Chapter 9

Stephen and Ursula developed a routine. He would drive her to the college campus every morning and pick her up at night. Most of his spare time was spent at the club. After his conversation with James he'd sought out Cadeon to see if he could shed any light on the way he was thinking. Every time he dropped her off Stephen struggled to drive away. He wanted to keep his eye on her at all times. When she wasn't by his side, he grew impatient for the time to go to have her back next to him.

Their time together was filled with consuming passion.

He tried to find out who had sent a note to both him and James. Rebecca for the time being was safe as Tate and Kevin kept her safe. The only time he could forget all the chaos happening around him was when Ursula was with him.

November was at a close, and December looked to be an even crazier month than the one before. Ursula was determined to get him in the festive mood. He, personally, hadn't celebrated Christmas since his parents passed away. There were times he wondered why he'd stopped living because of the lack of his parents' presence.

In the event of the spirit he invited the few members of the club to his home for drinks. James couldn't make it as Ravage was undergoing some staffing problems. Another note had arrived with the same threat. Neither of them could go to the police. If they went to the police they would have to give them access to their clubs, which defeated everything they'd been told by their fathers.

He watched Ursula getting ready. The red dress she wore moulded against her curves, making his cock ache. She truly was a sensational beauty and the woman who owned his heart. His doubts were still in place about the whole possessive feeling, but he knew he loved her. She

conversed and fought with him on a daily basis, and the sex was more fiery than anything he'd ever experienced.

"Why did we have to invite my friends for drinks?" he asked.

"This is not just your friends but your board of directors. You own several companies, Mr. Knox, and you asked me before I became your girlfriend to organise this little get-together." She walked to the bed showing him her back. "Zip me, please."

Instead of zipping up her dress, he pressed his hands inside the dress, kissing her neck as she moaned.

"You're not playing fair."

"We can ignore the door, and I'll make it worth your while." He tried to tempt her. Her hair lay in spiral curls down her back. He loved her hair like this. She looked absolutely stunning, and he'd paid for her to have her hair done. Stephen had to force her to accept his gifts. He wanted her to have everything.

He reached up in the front of the dress, cupping her bra-covered tits.

"We can't," she said.

"Yes, we can." He pushed the dress off her shoulders exposing her creamy shoulders for him to kiss. Her eyes closed as she leaned back against him.

Stephen stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked so beautiful in his arms, her body so open for him to give her pleasure.

She caught his hands. "I spent weeks organising this. Please, I'll make it worth your while if you go down and host this party together."

He sighed and gave in. There was no way he could refuse the pleading look in her eyes. "I've got a gift that I want you to wear."

"I've told you not to buy me gifts, Stephen."

"I wanted to." He pulled the dress back into place then zipped the back. He didn't want to zip her up. "You'll

take the gift."

She didn't argue. Stephen gave her a quick fleeting

kiss before going to his jacket. He pulled out the small square box. After taking her to the college campus on Monday, he'd gone into the city and purchased several pieces of expensive jewellery. The moment he saw the ring he was about to give her, he knew it would look perfect on her. He needed to put something on her so other men would know who she belonged to.

"Wear this for me." He sat on the edge of the bed with the box resting on his palm.

"Stephen?" She sounded nervous.

"It's not a wedding ring. This is just a token of my affection."

Her hand trembled as she took the box from him. She opened the lid, and he heard her gasp.

"Stephen." His name came out in a breathless sigh. "It's beautiful. You don't have to buy me any gift."

He waved his hand at her comment. There was so much more he wanted to say to her. Stephen took the box from her hands, took the ring out of the slit, and slid the delicate diamond ring on her finger. He made sure to linger a little. The token of his affection and the mark of his ownership was on her. He moved to her jewellery box and removed the golden necklace from its perch. She stood waiting for him. Stephen pushed her curls out of the way to fit the pendant necklace round her. This necklace had belonged to his mother. His father had told him that the oldest son in the family had to give the necklace to the woman they loved, the woman whom they felt so possessive towards. He knew his feelings for Ursula were verging on obsession. He spent every waking moment thinking about her. Her thoughts and emotions were always on his mind.

"This is such a beautiful necklace," she said.

Laying a kiss to the back of her neck, he let her curls slide down in place. "It was a family heirloom."

"It's an heirloom. Stephen, you never told me this was that valuable." She tried to take the necklace off, but he stopped her.

"Stop it." He ordered her. She stopped immediately. He knew there was a tone of voice he used which got her to do what he wanted straight away. "This is an heirloom passed down to the first-born son, who then give it to a woman ... a woman of importance to him."

"You should save it for the woman you're going to marry," she said.

I'm staring at the woman I'm going to marry. You own me, Ursula. Heart, mind, body, and soul. I am yours.

He thought the words that he was unable to say out loud. "I gave the necklace to you, Ursula. I want you to wear it. No one else." He spun her to face him. "I don't want you taking those off. Do you understand?"

"I don't know. These are expensive."

"No. I want you to keep the ring and the necklace on." Stephen stared at her, feeling desperate to have her submit to him at this point.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, her full body pressing against his. His cock thickened as it always did at her close proximity. "I promise. You're a strange man. Do you know that?"

"I never said I was normal."

"No, you're not. You have a grumpy attitude, and you always make me forget the difference between us."

"What differences?" he asked.

She licked her lips, her tongue peeking out. He got the vision of her on her knees before him as he slid his cock into her mouth. A moan escaped him. "Now who's not playing fair?"

"What?" she asked, looking all innocent.

"I will tie you to my bed if you don't stop licking your lips." He moved her back toward the end of the poster, pinning her against the framework.

