Empire of Hate (Empire #3) by Rina Kent

She’s the main course. The highlight of a show. The film’s premiere.

I’m about to punch Christopher in the face, out of pure crazy emotions that are raging through me, when a moan echoes in the air.

Nicole’s.

She slowly gets up into a sitting position, her eyes drooping. She looks like a fucking goddess with her slightly flushed cheeks and dewy skin. I want to grab her by the throat and mess her up a little, ruin her a little so she’s not so perfect anymore.

So she finally stoops to my level.

“What’s with all the noise?” she asks with a slur of her own.

“Fuck this,” Chris mutters. “And fuck you, Sterling.”

Then, he storms out of the room, forcibly closing the door shut behind him.

Bloody cunt.

Everything in me is shouting to go after him and punch the bastard until his blood is dripping all over the ground.

“D-Daniel…?”

My attention slides back to Nicole. Her dress has ridden up to her waist, revealing her creamy pale thighs and a hint of her white lace knickers.

Her lips are plump and parted and a red flush covers her cheeks and neck.

No clue if it’s the weird sensation I’ve been having since earlier or the rage I’ve been feeling since I imagined her with Chris or a combination of both, but this view of her gets my dick hard in an instant.

The traitorous fucker strains against my jeans until it’s physically painful. Until the need to grab her is far more powerful and urgent than anything I’ve felt before.

It’s an animalistic need.

An instinct.

Or maybe it’s far deeper than that but I don’t want to think of it as such.

“What are you doing here?” The slur in her voice matches mine—light, subtle but also magical.

Almost like none of this is real.

Maybe it isn’t and this is one of my bothersome nightmares about her that I can’t stop my subconscious from conjuring.

“Do you really like being woken up with dick?” I don’t know why I ask the question, but I do, and I also keep approaching where she’s sitting and watching my every move like a deer caught in the headlights.

“W-what?”

I didn’t think it was possible, but my dick thickens even more at her soft voice. There’s no haughtiness and snobbishness in it. It’s almost as gentle as she looks.

“I said, do you like being woken up by dick? Is that why Chris was here?”

“What…? No…”

“Then is there something else you’re into that I should know about?”

“Why?” She licks her lips, pauses, then lowers her voice until it sounds like something out of my deepest, darkest fantasy. “Will you make it happen?”

“Maybe.”

“Even if it’s a dangerous kink?”

I smile. “My, Peaches. I thought you were as prim as a princess and didn’t even say crude words. Now you have a dangerous kink?”

“I…do.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“I’ll only tell you if you promise to make it happen.”

I pause, contemplating the answer. I don’t usually make promises unless I know what it’s all about.

“If it’s about eating peaches, then no way in fuck. You’re not touching that shit for a lifetime.” I breathe harshly.

Why the fuck did I sound so serious? Protective almost.

“No, it’s not about peaches. It’s something more dangerous.”

“What is it?”

“Promise first.”

I purse my lips, then say, “Fine, promise. Now, tell me what the kink is.”

She gets on her knees and inches closer, bringing the sheets with her until she’s eye level with me, then whispers, “You.”

And I know, I just know I’m not only going to fuck Nicole Adler, but I’ll also enjoy and regret every second of it.





6





NICOLE





PRESENT





My head is about to explode.

I’m overthinking everything, thanks to a certain jerk, and worse, the onslaught of emotions that I went through over the past two days is stronger than anything I’ve experienced.

It’s like being waterboarded and I have to count fractions of seconds until I get my next breath.

It’s like living on my toes for the next hit.

I have no doubt in my mind that it’s coming. I have no doubt that Daniel will find a reason to chew me out or threaten to fire me.

It seems to be his modus operandi—wanting to kick me out. The arsehole has the power and he knows it. Hell, he’s bent on showcasing it every chance he gets so I have no misconceptions about my position.

After the initial shock of meeting him again wore off, I googled him.

What? I needed to know my enemy.

Obviously, Daniel abandoned his family fortune. He left everything behind and came to the States at the age of eighteen. He studied law, passed the bar, and became one of the youngest solicitors to acquire the junior partner position. That’s especially notable considering how big and influential Weaver & Shaw is.

Not only that, but he’s also talented enough that some European sovereignty recently appointed him as their attorney in charge. That, aside from all the international business moguls that he represents.