Influence Page 7

  “What are you doing, kitten?” Jagger asked, nipping at her lips.

  “Showing Melinda what she’s missing.” Ariela unhooked his belt, yanked down his zipper, pulled his cock free, and tucked his stretching cock underneath her body. He dragged his hand front to back, loving that warm and excited moisture resonating from her pussy.

  This was one time he was sure glad she hadn’t worn pretty little panties or a sexy thong.

  “You can’t mean—” Melinda seemed more excited than appalled.

  “Oh, but I do,” Ariela said, probably understanding why Melinda was suddenly so excited. Melinda had once blackmailed them for time with Jagger, and one of the terms of her conditions included fucking Jagger. At the time, Ariela had told Melinda if she ever took Jagger to her bed it would only be after she’d witnessed Ariela and Jagger together.

  Melinda was probably already thinking champagne, roses, and the penthouse suite.

  Jagger couldn’t help but smile at his pretty mate as she grabbed hold of his cock and pumped him, making him hard and ready, excited. “That’s it, kitten.” He assaulted her mouth with his kiss and grabbed hold of her hips, thrusting inside her with a pounding jolt.

  “Mmm, Jagger.” Ariela gripped the table behind her and pumped her hips, tightening her thighs against his as she rode him.

  Under most circumstances, Jagger might have felt ridiculous. An ongoing investigation was occurring right outside their door. They were in the boardroom, and Leon, Lane, and Sanchez sat around the table as if they were waiting for a meeting to start. Melinda stood about four feet from the CEO’s seat, the chair he and Ariela were using for a more exciting meeting.

  “You think this proves something to me?” Melinda snarled. “Do you?”

  “I have nothing to prove to you,” she rasped, placing her palms on Jagger’s cheeks and drawing him into a fiery and passionate kiss.

  Jagger drove his cock inside her pussy, willing her to come as his end approached. His heavy balls mashed against her bottom as his sperm shot through his slit. His body jerked like mad and he felt his face tighten as he tried to gain some momentum and drive her to orgasm, force his lover to scream out his name in fits of passion.

  “Ah, Jagger!” Her pussy vibrated around his stiff dick. She fell against the table, now arching her back only at a slight angle. “Ah, Jagger!” She yelled out his name then as he drove inside her faster and faster, even standing so he could pummel her with his deep thrusting strokes.

  Melinda took a step back and her eyes were wide, her pupils quarter-sized. She whimpered then as if she couldn’t stand to watch, couldn’t believe she was standing close enough to see his wet dick slipping and sliding inside the woman he loved, the woman who would always be his first and only love.

  Minutes later, Jagger tucked his cock away and Ariela fixed her skirt, making a show out of wiggling her hips and smoothing out the wrinkles. Jagger snickered as he noticed Melinda’s open mouth. Thanks to his lion’s senses, he easily detected her rapid heartbeat and the noticeable hitches in her short breaths.

  Ariela sashayed by her and sat on Leon’s lap, reaching across the table to hold Lane’s hand as if she felt it necessary to comfort him. Jagger smirked. Poor bastard probably needed more than her hand to hold after that little demonstration.

  “So now what?” Melinda’s voice was shaken. Her head jerked slightly one way or another.

  Ariela grinned at Sanchez. “Do you mind to hand Leon his jacket?”

  “Not at all,” Sanchez said, walking to the wall and jumping high enough to retrieve Leon’s outerwear. Once he returned, he took his seat and tossed the jacket to the table. “This should be interesting.”

  “Hope so,” Ariela muttered, rising again. “Okay, Melinda. What are you waiting for?”

  Melinda nervously asked, “What do you mean, what am I waiting for?”

  “You wanted Jagger. We had a deal. I told you if you took him, it would be on my terms and only after I fucked him in front of you. I’ve done that. It’s your turn.”

  Jagger smirked and patted the table in front of him. There was still a tiny dot of moisture where Ariela’s release had leaked onto the furniture. “Up we go, Melinda.” He patted the wooden surface once more.

  “Are you insane?” She held her head higher and glared down her nose at Ariela. “Do you really think I would fuck….take….screw… whatever…Jagger after you’ve had him bareback?”

  She shrugged. “Those are the terms. Jagger can’t go outside and clean up. The detectives are swarming this place. There really isn’t time for all that nonsense. I’m clean. He’s clean.”

  “You sleep with all four men!”

  “And your point is?”

  Melinda gulped. “I’m not doing this here.”

  “You’ll do it here,” Ariela paused, pointed at the camera, and added, “and you’ll do Jagger in front of the cameras, or you won’t do him at all.”

  “We had a deal, Ariela.”

  “We really didn’t, Melinda,” Ariela said, her tone as cold as ice. “You blackmailed Jagger. Now, I’m in control of how we handle that. You can climb on board, fuck him right here in front of an audience like I’ve done, or you can simply walk away and never mention this again.”

  Melinda and Ariela glared at one another. In that moment, Jagger was sure no two women hated each other more.

  “I’m waiting, Melinda,” Jagger said, too much play in his voice.

