Fifth Avenue Box Set: Take MeAvenge MeScandalize MeExpose Me Page 25

  He thought of Katy, warm and soft in his bed. The way her needs fit into his so very well. How he could be utterly selfish with her, a slave to his own needs in every way, and yet fulfill hers, too.

  He could imagine her being the only woman he wanted for the rest of his life.

  He had no idea what to do with that realization. Because reality was a far cry from that desire.

  “Shit happens. I get that,” he said.

  “Meet me at your office in an hour.”

  Austin paused for a moment, unsure how to respond. Unsure of what he would do if he went. Of what he would accomplish either way.

  “Okay. One hour.”

  He hung up the phone and tapped the screen, then went into the browser and did a search for Jason Treffen’s New Year’s party.

  And got a video. He tapped Play and got a full-color viewing of the drama. He and... Damn, one hundred thousand views in the past ten hours.

  He turned up the volume.

  “I’m done, Jason. I won’t stand for this anymore.” It was his mother, onstage next to the band like she was about to give a toast, the microphone in an unsteady hand. “I won’t be a part of this empire you’ve built. On lies and the pain of other people. I won’t let you hurt me or anyone else anymore. It’s time the world knew that you’re not who you pretend to be. That you’re not the man I thought I married. I want a divorce.”

  The crowd of people at the party gasped and he could see Jason moving up to where his mother was. “Get down, Lenore. Now.”

  “I don’t belong to you anymore. I’ll do what I damn well please.”

  There was more mayhem, and the video shook, then stopped.

  Austin stood still, his heart thundering hard. He had to go and deal with his father.

  Because if Jason were going to start confessing to try to keep himself in the clear when everything started breaking, Austin needed to know. This was his chance.

  But first, he had to put in a phone call to his mother.

  * * *

  Austin had murder on his mind by the time his father walked into his office.

  Reconciliation, whether fake or not, was definitely off of the table.

  He’d spent most of the hour on the phone with his mother. And he’d learned things that had made his blood burn.

  Abuse he hadn’t even imagined.

  He liked to put his hands around my neck.... He didn’t even need to be angry to hit me. To threaten me. It was almost as though he liked the shock of it. To take me from laughing to crying in the space of the moment.

  It’s his power. And he loves to use it for pain.

  Austin’s stomach hurt. His father’s sins went so far past what he’d originally thought. More than whoring out women. More than coercing a young woman into a sexual relationship. He liked to hurt others. He got off on the fear he instilled in them. On the evidence of his own power, reflected by the terror in the eyes of the weaker person.

  Now it was his turn to instill a little bit of terror. To make sure that Jason Treffen tasted his own poison.

  If Austin could wrap his hands around the older man’s throat and squeeze, he would do it. But barring that, he would make sure that he walked away from this divorce with nothing.

  And in the end, he would make sure he rotted in a jail cell.

  For his crimes against Sarah. For his crimes against his mother. For selling women like commodities, abusing them like they were objects.

  “Come in,” Austin said. “Have a seat.”

  He was establishing the power dynamic now. He was the one in command. His father was right; he had grown a spine. And now he was ready to do what he had to do. To not just destroy his father’s empire, but to revel in it. To not simply have a part in removing Jason Treffen from the map, but to drive the initiative.

  This was no longer about duty. There was no longer a hint of regret.

  There was nothing but rage. White-hot and purposeful.

  And a sick, burning satisfaction that sat low in his gut. Driving him on.

  “I don’t think I’ll sit,” Jason said.

  “I think you will,” Austin said. “Have a seat. You’ll need one for what we’re going to talk about here.”

  When his father sat in the chair opposite his desk, Austin stood, a file in his hand.

  “What is it you expect me to do for you? You and Mom don’t have a prenup. So tell me what it is you think I can help you with?”

  “I think you taking my side in the divorce will have an impact on the decision. Especially as you’re typically an advocate for women. As am I.”

