Tempt: A Dark Billionaire Romance (Dark Odyssey Club Fantasies Book 2) Read online

  Tempt

  Dark Odyssey Club Fantasies Book 2

  Faith Summers

  Khardine Gray

  Copyright © 2020 by Khardine Gray Please note : Faith Summers is the Dark Romance pen name of USA Today Bestselling Author Khardine Gray

  All rights reserved.

  Tempt Book 2 of Dark Odyssey Club Fantasies Copyright © 2020 by Khardine Gray

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This work is copyrighted. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  The author asserts that all characters and situations depicted in this work of fiction are entirely imaginary and bear no relation to any real person.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  The following story contains mature themes, strong language and sexual situations.

  It is intended for mature readers. All characters are 18+ years of age and all sexual acts are consensual.

  Contents

  Tempt

  Dark Romance Warning

  Author Note

  Faith Summers Collection

  Welcome to The Dark Odyssey.

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  Tempt

  USA Today Bestselling Author

  Khardine Gray

  Writing as

  Faith Summers

  Dark Romance Warning

  WARNING: This book is a standalone DARK ROMANCE. This book contains scenes that may be triggering to some readers and should be read by those only 18+ or older. **

  Author Note

  Please note Faith Summers is the Dark romance pen name of USA Today Bestselling Author Khardine Gray

  Faith Summers Collection

  Dark Odyssey

  Tease Me

  Taunt Me

  Thrill Me

  Tempt Me

  Take Me – coming soon

  Dark Odyssey Fantasies

  Entice

  Tease

  Play

  Tempt

  Rebels of Raventhorne University- Coming soon

  Twisted Dares

  Rebel Harts

  Welcome to The Dark Odyssey.

  We hope you enjoy our masquerade parties.

  Our aim is to connect you with your wildest fantasies.

  To thrill and excite you all at once in a place where you can just be you.

  When the masks go on and the lights go out, you decide what happens next.

  Chapter One

  Rachel

  “Rachel,” Dad says my name in that peeved off tone that I hate, rapping his knuckles on his desk to catch my attention.

  “Sorry,” I apologize quickly, and swallow hard. I guess I should probably feel more guilty for zoning out when he’s talking to me, but I’m tired of being treated like an idiot.

  It’s bad enough he calls me into his office on the regular for his chats to check up on my work, but today he’s sitting across from me laying down the law on how he wants his company to run. He’s also, surprise, surprise taking the opportunity to once again remind me that being his daughter doesn’t make me immune to the treatment he’d issue to any other member of his staff that displeases him.

  Meaning he’ll fire me if he has to.

  “I was just thinking about what you said,” I add and he knows it for a lie. He knows too I’m as pissed off with him as he is with me.

  The main difference between us, however, is he’s the one with the power and I’m the one who has to do what I’m told if I want to continue to work for him.

  “Rachel, It’s time to be serious and stop playing around. I need you to take the work we do here seriously.”

  That’s how he talks to me all the time. I’m twenty-six years old and he insists on talking to me like I’m a child, or like I’m just here for work experience.

  “I do,” I insist.

  “Unfortunately, I don’t think you do.” It’s like my words fall on deaf ears. “This project will bring in over five million. I don’t want you messing things up like last time.” He gives me a stern expression and I try to keep my calm by slowing down my breathing.

  This shit meeting we’re having is because of that fucking incident. Two weeks ago he raised hell when I lost a client who would have brought in millions.

  Tim Barker, owner of Soft tech; a Fortune 500 software development company, hired us to create a big marketing campaign for him. It was a great opportunity and one of those clients who would have brought us more recognition. All good, except for his daily sexual advances toward me. The man was a Neanderthal.

  “I didn’t mess anything up last time. Tim cancelled the contract because I wouldn’t sleep with him,” I counter.

  “Rachel that was a separate issue. Unrelated. He complained you were unprofessional and he showed me the mistakes you made.”

  Those were all things he made up. That fucking asshole just twisted shit to make it look like I was in the wrong when nothing was further from the truth.

  “He told you those things when I refused him. Maybe if I had slept with him it would have made you happier.”

  Dad seethes and balls his fists, glowering at me. I don’t usually talk to him like that but I’m still pissed that he didn’t seem to care when I told him the truth. He chose to believe Tim over me.