  “You can wait,” she bit out, rushing for the door.

  “Oh and, Melinda?” Ariela slowly turned. “Go ahead and clean out your office and desk. I’m back in place here at Pride’s Casino, and I like to surround myself with people I can trust.”

  * * * *

  Lane was prepared for anything. After Melinda left, Jagger had been called away to answer some security questions. When he returned and claimed the seat where Ariela had fucked him, Lane could tell Jagger’s renewed confidence had more to do with whatever he wanted to discuss than the fact that Ariela had screwed him in front of Lane.

  “What’s on your mind, Jagger?”

  Jagger sat at the head of the table. Leon and Ariela were to his right and Lane and Sanchez sat on his left. While Jagger had been talking with detectives, Lane and Sanchez had made their peace. Lane had swallowed his pride, apologized, and told him he would always have a job at Catwalk if he wanted it.

  Sanchez seemed more at ease until Jagger reentered the room, which suggested the forthcoming conversation wasn’t anything Lane would likely approve.

  “We’re not giving up on Ariela, and we’re not sharing her on your terms,” Jagger said.

  Lane nodded slowly, processing. “And how do you propose to change the current living arrangement?”

  “We want her to live with us four days a week. Three days a week she can live with you.”

  “It won’t work. The children will wonder where she is.”

  “I don’t care what the children wonder, Lane,” Jagger said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Understand, I’ve been very patient, generous in fact, but you had Ariela to yourself for two years. Ariela is my wife. Maybe we’re not legally married, but I’ve known her since I was a child. She and I have a longstanding history and I am in physical pain when she is not near me.”

  “So am I.”

  “Get used to it,” Jagger bit out, apparently under the impression that a negotiation wasn’t necessary.

  “Jagger and I share similar feelings on this subject, Lane.” Leon leaned forward, clasping his hands on the table. “There are three of us. One of you. We feel we should have Ariela four nights a week because that allows us to share her one night and enjoy time alone with her as well. You end up with the best end of the deal because when she is with you, Ariela only sees you.”

  “It’s unacceptable,” Lane said, his gaze meeting Ariela’s. “She has children at home and she is also pregnant with my child.”

  “And we imagine y
ou plan to keep her reproducing langle cubs until she can’t give birth anymore,” Sanchez spoke up, and everyone seemed shocked by the fact. “Is that right?”

  “I’d like to have six or seven children. As long as Ariela agrees, then I don’t see why it’s a problem.”

  “It’s not a problem,” Jagger said. “But our terms aren’t changing.”

  “And I said they’re unacceptable.” Lane tried to tame the angry beasts gnawing at his gut. His inner animals were ready to sharpen their claws and fight until Jagger had some semblance of common sense.

  “Let me put this in terms you’ll understand.” Jagger stood up, placed his palms on the table, and hauled his body forward as if he thought he’d look more intimidating if he were nose to nose with Lane. “Ariela is the lioness within our circle of commitment. If one of us dies, we all die, and I’m not living without Ariela.”

  “So what, you’re threatening suicide?”

  Jagger smirked. “No.” He swung his gaze at Sanchez. “He goes first, because then you no longer have the prized cat at the Catwalk venue. Without Sanchez, your coveted crowds will return to Rise to Power, Search for Pride, which is where they should be anyway.”

  “So this is about business.” Lane chuckled. “Why didn’t you say so? I can close the venue if Catwalk has hurt your bottom line, Jagger.”

  “It hasn’t. And yes, this is business. While I don’t like to look at Ariela as a commodity, you’ve certainly used her as one. Now, you’ve left me with no other choice. You share time with her other mates or face losing her altogether.”

  “You’re all right with this?” Lane didn’t look at Jagger. Instead, he addressed Ariela. “Is this what you want?”

  Ariela took a few deep breaths before she finally said, “No. I’m not all right with this, Jagger.”

  “Why not?” Jagger looked hurt.

  Lane felt victorious.

  She turned to Lane. “On the way to the casino today, you said you looked after your family, and because of my commitment to Jagger, Leon, and Sanchez, they were now your family.”

  “I’m touched, Lane,” Leon said, sarcasm thick in his lips as he covered his heart with his right palm.

  “I thought you might be.” Lane smiled, amused.

  “So what are you saying, Ariela?” Sanchez coaxed her.

  “I want my family together. We either live together in harmony or we all go our separate ways. Love is nonnegotiable.”

  Epilogue

  Three years later

  “Jagger, do you think the stars are real? Do you think they’re part of a Vegas show? Do you think there are scientists in heaven? How about artists? Who invented Las Vegas, Jagger? Who built your casino? Can I be the boss one day? Can I go to work with you now?” Little Lane followed Jagger throughout the house.

  “The kid is relentless,” Leon said, looking up from his morning paper. “Grab some juice, kid, and chill out. Mommy and Daddy will be down soon and they’ll want to find you using your inside voice and eating your eggs.”

  “I don’t eat eggs. I don’t eat anything that comes from a chicken.”

  “Why not?” Sanchez asked, sitting across from the little boy.

