Savage Company (Company Men Book 3) Read online

  The knock at my apartment door comes right after I've sprayed some perfume on. I relented, and gave him my address, because he's going to end up here eventually; my endgame depends on it, even if the words have never been spoken. I know it, and so do they.

  "Hi," I tell him, opening the door with a smile. He's in jeans and a t-shirt, and his own smile dims a little when he looks me over.

  "You're a little overdressed, Vixen. Stunning, obviously, but I'm not sure you'll fit in where we're going."

  "You said to wear something comfortable, and I'm comfortable in these clothes."

  He gives me a sexy, lopsided smile, and nods. "Okay, then. Your chariot awaits."

  It's not a chariot he leads me to, but his Mustang. I've seen pictures of it, and I know his sister, Matisse, had it brought here for him from D.C. I'd be very surprised if his rich friends didn't pay it off for him. His safety net, and how they've protected him for all these years, is one of the reasons I tell myself he deserves what's coming; he's had it far too easy, for far too long.

  I'm surprised when our destination turns out to be the local roller rink. This is the last place I'd expect Haring to bring me. "I haven't skated in years," I tell him, when he opens my door.

  "Don't worry, I'll hold your hand until you remember how it's done."

  "Now it all becomes clear," I tell him as I take my rental skates from the young guy at the desk. "You just want to hold my hand."

  "Actually, I brought you here because I used to own a rink."

  Whoa. Here we go. I didn’t think we’d get here this soon.

  "Really?"

  "Yeah. We had free skate like this, plus roller derby. I used to manage one of the teams."

  "Sounds fun."

  "It was, until it wasn't."

  "I'm a good listener if you've got a story you'd like to tell."

  "Thanks, but some things are better left unsaid."

  I hide my disappointment with a smile, and place a hand on his forearm. "Do you miss it?"

  "Every day. But, I just signed a contract with Matt Corrigan for what looks to be a dream job, so I'm coping a little better these days."

  "Good to hear."

  Pushing him right now could backfire on me, but I need info on his new job. He mentioned he was meeting with Matt, but I wasn't aware it had gone far enough for him to sign on to C&C. Matt is notorious for protecting his people, and treating them well. Those are two things I can't allow to happen. I made a rookie mistake in not realizing how serious it was, and now I have to find some way to undo this. I don’t know how, but I’m going to try.

  "The ground's still a little shaky beneath my feet, but things are looking pretty good right now."

  "You don't miss your old life?"

  "I miss it every day, but when things are out of your control, you have to make the best of what you have. Or at least, that's what my sister and friends tell me."

  "Where was it, the rink?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

  "D.C."

  "I've always wanted to go there! Would you be willing to be my tour guide when I do?"

  I see the pain that flashes across his face, and it causes me a moment of pain as well. I hate that I'm doing this to him, but I know I have to. He’s not a completely good man. I keep telling myself that, because I have to destroy him no matter what I’m feeling right now, and it’s easier to do that if I focus on the bad. The guilt ebbs slightly, but it's still there, reminding me I’m not so good, either.

  "Sorry, but no. My life is here now."

  "Oh. I didn't mean to pry, or upset you."

  "You didn't. But, no more distractions—let's skate."

  I take his offered hand, and let him pull me onto the skating oval. I'm a little shaky at first, and that's why I'm letting him hold my hand. It's the only reason. And yeah, I continue lying to myself as we do the couples skate. I even tell myself I'm only making out with him outside my apartment door because it's part of the job I’m here to do. All lies I tell myself again and again.

  3

  Haring

  "Hey, Gaugin," my sister says, sitting down across from me in the C&C cafeteria.

  It's a game we play, calling each other by different painters than the ones we were named after. Growing up as Matisse and Haring was not exactly easy.

  "Hi, Villers."

  "How's the new job? How's the new girl? Tell me everything."

  "Everything?"

  "Not the sex, obviously," she says, tossing a wadded-up napkin at me.

  "There's none of that happening. Yet."

  "Excuse me? Did my brother, who lives and dies by his dick and the one-night stand, just tell me he hasn't slept with the girl he took out last night?"

  "I can keep it in my pants." I don't want to, but I've proven that I can. "We've had two dates already."

  “Someone call the world record people.”

  “It’s not that big of a deal.”

  “Lies. All lies.”

  I sigh, and tell the truth. “Okay, so it’s not my usual thing, but it’s nice.”

  “Nice?” she asks, sticking out her tongue as she pokes her finger into her mouth.

  “You are such an annoying little sister! You know that, right?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Fine. I like her. More than just as a fuck.”

  “That was harder than it should’ve been.”

  “I have trust issues.”

  “I know,” she says softly, and I feel like an ass now. I got myself into trouble all on my own, and she helped to get me out of it.

  “None of that has to do with you.”

  “I’ve kept things from you.”

  “We’re not supposed to tell each other everything. Most stuff, yeah, but not every single thing.”

  “You’d tell me if you had any trouble again, wouldn’t you?”

  “Yeah, I would.”

