Victoria wished that she could enjoy the journey to the sixtyfourth floor of the Cage Tower. The elevator ride leading up to
the top was beautiful. A transparent glass shaft allowed for an exquisite view of the Chicago skyline and the hustle and bustle of people below.
“Don’t look so depressed, my treasure,” Malcolm said as he reached out to gently touch Victoria’s shoulder.
She flinched away from him and sent him a death glare. “I’ll look however I damn well please, Malcolm.”
He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at her. “This attitude of yours is becoming irritating, love.” He unfolded an arm, reaching out to press the emergency stop button on the elevator.
There was a jolting halt of upward motion that caused Victoria to stumble slightly. She caught herself against the rail of the elevator car and her eyes turned toward Malcolm. “Well you wouldn’t be dealing with my attitude if you were a decent human being,” she said in resentment.
“There are things going on that you do not understand,” he said coldly. “If you just do as you’re told, you might find that working for me can be rather pleasant.”
She crossed the distance between them and slapped him hard across the face. “This isn’t your fucking club, Malcolm!” she hissed with granite in her voice. “This is the real world, and you’re not the fucking king of anything. You need to let go of your fantasy and show respect to people.” Her chest wouldn’t stop heaving rapidly as her breathing became labored. “You may have all the cards, resources, and connections, but don’t think for one moment that you own me.”
Malcolm looked at her with uncaring eyes. Too uncaring. She couldn’t tell exactly why, but there was something dead in his expression. She knew that he was a passionate man, and that this wasn’t real; he must be making an effort to hide some vast and terrible emotion underneath this facade. Her curiosity was piqued, and she found herself examining him carefully. Don’t get your hopes up, Victoria, she mentally reminded herself. He is not an honorable man; he is a monster.
He brushed his hand over his reddened skin. “We all do things that we’d rather not,” he told her softly. “For all your bravado and virtue, you aren’t above that. For both of our sakes, please just do what I ask.”
The word please caught her slightly off guard. It was said with such earnestness that it tugged at her heartstrings. His eyes looked as though there was a sea of sadness locked behind them. His solemn strength took Victoria’s breath away, and she found herself reluctantly nodding.
“Fine,” she said in defeat.
Malcolm nodded and pressed the emergency stop button a second time. The elevator roared to life as the motor worked to pull the car up. She had to avert her eyes from his, for the pain she saw there was too much to bear. Why is he so miserable? she wondered to herself. Is it about his daughter, or something more? She had to fight the urge to reach out and touch him soothingly. He had hurt her! Why should she take care of someone that clearly didn’t give two fucks about her?
To distract herself from her thoughts, she turned to look out the window. Slowly, the elevator car was rising above most other buildings in the city. It was a testament to Malcolm’s power, to sit upon a throne above the world.
Even through her pain, she could still feel admiration for him as she gazed out at the city. She could understand his need to find his daughter, and a part of her did yearn to help him. She just couldn’t get past her fear.
A feather-light touch of fingers resting on her hip startled Victoria.
Before she could react, she felt strong arms wrapping around her. She attempted to recoil away, but Malcolm held her firmly in place. Turning to look up at him, she was met with the full force of Malcolm’s gaze. She felt her knees grow weak as her body melted against him. Even as she tried to conjure up images of hate toward him, she could find none. As his lips descended down onto hers, she was unable to find the strength to pull away. Trapped and feeling vulnerable, she was craving human touch; even the touch of her enemy. Her body was set aflame when his lips gently brushed against hers. Her heart began beating so fast that she felt it might burst, and she could feel drops of her arousal sliding between her folds and drenching her panties.
“No, Malcolm,” she whispered when she was able.
Malcolm kissed her neck, pulling her body against his. “It’s going to be okay, Victoria, just trust me.”
“How can I possibly trust you?” she asked even as she craned her neck to give him better access. She felt his teeth sink into her skin and softly moaned at the sensations.
“Use your instincts.” His hand traveled up her body, cupping a breast gently in his hand.
She didn’t want to feel calm, but it was difficult not to find the strength in his presence and words. It was so unfeasible that a man who had caused her such distress could be touching her so lovingly. What is his deal? Who on earth is this man?
Victoria gasped when she found him turning her body around and pushing her back against the glass. He smashed his lips down against hers and kissed her ravenously. He was inundating her body with his passions, and she couldn’t help being washed away. Her fingers gripped into his back, nails digging into the fabric of his blazer. He groaned against her flesh and put a knee between her legs. She could feel the pressure against her vulva and it brought her mind back to the hallway of Club Luxe.
“No,” she said as she came to her senses. She shoved him away and glared at him with a mighty wrath. “You don’t get to manipulate me with your cock anymore, Malcolm. You want this job done and your daughter found? I’ll do it-but this is strictly business from now on.” Even as she spoke, she wondered how long her resolve would truly last if he pressed her.
He set his jaw and his nostrils flared in agitation. “It will never be strictly business between the two of us. Not anymore. That’s not the way our story ends.”
