The NSC Boxset: Heart of Stone (166 page)

* * *

Taking a heavy breath and pulling my shoulders back, I walked into my office the next morning and smiled tightly at Red as she poured water into the coffee machine. “Mr Hunt” she said without looking at me.

Fuck! She was pissed at me but I didn’t blame her. Hell, I was pissed at me.

“Red, look . . .”

She turned on her heel and held a hand up to me before I could finish my sentence “Mr Hunt. I think it’s best we keep our relationship professional. We obviously aren’t suited for anything further, and well, we work together and it could get tricky. So let’s quit while we’re ahead. It was just a fuck after all.”

She didn’t wait for my answer as she swept past me, her unique delicate floral perfume stimulating my senses, and took her position at her desk.

“Shit” I hissed under my breath.

I had hurt her bad and I couldn’t feel any worse in that moment than if I’d killed someone’s fucking dog.

The coffee machine caught my attention when it spat out the last drop of brown liquid into the little cup and I scooped it up quickly, downing the drink in one and placed it back under the spout, ordering another with a press of a button.

Red’s voice came through the intercom and I frowned at her tone “Mr Hunt, Erica French on the line for you. Shall I put her through?”

I sighed in resignation and hated myself for what I was about to do, but I desperately needed to get Red out of my system.

“Yes, thank you Miss Summers” I said, making myself stick to our working relationship conduct.

“Line 1.” Was all she said before she cut off the intercom.

“Erica Darling, how are you?” I hummed as I connected the call.

“Hey you” she replied in her smooth sexy voice and I closed my eyes when I gave her the answer to her next question.

“You wanna get together, Lucas?”

“I’d love to, tonight?”

* * *

I had never known a day drag as much as today did. After an awkward business lunch with Gary and Red, we had a conference with Mr Ching and then a fucking meeting with Nate.

But Red had remained completely professional and polite, more than I fucking did.

I couldn’t help taking my temper out on everyone I came across.

Nate had given me some stern looks when Ava had delayed in sending me some information via Josh, the internal runner, and I had stormed up to her floor and practically ripped into her.

Gary Thornton had widened his eyes on me when I had barked my order to our waitress and proceeded to pull her service to pieces when she placed my food on the table from the right hand side instead of the left.

I had refused every single offer old man Ching had proposed, and eventually he shook his head and disconnected the call.

But Red had remained impassive and completely undisturbed by my mood. I had caught her a couple of times flicking her thumb over her index finger but other than that, nothing, and I wasn’t sure if that angered me or impressed me.

I sighed in relief when at 5:30 Red came through the intercom and alerted me that she had finished for the day.

She didn’t acknowledge me after that, she just upped and left, and as soon as she left I wanted her to come back so I could pin her against the wall and kiss the damn life out of her.

I wanted to taste every single fucking breath of hers, feel her tiny tongue around mine and devour each of the little whimpers she always made when I kissed her.

I wanted to mould her lips under mine and just fucking feel her, feel everything about her and I hated the small damn stab in my chest that had popped up every time I had seen her or thought about her today.

God damn it Lucas. I had it bad, very fucking bad and I needed to bang the fucking daylights out of Erica tonight just to rid these unwanted, forbidden feelings.

Chapter 13

Layla

“WHAT THE HELL was eating Lucas today?” Ava asked me.

She poured another shot of vodka into my glass and I eyed her suspiciously. “Are you trying to get me pissed so you win?”

She laughed but I saw the hint of deviousness in her eyes.

I shook my head determinedly at her and Courtney laughed, “Eat it up Ava and prepare to die, babe.”

“Never” Ava declared as we settled ourselves on the floor in front of the huge screen currently showing the Xbox match between Mason, Greg, Sam and Nate.

“So, come on, Lucas?” Ava repeated and I just shrugged and kept my eyes trained on the game.

Mason flicked a glance at me and narrowed his eyes. “Thought he was supposed to be joining us?” he probed and I shrugged again.

“I dunno, he’s my boss not my partner.”

He scrutinised me for a while before Sam nudged him and prompted him back to the game.

