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  “I think we’ve made a good match today,” Clancy commented, then lifted the glass from Asher’s hands. Asher barely noticed, his own dark gaze still burning up the distance between us. “One of my guards will see you out,” he said, and his words seemed to snap Asher from his thoughts. “Good luck, Allie. I think you'll need it,” he added with dark amusement before Asher put a hand at the curve of my back and escorted me from the office, through the hallway, and out into the sunlight of my new life.

  four

  Asher

  With my palm placed at her back, I walked calmly through the parking lot to my Mercedes and controlled every urge I had to run back in that building and gouge the eyes out of every man that had stood there and craved a piece of this girl’s innocence. Everything about her was as radiant and pure as new-fallen snow.

  This one was mine. I couldn’t wait to show her what that meant.

  We reached the shiny onyx of my car, and I opened the door for her, allowing her to slide in before buckling the seat belt and securing it tightly at her waist. Her sparkly dress inched up her thighs, my vision averting quickly to land on her gaze.

  “I can buckle my own seat belt,” she said without emotion. This girl had been through so much it broke my heart.

  But not anymore. That was all in the past. Today she was mine.

  “Don’t want you running off on me.” I gave her a rakish wink, hiding my true thoughts from her. She couldn’t know the impact she had on me. She didn’t need to know that seeing her in that room, standing there on the pedestal with fear on her face, had been like a cannonball to my gut. My knees had nearly failed me. I’d walked with quiet steps, my eyes crawling up the smooth curves of her body, the thick, jet black curls floating down her back, a radiant contrast with the creamy white of her porcelain skin.

  And then I’d come to her face. Sweet Jesus, the angle of her cheekbones, the fullness of her rosy pink lips drew me in, and the spark in her eyes undid me. This girl was a survivor. This girl would be a challenge. This girl was everything I’d been craving and so much more. This girl was mine to love, to protect, to devour inch by inch until we melted into the abyss together.

  I slid behind the wheel and pulled out of the lot, unwilling to make small talk. I hated small talk, found it useless. I liked details, information, logic. I wanted to know what really mattered, and right now, that was her.

  “Have you ever been abused?” I asked as my hands clutched the wheel, praying for her to answer in the negative. The questionnaire asked this, and she’d reported no, but deals like this relied on false information and shady contacts, I needed to know from her. Allie’s eyes turned to the window and she watched the world fly by. “I need the truth, Allie.”

  She finally shook her head, biting down on her lip. Damn that lip. I adjusted in my seat, thinking restraint would be the biggest challenge of all with her. “I’ve never been physically abused,” she answered quietly, emotionless again.

  So emotionally and verbally abused.

  Damn those fuckers for getting to her like that. Damn the failed system that let her live in that rotten house with that despicable woman who only used her and threw her away to the highest bidder. My vision went red with revenge. How had I not known? How hadn’t I at least anonymously requested a house visit from social services to ensure she was living a healthy and happy life?

  And what if I hadn’t have finally gotten ahold of her address in the months leading up to her eighteenth birthday? What if I hadn’t have noticed her foster mother making repeated trips to that warehouse on the shady side of town? What if one of the other clients had been the one to buy her? I assumed most of those men were monsters. I made a vow right then to do what I could to take down the escort service. I couldn’t handle the thought of any other woman victimized. It had taken every inch of control in me not to pummel those assholes where they stood, but I knew if I had, I wouldn’t have been able to save her, my girl.

  I’d made sure she wouldn’t be harmed physically, but the idea infuriated me regardless. I’d been waiting for this day so fucking patiently.

  I squelched the instinct to reach out and reassure her that she was safe. I didn’t have it in me to do that after all the years spent building the barriers around myself. Burnt one too many times, I’d built my walls extra tall to prevent that shit from ever happening again.

  Until now. This was my chance. Our chance.

  I sighed and pushed a hand through my hair before stepping further down on the pedal, charging the car through traffic, itching to get her to my place and get settled.

  I didn’t think she’d have a problem with it. I’d managed a nice spread for myself twenty miles out of the city. It was nothing short of a compound, which overlooked the skyline and the ocean beyond. Like a man perched in his castle, standing above the world, I lived a good life. A solitary and very lonely life, to be sure. That’s the consequences for a man with my success, but I wanted for nothing. Cars and yachts, private jets and parties, a flourishing business in financial assets and equities, I’d acquired the assets I needed that allowed me to protect myself from the outside world, and these were the things I needed to make her mine. It felt so fucking pointless without her. Someone to love and hold and protect. I’d achieved everything I’d set my sights on achieving in life, except the one thing I needed most. Her love.

  “I cleared the house tonight. You’ll have the evening to settle in. I had Peggy put away all your new clothes and stock the bathroom with toiletries. If there’s anything you need you can ask her. You’ll meet her in the morning,” I informed her, feeling more like I was sitting in on a business deal than with the woman I hoped to keep with me every day for the next two years, the woman I wanted as my forever.

  Maybe I’d been a fucking idiot for being fooled by ideas like love and family and forever, but I knew my world wouldn’t be complete without her.

