Page 9

Diamond

Diamond felt naked.

He couldn’t remember the last time he wore a suit. Maybe for his prom forever ago. And he’d only dressed up that night because his then-girlfriend was going to sleep with him.

Checking the silver watch on his wrist, he turned when the Judge’s office door opened, and the man walked in.

“Good. You’re here.”

Snow kept Diamond waiting at the house for an hour before they could talk. The asshole didn’t give a damn about wasting someone else’s time.

“It’s an invitation-only event tonight, but as you suspect, people can get around that. I want you and your men to be extra vigilant. With absolutely no weapons drawn, but if anything were to happen, I need you to neutralize the situation as discreetly as possible. I don’t want my wife embarrassed.”

“You might have thought about that before you let your dick wander around with a psycho bitch.” Answered Diamond, uncaring if he was overstepping his station.

The Judge’s head snapped up, and he glared, tightness thinning out his lips. “That’s none of your damn business. Just do your job.”

Diamond had already scouted out the location they were going to. His men would be on the Judge, and his Mrs. Reeves was staying home. Diamond would take Joelle. Every thought of seeing her again made his gut flex. She hadn’t been out in a few days, so he’d spent most of his on-duty hours sitting in the foyer, bored out of his mind, and picturing what she was doing upstairs in her apartment suite. The time he spent thinking about that woman was becoming obscene.

It was like an obsession amplified to the extreme.

Only his immovable willpower stopped him from kicking down doors so he could sniff the curve of her neck and hold those fantastic curves again.

“Have you figured out a way to make this shitshow go away yet?”

The Judge sighed, seating himself behind the desk in his tailored tuxedo. “Not yet.”

“Money isn’t working?”

Diamond didn’t give a shit that he was in a mess. He’d spoken a few times to Sandrine, and he liked her.

Diamond was a man of action. He’d never let shit touch his family, and not through selfish means like Snow was doing.

“If money would solve it, do you think I would have engaged you?” he spoke curtly, and Diamond half grinned at the show of temper.

“Bet it’s sticking in your craw, isn’t it, Judge, that you had to come crawling to the Diablos? You’re so used to your power being able to fix anything.”

Someone knocked on the door, and Joelle walked in.

Diamond’s breath caught, and he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

Jesus Christ. He’d never seen a woman like her.

Beautiful was a meek word to describe what he was looking at, but he couldn’t find anything else rattling around in his empty head.

She was dressed in a shiny silver dress with long sleeves. It was a modest dress above her knees and tapered around her hips. He thought it might be the first block of color he’d seen her wearing until he skated his gaze down her creamy bare legs to see the high stilettos in a metallic rainbow.

Her hair was wavy, flirting around her shoulders, bouncing as she moved her head. She had the deepest red lipstick and silver glitter makeup on her eyelids.

Their eyes met, and it felt like Diamond was sucked into a vortex, unable to look away from her bemused face as she smiled.

“Good evening, Diamond.” She said, sounding unaffected by whatever shit had grabbed him by the throat and was choking the air out of him.

If he sprang a boner right now, he’d shoot himself in the fucking head.

He’d known for a few days he was attracted to the quirky diva. But he’d been able to ignore it. Even with being constantly surrounded by attractive women, he remained unfazed by them.

But Joelle Snow had somehow gotten underneath his skin.

After her little tantrum the other day when he’d had to all but tackle her into his truck so she didn’t drive in the storm and get herself killed, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. It was as if putting his hands innocently on her waist to boost her up had triggered something in him.

She was fucking lush all over.

So soft, and his hands, even now, itched inside his pants pockets to get on her again, to see if she was soft and warm all over.

Turning to leave, she smiled at him again, told him she’d be in the foyer, and left Diamond with her father.

He let out an exhale.

A woman shouldn’t be that hot.

It should be fucking illegal how Joelle monopolized his thoughts.

“Larson and Davey are outside when you’re ready to go,” He informed and turned to leave. Only to hear. “Don’t even fucking think about it.”

Diamond stopped and cocked an eyebrow at the old man. “Come again?”

“I saw how you looked at my daughter.” Rising to his feet, he seemed prepared to strangle Diamond.

