The Love of Money II
Copyright© 2025 by MindSketch
Chapter 56
Fiction Sex Story: Chapter 56 - Marcus and the others are no longer just surviving the world—they’re shaping it. Erin has always known what she wants. Now she’s orchestrating it. Helen is learning that submission isn’t surrender. Bobbi, stripped of her old identity, stands at a crossroads. New women cross his path. Old ones return. Some hand him their heart. Some, a leash. Some, a knife in the back. And then there are the ones waiting for him to stumble. It's hard to rest when you have a target painted on your back.
Caution: This Fiction Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Fa/Fa Mult Coercion Consensual NonConsensual Reluctant Romantic Lesbian BiSexual Heterosexual Fiction Rags To Riches BDSM DomSub MaleDom FemaleDom Light Bond Rough Sadistic Spanking Group Sex Harem Orgy Interracial Black Female White Female Oriental Female Indian Female Anal Sex Analingus Cream Pie Exhibitionism Facial Massage Oral Sex Petting Pregnancy Sex Toys Squirting Voyeurism Big Breasts Small Breasts Slow Violence
“What if they aren’t here?” Elena said as we stalked across the open terrain.
“I don’t know.”
“If they are both here, I will shoot one?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“But what if only one is here? What will you do?”
“I don’t know.”
“What if there is—”
“Elena!”
I looked at her pleadingly.
I could read the apology on her face in the faded lamplight,
“Let’s stay quiet,” I said softly. “We don’t want to spook anybody.”
She nodded and followed as I led us along the tree line, keeping to the cover until we were as close to the greenhouse as we could get.
The shoreline around the pond was clear of trees, opening a broad stretch of sky above. The moon hung there, huge, bright, and nearly full, casting enough light that the shore needed no lamps. The greenhouse had none either. It sat dark and still, and if I hadn’t been hoping Erin and Natalie were inside, I would’ve sworn it was empty.
A scream proved me wrong. A woman’s scream—high, shrill, and full of terror.
I glanced at Elena, who was looking at me with wide eyes.
Then I took off like a shot for the greenhouse; it was all I could do not to shout Natalie’s or Erin’s name.
God, I hoped I wasn’t too late.
Knee-high grass lashed my shins as I tore along the shoreline, the scent shifting from wet leaves to something wild and spicy, undercut by the faint smell of fish—something I barely registered.
Glass shattered ahead, spurring me on and filling my head with all kinds of ugly possibilities.
When I reached the greenhouse, I grabbed for the door, but it wouldn’t budge. Someone had broken glass somewhere—if not here—
I rounded the corner and saw the lower half of a man crawling through a shattered windowpane.
Once I was satisfied that he was the only other hunter around, I closed in on him and hooked my fingers in the waist of his leather skirt. Something ripped as I hauled him out of the hole. His thick body hit the ground like fresh dough; glass rang as it danced around his prone form. His lily-white ass reflected silver light like they were a pair of twin moons, and I realized I was still holding half his costume in my hands ... with him no longer in them.
“Fuck!” I flung the skirt, and it landed on his back in a wad of fabric and buckles. “Leave!”
The stranger groaned and rolled onto his back. “What?”
“I said fuck off.”
He began crawling to his feet, seeming not to care that he was undressed from the waist down. “Boy, do you know who you’re talking to?”
“I don’t care,” I said, hoping an overly aggressive attitude would make him back down and leave without putting up a fight. I didn’t want to waste Elena on the stranger if I didn’t have to. “Beat it.”
He grabbed the strap across my chest and tried to pull me away from the window. “Now look here! I don’t know who you think you are, but this isn’t the way it’s supposed to go. You’re not supposed to interfere with other hunters.”
“They didn’t say anything about interfering,” I said. “They just said I couldn’t hunt you.”
“Fuck you,” he said as he turned toward the hole he’d been trying to climb through.
I put my hand on his shoulder. “Look, these are mine. I came with them, and I’m not letting anyone else lay a hand on them. Walk away.”
I was technically correct. No one had said anything about interfering with another hunter, but at the same time, I didn’t want to start trouble with someone who could end up being chairman of the Fed or the Grand Duke of Wales.