  So here I was, escorting a stranger to my house. A stranger with whom I planned to share my life, to whom I’d open up my home, a stranger that didn't even realize I knew her real name.

  The thought made my stomach hurt, but the anonymity was essential. I just damn well hoped by the end of it she trusted me enough to tell me everything about her. If things worked out and she was the woman I thought she was, I’d need her to see the real me between now and then and hope like hell she still wouldn’t walk away.

  five

  Eve

  I wanted to walk away. I wanted to run away from all of it. My eyes darted from the lock on the door to my hand shaking uncontrollably at my side. I slipped it under my thigh, hoping to calm my nerves and hide the anxiety pummeling my system.

  “You may have free run of the property. For the next two years it’s your home as well as mine, but just know there’s a security wall that surrounds the property, and you won’t get the access code to it. Everything you need will be brought to you on a silver platter. I don’t expect you’ll have a reason to leave unless I require it, but just know that if you do, you’ll never make it.” Asher’s eyes cut to mine and sent a shudder skating up my spine.

  “I can’t leave? You have, like, a compound?” My throat burned with the new knowledge. If this fancy car was any indication, his house would be a beautiful, luxurious prison.

  “It’s a matter of trust. This is a new arrangement for both of us, and there’s a lot of money at stake.” His eyes cut to mine, one eyebrow rising. It turned my stomach. His whole nonchalant attitude, the cool demeanor, the condescending amusement that seemed to sparkle in his eyes.

  I ground my teeth together and clutched at the fine leather of his seats, calling on all my strength to get through this.

  “So, we’ll be alone tonight?” I asked, refusing to look at him as I spoke.

  He nodded before responding. “I thought it would give you time to settle. Get used to your surroundings, put away your thing—” He paused when he caught himself. I didn’t have things. I had nothing. I had the clothes on my back and a small clu
tch packed with lip gloss and the twenty dollars in cash Julian had slipped me before I’d left. I wasn't allowed to bring a single thing with me from my other life.

  I averted my attention as the car slowed around a corner and turned down a long tree-lined drive. I swallowed as the trees opened up and an imposing wrought-iron gate came into view. The vehicle rolled to a stop and Asher lowered the window and placed his thumb against a digital screen. A red light flashed as it scanned his thumbprint and the gates started to slowly open. Suddenly, it dawned on me that his security was nothing short of extraordinary. This man had created a fortress.

  My stomach twisted as we rolled past the gates and continued down the long driveway. An entire estate with mature forests, landscaped gardens, and perfectly manicured lawns came into view. What kind of man required this kind of protection?

  “Welcome home,” Asher said when we rounded a final corner and acres of vibrant green opened up to reveal a stately Georgian-style mansion, complete with pillars and a cobbled circle drive. It was breathtaking. Completely enchanting. I felt so out of place here.

  “It looks big, but you’ll get used to it,” Asher said. He cut the car’s engine and hopped out, going around to the other side to open my door. I stepped out, my stilettos teetering on the uneven stones of the drive, before I paused to take it all in.

  “Is something wrong?” Asher finally asked, his hand sliding from its residence at my waist to clasp my hand in his.

  My heart thundered as I felt his warm touch. That familiar sensation that pumped through my blood when he’d touched me the last time took hold. I finally shook my head, willing the nerves away before I lifted my gaze to his and replied, “It’s beautiful. Thank you,” before taking slow steps towards the front door of his house, his castle, my new home.

  “I don’t have time to give you the full tour tonight. Unfortunately, I have a phone call I have to take in less than an hour.”

  “That’s okay,” I said, trying to maintain my composure. I’d need to think smart and quick at all times, and giving this guy attitude would never be a benefit in my position. I had two years of this, and the only thing holding me through was the thought of that money. Shoshanna had never said exactly how much it was, nor how much I’d been bought for, but ten or twenty thousand for two years of my time would enable me to put a down payment on a house, and support myself and the boys. If we all pitched in, we could even get something bigger. No more sharing rooms. I could give us the life we were cheated out of by Judy.

  “Your room is this way.” Asher looped my hand in his and proceeded to pull me up the sweeping staircase. We turned at the landing and he led me to a closed door. “I will be staying in the one across the hall for now, if you need me,” Asher offered, and I could tell he was doing his best to be welcoming, but still, it didn’t help calm my nerves.

  Sure the house was big, sure I wouldn’t be tied in the basement of a dungeon, that I knew of yet anyway, but this cold, reserved man wasn’t easy either. Could I trust him? Could I open up to him? He seemed like he wanted me to be comfortable and at home in his space, but he’d bought me for God sakes. How could I? I was still a prisoner. If he really cared, he’d let me go.

  But the money. The money. I needed the money to get myself and the boys out. I needed Asher Strong if we had any hope of a life beyond pornography and drug peddling.

  “This is your room.” Asher held the elegant double doors wide, and I walked past him and into my new bedroom.

  six

  Asher

  I watched riveted as her eyes took in the luxurious curtains, four-poster bed, and fluffy duvet. Her eyes darted to the windows that overlooked the back of the estate, rolling green grass down to an apple orchard with a lake beyond. It was a beautiful piece of property, I knew that, but nothing was more beautiful than the dark gleam in her eyes. She took my breath away. She stood there so silently, not knowing that all this was hers. She owned me as much as I owned her. Everything I was belonged to this girl.

