Theo (Obsessed Alpha Book 4) Read online

  “Look. You know what you’re doing is a crime, right? Once I get a chance, I’m reporting you to the cops.”

  He twists his head to look at me, leaning in he whispers, “Phoebe, you know you should never tell your kidnapper that. It makes them less likely to return you.”

  Chapter Three

  Theo

  “You plan on returning me?”

  “Never, but it’s just a word of warning. My men know that you are to remain unharmed, but others might come for a cut of the money your father owes them.”

  And I’ll kill any bastard that tries.

  Phoebe’s mine and doesn’t know that kidnapping her is for the best. She has no idea that if she’s in her father’s hands tomorrow, she’ll be on the auction block offering up her precious gift that belongs to me. My dick pulses thinking about it, so I attempt to give it a squeeze to calm it down. That’s when I feel her eyes on me. I tip my head slightly and catch where her eyes linger. I give it one more fisting while I watch her tiny pink tongue slip between her lips, licking them in anticipation.

  “Soon, minx. Soon, I’ll feed you all of it.” The gates to my estate open up, and I feel a little relief that I’ll soon have her in our home where she belongs.

  “What? You’re sick. I don’t want you near me,” she exclaims, crossing her arms over her ample chest.

  It frustrates me the way she denies the desire I see pouring off of her. “It’s cute the way you lie. It’s not even the least bit believable. At least that’s one shitty trait you didn’t pick up from your father.”

  “Says the kidnapper.”

  I won’t tolerate this attitude from her. She is supposed to be my everything. I didn’t want to kidnap her pretty ass, but things didn’t go according to plan. The fucking auction is tomorrow, and I’ll never let her stand before a room full of perverts looking for a ripe young pussy.

  “Look. I didn’t want to have to do this, but you’re leaving me no choice.” I grab her hand and drag her out of the back seat. She starts to fight me, and I see she’s scared. Fuck. I stop and wrap my arms around her. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’d never physically hurt you. There’s something I want you to see, but it may be hard to deal with.”

  “He’s not dead, is he?” she gasps, clasping her hands to her mouth.

  I shake my head, which calms her until I say, “Not unless you want him to be.”

  “Why the hell would I want that?” The angry scowl on her soft, angelic face is back.

  “You’ll see. Come. I’d hate to force you inside, so please, my sweet Phoebe, come with me.” To my surprise, it works, and she doesn’t fight me at all and walks without hesitation. We enter my home; correction—our home, and I meet with my housekeeper. “Griselda, please get Mrs. Christakos a bottle of water.”

  “Uh, I hate water.” She completely ignores the name I called her. She’ll be my wife soon, and I want the staff to be aware of that.

  “I know, but you should drink it. I know you’re petite, but we all need water,” I whisper, brushing my hand down her shoulder. I take her hand again and lead her to a seat in front of my desk. “Please sit.”

  She does it with an eye roll. I close the door and then walk around to my seat behind the desk, sitting down with a sigh. I don’t want to do this to her, but I want her to know how serious her situation was to become if I hadn’t stepped in and acted.

  “Now…”

  Griselda knocks on the door. “Come in.”

  “Here you are, sir.” She sets my whiskey on the rocks down and then hands Phoebe a bottle of water. Since I discovered Phoebe’s existence, I’ve needed a glass of whiskey to calm the urge to snatch her. It was the longest two weeks of my life. “Will that be all?”

  “Yes, you can go home now.” She’s been with me for the past couple of months. A good girl looking for a job. I hope she finds someone, but I have no interest in her, and she’s been as meek as they come.

  “Thank you. Goodnight, Mr. Christakos.”

  “Please inform Diego. He will drive you.”

  “It’s not necessary.”

  “Griselda…” I raise my brow, letting her know that it’s not up for discussion.

  “Yes, sir.” She leaves us, and my sweet Phoebe stares at me with a hint of jealousy. It’s turning me on more than I can even explain. My intention is to never give her a reason to doubt me, but right now, that’s all she has.

