7 Degrees of Alpha (a collection of seven new BWWM, Alpha Male Romances) (31 page)

Nyla shook her head. “I don’t want him not to see Se’Nya. I just want to assure he won’t run off with her, you know?” she scoffed and shook her head. “The bastard didn’t even want me to have her. He tried to give me money to get rid of her. He said ‘the others just took the money, Nyla. Don’t be stupid.’ I told him that I was doing no such thing, and he got mad and left, telling me that I was on my own.”

Andrew’s disdain for the man grew even more. As he looked down at this heavenly creature, he couldn’t see how anyone would deny her.

“Yeah, that sounds like the little bastard. He can’t handle anyone taking the attention off his spoiled ass. He thinks this world revolves around him and it doesn’t,” Elese announced.

Andrew’s attention quickly moved from the three ladies at his table to Dee Dee and the dark-skinned man who had had his arm around Nyla. They were deep in conversation with the man throwing hostile looks at him.

“Who is the son of a bitch over there?” Andrew asked, making sure to raise his voice loud enough to be heard.

Nyla looked over at Darrius and knew things were going to be really bad once they spoke.

She sighed deeply. “Darrius is just a friend.”

Andrew grunted and switched his attention back to the little one on his lap. He stood her up and held her hands as she bounced on his legs.

“I see more than just a simple friendship in his eyes,” he added.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t say it was simple,” Nyla offered. “Darrius has been there for me, helping me with Se’Nya, giving me lifts every time my car breaks down. We’ve been friends for years.”

“And you two were never a couple?” Elese asked.

“Nope, I just didn’t think of him that way.” Nyla looked back at Darrius and found his eyes were steady on her.  Dee Dee caught her eye and shrugged her apology. Nyla sighed again and looked at Andrew. “Do you want to meet him? This might help this situation.”

“That would not be a good idea,” Andrew replied in a scathing tone.

“Why? What harm would it do?”

Andrew shook his head and grunted. “Baby, if I go over there, he might end up going through the window next to him. But if he continues to have that staring problem of his, he will no doubt still end up going through the window next to him.”

Andrew looked over at Darrius, then smiled. “On second thought, maybe I should go and say hello.”

“Uh no, you will not,” Elese announced and stood. “Don’t you have court to get back to?”

Andrew took one last glance at Darrius, then looked at Nyla. “I’m sorry for springing Elese on you without talking to you about it. It’s just better for all parties if she took over the case.”

Mind churning, Nyla asked, “Why? You don’t want to help me anymore?”

“Sweetheart, that’s not the case at all,” Andrew told her, then looked to Elese.

Elese sat back down and touched Nyla’s arm. “I told him that he needed to step down. It’s a matter of conflict of interest.” Nyla still looked questioningly at Elese, so she added, “Okay, think about how this caveman reacted when we walked in and he saw you with Darrius. Now times that by ten and that’s what would happen if he represented you.”

Andrew snorted. “It wouldn’t be that bad.”

“Ha, the hell it wouldn’t.”

Andrew grunted again and shifted his attention to Se’Nya.

Nyla studied him and realized what Elese said was undoubtedly true. She actually sensed it. She looked at Elese. “Okay, so what is your plan?”

“First, please know that you can trust me. Andrew and I have known each other since we were kids. Please have solace in knowing that if he trusts me with your case, then so can you.” Elese let that resonate in the air for a second before she went on. “I’m very good at what I do, Nyla. I know my ex-husband like the back of my hand. Me being on this case assures that John will play this by the book. I know his secrets, the skeletons in his closet, everything. If he doesn’t do this fair and by the book, he will pay dearly. Nyla, we are sending him a message; he can’t win.”

Nyla wanted to believe her; she really did. She just knew Robert wouldn’t let this go easily. He was like a dog chewing on his favorite toy, and a person would lose their hand if they tried to separate that dog from his toy.

Andrew, feeling Nyla’s hesitation, added, “Please don’t misunderstand the intent here. I’ll still be heavily involved in your case. The promise I made to you still stands. I’ll just be doing it from the sidelines. I’ll be the one keeping Robert honest; keeping him from playing dirty.”

