The Love of Money II
Copyright© 2025 by MindSketch
Chapter 66
Fiction Sex Story: Chapter 66 - 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
There was no mistaking who or what he was talking about.
Nicholas Wyn, a man who had allegedly made a considerable amount of his fortune off blackmail and extortion, wanted me to kill my plan to destroy the psychotic crime boss who had been trying to destroy me for months.
Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.
I kept my response to a single word, so I didn’t risk him hearing it quaver ... because I was fucking scared.
“Why?”
Nicholas looked at me like I was crazy. His eyes flicked to the flash drive on the table.
“You’re not really in a position to be askin’ questions. How ‘bout when I say frog, you jump.”
Yeah. Blackmail.
What did he want? To undercut Tanaka and ask for the same deal instead? That outcome was even scarier than potential blackmail. If Wyn purchased a bomb that blew up in his face, I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it, but not only would Hiro be pissed that I backed out of our agreement ... he’d also see the fallout and be even more angry that I’d originally aimed my attack at him.
Or ... Did Nicholas suspect something was off with the deal? It wasn’t terribly surprising that he knew a deal was happening. By now, most people in any way connected to the financial and business world had heard rumblings that a massive purchase was underway.
But there was no way for him to find out about the larger plan, was there? Supposedly, there was a leak in our network that Helen and Psalter were taking care of ... could Wyn have picked up any information from it?
I couldn’t take my eyes off Nick’s. It was as if his gaze had me by the throat—absolutely predatory, and I felt very much like his prey. My insides were swimming in adrenaline, and I was hyper aware of everything—the feel of my own pulse hammering, the smell of Aurelia’s spicy perfume ... the taste of Casey’s lipstick still faint on my tongue.
One corner of Nicholas’s mouth quirked in a knowing smile. As far as he was concerned, he had me cornered.
He was so confident.
Once again, someone with a deep well of experience in high-society drama and intrigue was trying to take advantage of the fact that I’d only been in this for a few months. Nick was using my inexperience against me. What’s more, if he wasn’t aware of my poison chalice scheme, all he could see was a weak man who didn’t have the balls to stand up for himself. I was rolling over for Tanaka and selling him all my stock for an insane price, which had probably emboldened him even more. In his mind, I was easily cowed and could be made to do anything with enough force.
And Tanaka hadn’t been the only one to come after me. I might not have been in this game very long, but being under constant attack made you grow a pair and get smart really quick. It was either that or you died.
Like Tanaka, Nicholas Wyn was just another in a long line of carnivores wanting a fresh piece. He wasn’t the first, and he certainly wouldn’t be the last.
This wasn’t my first rodeo, and I had two people being held prisoner in my building who could back me up.
Roger VanCamp wasn’t untouchable, and neither is this man, Marcus. He bleeds just as much as you.
I took a deep, slow breath, picked up the flash drive, and sat back in my chair. I regarded it for a moment.
God, I wish I wasn’t so fucking scared.
I forced myself to look up at him. “No.”
Nick’s mouth tightened into a thin line. “What was that?”
“No,” I repeated.
“What do you mean, ‘no’?”
“You don’t know what ‘no’ means? I guess that’s not much of a surprise, considering what happens on your island.”
I could practically feel Aurelia stiffen next to me. Nicholas’s eyes narrowed.
“Big man thinks he’s got a little money, and suddenly he’s untouchable?” he asked, his tone cool.
Oh, I certainly didn’t think that. At that very moment, it was all I could do not to wet myself. My heart felt like it wanted to drag my stomach out of my throat and run away.
I shrugged, staying as cool as I could muster.
“Let me tell you something,” Nick said. “You ain’t all that, son. Sure, I might’ve been a little impressed with the way you handled yourself last week. Helluva trick you pulled with your bodyguard,” he said, cutting his eyes over to Chloe.
He looked back at me. “And you’re smart. Hell ... I like you enough to invite you onto my board.”
My eyebrows knitted in confusion. After all, I’d been the one to muscle my way into a place on his board.
He must have read my mind. “Oh, your little maneuver was enough for me to like you, and you are a Gerrard. Don’t think you can beat me at my own game, though. You can’t play a player ... isn’t that how the saying goes?”
I felt some of the fear leave my body as I leaned forward, planting my elbows on the table to call him out on his bullshit, but Nicholas cut me off before I could say anything.
“But boy, you’re hardly a threat. You’re still wet behind the ears. You’ve got a little spunk, but you’ve mostly been lucky so far. It’s a scary world we’re in, and there are a hell of a lot scarier things than you. Scarier things than Hiro Tanaka, as much of a snake as he is, and if you don’t learn when to exercise a little discretion, you’re gonna get chewed up and spit out.
“And the real kicker,” he said, leaning forward as if to reveal some major secret, “is that all those people who cozied up to you at our party will laugh and cheer and touch themselves while they watch it happen.”
