Rapine 3: Retrieved by the Billionaire Read online

  Rapine 3:

  Retrieved by the Billionaire

  Charlotte Rose

  ~~~

  Smashwords Edition

  Copyright © 2015 by Charlotte Rose

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without the prior written permission of the publisher. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, or distributed via the Internet without the publisher’s permission.

  This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, incidents, and places are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The reference to these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Table of Contents

  Preface

  Main Characters

  Retrieve

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  PREFACE

  There have been struggles between the males during many generations for the possession of the females. But mere bodily strength and size would do little for victory, unless associated with courage, perseverance, and determined energy.

  - Charles Darwin, Descent of Man

  Stubborn perseverance is indeed what allows the male to win over the female. There are cases, where a male is able to win over a female with his strong pursuit and aggressive advances.

  In the case of this story, Julian was able to capture Cheryl’s heart with his strong perseverance, courage, and unbending determination. However, there are also cases where a male’s stubborn determination will not win over a female if her heart is already strongly attached to another male.

  In this book we will see the case of two stubborn and perseverant males who fight for the possession of one woman.

  MAIN CHARACTERS

  Cheryl Lynn Stone

  Cheryl is twenty-two. Cheryl’s parents are both from the Czech Republic and she was born in New York. She is feminine, reserved, and is most comfortable with her small group of friends. She values her romantic relationships greatly, and is devoted and loyal to those she loves. She gains pleasure from pleasing her romantic partner. She is married to Julian Stone.

  Derek Cartier

  Derek is thirty-seven. He was born in Poland and currently resides in Manhattan. A venture capitalist and member of an elite secret society, he is a very private and serious man who demands respect. He was previously engaged to Cheryl Lynn.

  Julian Stone

  Julian is thirty-one. He was born in Geneva and currently owns one hundred twenty-one commercial and residential properties around the world. He is a member of an elite secret society, and a black-belt martial artist. He is extremely determined, unbending, dominant, and aggressive. He always gets what he wants. He vigilantly protects and cares for his loved ones. He is married to Cheryl Lynn.

  RETRIEVE

  Origin:

  Late Middle English retreven, Middle French retruev-, stem of Old French retreuver: “find again, recover, meet again”

  Definition:

  Locate and get back; regain possession of or rescue.

  PROLOGUE

  I was in love and engaged to Derek until Julian came along. Julian aggressively captured me and held me against my will, during which time I fell in love with him. I know it’s more than just Stockholm Syndrome, capture-bonding, or bride kidnapping. It’s true love.

  After we got married, Julian swept me away around the whole world on our honeymoon—various tropical destinations, South Africa, Dubai, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Monte-Carlo, Austria, Germany, France, London, just to name a few. The sex we had during our honeymoon was very wild. Julian is a little disturbed with his role-playing fantasies, but I’ve learned to love it.

  Derek has previously implanted a GPS tracking device inside me without my consent, and with no way to remove it. He came for me while Julian and I were on our honeymoon, fought Julian, defeated him, and obtained me back.

  Derek does not comprehend that I will never love him again. My heart is consumed with love for Julian and even though I am now in Derek’s possession, nothing will make me fall back in love with him.

  Derek, very much like Julian, is a stubborn alpha male that will not accept ‘no’ for an answer. Both men always get want they want. The problem is they both want me, but with only one of me to go around, only one of them can have me.

  Little does Derek know that Julian has also implanted a tracking device inside me, and that he is very much alive and seeking to get me back.

  I can’t escape Derek, and my only hope is that Julian will come for me. Otherwise, I will remain in Derek’s possession forever.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Derek and I sit across from one another at the opulent twenty-seat dark wood dining table in Derek’s 12,000-square-foot, all-white penthouse condo composed of three floors. The maid sets a plate of dinner before me, then sets a plate before Derek.

  I look down at my food and take a few bites. A dense tension pervades the air, with so many unspoken words floating around us.

  Derek remains quiet, but I sense there are a lot of thoughts whirling around in his head and he is waiting for the right words to come to him before speaking.

  Amid the eerie silence, I hear Derek’s sterling silver knife and fork tapping his 24-karat-gold rimmed plate. From the kitchen, the maid moves about quietly.

  I’ve taken a few bites, but even though the food is delicious, I can’t bring myself to raise another forkful. My stomach is in knots, my heart and breathing constricted. My shoulders slump as the burden of all that has happened weighs on me. Emotions flutter through me—pain, anger, fear, but most of all, anticipation of Julian coming to get me.

