Ultimate Kill (Book 1 Ultimate CORE Trilogy) (CORE Series) by Kristine Mason

expecting—”
    “Get on your knees,” he ordered. If the girl were smart, she’d do as she was told. He hadn’t been lying. He could do anything he wanted and get away with it. He had the money, the power, the name and over a dozen of dead men and women buried in the labyrinth to prove it.
    When she didn’t move, didn’t look at him, he crowded her against the window. “Do it. Now.”
    “No.” She glared at him. “I quit. This is one obstacle I don’t need,” she said, her voice shaking as she pushed passed him.
    He hated when they fought him. What a pain in the ass. He grabbed her arm. Standing taller than the pyramidal cedars in the labyrinth and probably outweighing the maid by nearly one hundred pounds, he shoved her to the floor with ease. “I refuse to accept your resignation. Now do as you’re told. Trust me. It’s in your best interest.”
    Tears streamed down her cheeks and hatred darkened her eyes. “You have everything in the world. Money, a beautiful house, cars, yachts, planes. I had so much respect for you,” she said with disgust and contorted her pretty face. “But you’re nothing but a piece-of-shit rapist.”
    He thought about what she said for a moment, then shook his head. “No, I’m not. I’ve never forced myself on a woman.”
    “Then what do you call this?”
    “Coercion.”
    “Same thing.”
    He glanced at his watch. His lunch would indeed be ice cold by the time he finished with the maid. Plus he had a conference call in an hour. But he wanted the maid and now that he’d gone this far, he really had no choice but to finish what he’d started. So much for her being shy and timid like he’d thought. She apparently had the backbone his wife lacked and would have to be dealt with before she blabbed about this to anyone who would listen. Like the press. The police he could handle. He had enough cops on his payroll to make this go away. But the press? The fucking bloodsuckers would love to knock him off his pedestal.
    “Actually, it’s not the same thing. Here’s the deal, Alison. I’m going to coerce you into doing what I want, not by force, but by threat. In my mind, there’s a difference. The two-year-old you mentioned. Do you love it? Would you do anything to make sure it had a happy life?”
    Her eyes widened with fear as more tears streamed down her cheeks. Chin trembling, she unzipped the front of his Brioni suit pants. “My son is not an it . I’ll do what you want. But please leave him out of this.”
    He sighed when she touch him, her silky soft hands bringing him so much pleasure. “You have my word. No harm will come to your son. Now suck.”
    As she obeyed, he stared out the window, at the labyrinth that had taught him to embrace disappointment and, as the saying went, make lemonade out of lemons. When he’d discovered the human bones in the maze, he’d initially been pissed for having wasted his entire summer searching for treasure. But then he’d realized he’d stumbled upon something. Something rare and true.  
    He’d never told his father or grandfather or anyone else for that matter about the bones, but had barraged them with questions about his great-grandfather. He’d also done quite a bit of his own research. In the end, he had learned that his namesake wasn’t necessarily a crazy son of a bitch, but Machiavellian. He’d been a deceitful opportunist who’d schemed and connived. He’d rid himself of those who had threatened his ways. And while his father and grandfather had been convinced his great-grandfather had squandered the company’s money, they’d been wrong. He’d found that money. He’d found the buried treasure—millions of dollars in cash and jewelry—hidden throughout the estate. He’d also found information. Enough evidence to extort and destroy his family’s enemies. By the time he’d made his discoveries, his grandfather had already been six feet under for several years. But his father had remained in his way. The