Shady Business by Silver MoonAngel @ AI and ASMR
Carley MoonAngel @ FF.Net
--------------------------------------------------------------------
STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIES
--------------------------------------------------------------------
AN: This is the second, EDITED, version of Shady Business. I'm
still going to be writing the first version we all know and love
(well, at least I do) and taking suggestions to revise it and create
this one!
Also, some new elements are going to be introduced, but it will only prove to enhance it (I hope).
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter One - The Meeting
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Serena gazed out of the car window with zero or no interest in her
surroundings. She didn't want to think, her thoughts would only
lead her into trouble and that was never a fun place for Serena
Blade to be.
Sitting back, she wondered what Carlin and Kieta were up to. Kieta
had met the 'love of her life' a few months ago and they were
talking about getting married, the impulsive Blade blood running
through her veins. 'I hope she knows what she's doing,' Serena
thought as she turned them to Carlin.
Carlin, the baby, had been having her visions lately. Something she
had not inherited from her father happened to be her crowning glory,
along with the ability to keep them all quaking in their boots.
Serena smiled and thought of the time Carlin predicted that Nerys
would get her "famous" white streak. Ah, the good old days.
Thinking of Nerys, Serena decided that after this was all over, she
was going to have to visit her. Arden's only girl to not have
psychic abilities, Nerys made up for it with her shrewd thinking and
gentle hands. Mr. Mills probably owned one of her statues...
Statues automatically made her think of Samantha, or rather Sam as
she liked to be called. Unfortunately, Sam was the embodiment of
everything Arden stood for. She was cold, calculating, and
irrepressibly stubborn that it was a wonder Sammy was her twin
brother.
Then there was Sammy, the brains of the whole operation. Arden had
written every one of his illegitimate children out of his will, but
Serena made damn sure that every one got their fair share. That
meant that Sammy had to run the entire business, like Arden had
coached him to; if he got help from his friends, then Serena didn't
have a problem.
Serena sat back and gazed at the open opulence of the limousine.
Chances were that her only full blooded sibling, Michael, had a
fleet just like them. Michael was an up and coming Hollywood movie
actor, who wouldn't have had his foot in the door if it wasn't for
her father's money and her mother's connections. As much as she
loved Mike, she thought it would have been much better if he had to
learn it the hard way.
Serena returned her gaze to outside the window. As they got further
and further away from the city, the scenery was quite nice. Just
like Carlin's place...
"Miss Blade?"
Serena turned away from the window. Looking forward, she pushed
herself up and pushed the intercom. "Yes?"
"We are here."
Returning to the window, Serena gaped at the sight of the mansion.
It was twice the size of the one she had lived in her whole life and
the grounds were very well maintained. She had never been too
impressed with material wealth, but she was impressed with this. No
wonder he could have taken over her company, he must have been
loaded.
Serena sat back and contemplated her next move. If it wasn't money
he wanted, then what was it?
* * *
"Miss Blade, I'm Byrne. I'll be seeing to your comfort while you
are here." A balding man in his late sixties smiled at the
obviously nervous Serena. The girl was young by his standards, but
not Mr. Mills. She could only be around twenty-five, twenty-six at
the most, and she seemed to have a good head on her shoulders...
"Thank you Byrne. Is there anything I need to do before I go up?"
Serena was starting to be tired again and it was only twelve-thirty.
She had been up half the night scheming a way to get out of her
situation and the other half resigning herself to her fate.
"There is one thing." Serena paused in mid-flight up one of the
winding staircases. She turned around and steeled herself for
whatever Byrne had to say. "Mr. Mills would like to see you in the
library."
Serena cringed. The last thing she wanted to do was see him. This
was the man who was chipping away at her and her siblings
birthrights! She took a deep breath and sighed. Better get it over
with now, or he might never leave her alone. "Lead the way, Byrne."
As soon as their little meeting was over, she was going to be flying
out of there like a bat out of hell. Something about him unsettled
her...
Byrne played the gracious guide and pointed out a few of the rooms
as they passed by. Serena was definitely going to have to tackle
the music room before she left. when they arrived at an immense oak
door, Byrne softly rapped on it. "Sir, Miss Blade is here."
Pausing to hear the reply, a grimace marred his smooth features.
With reluctance, he slowly opened the door for Serena. "Mr. Mills
will see you now."
Serena inched her way into the room. She took a moment to collect
her thoughts and observed her surroundings. From her position at
the door, she could see two wall shelves--filled floor to ceiling--a
large fireplace, and a cabinet filled with all sorts of liquor. She
turned her gaze to the desk, where sitting in the shadows was the
man who was the cause of all of her problems. A fire was lit and
the soft light played on his stark features. His eyes were obscured
by unruly hair and he had prominent cheekbones, but his lips looked
odd and luscious in their fullness. 'Keep your mind on the task at
hand, Blade,' she reprimanded herself. Returning her gaze to his
eyes, she said as levelly as she could, "I guess we meet at last,
Mr. Mills."
