The American Soldier Collection 10: Compromising Love (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Read online

  Many people asked her why she wore such a plain, minuscule heart when she could afford one loaded with huge diamonds. They didn’t understand her. The wealth and reputation she established in business was her way of surviving.

  “Are you certain that I can’t interest you in coming to work for me? We would be good together, Aspen.” He held her gaze with hunger in his eyes. She knew that look and just like all the others, it did nothing for her. There were only a handful of men that made her body, and her emotions react to them. They were five men she could never have, because they didn’t share the same feelings and thought of her like a baby sister.

  She smiled and ran her hand across the pictures on the table, picking one up and looking it over.

  “I’ll think about it, Clarence. You do know how much I like Texas. I prefer it over any other place.”

  He looked her over and leaned back in his chair.

  “I’ve often wondered why it is you work for a man like Dmitri. You’ve established your own reputation in the business world. You can basically name your price and land any job you want in most major cities.” She raised one eyebrow up at him, surprised by his question.

  He quickly added as he leaned forward in his chair. Dressed casually with a white button-down shirt and khaki pants. They were out on his yacht and miles from shore.

  “Don’t get me wrong. I like Dmitri. I understand what I’m getting involved with if I choose to use his company and all his connections. It’s the same with Andrei Renoke.”

  “Oh, no it isn’t. Renoke will weasel his way into taking over your project. At first he’ll start with suggestions, ideas that you’ll pay for, and then he’ll begin asking for a cut, a partnership in building this enterprise of yours. Dmitri doesn’t want to take your limelight. Dmitri wants to ensure his companies and employees have work, and bring in income, keeping him and his associates at the top of the list of the best. They’re your hired help. You remain in charge, at the center of it all and everything remains Clarence Cartwright’s.”

  He gave a small smile.

  “I suppose you know who Dmitri would like to use in establishing the first building, the security and main offices of the project.”

  “Of course. The information about the companies are right here.” She reached for the folder and opened up the one on Pro-Tech Industries and then the one on Liberty Construction and Development.

  “These are the top contenders for the job. I can personally vouch for both of them. You won’t find a better, fairer priced security firm and construction development company around.”

  He looked at the documents though she knew he already did his research.

  “Renoke’s workers are immigrants trying to make it in this country after fleeing some pretty devastating conditions,” he told her. She knew that Cartwright was a patriotic man. A true Texan through and through.

  “Liberty Construction and Development and Pro-Tech Industries, employ retired and even disabled military veterans and their families. There are men and women who have risked their lives to keep our country safe and secure. They’re American citizens surviving and providing for their families and loved ones. But, the choice is yours, Clarence,” She told him and he held her gaze then gave a small smile.

  “I’ll need to look these over and compare to Renoke’s offer. I’ll get back to you. I’ll have my secretary call to set up another meeting soon.”

  She nodded her head.

  “You have my personal cell phone number, Clarence. Call me. I want you to understand that what I’m offering. Dmitri is offering that personal touch, the traditional handshake relationship that has been the start of thousands if not millions of successful business deals since the establishment of this great country of ours.”

  He stood up and so did she. Clarence reached out and she shook his hand. He held it a little longer than a handshake should be.

  “I’ll hold you to that, darling, and that personal touch. The commitment of a true relationship so that my dream can become a reality.”

  “The ball is in your court, sir. I look forward to hearing back from you soon.”

  He released her hand and she bent down to grab her purse.

  “You’ll stay for some lunch, won’t ya?” he asked then proceeded to tell her about the lobsters and the items the chef was preparing. Clarence was a decent-looking man, a bit of extra pounds around his center but still very macho and manly, as a cowboy should be. But again, she felt no attraction. Not even enough to fake a roll in the hay, and she never shit where she ate.

  “Of course I can. That’s so kind of you to offer.” He guided her toward the stairs, his hand at her lower back. The convincing wasn’t done quite yet. Now she had to seal the deal with casual conversation, a personal touch beyond the meeting room, and hopefully a new business venture would begin. After all, the point of taking on this job for Dmitri was all part of the revenge she sought.

  She could ensure that Pro-Tech Industries Storm and his team’s business landed this job along with Dmitri’s construction company and not Renoke’s.

  Andrei Renoke was a slimy, Russian mobster, and a man partially responsible for her abduction and near death. She was going to get him where it would hurt the most. His wallet. If he threatened her, so be it. She had no fear. No recollection of how she was rescued. But she remembered the pain, the broken bones, and being dragged over concrete to an awaiting cargo ship headed to some third world country. Discovering that Andrei Renoke, a Russian mob boss and business man responsible for running a sex slave business and for abducting her, would pay big-time. Not only for what she went through, but also for all those innocent women who never made it out alive. Revenge was a powerful emotion indeed.

  * * * *

  “Of course I don’t like any of the shit I’m hearing. But what do we do? Andrei’s a ruthless businessman. He’s had his claws in Cartwright for years just waiting on this opportunity. There’s plenty of other work out there,” Winter said to Weston.