  “Can I go too?” She swings her ponytail off her shoulder with a little extra enthusiasm. Her snarky attitude only stiffens my cock.

  I stand up and press my hands on the cold surface of my desk. “No. You can keep your pretty ass in that seat.” On my lap would be better.

  “So—is she working off a debt too?” Her eyes flare with a new attitude. It’s sexy as fuck to watch her get bent out of shape, completely jealous for nothing.

  I unbutton my suit jacket, sliding it off of me and hanging it over my chair. “Don’t be jealous. She needed a job, and I needed a housekeeper.”

  “I’m not jealous. I’m just wondering if kidnapping is your kick.” That’s harsh, and she needs to simmer her ass down before I bend her over my fucking knee and punish her pretty bottom.

  “Enough. Here—read this.” I can’t stand that she despises me. I should have expected it, but it burns in my gut. My heart and soul demand that she feels the way I do: obsessed, wild, nuts to be in her presence.

  “So is paying for virgins your kick, then?” The bite in her tone shocks me. I expect her to be mad at her father, not me.

  “What?”

  She lifts up the email for the auction that I received from my investigator. It disgusted me when I got the message. I’d been in the middle of investing in a cruise liner. I nearly lost my mind reading the email, detailing the event. I contacted the owner of the cruise liner and promised to be in touch, and we were in the process of a deal when I came to steal my beauty and keep her safe with me.

  “Ah, that was sent to me by my private investigator who I had looking into your life to find out everything about you.”

  “Why?” The question is soft and yet loaded.

  “Why what?” I want clarification, and she doesn’t hesitate.

  “Why would you want to know everything about me?” Her voice shakes as she tries to be tough.

  Our eyes meet, and I see all the longing that she’s trying to hide. I step around the desk and sit on the edge. Brushing my thumb across her bottom lip, I say, “Because you’re mine.”

  “So why the virgin-buying invite?” She’s cute, but the truth isn’t. I press my lips to her forehead, then return to my chair.

  “That’s why you need to keep looking. The third page, please.” I down the whiskey, wishing that I didn’t have to do this to her. It takes her a few seconds to respond to what she’s reading, but then she does, her pain audible. She gasps, dropping the file on the ground.

  “No.” She shakes her head in short, quick movements. “This can’t be right.”

  I’m up on my feet again. I reach for her, taking her hands, and help her stand up. “Sorry, Phoebe, but it is. That’s why I brought you here. I can’t let them put you up for auction.” The thought of them even getting a glimpse of her forced me to fuck up their system. I’d hired the best tech guys for my businesses, and they were able to dismantle the dark website in a matter of minutes.

  “How am I supposed to believe it’s true and this isn’t some shit you doctored up to get me here?” She pulls away from me, turning to face the door, but stands there with her shoulders slumped in defeat. She’s not so sure I’m lying. The doubt is in her head, but I have to make sure she knows I’d do anything to protect her—even share the truth, which I know will crush her.

  I turn her around to look at me. “Okay, you want to see or hear the truth?” She nods, so I take her hand in mine. “Are you going to be quiet?”

  “Um…” She refuses to look up at me.

  I tip her chin, wanting her to trust me. “I’m not going t
o hurt you. Well, at least not physically, but this call will.”

  Leading her over to my side of the desk, I take a seat and sit her down in my lap. She stills for a moment, but then relaxes on me, her ass snugly resting over my cock.

  “Damn. This might not be the best place for you to sit, but I want you right here.”

  A tiny giggle escapes her lips. It’s music to my ears, and for a moment I hesitate. This could really fuck her up. “Um…your hard-on isn’t going to convince me about the auction. I mean, technically not having to buy me just saved you a ton of money.”

  “No, baby. It saved a lot of people’s lives. You have no idea how insane I am about this. And just so you know, the money isn’t the issue.” I slide my hand up her thigh, caressing it as I use my other one to dial her father’s number, pressing the speaker button on my desk phone so she doesn’t miss anything he says. I squeeze her thigh lightly as I wait for him to pick up. When he answers, I growl out, “Minks.”