“You ready for tomorrow?” Ava turned to me and widened her eyes, “I am so glad you’re coming with us, I mean Sandra’s okay but she’s . . . well, she’s boring. We are gonna rock France, Hun.”

I laughed at her excitement and nodded. “To be honest, it’ll be good to get out of here for a while and relax without having to look over my shoulder all the time.”

She nodded solemnly and frowned “I can’t believe after all this time, fucking Simon Bell is back. I so wanna get my hands on the bastard and rip him to shreds.”

“Down, my little warrior!” Mason chuckled and I sighed heavily.

“It just means it’s all going to shit if he’s involved” I divulged and Ava placed her hand on my arm.

“Mason will sort it Lay, I promise.”

I downed my drink and refused to let my life disrupt the fun for my friends so I slid behind Greg on the sofa and placed my hands over his on the Xbox controller.

He grinned back at me and I winked when I helped him slaughter the rest of the group.

“Whoa . . . cheats!” Sam declared after not realising I was helping for ten whole minutes.

* * *

By 11 O’clock I had proceeded to stampede my friends at Call of Duty and I was thoroughly legless.

Mason saw me into the taxi and paid the driver to see me inside and as I closed my eyes in the back of the cab my phone rang in my bag.

“Well hello, Sir” I smirked when I saw Tristan’s name pop up on screen. “Good evening, Miss Willow. You busy?”

“Well . . .” I was suddenly wide awake and thinking of Lucas. Why the hell should it feel like I was betraying Lucas if I spent the night with Tristan?

But it did and I knew I couldn’t.

“Yeah, I’m kind of involved with someone at the moment.”

“Shame, Willow. Never mind. Let me know if it goes tits up.”

I chuckled lightly “I will, bye.”

He disconnected and I stared at my phone in my hand, Lucas firmly on my mind and before I knew what I was doing, I was telling the cab driver the change of destination.

* * *

I stood outside Lucas’s apartment door for a good twenty minutes before I plucked up the courage to knock and after waiting five minutes for him to answer; I was just about to leave when he opened his door.

He stared at me with a slight frown. “Hey” I said nervously as my eyes scanned his near naked form. He was wearing only shorts and my heart beat sped up at the sight of his stunning body.

“Red . . .” he whispered, his eyes inspecting me as though I was an apparition.

My thumb was twitching rapidly as he just stood immobile and mute, staring at me “I . . .”

“Lucas, Darling? Hurry up, I’m kind of in a position here . . .” a female voice sounded from beyond the door. Lucas cringed and blushed furiously.

My heart exploded in my chest and my stomach heaved when I realised he had company. “Oh . . . I . . . I’m so sorry . . .”

I spun around on wobbly legs and hurried back to the elevator, my humiliation burning a hole straight through my soul.

“RED . . .” he shouted after me but I hurtled into the lift at speed and jabbed the ground floor button rapidly.

“Come on . . . come on . . .” I hissed out.

The doors closed just as Lucas reached me and I flinched when I heard his fist hit the doors forcefully.

I would not cry, I refused it and denied it.

Why the hell was I crying?

The tears were flowing freely and rapidly and I scrambled out of the lift, positive the snooty bastards in the exclusive apartment lobby were all laughing at me.

I was amazed to find a few taxi’s waiting outside the building and I clambered in one. “Move!” I barked out as Lucas came barrelling through the foyer, still donning nothing but his bloody boxer shorts.

The cab driver was luckily an experienced one and sped off at my command. “Everything okay, Darlin’?” he asked, eyeing me up through the mirror and I nodded a yes as I stared out of the window and made myself focus on the London nightlife; anything to take my visions and the sound of the woman in Lucas’s apartment out of my mind.

The driver dropped me off and I tipped him well for helping me escape so effectively and as I entered my flat I frowned at the silence.

“Sare?” I shouted as I flicked on the hallway light.

Silence.

“Wonderful” I groaned as I realised I was thoroughly on my own tonight.

I didn’t bother with a drink, just wanting to curl up under the duvet and I tugged at my clothes, practically ripped them off me, before I climbed in bed and fell asleep exhausted, hurt and desolate.

* * *

I trundled through the airport, my case bobbing about behind me as my eyes scanned the area for Lucas.