Was that a thing?
The man glanced at Elena, then back at me.
“You already got one! Why do you need another?”
Fuck it. The last thing I needed was him drawing more attention to us. Since he wasn’t listening to reason, I needed him gone—fast.
“Hey, Elena,” I said, glancing at her.
She looked terrified, clutching the gun with shaking hands.
“You want out? Here’s your chance.”
The man looked from me to Elena, confused. Then I saw understanding hit.
“Wait—”
He brought his gun up in both hands and aimed at her.
Crack!
Elena’s gun went off, and the stranger hit the ground again.
She immediately dropped the gun, stumbled back, and slapped both hands over her mouth.
“Good job,” I said.
I glanced around. We were out of the woods, so the retrieval crews couldn’t do their usual magic trick of seeming omnipresent and stepping out of thin air.
“He’s okay, right?”
I looked back down at the poor bastard. “Yeah. He’s a little scratched up from the window, but I think he’ll be fine.”
Pinpoints of light emerged from the tree line not far from where we’d come through the brush.
I pointed them out. “There. They’re coming for you.”
Elena’s gaze followed my finger, then drifted back up to me. She looked relieved.
“Are you going to be all right?”
“I’ll be fine.”
She gave me a sweet little smile, and I felt my heart swell with a little pride.
“Thank you,” she said. “I hope I can see you when this is over.”
“I’ll keep an eye out for you and your father.”
She nodded, looking like she might actually tear up. “I hope you find them.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I hope I already have. Maybe I’m not too far behind you.”
She threw her arms around my waist and gave me a tight squeeze, gazing up at me through those thick dark lashes, eyes just as dark.
Then she smiled once more and let me go.
By then, the retrieval crew was almost on us, and I turned to enter through the hole in the window the other hunter had made. I didn’t want to stick around in case they had something to say about me interfering with the other hunter.
Besides, I had a reunion to attend.
Slipping carefully through the hole to avoid the broken glass, I found myself on my hands and knees atop a workbench. Glass scraped against metal as I crawled across it and reached the edge.
“Hey!” I said softly as I slipped off the bench and landed in a half-crouch.
I gripped my gun tight and worked my way along the table, eyes peeled. I’d heard a woman scream, and I hoped it was one of my girls, if not both. There was always the chance it was someone else, though, and I wasn’t interested in catching a dart because I’d spooked some frightened woman who’d found a gun.
If she was even still here.
There were no lamps inside, and half the panes were so opaque they barely let in any moonlight. I had very little light to work with, but I could still make out the shapes of several long tables, cabinets, and raised beds scattered across the open space. The clutter made it feel more like storage than a greenhouse. It all looked strangely out of place, considering how much of the night had been draped in Hellenistic themes. Everything in here looked relatively modern. Either they hadn’t cared about what was inside, or they’d run out of budget.
“Anybody in here?” I whispered.
I moved a few more feet and stopped next to a raised bed.
I still had no answer.
My stomach was in knots. I’d been so sure they would be here.
“Hello?”
Crack!
Something breakable shattered next to my head—a jar or potted plant.
I dropped onto my ass, hiding behind the raised bed and pressing my back against it.
“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Hey! It’s me! Marcus!”
Suddenly it grew very quiet, and then—
“Marcus? Marcus Upton?”
Recognizing the voice, my heart sank into my stomach.
“Sachiko?”
“Yes.”
“Is it just you?”
Silence.
“Yes,” she finally replied, her voice laced with offense.
My heart sank even further into my feet. Erin and Natalie weren’t here.
Wanting to scream and hit things and cry all at the same time, I settled for thumping the back of my head against the old wood I leaned against.
“What are you doing here?” I called out into the darkness, trying my best to keep my frustration out of my voice.
“This is where Astrid told us to meet.”
So, Astrid was telling me the truth. Admittedly, at the moment, I wasn’t very comforted by that, but at least I’d made the right call.
“She told all of you that?” I asked. “Natalie and Erin, too?”
“Yes,” Sachiko said from wherever she was hiding. It sounded close.
Okay ... maybe all wasn’t lost.
