Ruthless acquisition, p.1
Ruthless Acquisition, page 1
Ruthless Acquisition
Piper Stone
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Afterword
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Copyright © 2021 by Stormy Night Publications and Piper Stone
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published by Stormy Night Publications and Design, LLC.
www.StormyNightPublications.com
Stone, Piper
Ruthless Acquisition
Cover Design by Korey Mae Johnson
Images by Depositphotos/feedough and Shutterstock/tomertu
This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults.
Prologue
Some women don’t get just under your skin; they slide in so quietly that you have no idea they’ve managed to claw their way inside, digging at the armor wrapped around your psyche. She was that kind of woman, a stunning temptress with the most enigmatic green eyes and a body built to kill.
However, she was a barracuda in disguise, determined to bring down my empire. That would never happen. After I was finished with her, she would learn what happened to anyone who dared cross that line.
Or the man she’d defied more than once.
Soon, she would face the consequences.
Soon, she would surrender.
And soon, her company and every inch of her delicious body would become my possessions.
My father had once told me that there was a fine line between good and evil and that every man would be forced to face a choice at least once in their life. I had a feeling my father was right. Was I capable of doing something horrific?
The answer was easy.
Without a doubt.
- Randolph Worth
Chapter 1
Scarlett
“There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself.”
Raymond Chandler
Run. Run! Keep moving.
I flew up the stone stairs, panting from the exertion, every muscle in my body aching. I had to get away. I had to survive. I’d never felt such a burst of adrenaline before, my heart thudding to the point sounds echoed in my ears, terror implanted in my mind. If I couldn’t get away, they would kill me.
As my bare feet scraped across the rough stone, pain shifted into my legs, but I ignored it even though my skin was bloody and raw. I had to find a way out of the building. There was no other chance at survival. Panting, exhaustion powered through me, stealing my energy as well as my breath. I’d been confined in that dark, dingy place for far too long. Prickling sensations washed down the back of my legs as I tried to catch my breath.
The fuckers wouldn’t capture me again. I refused to allow that to happen.
Even with my heightened determination, I knew escape was impossible. but I would not give in. No fucking way. They would have to kill me first.
Three fucking assholes.
Dangerous men.
All of them determined to break me. That just wasn’t going to happen.
I’d been caught in a vicious trap, yet one I’d allowed myself to succumb to. I’d been stupid thinking I could win. Now I was about to lose everything.
Including my life.
My heart ached at the thought but not for that reason, but for the burning need that I’d allowed to overcome all rationality.
I willed myself to move, powering up the remainder of the steps, bursting onto the roof of the building and into the wonderful air. Joy filled my heart as I was finally able to take a deep breath. It seemed so long since I’d experienced anything but stale air, chains wrapped around my wrists in an attempt to keep me their prisoner. Now I was free.
If only for a little while.
As the light breeze filtered across my skin, I closed my eyes briefly, envisioning my life before the nightmare. Anger boiled deep inside, the kind that had allowed me to do the unthinkable. I’d escaped, nearly beating a man to death, but I felt no guilt, no remorse for doing so. After all, everything was fair in love and war.
The thought almost made me laugh as I raced toward the opposite side of the terrace, trying to find a place to hide. The monsters would attempt to find me soon, storming through the single door with weapons in their hands. Little did they know I’d secured one of my own, able and ready to use it when necessary. When I hid behind one of the air conditioning units, I said a silent prayer.
I couldn’t imagine surviving this, but the bastards were never going to force me to submit to their vile, filthy needs, no matter the circumstances. I lowered my head, doing everything I could to steady my nerves.
I heard a noise only two minutes later. Steel slapping against steel.
They were coming for me.
They’d found me.
And they were never going to let me go.
All because of a game. The vicious game of revenge.
Suddenly, all was quiet, only the sound of the whipping wind echoing in my ears. My legs ached from the awkward angle, my rage only increasing. I gripped the gun with both hands, perspiration rolling down both sides of my face. I continued envisioning the last few days, wary of trusting anyone including myself. How could this have happened? Why had I fallen prey to such brutal monsters?
The questions wouldn’t be easy to answer. Not now.
Maybe never.
I continued clutching the weapon, listening for any sounds.
Then I heard his voice, so dark and demanding that I shivered to my core.
“Oh, Scar-lett. We’re here.”
