"I don"t see you going to Violet," Stephen said.
"It doesn"t mean I don"t want to. I"ve clocked three men who have their eye on my woman. The moment anyone makes a move towards her, she"ll be back here with me."
Stephen gazed into his empty gla.s.s thinking about what Cadeon said. He didn"t want to admit to the feelings he described. For some reason he was still holding himself back from the truth.
"I need to get myself another drink." He stood and went into his study to gain control. After putting the gla.s.s down he sat on his couch and counted to ten. When he opened his eyes, he saw the picture of his mother and father together, taunting him.
In that split second, he hated his parents for leaving him, not only for leaving him but leaving him without any knowledge of what to do about his growing feelings.
There was no way Ursula could accept him being part of a club who believed they were possessive towards their woman. The little joke of them being the Owners would send her away.
"If I"m not possessive what the h.e.l.l is happening to me?"
"He"s in denial," Cadeon said. Lucas watched his friend and boss disappear into his study. Sean sat back while Tate and Kevin took long drinks of their beer.
"What do you expect us to do? He"s clearly denying any knowledge of how he feels." Lucas ran a hand over his face, glancing at the woman in question. She truly was a peach, a beautiful woman who"d made his friend happy.
"The problem you have with Stephen is he doesn"t believe. Where most of us have felt possessive towards all the women in our lives, he hasn"t. He shared his women with men who weren"t inclined our way. I know he"s never loved a woman enough to stay with her for longer than a couple of months. They come and go. Ursula is the first woman that I know of to live in the same house as him," Cadeon said.
"Stephen doesn"t believe in any of it?"
"Nope. Up until I met Ursula I was starting to think it wasn"t in him. The way he treated women would shock the very foundations of what Possession and Ravage stand for. I think he needs a wake-up call." Cadeon sat forward. Lucas listened to the other man, intrigued about what he was saying. He"d not known Stephen long, but he liked the man even if he was moody at times. Who wouldn"t be? Lucas knew the kind of stress Stephen was under.
"What do you suggest?" Sean asked.
"I think he needs to know what it feels like when a man comes onto his girl. Lucas and Sean are the only two unattached males here. I"d ask James if he were here, but he"s not."
"You"re asking us to break the code of the club? I"m already on a warning, Cadeon. I"m not going to get my a.s.s sent to h.e.l.l just because Knox won"t admit to his own male instincts," Sean said.
"I"ll guarantee you won"t have a problem with the club. Just do this, Sean. He needs to know what is going on inside him."
Lucas stared at Ursula. He didn"t want to go through with it, but he understood Cadeon"s reasoning. After several moments, he stood and walked over to her. She looked up at him with a smile.
"Hi, I"m Lucas Sanchez, one of Stephen"s friends." He held his hand out to her. She shook his hand. Sean joined him.
Chapter Eleven.
Ursula shook the hands of both men. She recognised them from when they"d been at Stephen house when she was still his employee.
"It"s nice to meet you both. I"m Ursula Mills. Where is Stephen? Has he hidden away being moody?" she asked. She thought she"d done a great job of the get-together. When he"d asked her to organise and host it for him several months ago she hadn"t thought how important it was to her for it to be perfect.
"He"s in his office. We wanted to talk to the woman who has taken her place in his life." Lucas leaned in close placing a hand at the back of the wall. She frowned at his closeness but didn"t say anything.
"Yeah, tell us about yourself."
She smiled at both men. They were clearly trying to get to know the woman their friend was with.
"Okay, you want to know about me?"
They nodded. "I met Stephen during my interview. He"d lost his last housekeeper, I think through an argument about his life or something. We met, we hit off, and he hired me. I"ve been cleaning and cooking his house ever since."
"Is that all you are? A cleaner?" Lucas asked. He reached out to stroke her hair. She pulled away from him. The only man who could touch her was Stephen. She didn"t like the thought of another"s touch.
"I"m more than a cleaner. If you don"t like the fact I"m Stephen"s girlfriend, then tell him you don"t like his choice." She moved away from them feeling hurt. Why was she hurt when she knew his friends wouldn"t like her? They only saw a gold-digger. She walked into the kitchen in time to see two of the male waiters kissing pa.s.sionately.
A gasp escaped her, and they broke apart offering excuses.
"Don"t worry about it. I"m going to get some fresh air," she said. The pa.s.sionate display by the two men in the kitchen reminded her of the way Stephen took her in the same room. The frozen night gripped her. She liked being cold as it would dampen her arousal for the older man currently sulking in his study.
What had she gotten herself into?
Ursula stared out into the night thinking about her situation. All she did was doubt herself with Stephen when he was not in her company. Should she take it as a sign?