“Any man would look at a pretty girl, Judge. You’re an expert at that.”

“I’m warning you now. It goes no further than just looking. Do you hear me?”

Diamond’s mouth twitched with a grin. He shouldn’t be getting a kick out of rattling the silver-haired goat.

Sure, he’d roamed his eyes over her because she was stunning in her silver dress and wavy hair. It made a man think about messing her up by smudging her lipstick, but it was as far as Diamond would go.

“I have perfect hearing, Judge. But the thing is, I don’t respond well to warnings. Enjoy your evening.” He walked out smiling.

Joelle was buttoning up a white wool coat with fur trim as he approached the foyer. She turned and smiled.

“I nearly didn’t recognize you.” She was taking in his suit with a slow peruse, and he could tell she liked what she saw. And that just made it even harder for him to resist temptation. “Was this my parent’s idea?”

“Yes.” He answered, and she tinkled a laugh.

“You should have told them you’re more comfortable in the leather jacket and boots.” He could have sworn she mumbled how the jacket and his biker boots were hotter, but she’d already turned and headed for the door. He took longer strides and got there before her, pulling it open. He rode in the town car up front with the driver, Joelle, in the back. But each time he checked on her in the rearview mirror, she was staring back at him with her oh-so-fucking-sultry come-to-bed eyes.

Diamond swallowed the extended inhale.

It was going to be one hell of a long night.

* * *

Joelle

This night was a nightmare!

Joelle was sick of smiling, passing around holiday greetings, and asking about someone’s spoiled kids.

The annual Marmaduke holiday party was the season’s highlight, so she was told repeatedly. To Joelle’s observation, these things were used as bragging rights. Her mom loved these parties. She shined like a star. And her dad was never short of a conversation.

Joelle hated them with a passion.

She’d rather be at an art exhibition or home painting her toenails.

It wasn’t only the party that bothered her.

Whenever her eyes sought Diamond, checking where he was discreetly stationed, he watched her from underneath hooded eyelids. And each time she caught him watching her, she got a thrilled buzz between her thighs, making her heart palpitations even more potent.

The sight of him in his navy blue suit, with the top buttons of his white shirt undone, left her speechless and breathless. If not for her father in his office, she might have done something appalling and thrown herself onto the desk and begged Diamond to make her pussy aches go away.

It was unbelievable how strong the chemistry was between her and a rugged, uncensored, foul-mouthed, attractive biker.

While she slipped away to grab a drink from a server, she took her phone from the silver clutch purse to send a quick message to her friends.

As she was about to slip away the phone, it vibrated in her hand.

UNKNOWN : Hey, pretty.

UNKNOWN : I see you.

UNKNOWN : Silver is your color.

UNKNOWN : You’ll wear it for me soon.

That last text officially crept Joelle out, and the base of her spine turned cold.

The atmosphere at the Marmaduke party was electric, with the lively chatter and laughter of three hundred people filling the air. It would be impossible to know if someone was pranking her. She scanned the crowd but didn’t spot anyone with a phone.

Throughout the week, she had received similar messages from the unknown number. She attributed it to a foolish teenager attempting to frighten a stranger. Yet, this person commented on Joelle’s outfit. That made it personal to her.

Who was it?

And why were they trying to mess with her?

For tonight, she ignored the messages. It certainly wasn’t the right time for sleuthing or hysterics. She’d had her orders from her mother to act like the dutiful Snow daughter.

“Joelle!” she heard. “I wondered if I’d see you tonight.”

A sigh hung in the air as Joelle weighed her options: champagne or confrontation with her ex. Their breakup happened more than a year ago. Instead, like manners dictated, she pasted on her best smile, hoping it looked genuine.

She didn’t want to go to the Marmaduke’s party because of their eldest son. Their relationship, lasting three months, felt like an eternity.

He reached for her hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss. Joelle recoiled inwardly, remembering how bad that mouth was... at... everything.

“You look incredible, Jo.”

Ugh, she hated how he abbreviated her name. How difficult was it to include four more letters?

“How have you been, Trent?”

