legacy, a part of her heritage. She propped all four of her great
grandmother’s paintings against the wall. She added a box of
tissues to the arrangement with one tissue ready to be plucked from
its container. Other tissues were wadded into balls for an already
used effect. She tipped over an empty glass as a substitution for
scotch. She took a picture with her cell phone and uploaded it to
her computer. After making adjustments to the picture, she viewed
the final product. The paintings were faded into muted tones but
still recognizable. The tissues and scotch glass, she made vivid in
contrast. “VINDICTIVE??? YOU BE THE JUDGE.” was written across the
bottom in red letters simulating dripping blood. She signed the
picture with a black shadow figure of the back of a naked woman.
The red lip prints on the figure’s ass gave Hannah a great deal of
satisfaction. A picture was more potent than a thousand words.