  The maid clears our plates and brings dessert. She doesn’t care what’s going on between me and Derek as long as she’s getting paid well.

  I look down at my piece of chocolate truffle cake and my heart sinks. I don’t know how much longer I can be around Derek. He shot Julian and took me back against my will. He hasn’t forced himself on me, though, and he has gained a small ounce of my respect for not touching me.

  Every time I glance at him, I see the heartbreak and pain in his eyes. I don’t want to feel guilty, but deep down I must admit that I have broken his heart. However, the heart wants what it wants—I have fallen in love with Julian. Why can’t Derek just move on?

  Derek clears hi
s throat, interrupting my thoughts. I peer up at him, my heart pounding through my chest.

  “Tell me the truth,” he says in an icy voice, eyeing me suspiciously. His voice is as cold and lacking in warmth as his sterile, sleek penthouse. The walls, the floors, and nearly all the pieces of furniture are white; the only color in the place are the dark wood tables, touches of gold, and the abstract paintings on the walls composed of bright red, blue, yellow, and orange.

  “Tell you the truth about what?” I say quietly.

  “Did Julian force himself on you, or did you willingly have sex with him?”

  My heart leaps and my mouth twists. If I tell him I wanted to have sex with Julian, he will be livid. However, I can’t possibly frame Julian for something he didn’t do.

  “Answer me.” Derek raises his voice and gazes sternly at me.

  “I wanted to have sex with him,” I spit out. He needs to know the truth. I don’t care about the consequences.

  Derek examines me, his face reddening. “You fell for that fucking idiot after all?” he accuses, sounding shocked and surprised.

  “Yes, I did, Derek,” I say with as much strength as I can muster.

  I notice the fire of anger flashing in his eyes. He looks down at his food for a moment, considering my words, then glances back up.

  “All this time, I thought he forced himself on you.” Derek gazes at me with disappointment. “Loyalty—that’s all I wanted from you.”

  “I was loyal at first, Derek,” I whisper. “But eventually, I fell for him.”

  “All women are the fucking same,” he growls, flicking his eyes away from me and to a spot on the floor. He appears to be deeply hurt.

  Guilt tugs at my heart. I really was loyal at first, but the hard truth is that everything Julian and I did was wrong in the traditional sense—Julian taking me captive and holding me against my will, me sleeping with him even though I was engaged to Derek. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but realize that Julian is the right guy for me, not Derek.

  Derek looks back at me with pain in his eyes. My heart softens. I loved this man at one time. Now I’ve shattered his heart.

  “I’m sorry, Derek,” I whisper. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  “Fucking hurt me?” he thunders. “You didn’t hurt me. You fucking broke me.”

  I really didn’t mean to hurt him. Of all the people in the world, why did this have to happen to me? My predicament is complex—I have two powerful, wealthy, alpha men in love with me.

  “You know, to be fair, I tried to contact you, Derek, but you didn’t respond at all. I felt like you no longer cared—like you gave up,” I say softly.

  “I never give up,” he hisses. “You should have known I was planning to come for you.”

  “How could I have known, Derek? How?” I cry out.

  “The day I fucking proposed to you, and promised to never let you go—that’s how,” he rumbles.

  A long silence follows. Derek won’t look at me. I stare at him, unsure of what to say or do. He just doesn’t understand that a person can’t erase the past—that I will never love him in a romantic way again.

  Derek turns his attention back to me. “Tell me this—did he use a barrier method?” His eyes are filled with anger and jealousy.

  “You have no right to ask me that,” I snap.

  “Yes I do,” he hisses. “Did he?”

  “I’m not answering that,” I respond defiantly.

  “I’m assuming he didn’t, then,” Derek responds, with more hurt filling his eyes. “Two betrayals is what I have to deal with. I’ve never been so fucked over in my life,” he says with obvious agony in his voice.

  “I’m sorry, Derek, that’s just how things turned out,” I say feebly, unable to come up with a better response.

  “Sorry? You’re fucking sorry?” he hisses, examining my face.

  I nod sadly.

  “That’s not good enough,” he explodes loudly. His booming voice makes me jump in my seat. “A friend I trusted took my fiancée away from me and kept her confined against her will. Now I learn that you actually fell for this fucking jerk-off….” Derek’s voice trails off and pain crinkles his face.

  Derek is right, and the more pain he expresses, the more my heart fills with pity, shame, and guilt. I can’t help but sympathize with him. I do understand his predicament.

  “To be robbed of the one thing that means so much to me,” he says with agony, “and you fucked him willingly.”