On the outside, she thought he was good-looking. She was initially flattered by his attention, but any woman would find it off-putting if a man was so unskilled in bed that it made her lose interest in sex. She certainly didn’t feel any flicker of residual attraction now as she took her hand back.

“I’m great.” He launched into a conversation about his successful career.

It was obvious after two minutes of his monologue that he was trying to impress her.

No amount of peacock feathering would make her date him again.

She was never swayed by money, regardless of her financial situation.

She wanted more than wealth from a partner.

“I thought you’d call after we split up. You’re all I’ve thought about.” He simpered. “My number’s never changed.”

Ah, so Trent couldn’t be the phantom texter.

“I’m sure you’re inundated with offers, Trent.” She extended kindly. However, a man who couldn’t make a woman come and thought the clitoris was a myth shouldn’t be given compassion.

She chose tact over honesty, sparing him the truth about his abilities. It was fortunate she only has a few memories of that, not years of awful sex. She blamed the breakup on their different goals. Weeks later, he continued to pursue her with flowers and pleas.

He moved closer and gave her a wink. “Why don’t we get out of here? No one will miss us. My parents are talking to your father. You know, they always expected us to get married one day.”

Joelle didn’t need a sip of champagne to nearly choke.

Then a presence loomed over her left shoulder, and Trent’s face blanched.

“Joelle.” She heard in that husky, spine-shaking tone and knew she’d been rescued.

It didn’t matter the level of attraction she felt toward Diamond then. He was now her hero for saving her from a conversation worse than boredom.

But the way he stared at Trent, she felt a definite throb in places that shouldn’t be throbbing this close to many Christmas trees.

Diamond had muscles for days. Even wearing a tailored jacket, he was bulging all over, and her mouth watered as Trent appeared intimidated by Diamond’s presence.

“Oh, hi.” She turned to him. “I said I’d only be a minute, didn’t I?” she lied, keeping her smile in place. “This is Trent.” She introduced and appreciated Diamond’s stoic expression, which revealed nothing about his lack of understanding. Instinctively, she moved closer to her bodyguard and touched his arm. He broke his stare and glanced down at her.

Clueless, Trent couldn’t take the hint, and he opened his mouth.

“Jo and I go way back. And you are?” he stuck his hand out, and Diamond looked at it like Trent was offering him shit dipped in glitter, and Diamond was deathly allergic to glitter.

She held the giggle at bay.

He didn’t shake Trent’s hand, filling her with excitement she hadn’t felt in a long time. These parties were always overstuffed with ass-kissers and braggarts. Both of which bored her silly.

Diamond couldn’t be shoved into either category, even if she tried. He was probably the realest person in the room.

And she liked that very much.

“River Durand.”

What ?

It was unbelievable that Diamond had the hottest name ever, and he went by Diamond .

“Durand?” Trent said, eyeing him. “Durand?” he repeated. “I don’t think I know your family.”

“You wouldn’t,” interjected Joelle, gripping Diamond’s arm like her fingers had fused to the jacket material. “River is new money. Anyway, we have people we need to see before we leave. Nice seeing you, Trent. Happy Holidays.”

“Call me soon, Jo,” she heard behind her as she let Diamond lead her away.

Holding her waist, he guided her into a hallway bustling with staff.

“Where are we going?” she asked, half-amused. She didn’t care as long as she could escape the party for a bit.

They halted, and Diamond leaned down to her ear. “Stay here a minute. I’ll be back.” She watched him striding through the crowd toward one of his men, who was hovering near her father.

Because she needed to use the bathroom anyway, she did that and came out a minute later.

A woman in a black Coco Chanel dress and corkscrew ginger hair stepped in her way. Joelle smiled in a friendly way and attempted to walk around her, but the woman stepped directly in her path. Smirking.

“I’ve wanted to meet you, Joelle.” She said, the sounds of Ireland in her melodic voice.

“Oh?” Joelle politely smiled. “Do I know you?”

“Not yet.” The woman’s lips curled at the corner. “But your father does.”

And Joelle knew then.

This was the woman he’d had an affair with.

The entire reason she needed security.

And the smirking woman was right here, in the same place as her mother.