by Naomi West
Setting a bottle of shampoo in the bottom of the sink to make the water splash differently, Piper quickly and quietly dashed across the bathroom. She found the locks on the window and shoved it open. It glided on its tracks without a noise. Being a bathroom window, it was slightly higher off the ground than normal windows were. She put one foot up on the edge of the tub and launched herself over the ledge.
The bathroom door slammed open behind her. Panic filled her chest as she realized how high she was off the ground. The land behind the house sloped away, leaving at least a ten-foot drop underneath her. It was only a small distance, considering that was what lay between her and freedom, but it was just enough to make her hesitate for a split second.
And that split second was enough for Tank to barrel into the room and grab her legs. He hauled her backwards, roaring expletives. “How dare you? You said you wanted to cooperate, and then you go and pull this shit?”
Piper hit the floor, her legs still in his grip. She pounded the tile with her fist, pissed that she had blown her one opportunity. “Nothing works with you!” she screamed up at him. “I’ve offered you everything I can think of, but none of it is good enough! You’re stringing me along as though I’ll be able to make this up to you, but I can’t! I’m sorry, but it’s just too damn bad, isn’t it?” If any of the neighbors were around, then they definitely would have heard her scream through the open window. But it sounded like nothing more than a domestic bicker.
Tank must have been thinking the same thing, though, because he reached forward with one hand to slam the window shut. “How can you expect me to work with you when you’re going to act like this? You think you can just do whatever you want?”
“Why not? You do! You told me yourself, the first time I met you. You were proud of it, too, you asshole!” Piper was past the point of caring anymore. Let him kill her. Then at least this misery would be over.
But Tank wasn’t going to make things that easy on her. He scooped her up and once again carried her down to the basement. He flew down the stairs at a dangerous speed, making Piper dizzy. When he got back to the closet, he slammed her down onto the ground.
What he didn’t realize was that Piper had grabbed onto the back of his shirt. The material came with her, and he stumbled slightly as he fought off her grip. Piper swiped at his legs with her own, kicking and thrusting as hard as she could, hoping to land at least one blow right where it counted.
He was a force to be reckoned with, and her weak effort were nothing compared to his strength. He pounced down on top of her, pinning her legs at the thigh with his knees. She fought with her hands, but he caught her wrists easily and threw them over her head, holding them to the floor.
Their bodies were pressed together, their chests heaving from their efforts. His face was only inches from hers, and she could feel electric shocks swirling inside her body as she wondered what he was going to do.
“I warned you that I’m dangerous,” he growled after a minute. “I suggest you don’t upset me again.” He shoved himself up off of her, bringing her with him and pushing her down into the chair. His hands dragged across her body as he tied her once again, keeping more contact than he ever had before and certainly more than was necessary. But he bound her just as tightly as he had before, and perhaps even more thoroughly. He stood behind her for a long moment when he was done. “You should know that I’m very serious.”
Piper nodded.
Tank left and slammed the door behind him.
13
Piper
The sight of that door slamming was the last straw for Piper. She had suffered long enough in this damn closet, and she wasn’t going to do it anymore. “Hey!” she screamed, pushing every ounce of her energy into her voice. With her body bound as it was, it had no other place to go. “Get your ass back in here and talk to me!” Her chest heaved against the ropes as she waited for his response. The next two seconds took forever.
But then the door slammed opened again, banging into the wall and shaking on its hinges. The doorknob left a deep dent in the drywall, but Tank didn’t notice. His dark eyes were shining with fury, and his fists curled at his side. “What the fuck did you just say to me?”
She was terrified, but she was so tired of being scared. Playing nice hadn’t worked, and neither had her attempt at escape. Piper was done. “I said to get in here and talk to me,” she ground out through gritted teeth. “I guess you get your jollies by knowing I’m stuck down here, waiting for your mercy to try to talk with you. I know you can’t be a complete idiot, or else you wouldn’t be in charge of the Chrome Kings, pulling off all these deals that you have a hand in. You can’t tell me that you accomplish those by muscle alone, so it’s time to show off your negotiating skills.”
“You have no right to talk to me that way!” Tank roared.
“I have every right, considering what you’ve done to me!” she shrieked back. He was pissed, no doubt about it, but so was she. “I’m not doing this anymore. You tell me what you want, or else you can just fucking kill me.”
In response, Tank reached into his back pocket. He removed a folding knife, flicking it open with his thumb. The sharp click of the mechanism filled the room and funneled into Piper’s ears, echoing in her skull. Well, fuck. Now she had done it. She hauled in as deep of a breath as she could get. “I’ll do whatever you want. Whatever it is. I’m all yours.” Her voice was shaking, and she cursed herself for that. She had to be strong right now, no matter what happened.
When the big man stepped forward, his blade gleaming in the light from the bare bulb, Piper knew she was done for. But he slashed the knife through the ropes instead of through her flesh. It cut through easily, sharp enough that the bindings barely caused it any resistance. As they fell away to the floor, Tank yanked her to her feet with his free hand and pressed her body against his. “I don’t think you really mean that.”
