Shady Business by Silver MoonAngel @ AI and ASMR Carley MoonAngel @ FF.Net -------------------------------------------------------------------- STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIES -------------------------------------------------------------------- AN: This is the second, EDITED, version of Shady Business. I'm still going to be writing the first version we all know and love (well, at least I do) and taking suggestions to revise it and create this one! Also, some new elements are going to be introduced, but it will only prove to enhance it (I hope). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter One - The Meeting -------------------------------------------------------------------- Serena gazed out of the car window with zero or no interest in her surroundings. She didn't want to think, her thoughts would only lead her into trouble and that was never a fun place for Serena Blade to be. Sitting back, she wondered what Carlin and Kieta were up to. Kieta had met the 'love of her life' a few months ago and they were talking about getting married, the impulsive Blade blood running through her veins. 'I hope she knows what she's doing,' Serena thought as she turned them to Carlin. Carlin, the baby, had been having her visions lately. Something she had not inherited from her father happened to be her crowning glory, along with the ability to keep them all quaking in their boots. Serena smiled and thought of the time Carlin predicted that Nerys would get her "famous" white streak. Ah, the good old days. Thinking of Nerys, Serena decided that after this was all over, she was going to have to visit her. Arden's only girl to not have psychic abilities, Nerys made up for it with her shrewd thinking and gentle hands. Mr. Mills probably owned one of her statues... Statues automatically made her think of Samantha, or rather Sam as she liked to be called. Unfortunately, Sam was the embodiment of everything Arden stood for. She was cold, calculating, and irrepressibly stubborn that it was a wonder Sammy was her twin brother. Then there was Sammy, the brains of the whole operation. Arden had written every one of his illegitimate children out of his will, but Serena made damn sure that every one got their fair share. That meant that Sammy had to run the entire business, like Arden had coached him to; if he got help from his friends, then Serena didn't have a problem. Serena sat back and gazed at the open opulence of the limousine. Chances were that her only full blooded sibling, Michael, had a fleet just like them. Michael was an up and coming Hollywood movie actor, who wouldn't have had his foot in the door if it wasn't for her father's money and her mother's connections. As much as she loved Mike, she thought it would have been much better if he had to learn it the hard way. Serena returned her gaze to outside the window. As they got further and further away from the city, the scenery was quite nice. Just like Carlin's place... "Miss Blade?" Serena turned away from the window. Looking forward, she pushed herself up and pushed the intercom. "Yes?" "We are here." Returning to the window, Serena gaped at the sight of the mansion. It was twice the size of the one she had lived in her whole life and the grounds were very well maintained. She had never been too impressed with material wealth, but she was impressed with this. No wonder he could have taken over her company, he must have been loaded. Serena sat back and contemplated her next move. If it wasn't money he wanted, then what was it? * * * "Miss Blade, I'm Byrne. I'll be seeing to your comfort while you are here." A balding man in his late sixties smiled at the obviously nervous Serena. The girl was young by his standards, but not Mr. Mills. She could only be around twenty-five, twenty-six at the most, and she seemed to have a good head on her shoulders... "Thank you Byrne. Is there anything I need to do before I go up?" Serena was starting to be tired again and it was only twelve-thirty. She had been up half the night scheming a way to get out of her situation and the other half resigning herself to her fate. "There is one thing." Serena paused in mid-flight up one of the winding staircases. She turned around and steeled herself for whatever Byrne had to say. "Mr. Mills would like to see you in the library." Serena cringed. The last thing she wanted to do was see him. This was the man who was chipping away at her and her siblings birthrights! She took a deep breath and sighed. Better get it over with now, or he might never leave her alone. "Lead the way, Byrne." As soon as their little meeting was over, she was going to be flying out of there like a bat out of hell. Something about him unsettled her... Byrne played the gracious guide and pointed out a few of the rooms as they passed by. Serena was definitely going to have to tackle the music room before she left. when they arrived at an immense oak door, Byrne softly rapped on it. "Sir, Miss Blade is here." Pausing to hear the reply, a grimace marred his smooth features. With reluctance, he slowly opened the door for Serena. "Mr. Mills will see you now." Serena inched her way into the room. She took a moment to collect her thoughts and observed her surroundings. From her position at the door, she could see two wall shelves--filled floor to ceiling--a large fireplace, and a cabinet filled with all sorts of liquor. She turned her gaze to the desk, where sitting in the shadows was the man who was the cause of all of her problems. A fire was lit and the soft light played on his stark features. His eyes were obscured by unruly hair and he had prominent cheekbones, but his lips looked odd and luscious in their fullness. 