"You have Livvie?"

"Yes."

Silence.

Dominic gritted his teeth. The a.s.shole had hacked into his company's servers and stolen proprietary information after Dominic had bought into Bradford's company. "My files. My money. Your sister," he reiterated. "A fair exchange."

Bradford hooted with laughter. "Ride her until you think you've gotten your money's worth then consider yourself repaid."

A strangled moan came from Olivia and Dominic looked at her. She couldn't replace her hurt and shame with her glare fast enough. Dominic still saw it.

"I'm giving you three days to change your mind. Don't let your arrogance get your sister hurt." He clicked off the phone, hoping those parting words gave the man food for thought.

The anger and shock warring for first place in Dominic Luca's stunning features might've been hilarious if not for Liv's dire straits. Trussed, naked and at the man's mercy.

She'd tried to take a last stand. Or two. Maybe three. The number of times didn't matter-she'd failed at each and every attempt. If only her stupid phone had worked when she'd locked herself in the bathroom.

Then what?

They'd been in flight and he could've decided to pump her body with bullets rather than shoot the lock off his bathroom door. She hadn't even known their destination to give to the police but she hadn't been able to remain so pa.s.sive. Anger had overruled fear and common sense. If he was going to take her out, though, she wanted to take something along with her. Preferably his b.a.l.l.s. No, his entire package.

Now that he'd contacted Blaine and heard the truth, she wondered what he intended. At least Blaine hadn't implicated her and told Mr. Luca of Liv's hacking. She was up to her eyeb.a.l.l.s in Blaine's schemes because of her own demands and she needed to make sure Dominic Luca remained ignorant of her role.

Of course she couldn't go to the police. Blaine might not have said anything to Mr. Luca, but the cops were another story. If s.h.i.t hit the fan, it would be her word against her brother's. She could say Blaine insisted she hack into the server but she'd made the choice to do it. If the police were brought in, he'd borrow fingers to point at her to make sure everyone focused on her activities and not his.

Mr. Luca scrubbed a hand over his eyes and his jaw clenched. Liv realized his eyes were a true blue, with not a speck of black or gray or green-just a beautiful blue. And they were studying her, contemplating her every feature, every slope and angle of her nude body.

Liquid heat rushed to her center and she squirmed, her nipples tightening. Her arms were stretched above her head, her legs spread, her ankles tied with the sashes she and Garth had intended to use.

Humiliation rose in her at the thought of Garth, at the memory of Blaine's words and at the vulnerable position Mr. Luca had her in. She tugged at her restraints and the thin band cut into her wrists. Pain shot through her.

"If I untie your hands, will you behave?"

His voice washed over her. Since she wasn't a m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.t and he intended to do her grave harm, her body shouldn't be so aware of him. But it had been from the moment she'd seen him. Garth had become inconsequential, as if he'd never been a part of her life. Considering how he'd belittled her a little while ago, perhaps, Liv's immediate attraction to Mr. Luca was a good thing. Despite how much she craved stability, lacking steadiness didn't make or break her.

"Will you?"

She nodded, the truth. She'd behave because she had no one to swoop in and save her. Her heart cheered at the thought that Garth had found out about her past and had dumped her before they slept together.

Though he arched a brow in clear skepticism, Mr. Luca leaned over her and began loosening the restraints. His scent swirled through her, cologne and scotch. With his tie removed, she glimpsed his strong neck and a small expanse of a smooth, tanned chest. Her hands were released and the blood that had stopped flowing rushed back through her veins. A thousand pins p.r.i.c.kled her skin and she groaned, rubbing one wrist and then the other.

He took her hands into his and circled where the bonds had left red marks. The feel of his thumbs on her skin sizzled through her entire being. His profile was bold and sharp as he bent closer to her. The golden highlights softened his features and her insides melted at his nearness.

She wanted him and understood base desire. She'd seen what it meant to lack it and just f.u.c.k for profit and she'd felt it when Garth had kissed her. But just a glance from Mr. Luca or the sound of his voice made her ache for his touch.

"Is your brother that heartless?"