Nyla didn’t hesitate. She nodded her head and told Elese. “Okay, I trust Andrew probably more than I should, but I do.  So if he trusts you then so do I.”

Andrew kissed Se’Nya on her cheek and reluctantly handed her over to Nyla. “I have to go, sweetheart. I have court in two hours. You are in good hands with Elese, and if there is anything that you have questions about, you have my number.”

Andrew grabbed ahold of the back of Nyla’s head, something that he was beginning to enjoy, and brought her closer to him. He kissed her a few times, fighting the urge to stick his tongue down her throat. He said to her, just above her lips, “Call me later tonight, whenever you get settled. I don’t care how late it is. I just want to hear your voice.”

Nyla smiled and replied softly, “I will.”

He kissed her again and stood. He made eye contact with Darrius, waiting for the man to do or say something, but he didn’t. Andrew then took a step as if he was heading in Darrius’ direction. Nyla and Elese tensed and so did Darrius.

Andrew laughed.

Pussy
.

Then he turned and left.

Elese leaned into her. “Girl, you have a lot on your hands with that one.”

“Yeah, don’t I know it.” Nyla watched Andrew leave before she turned back to Elese. “I have to take Se’Nya to the doctors in a few, so please tell me how you’re going to keep Se’Nya safe from the clutches of Robert.”

Darrius stood by his car as he watched Nyla drive out of the diner’s parking lot. They had managed to talk after the female lawyer left the diner and before Nyla had to leave for Se’Nya’s doctor’s appointment. Nyla slowly approached Darrius with bounds of apologies and proceeded to tell him everything she hadn’t a few days ago. Darrius played his part and fussed about how she dismissed him like he wasn’t shit, how she kissed some white fucker in front of him. She took a deep breath and finally told him about her feelings for the tall, blonde guy that he wanted nothing more but to rip to pieces. The control the man was supposed to have had disappeared quickly, and Darrius knew why. He had seen that type of rage before and it made him smile.

He pulled out his cell phone, searched for the number he needed and listened as the phone rang in his ear. When a voice picked up on the other end, he said into the phone.

“The cat may be out of the bag sooner than we wanted.”

“It’s too early,” replied the person on the other end.

Darrius looked around the parking lot before he opened his car door and slid inside. “Yeah, I hear you, but she found him. Or rather he found her, but I don’t think he actually knows what he’s found.”

  The voice on the phone remained quiet for a second before Darrius heard, “Are you sure this is him?”

Darrius started his car. “Oh yeah, this is the one, I’m positive. He practically lost it in the diner where she worked because I had my arm around her. I could see it all over him. He wasn’t thinking about anything but coming for me.”

“Did he get close to you? Does he know who you are?”

“No. Are you not listening to what I’m telling you? This fucker was so enraged he wasn’t thinking straight. He’s that far gone over her.”

The phone went silent for a few seconds, and Darrius waited.

He leaned back and closed his eyes. He came close to meeting his end at the hands of one of the strongest his generation had ever seen. There was no way he would’ve been able to survive the confrontation, not by himself anyway. He knew it, and as he remembered the look on Andrew’s face, Andrew knew it too.

When this shit finally came to a head, Darrius hoped he would have the chance to wipe that smug look off of Andrew’s face.

“Tell me about the man that you encountered,” the voice on the phoned requested.

“I’ll do better than that; I’ll give you the bastard’s name; Andrew Pierce.”

“Shit!” the voice exclaimed quickly, and Darrius smiled.

“Yeah, this has surpassed our expectations. What do you want to do?”

“You will stick to the plans, making sure you’re where you need to be in order to carry out your mission. We can’t afford to screw this up.”

“Yes, I know what I must do, but when I kill her, we have to be ready to act. We can’t miss this opportunity. We will only have a small window for this plan to work. You have to get everyone ready.”

“Don’t you worry about everyone else. We were born ready for this. You just handle everything on your end and kill the girl, then take her daughter. We already have a family set up to take her in and raise her. If she’s anything like her mother, we’ll be ready.”

Darrius snorted. “I can already tell you she is. Trust me on that.”

The voice paused, but only for a second, before he said firmly, “Then kill the baby too. We can’t take any more chances.”