“Erin and I were dropped off in the same spot with a few others,” Sachiko continued. “As soon as everyone else left, we oriented ourselves and found our way here.”
“Wait ... Erin was with you?” My heart shot up into my throat like the puck on one of those carnival strength games.
“Yes.”
“Well, why isn’t she here now?”
“She went to find Natalie.”
“What? Why?”
“Because,” Sachiko said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “she said you wouldn’t be able to forgive yourself if anything happened to that girl.”
I growled. Fucking Erin...
“What happened to the other man out there?” Sachiko called out.
“I had a friend with me. She took him out.”
I heard Sachiko breathe a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank God. He knew who I was.”
“You’re welcome,” I said dryly. “Look, this is stupid. Can I come out, or are you going to shoot me?”
“How do I know you won’t shoot me?”
“Because I’m trying to save my shot for one of the others,” I said. “I’m not going to waste it on you.”
She was quiet.
“I could really use your help,” I continued. “We could work together to get out of this.”
“Go on...”
“Once Erin comes back with Natalie, we shoot them, and then we’re out. I get the girls out in one piece, and you don’t get tagged at all. Win-win.”
She didn’t respond.
“Look,” I said. “We’re working on a major deal together. Surely we’ve earned some trust.”
More silence.
Considering I was actively poisoning the company I was selling to her, I was well aware of the irony in that statement.
I scooted to the edge of the raised bed and glanced around the corner but couldn’t see anyone.
“If we’re going to do this, we need to trust each other.”
Finally, she spoke. “I’d better not see your gun in your hands.”
“Same,” I said.
“On three?” she asked.
“One,” I said.
“Two,” she said.
“Three.”
I popped up just enough to show myself, palms raised, then ducked back down. In that brief instant, I saw Sachiko do the same with her own hands in the air. I repeated the motion, then rose slowly above the table, catching the top of her head as she followed a moment later.
Her elaborate hairstyle had come completely undone. Somehow, she’d managed to pull it back into a simple ponytail. Dirt streaked her face, smudging what remained of her makeup. One strap of her Greek toga had slipped down her arm, baring a shoulder, and another section was torn. She looked a little like an Asian Lara Croft who’d just stumbled out of a gala.
She eyed me warily, then lowered her hands.
I flinched, thinking for a split second she was about to draw, but instead she stepped toward the end of the short row of shelves she’d been hiding behind.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you’re a sight for sore eyes.”
“Gonna pick up my gun now,” I said, bending to retrieve it while keeping one eye on her.
She did the same. We both moved cautiously, exaggerating every motion, but neither of us made a move on the other.
“Wish I could say it was good to see you,” I admitted gruffly, “but I was kind of hoping for someone else.”
“I can tell,” Sachiko huffed.
“How about it?” I asked. “You interested in helping me out?”
She studied me for a moment, then said, “Yes.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
“Excuse me?”
“Let’s go find them.”
“I’m not leaving this place.”
I rounded on her. “Excuse me? What? You want to stay here?”
“Of course.”
“I need to go find them.”
“What if you go looking for them and they come back five minutes after you leave?” Sachiko asked.
She had a point, and before she even finished the question, several other problems with my impulsiveness came to mind. Chief among them: where the hell would I even start looking?
On top of that, if I left and Sachiko refused to come with me, I’d lose whatever help she could offer. She’d still be in play, too, and if something happened to her, it wouldn’t exactly improve our already strained relationship.
I glanced back at her and found her studying me in return. Her words suggested she thought I was being an idiot, but the way her lips were parted ... the quick rise and fall of her chest ... the way she gripped her gun...
She was scared of being left behind.
How much of a fit had she thrown when Erin left her here?
I hated to admit it, but there wasn’t much of an argument for leaving. At least ... not yet.
“Alright,” I conceded. “Yeah. We should probably wait a little while.”
I could actually see the tension leave her body.
She turned and sat on the floor in front of the cabinets she’d been hiding behind. “Good.”
I glanced through the panes that weren’t completely clouded over, scanning the grounds outside for any sign of movement.
