taking bits and pieces of land that Vincent had wanted. Buying up businesses that Vincent hadn’t even realized were on the market.
A damn shark. A deadly opponent. Normally, Vincent would have him dispatched and never blinked twice.
But Vincent didn’t want to be rid of Joel Lockhart.
Vincent wanted him.
He knew damn good and well that Joel wasn’t into men. That didn’t stop the fantasies though.
And they had become more frequent, more intense lately.
Hell, there were even times when he fantasized about taking Tracy, driving his dick inside her tight, dry pussy, as Joel fucked him. Jealousy ate him alive. Not because his wife was fucking another man. But because she was fucking the man he wanted.
Jamil’s appeal had palled, and Vincent had kicked his longtime lover to the curb, but now he wished he hadn’t. His balls ached, his cock hurt, and he needed to get fucked.
Or fuck…narrowing his eyes, he focused on Tracy, watching as Joel pulled her to straddle him. Hell, that just might be the closest he got to Joel, fucking his whore.
That’s all she was—she hadn’t made a sound of dissent when Vincent had turned her over to Joel. Didn’t have a qualm about committing adultery.
Vincent was unable to comprehend just how badly frightened Tracy was of him, how terrified she was of telling him no on anything.
The jealousy eating at him was tearing a hole inside him.
And he had to fill it.
* * * * *
Joel smiled gently at her as he stroked his hands down her arms.
“I’ll miss you,” she said softly, forcing herself to smile at him.
His gaze held hers, burning with intensity. She went willingly as he pulled her against him, his lips moving against her hair as he said, “It will be just a few days. Stay at my house—”
She shook her head. “No. I want to, but…if I do—he’s paranoid enough. I don’t want to give him anything to get suspicious about.”
The intensity in his eyes seemed into ignite, the deep midnight blue of his eyes lighting, burning as he stared down at her. “You’re leaving him, aren’t you?” he whispered into her ear.
Tremulously, she nodded. “Mama’s gone, now… I was going to anyway…” tears appeared in her eyes as she recalled the sudden death of her mother three days ago.
“Shhh. It’s okay,” he whispered, stroking his hands down her back. “You’ll be away from here. Soon.”
That was what she kept telling herself. Over and over.
* * * * *
As one day without Joel stretched into two, she worried the string of pearls around her throat and paced the house. He’d given her the necklace on Christmas day, and she’d worn the pearls to her mother’s funeral, knowing she would leave Vincent.
He had nothing to control her with now.
Nothing.
Finally—finally—she started to hope for some sort of future. She was too afraid to daydream that it just might be with Joel. She was falling in love with him. Tracy didn’t know what would happen with Joel, if he would tire of her, or if—please, God—if he wanted her the same way she wanted him.
She could dream about it though—something she hadn’t done in years.
Tracy would have a life. Once she left Vincent.
A life. She hadn’t dared dream of happiness, not for years, and she could now. Dream of happiness, of safety…of a life free from fear.
But it would definitely be away from Vincent. Away.
That was what mattered most. Away where she could make love to Joel without him coming in and watching.
When the door creaked open behind her, she didn’t jump and spin around at Vincent’s voice. After all, he hadn’t touched her for months.
And he wouldn’t now…
Chapter Three
Wrong.
She had been horribly, horribly wrong.
As she sat alone in the living room, a glorious black eye blooming across her face, she watched the digital clock as midnight struck. A new year started. And she made a resolution.
She was getting away from this.
And she wasn’t waiting for Joel to come back and get