What a fucking son of a bitch. If he thought that he was going to encourage me to expose myself freely, the asshole was dead wrong.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are.”
God, how I hated his singsong lilt, the deep, sensual baritone doing little but creating a wave of nausea.
I held my breath, doing everything I could to keep from making a single sound. Within seconds, I could tell the bastard was exasperated, huffing and puffing like some creature in the wild. I couldn’t help but smile. The three assholes had underestimated me.
Another noise caught my attention, the scuffling of boots on the craggy stone surface. The men were covering all sides of the building, searching every hole and hiding spot. It was only a matter of time before I was found. At least the weapon I’d stolen from the man who’d dared try to accost me had enough ammunition I could defend myself for a little while.
Although I wasn’t certain how much good that would do.
However, I was fully prepared to die instead of being taken again. My teeth were chattering as a chill rushed through me. I couldn’t see where they were coming from, but I knew they were close.
Too close.
I rarely prayed but that’s all I could think about, begging for forgiveness for my sins as well as my merciless nature. I’d learn to become a better woman, if only I could escape their tyranny, a horrible game I’d never intended on playing.
But I’d accepted the wager, never expecting the horrific turn of events. No one was coming to save me. There wouldn’t be any heroes to keep me safe.
They were…
“Boys. It would seem our guest no longer wants to play with us.”
His voice reverberated in my system, creating a wave of terror and jerking me out of the disparaging memories. The man was unhinged, drunk on his power. My body swayed, my legs cramping from the horrible position I was in.
Don’t give in. Don’t give in!
I had to listen to my inner voice. I had to keep fighting.
After another few seconds of silence, I dared to peek around the compressor unit. Seeing no one, I eyed the door that could still lead me to freedom. Maybe the fuckers had gone around to the other side of the terrace, thinking I might have attempted to jump to a building in close proximity. When I heard nothing for another ten seconds, I took the chance, easing into the shadows, shifting my fully extended arms from one side to the other.
No one was in sight. Very carefully, I padded toward the exterior door, remaining in a crouched position, my breathing ragged.
“Not so fast, sweet angel.”
I yelped, immediately doing everything I could to bite back another sound, but it was too late. I’d failed. Every time the man spoke, he placed the fear of God into me. I rose to my full height, sucking in my breath.
Then another wave of fury tingl
“You won’t take me again,” I said in a husky whisper.
“If you think that, you’re a fool, which surprises me, Scarlett. I thought you were more intelligent than that.” He took several steps in my direction, the weapon he carried firmly planted in one hand. Even in the slender light of the moon, I was able to catch his expression.
One of satisfaction.
One of evil determination.
And one of possession.
The fucker believed he’d won.
I raised the gun in my hand, doing everything I could to shut down my emotions until I was no longer shaking. “Don’t come any closer. You won’t like what I do.”
He laughed at the fact I’d defied him.
“I have every intention of coming closer. All three of us do.” He motioned to the other two who flanked his sides. “Then we’re going to have a nice, long chat about your disobedience.”
As the three men walked in my direction, all perfectly attired in their expensive Armani suits, I narrowed my eyes. There was no turning back. “I said stop. If you don’t, I will shoot you.”
Laughing, he threw out his arms, still swaggering toward me. “Sweet pet, you better be prepared to kill all three of us, which you don’t have the talent to do. Anything less and you’re going to spend the rest of your life in a cage.”
“You don’t get to call me your pet.”
“We get to do anything we want, our sweet, beautiful Scarlett. You now belong to us.”
When all three monsters converged, inching toward me with grins on their faces, I swallowed hard, ignoring all the things I’d been taught as a child. Right and wrong. Good and bad. None of that mattered.
Then I gave into my rage, jerking to my full height. “No!”
As I prepared to fire, all I could do was pray.
Boom!
Pop!
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Chapter 2
Two weeks earlier
Randolph
Like father, like son.
The verbiage stuck in my mind even now, at a time when the company my father had spent his entire life building into a billion-dollar empire was ready to enter into another contract that would take us to an echelon few competitors could reach. I should be ecstatic, gloating as I usually did. Somehow, I knew the outcome wouldn’t be as planned and that brought a kind of formidable rage that was crushing to my soul.
If I still had one.
Enemies.
