Dylan, p.1
Dylan, page 1
Dylan
Steele Riders Family Novella
Book Four
C.M. Steele
Copyrighted © 2024
All Rights Reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, copied or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without written expressed permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is purely coincidental.
Cover design: Sarah Kil Creative
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Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Epilogue
I came from a monster. In my blood I am ruthless, cold-blooded, and it shows because I take no prisoners. Of course, it is in the business world. Still, there is a part of my life I keep pure because there is a demon lurking that I’m afraid will get out, a twisted side of me that’s in my DNA. The fear that I could be just like the monster is what made me keep that part of my life clean until she came into my life. She made me break the rules.
I sent her running and into the heart of danger. I’ll never forgive myself for it. Her enemies are now mine, and they will pay. I can’t let her go again, but will she ever forgive me? She’ll have to because there’s no going back to the man I used to be. I can’t exist without her.
Chapter One
Dylan
The door to my town car opens and I step out, stretching my long legs and adjusting my suit to the chilly Texas air. My driver hands me my coat and briefcase before I make my way into my office building in the heart of Dallas’s sprawling metropolis. Doors are held open for me as if I can’t manage the feat for myself, but I don’t complain because today I’m in one of those moods to fire someone and as if on cue, it seems my staff can read it off my face. Everyone scatters and pretends to be busy even if they aren’t because it’s about to cost them their jobs.
Another sleepless night, another dream about the girl that works somewhere in this building whose name I don’t even know. I should have learned it, should have memorized it, written it down, and had it tattooed on my chest, but no, I snapped at her and sent her on her way. I could fucking kick my own ass for being so screwed up.
How many days has it been, and she hasn’t bothered to cross my path again? Is she trying to torture me? Punish me for being so damn cruel?
Normally I don’t hesitate in the lobby because there are too many interested parties seeking me out for business or perhaps finding a way to take me out. Still, I linger in the hopes of running into the little object of perfection.
“Sir, the elevator,” my head of security says, reminding me that it’s waiting.
“I own the fucking building. It can wait,” I snarl, staring at the lobby area, looking for any signs of her long, caramel-colored hair breezing through the area or a whiff of her vanilla scent in the air. “Nothing,” I mutter.
“Excuse me, sir?” he asks, believing that I’d been speaking to him instead of muttering to myself like a fool.
“Never mind. Let’s go.”
We enter the elevator and once it closes, he asks, “Is there a problem? Did you sense a threat that we may have missed?”
“No. Leave it be. Now, I need to get to work, and I’m not to be bothered until it’s time for my meeting.” I don’t make it to my office before I spot my VP of Operations. While I stay strictly focused on business, he can’t stay away from women.
He comes in smelling of booze this morning, and I wonder why the fuck I bother to keep him around. It’s then I remember that he knows too much, and I don’t have time to find a replacement for him unless he pushes me too far. “Nice of you to freshen up before work.”
“Hey, sorry. It was a long night. One of the new employees and I were getting to know each other, and it was a lot of fun.”
I drag him into my office and slam the door shut. It reverberates so hard that some of the papers on my desk go flying. “New employees? You’re not supposed to be fucking the employees. It’s against company policy, and you damn well know that shit,” I bark out, glad the room is soundproof.
“What? Technically she’s a temp, so she comes from a different company,” he confesses, shrugging his shoulders as if it’s no big deal. I didn’t even know we dealt with temps, but then again that’s not the part of my company I deal with. If I had time for those matters, I wouldn’t need all these lackeys around.
I shake my head, feeling violent, as if the punching bag I destroyed this morning didn’t get all my aggression out. “It doesn’t matter. What is wrong with you?”
“I like pussy.”
“Apparently a lot more than you like money. You’re on your last strike here, Majors. I don’t have patience for this shit anymore.” I release my hold on him, and he fixes his lapels.
“Damn, calm down.”
“Get out of my sight, and get some work done.” He leaves, and I feel like I have to disinfect my office and myself. I step into my private bathroom and wash my hands. Smelling the distinct whiff of old alcohol, I give my office a quick spray and turn on the air purifier just in case. No matter how much I don’t want to deal with the hassle, Majors has got to go. I put in a call to a friend and do some headhunting before my next conference call.
Once I get through my morning with a nice headache building at my temples, I get up and head to get myself some coffee. I have an assistant, but I sent him on an errand, so I’m left to my own devices. When I passed the copy room, the door was closed and the unmistakable sounds of moans, grunts, and slapping skin could be heard from it. Son of a bitch. I can hear the woman whisper my VP’s name and then he says, “Be quiet. I’m on thin ice already.”
“It’s okay. We’ll be rich soon.”