  “Mr. Christakos, sorry, sir,” he stammers. I’m smiling internally when I hear his fear. He’s in a world of fucking trouble, but he has no idea just how much.

  “Where’s my money?” I bark out.

  He calms down for a minute and sounds brave, unaware that I’ve got the jump on his disgusting money-making scheme. “I don’t have it. I should have it to you in two days.”

  “How are you going to get my money, Minks?” I demand while scooting Phoebe onto my thigh and off my painfully hard cock. I have to think straight, and all my blood left my head, traveled south, and now helps stretch my pants.

  He lets out a little laugh and says, “I had a surprise gift arrive in my lap a few months ago.”

  I cover her mouth to stop the gasp from being heard. I want his fucking head on a platter. “You mean your daughter?”

  “How did you know about her?”

  “I ran into the beautiful woman today when I came to collect my money.”

  “Wait…please tell me you didn’t do anything to her.” I can hear his own panic in his voice, giving me the slightest bit of joy. “I promise I’ll get your money.”

  “I have her tied up in my basement. Why?”

  “I need her, or I can’t get your money,” he confessed.

  I handed my drink over to Phoebe and then asked, “Why?” She took a sip and nearly choked on the taste. I rubbed her back as I waited for him to continue.

  “I can’t say, but I’ll have your money and then some.”

  “So I need to give you something…in order to get my money?” He has a lot of nerve.

  “She’s mine,” he complains, getting bolder than he should be. I ought to kill him just for that, but I won’t. Not until she tells me to do it.

  “No. I don’t think so. What are you going to do with her? I want answers, or you’ll never see her again.”

  “There’s a special auction for young women.”

  I brush my finger over her lips. “Ah. Do you mean the virgin auction?”

  “You know about that too?”

  “I know about everything.” Tears stream down her face, and it breaks my fucking heart. “And you can forget about her.”

  I end the call and press her head to my chest. “I’m so sorry, Phoebe. I didn’t want to do that.”

  “No. I needed that.” She sighs as she snuggles closer to me.

  “What can I do for you? I don’t ever want to see you cry.”

  “I just want to go to sleep.” Her voice is weak, and I hate how much damage that call did to her. She stands up, stepping away from me, and I can’t stand being that far from her.

  “Okay, babe. Let me get you to bed.” I scoop her up in my arms and lead the way out of my office and up the stairs.

  “I’m not going to run away.” She mistakes my actions. My security is pretty tight. She wouldn’t get far even if she tried. I hope she doesn’t want to leave me…ever.

  “I know, but I want to carry you.”

  “I don’t know what to think about you,” she confesses, looking up at me with a soft smile.

  “How about we worry about that in the morning?” I kiss her forehead and open my bedroom door, helping her inside. Setting her down on her feet, I say, “Let me get you something to wear.”

  I walk into the closet and pull out a beautiful, peach-colored nightgown I picked out for her. “Here. You can put this on and get under the covers.”

  “This is pretty, but I can’t wear your…” She pauses when she spots the price tag still on the item. “Wait. Did you buy this for me?”

  “And everything in there.” I point to the closet.

  “Why?”

  I lean on the footboard and stare at her intently. “I thought I made it clear. I want you to stay here.”

  She freezes, understanding my clear-as-day meaning. “Can you let me change in private?”

  “Of course. You can use the bathroom. I’ll be right outside. Let me know when you need me.”

  She walks away and closes the door, giving me my own break to calm myself down. My body and mind are at war with themselves. I need her like I need my next breath, and yet, I want to find her father right now and destroy him, punch by punch.

  He did this to her. If I’d not learned of her existence when I did, she would be auctioned off to the highest bidder against her will. I slam my fist down on the mattress, and then the bathroom door opens.

