Coerced (Billionaire romance): Blackmailed by the Billionaire (Buchanan Romance Book 1) (10 page)

“You’ve been talking about doing that forever but you never pull the trigger.”

He scowled. Leave it up to his sister to point out his lack of action. True, he’d been chaffing for some time working with the west coast cousins but there were advantages to it, too.

The connections, the relative ease of business transactions thanks to a ruthless reputation, and the money flowed like a running faucet.

Breaking off would mean dividing holdings, weakening the name, and courting the potential for failure.

It was a risk his father had been loathe to take and now that the reins had been passed onto his siblings, he just didn’t know if they were all ready to make it happen.

Still, it was hard to stomach that even as much as it pained him to work with his cousins, they were stronger together than apart.

“The timing has to be right,” he said tersely. Jesus, could this day get worse? “For now, it behooves us to remain where we are.”

“Then I suspect you’ll have to find a way to play nice, brother dear,” she pointed out before leaning in and pressing a kiss on his cheek before leaving the room and Sutton to his ill temper.

But honestly, the real reason for his temper had nothing to do with his cousins or the fact that business dealings with them often left him gnashing his teeth.

It had everything to do with Elizabeth.

He could close his eyes and smell her soft blonde hair, feel her plump body cuddled against his…

Could see the heartbreak in her blue eyes.

Fuck!

He scrubbed at his eyeballs as if that alone would remove the image burned into his memory but it remained.

Why’d he go into that fucking bar in the first place?

Because he’d been embarrassed to show Elizabeth his messed up face.

The fact was, he’d wanted to go to her and let her tend to him, kiss his wounds, and chastise him for being an idiot.

He was losing his damn mind.

He didn’t need coddling from a woman.

He didn’t need her kisses or her concern.

He just needed her on her knees, ass up, ready for him when the whim suited him.

Yeah…keep telling yourself that. Let’s see how that works out for you.

Bookmark: 13

-13-

By the third day of total solitude, Elizabeth wondered if Sutton would ever return.

She felt his absence like a cold thing in her heart but she refused to let it rule her and instead turned that angst and pain into a channel for her art.

Her sketchbook was nearly full of dark, sensual sketches that she was ready to commit to canvas but as she was preparing to make a trip to the art supply store, she received a call from Covington Art House.

“Miss Downing, I presume…”

“Yes,” she answered, immediately recognizing the effeminate voice of Mr. Polk, the Covington Art House director. “May I help you?”

“You certainly can, my darling. It seems I may have been a bit hasty in my decision. My apologies, of course, but I was having a bit of a day when you came to see me. Would you be so kind as to give me the opportunity of looking at your work a second time?”

Elizabeth knew Sutton had a hand in Polk’s sudden reversal but she wasn’t about to turn down the opportunity, no matter where it’d originated.

“Of course, I would love to,” she said, smiling. “What time is good for you?”

“Whatever you have available. I shall work around your schedule, of course.”

Elizabeth shook her head, wryly amused by the change.

Sutton may be accustomed to people bowing and scraping to meet his every need but it was still a little jarring for Elizabeth.

While she wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity, a part of her was sad that her art hadn’t moved Mr. Polk at their first meeting.

She knew her art was good, but to be honest, Polk had only given her portfolio a cursory glance before deciding it wasn’t right for the gallery.

“I’m free today,” she said and Polk quickly agreed.

“Excellent. I look forward to see you again, let’s say around, noon?”

“I’ll be there.”

“Very good. Good day, Miss Downing.”

And the line clicked off.

Elizabeth sank on the sofa, still processing. A happy smile found her lips even though her heart was still heavy.

Oddly, the person she wanted to share this happy news with was the one person whom she was fairly certain was the devil in disguise.

Well, that’s that
. Elizabeth sighed and rose from the sofa, determined to put one foot in front of the other for her own gain.

If Sutton had taught her anything thus far in their short but heated relationship, it was that you had to grab opportunity where you found it.

And that’s exactly what Elizabeth was going to do.

***

Vince entered Sutton’s office, all business and no chitchat, which was typical of Vince these days but after their tussle, it was even more so, which bugged Sutton because they’d once been close.

“Honey is ready to see the club. You available to show it tonight?”

Sutton shrugged. “I suppose.”

“Good.”