“Keep talking, baby.”
I’m so damn disgusted. I pound on the door.
“Holy shit.”
“Just looking for something behind the door. Give me one minute.”
I wait for them to exit and then sneak off to the side so they can’t see who found them. I can see who both of them are, and I’ll report them both to HR to be fired today. So that’s the new temp. I’ll have her out on her ass today.
I called down to the HR department and IT at the same time. “Hello, Mrs. Featherman, Mr. Russell. I need to have two employees terminated, effective immediately. My VP of Operations, James Majors, and the new temp, but I’m not sure her name.”
I can hear both of them typing quickly as I speak. “We only have one new temp, sir. Harley Dean.”
“Well, then, that’s the one who goes.”
“Is there something I should put in their files?” she asks.
“Yes, they were fucking in my copy room,” I snarl. “Well, word it professionally, please.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Should we send up security for them?”
“Yes. I want them out of my building by the time I get back from my next meeting.”
“Understood,” they reply in unison like good little employees, which keeps me sane. At my age, running an empire is a miracle, a bit of luck, and pure sacrifice, and when people like Majors turn my company into a whorehouse, I feel venomous.
I leave for my lunch meeting to discuss the possible buyout of a company, but after ten minutes I know it’s not worth it to me. Someone with more time to waste can invest in a new makeup company, so I pass on the venture. It’s not like I know a damn thing about women, and I know even less about makeup. I come back an hour later only to come face to face with the blonde who I caught with my former VP this morning. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Excuse me? I work here.”
First, who the fuck does she think she’s talking to? And second, “The hell you do. I fired you this morning.”
“Fired me for what, handsome.” She moves in closer, as if that’s going to work with me.
“For screwing my former VP, Ms. Harley Dean.”
She gasps, pressing her hand to my chest. “I’m not Harley Dean.”
“What? Do you have a twin?” I accuse her after swiping her hand away with a little more force than necessary.
“No, that mousy girl wouldn’t be caught screwing anything. She’s probably cradling her pillow right now.” So there’s a second temp no one m entioned. Breathing through my nose, I let the rage boil in my blood.
“I’m Sandra Stone, Mr. Majors’s assistant.”
“Well, you’re fired, Ms. Stone. Get your shit and get out of my building.” I’m already on my phone before she can step away. “Russell, please deactivate the keycard for Ms. Sandra Stone.” I end the call and summon security next. I follow her directly to the VP’s former office, and it’s a wreck. “What the hell happened in here?”
“He wasn’t too happy about getting fired,” the head of building security says, stepping next to me.
“Have Ms. Stone escorted out with her things. Make sure she doesn’t take anything that belongs to the company. I need to go speak with Mrs. Featherman.”
I walk down to HR because I’m too pissed and need to burn off the anger for this motherfucking mistake. If I wasn’t already stressed out and screwed up over a stranger I have no intention of pursuing, I wouldn’t have been so damn careless when it came to firing these two. I would have called them into my office and fired them on the spot.
I slam her door open and Mrs. Featherman looks up, and then a pair of beautiful, tear-stained eyes find me. It’s the girl I’ve been looking for over the past few days. The sexy, innocent, heartbreaking beauty is in HR’s office, crying. “What are you doing in here?”
“She was just leaving.” Tears are in her eyes, and I don’t like it one bit. I grab her wrist, stopping her from fleeing. Her eyes dart upward toward me in panic.
“Mr. Hunter,” Mrs. Featherman scolds me. I release my tormentor, remembering my actions and my sanity.
Closing the door, I turn to stare at my employee and give her a warning. “If you ever correct me again, it won’t be just your job you lose. Now, explain to me who it is that just left, and why the hell was she crying?”
“You should know who she is. You just had me fire the girl, accusing her of screwing Mr. Majors.” I growl. The thought of his hands on her body sends me into a rage. I slam my fist on the desk.
“Actually, that’s your damn fault. I asked who the temp was, and you said there was only one, but there’s more than one because he was with the other one—his assistant.”
“She’s not a temp. She’s a full-time employee. I only gave you what you asked for, and now that poor girl has left.”
“That lying sack of shit,” I mutter to myself, running my hands through my hair, ready to bust his head open.
“I need her information. I have to contact Ms. Dean and inform her that she’s rehired.”
“That’s not up to us. We contacted the temp agency, and it’s on her record, per your request.”
“Fuck.” I drag my hands over my face. “Give me her information. I’ll have to hire her directly.”
“We can’t do that. It’s a violation of the contract with the agency. Maybe we can contact them and fix it, but they’re closed for the weekend.”
