Bad Husband

By Scarlett Press

I never wanted to like f*ing her.

Carter Maxim has spent more than twenty years plotting his vengeance.

Two people ruined his father’s life and left Carter an orphan. His ex-stepmother and her new husband. He’ll take everything from them.

He’s ruined their business and owns their home. There’s only one last move to make. He wants to take a wife from the family to replace the one who left years ago.

Their daughter, shy and innocent college student Emily, will do nicely as the sacrificial lamb for the Kisadda family. He might not have much in common with his bookworm, robotics-major blackmailed bride, but bending her to his will is almost as sweet as his retribution.

Bad Husband is a 22k stand alone HEA novella. A short read for an afternoon of fun romance with a bad boy alphahole who sees the light, some forceful action she loves, a wealthy billionaire, a little bondage and deception, and a woman who can’t resist a firm hand.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steamy eReads
• Release date: Nov 23, 2019

Book preview

Scarlett Press Presents

Bad Husband

A Dark Turned Bright Romance

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Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Epilogue

Chapter One

Carter Maxim took a cautious sip of the brandy he’d ordered, grimacing at the roughness of the watered down beverage. What could one expect from an open bar at a robotics symposium? It reminded him of the swill he’d served when working as a bartender as a young man, before he’d been able to access his mother’s trust fund. Before he started the process of meticulously rebuilding and expanding the original Maxim fortune—lost to the ruthless actions perpetrated by Jack Kisadda.

The name brought his purpose for being at the scientific gathering back to the forefront of his mind. As his gaze sought out his quarry, he acknowledged he’d never forgotten why he was here. The need for revenge against the Kisadda family always burned within. Sometimes, it was relegated to a place of distant contemplation as he dealt with the day-to-day pressures of running a large corporation. But, it was never far from his thoughts—a reliable, if burdensome, companion.

The object of his examination remained unaware of him, allowing Carter to look his fill as she chatted with a small circle of nerdy-looking young men. She fit right in. Unconsciously, he shook his head, still having trouble picturing the college student as his wife. She was so different from her elegant older sister. Like her mother, Phaedra was cool ice and smooth edges, with silvery-blonde hair and pale gray eyes. Taking after her father, Emily Kisadda was the antithesis, with a heavy fall of dark brown hair, golden complexion, and big brown eyes blinking owlishly from behind glasses.

Once again, he cursed the incompetency of the man he’d hired to track Phaedra Kisadda. How could the bumbling buffoon have missed the signs that his target was more than friendly with her boss? How had she managed to slip through Carter’s fingers by spontaneously eloping within days of him confronting her and setting his plan in motion—all without the lovely Phaedra ever realizing how close she’d come to being the sacrificial lamb of the Kisadda clan?

A fleeting smile of grim satisfaction crossed his lips as he remembered how the private investigator had trembled with fear when Carter expressed his outrage at being outmaneuvered, thanks to that man not doing the job for which he’d been hired. He’d been left with no doubt that his security firm was finished by the time Carter had spoken his mind—all in a cold, crisp tone that seemed to have made the other man quake all the harder.

Thoughts of the man slipped away when Emily looked up suddenly, their gazes locking across the small ballroom where the hosting university had set up the luncheon—which broke the symposium into two sessions. Her eyes widened, and a charming flush scorched her cheeks, giving him a new appreciation for her warmer complexion—and for his effect on her. He allowed his smile to widen, relishing the knowledge she would be putty in his hands. Perhaps, it wouldn’t be as dismal as he’d imagined to take the second sister as the final piece of the revenge plotted against her family.

A tentative smile curved her full lips. The hint of awareness apparently hitting her darkened her eyes to warm pools of melted chocolate. Carter shifted imperceptibly as his lower body tightened, confirming it wouldn’t be too unpleasant a task to bed his blackmailed bride. He allowed a hint of hunger to shade his expression, amused when she blushed and looked away as her body stiffened. He kept his gaze on her as she studiously avoided looking at him, making a valiant effort to participate in the conversation going on around her, but clearly still aware of him.

Feeling much like a tiger stalking its prey, Carter set down his glass on a nearby table and strode across the room to the object of his attention. Yes, seducing the cosseted youngest child of his enemies would be a satisfying endeavor in more than one way.

<<

Emily vibrated with tension. She kept her eyes focused on Garth Jennings as the graduate student spoke passionately about the most recent develops in robotic surgery techniques. The topic had fascinated her just seconds before, until her unsuspecting gaze had collided with the aloof green eyes across the room. Oh, the eyes had shaken her, but not half as much as the handsome face framing them, with its lean, perfect lines, masculine lips, and golden-brown hair cut in a deceptively simple style that probably cost the earth. His suit was equally expensive, and the man’s presence screamed money, making her wonder what he was doing here. Suits weren’t out of place, but the few people wearing them tended to be professionals in the field, presenters of the topics of interest rather than audience members. Even those people lacked the panache and obvious air of elegance clinging to the man.

The man who was walking over here. She was too afraid of the way her body responded to look at him again, but it didn’t stop her from knowing he was approaching. She could just feel his presence, tracking him as though she had radar calibrated to detect his every movement. Each step brought him closer to her, making her mouth dry, her pulse race, and a hint of dizziness caused her head to spin. It was similar to, yet completely different from, episodes she’d had as a child, before the last surgery to repair her congenital heart defect. For one thing, she’d never been so aware of her nerve endings or such sensual feelings during those incidences.

What could he possibly want with her? She clung to the possibility he was merely passing by and would go out the exit door so near to her small group—while perversely hoping he wouldn’t. Emily yearned for him to stop beside her almost as much as she wanted him to keep going. It was a bewildering reaction, since she tended to respond based on reason and logic, not raw emotion.

In the end, he did neither. He walked past her without even a glance in her direction, bypassed the exit, and headed into the next room, apparently intent on securing a seat for lunch. Fighting back a wave of disappointment, she tried to dismiss the bizarre reaction from her mind, focus on her fellow students, and pretend that each second didn’t drag by with excruciating slowness until one of