“Is that all?” Sutton asked.

Vince’s hard gaze narrowed. “Is there something else?”

“Stop dancing around the issue, Vince. You want me to apologize for insulting your new lifestyle choices and I want you to apologize for fucking punching me in the face. Is that plain enough for you?”

Vince looked ready to throw another punch but he seemed to think better of it and said, “You’re right. I’m fucking pissed as hell at you, Sutton. What’s gotten into you lately? It’s like you wanted me to punch you.”

Maybe he was right. He’d been feeling edgy because of the situation with Elizabeth and he’d been gunning for a fight of some sort. Maybe he deserved the punch to the nose.

“Maybe,” Sutton conceded with a sigh. “Look, I was out of line but, things have really changed with you guys and I just don’t understand.”

Vince relaxed and leaned against the doorjamb. “Hell yes, things have changed, man. We grew up, got married, started having kids. Those things change a person and since meeting my wife I’ve realized that the things I put a heavy value on were really just stupid childish shit.”

Sutton held back his groan. More domesticated propaganda.

“Don’t you miss getting some strange pussy? You used to be the fucking king, man. Now you’re telling me that you don’t miss all the wild sex?”

Vince chuckled as if Sutton was clueless and would never get it.

“God willing, you’ll understand one day and you’ll get it. Until then, you won’t and that’s okay, just don’t shit on my life because you don’t understand it. And for your health and safety, don’t ever talk about my wife like that again.”

Sutton could tell Vince wasn’t joking in any way.

“Deal,” he said. “For the record, I’m sorry for insulting your wife. She’s a great woman and I was just having an off day.”

“About that...what’s going on with you?’

Should he tell Vince? A part of him wanted to, needed to talk to someone, but for some reason, he kept silent.

Maybe he wasn’t ready to hear what Vince would say.

“Just an off day. Nothing more than that,” he lied with an easy grin.

Vince motioned to his own face in reference to Sutton’s. “Healing up pretty good.”

“Yeah.”

“Good. All right, Honey is set to meet you at the club at 10 p.m. That work for you?”

Sutton thought of Elizabeth and how he’d love to be cuddled up to her warm, soft body by that time but seeing as he hadn’t had the balls to return to the apartment as of yet, he didn’t have any plans that would preclude meeting up with Honey.

“Works for me,” he agreed with a private sigh.

Vince left and Sutton leaned back in his executive leather chair, remembering quite clearly the first time Elizabeth had walked through his doors. So cute, so vulnerable. Destined to be his.

As if on cue, his cock thickened and he pushed at it with irritation. 

Yeah, so not the time.

Maybe he could text her. And say what?

Sorry, I hurt your feelings. Sorry, I got a blowjob from a cheap hooker. If it’s any consolation, I didn’t really enjoy it all that much.

He cringed. Somehow he didn’t think sharing that he’d been thinking of Elizabeth the whole time was going to soften the punch.

He was torn by the indignant defensiveness of having to apologize for something he never promised he wouldn't do and the need to soothe the hurt he'd caused by his actions.

It was shitty to say that he never promised her fidelity — only if he was willing to admit that he had feelings for her beyond those that were defined by their contract.

It was supposed to be sex and only sex.

Hot and dirty sex — the kind that made you wonder if you’d ever be the same afterward.

But somehow...it'd became more than that and he wasn't even sure when it'd happened.

Maybe it'd always been that way and his conscious mind hadn't picked up on that until it was too late.

The fact was...he didn't want to let Elizabeth go. Not ever. And that certainly wasn't part of the contract. It wasn't fair to her and he couldn't expect to hold her in chains indefinitely simply to appease this indescribable need he had for her.

The bottom line was he had to figure this out before it drove him insane and he took Elizabeth down with him.

And he had to stop avoiding her.

Tonight, he would sleep in his bed...with Elizabeth.

Like it or not, she was still bound to the terms of his contract and he was going to make her honor them.

Hopefully, sleeping beside him wasn't too terrible an idea.

One way to find out.

Bookmark: 14

-14-

Elizabeth took a deep breath before entering Covington House, her portfolio satchel gripped tightly in her sweaty palms.

Even though she had an inkling that she was a shoe-in thanks to Sutton’s influence, she still felt flutters of anxiety.