  “Rachel, I won’t provide an answer to that. It’s clear that’s a separate matter. If a person can provide me with proof that you messed up making rookie mistakes, then that’s what I’m going with.”

  “That’s not fair, Dad.” I shake my head.

  He sighs. “Rachel, what’s not fair is me losing millions. That’s what’s not fair. I don’t want shit happening on this project. It’s another multimillion dollar opportunity. I’m giving you a chance because you and Allen are the best social media marketers here.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. That reason he’s dishing me is only half true. I am the best social media marketer here, Allen comes in a close second. He’s putting us to work together because Dad likes Allen and he wants us to be a couple.

  “I want the two of you on this project with Dante,” Dad adds.

  I bite down hard o
n my back teeth at the mention of Dante’s name.

  Dad told me about this project yesterday and I spent the whole night wondering how I was going to flair out.

  I can’t choose which is worse. Working with Allen, a guy who’s the same kind of Neanderthal as Tim. Or, working with Dante, the guy who’s suddenly started ignoring me for no reason at all. I’ve been in love with him from as long as I can remember, and right now he doesn’t seem to know I exist.

  Most people would call it unhealthy to obsess over a man I can’t be with.

  Dante Lombroso is supposed to be off-limits and forbidden to me because not only is he twenty years older than me, but he’s also Dad’s best friend. Neither of those factors bothered me until he recently started avoiding me like the plague. So how am I supposed to work with him and pretend things are fine when I know something’s wrong.

  “Rachel,” Dad says leaning forward. “I need your word on this, that you won’t mess this project up. The CEO of Activate is trusting us to come up with a campaign that will take his business to the next level. In my world, a sportswear company as big as them putting their business online is like a bank falling into your lap.”

  I straighten up, deciding to drop any further arguments by the wayside. It’s best to. I don’t want my job threatened again.

  “You have my word,” I answer.

  “Good, now there’s a few things I need to discus with you before you go.”

  He starts talking and I zone out again thinking of why I stay here and put up with his shit. I ask myself the same thing every time we clash.

  I stay because my career goals are aligned with being here.

  Dad took Bradleys Inc. to the next level and made it the number one marketing and advertising company in Chicago. Apart from my run-ins with him, I love working here. It would be my end goal even if it wasn’t owned by him.

  I worked my ass off at Northwestern University to get my degree just like my brothers; Matt and Jeff. And I continue to work my ass off here because I hope that like them, Dad will give me more ownership of what I love doing and more responsibility.

  I’m just a marketing assistant now, but I’d love to head the Digital Marketing team someday. That’s my goal. I just have a knack and a deep interest for anything internet marketing related. Dad has a wonderful team at Bradleys but he runs it with project managers who he allocates to different projects as they come in. He did the same sort of thing with the relationship marketing division but now Matt and Jeff are managers of it. They travel between our branches in LA, New York, and abroad. They have very good jobs. I want that too, badly.

  If I’m honest though, the other reason I stay is Dante.

  He’s worked with Dad since the company began and I always imagined working with him. This project should feel like the heavens opened up and God threw me a rope to get what I want.

  It felt like that too eight months ago when Dante and Marie; his dragon bitch fiancée broke up, but… that was the start of the awkward shit with him.

  My gaze shifts from Dad to the floor to ceiling glass windows when I catch sight of Dante walking up the path leading in to the building.

  Unlike Dad who always wears a suit, Dante is wearing his black biker jacket and black slacks. He takes his strides with that badass attitude and the suave sophistication of a man who’s confident in everything. Today is just another day to display his gorgeous perfection.

  Dante is Italian, which to me equals sexy overload. As he strides by it’s no surprise that he has the attention of every female with eyes, including me.

  Those I can see are looking at his tall, muscular body with wide powerful shoulders, and they’re drooling over the way the sun beams down on his perfectly styled faux hawk highlighting his graying edges and chiseled face.

  I don’t have to be near him to get a good picture of his face. It’s always in my mind. It’s one that’s all angles and planes and his onyx eyes are so dark they have a magnetic feel to them. Add in his panty melting smile and you have the perfect man.

  Dad shuffles and follows my gaze. He sees Dante and doesn’t comment.

  Instead he frowns and I hope he doesn’t guess just from looking at me how crazy in love I am with his best friend.