The thoughts and doubts were driving her crazy. She didn"t know what to make of everything that was happening to her. Her parents wanted to meet the man she"d moved in with. She knew they would be unhappy when they saw him. Most people knew who Stephen Knox was even if they weren"t in the same social circles.
She fingered the pendant he"d given her. Why did he have to give her a family heirloom? Every time she thought they were having fun then he"d give her something that made her feel more and more like his girlfriend or wife than a lover. She knew he hadn"t given this pendant to anyone else. His mother when she was alive had worn the same pendant. She"d seen his family portraits and recognised the gift he"d given her.
Taking a breath she tried to a.n.a.lyse everything about him within a few moments. She knew her feelings for him were getting deeper. Part of her accepted the fact she was in love with him while another still denied any such feelings for him. The door behind her opened. Ursula turned to see Cadeon standing behind her. She stared back across the darkened garden as she tried to stem the flow of tears. So much was happening in her life, and she needed the world to stop for a few minutes for her to keep up. Stephen had a way of inserting himself into her life without her having any control over it. The worst part of all it was she liked him there. He dropped her off at college, and she wanted to go with him. The desire to be with him at all times scared her. For the last four years she"d been on her own with Paul. She never needed him or wanted him as much as she wanted Stephen, and the emotions were scaring her.
Cadeon stood next to her near the railing. He kept his distance from her, and for that she was thankful.
"I"ve never seen Stephen like this," he said.
"Like what?" She bit her lip in an attempt to keep the tears inside.
"Happy. I know he"s got his moods, but I see a different inside him. He has been more diligent in work. Taking control of his business." He kept talking to her about Stephen"s improvement.
"You"re talking about him as if he was a child." She rubbed her arms. Cadeon draped his jacket over her arms to keep the cold away. "Thank you."
"I know Stephen wouldn"t want you to catch a cold. I imagine he would love the excuse to keep you at home."
She didn"t argue.
"He"s not a child. I know he"s older than I am, but since his parents pa.s.sed there has been a lack of caring inside him. Before his parents died, he"d already taken over the reins of every company his father ran. The moment they were gone, he didn"t even bother. Most of his days have been spent lurking everywhere."
She listened to what he had to say. Stephen clearly covered his pain with his moods. "Do you know if he even cried over his parents" pa.s.sing?"
"I don"t think Stephen is capable of crying. I"ve never seen him show any emotion besides anger."
Ursula knew he got angry over the littlest thing. His anger had never been directed at her. "I"m not here for his money," she said.
"I know."
She frowned then turned to stare at him. "Why?"
"Stephen is many things, but a fool with a gold-digger isn"t one of them. If anything, I think you"re good for him."
"His other friends don"t seem to think so."
"Lucas and Sean were trying to make Stephen see something. I swear they mean you no harm. You"re Stephen"s woman, and they wouldn"t hurt you. We"re trying to get him to see something."
"What are you trying to get him to see?" she asked.
Cadeon chuckled. "Would you believe me when I say I can"t tell you? I"m bound to keep the explanation to myself."
"That is not fair. You"re asking me to be near two men I don"t know without any reason as to why."
"Stephen will tell you in his own good time. Trust me, and come inside. You"ll catch your death in this cold."
Ursula followed him inside, handing him his jacket. She saw Violet sitting on the counter waiting for him. He went to her, sinking his fingers into her hair, pulling her towards him for a deep kiss. Ursula watched them. They were connected in a vibrant kind of way. Their love could be felt for miles. She also saw how young she was compared to the other man.
"Are you all right?" Cadeon asked.
"I missed you," Violet said.
"We"ll go soon."
Ursula waved them away. She needed a few moments before going back into the other room. With a hand on her hip she took a few deep calming breaths to gain her composure.
When she went back into the main bulk of the party she noticed several people had left. Stephen"s idea of a party baffled her. They were wealthy businessmen, and she knew they did things differently.
Lucas and Sean approached her. They each wore a warming smile. When they moved her into a corner they began to talk her about everything and anything. She learnt a great deal about each man. Lucas was more playful while Sean was more serious. Each man had lost someone. She didn"t know how she knew, but it was clear in the way they were. They held themselves back as if they were scared to get close to someone. Cadeon sat across from them, and she saw him staring at the door to Stephen"s study.
She had no idea what was going on, but if it helped the man she cared about then she would do anything.
You"re in love with him.
Stephen ran his fingers through his hair, put the empty gla.s.s down, and walked out of the study. He noticed many of the directors had left, which made him relieved. Dealing with men who worked with him was the last on his to-do list. Next, his gaze sought out Ursula. He found her and watched as Lucas and Sean crowded around Ursula. He knew they wouldn"t do anything to her, but he couldn"t stop the anger building inside him. He slammed the door to his study not caring the attention he caught. He walked over to where they stood. Cadeon tried to hold him back. Stephen pushed him away. No one was moving in on his woman. This feeling felt so similar to that morning when she spoke of going back to her apartment. He didn"t like it, either.