Piper glanced down but forced her eyes back up. She would submit to him any way she had to if it earned her freedom, but she wouldn’t let him know that she was scared. “I do,” she gasped. The ropes were no longer restricting her, but the electrical energy shooting through her body had driven the air from her lungs. Tank was a big, terrifying man, and he had been a complete asshole to her, but there was something about his hard muscles against her that she couldn’t resist.
“Then why are you shaking?” he challenged, still keeping her pressed against him with one hand at the small of her back. The knife was pointed away from her, but it would only take a moment for him to slash it across her throat.
“How do you know I’m not just really excited?” she challenged, wondering as she said it if it was true. “You keep teasing me.”
He let out a snort of a laugh. “I’m teasing you? Says the girl who practically threw herself at me at the bar that night? Don’t try to turn this around on me.”
“But you’re the one who keeps picking me up, showing off your muscles. How long do you think someone can resist that?” The back of her mouth was dry. Was this how journalists felt when they went out into warzones, putting themselves in true danger all for the sake of the story? Did they have any idea how scary it was to put their lives in the hands of someone who could do anything to them and get away with it?
“I imagine pretty long, if it’s someone like you.” His eyes roved down to her chest. “I know your type. You look like you’d be a good fuck, but you’re probably cold as ice between the sheets.”
“Then let me prove otherwise.” Her stomach twisted into a knot at the idea. He scared her, and there was no denying it. Whatever ended up happening between them probably wasn’t going to be pleasant. But she couldn’t help but wonder just what it would be like. Slowly, not wanting him to think she was trying to get away again, she rested her hand on his upper arm. It was as hard as steel, metal living within warm, live flesh. She traced her fingers up his shoulder and to the wide expanse of his chest, where his heart was pounding just as quickly as hers was. When she
looked up into his face once again, she saw that his pupils had dilated so that she could hardly discern them from his irises.
“Fine.” The biker bent his head and pressed his lips to hers. He didn’t waste any time, parting her lips and slipping his tongue inside her mouth. He tasted her teeth, the roof of her mouth, the tip of her tongue.
Piper relaxed ever so slightly. This wasn’t so bad. She could do this. He was hotter than sin, and he even had fresh breath. But she had to convince him that she could do it, not just herself. She kissed him back, allowing her tongue to entwine with his, her lips to rub against his. A bolt of energy surged from her core and up through her stomach to her chest. He was turning her on, even though she knew she shouldn’t be.
Without breaking the lip lock, Tank closed his knife and put it away, bringing his hand around to grab her ass. He pressed her against him, his hardness evident even through the thickness of his jeans. His fingers groped her flesh, owning her.
It was just one step further, and it was almost more than she could handle. Piper told herself that it was all right, that he wasn’t actually hurting her or doing anything she hadn’t already agreed to, but there was something so intimidating about this man. She cried out as a tear leaked from her eye.
Tank shoved her away, his brows low and his jaw tight. “I’m not going to screw you if you’re crying.” He stepped away, toward the door.
The ropes were useless now, lying in pieces on the floor, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t still leave her locked up in this miserable little room if he decided to. Piper wiped furiously at that damn tear. “No, I won’t cry. I want to do this. I said I would, and I will. No games, no questions, nothing.”
The corner of his mouth tipped up. His grin was mischievous, but it also sent a shiver of excitement through her as he came toward her. “All right. If you say so. Take off your clothes.”
Piper put her chin in the air, keeping her eyes on him as she obeyed his orders. She was glad to get rid of the garments she had been wearing since he had first abducted her in the warehouse. She wasn’t even sure how long ago that had been at this point. Piper stripped off her shirt and her pants, tossing them to the side before she reached for the clasp on her bra.
Tank’s eyes took in her body appreciatively, and he caught his lower lip in his teeth as he advanced toward her once again. “You’ve been a lot of trouble for me, but at least you’ve got a hell of a body.” He grabbed her and pulled her close, covering her mouth.
Knowing she had to follow through with this, Piper put her hands at his waistline and pulled his shirt up. He let go of her just long enough to allow her to take it off over his head. The fabric was pleasantly warm, but not as hot as the skin underneath it. His chest was dusted with dark hair, and she ran her fingers through it, enchanted by the way it felt. It trickled down into an intriguing trail on his rippling abs, and she eagerly began pulling at his belt.
Tank raised his eyebrow. “I guess you weren’t kidding.”
She met his gaze as she pulled at his zipper. “Nope.”
His member was hard and ready for her as she removed his jeans. Despite everything that had happened, despite the fact that she had been pursuing this man to get a story, despite the fact that she knew he was a bad guy and that he had even locked her in his fucking basement, Piper wanted him. She had come this far, and she had no interest in turning back now. She was going to take it all the way, and she was going to enjoy the ride.
