Spice Box: Sixteen Steamy Stories

by Raine Miller

  Kadir’s bodyguard didn’t acknowledge her in anyway.

  “I’m not missing the concert.” He grinned. “When you have as many enemies as I do, it’s a good idea to have a double. Someone who can be seen in public when I want to go to other places discreetly.”

  “When my brother’s released, and I talk to him, I’ll give you what you want,” she said.

  “We’ll get to that. I wanted to make a formal offer of employment,” he said. “I mentioned I needed someone with your background in international law. I pay well. Fifteen thousand American dollars a month, and you’d live in a luxury apartment. But I expect a two-year commitment.”

  Was he serious? The man had to be out of his mind. Was this how he got his sex slaves? Offer them a legitimate job they couldn’t refuse? “I like my current job, thank you.” She was careful not to reveal too much contempt in her words, considering her situation. “I don’t appreciate people walking into my house uninvited.”

  Kadir laughed. “You consider this an invasion of privacy then?” He raised his voice as he gestured with the gun.

  “Yes, I do.” She whistled. “Dexter, go lie down.” She pointed to his bed. Her dog perked up and squirmed on Kadir’s lap, but he was quick and wrapped his hand around Dexter’s throat again. The dog whimpered. It took all her courage not to show fear.

  “He’s fine right here. And don’t scream. I’d hate to have to kill your dog, your next-door neighbor, and anyone else who decided to come out to see the commotion.”

  She took a breath. “First you offer me a job. Now you’re threatening me?” Her cell was in her back pocket, but she didn’t dare reach for it now. Somehow, she needed to leave it where Jason would find it. One way or another, Kadir was walking out of here with the thumb drive and probably taking her with him to make her his sex slave. Boldly, she walked around the sofa and sat. As she did, she smoothed her hands over her jeans and slid the phone between the seat cushions, hoping he didn’t notice.

  Anger flared in his dark eyes. “Did I give you permission to sit?” he snarled. Knocking Dexter off his lap, Kadir shot to his feet and charged over to Zoe. Grabbing her by the hair, he dragged her off the couch. “Kneel.” The gun was in his other hand.

  She bowed her head in a submissive pose. “Yes, sir.”

  He sighed, calming down. Let the man with the gun think he had all the power, and he’d lower his guard. “It takes discipline to keep women in their proper place. As my mother obeyed my father.”

  She should’ve resisted responding, but she couldn’t. “I have no problem with women respecting their husbands as long as the respect is returned. How many wives do you have?”

  Kadir was silent, and she wondered if she’d pushed too hard. She was stalling. “I have one.”

  “How does she feel about your slaves? You must have dozens.”

  He smacked her on the side of her face, knocking her to the floor. The salty taste of blood filled her mouth. “A woman who speaks like this should be beaten.”

  “I may not understand your culture and religious beliefs. I can respect them, accept the differences, but abuse is abuse no matter how you try to label it or justify it.”

  He smiled evilly. Maybe he’d rather kill her than have her as his slave after what she tried to do to him. The only chance she had was to run for the kitchen door, knock over the vase of flowers on her way out and hope he’d miss when he started to shoot.

  The plan set in her mind, she took a breath and leaped for the kitchen, swinging punches at the guard as she ran. The guard, skilled in martial arts, knocked her down and left her gasping for air. Kadir scolded him for being rough. He patted her down and took the thumb drive. When she was breathing normally again, she noticed she’d given the man a bloody nose. Little consolation.

  Kadir picked up a small case he had on the floor, took out a netbook computer and uploaded the thumb drive. After a few minutes, she heard his voice and hers. His eyes widened. “Entertaining. I’ll add this to my collection,” he said. “A sophisticated system. I would expect that.” He turned off the computer and slipped the thumb drive into his pocket.

  “You have what you want. What about my brother?”

  “I’m taking you to your brother,” Kadir said, laughing.

  “My brother isn’t in Washington.”

  “He’s in Iran,” he said. “As you will be soon.”

  “You have what you want. I deleted the original copy. I’m not going to be your private slave.” She had to keep thinking. Remember she was a lawyer, not CIA. If he found that out, they’d torture her for information and then kill her.

