ANGEL'S WRATH by SK (SIN CITY HEAT) Read online

  Angel’s attention remained fixated on three flat screen televisions mounted on the wall opposite him as he tracked the Asian, European and North American Stock Markets. He cursed under his breath when he saw the pitiful return his current investments had yielded. Angel made a mental note to call his broker later this morning and light a fire under his ass. He was in the business of making money, not having it squandered away because of bad business decisions.

  A feminine whine sounded from the bed behind him, indicating the noise from the treadmill and the television was disturbing her. Ignoring her obvious attempts to get his attention, Angel glanced at his watch and pressed the button on the console of the treadmill to speed up the pace. He constantly pushed himself to the limit, always determined to be faster. Better. Smarter.

  It was one reason why he was still on top in this game. He didn’t plan on playing much longer, but until he bowed out, he was staying ahead of everyone else. There was always some young punk nipping at his heels determined to bring him down, make a name for himself, and take his spot. He knew the drill well because the young punk used to be him... only he’d succeeded. He couldn’t afford to slow his hustle and put his guard down. Any sign of weakness was a death wish.

  “Baby, pleeeease. I’m trying to sleeeep…”

  Whereas Carmen’s sexy Latin accent had aroused him last night, this morning the irritating whimper in her voice did little more than piss him off. Just for the hell of it, Angel turned up the volume on the televisions. Carmen knew not to complain again.

  She'd been one of his women for years. Before Savannah, she had been his number one in the virtual harem of women who lived in his home. She hadn’t been happy when she learned she’d been dethroned. It was bad enough to lose the revered status she held, but to someone as young as Savannah? Carmen wasn't having it.

  Angel remembered the first time he brought Savannah home with him. Carmen had spat out an entire litany of curses in Spanish when Angel informed her of the changes. He couldn’t understand everything she was saying, but the words he did interpret made him lose patience with her, quick.

  “Angelo, you cannot be serious. You want to make this girl your punta? And on top of that, you expect me to step aside for her?”

  Angel let her continue with her tirade while the other women stood in silence, listening and watching. No one dared talked to Angel like this but Carmen. She went from words of anger, to soft persuasion, and then finally outrage.

  Angel may have been ruthless when it came to business, but he was lenient with his women…up to a point. And Carmen had just about reached her quota of bullshit.

  “Carmen…” His voice started off quiet, but firm. “The decision’s been made. I didn’t come here to ask your permission or discuss it with you. You’ll do as I ask and take care of her. Comprendes?” Angel turned around to walk out of the room, not doubting for one moment that his orders would be carried out.

  “I won’t, do you hear me?! I will not!”

  Angel paused then stopped. He turned his head just enough to look at her from the corner of his eye.

  Seeing Carmen’s anger frightened Savannah. “I can leave," she whispered.

  Angel held up a hand to quiet her then spoke to Carmen. “Repeat what you just said. And Carmen? Before you answer me, be very, very careful.”

  Carmen was so caught up in the white hot anger that had taken over her that the warning in his tone did not even register. “You heard me. I want her gone…out of this house!”

  Angel’s entire body stiffened in anger as he slowly turned around to face her. Carmen saw the expression on his face and in his eyes but was too prideful and stubborn to back down. A cold smile appeared on Angel’s lips as he walked back to Carmen, a smile that mirrored how a shark surely looked before anticipating a kill and tearing its prey to tiny, bloody pieces.

  “You want her gone? You want her out of this house?” He stopped in front of Carmen and leaned his face close to hers. "Since when did you start making decisions around here?"

  Carmen raised her chin. “At the very least, I want her put in her place. And that place is not number one. If this cannot be so, either she goes, or I go.”

  Angel stared at her for a moment before walking away. “Fine.” A smile of victory crossed Carmen’s face, but it disappeared an instant later. “You can go.”

  The other women in the room gasped in surprise. Carmen’s confidence deflated like a balloon pricked with a needle. “Angelo?” she whispered.

  Angel stopped and snapped his fingers as if just remembering something important. Eyes a cool mint green, he whipped around to face her. “Take your clothes off.”

  Carmen’s eyes widened and her voice became very faint. “What?”

  “You’re going to leave here exactly as you came…with nothing." With every step he took, Angel ticked off the list of demands on his fingers one by one. "Take your clothes off. Take your jewelry off, everything I've given you and get the fuck out of my house.” When she remained motionless with disbelief, he yelled, “Now!”

  Carmen jumped and moved back, shaking her head. The cold smile reappeared as Angel closed the distance between them swiftly and with a one minded determination. Before she realized what was happening, he ripped the thin halter from her body and threw it on the floor. Savannah gasped in horror as Carmen tried to grab his hands to stop him.

  “Angelo! What are you doing?!”

  Angel continued as if he didn’t hear her and proceeded to tear every stitch of clothing off her body until she stood naked in front of everyone. “Remove my jewelry unless you want me to do that for you too.”

  Trembling uncontrollably, Carmen's hands went to her earlobes and removed the pear shaped diamond earrings. She unsnapped the numerous tennis bracelets dangling from her wrists and took off the diamond rings that adorned almost every finger on her hand.

