Luscious Sins (Bend to My Will #7) Read Free Page A

do was block out the sharp impact of the whipping. Early on, he’d learned how to make his body numb. It was as if he was watching from above, not really there. His father hadn’t known about that. If he had, Carl Hahn’s fury might have been the end of Jacob. As it was, he had often feared his father’s temper would result in death.
    Jacob ran faster, breathing deeply, his lungs pulling in precious oxygen. It felt good to run. As a child, he had imagined running so fast that nobody would have been able to catch him. Only that wasn’t reality, and it didn’t help him any more today than it had then.
    The flashbacks had been coming more frequently, sometimes appearing more real than the world around him. So far Jacob hadn’t mentioned them to Vivienne. And as far as he knew he hadn’t acted too weird when they were together. Something about her presence was a good thing.
    With Vivienne close, the nightmares had lessened. And even if Jacob flashed back, without warning, the image seemed fleeting. It was as though Vivienne had more power than his demons, but he didn’t see how. Surely he was losing his mind, still lost in a childlike hope that he could be saved.
    Jacob headed back to the penthouse, increasing his pace instead of slowing. The punishing run was cathartic, as the harder he sweated and the more his lungs ached, the more rejuvenated he became. If he had tried harder, he could have bested his abusive father.
    There was always the regret that he hadn’t pushed hard enough, hadn’t done more, and thus the asshole had come out on top. Jacob wished he could go back that turning point and redo the crucial moment. Yet the opportunity had long since passed, leaving him only with regret.
    *****
    When Jacob arrived at the office, he walked past Meg’s desk. She greeted him then brought him up to date. “There are some messages on your desk. And your meeting is set for later this morning.”
    “Thanks, Meg.” His assistant wore her auburn hair down, and with the spattering of freckles across her nose, she looked more like a teenager than a twenty-three-year-old. “And tomorrow night?”
    “All arranged.” Meg beamed at him.
    “Much appreciated,” Jacob said. “Vivienne is already a big fan of yours. This will cinch it.”
    “I hope so.” Meg returned to her work. For all her lightheartedness, she was focused when it came to business.
    At his desk, Jacob checked in with Grayson, and his general manager assured him the new project they’d discussed was on target. There was a manila folder on his desk from Walsh. Even though the man was deft with a computer, and could even hack into one if the occasion called for it, he still provided hard copies of reports.
    Jacob read through them, noting that his investigations department had turned up a lot of information recently. They were keeping up with the competition, providing vital intelligence to keep it that way. And they continued to track Daniel Kenyon’s movements. Still there was nothing conclusive about the man’s true goal, and his strategy remained indecipherable.
    Midmorning, Jacob called his president Zach to ask him to take over for a few hours. “I’ll have Meg route any urgent calls to you while I’m at Williamson Imports.”
    “I’m impressed that you managed to set up that meeting,” Zach said. “I’m sure that Sam has retained his respect for Rinaldi, even if his stepson thumbs his nose at us.”
    “Yes, I can’t imagine Sam refusing to speak with me. He and my father worked together for too many years for him to write us off that easily.”
    “His friendship with Vico has to mean something,” Zach said. “Do you want me to go with you?”
    “I’d rather have you here as support,” Jacob said. “And I have a hunch Sam will be more willing to listen if it’s just the two of us. I’m not going to challenge him. We’ve known each other too long. I just want to make sure he is aware of what’s really going on.”
    “You know