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“What makes you think you have the right to such a facetious remark, Rocco? If you believe for one fucking moment that what happened at Club Sensations has any bearing on what you did to me, you are more demented than I realized.”
“Come now, darling. All I’m doing is praising you for your stellar performance. Pity I was otherwise occupied at the time, but I heard it was something to behold. You should actually thank me since I was the one who introduced you to edging. A practice run, so to speak, preparing you to be fucked by many men.”
Lilith saw red. Her fingers curled around the heavy stapler in front of her. The desire to fling it at his head burned a path of destruction in her brain. She suppressed the need for violence with difficulty.
“Firstly, I’m not your darling. Secondly, I wasn’t performing, and thirdly, there was no orgy after the edging. Yes, don’t look so surprised. The aim wasn’t to humiliate me like you and your friends did. They only offered pleasure… you know what exchange of power is actually about. Thirdly, and the most important point is that the scene taught me what it means to be edged by true men—those who didn’t throw the word around to give themselves a sense of power, but true and respected Dominants.” A skew smile taunted him.
“Except you won’t know what I’m talking about since you have no fucking clue what the sexual exchange of power is really about.” She held up a hand when he opened his mouth, visibly angry at the insult.
“Don’t bother. I’m not interested in what you have to say. I warned you to never again bring up that fucked-up experience. You overstepped the boundaries once again. Now, I’m done with you.” Her eyes turned glacial. “There is no room for the both of us in this company, Rocco. The time has come for you to go.”
His bark of laughter sounded as brittle as the look on his face. “You don’t have the power to fire me, Lilith. Besides, you know I’m the one who’s going to ensure that DevelopMate, and by default, Gustav’s name tops the rung of the best software engineers in the state. He won’t agree. I’m willing to bet my shares on that.”
“Good, then I’ll have Legal draw up the papers. You might be able to lie to Gustav by boosting his ego, but you don’t have the bond we do. Believe me, Rocco, he won’t oppose me in this.”
“Do you think your company’s reputation will withstand the scandal when your wild orgy video hits the social media sites?”
The world fell away from under Lilith.
“You’re lying. You weren’t recording anything that night. You were having too much fun watching me being debased, humiliated, and hurt.”
“Come now, Lilith. How naive are you? Why do you think we used the bedroom? The videocam was set up in advance.” This time his mocking laughter threatened to tear her apart. “I’ve had many hours of remembered fun watching the reruns. Perfect porn movie to masturbate to.”
“You’re fucking sick.” Bile rose in her throat, and her stomach churned in warning as she struggled for control. His words ran through her like a cymbal crash. All hope of ridding herself and DevelopMate of him evaporated.
“No, what I am is resourceful. I’ve been working on this plan for years, and no one is going to fuck it up. You have always been a big part of it. Falling apart and walking away from me was an unexpected setback four years ago, delaying the execution by a number of years, which, by the way, I solely blame you for. You knew who and what I was, so crying wolf after that night, well, that was just plain rude, don’t you think?”
“No, Rocco, I never truly realized what you were, but my eyes were opened that night. Now, more than ever, I regret not taking the appropriate action at the time. I should’ve gone to the police and kicked you out then.” Her words fell like rocks from an angry mob seeking revenge.
“Should’ve, could’ve, would’ve… yeah, whatever. It’s too late now. This company has the standing it has because of the good name of the Prince family. Do you honestly think it would stand up to such a scandal? I can see the headlines.” He spread out his hands. “The destruction of the Stephen Prince legacy… by the kinky debauchery of his beloved, white as snow daughter.” He smirked. “How many clients do you think you’ll lose within ten minutes of that article making tabloid headlines… with an appropriate photo as proof included, of course?”
Lilith didn’t have to guess. They serviced highly rated Blue-Chip companies, numerous older, conservative corporations, and government entities—all of whom would be appalled to be openly associated with whatever lies Rocco would add to spice up the scandal.
It was amazing how quickly love and respect turned to hate. Even the smallest act could turn those emotions around. Lilith’s switch had been more than justified four years ago. Now, with his added threats, disgust was added to the mix. She was repelled at the nose-holding quality of the way he treated her, as if his brain was a rotting fish and his thoughts were equally foul. All for some yet-to-be-disclosed cause that somehow involved their biggest corporate nemesis, Hunter Sutton.
“I’m in control, darling. I suggest you remember that. If you don’t want your brother to be hurt in the process and lose everything, this company included, you will shut your pretty little mouth.” Leaning his weight on his fists in the center of her desk, he moved in closer. “You will fucking do what I tell you to, or little Gustav is toast.Comprende?”
“Fuck you, Rocco.”
A smug grin took perch on his full lips like an ugly vulture as he sauntered to the door, the mocking words floating toward her as he left.
“And here I thought that activity was off the agenda as far as we were concerned.”
Gustav Prince
There was much to be said on the principle of time ticking away. In his case, it had become a mantra in his head that refused to quieten. He blamed his obsession with success on his father. Not that he was a bad man, quite the contrary. He was a brilliant man, clever, and hugely successful. It was his drive and expectations that had rubbed off on his oldest son. So much so, Gustav had worked his hands to the bone to achieve every goal he had ever set for himself.
He was rapidly running out of time to reach the biggest objective of his career—the accolade of being the most revered and richest software engineer in the States, with his company reaching Blue-Chip status and crowned at the top of the rung. Something he knew was achievable… over many more years of hard work. Years he didn’t have. He wanted it now… before he turned thirty-five.
“Good Lord, I can already hear Lilith’s sermon if I have to admit why I agreed to Rocco’s hairbrained scheme.”
He dragged on the calming additive of a cigarillo that soothed his mind as he breathed the woody aroma into his lungs. With narrowed eyes, he followed the wooly smoke drifting toward the ceiling, until it slowly disintegrated to nothingness.
“What else can I do? I have to get confirmation that the information my source at the United States Governing Communication Framework heard is true.”
His mind spun as he revisited the information he received. The conclusion was the same as every other time he did it. If Hunter Sutton was developing a program that connected the entire nation’s communication channels, his goal would be shifted forward another ten years. Just the thought of the years of work required to design such a program was mind boggling. Yes, each state had its own channels that spoke to each other but a nationwide framework?
The specifications and algorithms alone would require the skill of a massive team, yet it sounded like Hunter Sutton was working on it alone. His experience was phenomenal and praised all over the newspapers and magazines. That was another thorn in Gustav’s side. He was still developing that level of skills. Yes, he was among one of the best in the field, but he was still young, and Hunter was classified as a genius at the young age of twenty already.