  Angel snatched the jewelry from her and flung it across the room. “Now. You wanted to leave? Leave.” When she remained where she was, Angel calmly asked, “Did you hear me?"

  Still crying, Carmen shook her head, her eyes pleading with him not to do this. She screamed when Angel reached out and grabbed her arm. He dragged her out of the room, past his staff and security. No one even thought about interfering. They felt sorry for Carmen, but didn’t dare step in and divert Angel’s wrath their way.

  By the time they made it to the front door, Carmen's pleas became more desperate, but Angel didn't even look at her when he opened the front door.

  “Angelo, no! Please don’t! I’m sorry!” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry! I’ll do anything you ask!”

  Angel glared at her, his anger still powerful and evident, before flinging her away from him. He stood over Carmen and stared down at her with an expression of pure disdain.

  “Make this the last time you defy my orders, do you understand me?” He asked in a voice made all the scarier because he sounded so normal.

  “Yes! Yes, Angelo! I understand…” she cried.

  Several moments passed before he spoke. “Why did you make me do this, hm? I ask you to do one thing for me, and you run the fuck off at the mouth. Just do what I tell you to do when I tell you to do it.”

  When Carmen nodded, Angelo shifted his attention to the crowd gathered behind them and beckoned to a couple of women. They rushed forward to help a trembling Carmen from the floor, but before they led her off, Angel called her name.

  “Come here, Carmen.”

  When he lowered his head, she lifted her mouth to his without hesitation. Angel cupped the side of her face with his hand, deepening the kiss before gently pushing her back to the women waiting to take her to her suite.

  Angel never experienced any problems with her or any of the women after that. Stepping off the treadmill, he moved to the elliptical machine, remembering how Savannah had watched the entire scenario with wide frightened eyes. At the time, Angel was glad she had witnessed it. Surely it was something she wouldn’t forget and would never cross him…bu
t apparently it was a lesson which she felt didn't pertain to her.

  Angel bared his clenched teeth as he quickened his movements on the machine, pushing himself harder than usual. The events of last night served to spur him on to work off the rage he felt at the mere thought of Savannah sleeping with another man.

  He had people to handle the day to day running of his operation, but he made sure he was informed of every decision of every aspect of every business deal. Women were no different. He was as intimate with his pussy as he was his businesses. Why in the fuck would Savannah not realize that he knew every move she made, knew where she was every second of the day? He shook his head at her ignorance. He had no use for stupid people.

  Angel finished the punishing workout he’d forced his body to endure and walked into his spacious master bathroom. He kicked his shoes off and tossed his shorts in the hamper. Opening the shower door, he reached inside to turn the water on and adjust the temperature to as hot as he could stand it before stepping into the large, double headed shower stall.

  The warm beige and brown colors of the ceramic tile were designed to soothe and calm, and right now he needed both. He placed his hands against the smooth surface of the wall and bowed his head beneath the raining pellets of water, then turned the knob to change the setting from spray to massage. He moaned when the bullets of water beat down on his shoulders and back as his thoughts turned back to Savannah.

  A harsh breath passed through his lips as he pushed away from the tile and sat down on the built in bench that ran the length of one wall in the large shower area. Leaning his head back, Angel closed his eyes. He had been informed that she'd screamed for him until the doctor finally sedated her. A frown stretched across his face. He knew he’d sheltered Savannah, but could she really think he’d want her now? The moment she let another man taste something which was exclusively his, she had ceased to be his woman.

  Angel opened his eyes as Carmen’s naked form glided inside the stall.

  “Are you okay, papi?” She asked as she went to stand between his legs.

  She, along with everyone else had heard about what happened last night. The overall consensus in the mansion was that the silly girl had brought it on herself. What had ever possessed her to run around on Angel? What made her think she could get away with it? Angel could be demanding, even cruel if pushed, but he was an excellent lover, a considerate lover. Carmen had been with Angel for almost ten years. He was her first and only lover; being with someone other than him had never entered her mind.

  “What are you going to do with her?”

  Angel sighed. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  He pushed Carmen down to her knees. He didn’t have to say a word. She eagerly got busy pleasing her man, and couldn't have been happier. This was her rightful place.

  She was once again Angel's number one.

  Chapter 3

  Angel and his lawyer, Matt Harding, were on their way to a business meeting which had been in the making for a long time, a deal which Angel had orchestrated every step of the way. Matt's position was to handle the legalities and make sure the contract was iron tight, but Angel would be pulling the strings from behind the scenes until he was ready to make his presence felt.

  He stared out the window as his thoughts shifted to his parents and his brother, Dominick. He’d long ago learned to suppress the feelings of regret that used to plague him whenever he thought about his family. Dominick was doing well with his wife, Keisha, and his daughter from his first marriage, Samantha. A couple of weeks ago, he'd told Angel that they would be expanding their little family; Keisha was pregnant.

  Angel knew Dominick was hoping for a boy this time, but whatever the sex, his brother would be thrilled as long as the baby was healthy. Angel smiled as he thought about his little niece. She reminded him so much of their mother. The smile dimmed when he remembered how one of Keisha’s ex-girlfriends, Rochelle, had threatened his niece almost a year ago. It had been the worst mistake of Rochelle’s life...and the last.