Leaning forward so his face was out of the shadows, Serena gasped.
She should have expected his looks, but somehow his face was far
more handsome than she had remembered. His raven hair gleamed while
cobalt eyes smiled at her dismay. "I agree, Serena. We waited far
too long to meet like this." When she was about to protest, he held
up his hand and continued, "It's better if we skip the formalities
as soon as possible."
Serena backed up until she was pressed against the door. He was far
more than what she had expected. Heat unfurled in her stomach as
she watched him stand up. 'No, I can't be thinking this,' she
thought as she pressed her hands up against the grainy wood of the
door.
He slowly walked toward her, like a panther stalking its prey. He
saw her squeeze her eyes shut and waited for her to open them again
before he fingered her hair, "I plan for us to be very... close."
He lingered for a moment, then backed a few feet away from her. She
was far more than he remembered. Raking his gaze up and down her
body, he smiled a secret smile. She sure had filled out since she
and Raye were sixteen, but she probably didn't remember that. That
had been an interesting meting ten years ago and that had symbolized
his undoing.
Jeez, that man was sexy. Her body grew hotter when he perused it so
openly, she was surprised that she didn't burst into flame. Serena
felt tears prick her eyes and held them back. 'I will not cry in
front of this monster.' Trying to keep from stuttering, she said,
"If you plan on being so close, you should introduce yourself." She
proffered her hand and said, "I'll start. My name Serena Blade and
that little branch of my father's company used to be part of Blade,
Inc. until you took it over last week." She let out the breath she
had been holding and looked into his eyes.
He simply looked at her hand, still hanging there in midair.
Smiling that untamed smile of his, that had won him so many women
before, he said, "My name is Darien Mills, the CEO of Bourne and
Chaucy, Inc. and a man who desperately wants to kiss you." He gave
her a second and a half to react before he slammed his lips down on
hers. She was a little stiff, but he was a patient man. He had
waited ten years for her, hadn't he?
Serena gasped at the force of his mouth upon hers. This isn't what
she had expected. There were things worse than to be seduced by her
business rival, but totally unexpected. Hell, he wasn't what she
suspected. His hands roughly pulled her against him, searing every
inch of his body against hers. He backed her against the door so
she was wedged between him and the wall, leaving her no means of
escape. In fear of getting her hands crushed between their bodies,
Serena swathed her arms around his neck. She slowly twined her
fingers in his hair and pulled him a little closer. Even if he was
the enemy, she was going to enjoy herself thoroughly.
Darien prodded her to open her mouth. If he didn't get a taste of
her, he would probably go insane. He softly nudged her in the right
spots, slowly bringing his dreams of ten years to life. Serena
moaned against his mouth and Darien saw his chance. Slowly
infiltrating her mouth, Darien felt her stiffen beneath him.
Serena was in shock. A man she had known less than ten minutes had
slipped his tongue into her mouth. Although she didn't mind much,
it was downright mortifying. It didn't say too much about her
character and she felt as if she had let her sisters down. Serena
quickly pulled away and slapped him with all her might.
Darien lifted a hand to his stinging cheek. Raye had been right,
this was going to be a tough battle, but a battle he would win. He
picked up the offending hand and kissed the palm, trying to soothe
the sting. He didn't remember her being so feisty; he had
remembered her as the sweet innocent thing he almost had on the desk
in his stepfather's study...
"What do you think you're doing?" Serena said in a husky voice,
betraying the pleasure she was getting out of this. Goodness, if he
kept it up any longer she would be half-tempted to bend him over a
chair and have her way with him.
If Darien was going to be honest with himself, he would admit that
he thoroughly enjoyed the indignant husky quality her voice had
taken on. It was much more desirable than the slightly high-pitched
quality it had had when they first met. "I'm kissing your palm. It
must sting after the slap you gave me." He flipped her palm over and
began kissing the back of her hand. If she'd give him a moment
longer, he might be able to work his way back to her lips and from
there anything was possible.
Determined to end this first meeting, Serena abruptly jerked her
hand away. She looked at him with terror in her eyes and flew out
the door, slamming it behind her. She leaned up against a wall and
let the tears silently flow down her cheeks. He could never know
how he effected her, to do so would open a can of worms she needed
to keep closed. She just couldn't do this, even if it meant losing
her company for good.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Review, review, review! I'd like to continue editing this and
hopefully soon the other chapters will come out! Unfortunately,
diamonds aren't my best friends, so I need reviews, please. :)
Send questions or comments to: silvermoonangel@yahoo.com
Carley MoonAngel @ FF.Net
--------------------------------------------------------------------
STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIES
--------------------------------------------------------------------
AN: This is the second, EDITED, version of Shady Business. I'm
still going to be writing the first version we all know and love
(well, at least I do) and taking suggestions to revise it and create
this one!