  “Oh, yes,” Austin said, his lip curling. “A famed advocate for women in their time of need. Which is why you’d like your wife to end up with nothing? And you’d like me to help you do it?”

  “Let’s cut the crap, Austin,” his father said. “I think you have an idea of who I am. And of what you’re dealing with. I don’t, for one moment, think you buy into the media’s idea of who I am. You’re far too perceptive. There’s a reason you hardly spoke to me for ten years. And there’s a reason you’re speaking to me again. And your current toy...Katy Michaels. It’s not an accident that you’re screwing Sarah’s sister.”

  A trickle of ice worked its way through Austin’s veins. “I’m surprised you remember her name.” Except he wasn’t. Because the combination on the lock was the date of her death. Because he still had the pictures.

  “Of course I do.”

  “You’re not going to try and tell me you loved her, are you?” Austin asked.

  Jason sat back in his chair, his expression flat, emotionless. “I had a train when I was a child.” He picked up a small glass figurine from Austin’s desk, a model of the New York skyline. “A small, wooden one. It was very intricate, lots of moving parts.” Jason turned it over in his hand, his thumb moving over the Empire State Building. “One day I was playing with it, and it broke.” He snapped the top of the building off, leaving a bead of blood on the top of his thumb. He stared at it for a moment, not reacting. Not even making the smallest showing of pain. Then he set the damaged skyline back on Austin’s desk. “I remember crying. And feeling the loss of it, even though it was nothing more than a toy. And if asked, I would have said I loved that train, because I certainly missed playing with it.” He put his hands behind his head, ignoring the blood. “What child isn’t sad when he breaks his favorite toy?”

  “Sarah was not a toy,” Austin said, his voice choked. “Katy isn’t my toy.”

  His father laughed. “At least I know myself. You’re my son, and you’ve always been so like me. Let me guess...you like that she’s young. Poor. That you have all the power in the relationship. That she has to live in your house, use all of your things. That you get off on her being your inferior. You like to dominate her. You probably like her even more because of whose sister she is. And a pity for me that you got to her first. Because I would have so liked to use her. Though, sharing is always nice. I enjoyed sharing Sarah. Because you should always share your toys.”

  Austin reached out, and before he could temper himself, he had his fingers wrapped around his father’s throat. The older man’s eyes went wide, genuine fear in them, fear that fueled Austin’s rage, that offered a kick of adrenaline and satisfaction unlike anything he’d ever experienced.

  He wanted his fear. He wanted him to know just what it was like to be afraid for your life. For your sanity. Like his mother had been for years. Like Sarah had been.

  Like every woman he’d ever abused had been.

  “You’re about to learn a couple of things about me, and that spine I grew,” Austin said. “I don’t share. And I don’t forgive. And I’m not that scared of what might happen to me if I tighten my grasp right now.”

  “You don’t want to spend the rest of your life in prison.”

  “I don’t know. Seems like it might be worth it.” He pressed his thumb a little harder into the soft spot at the base of his father’s throat. “We’re both full of surpr
ises, aren’t we?”

  The fear in Jason’s eyes intensified, fuel for his own anger, for the feeling of utter, invincible power that was coursing through his veins.

  “You wouldn’t.”

  He loosened his grip, stepped away. “No, you’re right. I wouldn’t. The short road to hell is too good for you. I’d like you to suffer a bit in this life first. You’re right about something else, too—I’m not naive. I do know exactly what you are. And I will take great joy in bleeding all your assets from you. In watching you fall to earth, like she did. I will break you. And I will enjoy hearing your bones snap.” He straightened his tie and met his father’s cold, hard gaze. “I can’t take your case, because I’ll be taking Mom’s case. I am an actual advocate for women, after all.” He turned to face the windows, looked at the traffic moving below. Then he turned back to Jason. “I’m going to enjoy this. Watching you suffer. Watching you lose everything.”

