Feathers and Thorne Series Books 1 - 3: The Complete Collection

Chapter Four

Isabella

I’m one of the first to show up to the office while the other workers come and go throughout the day. They manage the project onsite, working outside the trailers set up as makeshift offices, leaving me alone for most of my time. I try to stay at my desk to not draw too much attention to myself and get roped into another pushy conversation with Jacob like the night before.

He hasn’t come by, so maybe he hasn’t noticed the missing money clip.

I stayed at the hospital with my father last night and paid for his last round of chemo. Hopefully, although unlikely, it will be the last bill for a while, at least until he has to start another session. I always keep a change of clothes in my work bag, and it came in handy last night.

The job site is alive with noise, and only when that noise stops do I finally look up from my desk. The sun has set on the construction site, and everyone’s workspaces have been shut down for the night. My ankles are tired in my heels, but I’ll have to walk again, knowing better than to fetch a bus at this hour, let alone a sticky cab seat in a taxi.

The phone rings, and I answer it on impulse. “Isabella Julis with Lacey Construction, how can I help you tonight?”

“Come to my office, baby. We need to have a talk.”

The line stops, but Jacob’s voice echoes through my mind. My hand shakes as I press the phone back into place, my heart beating hard against the wall of my chest. I know better than to break; it’s the most obvious sign of guilt.

I wipe my damp palms against my skirt and pull it down to my knees when I stand up. Checking the buttons that line up my blouse, I reluctantly make my way to the trailer nearby, watching the moon filter through the construction project.

Jacob is sitting at his desk when I enter, his hand toying with a dark-colored bottle of beer while his eyes focus on the sight of me. He motions to the chair opposite his desk, and I abide, my nerves shot in this tense silence.

“How was your day, babe?”

I swallow the urge to correct him, to use my name, but something tells me I don’t have that kind of power tonight. “Busy.”

“Busy? I bet. My day has been just as busy.” He leans forward, taking a long gulp of beer before spreading his slight grin into a wide smile. “You know what I had to do today? I had to deal with a man on the site who was selling the copper fittings of the electrical panel for scrap yard money.” he shakes his head, sighing heavily.

“He was taking it after everyone had left the job site and selling it for extra cash. When I confronted him about it, he whined about his kids needing private school tuition and his wife, who has been begging him for a second honeymoon. Well… greed does funny things to normal people.”

“Jacob, what does this have to do with—”

“Ah-ah, I’m talking, baby. It would suit you well to shut your mouth until I say you can open it again.” His eyes poke holes through my skin. “So, as I was saying, he became greedy and decided it was easier to steal than to strike a deal with me. I’m an understanding man, babe. I do my best for my workers, and I’m always there when they need me.

“They found his fucking corpse in the harbor this morning. Terrible travesty. But I guess when you find a dead thief, no one really gives a damn. Just one more rat off the streets of this city. The same goes for any kind of theft, even the ones in an office late at night when no one is looking.”

I flinch at his casual threat. “Please, Jacob, let me—”

“SHUT UP!”

I shudder at his volume, pulling back into my chair as he stands up abruptly. He throws the bottle aside, and I only hear it shatter against the far wall. Jacob undoes the buttons of his blazer coat, strolling like a drunk on the New York sidewalk, waltzing his way around the desk and standing right in front of me, my knees knocking at his.

“I don’t like the police, baby. I don’t think I should have to call them over some minor theft. It was only a few thousand, and I have plenty to spare, but for you to take it and not tell me; that’s the betrayal aspect I don’t appreciate.” He pulls my chin upward, forcing me to look into his scheming eyes while mine fill with nervous tears. “Go ahead, baby. Plead your case.”

“My father is sick,” I pant. “I didn’t know what else to do, Jacob. I had to pay off at least one of his hospital bills. He has to receive treatment. We don’t have insurance.”

He rolls his lower lip through his pearly teeth, nodding along with my words but not taking them in. “I have you on camera stuffing a wad of cash into your skirt, Bella. I don’t like the police, but I will call them and hand over the video. Then who will look after daddy dearest?”

I break at his threat. “Please, Jacob, I’m sorry. It was a mistake. I’ll work the money off, and you can just cut my check until it’s paid back. I was desperate. I’m sorry.”

“Desperate,” he purrs. “We’re going to find out how desperate you are.”

He steps forward, keeping my face pulled straight. I don’t dare move, feeling his pelvis press into my throat, a warning or a threat; it’s the same either way. I can’t let him call the police, and judging by the lustful look in his eyes, he has other ideas on how to handle my theft.

“It’s no secret what I want from you, Bella. It’s the same thing I’ve wanted since you walked into the office six months ago looking for a job. I have a job for you now, and trust me, you can see to it that the video of you stealing from me is forever kept safe in my care.”

I shut my eyes, feeling his erection pulse outward from his slacks, pressing directly into my neck.

“What do you want from me, Jacob?”

“I want you on your knees whenever I say so. I want you bent over my desk whenever I say so. And if I tell you to undo your blouse,” he says, leaning on his words a little too much, “then I want to hear the buttons pop off seconds later. You’re going to be my little sex toy, baby. You refuse at any time, and I dig up that video and send it to the Manhattan police department.”

My stomach drops, but I know better than to deny this deal. I took this terrible job for my father, and I will have to stay here for the same reason. That money was just for the beginning of the onslaught of bills coming my way. If it means keeping my job and keeping money coming in for my dad, then I truly have no other choice.

Jacob smiles as the realization crosses my features.

“Get on your knees, and let’s get this over with, baby.”

I do as instructed and shiver as he steps back. He takes my seat when I get up, and he works at undoing the clip of his belt before drawing down the zipper of his slacks. I kneel between his spread legs, feeling the heat of my throat only intensify when I realize this will be the way I lose my virginity. It won’t be to some romantic boyfriend of a few years or on an exotic beach somewhere with immense passion.

It will be Jacob Lacey and his corrupt lust.

A knock on the door stops him from freeing his erection and forces a yelp from my lips.

“Go away, dammit!” Jacob barks, reaching forward as he grabs a fistful of my hair, yanking me toward him, so my chin rests on his thigh. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll be kind to your throat if you’re careful.”

A second knock doesn’t return; instead, the door flies open, shaking the trailer. Jacob snarls a noise as he throws my head back, slamming it into the wood wall of his desk. I slump sideways, my body shaking all over as Jacob pulls his belt together in one hand, all while charging across his office to the silhouette in the doorway.

“I fucking said go—” Jacob stops, eyeing the broad man for a moment before he collects himself and returns to a less harsh demeanor. “Carter Blackthorne. My apologies. I didn’t know it—”

“Get her out of here,” the stranger snaps. “We have business to discuss.”

“Bella, go home. We can finish our meeting another night.”

I do as I am gratefully told and scurry past the two men before Jacob changes his mind. I only catch a glimpse of blue eyes, the expensive suit, and the black roses on his cufflinks before I escape into the night without another second to spare.

The moon is witness to my relief, knowing that, at least for tonight, Jacob Lacey won’t fuck me.