Read Madame X (Madame X #1) for Free Online Page A

eighteen-karat gold, sapphire crystal face . . . all the fancy trappings of the insecure wealthy. I am not impressed.
    “By like, two minutes, X.” You breeze past me, and I gag on your cologne. You had to have bathed in it to stink so thickly of it. “It’s cool, man. No big deal. Two minutes, whatever. I’m here.”
    I remain standing by the door, hands at my sides, head high, staring down my nose at you. “No, Mr. Drake. Not whatever.” I gesture at the door. “You may go. We are done here.”
    You have the decency to look at least a little worried. “X, come on. It’s two minutes. Who the fuck cares about two little minutes? I was on the phone.”
    I know, I heard—I know better than to say this, however. “
I
care about two minutes, Mr. Drake. One minute, thirty seconds, a single moment. Late is
late
. You should be knocking on this door at six fourteen. Punctuality is a key trait of the successful, Mr. Drake.”
    “My dad is late for board meetings all the time,” you point out, not moving from your position three steps into my condo.
    I quirk an eyebrow. “Your father is the founder, CEO, and majority shareholder of one of the most powerful corporations on earth. He has power, which grants him the privilege of being late, to show up whenever he wishes, because he wields the control. You wield
nothing
, William. You receive an allowance. You are
tolerated
. Your lot in life is to do what you’re told, to show up where you are told to show up,
when
you are told to show up, and not a single millisecond later. Your father is one of the biggest, baddest sharks in the ocean, and you are a
guppy
. Good-bye, William. Perhaps next week you will think twice about yapping on your mobile phone outside my door, thus wasting my time, which—need I remind you—is infinitely more valuable than yours will ever be.”
    You cross the three steps between us in a blur. Your hand is on my throat, cutting off my air supply. Leaving bruises, certainly. You are nose-to-nose with me, eyes radiating fury, panic, and hate. “What did you hear,
whore
?”
    I blink, forcing myself to remain calm. My toes barely touch the floor, my high heels drooping off my feet. I cannot breathe. Stars blink and flash in my eyes. I do not fight, do not scrabble at yourarms or wrists. I stare at you. Make sure you are holding my gaze. And then, deliberately, I let my gaze flick upward, to the corner of the ceiling where the camera is hidden. Your eyes follow mine, and although you cannot possibly see it as it is far too well hidden, my meaning is clear. I lift my chin, arch an eyebrow.
    You drop me. I inhale a deep breath, forcing myself to do so slowly, to lock my knees and remain upright, on my feet. Instinct has me wanting to collapse to the floor, gasping, rubbing my throat. But I do not. Dignity is my armor.
    Ding.
    Elevator doors
whoosh
open, and you go pale. My door is still open. You back up a step, two, three. Shake your head. Four enormous men stalk through the doorway, wearing identical black suits, white shirts, and slim black ties, with earpieces in their right ears, cords trailing under their collars.
    “You will come with us, please, Mr. Drake.” One of them speaks, but his lips barely move so it could have come from any one of them.
    It is politely phrased, of course, because you are heir to a multibillion-dollar company. But then, you put your hands on me, and Caleb does not tolerate that. Not at all. Not from anyone. If you were not such a pathetic, nasty piece of scum, I would almost pity you. I know these men, and they do not feel mercy.
    But then, neither do I.
    You puff out your chest. Your lip curls in a derisive sneer. “Fuck off. You can’t tell me to do shit.” You breeze past me.
    You make it perhaps four full strides, which brings you out of my condo and into the hallway. You even round the corner. Big mistake, William. There are no cameras out there. One of the guards moves like a striking cobra, faster than