There was no obligation for her to do anything other than screw him and get it over with, but Piper was going to make this worth it. She dropped to her knees in front of him, looking up and seeing how pleased he was at the gesture. Piper ran her fingers down his shaft and to his balls, her excitement growing as she could see just how much his had grown. She took him into her mouth, slowly at first, letting him sink inside her.
The biker didn’t have that sort of patience. He wrapped his big hands in her hair and pushed harder. His hips thrust toward her as she opened her throat to him, and Piper pressed her tongue against the underside of his cock as he slid in and out of her mouth. She heard him groan with pleasure, and it made her wet.
“Maybe you should have offered this back at the warehouse,” he grunted, pulling on her hair a little.
Piper found that she liked it. She circled the root of his dick with her fingers and sucked a little harder.
“That’s it.” Tank pulled out of her and dragged her to her feet, shoving her roughly against the wall. “I want to get everything out of this that I can. As good as that blowjob is, I’m not going to let you out of here for just that.” He grabbed her by the hips and lifted her easily, high enough that he could penetrate her once again.
Piper wrapped her legs around his waist as he thrust at her, holding onto those broad shoulders for support and letting her head roll to the side. How could it feel this good? This was supposed to be something she did only to get away from him, but she didn’t want him to ever be finished. Her core clenched, her body delighted at the position, the way his skin felt against hers, the heat of his body, and the girth of his shaft. He filled her up in a way she had desperately craved. Those late-night fantasies she’d had about Tank had been hot and heavy enough to make her feel embarrassed about them afterward, but they were nothing compared to the reality.
“You keep moaning like that and you’re going to make me think you’re actually enjoying this,” Tank growled.
She hadn’t even realized she was doing so. Her anger and her passion were a heady mix. Piper pushed her shoulders against the wall so she could thrust her hips toward him, burying him deeper inside her. “You’re goddamn right I am.” Their bodies were working in unison now, and she could feel the edge creeping closer. If this man actually made her come, then there was no telling just what it meant for her future sex life.
Tank seemed to sense it, too. Piper couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing for her situation, but she didn’t care when she felt his member grow thicker. His body was responding to hers. His hands gripped her tightly by the hips, but he let go with his left hand to smack her ass.
That was all she needed. Piper’s core clenched down on him hard, grabbing him and pulling him in hard. She clamped her abs to increase the effect, and her fingernails dug into his shoulders. The moans that Tank had called her out on a moment ago increased their volume until she was screaming, and she pulled her body into his. She was like a wild animal that had been hiding in the city, doing its best to blend in until the full moon brought out her true nature. She sank her teeth into his flesh.
The big man let out a roar of his own as she slammed her back into the wall, his hips pumping away as he came.
Their tryst had been tense and desperate, and their bodies melted when they were through. Tank leaned his forehead against the wall, keeping her pinned there as he panted.
Piper had no strength left in her body. If Tank were to let her go, she knew she would crumple to the floor and not be able to get up, not even to drag herself out of this room and get the reward she had worked so hard for. She couldn’t even brace herself for the impact that she knew was coming.
But to her surprise, he pulled away and slowly let her slide down the wall until her feet touched the floor. He said nothing as he picked up his clothes and put them on. He glanced at her once or twice, but he still said nothing. Those dark brows were drawn together as though he was deep in contemplation.
Piper didn’t have the time to worry about it. She had done it, and she had been surprised to find that it had been amazing. The way he had taken command of her like that was exciting, the element she had been looking for in all her former relationships. That night at The Dive, Tank had asked her if she had ever been with a real man. She knew for sure that she had now, and she had enjoyed it. Her face flushed as she put her clothes back on, a blush of release, relief, and even a little embarrassment.
But it all went away as she zipped her pants and saw Tank pulling the door shut be
hind him. She shot forward, screaming, but it was too late. The door shut in her face, and she was his prisoner once again. Piper pounded her fists on the wood. She punched and kicked as hard as she could. “You said you would let me out, you asshole!” There was no response from the other side.
Piper took two steps back, horrified. She had completely given herself to him, and she had been dumb enough to think he would let her go for it. But of course that wasn’t how men like Tank operated. He was only successful if he kept control over people, not if he took what he wanted and then let them out in the world to tell others of his misdeeds. If she had pleased him, then perhaps she had screwed herself more than anything.
She slumped into that awful chair and put her head in her hands, too tired and ticked to even cry. The only saving grace was that she hadn’t been tied, but it was a very small consolation.
14
Tank
Tank stood outside the door, staring at it. He could see the material shiver as Piper pounded against it, and for a split second, he was tempted to let her out after all. It was the deal they had made, and he was a man who kept his promises. If he wasn’t, he never would have risen to the top of the Chrome Kings. As Piper had so generously pointed out, he was no stranger to negotiation.
But this wasn’t the same as striking a deal with a local gang or selling goods on the black market. This was a woman who had been determined to expose him to the world, and there was no guarantee that she wouldn’t still do that once he let her free. She had already proven that she was a very determined woman.
