Page 76 of Ruthless Ambition
Chapter 18: Angel
Despite what the prick of the century said or how often I felt his eyes on me, I had a few nice,pleasantdays. Work was busy, with some of my clients feeling restless during off-season. Honestly, they put their bodies through hell for most of the year; you would think they would relish a few weeks off from early morning practices, drills, nutritionists, and overall demands.
I personally would be eating every single thing I was denied during the season while lying on a beach somewhere tropical. Having ordered room service again this morning, I smiled as I ate my pancakes, with a side of bacon and a bowl of fresh fruit. Sipping my orange juice, I wondered how much I needed to pay someone to do this for me at home. I bet Onyx had someone for this.
My smile faded as I thought of him, and I stabbed at a strawberry with more gusto than was probably required.
I knew he was pissed at me. I mean, he wasn’t hiding it very well. His looks were darker, his tone more cutting, and his sneer more evident. I was repeating, like a mantra in my head, that it was coming from a good place from him, but instead, all I could think was that he hated that I had taken the control away from him.
Onyx thrived on control. It was no secret, and it was something I learned firsthand a long time ago. He had control in the bedroom and the boardroom.
I had taken it back when I went against his desire for me to stay with him. I did feel bad; he had been . . . decent? Was that a word that suitably described him? I couldn’t say it waskindness; I wasn’t delusional. The man hadn’t been probed by an alien and had a personality replacement. No, he hadn’t acted out of kindness. He saw a challenge, and he wanted to beat it.
I had no doubts that the fact that it was me was an inconsequential detail to him. It could have been anyone.
When I walked out of his house, to him, I had put a bigger target on my back. But in reality, I couldn’t handle two psychopaths at a time. Not really. Dealing with Onyx was exhausting as it was; I didn’t need this in addition to what was happening to me.
As I finished my breakfast and left it outside for room service to collect, I checked my makeup and clothes in the mirror before I left for work. I’d bought a couple of pantsuits. I usually wore a skirt at work, not to remind the guys I was female, but because I had thick thighs, and skirts were more forgiving than pants that stretched tight over my upper thighs and were left gaping at the waist.
But recent events made me want to be covered, and with pants, I could wear a lower heel. The truth was, I could wear slippers, and my colleagues and probably most of my clients wouldn’t notice, butIwould, and so wouldhe. It wasn’t often, but I had seen his eyes linger on my legs more than once.
Had I not slept with him, I may not have noticed. But I was very much aware, even after all these years, of when Onyx Santo’s eyes were on my body. I remembered too well how good he had felt and had made me feel under his hands.
His touch.
His control.
Heat traveled up my neck as I checked my mascara one more time. He had been the only person that I had ever allowed to do that to me. Choking? So not me. Restraining me? Telling me when I could orgasm?Whydid it have to behimwho had given me the best sex of my life?
My ex had been good in bed, but when he had tried a little dominance, I’d knocked him on his ass so fast he thought I’dbeen assaulted when I was younger, and then when I assured him that I hadn’t, he thought I was a prude.
God, no wonder I had a vibrator. Men were too much work, their egos too fragile.
Picking up my purse, I left my hotel room to make my way to work. I heard what Onyx said, but I was in a five-star hotel, and the lobby was full of cameras. I was confident that I was safe here. I just needed the break to reassess and plan. I would go home soon. I just needed time.
Someone normal would understand that. Onyx didn’t because he thought it was a weakness to admit you were vulnerable. As I strolled to work, I wondered what would make Onyx Santo vulnerable. He loved his brothers and his cousin — that was obvious. You could see the pride in his eyes when he was with them or talking about them. It wasn’t just a familial affection; it waspleasure,because he didn’t hide it. You could see it, and it was so stark on his face because this man never showed emotion. Not really.
I knew I had poked the beast when I taunted him about getting the three boys on the same team in the same draft. Which would be tricky, the draft itself was tricky. I would have to be in there with the team, ensuring that their trades were beneficial for their picks. I could have all the promises a team could give me to pick the three of them, but then if a trade was made and another team leapfrogged a pick, it was anyone’s game.
My best bet would be to let them get picked and then trade them back in for something or someone else. But those three boys? Teams were going to want them no matter what. It was highly likely that they would be drafted in the first ten, and it was improbable to believe that one team would have three spots in that ten-spot pick.
He knew that. Hell, the boys themselves knew that. I had no doubt they would gravitate toward each other as their careersprogressed, but as rookies? The chances were less than slim. Which is why I had flaunted it in his face. If I managed to do it, it would only be possible in the fourth, fifth, or sixth round of the draft, so I needed their draft year to either be heavy on the defensive player picks or have teams with the need for positions the boys didn’t play.
Jett was a fantastic quarterback, but the league was currently dominated by talented quarterbacks. Picks made in the last year or two for QBs had been high, so Jett was actually the least likely of the three to be drafted first. My money was on the tight end, Ash. He had the height, the speed, and the ability to block as well as run. He would definitely have teams sitting up and noticing. Then there was the younger twin, Gray — a running back like him was an offensive line’s dream come true. Those two would go and go fast. The brother, the QB, I wonder if his ego would cope with not being a first-round pick.
If he were anything like his older brother, probably not. But I didn’t think he would show it. I thought, like all of them were capable of, he would hide it. But if he were a later round draft pick, I had a better chance of talking in the right ears to get him on a team with at least one of his relatives.
The twin, probably.
The league would love that. The fans would love that.
I thought of Trent Hudson, whom Onyx had just taken from me. He and his brother played together in the same college. His brother was a linebacker, and I would love to see that matchup. The QB being taken down by his little brother. The rivalry could be played up, and the sponsorship deals? Ugh, it was a tantalizing prospect.
Who needed reality TV? Sports gave you all the drama and the intrigue, with the appropriate amount of heartbreak. Smiling at myself and my carefree thoughts as I reached work, I rode the elevator up to our floor feeling lighter than I had in weeks.
Yes, I had definitely benefited from being in the hotel and knowing I was secure.
Setting my jacket and purse with my tablet in my office, I closed the door, making sure it locked, then I went to the coffee station and hoped Sally was already in. I usually drank hot water with lemon, but in the last few weeks, I’d embraced caffeine at work again. My nerves had needed it. Unfortunately, it meant I didn’t know how to work the expensive, sophisticated machine that Onyx had in the lounge area.