“You’re breathing hard,” Sachiko said. “And your shoulders are slumped. You’re tired. You should take a few minutes to rest.”
“I’m fine,” I said, still watching outside.
“She knows to come here,” Sachiko said. “You’re not doing anyone any favors.”
For one brief, shining moment, shooting her in her bossy face felt incredibly appealing.
Instead, I snarled, stalked over, and dropped to the floor beside her. “Fine. Happy?”
“Yes,” she said in a tone that somehow turned the word into something condescending—Now, was that so hard?
I wasn’t about to admit it to her, but it did feel good to get off my feet for a few minutes.
We both released a sigh at the same time and then glanced at each other.
“Rough night?” I asked.
She rolled her eyes. “You have no idea.”
“Wanna bet?”
“You haven’t been chased all night.”
“No,” I said. “I’ve just been out there trying to keep you all from getting tagged.”
“Please,” she scoffed. “I was never part of that equation.”
Sachiko dropped her head back against the cabinet. “God, this is not how I wanted to spend my Friday night.”
“Then why are you here?”
“I have no idea,” she said. “My father insisted I attend when Astrid invited me.”
“Why?”
“He hoped it would help make amends for my brother’s screw-up.”
“Oh,” I said. “God, that sucks.”
“Indeed,” Sachiko said.
She was quiet for a moment, then sighed. “I’m not much of a party person, but I’d made my peace with it. I’d even started to enjoy myself a little. The food was amazing.”
“I barely got a chance to try any,” I admitted. “The Wyns wanted to see me.”
“Of course they did,” she said dryly. “Why wouldn’t they want to meet the new Gerrard?”
“Well, I wish they hadn’t.”
Her look grew curious. “Why did you come?”
Because Astrid threatened to complicate things between us, which would’ve jeopardized my plans to financially ruin your family and put an end to your father’s constant bullying. I couldn’t exactly let her do that, so I let her extort me into coming with my girlfriend and my assistant without even knowing what we’d be walking into.
I couldn’t exactly tell her that, so I reached for something plausible instead. A partial truth was better than a lie.
“Because your father caused a lot of havoc in the world economy and dragged my name through the process. Astrid told me this would be a good chance to do some damage control.”
Sachiko frowned at that. “Yes. I can see why this wouldn’t be your first choice for how to spend the evening.”
“I would’ve rather had my insides eaten by rats,” I agreed.
Sachiko exhaled sharply. “God, that woman is infuriating.”
“I know,” I said. “She almost got me killed ... and my bodyguard.”
“I certainly won’t be trusting her again,” she said.
“Welcome to the club. Glad to have you.”
This was actually a little heartening. If I could get Sachiko to hate Astrid as much as I did, I might not have to worry about her wrecking my plans. At least waiting for Erin to return wasn’t a complete waste.
Thinking of Erin compelled me to stare out the windows, hoping for any signs of movement.
“You know,” I said as I kept watch, “after your dad and I made our deal official, she showed up and asked me to back out and deal her in instead. I think she’s just fucking with you to sabotage our business relationship.”
Sachiko scowled. “Why wouldn’t you tell us that sooner?”
Whoops. Had I miscalculated?
“Because ... I didn’t know you two were hanging out?”
Sachiko drew her knees to her chest. Her torn skirt fell open enough to reveal a smooth, lightly tanned leg.
She glared at the floor.
“Look,” I said, “I didn’t take the offer seriously. I brushed her off and thought that was the end of it.”
“Yes, well, she’s a weasel,” Sachiko said.
“Have you known her long?”
“Not really,” Sachiko said with a shrug. “Our fathers know each other better. Hers has been very hands-off the past few years since he retired. She’s become much more prominent.”
She looked back up at me. “I’m a little surprised by how much you distrust her. Father made it sound like you were ... together. Weren’t you vacationing in her home before the meeting with my brother?”
“Oh, Astrid and I are not, nor have we ever, been a thing,” I said venomously. “She’s a narcissist at best, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she were clinically insane. I’ll bet you a billion dollars that she kills small animals for fun.”
Sachiko cracked a smile at that.
Then it faded, and her eyes narrowed slightly. “And I’m supposed to trust you instead?”