Page 26 of Controlled

My possession.

And anyone who dared touch her would not like the consequences. I fisted my hand, trying to yank my thoughts away from spilling more blood. That wasn’t in my best interest right now. I had to keep control, concentrating on business at least for now.

Bella Rothschild.

Her name had caught my attention, which had prompted me into researching for as much information as I could find on the woman. The surname wasn’t a family enemy but something about it and her devastating beauty made me feel like I’d seen or met her before. I was almost accurate, my discovery making her even more interesting.

I’d hungered for more than just a taste of the woman. I’d needed to find out everything I could about her and even then, it wasn’t nearly enough. I sensed missing pieces much like there were in my life. Wasn’t it said somewhere that those who were most damaged attracted others of like kind? I’d sensed she was as broken as any good psychiatrist would say about me and my brothers. Sadly, I couldn’t put my finger on exactly why I knew she needed me as much as I needed her.

She’d been born in Los Angeles, where she’d spent a better part of her childhood growing up in Hollywood. I should have recognized the dancer from her resemblance to the Hollywood star, my father adoring the work her mother had done in movies two decades before.

Carmine Rothschild had been a former model, handpicked to play a femme fatale for a smash spy thriller chain, one of a half dozen unknown beauties getting the honor. Instead of just being labeled arm candy and nothing else, she’d parlayed the money she’d earned along with monies received from her covers in Vogue and Glamour into decent investments.

Plus, she’d managed to get some additional juicy roles and within two years, she’d been considered a star, her future as bright as her smile.

I placed Carmine’s photograph beside her daughter’s, both printed off the internet and signed. They could be sisters, although Bella didn’t have the same spark in her eyes or the gloss in her hair. It was as if she’d been in her mother’s shadow for years.

As I hit play on the same video from the night before I’d watched a half dozen times, the music instantly brought a feeling of freedom to my system. I sat back in my seat, my breath catching as I watched her performance. As she twirled and leapt into the air, I was pulled into the darkness I’d tried to avoid the night before.

Mine. Mine. Mine.

The word continuously played in the back of my mind, the ache I’d felt after leaving her following me home for another sleepless night.

My longing wasn’t just about indulging in the taste of her lips or the feel of her pussy clamping down on my aching cock. That was raw innocence compared to what I wanted to do to her, including branding her fair skin so no one would dare consider attempting to take her away from me.

My balls were aching as much as they had the night before, every thought sadistic as fuck.

As the gothic music rang in my ears, I glanced at the two photographs once again. By all accounts, Bella had been brought up with the finer things in life surrounding her. She’d gone to one of the best private schools in LA, graduating with honors. Her mother had purchased a stunning estate at the height of her career, but what intrigued me was that not only had she abruptly dropped out of sight as an actress, she’d been arrested only six months later.

Shoving the two photographs aside, I pulled up Carmine’s mugshot and it told a tale of drug use and a spiral into a private hell. Although I had no toxicology reports, after her arrest, the rumors had started flying that she was addicted to heroin and cocaine. I wasn’t entirely convinced as the look in her eyes was one of fear.

After the DA had failed to make his case, she’d sold the house and moved out of Hollywood altogether where she became a recluse. The two of them fell off the radar for some time. Bella had gone to college, studying dance as well, which is what had eventually brought her to Chicago.

Sadly, her mother now resided in a care facility for early onset Alzheimer’s. And from what I’d been able to discover in the limited time I’d had searching, Bella was footing a significant portion of the bill. What I didn’t find was a mention of her birth father anywhere. Not even a hint or some fodder in an entertainment rag two decades before. The girl’s birth certificate listed the father as unknown, which I had a feeling was tabloid fodder in and of itself at the time, unless Carmine had paid someone to keep Bella’s birthright quiet.

Why did I have a feeling it would be in my best interest to find out who that man was?

As I studied the performance on the small screen, my mind was firmly convinced that Bella was everything I’d been craving. When the video ended, I debated watching it again, forced to adjust my cock before finding some control and turning it off. I shifted my attention to the financials Easton had emailed for the upcoming board meeting and closed my eyes briefly. Damn it. Her face continued to roll images back and forth.

After a few seconds, I shoved back my chair, rising to my full height. I remained tense for several reasons, including the meeting I’d had with Carlos. If I didn’t think it would start a war, I’d have him tossed into the trunk of one of my soldiers’ vehicles, taking him to my estate for a festive hunt. The thought brought an entirely different level of hunger into my mind. However, for all his posturing, he’d been nervous about the shipment. Why? Had someone threatened him, which the South American certainly wouldn’t mention for fear of his reputation taking a hit?

I stood at the window of my office, undaunted by the thick clouds rolling across Chicago’s skyline. I was smiling, surprised at the way the night had gone before.

And I was very hungry as I’d remained the majority of the night after leaving Bella to enjoy the rest of her evening.

I’d been very clear in my expectations, telling her in no uncertain terms what would happen. The moment I’d walked out of the elevator, I’d heard her clipped laugh. Whether it had been from nervousness, disgust, or both didn’t matter to me. One taste would never be enough of something so sweet, so perfect.

I shifted around to face my desk, barely interested in handling the necessary aspects of business. Yet I picked up the group of papers Easton had sent me before the sun had come up, pleased with the bottom line. We’d increased profits by almost eighteen percent during the last quarter, a significant surprise since the firm had picked up two new clients. It had been Easton and Styx’s idea to concentrate on the residuals, including additional ammunition that had made the difference.

Laughing, I traced the bottom-line figure, proud of what we’d accomplished, especially since the three of us were getting along for a change. I heard the door being thrown open, could hear my assistant grinding her teeth at the fact I’d been interrupted.

Which I hated more than almost anything.

“We were wrong.”

As Kane entered my high-rise office, he wore an expression of exasperation. I eyed him carefully, continuing to hold the printed company financials in my hand. The quarterly board meeting was being held bright and early on the next day and I wanted to be up to date on every single aspect of our company’s growth and wealth. The upcoming contract with the Pentagon meant our financial house had to be in perfect order.

Our continued growth was also a reason we’d gotten the loan for the art facility, not that we’d needed the money, but it was good to be a part of the community. It kept the police and the district attorney from breathing down our necks.