He jabbed a finger at the flash drive and said, “Now play ball, or I will have cops and FBI agents at your apartment in half an hour.”
Did Nicholas really have the kind of pull he was suggesting he had in New York City? Was he being hyperbolic?
I didn’t dare look away from him. I was afraid that if I did, he would see it as a sign of weakness. Then there was part of me that didn’t want to look away because I was afraid he might actually eat me.
But I wanted to look at Chloe ... to see what she was thinking. What did she think of this? Was what he was saying true? God, why wasn’t Helen here? She was good at this level of confrontation. All this time, in moments like these, I always fell back on one of my experts like her, Psalter, or Erin...
Now I was in a situation where all I could rely on to navigate me through this nightmare of a conversation was myself.
Nicholas was right about one thing—I was inexperienced and had gotten lucky more than once. Now, stripped of all my help and with the knowledge that eventually luck ran out ... the feeling of helplessness was almost overwhelming.
I felt useless.
Wait ... no...
That wasn’t exactly true, was it?
Chloe had been the one to rescue me in Vegas, but I’d been on my own for days, scared and in pain. I hadn’t broken.
Then there was Norway. Again, Chloe had been there, but she’d been gone for hours at a time, leaving me to fend for myself. And when Ryo’s men had shown up at the helicopter site, I’d managed to stay alive while an entire platoon of mercenaries were unloading on me. Psalter had been there in the end, and Chloe had helped me take Ryo, but I hadn’t been completely helpless.
And on the island ... I’d beaten Tyler’s bodyguard. I’d successfully traversed that entire island with an innocent girl in tow.
And the VistaVision idea? That was my plan.
Yes, I had relied on the people around me, but if I had to list one of my greatest faults, it was not giving myself enough credit.
I was actually a moderately capable human adult, and I needed to remember that.
So I took a deep breath, steadied my nerves, wrapped my fingers around the flash drive, and squeezed it hard enough that I could feel the plastic dig into my palm. I could feel my jaw clench.
“What do you want?” I asked. “You need me to skywrite it? I said no. That means fuck off.”
Nicholas stood up, the chair making a scraping noise as it slid away from the table. He leaned forward, planting his palms on the table.
“Look here, you little—”
“No, you look, Nick,” I said as I stood, matching his energy. “I’m a busy guy working on a massive sale. You asked me to take time out of my day to come down here and meet you, and now you don’t even have the decency to show up on time.”
I felt on the verge of hyperventilating, but I’d just pushed all my chips onto the table. It was time to play my hand and let the cards fall as they might.
“You talk about all these monsters hiding in the dark, waiting for me just to slip up. Are you talking about those people at your party? I met quite a few of them, and I gotta say ... I’m not impressed. A lot of them are old, fat, and none too bright. The few who are bright are either too busy looking in a mirror or counting their money to pay me any real attention.
“And I’m not exactly sure why you want to send all of the NYPD and FBI to my house, but that doesn’t particularly scare me either, as I’ve had quite a few visits from the NYPD lately. I’m almost on a first-name basis with one of them. He’s a detective.”
I straightened and held up the flash drive for him to see. “So go ahead and call the cops. Send them. See if I give a fuck ... and after I’ve gone through all that, it’ll be my turn, and I would be more than happy to tell them about my experience on the island and who I partied with.”
Nicholas cocked his jaw to the side. He looked like he was sizing me up, as if he was going to physically come at me.
Part of me wanted him to. All this maneuvering ... all the talks and negotiations ... the veiled threats ... Natalie’s relationship stuff. A physical fight felt refreshingly simple.
Aurelia slowly stood up. “Careful, Marcus,” she said, her voice like warm, thick honey. “You don’t want to do that.”
I kept my eyes glued on Nicholas. “Actually, I kinda do.”
“She’s right,” Nicholas said. “Fast way to make a lot of enemies.”
I knew that. I also knew that making that many enemies would probably kill me. One pissed-off old Asian guy was enough to nearly do me in. I couldn’t imagine what a score of people with more wealth than the GDP of many small countries could do to a common enemy.
But playing their game clearly wasn’t getting me anywhere. I’d eaten their food, rubbed shoulders, and made friends.
And all that got me was extortion.
Well then... fuck it.
“I don’t give a fuck. I’m not your dancing monkey ... or frog. I don’t care how many of you come at me pissed off.”
“It ain’t just the numbers, kid,” Nick said.
“Yeah, I heard you. It’s the experience or whatever. Doesn’t matter. I’ve got more money than you. So stop wasting my time and call the fucking cops already. And while you’re at it, take this back.”
I tossed the flash drive back at him.
To his credit, he snatched it out of the air, looking kind of cool doing it.
“Who uses a fucking flash drive anyway? Ever heard of the cloud?”
Nick glowered.
I matched his heat.
