I checked, your legal name is Pierce. Until you legally get that changed, that’s what I’m calling you, Mr. Pierce.”
I grit my teeth. Fucking bastard.
“To what do I owe this pleasure?” I ask dryly.
“We understand that Ms. Wright is now under your care. We need her statement. She broke into someone’s home and attempted murder. She cannot hide behind this farce of a mental health issue and definitely not behind you forever.”
“No one is pressing charges. You have what you need, and we can all go our separate ways. She’s been through enough.”
“She’s dangerous.”
I shrug. “I can handle her.”
He lets out an aggravated sigh. “I’d hate to pay you both a visit, Mr. Pierce. She needs to come into the station. There are things that need to be dealt with.”
“You’re not going to come near her,” I say calmly, riling him up.
“Do you know who you’re speaking to?”
“I do. You have so much promise, Officer. Don’t throw it away over this. I’m serious. I don’t take kindly to people trying to take things that belong to me.”
I hang up, tossing my cell onto the desk, and get straight to the emails Mia flagged as most important. The UNICEF Snowflake Ball is in two weeks. That means I have two weeks to change the public’s opinion on Mackenzie.
This is going to be fun.
When I walk back into the penthouse, Mia is gone, and Mackenzie is dressed casually, sitting at the kitchen bar with a bagel and a bowl of fruit. She pauses mid-chew when she senses my presence. Blowing out a heavy sigh, she turns to face me, adopting a bored expression.
“So much for enjoying my meal in peace.”
I smirk. “C’mon. Get dressed. You’re coming with me today.”
Her brows rise. “Where?”
“Don’t worry about it. Just make yourself look presentable.”
She looks down at herself. “What’s wrong with my clothes?”
Nothing. Not a damn thing. That’s the problem. I shouldn’t be enjoying our time together as much as I am. I’m supposed to be making life hell for her, and instead, I’m playing with her pussy and solving her problems while she stays in my penthouse for free.
“If you have to ask, that’s a fucking problem.”
Her face falls, and she looks down at herself. I berate myself internally but give nothing away. She hardens her exterior and nods. “Whatever you say, asshole.”
My cock hardens as I watch her stomp away, her curvy ass swaying in those damn jeans. Once she’s out of sight, I adjust my package, blowing out a breath of frustration. Blue balls is a son of a bitch.
To save us both time, I grab her an outfit from the closet in my room, since she still has clothes here. I throw the door open to the guest room without knocking. She whirls around, her face pressed with anger.
“What the hell do you want now?” she asks incredulously.
I brush past her, tossing the clothes onto her bed. “Saving us both time. Wear this so we can go.”
Mackenzie crosses her arms over her chest. “Who do you think you are? You don’t own me. I can choose my own clothes, thank you very much.”
“I do own you, Dirty Girl. Every part of you, whether you like it or not.”
She sneers at me. “You think signing a piece a paper means anything to me? You do not own me,” she growls, swinging her arm out at me in her rage. I catch her fist before she can make contact and yank her toward me, pulling her body flush with mine. She fights my hold, but simultaneously, as if she doesn’t realize it, her body settles into mine like she wants to be there, as much as I want her there.
“You don’t think I own you?” I whisper in her ear, trailing the tips of my fingers down the column of her neck, circling her throat and collarbone. She shivers in my arms and bucks, trying to fight my hold, but not once does she say to stop. Not once does she tell me to let her go. Her breathing escalates at my proximity, and I get off on it. On being this close to her and having her in my arms like this. Gripping both of her arms in one hand behind her back, I use it to my advantage to keep her from fighting me.
I skim my fingertips down the center of her body, pausing when I get to the waistband of those jeans. I toy with the slight gap between her stomach