  “But this is fucking huge. It’s thousands of acres of land to develop. It’s near Salvation, Tranquility, and Casper’s. This could give us the opportunity to focus solely on this job and retire. Get the fuck out of this business,” Weston told him.

  “It’s not that easy. Yes, this could be the opportunity to start easing further away from the mob connections in a sense. We could let Nicolai take over our share and step down. But I think the opposite might happen,” Storm added.

  “What do you mean?” Weston asked.

  “He means that if Dmitri lands this job, it’s going to piss off a lot of major people. This could cause all of us nothing but problems. Renoke, Demyan, Iakov will all suffer financial loss but also lose a lot of power and authority in the eyes of the top bosses. We’ll gain more respect, it will be looked at as a strategic move to monopolize Texas and Chicago. We’re staking a deeper claim in the mob,” Zin stated.

  “Like that’s so fucking bad? We pretty much established that these are our lives now. We’re made men. We are doing more than a billion a year in revenue, and if by some miracle we get this, we’re in the deepest we can be. There’ll be no going back. There’ll be no becoming regular civilian businessmen. We’re going to need our own security details and personal bodyguards,” York said.

  Everyone remained quiet a moment.

  “What else do we have? We know nothing better than this business. We’ll be helping thousands of military families find steady work for years, because that’s how long this project will take. This is serious American money to be made,” Weston added.

  “But what about Aspen?” Zin asked.

  Winter took a deep breath and released it. “You know the answer to that. We all fucking do,” he said in annoyance. They all wanted her. Had watched over her and hoped to keep her as far away from trouble as possible, yet she seemed to wind up pretty damn close to it. Working for Dmitri, a made man and one of the major bosses in Chicago, wasn’t what her brother Porter, or any of them had wanted. But
she was great at business. She was a workaholic, a woman running from her past, her fears and dealing with it in the best way she knew how to. How badly Winter would love to have her. To share her with the rest of the team. But that would put her in the ultimate danger, and she survived death once. She wouldn’t survive this time.

  “I’d give it all up for her,” Zin added.

  “But that isn’t how this works, Zin. We’re stuck. We made our beds. We have to live with the decisions we made when we returned from the service and realized there was nothing here for us. No parades, no financial backing, nothing but shitty pay, food stamps, and a fate similar if not worse than what we all ran from and entered the service to get away from as teens,” Storm told them.

  “He’s right. She suffered enough. We can’t expose Aspen to the life like ours. We have to hide our feelings. So whatever happens with this deal, we accept it and do our jobs. We could never ask her to expose herself to the dangers of being the lover to five made men. Her freedom, her own dreams and achievements would be taken from her and she would feel more like a prisoner again, than a woman set free. Discussion over,” Winter said, and they all somberly agreed.

  * * * *

  Aspen Brooks knew she shouldn’t have had that third glass of wine. Now, feeling tipsy, she stood by the wall in the dining room at the banquet hall and stared at Storm Jones’s lips. The man was freaking mysterious. He made every part of her body stand at attention and so did the rest of his team. Winter, Weston, York, and Zin were dangerous men for many reasons. But the most intimidating thing for her, was that they were very good friends with her brother Porter.

  Navy SEALs, now retired, Storm and his crew weren’t exactly model citizens. No, their ties to the Russian mob and the illegal and legal businesses they owned and operated brought their team billions in revenue. But she wasn’t interested in their money. Hell, unlike most women who flocked around these men trying to land them, Aspen had her own money, her own achievements, and was considered pretty darn ruthless in her own ways. She was a hard-ass, yet approachable, easy to get along with as long as people followed her orders.

  Her jobs ranged from reorganizing and training employees at high-end companies to make their sales departments run more efficiently, to evaluating businesses that needed to be revamped. More recently she was getting into negotiating large money deals between some of the most ruthless, notorious billionaires of the United States, never mind the world. Yeah, she was involved with a lot of things. Things that if her brother Porter found out about then she would be in serious trouble. But truth was, some of the contacts she made because of Porter and Storm looked to her for advice. They sought her out and eventually she landed some private gigs that had her rolling in the money and deciding if it were time to settle down somewhere and just live a normal life. But she wasn’t normal. Hadn’t been normal since she was a teen and before she had been abducted.

  She cleared her mind and listened to Storm’s voice as he spoke. She nodded her head to the others as if she were totally paying attention to their business conversation. She knew Storm was hinting about needing some assistance at his company Pro-Tech Industries with retraining employees, but she wasn’t sure she was interested. Besides, she was already helping them without them knowing, by trying to land this business deal with Dmitri. God, if Porter or Storm and the crew found out what kind of business dealings she had been involved in lately, there would be hell to pay.

  Was she a glutton for punishment though? She would love to feel anything from Storm, Winter, Weston, York or even Zin. Although in her fantasies she would love a good spanking by them. That would surely make her orgasm like a woman should be able to.

  But they didn’t know what she knew about Andrei or about them for that matter. They tried to hide the culprits behind her abduction from her. But it didn’t take long to realize it had been Andrei Renoke. Nor did it take long, well five years exactly, to find out about her family ties to the mafia. But that was a different story entirely, and apparently one relationship severed years ago, when her mother was still alive.