No one said anything.
My eyes flicked to his phone lying on the glossy wooden surface—a wordless suggestion for him to get on with it.
I could feel the stares from Aurelia and Chloe burning into the side and back of my head. It was all I could do to ignore them and keep my focus on the man trying to intimidate me with his eyes.
Maybe someone, somewhere, might call this bravery, but it certainly didn’t feel like it. It was a wonder that he couldn’t see me quaking or hear my rapid breathing.
I wanted to throw up.
No. This didn’t feel like bravery. This felt more like a desperate action made by someone who couldn’t think of anything else to do. I couldn’t give him what he wanted. I couldn’t back out of my agreement with Tanaka.
What else was I going to do besides this?
The silence stretched on. Nicholas still didn’t reach for his phone. He simply fiddled with the flash drive as if it were a fidget toy.
I wanted to say something to break the awful silence and had to will myself to keep my mouth shut.
And just when it felt on the verge of being too much...
Nicholas cracked a little smile. He shook his head, then chuckled. It all looked so bitter.
“I gotta admit,” he said, “I’m a little surprised you’ve got the guts to stand up like this, kid. The way you rolled over for Tanaka? The deal you’re giving him? To any bystander, you look whipped.”
The irony wasn’t lost on me. That was exactly what I was going for, and I was happy to see that I was convincing enough to fool a well-seasoned manipulator like Nicholas Wyn. What I hadn’t expected—and what was certainly unwelcome—was that he saw it as an opportunity to strong-arm me.
I needed to figure out how to thread this needle so that I sold my desperation without appearing so weak that he actually made good on his threat.
God ... half my fortune for Emily’s acting chops.
“I guess I understand why you might think that, but I would’ve assumed our talk last week would’ve earned me at least a little respect. And stop calling me things like kid and boy,” I said, annoyed. “I’m twenty-eight. You’ve probably got, what, seven years on me?”
“If only,” Nicholas said. “I’m forty-two.”
I reeled at that. I’d only thought he was in his mid-thirties because of how he kept talking down to me. It wouldn’t have surprised me at all if he had said he was closer to my age ... but forty-two?
I glanced at Aurelia.
She simply quirked a corner of her mouth and said, “You don’t expect me to really tell you my age now, do you?”
“Privileges of the rich,” Nicholas continued. “We ain’t cracked immortality yet, but we try real hard.”
His bitter smile faded, and the small light in his eyes dimmed as he sobered once more.
“I’m serious, Marcus. Back out of the deal.”
“No,” I sighed.
“You know I could ruin you,” Nicholas said, his fingers curling possessively around the edges of his phone still lying on the table.
I stared at every threatening twitch of his hand and said, “Do what you gotta do.”
“I don’t get it,” Nicholas said, cocking his head to the side. “You clearly ain’t a coward. Why this deal?”
That question ... I had a perfectly good answer for that question, but even the thought of trying to explain it in a way that didn’t compromise it exhausted me. I dropped back in my seat and took a deep breath. “Maybe I’m just tired.”
“Tired?”
“Yeah, VistaVision is more trouble than it’s worth. People are constantly giving me shit about it—which direction we should take it, who should be leading it, how much shareholders made last quarter...”
“Hell,” Nick said. “That ain’t VistaVision. That’s just business.”
I dropped my head on the back of the seat and looked up at him. “Well, maybe I don’t want business. I bought a castle in Scotland, and yet here I am dealing with this bullshit ... seems like a waste.”
Nicholas weighed my words as he stared at me, and for the first time, that look in his eyes didn’t scare me.
Truth be told, I wasn’t acting as much as I thought I would need to. I really was tired, and part of me wondered if any of this was worth it. What stopped me from just pulling up stakes completely and running away? I could just disappear with Natalie, Erin, Helen, Bobbi ... and anyone else who wanted to come with me. We could stay in my castle or on a beach somewhere. I could idle away my days doing absolutely nothing but what I wanted to, and my nights could be spent fucking to pure exhaustion.
There was a beauty in that—the lack of struggle.
Stopping to smell the roses ... and never starting back up again.
The haunting desire for some kind of life like that made it all too easy to sell the idea that I was simply tired and didn’t want to deal with Hiro’s bullshit anymore.
And judging by the look on Nicholas’s face, he was buying it all hook, line, and sinker.
The silence that fell over all of us was uncomfortable and strange, but for a moment, it almost felt as if what I said had struck a chord with him. Maybe he, too, was tired. Maybe we actually did share a little bit of common ground.
Nicholas dropped back in his seat. He put his elbows on the table and fiddled with the flash drive he had tried to use as a threat while he looked at me, his expression unreadable.
“You’re a hard one to figure out ... I’ll give you that.” He glanced at his sister before continuing. “I don’t know if you’re shitting me or not, but I’ve felt that way before, so I get it.”