He'd kidnapped her as retribution for Blaine's actions. With her mouth still gagged, the most she could do was narrow her eyes, hoping he got the message: that was a dumba.s.s question.

He chuckled. "Of course he is. This is Blaine f.u.c.king Bradford we're talking about."

He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.

Liv tried to remember the last time someone had touched her with such gentleness. She and Garth kissed but she already knew her boyfriend-former boyfriend-had a kinky side. They'd planned on role-playing and experimenting with positions. Whenever they'd kissed, he'd wrapped his fingers around her hair and pulled and tugged and maneuvered.

Mr. Luca slipped her gag down, resuming his circular motions on her wrists. He sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"

Liv winced as another idea occurred to her. Her mother had used her body to obtain money to feed Liv. Liv could certainly use her own body to achieve her freedom.

She closed her eyes, ashamed of her wayward thoughts. She wanted better for herself. She licked her lips. "Release me."

His thumbs slowed but didn't stop. "That I won't do."

"You can send me to Blaine piece by piece and it won't make a difference. He's not going to cave and give you what you're demanding."

"Is that so?"

Liv nodded, hopeful because she had his full interest. Perhaps she was finally getting through to him. "I'm his half sister," she explained. The thought to bargain her body in exchange for her release rose again in her mind. He was beautiful and masculine and she wanted him. "He doesn't care."

"What does he care about?"

"His horses. His cars. His money. Money, period."

"No girlfriend?"

"He's his own Alpha and Omega. I'm sure he's found a way to suck his own d.i.c.k and swears he does it better than anyone else."

Her words caught up to her the moment Mr. Luca halted the delicious feel of his thumb and laughed, a real, true laugh that transformed his features from stunning and stern to beautiful and boyish. She giggled, nervous and aware and drawn to him.

As his laughter died away, his gaze roamed over her body again and she bit down on her lip.

Intensity filled his blue eyes. "How old are you?"

She hesitated. He was about thirty. A five-year age difference would be acceptable to a man like him. He was sophisticated, wealthy and ruthless and he'd want to surround himself with sophisticated, beautiful women whereas Liv hadn't even started college yet. With all the frequent moves, her grades had suffered so scholarships had been out of the question. The summer before she graduated from high school, she'd discovered her mother had cancer. Mom had fought a valiant fight but it took her life and took her away from Liv.

A man like Mr. Luca wouldn't understand all she'd endured in her twenty-one years. She'd grown up faster than she should have, seen and heard things she never should have. If he thought her a little older, he might treat her better. Sometimes, she wondered if Blaine was so nasty to her because he knew she was only twenty-one.

"How old are you?" he repeated.

"Twenty-five."

He seemed surprised by her answer and studied her for a moment, before gliding his fingers through her hair, ma.s.saging her scalp. "Just a baby."

His warm breath caressed Liv's ear.

She'd never been one to practice a reasonable amount of caution. Why start now when her life was unraveling?

"If we make love, will you let me go?" She'd negotiated the past two years of her life with Blaine. She could negotiate with Mr. Luca. She wished she could claim that logic as her sole purpose for offering herself to him. It wasn't. He gave her a wild, primitive feeling, unlike any she'd known before. Her life had always been very fluid, lacking real stability. As she'd gotten older, she'd learned to seize the moment.

A s.e.xy half-smile curved his mouth and he nipped her lips. "Why don't we make love to find out?"

"I need an answ-"

His tongue rimmed the sh.e.l.l of her ear and his touch sent tingles through her. He released her hands, skimmed her breastbone, before finding the exposed nipple and tugging at it. His mouth covered hers, his tongue slipping past her lips. He caressed her recesses, the warm, wet pad of his tongue tasting and teasing, plunging and ravishing. Fever invaded her body and she returned his kisses with the same fervor with which he'd bestowed them.

His fingers roamed across her belly, down to her inner thigh, before settling between her legs to caress her p.u.s.s.y, opening her slickened lips and ma.s.saging her c.l.i.t. She moaned against his mouth, her eyes closing. One hand clutched his biceps while the other explored the silkiness of his hair.