"Tie me to the bed? That sounds awfully kinky for a guy who has a silver spoon up his ass," she said, teasing him.

"So, you think men who have money can't be kinky?" He smiled thinking about all the wealthy powerful men at his club. Not all of the men had been born into wealth, but a great deal of them had.

"I know what I see in the movies and read. Wealthy men like to be dominated."

He flung his head back and laughed. An image of Cadeon, James, Lucas, and the others tied up in leather ready to be flogged entered his mind.

"You have a lot to learn," he said.

"Are you going to teach me?" She pressed her body against him, her pelvis pressing against his cock. He slapped her ass causing her to yelp.

"I'm more than willing to teach you." He soothed the area he slapped. She went to say something more, but the doorbell rang. They both groaned. "We could still ignore it."

"No. I probably have a reputation for being a gold- digger. I don't want to give them any more cause to doubt me."

"They wouldn't dare say anything bad about you," Stephen said.

"Why not?"

"I'm a powerful man, and I can crush them like they're bugs."

She chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind."

"I'll go and answer the door."

"Don't be grumpy."

"Why spoil my reputation?" He left the room as she

threw a pillow in his direction. The fire inside him had eased the moment he put the ring and necklace on her. He passed

a picture of his mother in the hall way on the way towards the front door. She wore the necklace in the portrait. His mother looked beautiful and happy. He hoped to one day give Ursula the same happiness.

He opened the door with the scowl returning. Members of the club had arrived, along with a couple of the directors on his board. He didn't like entertaining in his home. This was the first year he'd done any entertaining. Cadeon, with Violet and Lucas, walked in first.

"It's cold out there. I was freezing my nuts off," Lucas said.

Cadeon laughed. "I was surprised to get an invite." He held Violet at his side, a protective arm around his woman. "Where is your woman, anyway? She's been getting a lot of speculation just recently."

As if she heard them, Ursula appeared at the top of the stairs. "Has Stephen become grumpy again?"

She began to descend the stairs. Stephen felt a lump form in his throat. In the light of the hall and stairs she looked absolutely stunning. He moved to the stairs oblivious to the glances coming their way.

Stephen held out his hand, which she took.

"Isn't he always grumpy? You look gorgeous, Ursula," Cadeon said. Stephen introduced her to Violet. Both women went into the kitchen. The waiters arrived to bring help with drinks. In no time at all, the small dinner was in full swing. Stephen hated every second of her being in the company of other men. He wanted to pull her away from everyone and keep her to himself.

He took a long drink of whiskey. Sean turned up, and he sat with the men from the club. They asked him for updates on the problems he'd told them happening between Ravage and Possession.

"What does James think about everything?" Sean asked.

"He has his team on it, and so do I. The last thing we need is either club to become public knowledge." Stephen sipped his beer, at the same time searching for Ursula. She stood with Violet. No one else was next to them.

"You feel it, too, don't you?" Cadeon asked.

"Feel what?" Stephen tore his gaze away from her to stare at his friend.

"The need to go to her. You feel yourself losing control when a man takes a step in her direction."

"I don't see you going to Violet," Stephen said.

"It doesn't mean I don't want to. I've clocked three men who have their eye on my woman. The moment anyone makes a move towards her, she'll be back here with me."

Stephen gazed into his empty glass thinking about what Cadeon said. He didn't want to admit to the feelings he described. For some reason he was still holding himself back from the truth.

"I need to get myself another drink." He stood and went into his study to gain control. After putting the glass down he sat on his couch and counted to ten. When he opened his eyes, he saw the picture of his mother and father together, taunting him.

In that split second, he hated his parents for leaving him, not only for leaving him but leaving him without any knowledge of what to do about his growing feelings.

There was no way Ursula could accept him being part of a club who believed they were possessive towards their woman. The little joke of them being the Owners would send her away.

"If I'm not possessive what the hell is happening to me?"

****

"He's in denial," Cadeon said. Lucas watched his

friend and boss disappear into his study. Sean sat back while Tate and Kevin took long drinks of their beer.

"What do you expect us to do? He's clearly denying any knowledge of how he feels." Lucas ran a hand over his face, glancing at the woman in question. She truly was a peach, a beautiful woman who'd made his friend happy.

"The problem you have with Stephen is he doesn't believe. Where most of us have felt possessive towards all the women in our lives, he hasn't. He shared his women with men who weren't inclined our way. I know he's never loved a woman enough to stay with her for longer than a couple of months. They come and go. Ursula is the first woman that I know of to live in the same house as him," Cadeon said.

"Stephen doesn't believe in any of it?"

"Nope. Up until I met Ursula I was starting to think it wasn't in him. The way he treated women would shock the very foundations of what Possession and Ravage stand for. I think he needs a wake-up call." Cadeon sat forward. Lucas listened to the other man, intrigued about what he was saying. He'd not known Stephen long, but he liked the man even if he was moody at times. Who wouldn't be? Lucas knew the kind of stress Stephen was under.

"What do you suggest?" Sean asked.

"I think he needs to know what it feels like when a man comes onto his girl. Lucas and Sean are the only two unattached males here. I'd ask James if he were here, but he's not."

"You're asking us to break the code of the club? I'm already on a warning, Cadeon. I'm not going to get my ass sent to hell just because Knox won't admit to his own male instincts," Sean said.

"I'll guarantee you won't have a problem with the club. Just do this, Sean. He needs to know what is going on inside him."

Lucas stared at Ursula. He didn't want to go through with it, but he understood Cadeon's reasoning. After several

moments, he stood and walked over to her. She looked up at him with a smile.

"Hi, I'm Lucas Sanchez, one of Stephen's friends." He held his hand out to her. She shook his hand. Sean joined him.