  The few women who had entered my home, mainly business acquaintances here and there, were always enthralled by the massive fortune I had gained in my young life. Most women saw dollar signs where I was concerned. One look at the marble flooring and hand-carved wooden rails and they were planning their moving day. When a woman’s eyes went wide and whimsical for commerce, I knew to stay far, far away. Gold-diggers were not a welcome addition to my circle. Besides, my heart was haunted, had been for years. I was just waiting for her.

  Allie finally turned on her too high heels and her gaze landed on mine. “It’s beautiful, thank you.” She paused and waited. Long silent beats stretched between us.

  What did I want to do? I wanted to rush across the room and shove a hand into her wild fucking hair and push her up against a wall, see what she tasted like. Press her soft petal lips to mine and fuck her with my tongue until I couldn’t taste anything but her.

  But instead I clutched my fists at my sides, letting her take the space I was sure she so desperately needed, and I turned on my heel and walked out the door, slamming it as I went. I didn’t stop until I was downstairs and hidden away in my office, pouring a snifter of brandy to ease my nerves. I’d waited a long time for her. I’d held back from so many sins of the flesh, because nothing would feel right. No one made me crave and desire until her. Allie was infuriating. Her stock answers and blank stares drove me insane. I knew she’d been hurt, understood she’d been brutalized in nearly every way, but I wasn’t that man. I wanted to help her, I wanted to save her. I wanted her to be mine.

  I finished the glass and poured another, slamming the drink on my desk until a splash of amber landed on the honeyed shine of my office desk.

  What the fuck was I thinking signing her up to live here against her will? Two years? She might not be able to stand two months with me. I wasn’t easy to be around, I was a man used to getting what I wanted and this girl, I wanted her like I had never wanted before. I craved her. Her scent was etched in my memory.

  Half a million dollars. That’s what I’d offered. They’d thought I was a fool, thought they’d struck a bargain, but for her I would have given up everything. I would have sold my very soul if I knew it meant she was safe, happy, and showered with love. I lived and breathed for her. Without her, life was worthless.

  I sighed, stalking across the room to the window that overlooked the back of the property. My eyes trailed across the wide open space to land at the towering weeping willow that drooped into the lake bordering the back half of the property. I loved that tree, as messy as it was. It reminded me that life wasn’t all perfect. Sometimes embracing the beauty of the messy side of life was exactly the thing that kept you grounded and made you appreciate the good things.

  I just hoped Allie could see the good things and wasn’t so accustomed to the messy side that she couldn’t see the beauty beyond. That’s what happened to people who lived through abuse, it became so normal, they would often forget how beautiful life could be without it. They were like that weeping willow, stretching for more, shedding tears in the darkness, and with hearts so wide and open, they provided shelter for any and all who required it.

  seven

  Eve

  I camped out in my new and beautiful bedroom for most of the night. Riddled with guilt and shame and a thousand prickling sensations of fear, I stayed tucked under the covers, and I waited.

  Would he call on me?

  Would tonight be the night? He seemed more than sweet, but a man doesn’t pay a high price tag for a woman without getting something out of it, and the only thing he could want from me was my body.

  And that was the other thing, just what did he expect of me over the next two years?

  My stomach rumbled, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten all day. I glanced around the room, thinking maybe the housekeeper had left a small snack, a bag of peanuts, a water, or anything to prevent me from heading downstairs right now, but my search came up empty.

  I pulled myself from th
e deliciously warm confines of the bed and padded barefoot across the room and quietly opened the door.

  Silence. The house was vast. In the darkness, its beauty was now shrouded in shadows, making it look like a mausoleum.

  I opened the door wider and took a few tentative steps, my eyes searching up and down the hallway for any sign of life. Asher’s door was still tightly closed, no light underneath. Maybe he'd gone to bed already. I frowned, thinking he would have at least come to get me for dinner, right?

  My stomach chose that moment to roll again, and with renewed determination I ghosted down the sweeping staircase in search of the kitchen. I rounded the corner and stumbled into the broad wall of Asher. With my hands pressed at his rock solid chest, my cheeks flared crimson.

  “You okay?” His eyes widened in concern, his palms clutching both of my elbows to steady me. Other than the boys, no one had ever really asked me that question. He seemed thoughtful. He seemed kind.

  “Yes, I’m sorry.” I dropped my hand, embarrassed and flustered.

  “I’m assuming you’re coming down because you’re starving.” His arms released me then, and I instantly missed the contact. “I’m sorry I forgot to feed you. I just remembered to throw this thing in now.” He gestured to a casserole dish, red tomato sauce slathering its contents. “I’m not even sure what it is.” His eyes narrowed as if the food had offended him in some way.

  “It looks frozen.” I pressed a fingertip to the porcelain and found it cold. “It would take at least forty minutes to heat through. Maybe there’s something else that’s quicker.” I said, my eyes on the clock hanging above the fridge. It was already after ten.

  Asher smiled. “I’m sure we can find something.” He placed the foil over the dish and returned it to the fridge.