God knows how I was going to face him today? I could feel my cheeks burn at the memory, never mind actually facing him.

I caught sight of Nate and Ava over by private departures and Nate smiled widely as I approached. “Hey, Lucas with you?” he asked and I shook my head before I turned to Ava as she spoke to me.

“Headache?”

I shook my head and smirked “Nope.”

“Bitch!”

I winked and pulled out my trilling phone from my bag and frowned at the unknown number, “Hello?”

“You get on that plane Kayla and I’ll personally make sure you regret it, as will your friends.” Diablo’s rough voice grated through the earpiece.

My hands shook violently as I scanned the lounge for him, my eyes flicking from left to right, even up and bloody down as if I expected him hanging from the ceiling . . . which actually wouldn’t surprise me where he was concerned.

“Where are you?” I whispered shakily as my heart pounded uncontrollably in my chest.

I saw him then. He stepped out from beside a thick white concrete column not 20ft away.

His dark eyes conquered me and he just stood and manipulated every thought that whirled around my head.

He was the ultimate master, plain and simple and I would obey his command.

My chest heaved so much it felt like it was going to explode and my throat closed in as he made his way towards me.

“Kayla” he stated simply as he tipped his head sideways sinisterly.

He stood silently observing me for a moment before he curled his lip at the corner, “Stand and bind” he ordered.

I instantly stood before him, my chin high but my eyes lowered and my wrists crossed at the small of my back.

“What the fuck, Lay?” I heard Nate say from behind me and I noticed Tash, Diablo’s bodyguard, walk up beside me and enclosed one of my wrists in his huge grip as I heard Ava frantically talking to Mason on her phone.

My stomach heaved as Diablo led me through the airport whilst Nate continued to shout my name but it was too late.

He knew it.

I knew it.

And Diablo definitely knew it.

Chapter 14

Lucas

“SHIT LUCAS, TRUST today to be the day you actually ever run late!” Nate barked at me as I sidled up to him in departures. I scowled at him but didn’t answer.

Ava was pacing up and down and talking rapidly on her phone, shaking her head and spitting some serious curse words at the person on the other end. “What the hell was I supposed to do, tackle him in a fucking airport? Mason, you didn’t see the size of the brick shit house chaperoning the bastard!”

I frowned at them both when it was obvious I had missed out on something, especially when Nate cancelled our flight with an airport attendant and security came scampering up to us.

“Mr Carter, if you’d like to follow us, we managed to get a track on them via the cameras around the airport” a thick set bloke said to Nate and I turned to Ava.

“What the hell is going on?” I asked as she finished her call.

She glared at me as she nibbled furiously on the tip of her little finger. “Where the hell were you?” she spat at me and a thought jumped into my head as I flicked my eyes over the area where we were stood.

“Where’s Red?”

Ava huffed angrily “If you had arrived on fucking time then you’d know. Fucking Diablo got to her.”

Everything around me seemed to stop for a fraction of a second as her words sank into my blazing brain.

I fought against the slight wobble in my legs and choked back the thunder that was threatening to erupt from my chest as my blood exploded into every thread of my body. “What?”

Ava’s phone erupted again as we were ushered along with the security guards towards their little office and I grabbed hold of Ava’s forearm. “What the fuck do you mean ‘Diablo got her’?”

She glowered at me then huffed in resignation. “I dunno what happened, Lucas. One minute she was talking to us, the next that bastard turned up and barked some sort of command at her and she just . . . slackened and followed him.”

“What command?” I asked quietly and clenched my fist in preparation for her answer.

“Something, uhh . . . Stand and . . . bind. That was it, stand and bind.”

I groaned loudly and closed my eyes in desolation “Fuck!!”

“Is that bad?” Ava asked as we entered the small observation cubicle which housed the many monitors displaying the airport scenery.

“Huh, oh yeah. It overrules all other master’s commands and it means she is now bound to him completely, and knowing how deep Red’s submissive proficiency lies, then she will obey every single fucking thing he orders her to do.”

Shit, this was fucking bad. This was the worst thing that could have happened and Red was now in deep danger, he would punish her severely and I knew we had to get her out of his charge as quick as possible.