A finger slipped inside her and he paused. "You've never made love before?"

"No."

Her answer seemed to satisfy him and a small smile creased his lips before his mouth met hers again. Instead of exploring her depths, he concentrated on her c.l.i.t, coaxing her to release. Her climax hit her with stunning force and she pushed her s.e.x against his hand, rocking against him and wiggling one of her ankles free.

He didn't give her a chance to catch her breath, didn't give her a chance to consider she'd just allowed a stranger full access to her body, just as her mother sometimes had done. He rolled on top of her and one of her ankles flexed in freedom, though the other remained tied to a slat. He rocked his erection against her, the material of his pants dragging across her sensitive flesh. She groaned.

He pulled his hips back. When he pushed against the juncture of her thighs again, his c.o.c.k was exposed, the tip right at her entrance. His features were grim and determined as he buried himself inside her.

She cried out, her body tensing around him, gripping him. He was thick and huge. His gaze caught hers and he found her c.l.i.t again just as he swept his mouth over hers. His tongue mimicked his s.e.x, sliding into her and gliding out.

The manipulations of his fingers on her c.l.i.t eased her pain and his movements. He was bringing her to the brink again, demanding a response from her, and she gasped, not understanding the sensitivity of her body. The overpowering feeling slammed into her again and she shook as she came around him, the physical release leaving her weak.

He lifted himself up, resting his weight on his elbows, and pumped into her. His a.s.sault on her body was so new it left her breathless. This man, whom she'd known mere hours, inflicted agony and ecstasy to her being. It appalled her that she wanted all he could give her and as much as he could give her. Instead of pushing him away, she gave in to rapture. His body stiffened and he jerked inside her before she felt the rush of his seed bathing her womb. His breath puffed out of him and he rested against her for a brief moment. He kissed her forehead, then withdrew from her and sat on the side of the bed.

She stared at the wide expanse of his shoulders, the hard planes of his back, the hollow dip of his spinal cord. He stood and his taut b.u.t.tocks greeted her.

In a lifetime filled with awkwardness and vulnerability, she'd never felt more awkward or vulnerable than she did as she watched him pulling up his pants and fastening them.

He faced her and his blue-eyed gaze roamed over her without a hint of the pa.s.sion they'd just shared. "Let's see if this will make a difference to your brother."

He sauntered away, leaving Liv to stare in astonishment at his retreating back.

Chapter Three.

Dominic sat near his bedroom door and stared out at the enveloping darkness, deep in contemplation. High in the sky, amongst the stars and the heavens, he usually felt as if he could do anything. Attain everything. Conquer the world, friend and foe alike.

They'd been airborne for just over an hour, about the same length of time it'd taken him to turn into a cruel, heartless b.a.s.t.a.r.d toward innocent young women. As if taking her virginity under the circ.u.mstances weren't bad enough, he'd had to score his parting shot. As if any of this was her fault. Whatever his reasons for seducing her, he didn't have to tell her the callous explanation of why she'd lost her virginity to him. He could've allowed her to continue to believe in whatever hearts and roses women a.s.sociated with lovemaking.

But he wasn't a hearts-and-roses type of man. Who needed roses when he had money? Those were the exact words of the first woman he'd ever been stupid enough to consider his "girlfriend".

None of the women he'd ever f.u.c.ked had ever been virgins, so he should've had the f.u.c.king sense to treat Olivia differently in the aftermath and not told her he'd given her what she'd wanted, making it clear that bargaining s.e.x for her freedom wasn't in the mix.

He wondered if she was experienced enough to realize the bulls.h.i.t in his words. He'd wanted her from the moment he'd seen her on that stage. Hopefully, at twenty-five, she understood men better than what her virginity hinted at.

A virgin at twenty-five. Dominic hadn't thought much about it when she'd told him her age and then he'd discovered her virginity. But given her beauty and her desire to be f.u.c.ked, it mystified him now.

After he'd considered all the dynamics, Dominic tried to fathom the huge apology he owed her. The problem was he didn't know how to fix his mouth to say he was sorry for the way he'd treated her.