  “I think it’s cruel what they do to the chickens. Do you know they keep the lights on in the chicken houses all the time and make the chickens lay eggs all the time?”

  “Where does this kid come up with this stuff?”

  “Langles are wise beyond their years,” Lane said, entering the kitchen and tousling the little boy’s hair. While he looked like most four year olds, he spoke like a curious preteen, one trying to impress the parents.

  “He never shuts up,” Jagger said out of the corner of his mouth.

  Angelina giggled, stirred her cereal and said, “That’s funny, Jagger.”

  “You think that’s funny?” He reached over and tickled her. “Want me to tell you where those cinnamon squares come from?”

  “They come from a breakfast cereal factory.”

  “Ah, but not just any breakfast cereal factory,” Jagger told her, turning his chair around to face her. “Those sugary squares there are handcrafted and designed by young boys like your brother who are shipped off to work in the cereal factory until they’re old enough to start a cereal factory of their own.”

  “They’re not as profitable as they used to be, Jagger,” Little Lane said. “There’s too much competition.” He shook his head. “I wouldn’t work in a cereal factory. I’m more interested in profits.”

  “Kid never stops,” Leon said, shaking his head.

  “Don’t you have something to do, Little Lane?” Jagger loved to tease him. He was such a serious kid and never seemed to relax unless Jagger was taunting him.

  “No.” He placed his fork next to his plate and turned around when Ariela entered the kitchen. “Good morning, Mother. Did you sleep well last night?”

  “I did,” Ariela replied, shooting each of her mates a smile. “How about you? Did you sleep well?”

  “No, I didn’t. The nannies let baby Francesca cry all night. We need to see if we can do something about that.”

  Lane frowned. “How long did she cry?”

  Mrs. Tangerly entered the kitchen then with Francesca on her hip. “She didn’t cry all night, Little Lane.”

  He shrugged, turned around, and muttered, “It was worth a try.”

  Leon smirked at the boy. “Something on your mind?”

  “No,” the kid grumbled.

  “You can talk to us,” Jagger said.

  Little Lane waited until she left the room. Then, he lowered his voice in a conspiratorial tone. “She’s trying to talk Mother and Father into sending me away to boarding school.”

  “And what do you think about that?” Leon asked.

  “I think it’s a bad idea.” He picked up his fork and picked at his breakfast. As if he’d thought of something, he leveled a stare on Sanchez. “You should understand. You know what it was like to live in captivity. Do you think Angelina and I want something like that? Do we look like the kind of kids who need structure? Do we look like the kind of kids who want to be locked up at night?” He frowned at his plate. “I’ve lost my appetite.”

  He left the table without another word. Angelina, his little shadow, followed right behind him.

  “So you’re considering boarding school?” Sanchez asked as soon as Lane and Ariela joined them for coffee.

  “We thought it would be good for them,” Lane said.

  “Don’t you think we should’ve discussed this?” Sanchez asked.

  Jagger somewhat agreed. Sanchez spent a great deal of time with the children.

  Ariela and Lane swapped quick glances. Then Lane said, “I’m not for it. Ariela thinks they might thrive if they’re in the right environment.”

  “What’s wrong with this environment?” Sanchez asked, directing his question to Ariela.

  Jagger leaned back and watched Ariela as she struggled to find an answer. Before she could respond, Sanchez said, “A few years ago, we decided to live together as a family. Our family includes your children. I don’t weigh in with an opinion often because I don’t feel like it’s my place, but this is one time when I won’t stay silent.

  “I love those kids. Jagger and Leon do, too. As you said to us once, I’ll say to you now. This is nonnegotiable. Love, Ariela, is nonnegotiable. Those kids are our family, too. And if you ask me, our family would be separated for no good reason.”

  Before Ariela or Lane could stop him, he marched out of the kitchen.

  “The white lion has spoken,” Leon said, clearly amused.

  “Do either of you have an opinion?” Lane asked.

  Leon grinned. “I think Sanchez said enough for all of us. Don’t you, Jagger?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Then it’s settled. We all stay together.” Ariela rose from the table.

  “Where are you going?” Jagger asked.

 
“Back to bed,” she said, a quick little crook of her finger summoning them. “And if any of you are smarter than the average lion, you’ll pounce on me there.”

  “Pounce, is it?” Leon laughed. “I’d like to see how well you fared with four of us pouncing.”

  “Me, too,” Lane said, winking at Ariela.

  “You’ll never know until you try,” Ariela teased.

  Jagger stood. “Sounds like a proposition we can’t refuse.”

  “We can always negotiate,” Ariela told them as they pursued her down the hall.

  “I don’t think so,” Lane said. “Remember, we can’t negotiate terms when it comes down to love.”

  About the Author

  Destiny Blaine is one pseudonym for the award-winning international bestselling author Susan Smith Alvis. She lives in East Tennessee with her husband of twenty-four years and their four pampered dogs. They have two grown children, with an emphasis on grown, and one beautiful granddoll. Visit Destiny online at www.destinyblaine.com or follow her on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/DestinyBlaine.