“I don’t give a damn about your twisted story. I just want to get back to my life!” she shouted. Her chest heaved as the anger coursed through her body, replacing her arousal. She needed to hold onto this anger; it was the only thing keeping her sane. “You made me feel like you cared about me, even for just a moment. Thank you for that.” Her words were bitter and filled with venom she couldn’t contain. “I’ll do this story for you, Malcolm. Then we’re done. That’s how our story ends.”
“You’re wrong, my treasure,” he said with conviction. A flash of something dark and unknowable passed through his eyes.
The elevator released a ding to indicate that they had reached the top floor. Once the door opened, Malcolm walked over the threshold without saying a word. She could see the heaviness in his gait, and felt a small sense of remorse building inside her. Mostly, she was filled with confusion as to why he seemed so upset. How could he look like he still cared and wanted her after what he had done? Even though he had hurt her, she didn’t wish to cause him any pain. She just wanted her freedom.
She stepped onto the top floor, and was surprised to find that it was entirely comprised of Malcolm’s penthouse office. Stylish modern furniture decorated the space, and beautiful paintings covered the walls. Her eyes looked around at sophisticated interior, taking in all the details curiously. “I’m going to need all your research,” she said after a few moments of digesting her surroundings.
Malcolm nodded and motioned for her to sit in front of his large, finely carved oak desk. Victoria moved over to the chair, but couldn’t resist running her fingers across the beautiful wooden desk to admire the craftsmanship.
“I hope you’re prepared for a long morning, Victoria. I have years of dead ends to go over with you,” he said with an edge in his voice. “It’s not going to be pleasant.”
She glanced up at him, and was angered by seeing such anguish on his features. “Get over it,” she snapped.
He lifted an eyebrow. “Pardon?” he asked with confusion.
“Stop looking like a kicked puppy,” she said as her irritation grew. “It’s very unbecoming for the king of kink to be so conflicted. If you’re going to ruin my life, be a man about it.” She sent him an appraising look. “Let me guess, you didn’t sleep well last night? Maybe you should get a quick pickme-up. Drink a cup of coffee, or fuck a random secretary, and let’s get to work.”
His lips pulled into a small smile even though he looked like he wanted to keep brooding. “Very amusing,” he said dryly, “but I’d rather not distract from the task at hand or stall any longer.”
“Then you might as well quit moping and enjoy torturing me,” she huffed out. “Third rule of journalism: don’t do something you’re going to regret later. Once it’s been said, done or printed, it can never be taken back.”
The corners of his lips gently curved upward. “I used to live by a similar rule,” he said softly, “but then I grew up and realized that life is often more complicated than that. Sometimes, you’re left with no choice but to break all your rules.”
“There is always a choice, Malcolm. Letting life destroy your morals is called weakness.” Shrugging her shoulders, Victoria relaxed back in her chair. “But if you’re going to act like heartless scum, you might as well embrace it and be happy.”
“I’ll be happy once you find my daughter,” he replied.
“Mhm. And just what are you going to do when you find her?” she asked suspiciously.
He looked at her with a neutral expression before responding. “I’m going to take care of her,” he said as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “What else would a father do?” His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her. “What’s really wrong here, Victoria? Why were you so afraid to take on this assignment?”
She was surprised that he didn’t already know, and she swallowed down a lump of emotion as she contemplated telling the truth. “Two years ago, I helped a family,” she said softly. “I hunted down a lost child, and mere days after the family was reunited… they all ended up dead.” Victoria closed her eyes briefly. “It was a bad call on my part. I never should have gotten involved. They would all be alive right now if I had kept my nose where it belonged.”
Malcolm looked down at her for a long moment. “You’re not telling me everything,” he finally said. He stood up and walked to the window of his office, gazing out at the city below. He raised a hand to scratch his chin. “It was the father that killed them,” he finally said.
She nodded curtly. “Something you would have known had you bothered to look.”
“I’m sor-” he began to say but stopped himself mid-word. “I’m not anything like that man, Victoria. That’s not going to happen this time.”
“It doesn’t matter, does it?” she said bitterly. “If you had just been patient, you could have probably convinced me to help. But you pushed me to the point where I was uncomfortable. So thanks. Thanks for being a normal man. I’m used to normal men.”
“And I’m used to ignorant women wasting my time,” he said in an icy voice. “In the business world, if you don’t move quickly, you lose everything. I don’t accept defeat, Victoria. I may have forced you to help me, but I’m not heartless. You need to trust that what I’m doing will benefit both of us.”
“You’re right. Filing false criminal charges and freezing a person’s life is a huge benefit!” she exclaimed in a voice filled with sarcastic fire.
“Giving them panic attacks, betraying them. So, so beneficial.”
Malcolm returned to his desk and opened a drawer, quickly punching some numbers into a built-in safe. He retrieved a huge stack of files and tossed them onto his desk in front of Victoria. “Maybe you should shut up and get to work,” he told her emotionlessly.
She stared at the papers with a growing sense of dread gnawing at the pit of her stomach. “This could take a while.”
“Find me some answers,” he told her quietly. “I’m going to make us coffee.”