I opened my drawer and counted the remaining buttons. There were only ninety left.

My heart fell into my stomach with a loud thud, making me sick. A distant pain coursed through my heart and my chest. I was anxious, unable to sit still for longer than a moment.

She performed intense sexual acts that cost me a fortune. At this rate, she would only be here for another week before I had to release her. It would be easy for me to forget my promise and force her to stay for the rest of her life.

But I couldn't break my promise to her.

I had to get those buttons back-no matter the cost.

When I arrived at the headquarters I received a cold look from Cane. We hadn't spoken since the tense argument we had. He wanted to trade Button for twenty million dollars but I refused.

He was still pissed about it.

"Look who it is..." He loaded his gun and shoved it into the holster like he might need it.

I ignored his hostility and got right down to business. "Miguel dropped off the new prototype. I'm impressed."

He dropped into the chair with a glass of scotch in his hand. "Good for you."

I sat beside him and carried on. "The drop will happen tomorrow. Looks like Great Britain won the bid. I'm not surprised since Bones sold his new weapon to the Middle East."

Cane sipped his drink without looking at me. "Bones doubled the offer."

"What offer?" I suspected I knew what he was talking about but I chose not to believe it. Button wasn't for sale and there was no amount of money that could compare to her worth.

"Don't play stupid. He's willing to pay forty million dollars." He finally turned to me, the threat unmistakable. "We'd be stupid not to hand her over now." He gripped his glass with enough force to shatter it. He anticipated my answer before I gave it.

"She's. Not. For. Sale." I wasn't giving her to anyone. She belonged to me and no one else. Someone could offer me an entire country as payment and I still wouldn't take it.

He slammed his glass down so hard it shattered across the table.

I didn't flinch.

"This is bullshit. I risked my ass to capture this cunt and now I'm getting nothing out of it. I'm not getting revenge and I'm not getting paid either. If you think you can get away with this you're wrong."

My brother may be larger than me but he didn't intimidate me. "I'll give you the forty million."

"What?" His hand was bleeding but he didn't wrap it.

"I'll give you the money. And we'll never speak of this again." The only way Cane would back off was if he got something in return. He was stubborn and bitter. He would hold a grudge until the end of time.

"Are you insane?" He gave me a look I'd never seen before. He stared at me like he didn't know me, like we hadn't been brothers our entire lives. "Are you in love with this woman or something?"

I kept my voice steady. "No."

"Then what the fuck? Do you hear yourself talk?"

"I'm no handing her over and that's final. Do we have a deal or not?"

He shook his head and looked away, drops of blood falling on the table. "Are you making her black and blue?"

I wanted to lie and claim she was hanging from the ceiling right at the very moment. "I don't have to answer to you. I'm compensating you for your time. Take the money and shut the fuck up."

"What about Vanessa?"

"Killing this woman isn't going to bring her back. Let's leave it in the past."

"Easy for you to say," he snapped. "You didn't even go to her funeral."

My hands formed fists. "Cane, don't even go there."

"No, I'm going to." He rose to his feet. "Maybe you didn't give a shit about Vanessa, but I did. I'm not letting Bones gets away with this. You're a piece-of-shit for caring more about your cock than avenging her. I loved Vanessa and it's clear you never did."

I was on my feet in an instant. "Don't tell me how I feel."

"I don't need to. It's fucking obvious."

I flipped the table over, channeling my rage in the only way I could. "I can't sleep because her face is in my nightmares. I can't breathe because the guilt suffocates me. I can't feel anything but agony because of what happened to her. So say I didn't give a shit about her. If anything, I care more about her. I can't function because it still feels like she just passed away. Every day I have to start over and feel the loss. Don't sit there and act like you loved her more than me. We both know I was closer to her than you ever were."

"I thought the same thing-until this." He didn't care about anything I said. His mind was made up. With repulsion still on his face he stepped away. "Dad would be so disappointed in you."

He cut me right where it hurt. "He was always disappointed in me."

He grabbed the bottle of scotch and his blood ran down the glass. It dripped onto the floor, making a small puddle of drops. Without looking at me he headed to the door. "That makes two of us."

I ate dinner in my study that night.

My thoughts circled with my predicament. My brother, the only family I had left in the world, despised me. And the one woman I couldn't live without hated me even more.

I officially hit rock bottom.

The easiest solution to my problem with Cane was handing Button over-and killing her. Cane would forgive me and this would all be a distant memory. We would be close again, back to normal.

But I couldn't give her up.

Not only could I not let that man hurt her again, but I couldn't share her with anyone. I wasn't even sure how I was going to release her when the time came. There was no right answer. If I could go back in time I never would have spared her. I would have steered clear and let Cane have his way with her. My life would be exactly as it was before.

But also meaningless.

The door opened and Button stepped inside. She was covered in a thick brown blanket, everything below her neck obscured from view. She approached my desk with the fire burning behind her. Heavy make up was on her face, her eyes smokey just the way I liked. Her hair was big and curled, and she looked ready for a rough fuck.

Despite my pain, I got hard.

She stared at me with an expression mixed with both fire and ice. She wanted me but she also hated me.

The feeling was mutual.

She dropped the blanket and let it fall to her feet. She stood completely naked before me, the light from the flames making her skin glow. Her tiny hourglass waist led to voluptuous tits. There were no scars on her front-at least from me. Every inch of her was perfect.

I wanted her-but I couldn't have her.

I was dangerously low on buttons. I couldn't afford to hand over anymore. My brother just turned his back on me and I wasn't prepared to lose the one person who gave me satisfaction.