“I’ll let you know when to get ready,” Darrius said into his phone, before disconnecting the call.

He smiled again as he pulled out of the parking lot. Finally, he would be rid of this fucked up assignment and move on. He was tired of pretending to want this woman. He hated her with every fiber in his being. That’s how he was taught, that’s how he was raised. His grin grew as he thought about the moment when he would wrap his hands around Nyla’s neck. To see the life fade from her eyes will be something he would never forget. Maybe he’d even fuck her before he killed her.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good plan.”

to be continued …

Coming Spring/Summer 2016

Text the keyword “femistry” to 25827 to receive a text message alert of this release.

KASEY MARTIN

Marco Bellomi is a sexy, confident, private investigator that can find out any information you need.  Sydney Hamilton is an intelligent, beautiful, successful attorney with a heart of gold.  However, when that golden heart leads her to help a person in need it also puts her in the line of sight of a very dangerous man.   When the gorgeous Sydney comes asking Marco for help, the red hot attraction between the two is undeniable.

Will Marco and Sydney get to explore their scorching attraction for one another, or will the danger that’s watching come between them?

*THIS IS A FULL STORY *

Prologue

Sydney was working inside of her office at the law firm in Dallas. It was after ten at night, and she was nowhere near finished going through all the paperwork she had to complete for her client. She was a junior partner at Hamilton, Thompson, and Durr, a very prestigious law firm. It was also her family’s firm that was started by her father and mother. However, there was no nepotism. Sydney had earned her position through hard work and dedication. The paperwork she was looking over, however, had nothing to do with the firm and everything to do with the work she did for the nonprofit organization, Haley’s House, a domestic violence center for women and children.

When the clock struck midnight, the chime could be heard throughout the empty office, but Sydney was still hard at work. She had to find a loophole in this prenuptial agreement for Megan Moore, the wife of a wealthy, albeit cutthroat, business man, Thomas Moore. Mrs. Moore showed up at Haley’s House over two months ago looking for refuge after running away from her abusive husband. She revealed that her husband had beaten her that night. He had struck her many times before, but this time he had also gone after their eight-year-old son when the boy heard them fighting, and jumped on his father’s back to help his mother. Thomas grabbed his son off of his back and threw him to the ground.

Megan didn’t have any family, and her inner circle would never believe such a thing about her esteemed husband, so Meagan and her son had no other place to go. Both mother and son had bruises when they showed up at Haley’s House that night. However, even with all the evidence against him, Mr. Moore incessantly denied the accusations and refused to give support to his estranged wife.

Sydney was exhausted. She had so much going on in her life, and with this case, her stress level was through the roof. She had decided that as soon as she finished helping Mrs. Moore that she would take a much needed vacation from work
and
from the mess that her life had become.

Although she was still upset with the brooding Italian that had invaded her every thought, she missed him like crazy; the way his hazel eyes would light up with mischief, how his strong muscular hands touched her body in places nobody else even knew about, how he made her wet with longing with a simple look.

Sydney sighed as she slowly massaged her temples when Sam, the middle-aged building security guard stuck his head in her office, after knocking on her door.

Sam was a very nice man. He was a little round in the midsection with a bald spot in the back of his obviously dyed brown hair. He had wrinkles on the edge of his eyes with laugh lines around his mouth. His eyes were sky blue and they always had a twinkle, like he knew a secret about you.

“Hey, Ms. Hamilton, you almost done in here?” Sam questioned looking down at his black leather watch. “It’s after midnight, and my shift is ending.”

“No, sorry, Sam. I’m nowhere near finished. I think I’ll be pulling an all-nighter,” Sydney replied looking exhausted. She wanted to work the case from home, but she didn’t have access to all the confidential records from her home computer.

Sam blew out a loud breath. “I’m sorry to hear that, ma’am. I would stay, but the boss says I can’t get any more overtime. Can you believe that malarkey?”

Sydney chuckled because Sam was known for milking the clock for a couple of hours here and there.

“No problem, Sam. You head on out. Just lock up before you go. I’ll be fine. You and I both know I’ve done this a thousand times before,” Sydney stated with a small smile.