  Either way, she was more alone now than she ever felt before. It was crazy, but she wasn’t quite finding that closure she was searching for even though she was pretty sure she landed that construction deal for Dmitri.

  She was a free agent really. Could basically take on any jobs she wanted to. It would be great to help out Storm, Winter, Zin, Weston, and York with improving their business and revamping their employees training regimen. She looked at Storm again. Her heart felt as if it beat a little faster. He hadn’t even looked her body over or showed any interest whatsoever. Meanwhile she lusted for him. For any of his team of gods to notice her, never mind, make a move.

  She didn’t think she could handle being in the same office building as Storm, Winter, Weston, York, and Zin, some of the sexiest, most desirable men around. She was such a loser. Holding out for the chance that they could give her the orgasm of her dreams. No other man had been successful in making her feel anything. She was a lost cause in that department.

  Lately, she found herself assisting with less high-profile cases and more intimate businesses. Negotiating private contracts amongst high-profile individuals was by accident, but quite lucrative.

  Although half the men she assisted with business dealings wanted to land her as their woman or at minimal their lover, she never entertained their advances. She had her own hang-ups and insecurities she hid behind her designer attire, top line fashions and exotic vacations with fellow single friends. She was independent, yet yearned for male company she could rely on and trust. But trust was something that seemed unobtainable as far as she was concerned.

  So why was she staring so intently at Storm and noticing every tiny detail about him? The small scar by his right eye, barely noticeable. The way he crossed his arms in front of his sexy, muscular chest when he was truly focusing on the person’s conversation he was engaged in. His blond hair, cut to perfection and his designer dress shirt and tie he wore tonight at this event spoke volumes about his personality and the fact the man had style and money. He was a bad boy, capable of things she didn’t even want to think about and knew too well that he was capable of accomplishing.

  She should fear him and his buddies, for the simple fact that they had connections to people like Andrei as well as other higher-ups. She knew they weren’t the kind of men to gain money from sex slave businesses, prostitution, guns, and drugs. Or at least she didn’t think them capable of such criminal activity.

  Why women found gangsters, made men so sexy and appealing she wasn’t certain. Maybe it was the mystery, the darkness about them and their capabilities. Add in that Storm and his crew were military men and hell yeah, she found it all sexy. It aroused her, interested her as she took a sip from her glass of wine and forced her eyes to move on to something else and maintain the distance she needed for her sanity.

  “Aspen, won’t you consider helping Storm out with his business? You’re so good at revamping and training employees on the subject of security measures. You would be an asset to the business,” John Brothers said and then smiled at her.

  “I’m not sure I’m right for the position.” She glanced at Storm who watched her lips and then eyed her over. It only took him an hour to actually check her out. She was wearing a pretty sexy dress, too. The man should totally be taking advantage of their close proximity. But he wasn’t because he wasn’t interested.

  She needed some fresh air, some distance from him and his buddies. She couldn’t think straight and the wine was messing with her head.

  As she began to excuse herself, she felt the hand on her hip and then a body press against her back.

  “Have you convinced her to help us and accept the position?” Winter asked from behind her. She closed her eyes, absorbed the feel of his thick, hard hand on her waist and his large presence behind her. She didn’t even have to turn to feel the attraction to the man. Blond hair, hazel eyes, and a firm expression he was known for.
His name suited him well. He always looked so complex and in turmoil. His eyes were filled with emotion and his expressions just as dark and intriguing. So badly she wanted to run her palms along his cheeks, turn those frowns and concerns into smiles of pleasure. But who was she? She didn’t have the capabilities to do such things. She was fucked up in her own ways. No one could touch her so deeply, nor could she ever touch someone’s heart with such depth either.

  She was so affected by these men. Each of them, yet she could never entertain that attraction. It would be disastrous.

  She stepped from his hold and smiled.

  “Sorry, Winter, I just don’t think it would work out. Besides, I’m currently working on too many other projects to even consider this opportunity with you. I can always refer you to someone else who would be suitable for the position if you needed.” She hated to offer anyone else to them. She could recommend Clare, Monique, or even Stella, but then she got this instant jealous feeling just thinking that one of the men could hook up with those women.

  She could only imagine Zin, York, or Weston bending Stella over one of their desks and having their way with her. She cringed and pulled away.

  Weston, York, and Zin were a wild bunch, too. She heard they all shared women at one time or another because the men were so close.

  Aspen had to admit that not only the thought of sharing them excited her, but more importantly the thought of experiencing such a deep bond of trust like that had to be mind-blowing. As a matter of fact, she was more intrigued and attracted to know that these men shared such a deep, unbreakable bond. She didn’t have such a relationship with anyone ever. She loved her brother Porter, but there seemed to be some sort of invisible barrier between them, too. Maybe she wasn’t the type of person someone could love?

  Sure, she would risk her life for Porter, she would do whatever he asked of her, but the depth of their bond just wasn’t as intense or pronounced as the bond these five men shared. It scared her. Yet it intrigued her.