Grabbing Sean, he slammed him up against the wall. This was his home. They weren"t in the club, and they were trying to take her. All he could think about was getting the men away from her. He didn"t see Lucas and Sean. He saw two men trying to take Ursula. The violence inside him startled him. Stephen couldn"t stop himself. When he raised his fist, James stopped him holding him back. They caught the attention of a few people, but they were able to pull him into his study. Stephen saw Ursula was held back in the hall. Sean and Lucas, Tate, Kevin, and Cadeon were already there. James was still physically restraining him.
"Get your f.u.c.king hands off me," Stephen said.
"Calm the f.u.c.k down," James yelled. Tate and Kevin were at the door, guarding it. "I"ll let you go when I know you won"t attack your friends."
"I thought you weren"t coming. What"s wrong? Couldn"t resist taking my woman either?" He snarled, cursed, and kicked out.
"Violet is with Ursula. They"re fine," Cadeon said.
Sean and Lucas were seated on his couch. After several minutes he began to calm down. He no longer saw the enemy. He saw two friends he"d attacked. James let him go when his body went lax. Stephen went straight for his whiskey. He needed the burn of the drink as it went down his throat.
The tension inside him began to ease. Stephen felt the eyes of the men on him. He didn"t like to be closely observed.
"I don"t want your woman. I haven"t met her, Stephen. I came here because I had news, and I saw you about to attack your friends. Are you really too stupid to realise what is going on with you?" James asked. His voice was rising with every word he spoke.
Stephen felt ashamed for the way he responded. "I only saw two men trying to take my woman."
"So, you"re finally admitting to being possessive towards her?" Cadeon asked.
"I-I-" Stephen couldn"t answer.
"Oh for f.u.c.k"s sake. You were about to pummel two friends that you"ve known for a lot longer than a piece of a.s.s," James yelled at him.
"Don"t talk about her like that." Stephen stood toe to toe with his oldest friend, the one man who knew everything about him.
"Why not? If you"re not going to possess her or claim her as your own then she"s just a piece of a.s.s to me. Maybe I should go out there and take her for a test run? Show her what a real dominant is all about." James was taunting him, and it worked. Stephen lashed out, but James avoided the punch. Sean and Lucas held Stephen back. "Admit that you"re a possessive man."
Stephen struggled as he fought with himself. He didn"t know why he was denying it. His heart was slamming against his ribs. The need to beat the s.h.i.t out of any man who talked about Ursula like that consumed him.
The next instant he felt the wave of possessive feeling overcome him. He knew what his friends were saying was right. There was no other way he could describe the feelings inside him. They were the same kind of feelings he"d seen inside other male members at the club.
"Accept who you are, Stephen, before it kills you and your woman. This is important. Feel the possession, and accept it. You"re a dominant man who won"t share your woman. You want her every second so no other person can be near her. You"re an Owner." James spoke every word Stephen was feeling.
He let go. Closing his eyes, he allowed his body to accept the part of him that hadn"t risen before in his life.
"How do you cope with these feelings?" he asked Cadeon.
"I know Violet loves me. I was her first in everything, and it helps keep the demon at rest."
"I"ve never felt this way about any woman in my life. I"ve seen the way you all are with the women you"ve been with. Why haven"t I felt like this until now?" Stephen asked all the men in the room.
"We"re not a b.l.o.o.d.y race, Stephen. There is no scientific experiment to see how we react. There are only the few select members who can relate to how we feel. You know this. Your father told you, like his father told him. This is something we"ve got to deal with." James sat opposite him.
Stephen remembered all the conversations he"d had with his father. He also recalled going out and sleeping with every woman he could find to try to awaken the need inside him. At the time he had thought it would be cool to be possessive about a woman. The feelings inside him were too intense.
"You have to learn to control it," Cadeon said.
Stephen opened the top b.u.t.tons of his shirt. He needed the fresh air.
"Now you know about this I need to start talking about what is going on," James said.
He pulled out a piece of paper from his jacket and handed it to Stephen. He opened it up and saw several pictures. Some were taken inside both clubs; another was of Ursula. There was also a picture of Violet and Rebecca. Each woman he recognised as being claimed by members of his or James"s club.
"What is this?" he asked.
"Turn them over," James said.
Stephen turned each photo over. On the back a note read, "Can you protect them all?" He gave the photos to each man. Cadeon ran his fingers through his hair.