Strike ( Book 4: Stronger Series )

43. A Dark Secret

Darren's cock woke me up in the early morning, his hard thickness driving into me and shocking me awake with his sheer force and the undeniable pleasure. He was going to be gone for about a week, and he needed to get his fix in now before he left.

"Be a good girl while I'm gone," he said as he zipped his pants back up.

"Where's the fun in that?" I mumbled sleepily into my pillow.

"Your stuff should be arriving tomorrow, but the painters will be here today. Give them the instructions they need, then let them work."

"What time?"

"Noon."

"Okay."

"There's one other thing."

"There doesn't have to be," I interrupted as I tucked myself deeper into the sheets. It was seven a.m., and all I wanted to do was go back to sleep, but he wouldn't stop talking.

Darren sat down on the bed and leaned over me. "I've added a new member to the staff for you. You can think of her as something of a personal assistant."

I turned and scowled at him. After what happened to Holly, I didn't need to subject another poor soul to Darren's employment.

I sat up on my elbows and glared at him. "What are you talking about? Why would I need an assistant?"

"Your bodyguards are not your secretaries, and I can't always be here to arrange for when you need something. Trust me, this benefits everyone."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What the hell could I possibly need that I don't already have?"

He sneered at me, that shark grin of his eating up some compliment I accidentally revealed. "I'm flattered you find me such an excellent provider, but you are running low on paint supplies and Camaro is down to her last dog bone."

"So? Don't you already have someone doing that for you anyway?"

He nodded. "When you tell me you need something, I have Eric handle it. But it's quicker for me to just approve a request rather than hear it out and make arrangements for it. Carla will be able to take care of that for you and me."

Now I felt insulted. "Well damn, I'm sorry I'm such an inconvenience for you. If only there were some way I could just do all of that shit myself," I said sarcastically.

He tapped the side of my mouth with his two fingers. "Watch your mouth. We're taking this one step at a time. We'll see how you do with her first before I start giving you more freedoms. Let her help you."

I groaned. "I don't need help. I need you to leave so I can go back to sleep." And with that, I flopped my head back into the pillow, officially ready to go back to ignoring him again. But his hand cracked across my ass hard enough for me to jolt and nearly shriek before he covered my mouth with his lips. The kiss was deep and all-consuming, an angry farewell of passion and obsession.

When he released me, I had to remind my heart to chill the fuck out while my ass attempted to recover. "Do yourself a favor and don't cause any trouble."

"You like it when I cause trouble," I retorted.

He smirked as he stood, towering over me with his massive form. "Only when I'm here so I can beat your ass back into submission. But until then, be good. I'll be back soon."

"Have fun murdering people," I mumbled, rubbing the pulsing flesh of my ass.

"Always!" he called back cheerfully as he grabbed his duffle bag and walked out the door, closing it softly behind him.