Not quite knowing what he would say, he'd returned to the bedroom after being a.s.sured they were cleared for takeoff. He found her asleep, no doubt exhausted from her battle with him, not to mention losing her virginity. Fatigue had overtaken her and she'd succ.u.mbed. He'd had to call Felicia so she could meet them at the airport with clothes for Olivia since he'd ripped her dress and thong, leaving her with nothing to wear when they deplaned.

Despite their loose arrangement, Dominic knew Felicia well enough to pick up on her less-than-pleased att.i.tude when he'd told her why Olivia Bradford needed new clothes. For some reason, he'd brushed off f.u.c.king Olivia as part of his revenge, not appreciating Felicia's enjoyment once she'd gotten the details.

His life was his business. When the time came, he'd marry. In the meantime, Olivia was just a casualty of her brother's bad judgment. Blaine f.u.c.king Bradford's sister had no long-term place in his life.

Still, the thought of hurting Olivia any more than he had turned his stomach. He rubbed a hand over his face. What the f.u.c.k had come over him? He didn't know her well enough to care about her and he had absolutely no reason to lie to Felicia or explain his actions to her. She was his personal a.s.sistant, the woman he'd dated in college and a woman who'd fallen on hard times last year then contacted him for employment after they hadn't spoken in almost seven years.

No matter. She was still a woman and he slept with her on a regular basis, though he'd made no commitment to her, a fact of which she was aware. Felicia was...convenient. His many business ventures left him no time to cultivate a relationship. It was expedient to escort her to her operas and symphonies straight from work then make love to her afterward.

He and Felicia had drifted apart in college, just as he and the women in the next two relationships that followed had. They were the only three "relationships" he'd been involved in and he kept himself detached.

Everyone believed he was too immersed in his work to commit. The truth of the matter was, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Now he had a jealous woman on his hands. And a young woman he'd seduced.

Seduced because...he could. They wanted one another and there'd been nothing impeding them from proceeding. The thought arose that she hadn't really wanted him. Perhaps she'd felt she had no choice in the matter.

Kidnapped. Bound. Gagged.

He cringed.

So what the h.e.l.l was he supposed to do with her? Keep her, fill her with his child, and walk away? Dominic had been so blinded by rage he hadn't stopped to consider if his actions would achieve the desired results. She was related to the enemy. Case closed. In his father's rules of business, Olivia was as much of a foe as her brother, whether she'd partic.i.p.ated in the crime or not.

A phone rang and Dominic frowned. The happy-go-lucky tune certainly wasn't his shrill ringtone. Comprehension dawned and he realized it was Olivia's phone. He reached for it, having gotten it from the bathroom a bit ago and setting it on the seat she'd occupied earlier.

The word a.s.shole flickered across the screen. Curious and amused, he answered.

"So you do have her?"

"Why the f.u.c.k would I lie to you, Bradford?" Dominic growled, in no mood for the a.s.shole's games. Good identifier, Olivia. He often referred to Bradford in much the same manner. "If you wanted f.u.c.king proof, you should've f.u.c.king asked to talk to her when I called you earlier, you f.u.c.king idiot."

"f.u.c.k off, Luca," Blaine snapped. "Besides returning your files, how f.u.c.king much do I have to fork over to get her back?"

Dominic straightened in his seat. "How the f.u.c.k much did you steal from me when you hacked into my company after I'd bought into yours?"

"Listen, a.s.shole. I don't have all the money you invested. I had...bills. But Livvie's nosy f.u.c.king friend hasn't heard from her and all h.e.l.l is breaking loose. Livvie's boyfriend is accusing her of deceiving him about her social status. I guess she's a Bradford after all. We do whatever we must to get ahead."

He laughed and Dominic gritted his teeth. He didn't appreciate this a.s.shole comparing himself to Olivia. "You do realize I'm withdrawing my partnership from Bradford Industries?"

"I can't believe you're going to leave my company hanging for some stupid file and the nickel you invested."

Dominic frowned. The a.s.shole couldn't be serious.