  “Get in bed, Phoebe,” I growl. “Get some sleep.” I refuse to look at her because I’m not in control of my emotions, and she’s not ready to be mine. It’s not that I’m afraid I’ll take her without her permission because I could never be that bastard, but I don’t want to seduce her into something she’s not ready for. I know that after her reaction to me, it would be easy to get her needy. I stand up and move toward the door.

  “Did I do something wrong?” she asks, her voice soft and sad.

  “No. Just get some sleep.” As I say that, I hear her feet along the wooden floor. I don’t leave until I listen to her climb into bed, and then I’m out of the room without stealing a glance backward.

  An hour later, when I believe it’s late enough for her to be asleep, I walk into the bedroom and strip down to my boxer briefs and climb in behind her. I wrap my arm around her waist and hold her close to me. “Goodnight, my love.”

  “Goodnight, my hero,” she whispers, snuggling into me. I close my eyes and let the perfection of this moment drag me into a peaceful sleep.

  Chapter Four

  Theo

  The night could not have been more torturously perfect. I awoke with my cock so hard that I could have pounded nails into concrete. She woke briefly when I bent down and kissed her goodbye, but she fell right back to sleep.

  Now, I’m sitting in my office downstairs, far away from her. I thought that once I had her in my home that the ache of missing her would be gone, but I don’t just need her in my house; I need her in my arms. I’m not where I want to be, but work still must be done. Soon, I will take time off to do whatever she pleases. However, until then, I have to try and focus on my work. With my hands in many pots, keeping them clean and organized is the hardest part. When someone crosses an ethical line, I fire them. I’ve just had to do that at my tech company. The CFO was caught dipping into the cookie jar to feed his coke habit. Drugs can ruin the brightest minds.

  I respond to several emails and make a few calls to check on the construction of my latest warehouse. My men are on their way to her father’s to grab her shit. I’d rather leave it there, but I can’t do that to her. She’s got things from the mother she loves. It makes me sick knowing that he took her at her lowest, promising to love and care for her.

  My phone rings, taking me away from thoughts of Phoebe. “Speak.”

  “Sir, it’s Mathers. We have a problem with the new building. A fire broke out an hour ago.” I pull my cell from my face to look at the time. It’s only eight.

  Most of the construction on the building just finished. We only have a small section le
ft before it will be ready for inspection and use. “What? How the fuck did that happen?”

  “I don’t know, sir. The fire department is here. I called you as soon as we got everyone out.” Many of the people there were the construction workers who came in early to avoid the hot sun.

  “Shit. Is everyone okay?”

  He sighs and I think the worst, but then he answers, “Yeah, but the construction crew believes it’s arson.”

  “What? Why?” Fuck. I pace my office, my head spinning with possible arsonists.

  “The location that caught fire wasn’t a spot they were working on,” he informs me.

  “Shit.” A lone thought comes to my head. I fired that fuck the other day. Destroying one of my buildings is an excellent way to get back at me.

  “The fire chief and the investigators want to speak with you.” Of course they do. It’s going to be a big fucking problem. I don’t have time to be doing this, but I can’t act reluctant to comply, or they’ll think I did that shit. Instead, all I want to do is spend time with Phoebe, filling her with my babies and making her come for me.

  “I’m on my way.” My building is in Springfield. I’m going to have to fly there on my private jet. There’s no time for anything else. Fuck. What I am I going to do with Phoebe? My head pounds as I consider all my options. As much as I want Phoebe at my side, I’ll be on the site, speaking to the investigators and employees. It would be pointless, and I might fuck someone up for looking at her. Then again, leaving her here will be painful and possibly dangerous.

  I dial my head of security as I pack up my briefcase. “Diego, I need the perimeter swept. Someone tried to burn my new warehouse down. I’m leaving my most precious possession here. Keep her safe.”

  “Of course, sir. How long will you be gone? Do you need a bag packed?” he asks.

  “No. I’ll be back sometime this evening.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I’m going to be back tonight,” I reiterate. “Make sure she’s safe.” Phoebe’s my everything, but I have to go.

  “I’ve never let you down with Griselda.”