  Jason stood, his expression ashen. “I knew you were like me,” he said, his voice tight and hoarse, thanks in part to the grip Austin had had on it. “You think you aren’t, because you’re fighting against me, but the fact that you like it this much... You are my son. Make no mistake in that.”

  “Fine. And if all me being your son ever accomplishes is ending you? Then I accept that. If I need to be like you to destroy you? I’ll do that. Get ready to fight. This divorce, and everything that comes after, is going to be uglier than you could have ever imagined.”

  His father turned and walked out the door and Austin let out a long breath, adrenaline coursing through him. Yes, he knew exactly who he was. What he was. And right now he didn’t care.

  He was going to win the war by any means necessary.

  The only thing that surprised him was how much he was enjoying it.

  He walked down the corridor, long strides carrying him out of the building. His body was pumping with adrenaline and all he could think of was Katy.

  Of how he wanted her. The ways he wanted her. He wanted to burn all of this away with their passion. He needed to...

  You’re my son, and you’ve always been so like me.

  You like to dominate her.

  Was that all this was? A way for him to enjoy helplessness and exercise control in the guise of a sexual fantasy? Was he just like his father, only so unaware?

  No.

  He didn’t need to do that to her. He didn’t need to want it. He curled his shaking hands into fists. If he needed control so badly, he could damn well control himself.

  Tonight, he would give Katy something else entirely. Tonight, he would prove that he could.

  * * *

  Katy hummed tunelessly as she reheated last night’s takeout. She was poring over new thoughts of revenge, on ways she would put Jason Treffen’s head on a pike and parade around with it, put it on display.

  Metaphorically, of course. Well, literally had its appeal as well, but she wouldn’t go there.

  Soon, she would be figuring out ways to exploit his newly vulnerable position. With the divorce coming together, since it was certain Lenore Treffen would be filing, Jason would be open to media attacks, and his wealth would start to drain.

  The other part of her good mood was Austin. Which was a nice change of pace, to have something other than revenge make her feel happy.

  Austin had been gone when she’d woken up. At work on New Year’s Day. But then, that was why he was a billionaire, she supposed.

  She wished he was home, though.

  She snorted. When had she started thinking of Austin’s deluxe penthouse in the sky as home? It sure as hell wasn’t her home.

  Still, the thought made her ache a little bit around her heart.

  Grr. Her freaking heart again. Only her body was supposed to be involved. Not her heart.

  The front door opened and Austin walked in, his eyes dark, his eyebrows drawn together, his walk purposeful.

  She knew, without him saying anything, just what he had on his mind.

  “I need you.” There was a desperation to his tone, an absence of command. It was disturbing.

  She just stood there for a second, totally stunned, because this was coming out of nowhere for her. She’d had nothing but a nice quiet morning. A sex-free shower and the nuking of leftover Chinese food didn’t add up to sexy times in her head.

  But clearly, he had other ideas.

  “Are you asking for permission?”

  “Yes, darling. Please.”

  “Did you hit your head?” she asked.

  “No.” He approached her, cupped her cheek, his palm warm against her skin. He leaned in and kissed her lightly. Gently. So gently it hurt, and not in a good way. Not in a way she could handle.

  Emotion swelled in her chest, rising gently along with his touch, and she wanted to turn and run from it. Wanted to push him away.

  She didn’t want this sweet, soft side of him. It wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough to keep her demons back. She couldn’t open herself up to feeling without something to balance it. Without something to help take the pressure away.

  The tug of her hair, the firm grip of his hands on her hips, rough words that put a layer of protection over the warm feelings that always poured through her when they touched.

  She couldn’t do it. It made her want to hold him forever. It made her want to cry. Her stupid heart.

  She needed her body back in charge.

  “Take me,” she said against his lips.

  “I am.” His fingers drifted beneath her shirt, and for the first time, she noticed he was shaking.

  “No,” she said, pulling away. “Stop with the tenderness crap. Take me. Hard. Push me down. Make me...”

  “No,” he said.

