Bedded by the Billionaire [#0 Blood Hounds MC]

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Edgecliff Point, 2013

Imani watched her mother as she ticked off item after item in an imaginary list in her head. "Ma, don't worry. It's only an hour away!" She couldn't help but adore her mother as the older woman ensured she had everything she needed before moving out of the guesthouse they lived in. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought of the owner of the guesthouse. Richard Bassette. At first, she'd thought him a gentleman, he had helped them when they were close to living on the streets, he'd given them a roof over their heads and food in their fridge... But Richard was no gentleman, he'd never once uttered a pleasant word in her direction, Imani would go as far as to say the man almost despised her.

She hadn't known him long, a mere two years. At the age of sixteen, of course, she was curious about the kind of man her mother worked for, she always expected him to be an old man and not the incredibly handsome and mysterious billionaire that showed up on their front porch one night. In her young eyes the man almost blended in with the darkened night around them, that night was the one and only time she'd seen a different side to Richard. He had helped them vacate their small one bedroom apartment and given them refuge in his guest house.

Had it not been for her mother's devotion to his sick father, Imani knew Richard wouldn't have battered an eyelid in her direction. She bit her bottom lip and frowned, she never understood why he'd glare her down, but she knew one thing; those dark brooding eyes caused an unfamiliar heat to rise up in her system. She was glad she'd get to live on campus, glad she'd kept her grades up high enough to gain a scholarship— glad she could get away from the dark man that haunted her dreams at night.

It was beyond wrong; he was on a different level than her. He was older, wealthier and so much more attractive than her. In comparison, she was nothing but a shadow. It was that understanding that forced her to accept her coming future, she promised herself to never be with a man as masculine and strong as he. Never put herself in a position where she relied on a man or felt worthless in his company. No, Imani knew she needed to find someone on her level, someone gentle and kind. Not rude, arrogant and forceful.

Breaking out of her wondering thoughts, Imani stood up. She grabbed her mother's hand and paused the older woman's movements. "What Imani?" Leela questioned in a fuss. She was worried about her daughter, fearing the worst of nightmares. She couldn't stand sending her daughter out into the big bad world, and the only reason she did was because she knew Richard would keep Imani safe. Even if her daughter was unaware of the protector in her shadow, Leela wasn't. Sometimes she hoped that even after she was gone, Richard would always protect Imani.

Imani squeezed her mother's hand and gained her attention. "We need to make dinner; Richard will be home soon," she spoke softly, making sure to keep her tone neutral. She didn't need her mother knowing about her obsession with Mr. Bassette, that was for damn sure. "You know what he's like after work," she continued. Richard was not a man to be messed with after work, he was snappy and blunt, ending his nights at the bottom of a scotch bottle. Not that Imani expected any less from someone as arrogant as Richard.

Leela nodded at her daughter, refusing to upset the man that had done so much for them. She felt worthless, Imani believed she'd financed their livelihoods like a normal mother would. But little did Imani know the man she feared most, did. One day the guilt would surface and Leela would tell her daughter about her failures, but until then she refused to stop her daughter from becoming the strong, independent woman that currently brimmed just below the surface.

Imani followed her mother out of the guesthouse, they made their way across the large lawn and up the back porch. Entering directly into a massive kitchen, Leela got to work straight away. Imani took a seat on at the island on the bar-bench and assisted her mother as she whipped up a full course meal for the owner of this massive manor.