'Keep your mind on the task at hand, Blade,' she reprimanded herself. Returning her gaze to his eyes, she said as levelly as she could, "I guess we meet at last, Mr. Mills." Leaning forward so his face was out of the shadows, Serena gasped. She should have expected his looks, but somehow his face was far more handsome than she had remembered. His raven hair gleamed while cobalt eyes smiled at her dismay. "I agree, Serena. We waited far too long to meet like this." When she was about to protest, he held up his hand and continued, "It's better if we skip the formalities as soon as possible." Serena backed up until she was pressed against the door. He was far more than what she had expected. Heat unfurled in her stomach as she watched him stand up. 'No, I can't be thinking this,' she thought as she pressed her hands up against the grainy wood of the door. He slowly walked toward her, like a panther stalking its prey. He saw her squeeze her eyes shut and waited for her to open them again before he fingered her hair, "I plan for us to be very... close." He lingered for a moment, then backed a few feet away from her. She was far more than he remembered. Raking his gaze up and down her body, he smiled a secret smile. She sure had filled out since she and Raye were sixteen, but she probably didn't remember that. That had been an interesting meting ten years ago and that had symbolized his undoing. Jeez, that man was sexy. Her body grew hotter when he perused it so openly, she was surprised that she didn't burst into flame. Serena felt tears prick her eyes and held them back. 'I will not cry in front of this monster.' Trying to keep from stuttering, she said, "If you plan on being so close, you should introduce yourself." She proffered her hand and said, "I'll start. My name Serena Blade and that little branch of my father's company used to be part of Blade, Inc. until you took it over last week." She let out the breath she had been holding and looked into his eyes. He simply looked at her hand, still hanging there in midair. Smiling that untamed smile of his, that had won him so many women before, he said, "My name is Darien Mills, the CEO of Bourne and Chaucy, Inc. and a man who desperately wants to kiss you." He gave her a second and a half to react before he slammed his lips down on hers. She was a little stiff, but he was a patient man. He had waited ten years for her, hadn't he? Serena gasped at the force of his mouth upon hers. This isn't what she had expected. There were things worse than to be seduced by her business rival, but totally unexpected. Hell, he wasn't what she suspected. His hands roughly pulled her against him, searing every inch of his body against hers. He backed her against the door so she was wedged between him and the wall, leaving her no means of escape. In fear of getting her hands crushed between their bodies, Serena swathed her arms around his neck. She slowly twined her fingers in his hair and pulled him a little closer. Even if he was the enemy, she was going to enjoy herself thoroughly. Darien prodded her to open her mouth. If he didn't get a taste of her, he would probably go insane. He softly nudged her in the right spots, slowly bringing his dreams of ten years to life. Serena moaned against his mouth and Darien saw his chance. Slowly infiltrating her mouth, Darien felt her stiffen beneath him. Serena was in shock. A man she had known less than ten minutes had slipped his tongue into her mouth. Although she didn't mind much, it was downright mortifying. It didn't say too much about her character and she felt as if she had let her sisters down. Serena quickly pulled away and slapped him with all her might. Darien lifted a hand to his stinging cheek. Raye had been right, this was going to be a tough battle, but a battle he would win. He picked up the offending hand and kissed the palm, trying to soothe the sting. He didn't remember her being so feisty; he had remembered her as the sweet innocent thing he almost had on the desk in his stepfather's study... "What do you think you're doing?" Serena said in a husky voice, betraying the pleasure she was getting out of this. Goodness, if he kept it up any longer she would be half-tempted to bend him over a chair and have her way with him. If Darien was going to be honest with himself, he would admit that he thoroughly enjoyed the indignant husky quality her voice had taken on. It was much more desirable than the slightly high-pitched quality it had had when they first met. "I'm kissing your palm. It must sting after the slap you gave me." He flipped her palm over and began kissing the back of her hand. If she'd give him a moment longer, he might be able to work his way back to her lips and from there anything was possible. Determined to end this first meeting, Serena abruptly jerked her hand away. She looked at him with terror in her eyes and flew out the door, slamming it behind her. She leaned up against a wall and let the tears silently flow down her cheeks. He could never know how he effected her, to do so would open a can of worms she needed to keep closed. She just couldn't do this, even if it meant losing her company for good. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Review, review, review! I'd like to continue editing this and hopefully soon the other chapters will come out! Unfortunately, diamonds aren't my best friends, so I need reviews, please. :) Send questions or comments to: silvermoonangel@yahoo.com