  He kept regular tabs on his brother and his family to make sure all was well and they wanted for nothing. Dominick recently started his own architectural firm. Business was booming thanks to the steady stream of clients Angel sent his way. Of course, Dom didn’t know this. There was no way he’d accept any such help from Angel. True, they'd reached a tentative truce in their relationship, but his little brother was very stubborn and determined to make it on his own without Angel’s assistance.

  Settling back into the soft leather of the seat while Matt finished up a business call, his thoughts turned to his parents. They were killed in a car crash over ten years ago, a tragedy that was still hard for Angel to think about. His mother's beautiful ebony face came to mind before he looked down at his own pale skin. His complexion, along with his light eyes and “good hair”, used to always cause people to stop and stare when he and his mother were together.

  He remembered the first time she'd taken him to elementary school. The suspicious look on the administrator’s face left little doubt that she did not believe Angel was her son, and she said as much. By the time Nora Spain finished ripping into the woman like an angry she-bear, the administrator bent over backwards to make sure everything went smoothly from that point on. Angel still smiled whenever he pictured that day. His petite mother was one of the most mild-mannered women one could ever wish to meet...unless you messed with one of her children.

  He missed his parents more than he could put into words and had always expected them to reconcile, become a family again. Unfortunately, he'd been estranged from them at the time of their death. Now it was too late. Angel had no one to blame but himself for the wedge that had been inserted into the family unit which eventually succeeded in tearing them apart. While still in high school, he dropped out and began hanging in the streets. When his activities turned criminal, his parents washed their hands of him.

  “Angel, we’re here.”

  Jolted back to the present as Dre, his driver and bodyguard, pulled up in front of the restaurant, Angel blinked, shaking off the after effects of the trip down memory lane. He needed to focus on this meeting because it was too important. Once the contract was signed, it would finally put him in a position to achieve what he had been working towards since he’d found out the truth about his parents’ death. This, more than anything else, had driven him to achieve more wealth and power. All of the illegal activities he was involved in became a means to an end in order to get to this point.

  Once inside the restaurant, Angel and Matt followed the hostess to a private dining room where the meeting was taking place. Angel barely noticed the magnificence of the decor. The sophisticated, old money elegance screamed exclusivity while still maintaining a cosmopolitan, urban ambiance. However, it could've been the worst dive in Vegas for all Angel cared. The only thing that mattered tonight was him leaving with what he'd come for, and he had no doubt he would.

  Upon entering the dining room, a man who looked to be in his mid-thirties stood up, introducing himself as the head of the legal department at Davidson World Corp. His pale features were framed by a shock of neatly cut black hair. Light blue eyes peered from behind the frames of thick lensed glasses as he extended his hand first to Angel then Matt.

  “Mr. LaCroix. I'm Neil Breckinridge. It’s nice to finally meet you after all of those business calls.” The man smiled pleasantly, studying Angel as they shook hands. To say this was one of the oddest deals DWC had ever brokered would be an understatement. Up to this point, meetings were conducted via numerous conference calls, a flurry of faxes, and endless emails. "I’m afraid Mr. Davidson will be a little late and sends his apologies. The company jet was delayed due to the horrendous weather the east has been experiencing, but I assure you he will be here momentarily. Until he arrives..." He nodded to the woman standing beside him. "We have full authority to act on his behalf.”

  “Hello, Neil. And please…call me Angelo. It’s nice to meet you as well.” Angel swung hi
s attention to the attractive woman staring back at him. With an inherent ease perfected through experience, he kept his facial features expressionless. Angel's amused eyes glided over a curvaceous shape she tried to hide underneath a dark blue, pinstriped power suit. The gray, silk blouse that caressed her full breasts was her only concession to femininity.

  Neil noticed Angel staring intently at the woman and smiled as he performed the introductions. “Angelo, this is Nicole Randolph. She’s the senior investment analyst for the company.”

  When Nicole stretched out her hand, Angel's larger one curled around it. His attention never left her face, wondering if her dark, brown skin was as satiny smooth as it appeared. Her warm, chocolate eyes practically dominated her face.

  Nicole cleared her throat and pointedly glanced down at their clasped hands.

  Angel raised an eyebrow, letting her know he was well aware of the fact that he still had her hand captured in his. Waiting several seconds more, he deliberately released his hold, making it clear he let go only because he was ready to do so. His eyes traveled over the delicate blouse again.

  Everything about her screamed uptight, professional businesswoman, but behind closed doors, something told him she would transform into a fucking tigress, one Angel would love to tame. His nostrils flared when he thought about her claws digging into his back as he made the tigress purr like a kitten.

  The corner of Angel's lips lifted knowingly when she exhaled in a slight huff. Irritation exploded like fireworks in Nicole's eyes before her lashes swept down, but not before Angel noticed her annoyance.

  His smile widened as he tilted his head to the side, reevaluating his first impression of her. Hmm. Maybe the tigress’ purr was more of a roar when she got riled up and excited. He couldn't wait to find out.

  "Shall we get started, Mr. LaCroix?" Nicole's voice held a hint of a challenge.