Also, some new elements are going to be introduced, but it will only prove to enhance it (I hope).
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter One - The Meeting
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Serena gazed out of the car window with zero or no interest in her
surroundings. She didn't want to think, her thoughts would only
lead her into trouble and that was never a fun place for Serena
Blade to be.
Sitting back, she wondered what Carlin and Kieta were up to. Kieta
had met the 'love of her life' a few months ago and they were
talking about getting married, the impulsive Blade blood running
through her veins. 'I hope she knows what she's doing,' Serena
thought as she turned them to Carlin.
Carlin, the baby, had been having her visions lately. Something she
had not inherited from her father happened to be her crowning glory,
along with the ability to keep them all quaking in their boots.
Serena smiled and thought of the time Carlin predicted that Nerys
would get her "famous" white streak. Ah, the good old days.
Thinking of Nerys, Serena decided that after this was all over, she
was going to have to visit her. Arden's only girl to not have
psychic abilities, Nerys made up for it with her shrewd thinking and
gentle hands. Mr. Mills probably owned one of her statues...
Statues automatically made her think of Samantha, or rather Sam as
she liked to be called. Unfortunately, Sam was the embodiment of
everything Arden stood for. She was cold, calculating, and
irrepressibly stubborn that it was a wonder Sammy was her twin
brother.
Then there was Sammy, the brains of the whole operation. Arden had
written every one of his illegitimate children out of his will, but
Serena made damn sure that every one got their fair share. That
meant that Sammy had to run the entire business, like Arden had
coached him to; if he got help from his friends, then Serena didn't
have a problem.
Serena sat back and gazed at the open opulence of the limousine.
Chances were that her only full blooded sibling, Michael, had a
fleet just like them. Michael was an up and coming Hollywood movie
actor, who wouldn't have had his foot in the door if it wasn't for
her father's money and her mother's connections. As much as she
loved Mike, she thought it would have been much better if he had to
learn it the hard way.
Serena returned her gaze to outside the window. As they got further
and further away from the city, the scenery was quite nice. Just
like Carlin's place...
"Miss Blade?"
Serena turned away from the window. Looking forward, she pushed
herself up and pushed the intercom. "Yes?"
"We are here."
Returning to the window, Serena gaped at the sight of the mansion.
It was twice the size of the one she had lived in her whole life and
the grounds were very well maintained. She had never been too
impressed with material wealth, but she was impressed with this. No
wonder he could have taken over her company, he must have been
loaded.
Serena sat back and contemplated her next move. If it wasn't money
he wanted, then what was it?
* * *
"Miss Blade, I'm Byrne. I'll be seeing to your comfort while you
are here." A balding man in his late sixties smiled at the
obviously nervous Serena. The girl was young by his standards, but
not Mr. Mills. She could only be around twenty-five, twenty-six at
the most, and she seemed to have a good head on her shoulders...
"Thank you Byrne. Is there anything I need to do before I go up?"
Serena was starting to be tired again and it was only twelve-thirty.
She had been up half the night scheming a way to get out of her
situation and the other half resigning herself to her fate.
"There is one thing." Serena paused in mid-flight up one of the
winding staircases. She turned around and steeled herself for
whatever Byrne had to say. "Mr. Mills would like to see you in the
library."
Serena cringed. The last thing she wanted to do was see him. This
was the man who was chipping away at her and her siblings
birthrights! She took a deep breath and sighed. Better get it over
with now, or he might never leave her alone. "Lead the way, Byrne."
As soon as their little meeting was over, she was going to be flying
out of there like a bat out of hell. Something about him unsettled
her...
Byrne played the gracious guide and pointed out a few of the rooms
as they passed by. Serena was definitely going to have to tackle
the music room before she left. when they arrived at an immense oak
door, Byrne softly rapped on it. "Sir, Miss Blade is here."
Pausing to hear the reply, a grimace marred his smooth features.
With reluctance, he slowly opened the door for Serena. "Mr. Mills
will see you now."
Serena inched her way into the room. She took a moment to collect
her thoughts and observed her surroundings. From her position at
the door, she could see two wall shelves--filled floor to ceiling--a
large fireplace, and a cabinet filled with all sorts of liquor. She
turned her gaze to the desk, where sitting in the shadows was the
man who was the cause of all of her problems. A fire was lit and
the soft light played on his stark features. His eyes were obscured
by unruly hair and he had prominent cheekbones, but his lips looked
odd and luscious in their fullness. 'Keep your mind on the task at
hand, Blade,' she reprimanded herself. Returning her gaze to his
eyes, she said as levelly as she could, "I guess we meet at last,
Mr. Mills."