  It’s the truth. If I’d told my sister, or my good friend, Aiden, things would never have gone as far as they did. I would still have my rink, and I’d still be in D.C. Looking at my life now, I’m thinking maybe it’s good I left there. I have this great new job, and a woman I want more than sex from. It’s the first time I’ve felt this way, and it freaks me out a little, while also allowing me to realize I’m finally getting past what I lost.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” she tells me, placing her hand on mine.

  “So am I.”

  Her smile gets even brighter, and I know this is where I need to be right now. For both of us, and maybe for Natasha too.

  “Tell me more about this lady of yours.”

  “She busts my balls, and not in the sexy way.”

  “Perfect.”

  I toss a fry at her, but admit the truth of it. “She kind of is.”

  “It’s adorable to see you finally being twisted up because of a woman.”

  “She’s different. Sexy as hell, but like I said, she doesn’t take any bullshit.”

  “You met at a bar?”

  “Yep. I didn’t know she managed it until the second time I saw her.”

  “So, she’s seen you at your worst.” My sister doesn’t pull any punches, which is one of the things I love most about her.

  “Pretty much. She still asked me out.”

  Matisse stops with her fork halfway to her mouth, which is hanging open. “She asked you out? The plot thickens.”

  “She’s not the first woman to ask me out.”

  “I didn’t say she was. I just know you usually send the women who ask on their merry little way.”

  “I like to be doing the asking,” I agree. “I would’ve asked her if she hadn’t asked me first.”

  “When can I meet this woman, who’s captivated you enough to make you break your rules?”

  I roll my eyes. “I didn’t break anything. And, maybe in a couple weeks.”

  “Planning ahead? I like it.”

  Yeah, so do I, and for once in my life, it doesn’t scare me. Natasha doesn’t scare me. And buil
ding a new life for myself here doesn’t scare me. I don’t know if it means I’m finally a grownup, or just that I’ve really accepted things, and moved on. Either way, I’m embracing the fuck out of it.

  Natasha

  “You working here tonight, boss?”

  It’s not an idle question, even though my head bartender pretends it is. He works for the same person I do, and there’s no chance in hell I’ll ever trust him. He’s asking because no one completely trusts me. Hell, no one trusts anyone in this business, but I’m the biggest fish in this particular swamp right now, so all eyes are definitely on me.

  * * *

  “Yes.”

  He shakes his head. “You should be out with Kingston.”

  “And you should stick to your job, and leave me to mine.”

  He hesitates, and I know he wants to say that I’m his job, but he doesn’t. We both know it already, even though we pretend we don’t. “Whatever you say.”

  The problem is, it doesn’t work that way. I have no say in what’s happening. Well, almost no say. I don’t have to kiss Haring, or sleep with him, even though it’s encouraged. I don’t have to crave his company, or the happiness I feel when I make the shadows disappear from his eyes for even a moment. I don’t have to, but at the same time, I do. For me—and him. Not for my boss, who just wants me to help cause him pain.

  My cell phone rings, and I smile when I see Haring’s name on the screen. “Hi.”

  “Hey, Vixen. I know you have to work tonight, but I was hoping you’d come hang out with me and my friends tomorrow for a barbeque.”

  “Your friends? Would that include your sister?”

  “It would. Does that scare you?”

  “Should it?”

  “Nah, although lots of people get intimidated by her. And, yeah, her bite is just as bad as her bark, so they aren’t wrong.”

  “Not reassuring me here.”

  “I’ll hold your hand, and keep you safe.”

  “That’s better.”

  “So, it’s a yes?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll pick you up at 2.”

  “Okay.”

  I hang up, and my phone immediately rings again. I don’t need to look to know who it is this time. My phone isn’t really my own, either. I walk toward my office, because I need to sit down, and looking weak in front of the men in the bar is not something I can afford to do.

  “He trusts you. Good work. You know what to do now.”

  “I do.”

  “You’re going to be rewarded for this, Natasha.”

  “I know.”

  “You do not sound happy.”

  “I am.”

  “Good. I’d hate for you to have the same fate as Kingston.”

  “You know I’m loyal.”

  “We shall see.”

  He hangs up as I sink into my chair. I reach into my bottom desk drawer, pulling out a bottle of whiskey. Drinking it straight from the bottle is not something a proper lady would do, so it’s a good thing I’m neither of those. Once, I was expected to be a lady and also proper, but that ship sailed a very long time ago. Right about the time I sold my morals to the highest bidder.

  Haring

  I walk up to Natasha’s door, feeling like it’s my first date. I guess, in a way it is. Even in high school, I didn’t really date as much as take the head cheerleader under the bleachers for a blow job. Yeah, I know I’m a class act. But, in all fairness, I’ve never pretended to be anything other than who I am. With Natasha, I want to be classy, and treat her how I know she deserves, but not because she expects it. I do it because I want to be the man who deserves her.

  When she opens the door, I can’t help but smile. My woman always over-dresses for things. My woman? Huh—yeah, in my mind, she is, and the thought’s not as weird as the player in me would expect it to be.

  “Everyone’s probably going to be in jeans, babe.”