Let’s do this. If nothing else, trust in your art.

Mr. Polk saw her enter and ushered to her side, immediately fawning all over her, his gaze alight with admiration that hadn’t been there before.

“Darling, you look
ahhmazing.
Dressing to impress, I see. Well, it works! I’m suitably impressed!
”

Elizabeth managed a small, shy smile but inside she was marveling at how a change in wardrobe could change one’s opinion of them.

True, she was wearing designer clothes tailor-made for her and doubly-true that she’d been given a crash course on tasteful, flattering make-up application but had she truly changed that much?

Was Polk’s surprise, part of his act? Elizabeth had no way of knowing.

“Thank you, Mr. Polk. I appreciate this opportunity to really show you my art.”

“Yes, yes, of course!” Polk hurried them into his office and he fluttered into his seat while she took the seat across the desk and opened her portfolio.

On a crazy whim, she included the rough sketches she’d been creating while working out her angst and hurt about Sutton.

Polk actually took the time to regard her artwork, pausing here and there, exclaiming with complimentary comments now and then, but when he got to her sketches, he paused and his practiced flattery stalled so much that she was tempted to snatch them away with an immediate apology.

“Dangerous, passionate,” he murmured, flipping through the book with excitement. He looked up, his eyes ablaze. “You my dear, have an exquisite talent. How did I miss this before? Were these sketches in your book the last time we met?”

“No,” she admitted, a little embarrassed by how sexual they were. She must’ve lost her mind thinking to include them today. “It’s a new project I’m working on.”

“When will they be complete?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she answered, shocked at his true interest. “I don’t even know what to call it. It was just something that sprung from my brain one night.”

“Those are the best kind,” Polk proclaimed, carefully closing her portfolio. “Darling, I must have these. We will do a gallery showing and it will change the face of art as we know it.”

That seemed a little extreme but she’d be lying if she weren’t giddy at his enthusiasm.

But then reality set in and she realized she didn’t have all the time in the world to just paint.

“I don’t know when I’ll have them finished,” she admitted, her happiness dimming. “I couldn’t even give you an estimate. I…have a day job that takes up a lot of my time.”

Being Sutton’s
beck-and-call-girl
was a full-time gig.

Polk narrowed his gaze. “Darling, we all make sacrifices for our art. You will deliver these exquisite masterpieces within the month and we will have the gallery showing the month after. It’s all set. It’s happening. Now it’s up to you.”

This was her shot.

Sutton had been a no-show for days. What was she supposed to do, sit around twiddling her thumbs waiting for him to finally show his face?

Screw Sutton.

Why was she going out of her way to consider his convenience when he couldn’t even deign to send a text message?

Talk about a serious dick move.

Elizabeth smiled at Polk and collected her portfolio.

“You will have your art pieces. You can count on me.”

“Excellent,” Polk said, beaming. “I believe this is the start to a fruitful relationship for us both. Now, go. Work that beautiful mind and create something dangerous, something wonderful.”

Emboldened, Elizabeth planned to do exactly that.

And Sutton?

Well, Sutton could just deal with it.

***

Sutton
was antsy, ready to get this meeting over with so he could go to the apartment and see Elizabeth.

It’d been too many days and he was seriously jonesing for a fix. He wasn’t in the frame of mind to question his motivation either.

He just wanted to feel her in his arms and bury his face between those soft pillowy breasts so he could get a decent night’s sleep.

For all the money in the world, not even the best mattress could compare to the comfort of sleeping beside Elizabeth.

Yeah, more fuel to the argument that there was more involved than just his cock when it came to his feelings toward her.

He walked into Malvagio, assailed by the usual scents and sounds, sex, drugs and throbbing music meant to encourage nakedness, and Sapphire, that sweet little nympho with the powerful suction greeted him with a kiss and a grope.

“Nice to see you, Mr. Buchanan. The usual?” She asked with a bright smile.

The woman had a fabulous body and it was on glorious display tonight.

Her tits were decorated with glittery body paint tonight and he thought it was a nice touch, only his thoughts did stray to Elizabeth as he wondered what his beautiful woman would look like painted like that.

Get back on point,
he thought to himself as he nodded to Sapphire. “I’m expecting an important guest. She’ll be coming under the alias Sweetpea. When she arrives, please show her to my booth.”