  “My slaves are very loyal. They’re educated, intelligent and beautiful. They please me in many ways. When they don’t please me, I punish them. If they betray me…I’m sure you won’t betray me.”

  “As soon as I get outside, people will see me, hear me.”

  Kadir picked up Dexter by the throat. The dog yelped. Reaching her arms out, she tried to get to him, but the guard held her back. “Let him go.”

  “After I kill your dog, I’ll kill your neighbor and burn down these townhouses. And don’t forget your brother. So, my little slave, will you come with me?”

  “Fine.”

  “Excuse me? Is that how you answer your master?”

  Her stomach roiled. “Yes, sir,” she spat out between clenched teeth.

  Kadir put Dexter down, and the dog curled up, shaking, in his bed.

  “Better. Now, say, ‘Thank you, Master, for not killing me.’” He held the gun to Zoe’s head.

  Hot and cold slithered up her skin. This was it. He was going to kill her. Jason. So much she wanted to tell him. She loved him and had never had the chance to tell him. And Damien. She couldn’t help him either. Her throat constricted, and tears burned in her eyes.

  “Say it,” he ordered.

  “Thank you, Master, for not killing me.” She held her breath and waited for the click.

  He put the gun down. “See, slave? I can be a forgiving Master.”

  The guard stood behind her and rested his hand on her shoulder. The sharp prick of a needle jabbed into her neck was unexpected. All her muscles went limp, and her vision blurred. Then everything went black.

  ***

  It was well after midnight by the time Jason signed out of the hospital. The doctor had given him an envelope of pain meds to hold him over until he could get his prescription filled. A temporary cast supported his hand, but it throbbed and hurt like hell after all the probing and X-rays. The X-rays had shown two small fractures. He had an appointment to see an orthopedic doctor in the morning.

  “You want me to drive you?” Tyler asked. “Didn’t they give you something for the pain?”

  Jason held up the small yellow envelope. “I haven’t taken any yet. I will when I get to Zoe’s.” He took out his phone and checked his messages. “No frigging service in hospitals. We might as well be in the middle of the jungle.”

  “It works in the lobby. I’ve checked in with Secret Service, and Kadir is at his hotel now.”

  On the way out the door, Jason’s phone buzzed with messages. Zoe had sent a text a couple of hours ago. “Something’s wrong.”

  “What is it?” Tyler asked.

  “Zoe said she changed her mind and was coming to the hospital to wait for me. The text was over an hour ago.”

  Tyler stopped walking. “We’ll take my car. It’ll be faster.”

  Both his and Tyler’s phone buzzed.

  Before they reached the street where Frank had directed them, they saw a plume of smoke swirl up in a night sky illuminated by city lights. Emergency lights from several fire trucks and police cars flickered across the buildings and stopped traffic. The area was blocked off by police. Flames and black smoke billowed out of the windows of a small hybrid car. It couldn’t be Zoe’s.

  “God, no, no, no.” Jason jumped out of the car before Tyler stopped. He ran to the scene and was stopped by police. Jason identified himself and showed h
is ID. He ran to the ambulance. The gurney was there but no body. He stared back at the car. “Where is she?” he shouted at a police officer blocking his path.

  The heat singed his skin, and the smoke reeked of oil and rubber. The firemen doused the flames, and a ball of black smoke billowed into the sky. Two policemen ordered a crowd of onlookers to get back. Frank came over and stood in front of Jason. “Hold on. We don’t know yet if she was in there.” Frank made a call on his cell while remaining a barricade to Jason. “I’ve sent security to her house.”

  Jason nodded, unable to take his gaze away from the car. Please don’t let her be in there.

  Once the smoke cleared, firemen pried the trunk open. He held his breath as he waited for confirmation. The fireman slammed the trunk down. Jason let his breath out. Several firemen used pry bars to open the doors. If they didn’t say something soon, he’d kick the crap out of them.

  “No one’s in the car,” the fire chief announced. The man smiled. He had no idea what that meant. The news was brief comfort, though. If not here, then where? She was in danger.

  Jason and Frank exchanged glances. “Where the hell is she?” Jason asked.