I rose to my feet and came around the desk. My hands immediately gripped her tits and massaged them fiercely. She moaned quietly for me, loving my touch but also hating it.

My hands gripped her small waist and I placed my forehead against hers. I wanted to kiss her but refrained. Once I placed a kiss on her mouth I would be lost. I would lose myself and give up more buttons than I could afford. "I make love to you." The fire roared in the heart and the soft rug on the floor would cushion my knees. I could give her exactly what she needed all night long. Then tomorrow I would take her somewhere nice. I wouldn't even go to work just so I could spend the entire day with her. Whatever she wanted to do, I would give it to her. She was dangerously close to slipping from my grasp.

Her face kept the same expression as it had a moment ago. Those words meant nothing to her. They washed over her without an impact. "Bend me over your desk and fuck me-and make sure you spank me." She leaned over the wood and displayed her ass to me. The steep curve in her back was tight with intricate muscles. Her cheeks were firm and found, ready to be separated with my thick cock.

I wanted to fuck her-hard.

But I didn't want to give up my buttons. I leaned over her, pressing my chest to her back. "Let's take a trip to Rome tomorrow. I want to show you around and take you to dinner."

She grinded her ass against my cock, enticing me to slid inside her wet slit. "How about you tie me and gag me and fuck me until I pass out?" She grabbed the bridge of my sweatpants and pulled them down until my cock emerged.

My mouth clamped on her shoulder and I gave her a mild bite. I wanted to go thrust into her until she screamed for me. I wanted it hard and rough, spanking her ass until it was red.

But I kept my focus. I grabbed her hips and turned her around until she was on her back. I positioned her legs over my shoulders and rubbed my dick against her entrance. "I want vanilla."

She pushed her hands against my thighs. "No." Her sexuality disappeared as her stern warning took over. "Fuck me or don't. That's it."

The anger crept through my veins, making me squeeze her tighter than I meant to. "I'm giving you what you want. Now shut up and let me."

She pushed her feet against my chest and shoved me away. "I don't want vanilla. I don't want to go to Rome. I want you to fuck me hard and then let me go." She jumped of the desk and snatched the blanket from the ground. The hatred in her eyes was undeniable. She wanted to get away from me as quickly as possible. That connection she used to feel for me had disappeared. Once she thought I screwed someone else her affection for me died.

She covered her naked body with the blanket before she marched out of my study. "I want to get the hell away from this place. I want to get away from you. I want to get away from everything."

Chapter Seven.

Pearl Crow didn't speak to me again. He never came for sex or conversation. After that fight in his study he stayed away from me.

I refused to accept his offer. He was just trying to take back the buttons he'd given me but I wasn't going to let that happen. There was no bribe he could give that I would consider. Even if he offered to take me on a week long vacation for a single button I still wouldn't do it.

I was determined to leave.

Crow had wormed his way into my heart without my knowledge. A little bit of me died that day when I spotted him with another woman. I was stupid to think I was the only person riding his cock. I assumed I was enough for him but he clearly wasn't satisfied.

It hurt.

If I could get away, I could return home and start over. I could forget about Crow and the amazing things he did to my body. I could settle in a small town on the west coast and try to forget everything that happened.

My eyes were on the prize and I wasn't going to falter-even for a moment.

Crow was gone during the day so that was my time to leave my room if I wished. He had a beautiful pool in the background and a hiking trail around the vineyards. I took advantage of the beautiful scenery when he was absent. I should soak it up now while I had the chance. Soon, I was leaving.

I walked out of my room with a book tucked under my arm. My bikini was on and my summer dress hung loose around my body. The sunscreen had already been applied and I smelled like lotion and coconut mixed together.

I was just about to reach the grand staircase when I heard a crash.

"Sorry about this, Lars." A man's voice traveled to my ears, familiar but foreign. A loud thump echoed against the tile, and the sound of crashing dishes came next. Patricia screamed before a hand muffled her mouth.

I froze.

Panic hit me hard in the chest.

There was an intruder in the house, someone violent and aggressive.

I wanted to bolt out the stairs and through the front doors but the man was down there, probably watching exit.

Shit.

Feet sounded on the tile until a man with dark brown hair emerged. He had hypnotic green eyes, identical to his brother's. Greed shined in his eyes when he spotted me. Violence was written all over his face. Without an explanation, I knew exactly why he was there.

To kill me.

"Black and blue, my ass." He stopped the end of the stairs, tensing before he made his move.

My heart slammed into my chest and survival mode kicked in. I had to think and think fast. Crow wouldn't be home for hours so I couldn't rely on his protection. The only person I could rely on was myself.

"Don't run. You'll just make it worse." He slowly ascended the stairs, his eyes on me the entire time.

"Come near me and see what happens."

He chuckled. "I forgot how feisty you are. Maybe that's why he won't give you up." He kept moving up the stairs, inching closer to me.

I had no other choice but to run. If I moved quickly enough I could find a weapon. The third floor contained Crow's bedroom, his study, and the playroom. I would definitely find something to my advantage there.

I chucked my book at him and ran.

"Get your ass back here."

I sprinted up the stairs as quickly as my body would carry me. When I reached the top there were only two places to go-left or right. Within an instant I made my decision and sprinted down the right hallway and straight into the playroom. By a stroke of luck, it was unlocked.

I burst inside and grabbed the first weapon I could find. A whip was on the ground and I snatched it. I could strike him across the face or choke him with it. I'd killed a man before-and I would do it again.

Cane caught up to me and shut the door behind him, blocking the exit with his back. He eyed the whip in my hand, a dangerous smile on his lips. "What are you going to do with that, sweetheart?"