  It’s best if he doesn’t. It’s not something he has to worry about since it’s becoming clearer and clearer every day that any fantasy I have of me and Dante is never going to happen.

  Chapter Two

  Dante

  “I think when you look at their budget you’ll see that we can make it stretch to accommodate what they want,” I state, pushing my shoulders back. “Activate wants us to focus on brand awareness and sales. That is all we’ll be looking at when we create our campaign.”

  I steal my spine and carry on the pretense that I’m focused on what I’m doing and haven’t seen this fucking prick sitting in front of me checking out Rachel’s tits. I’ll also pretend I didn’t just see the idiot lick over his lips.

  Allen is sitting next to her, and all he’s been doing since the meeting began is alternating between checking her out and calling me old man when he can spare the minute or two to give a shit about my presentation.

  I’m not sure what kind of fool he is. The kind that doesn’t have any respect for the vice president of the company he works for, or the kind that’s oblivious to the fact that Rachel’s father is my best friend. The owner of the company he works for, the same guy who gave him a job he’s not currently doing.

  Maybe he thinks I’ll understand.

  Maybe I should.

  Look at her… I’ve watched her grow up into this gorgeous woman with a body made for sin.

  She permanently looks like she could grace the screens of Hollywood. With those curves in all the right places— I shouldn’t be looking at, and a pair of tits— I shouldn’t be looking at either, she could get a man in trouble.

  Allen… or, me.

  I’ve certainly been a victim of that lately.

  She’s focusing on the chart I’ve just pulled up on the overhead projector and now both me and Allen are gawking at her.

  “They’re budget is fifty grand right?” Rachel asks looking to me uneasily.

  I almost forget what I was talking about. “Yes. What are you thinking?” I ask resuming professional mode.

  She tilts her head to the side and pushes out her bottom lip. I wish she wouldn’t draw attention to her lips like that. They’re full and pouty. The kind a man imagines around his cock.

  She shakes her head at me, and panic races through me. For a second I foolishly wonder if she could hear my damn thoughts, then I realize she’s shaking her head at the budget.

  “No,” she says.

  “No to what Rachel?”

  “The whole thing. They’re Activate, an up and coming sports brand. Mid-listers and they want us to do this on the cheap? They’re trying to push and make us jump through hoops to make miracles happen. The campaign I’m thinking of in line with their brand and their goals will at least cost seventy five to eighty grand.”

  I can’t help the little smile that pulls at the corners of my mouth. Rachel has always been smart and when you combine it with confidence it’s one hell of a mixture.

  I’m her boss for this project and I’ve been up here telling her and Allen what I want for this campaign but she just shot me down with seriously valid points I already contemplated.

  “You can’t just say that though baby,” Allen says to her drawing my attention to him.

  Baby…

  What the fuck?

  She gives him a stiff smile. “Why not? If we do things their way something will be missing somewhere. Either we won’t be able to do the campaign for the length of time they want, or we won’t be able to bring quality to the table.”

  Allen gives her his smug smile. A smile I’m certain he’s used to charm women out of their dignity many times. I know guys like him, can smell them before I see them.

  “With all due respect, I think it can be done,�
�� Allen cajoles. “Like the old man says we can make it stretch. That means thinking outside the box, outsourcing, and adding a little charm here and there. There are cheaper ways of getting what we want, and still bringing quality to the table.”

  Fucker, although he’s siding with me I wish he would stop calling me old man. I’m forty-six and I could wipe the floor with his thirty year old ass if I needed to.

  “How are you going to get things cheaper?” Rachel asks wrinkling her nose. “Even if we outsource providers they won’t be that much cheaper than the people we already use.”

  “Woman, I think if the old man delegates I’ll take over the outsourcing. I’m a man of many charms. I think I may surprise you in more ways than one,” Allen says leaning closer to her.

  She recoils with a frown on her pretty face and turns away from him.

  “What say ye, old man?” he asks me.

  Now what should I say to him? I’m a hot tempered Italian who grew up around the mafia. This guy is making my blood boil. He’s aggravated me to no end for the last hour and if we weren’t at work I would have probably knocked his teeth down his throat by now. The fact that I’m allowing this fool to undermine me to make himself look good makes me want to do it. But… I’ll calm myself, and try to answer him in a manner that will shut him down.