  “We’ll start at her house.”

  “Send someone to Kadir’s hotel and his private jet,” Jason added. “Do not allow that jet to take off.”

  “An all points bulletin has already gone out,” Frank said. “We’ll question Kadir and start looking for her. If he abducted her, they couldn’t have gone far.”

  When they got to Zoe’s house, Dexter bowed his head low and whimpered when Jason approached him. He picked him up. “She’s not here either, but I bet someone was. Her dog is shaking. He never does this.”

  Frank’s phone rang, and he answered it. “At the hotel? Has no idea? Yeah, right. Thanks.” He gave Jason a worried look. “Kadir’s at his hotel, getting ready to leave the country. His jet is still at the airport. The plane was searched. Zoe isn’t there. She’s vanished.

  “Kadir was at the Kennedy Center all night with his aides,” Frank went on. “We had him watched all night. He couldn’t have left.”

  Tyler entered the townhouse. “We’ve questioned the neighbor. She said a man delivered flowers around six, and she let him in but watched him leave.”

  “Kadir must’ve hired someone to leave a window open or the back door unlocked,” Frank said, making a face. “But how did he do it so fast?”

  “Unless he planned it before he even got here,” Jason said. “Did the neighbor see a delivery truck?”

  Tyler nodded. “And later she saw a black sedan sitting out front. She thought it had to do with Zoe’s work so ignored it.”

  Frank’s phone buzzed, and he answered it. He swore after talking to the person. “Is he okay? Good. This changes things. I’ll let you know.” He rubbed his forehead then ended the call.

  “What?” Jason asked.

  “The AV guy for the Red Tape Room was knocked out. He said it was Zoe. The video has been erased.”

  “Fuck. Why the hell would she do this?” Jason placed his hands on his head. Another mission screwed, and Zoe might die this time. It was his fault for getting her into this.

  “Any chance she made a copy for Kadir?” Frank asked.

  “For what purpose?” Jason paced her living room with Dexter at his heels. He stopped.

  “He found out about the recording and threatened her?” Tyler suggested. “He threatened to kill her like Alana was killed.”

  “Damien,” Jason said. “Her brother’s in Iran. Kadir must have him.”

  Frank started making a call. “I’ll ask General Guzman to look into it. I’ll have to let Rowland and Julia know. She probably compromised the mission and the FLC.”

  “She didn’t,” Jason argued. “Whoever the mole is did.”

  Frank got another call. When he was done, he explained to Jason. “Johnny Vargas is at the airport. Kadir is making a stink about being delayed. We can’t hold him.”

  “We’re wasting time.” Jason had to keep his focus. “She can’t be far. If Kadir doesn’t have her hidden at the airport, he had someone else take her.” Jason was reliving a nightmare. He had sworn this would never happen again if they got out of Langley. “Fuck!”

  “Why would the bastard want the recording? I can understand him wanting it destroyed. And why take Zoe?” Tyler gripped his shoulder. “Why go through the scene at all if you know you’re being recorded?”

  Frank and Jason stared at each other, and reality clicked at the same time by the look in Frank’s eyes. “Could Kadir have been planning this before the Red Tape Room?” Jason asked. “He met Zoe at the welcome reception, and he danced with her. The guy has his secret harem of slaves. What if he planned to take Zoe all along as his sex slave? When he learned about Red Tape, he decided he could use that against the US.” Jason swore and gripped the back of the couch.

  “Kadir wouldn’t use the recording,” Frank argued. “You all wear masks anyway, right?”

  Tyler shook his head. “The unedited tape might have the participants without masks and clips of the first lady in the room. She brought him in and escorted him out. If Kadir has that copy, he has a high-resolution video of the first lady in a BDSM dungeon.”

  “When Kadir’s slaves stop pleasing him, he sells them to white traders or kills them,” Jason said, more to himself. How good of an actor could Zoe be and for how long?

  “Easy, man. We’ll find her.”

  Flashing blue and red lights from outside lit up the living room. There was a knock at the door. Tyler stayed with Jason while Frank went to the door. “We have company. We’ll coordinate our efforts with local and state authorities, get her photo out there.”