“Oh okay, Ms. Hamilton. I will lock up, by the way, I’m sure that boyfriend of yours doesn’t want you working so late, so make sure you don’t stay too long. ,” Sam winked  as he gave a small wave and walked out of the office.

Sydney leaned back in her chair grabbing the hair tie from her hair, and letting her shoulder-length, thick, ebony mane down from the bun she normally kept it in. She stretched and tried hard to relax, but it was difficult after Sam’s statement. It wasn’t well known that she had broken up with her boyfriend because Sydney kept her private life out of the office.

Now once again, Marco was invading her thoughts.  No matter how busy she was, or how hard she tried, she just couldn’t stop thinking about him. She couldn’t help but lust after his gorgeous body and the way he made her body sing. Despite her focus on work, memories of one of the many times they’d made love took over.

“Hey, Bella Donna, you look sexy this evening.” Marco eyed Sydney. His hazel eyes gobbling up her petite frame wrapped in a slim cut, body hugging dress as he stepped into her condo.

Sydney smiled wide. She had put on this dress to impress him for their date that night, and by the looks of it, she had. 

“Thanks, baby…you’re looking pretty hot yourself.” Sydney took in Marco’s large muscular body. He had on his signature dark suit. The top two buttons off his light green dress shirt were undone.  The shirt brought out the hints of green in his eyes.  He looked absolutely edible.

Sydney licked her lips and Marco groaned, leaning down to devour her plump, succulent mouth in a passionate kiss.
 
He stalked deeper into the apartment, wrapping his woman in his muscular arms.  He picked her up and her legs instantly went around his waist; the tight dress riding up to bunch around her. Marco pushed it up more so that he could get better access to her core, which was already hot and dripping wet with desire.

Marco slid her thin silk panties to the side and slipped his thick digit into her waiting pussy.

Sydney groaned then sighed again loudly. She missed Marco something fierce, but she just didn’t know if she could trust him.

At that moment however, she didn’t feel like thinking about her questionable life choices. A desperate woman needed her help, and by God, she was going to help her, if it was the last thing she did.

An hour later, Sydney was in the building elevator heading to the parking garage. At this time of night, the building was dark and empty, and the parking garage would be equally dark and very eerie. Sydney shuttered at the thought. Why she stayed after Sam left when she could’ve just taken the work home, she would never know. However, in the end, it was worth it because Sydney felt like she’d found the information she was looking for.

As she hurriedly walked to her car, she sensed she wasn’t alone. But after looking around, she didn’t see anyone. The hairs on her arms seemed to be standing on end, and she didn’t like the feeling. She actually felt unsafe, and this wasn’t the first time that she felt unsafe in the three years that she’d worked in this building.

Sydney had had a feeling that she was being watched for two weeks, and she hadn’t been able to shake it. The feeling slowly crept up on her when she had seen a mysterious man dressed in all black standing on the corner of the street where her apartment building was. At first, she didn’t think anything of it. Then, later that week, she could’ve sworn she saw that same man standing outside of her job. That had been two weeks ago, and although she hadn’t seen him again, she was now sure that somebody was watching her again.

Sydney exited the elevator and reached in her purse to retrieve her keys. She held them out, ready to open her door with her finger already on the key fob. She remembered in a self-defense class that she took once that the instructor told them to always have your keys out and ready and to hold them like a weapon just in case an attacker is waiting for you. Ever since that class, Sydney was always mindful of her surroundings. Sydney’s stiletto’s clacked against the concrete floor of the silent garage. The lights flickered on and off, making a low buzzing sound as if she was in some sort of horror film.

When Sydney heard a noise, she looked around without stopping while quickening her pace.

She thought to herself,
I will not be the silly bitch that falls while running from the monster with the machete. Get it together, Syd. You’ve walked this garage a million and one times.

She took a deep calming breath when she made it to her car. Just as she unlocked it and reached for the handle, a big masked man came into view in her driver side window! Her eyes went wide and she let out a blood curdling scream that was cut off when the man’s hand holding a cloth came up and locked over her mouth. His other hand held a weapon that she couldn’t see.

“Shhh. Don’t struggle….”