My partners and I had crushed several like bugs, destroying not only their hopes and dreams, but the ability to regain any of their losses. In turn, Worth Dynamics, the company I served as CEO and the one started by my father years before had risen significantly in value as well as standings in the ranks of the robotics industry over the years. While I’d allowed two men that I trusted to purchase large amounts of stock, Alexander serving as CFO and Trent as VP, the company’s reputation relied heavily on how I handled business transactions, following in my father’s footsteps. That had led to all three of us becoming rich beyond our dreams.
But it hadn’t been without personal sacrifice or heartache, the ugliness of the wretched incidents shutting down my emotions, both customers and competitors calling me a cold-hearted bastard. Some even used the term evil. I took pride in the terminology, feeding it by taking everything I wanted without hesitation.
My position allowed me that right. After all, money could buy anything. Cars. Yachts. Houses. Hell, I owned several villas in tropical locations that I hadn’t been to in well over a year. Having billions even bought loyalty. However, being worth that kind of money hadn’t secured the one thing I’d hungered to own for over two years.
Scarlett Prestwood.
I’d wanted nothing more than to take over her company, but that wasn’t the only thing I craved.
I hungered for her luscious body writhing under mine, her sweet moans filtering into my ears. No one was going to stop me from getting what I deserved, even if I would have to use dark and demanding tactics. Snickering, I took a deep breath, still envisioning what I would do to her naked body.
I remained at the conference table, barely listening to my partners as they bantered on about the last movie they’d watched or perhaps a sports event, neither of which I cared about. All my attention was drawn to the oversized monitor and to Scarlett, the teleconference we’d both been asked to attend yet to start.
My mouth watered as I studied her body language, her attempt at acting as if she couldn’t care less about the meeting. I knew better. We’d butted heads on more than once occasion since both our firms were vying for the same space. She was certainly a creature of beauty, able to capture any man’s attention, which she often used to her advantage. I would never forget the first time I’d met her, a young woman determined to make mincemeat out of what had been an old boys club, suggesting a different way of doing business. She’d defied the odds, securing deal after deal as she’d clawed her way to the top, her actions almost as ruthless as mine. Maybe I should admire her.
Instead, I wanted to crush her.
Use her.
Own her.
And I always got what I wanted.
I was a keen observer of people. Her smugness meant she wholeheartedly believed she was going to win the contract. I found her search for power beguiling, although my desire had nothing to do with her business tactics.
My partners had expressed the same interest, which had led me to a decision, one that would alter our future.
What the stunning redhead didn’t know was that she’d soon belong to the three men of Worth, a cherished pet to do with what we pleased.
My cock ached just thinking about the idea, something I’d envisioned far too many times over the last few months. Given the wait, I allowed my filthy visions to take over, if only for a few precious minutes.
“Why are we here?” Scarlett asked, her plump lower lip trembling as she glanced at the cold steel table positioned in the middle of the room.
“It’s a surprise, my little pet,” I said, keeping my tone husky and dark.
“You know I don’t like surprises, sir.”
I raked my finger back and forth across her stiff training collar before cupping her face, rubbing my thumb up and down her cheek. “And you know you’re required to follow the rules. We’ve talked about this. Now, be a good little pet and undress.”
“Here?”
“Right here. If I have to ask you again, I’ll pull off my belt. I don’t think you want me to spank you in front of the employees or my customers. Do you? Would you enjoy being humiliated, your voluptuous body put on full display? I’m certain they would. I could make that happen with a single phone call.”
“No, sir. No.” Her lovely face turned bright red, matching the dress I’d insisted she wear. If she persisted, her bottom would match perfectly.
“Good girl.”
I nodded toward the screen covering a small portion of the concrete room. When she slipped behind the partition, I glanced around at the space. While everything was sterile, something I’d insisted on, the cold bleakness was unappealing as fuck. Couldn’t the asshole owner hang some colorful pictures? Sighing, I realized the tattoos were usually handled in another section of the building, this one meant for piercings only, but it appeared more as a prison clinic than a well-respected company. Nevertheless, the owner was being paid very well for his services, adhering to my specifications without question.
And I would enjoy every minute of watching the procedure.
Since she hadn’t earned the right to wear panties, I didn’t need to command her to remove them. When she finally appeared, holding her arms by her sides as required, I gave her a nod of approval. I approached slowly, indulging in a few precious seconds of gazing over her voluptuous body. My body. Every inch of her belonged to me.