  “I thought about jeans, but I don’t usually wear them to gatherings, and it would just make me feel more awkward,” she tells me, pulling at her dress.

  It’s a wrap style on top, with a gathered part in the middle, and another one of those flippy little skirts she favors. She looks gorgeous, as always. I take her fidgeting hand, and bring it to my mouth for a kiss.

  “You’re beautiful in anything.”

  “Thanks.”

  I reclaim her hand after she locks her door, and hold it in mine until I help her into my car. I like seeing her there, all fancy and shit, against my leather seats. She looks like she belongs in this fast car, even though she’s all about taking things slow.

  “So, who all am I going to meet at this gathering?” she asks, as we drive away.

  “My sister, her man, most of the people she works with at the Corrigan & Co. Foundation, and some of the C&C guys. Oh, and one of them is my best friend from D.C., Aiden Ford.”

  “The VP’s son?”

  “Yeah. I’ve known him and his dad for years. We were college roommates for a couple weeks, and stayed friends after I moved out.”

  “Did you not like the dorms?”

  “I loved them, but I love my sister more, and I was all she had when our parents died.”

  “Oh. I’m so sorry.”

  “Thanks, but it was a long time ago, and we managed. Sort of. Matisse pushed every button I have, and more. If it wasn’t for Aiden and his dad, I’m not sure either of us would’ve survived.”

  “But you did. How much older are you than her?”

  “Almost five years. Thankfully. If I’d been seventeen, she would’ve gone into foster care. Hell, without Tim Jones on my side, I wouldn’t have gotten custody of her, even though I was of age.”

  “Aiden’s dad helped you that much, huh?”

  “Yes.”

  There is so much I could say about Aiden and his dad. About how Aiden was like a second brother to Matisse, and his dad picked her up when she got into situations she didn’t want to call me for. I owe them so much, and even more for what Theo did in D.C. If he hadn’t come there, and thrown their weight around, I would probably be dead. And yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is exactly why I find myself at the bottom of a bottle most days. Or at least I did, before Matt and Natasha gave me reasons to stay sober.

  I force myself to concentrate on now, and not then, as she reaches over, and squeezes my thigh. “I don’t know what happened, but I’ll be here if you need to talk. I know I told you that already, but I want to make sure you know I mean it.”

  “Thanks.”

  The thing is, I might just take her up on that offer. Not today, and probably not tomorrow. But, it’s going to happen. It has to if I want whatever this is to continue—and I do.

  4

  Natasha

  I’m here, in the inner sanctum of the Corrigan world. The C&C office building is a fortress, but their apartment building takes security about a thousand steps further. Entry here is on an invitation-only basis, and I don’t doubt the guards discreetly stationed everywhere would shoot to kill anyone who dares intrude. But, I’m here, and I plan to be invited back again.

  “You must be Natasha!” a woman with a severe black bob, and tattoos on her exposed skin yells, running up to me as we walk outside.

  “Chill, O’Keefe,” Haring tells her with an eyeroll.

  I’m confused—because I thought her name was Matisse—until she responds. “Shut it, Kandinsky. This is a big moment. You’ve never introduced us to a woman before.”

  “For good reason, apparently.”

  “Kandinsky is more intriguing than Haring,” I tell him with a shrug.

  “Ooh, I like her already,” Matisse says, giving me a high five.

  “Really? I haven’t intrigued you enough by now?”

  I don’t want him pulling away, so I pull him to me, and kiss him hard. “Just teasing you.”

  “On that note, let’s introduce you to everyone.”

  Most of their friends are nice, including Matt and Reina Corrigan, who co
me across as intimidating when I see them on TV. Even when they’re smiling, you somehow know not to mess with them. Today, they’re coming across like just a normal couple, in love with each other, and their baby. If I was just a “normal” person myself, I’d almost forget how dangerous they could be to me. Since I’m not, I vow to stay on my toes around them.

  Aiden squeezes my hand a little harder than necessary when we’re introduced, but I just mentally roll my eyes, because I understand him being protective of his friend. Jake Mason is the only other one who treats me a little differently. He sits next to me when Haring goes to grab a beer, staring straight ahead. He doesn’t talk to me, but he fidgets a lot, and taps on his knee.

  “Um, hi.”

  “Hi.”

  “Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?”

  “Not really. Just having a seat.”

  “Okay.”

  It’s a little weird, but this whole situation is anything but normal, despite what it looks like around me. I see happy couples, and a few kids, all of them laughing and kissing each other. But, like with Matt and Reina, I know it’s not all it seems to be. No one looking in from the outside would know the danger lurking below the surface. A part of me wishes I didn’t know, either, but I do.

  “You look sad,” Haring says, coming back with his drink. Jake excuses himself, and he takes the seat next to me again.

  “Just thinking.”

  “Was he bothering you? You were tapping your knee like your life depended on it.”

  “Was I? I didn’t even notice. And no, Jake wasn’t bothering me.”

  “So, what deep thoughts are you thinking?”

  I give him an answer that’s the truth, although it isn’t what I was thinking about right now. “I was thinking about how deep you’re going to go when you take me up to your apartment.”