“Still, I refuse to let Ms. Dean suffer for that mistake. I will contact her and at least let her know it’s my fault. I won’t tell you again to give me her information.” She quickly writes it down, and I call the number on the file as I storm out of her office.
A moment later, a shaky voice answers, “Hello?”
“Harley, this is Dylan Hunter. I wanted to speak with you about your job. Please come back.”
“I can’t show my face in there again. I’m mortified, hurt, and…”
“Where are you?” I question, needing to see her again.
“I’m waiting for the bus.”
I’m already taking the stairs two at a time and out the lobby. I’m grateful that HR is on the third floor because I made it down before she could get away.
“Come back to the entrance, and I’ll be waiting for you. I’m taking you home, and we can talk.”
“What’s there to talk about, Mr. Hunter?”
“Dylan.” I want to hear her say my name, and as I stare at her profile from a few feet away, I want to watch it come off her lips.
“Mr. Hunter, I’m not the office whore. I’m not going to sleep with you too, if that’s what you think.” I snatch the phone from her hand and spin her around.
“Too?” I want to rip his balls off and stuff them down his throat. She’s mine. No, she can’t be mine. I don’t deserve someone like her.
“I mean, that’s what I was being fired for. Having sex with someone, and I wasn’t even told who it was.”
“Mr. Majors,” I snarl, disgust filling my blood. The thought of him even putting his hands on her makes my stomach flip. He said that he spent the night with the temp, but I’m hoping that Stone was telling the truth and that he was just lying.
“Jimmy? Yuck.” Harley gags on his name.
“You know him?” I have to ask.
“Yes, he’s my cousin.”
“Your cousin? How come we never met?”
“Because I’m a lot younger than him, and we don’t get along.”
“Come on; I’ll give you a ride home.” She shakes her head, sending strands of hair across her pretty face, and I want to brush them away but I’m already on thin ice with her. Besides, I can’t trust myself not to stop.
“No, thank you. I’ve had enough of Hunter Industries.”
“I’m sorry about earlier. It was a mix-up. He said he was banging the temp, and you’re the only temp.”
“Eww. He’s a natural liar.” Her face scrunches, and she shivers in disgust. Seeing the bus approach, I forget my trepidation as I take her hand and lead her to the back of my vehicle. As I let go of her hand, the regret is strong, but it’s for the best.
“I’m taking you home, Ms. Dean.” She doesn’t fight me this time, so I give my driver the address.
“You have my address?”
“Yes, I got it from HR so I could make sure I corrected this matter. I’m sorry that you were fired by mistake.”
“And you told the temp agency that I’m the office slut. I’ll never get another job around here unless I plan on working at a strip club. It’s looking to be my only option to pay for my student loans.”
“The hell you’re going to do that.” There is no way I’d allow her to take off her clothes for anyone else. The thought pisses me off to even consider it. Although, I’d love to see her dance for me. The idea has so much merit that my dick hardens painfully even though I try to fight it off.
“Don’t tell me what I’m going to do. You fired me, and you ruined my name. You’re damn lucky I don’t sue your ass,” she says, glaring at me. Normally, I’d take that threat and make the person eat it, but I’ll give her anything she wants.
Before I can say anything, my driver says, “Sir, we are here.”
“Well, thanks for the ride. It’s been great, but I have to go.” Her phone pings and then rings. She sends it to voicemail before another text message pops up.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Of course I’m not okay. I don’t have a job, and now I’m a pariah. My family just learned that I got fired for fucking at my job even though it was that piece-of-shit cousin of mine who is going to lie and say it’s true because that’s his personality.”
“My uncle works on the fifth floor and was the one who told me about the job. How could they know that already?”
“Word spreads like wildfire, so thanks. It’s been a pleasure.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you.”
“How?”
“I don’t know.” I want to tell her that I could keep her wrapped up in our bed for the rest of our days where she can’t get away and find other men. I’d help her find another job, but that would mean that she’d work for other men or be surrounded by other men all day. It’s unacceptable to me and yet, I can’t have her by me all day, or the animal I’ve kept hidden my entire life will come out.
“That’s what I thought, so excuse me.” She exits my vehicle, and I don’t stop her because she deserves someone who isn’t sick and twisted. I watch her until she’s inside, and then I have my driver take me home where I sit for ten minutes before I remind myself that I’ll never be able to get her out of my head. Grabbing the keys to my Mercedes SUV, I drive back to her home and then stay across the street, watching her apartment for the next few hours until her lights go off.
Even in the darkness, I can’t pull myself away. I see a car that parks on the side of her building. There’s a man that stands outside the vehicle, and something about him gives me a sense of discomfort, so I decide to do something dumb. I call her.