“Yes, sir.” Sapphire spun around, giving an unobstructed view of the tight cheekini panties barely covering her pert ass.

Sapphire returned a moment later with a gin and tonic on the rocks and he plucked the lime wedge to suck on while he waited.

Maybe if he kept his mouth occupied it would keep him from saying or doing anything that he’d regret later.

Soon enough Honey arrived, wearing a decadent, nearly see-through dress that clung to her subtle curves but made good use of every inch.

It was a powerful play on the senses and he applauded her ability to get a rise out of him nearly instantly.

He rose and accepted air-kisses as was the thing to do in these situations and when Honey practically sat on his lap in the booth, he simply smiled as if he were happy to have her ride his cock if she liked.

The games we play
...he sighed privately.

“You must be Sutton Buchanan, one of the east coast boys,” Honey said with a smile that’d probably seduced many men. “One thing I will say for the Buchanan line...it’s filled with fuckable men...and women. Your sister is quite a thing. I wouldn’t mind getting a taste of that sweetness. Tell me, is Whitney entertaining women this year?”

He laughed. “As far as I know, Whitney is firmly a fan of sausage and rarely tacos. Though, there was that brief stint in college but then, who doesn’t experiment in college, right?”

“Pity.” Honey pouted. “The things I’ve heard...I find her intriguing. I can only imagine what exciting secrets hide behind those Buchanan eyes.”

“Yes, well, you’ll have to pry them out of my sister because she doesn’t exactly share with family.”

Honey flashed that brief, seductive smile and then pulled her vape pen, lighting it and filling the air with the faint scent of cinnamon.

“Genius invention, don’t you think?” she asked, referencing her pen. “They say it’ll kill you faster than cigarettes but at least it doesn’t affect the people around you. Fine by me. Die young and leave behind a good looking corpse, am I right?”

He indulged her with a light chuckle, ready to get the meeting over.

Each moment spent away from Elizabeth felt an eternity at this point.

“Would you like a tour?”

Honey’s eyes lit up. “I thought you’d never ask. Absolutely.”

Sutton offered his arm and Honey took it.

He gave her a VIP tour of every room, even the rooms that were occupied — treating her to a bird’s eye view of some of the naughtier aspects of Malvagio — and by the time they returned to the booth, Honey was sold.

Who wouldn’t be? Malvagio sold itself to the right person.

“I want it.”

“Excellent taste. You won’t be disappointed.”

He scribbled the asking price onto a piece of paper and pushed it over to her. She read it and then pushed it back with a smile and a nod.

A mere formality, Sutton asked, “Shall I tell my cousins we have a deal?”

“Yes, of course.” She nodded and leaned forward. “Now how shall we celebrate?”

“Champagne, we carry the best, of course.” He signaled for Sapphire to bring the champagne and a heartbeat later Honey’s hand was on his cock. He remained calm, even managing a subtle grin as he pretended ignorance. “Did you have something else in mind?”

“I’ve heard about this cock of yours. Something else the Buchanan men have in common...big, fat cocks. I’d love to see for myself what all the hype is about.”

“And I thought you were firmly a fan of pussy,” he returned casually, as if intrigued and flattered, but in truth, he was desperately trying to find a way to respectfully turn her down.

“Darling, it’s true I love pussy but I’m willing to try new and exciting rides, especially when they come so highly recommended.”

Admittedly, Honey was a beautiful woman but he felt nothing.

Besides, he didn’t believe it prudent to fuck around with a potential buyer for a major deal like this one.

“Tempted,” he lied easily. “But not tonight. I must respectfully decline. However,” he said, when he saw Honey on the verge of being offended. “I would never leave you without something sweet.”

He motioned for Sapphire and she bounced over to him with an accommodating smile. “Yes, Mr. Buchanan?”

“Sapphire, do you think you could show Sweetpea a lovely time?”

“I would love to,” Sapphire purred, her eyes lighting up as she sank to her knees before Honey. “May I, mistress?”

Honey grinned with delight, Sutton forgotten. “Yes, you may, pretty thing.”

And then Sapphire’s head was between Honey’s legs, lapping up all that sweet juice no doubt dribbling down the soon-to-be-new owner of the most decadent club in town.

And Sutton couldn’t wait to get out of there.

All he wanted was Elizabeth.