  Frank checked his watch. “Just after midnight, so she’s been missing at least four hours.” He patted Jason on the back. “She was CIA. She’s smart and trained.”

  Jason shot Frank a look. “I know. That’s not why I’m worried. It’s the moment they find out she’s former CIA.”

  ***

  Zoe forced open her eyes, but she couldn’t focus. Shadows swam in her view, and her stomach roiled. Please don’t be sick. Think logically.

  Her mind and thoughts kept drifting, and all she wanted to do was curl up and sleep. Her mind floated through the shadows. Dreaming. She was dreaming she was in her bed, and Jason had his arm around her.

  No. Wake up.

  Forcing her eyes open again, she tried to stare at one point across the room until her vision cleared.

  The room came into view. It was rectangular, no windows. A four-foot fluorescent light hung ten feet above her. The room was probably around fifteen or twenty feet long. A storage area or basement of some kind? The small mattress beneath her lay on the floor, and a blanket covered her. At least they wanted her somewhat comfortable.

  Sitting up made her head spin, and she waited until the nausea passed. Her muscles felt sore and weak. From the drugs and partly from her encounter with Kadir? How long ago was that? She had no sense of time of day. Listening, she heard mechanical equipment and felt a vibration. Metal studs framed the room. Even the floor appeared metal. Maybe she was in the basement of a building, near a boiler room. When she tried to stand, the tug on her left arm caught her off balance, and she fell back on the mattress.

  What the hell? Handcuffs clamped around her left wrist, attached by a length of chain to a thick eyebolt in the center of the room. She yanked on it but knew it wouldn’t give. Testing the length, she walked from one end to the other, where there was a door with a sliding latch bolt. Probably locked. It didn’t matter since she couldn’t reach it.

  Inside the room, she found boxes with bottled water, protein bars and apples. Under a tarp was a Porta John with toilet paper. Oh joy. They expected to keep her here awhile, several days by the supplies.

  She rubbed her neck where Kadir’s man had jabbed her with the needle. It was still sore, and she felt dizzy walking. Maybe from lack of food and water. No telling how long she had been out. Th
e bottled water looked sealed, untampered with, and the protein bars looked okay, too, as far as she could tell. She tasted a small piece of a bar and drank some water. Her throat was so parched she could hardly swallow. Dehydration would kill her before anything else.

  After she ate a couple of bars and drank more water, she felt better, but her head still swam a bit. The aftereffects of the drug they’d used on her might take days to wear off. Did Jason and the FLC have any idea she was missing? They must by now and know what she’d done. But did they have any idea where she was? If she was still in Washington, she wouldn’t know. She couldn’t hear truck or car traffic outside. Except for the boilers, she couldn’t hear anything. And Damien…would a madman keep his word?

  First thing she had to do was get out of the handcuffs. They hadn’t taken her hoop earrings. She removed one, bent it straight and poked at the latch. After several tries, the lock released. Rubbing her wrist, she marched straight for the door and tried the metal latch. It wouldn’t budge. It was held by riveted bolts. Unlikely she’d be able to pry them loose. The walls around the door had a fine covering of insulation. A cool breeze flowed through. She ripped at the spongy material and found a louver vent underneath. The vent appeared new compared to the dirty walls. Had they been expecting her company and didn’t want her to suffocate? After taking the other handcuff off the chain, she used the edge as a screwdriver and took off the covering. A few feet in front was another metal wall. This had to be some kind of storage unit, a shed or a room in a warehouse.

  She climbed out, figuring once she escaped she’d run until she found a public place. Outside, she breathed in fresh air that had an odd smell. With any luck, she’d find a gas station or a road where she could stop a trucker or get to a phone, something. She’d contact Jason and let him know she was okay. Had they realized she was missing yet?

  It was dark, but a strange light shone from above. She stood outside her prison, looking up into a night sky. A brilliant moon and stars. She took a breath and relaxed a little. Thank God, she was outside. Her prison had been a storage unit, and another one stood a few feet in front of her. In the dim light, she saw rows of them. She crept around the corner of her unit and froze. Zoe’s lungs constricted as she tried to breathe. Blinking several times, she wondered if she was hallucinating, then wished she was.