“I’ll be fine.”
Lyle points to a red button on the wall inside the cell. A single press ends a client’s…session. Two presses signals an emergency and brings a horde of guards and a whole lot of hurt. “You hit this if you need me.”
“I’ve been briefed on the procedure, Lyle.” Her tone is hilariously patronizing.
He fits the key in the lock and, with a turn of his wrist, gives me the perfect opportunity to bust free…
…and get about ten steps into the Hub before guards would descend on me and beat me half to death. A torture session would follow, ending with a double dose of ket.Yeah, no.Instead, I stay put, a good little prisoner, and remind myself the day is coming when I’ll kill these fuckers.
Every last one of them.
The woman strides into the cell with the grace of a queen. Lyle locks her in with me, but she seems unfazed at how close she is to danger. “Thank you, Lyle. Now leave.”
Dismissed, Lyle bows his head and mumbles something I can’t quite hear. It’s something she chooses to ignore. He shuffles out of Elite with the door slamming behind him. The lock slides into place, leaving the woman alone with me. To her credit, she finally looks worried.
Hesitancy replaces her haughty attitude. She keeps herself glued to the spot near the bars, the subtle wringing of her hands the only tell she’s not as calm as she appears. “I’m sorry Lyle threw water on you.”
God, her voice is soothing. A raspy whisper that’s sexy as hell, and like the traitor it is, my dick sparks to life at the oddly intimate sound. I get another noseful of her sweet summer scent, and my muscles relax just enough to ease the painful pull against my bones.
“It is what it is.”
“He’ll answer for it,” she promises as she mottles the skin of her knuckles. “Please don’t make me regret forgoing chains.”
“Tell you what, sweetheart.” The drugs slur my words, but I put enough nasty in my tone so she can’t miss my animosity. “Don’t make me fuck you and I won’t make you regret skipping the chains. Deal?”
“Fair enough.” Her quick agreement is unexpected. “Are you hungry? I can have food brought in.”
A thick T-bone, grilled to a perfect medium rare, sounds about right. Rooster and his woman, Sadie, throw epic barbecues. They usually end sometime late the following afternoon, with most of us passed out cold from too much liquor, too much food, and too much sex. Last one they hosted at Sanctum ended with me having to drag Jester home after the happy idiot wrecked his Honda CRF450RWE. Damn, we had a sweet time—one that might as well be lifetimes ago.
“Can’t eat on ket.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
“Now you do.” I sneer.
I track her measured steps, her determination impressive. A glance at the soaked mattress draws her perfectly arched brows together. “I’ll arrange for you to have a fresh mattress.”
What game is this one playing? It’s obvious she’s got pull, but it doesn’t explain why she gives a good goddamn if I’m hungry or if I’ll sleep on a wet bed. Cautious of her motives, I study her, an uncomfortable suspicion picking at my brain. Everything about her is familiar. I’d remember if we’d met. She’s too damn beautiful to forget. So, why the hell can’t I shake the feeling that I’ve seen her before?
Whatever. Doesn’t matter. Fact that she’s here makes her a giant piece of shit.
“Don’t bother.” I leave out how the guards will piss all over a new one and force me to sleep in the fresh puddle.
And I’ll owe her if she arranges for me to have a new bed.Thanks, but no thanks. My body is my only currency, and I refuse to use it to pay off a debt—not even for items as valuable as a hot meal or a clean mattress.
I try not to appreciate the gentle sway of her hips beneath the dull dress as she crosses the cell. Or admire her audacity when she hitches her skirt and sits across from me. In a surprising gear shift, there’s something vulnerable in the way she steeples her legs and wraps her arms around them. The woman’s been nothing but steel until now, so this one-eighty throws me. But when she rests her chin on her knees, it bothers me because it’s like I’ve lived through this situation before with her.
I shake off the déjà vu and nod at the doorknob of a diamond and wedding band set wrapped around her left ring finger. “Husband not giving it to you good enough, so you came looking for a dirty thrill with a filthy man?”
The flecks of gold in her green eyes seem to flare, and I resist the urge to flinch under her silent reproach. Christ, I’m no better than Lyle, crumbling under the weight of her displeasure.
“I thought I made it clear I didn’t come for sex.” There’s enough frost in her tone to freeze the Atlantic Ocean.
“No?” I spit. “Then why the hell are you bothering me?”
“I’m hoping we can talk.”
“I’m hoping you’ll leave.”