  “Why not? Why not take what we both want?”

  “I don’t need it. It was just a game. It’s time to...stop with that.”

  “It wasn’t a game to me,” she said. “It’s not a game. I need it or I can’t... I have too many feelings, Austin. Too many... I can’t...I can’t breathe. I need you to help me breathe.”

  “No, Katy.”

  “I’m begging you,” she said, leaning in, her lips touching his ear. “Please, please give me what I need. I’m at your mercy. No one else can do this for me. No one. And I’m the only one who can do this for you.”

  “You have to trust me,” he said. “Whether you’re down on your knees, or here kissing me. I know what you need. Don’t you understand by now?” he asked, drawing his hand over the line of her jaw.

  She was trembling, inside and out. Afraid of what he would do next. She wasn’t afraid of Austin’s intensity. She wasn’t afraid to accept his bonds, pain and pleasure at his hand. But this, this care, this...tenderness—that was frightening.

  She didn’t know what to do with it. Didn’t know how to process the whisper of his fingertips on her skin, the gentle hold of his palm on her lower back.

  It was scarier than bondage, and it was holding her even tighter to him. Something she couldn’t turn away from, couldn’t deny him. Because no matter what he said, he was the one who needed this, and she couldn’t refuse him what he needed.

  That was the thing about their relationship. What she needed, he needed the counterpoint. They were all about balance in bed. To some, it would seem like he dominated her, but it had never been true, not really. He needed, she gave. If she didn’t give, it would mean nothing to him.

  In this moment, he needed. And his needs offered her none of the safety, none of the intensity, of their other interactions. He wasn’t asking for her body, or for her submission. He was asking for something deeper. He was asking her to make decisions. To reach out and give, not simply accept.

  She didn’t know if she could do it, not without breaking apart.

  “Don’t make me beg, Austin,” she said, her voice shaking.

  “I like it when you beg,” he said, his eyes intent on hers. “You know I do. But right now, I need you to give me this.” He kissed her, his lips light, warm and sweet.
“Let me show you I can do this.”

  “I don’t need it.”

  “I need it. And you’ll give it,” he said, the firm authority in his voice chasing across her skin like a breeze, raising goose bumps on her arms, hitting that place deep within her that responded to Austin. Only to Austin. Wholly and without hesitation.

  He pulled her top up, his fingers skimming her stomach, her breasts, as he lifted it over her head. Then he unhooked her bra, let it fall to the floor. He dropped to his knees in front of her and everything in her rebelled, but she held still, held fast. This was what he wanted. He’d given the order; she had to accept. She squeezed her eyes shut, a tear sliding down her cheek.

  He leaned in and kissed her stomach, the action reverent. Everything was so slow, so purposeful. And it made her feel desperate. Made her feel like escaping her skin.

  But she couldn’t. She couldn’t leave him, didn’t want to leave him, but she wasn’t sure she would survive this, either.

  He pushed her pants down her hips, her thighs, her underwear going down with them, leaving her bare to him. She’d been naked in front of him so many times, but this was different. It was deeper. She was bare to her soul.

  He leaned in, his lips hot on her clit, his tongue sliding unerringly over her, sending a spike of pleasure through her, something intense to hold to. To drown out the thundering of her heart, the swollen feeling in her chest.

  Too many feelings. At least with the physical, she could ignore the emotional.

  This was what she needed.

  He cupped her ass, held her against his mouth as he lavished her with attention, worshipped her with his lips and tongue, pushing her to the edge, pushing her to the brink of sanity.

  He pulled back and looked at her, his dark eyes glittering. She looked away and dropped to her knees. “Austin...let me.” She struggled with the buttons on his shirt, spread the fabric wide and leaned in, licking his skin, tasting him, relishing him.

  She worked his belt, freed his cock from his underwear, squeezing him gently. “Tell me what to do. Tell me,” she said, waiting for that hand to tighten in her hair, to force her head down. To demand she suck him.