  More guilt creeps up on me as I stare at the pained face of the man I once loved. I don’t know what to say. It is so hard witnessing heartbreak.

  “Why can’t you just let me go and find another woman?” I ask quietly.

  His eyes widen and he scowls. “Let you go, Cheryl? I love you. Don’t you fucking understand that?”

  “I loved you at one point, Derek—I really did,” I say sincerely.

  His eyes scan my face and he frowns. “I can’t even look at you anymore.” His voice weakens as he flicks his eyes away from me.

  The maid clears our dessert, which neither of us has touched.

  “You may go now,” Derek commands. The maid scurries away.

  “He fucked you, and he blew his load inside you,” Derek says, deceptively quiet. “I just don’t know what to do with you anymore.”

  “Then why don’t you just let me go?” I suggest, hopeful. “We can go our separate ways.”

  “No, that is never going to happen,” he spits. “Either I have you to myself, or no one else can have you.”

  “I don’t love you anymore,” I whisper. “Don’t you understand that?”

  “I will make you love me again,” he says with conviction, glaring at me as though I were a challenge to be handled, a problem to be solved.

  “I will never love you again,” I respond, but I see it in his eyes—the hope, the desperation, the pain, the determination to get me to fall for him once more.

  He gazes at me as though he hasn’t heard me. He brushes his thumb across his chin, deep in thought. His eyes glimmer and the pain that I saw in them just seconds ago is gone. He looks like a man on a mission.

  “I know you still love me.” He has a wide smile on his face and is gazing at me with gleaming eyes. I sense a new energy that I haven’t felt from him before.

  What is he thinking?

  “I want to make love to you,” he says softly.

  My heart leaps and panic grips me. “No, don’t do this,” I beg.

  He rises from the dining table and approaches me slowly as though I were a scared animal. I stand up and back away as he continues to come forward.

  “Please, not like this….” My voice trails off as I try to come up with something to convince him otherwise.

  “Cheryl, I’ve missed you.” His eyes shine as he draws closer.

  I walk backward, searching my mind for ways to hold him back. Will he try to force himself on me?

  He grabs me, pulling me into his arms.

  “No, get away from me!” I scream. I push him away with all my strength, but his arms are tightly clamped around me.

  “Cheryl, please,” he implores as he struggles to control me.

  Suddenly he releases me. I run from him and upstairs into one of the many guest bedrooms. I slam the door and lock it. I lean my entire body against the door as though he might try to break in.

  A few minutes later, a knock startles me. “Cheryl? I’m sorry,” Derek says from the other side of the door. “I won’t force myself on you.”

  I decide that I shouldn’t add fuel to his already burning anger. “I just need time to adjust, that’s all,” I respond.

  “I understand,” he says, sounding unconvinced.

  A few moments of silence go by. I wonder if he is still standing there.

  “Cheryl, please, give me another chance,” he says. “I want to start over.”

  “Okay,” I murmur.

  “I’ll leave you for tonight,” he says. I hear his footsteps retreat fro
m the door.

  I get undressed, leaving on my black Agent Provocateur lace bra and matching panties. I slide under the luxurious silk beige covers of the queen-sized bed. I slam my eyes shut and images of Julian flash through my mind—his penetrating gaze, his handsome face, his caring demeanor. I love everything about Julian. Derek does not appeal to me any longer.

  CHAPTER TWO

  I wake up when I hear a knock at the door. “Cheryl, get ready for breakfast,” Derek commands.

  I wash myself in the all glass shower of the en suite bathroom. As the pleasant, warm water drizzles down my back, I close my eyes and think of Julian. I recall all the showers we took together during our honeymoon, all the places he took me, all the romance, all the hot sex. I wonder what he is doing right now. Could he be coming today? My heart thumps with anticipation.

  I step out of the glass shower, digging my feet into the sumptuously soft mat, and dry myself with a plush Egyptian cotton towel. I toss the wet towel onto the floor, and grab a dry towel to wrap around myself.

  I take a few deep breaths, leave the guest bedroom, and sneak into my enormous walk-in closet in the master bedroom. The closet is stocked with thousands of expensive designer clothing, heels, and purses. Derek must have spent a fortune on all my things. When we were together he expected me to look my best which can get very expensive.

  I put on the first items I grab—a dark green lace top and black pants. I’ve never been fond of pants, but I’d rather cover up my legs when I’m around Derek.

  I head downstairs and into the kitchen. The maid is dashing about, preparing breakfast. Derek sits at the white quartz kitchen island, sipping a cup of coffee and reading The New York Times on his transparent glass tablet. He glances up and smiles.