Leaning forward so his face was out of the shadows, Serena gasped.
She should have expected his looks, but somehow his face was far
more handsome than she had remembered. His raven hair gleamed while
cobalt eyes smiled at her dismay. "I agree, Serena. We waited far
too long to meet like this." When she was about to protest, he held
up his hand and continued, "It's better if we skip the formalities
as soon as possible."
Serena backed up until she was pressed against the door. He was far
more than what she had expected. Heat unfurled in her stomach as
she watched him stand up. 'No, I can't be thinking this,' she
thought as she pressed her hands up against the grainy wood of the
door.
He slowly walked toward her, like a panther stalking its prey. He
saw her squeeze her eyes shut and waited for her to open them again
before he fingered her hair, "I plan for us to be very... close."
He lingered for a moment, then backed a few feet away from her. She
was far more than he remembered. Raking his gaze up and down her
body, he smiled a secret smile. She sure had filled out since she
and Raye were sixteen, but she probably didn't remember that. That
had been an interesting meting ten years ago and that had symbolized
his undoing.
Jeez, that man was sexy. Her body grew hotter when he perused it so
openly, she was surprised that she didn't burst into flame. Serena
felt tears prick her eyes and held them back. 'I will not cry in
front of this monster.' Trying to keep from stuttering, she said,
"If you plan on being so close, you should introduce yourself." She
proffered her hand and said, "I'll start. My name Serena Blade and
that little branch of my father's company used to be part of Blade,
Inc. until you took it over last week." She let out the breath she
had been holding and looked into his eyes.
He simply looked at her hand, still hanging there in midair.
Smiling that untamed smile of his, that had won him so many women
before, he said, "My name is Darien Mills, the CEO of Bourne and
Chaucy, Inc. and a man who desperately wants to kiss you." He gave
her a second and a half to react before he slammed his lips down on
hers. She was a little stiff, but he was a patient man. He had
waited ten years for her, hadn't he?
Serena gasped at the force of his mouth upon hers. This isn't what
she had expected. There were things worse than to be seduced by her
business rival, but totally unexpected. Hell, he wasn't what she
suspected. His hands roughly pulled her against him, searing every
inch of his body against hers. He backed her against the door so
she was wedged between him and the wall, leaving her no means of
escape. In fear of getting her hands crushed between their bodies,
Serena swathed her arms around his neck. She slowly twined her
fingers in his hair and pulled him a little closer. Even if he was
the enemy, she was going to enjoy herself thoroughly.
Darien prodded her to open her mouth. If he didn't get a taste of
her, he would probably go insane. He softly nudged her in the right
spots, slowly bringing his dreams of ten years to life. Serena
moaned against his mouth and Darien saw his chance. Slowly
infiltrating her mouth, Darien felt her stiffen beneath him.
Serena was in shock. A man she had known less than ten minutes had
slipped his tongue into her mouth. Although she didn't mind much,
it was downright mortifying. It didn't say too much about her
character and she felt as if she had let her sisters down. Serena
quickly pulled away and slapped him with all her might.
Darien lifted a hand to his stinging cheek. Raye had been right,
this was going to be a tough battle, but a battle he would win. He
picked up the offending hand and kissed the palm, trying to soothe
the sting. He didn't remember her being so feisty; he had
remembered her as the sweet innocent thing he almost had on the desk
in his stepfather's study...
"What do you think you're doing?" Serena said in a husky voice,
betraying the pleasure she was getting out of this. Goodness, if he
kept it up any longer she would be half-tempted to bend him over a
chair and have her way with him.
If Darien was going to be honest with himself, he would admit that
he thoroughly enjoyed the indignant husky quality her voice had
taken on. It was much more desirable than the slightly high-pitched
quality it had had when they first met. "I'm kissing your palm. It
must sting after the slap you gave me." He flipped her palm over and
began kissing the back of her hand. If she'd give him a moment
longer, he might be able to work his way back to her lips and from
there anything was possible.
Determined to end this first meeting, Serena abruptly jerked her
hand away. She looked at him with terror in her eyes and flew out
the door, slamming it behind her. She leaned up against a wall and
let the tears silently flow down her cheeks. He could never know
how he effected her, to do so would open a can of worms she needed
to keep closed. She just couldn't do this, even if it meant losing
her company for good.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Review, review, review! I'd like to continue editing this and
hopefully soon the other chapters will come out! Unfortunately,
diamonds aren't my best friends, so I need reviews, please. :)
Send questions or comments to: silvermoonangel@yahoo.com