“Hey, Ransom. Checking in. What’s up?”
“So, I did some digging on that guy Isaac was telling me about.”
“Why aren’t you calling Isaac?”
“I did. He’s not answering. Figured I’d try you. Got your fucking voicemail and was about to tell you both to go to hell.”
I laughed. Irritating the man was so much fun. Considering he was an instigating bastard, it made it doubly so.
“Anyway. This guy Roger Cherlish… His real name’s Vernon Hathaway.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. I know. Thirty-four years old, though his current ID shows him to be twenty-eight. Dumb ass does not look twenty-eight. Born and raised in Chicago, belonged to a plethora of fetish clubs over the years under numerous aliases. Most of which he was kicked out of. The guy’s got a long list of priors, some of them violent crimes.”
“Rape?”
“More than one, actually. And while I’m following you on that, it’s not the worst of it. Attempted murder is on that list.”
“How’s he walking free?”
“Daddy’s got a lot of money. And by a lot, I mean he makes Trent Ramsey look like a gutter rat. Appears dear old Dad spares no expense to bail his little boy out of hot spots. Called a friend of mine, had him chat up a few people who know him…” Ransom exhaled. “It gets worse.”
“How?”
“When you follow the breadcrumbs, he hasn’t been after Dante for three years.”
“What do you mean? Dante said that’s when he met him.”
“And it probably was, but Vernon actually met Dante a long damn time ago. Back before Dante was sprung from that hellhole his father kept him caged in.”
I relaxed my grip when I realized I was about to crush my cell phone. “Please don’t tell me this is going where I think it’s going?”
“It is.” Ransom’s usually playful tone disappeared completely. “He tried to buy Dante from Dante’s father when Dante was ten years old. A partial payment actually exchanged hands. I’m thinking Daddy Dearest backed out at the last minute, likely what prompted the attempted murder a couple of years after that. Right about the time Dante was moved into the system.”
“Holy fuck.”
“Not the worst of it,” Ransom warned.
“Fuck, Bishop. I don’t know if I can handle any more of this shit.”
“Vernon Hathaway has been a person of interest in two ongoing investigations. Both underage boys, still missing.”
“Okay, yeah. That’s bad. And I hope they fry this fucker, but if he’s into kids, what’s his fascination with Dante now?”
“Got me. Unless it’s an ego thing. He wanted Dante, couldn’t have him. Found an opportunity and intends to get what he believes should rightfully belong to him.”
I growled.
“I’ve got a call in to a detective buddy of mine with Chicago PD. I’m gonna get his take on this. Once I hear back, I’ll give you a shout.”
“All right. Thanks, man.”
“Take care of him. He can’t go home, Ian. It won’t be safe until this guy’s locked up or dead.”
At the moment, dead sounded like the best option.
When I got home, I pinned Isaac down in the basement, relayed the information Ransom had shared.
“We have to tell Dante,” my brother stated.
“I agree.” There was no way around it. He deserved to know what was going on.
“And the girls?” Isaac asked.
“I want to say that’s up to Dante, but since this guy’s attacked Everly and put Heaven’s ex in the hospital, I think they deserve to know.”
“I still think it’s up to him. We don’t know how much he’s shared. It’s his story to tell.”
“Agreed.” I nodded toward the door. “Let’s sit him down.”
Isaac got to his feet. “All right. But I need a drink.”
“You and me both, brother.”
While Isaac drowned his frustrations in two fingers of scotch, I found Dante sitting at the small desk in the guest room.
He glanced at me over his shoulder. “What’s up?”
“Let’s sit outside.”
Wary blue eyes scanned my face. I’d been told I would make a mean poker player, and I only hoped the mask remained in place.
“I put in a call to my boss, asked for his help in identifying this Cherlish guy. Took a little doing, but he found him. Or rather he found Vernon Hathaway.”
With every detail I revealed, I saw Dante retreat, slowly slipping away from us. It pissed me off, but I couldn’t blame him, either. I remembered the hard hands of my father as a child. The bastard was mean, but nothing compared to Dante’s father, a man who would lock his own son in the attic and consider selling him to some pedophile … bastard hadn’t deserved to have children. Hell, the bastard hadn’t deserved to breathe.
“Do you know where he is?” Dante asked.
“No,” I told him. “But we’re still looking. I’m sure he’s stalking your house. He knows you and the girls disappeared, but he won’t know where.”
“So what do we do now?
My brother’s eyes shot up to my face beneath his lashes. I knew what he wanted, but now was not the time to approach that subject. It would come in time.
“I know what I’ve got planned,” Isaac said, setting his glass on the table. “And it doesn’t involve memories or pain or any of this bullshit.” His hand fisted, released.
“Do the girls know?” Dante’s eyes shifted from my face to Isaac’s.
“Nay,” I assured him. “It’s your story to tell. If and when … the situation changes … you can decide what to share with them.”
“Thank you, Master.”
I walked over to him, tipped back his head, and stared down into his handsome face. “You’re safe with us.”
His eyes implored me, the hope that was there strong enough to steal my breath.
“We won’t let that bastard touch you again. Understood?”
There was a breathless quality to his voice this time. “Yes, Master.”
I offered a wicked smile, wanting to divert his thoughts. Remove this pain from his past. At least for a little while.
“We’re going to scene this afternoon,” I explained to Dante as I stepped away, heading toward the door.
Isaac pulled out a folded sheet of paper, passed it over to Dante.
“When you’re ready, we’ll be waiting.”
“Yes, Masters.”
I headed inside, ready and eager for something to shift the mood around this place.
And I knew exactly where to find it.
SIXTEEN
Dante
When Ian and Isaac went in the house, I opened the thin sheet of paper, smiled down at the tidy handwriting as I read the instructions.
PRETTY RICH BOY COMES HOME TO FIND TWO SASSY LITTLE MAIDS IN THE HOUSE.
HE DECIDES TO HAVE A PARTY.
JUST THE THREE OF THEM.
In order for this to play out in any way, I knew the girls had to be in on it. Luckily, no trips to the attic were necessary to locate them. They were sitting in one of the other guest rooms, on the bed, grinning as they relaxed against the pillows.
I smiled when Everly invited me in.
“What’s up, handsome?” Heaven asked, grinning.
“We’ve been summoned.”
Everly knew exactly what that meant, but Heaven’s confusion was almost amusing. Her attention darted between us.
“What’s that mean?” she asked, her pitch a little higher than before. “Summoned?”
“It means we’re going to … play.”
“Oh.” Her eyes widened, but she didn’t look happy.
“Come on,” Everly urged. “Consider it a going-away party. Some fun memories to reflect on when you’re having long, drawn-out conversations with your sister.”
Heaven relaxed, even smiled as her eyes bounced back and forth between the two of us. “Okay, yes. I’ll give it a shot. Wha
t do we do?”
I passed over the note, waited for them both to read it. Everly’s breath caught, her eyes glittering with excitement.
A knock sounded behind me. I turned as Ian stepped into the room carrying two flat white boxes, both adorned with a wide red ribbon. “These just came.”
He set them on the bed, grinned, but didn’t say anything more.
As though the woman had never received a gift in her life, Heaven was up on her knees, staring at the boxes as though they were the most precious things in the world.
“Open ’em,” I said, nodding. I figured I needed to know what I was walking into, right?
Heaven tore into the box that had a sterling silver H dangling from the ribbon.
“Oh … uh … these are maids’ outfits.”
“Yeah?” Everly giggled. “You see a lot of maids wearing skirts that don’t cover their ass?”
“In porn, sure.” She laughed, the sound musical.
“I’ll leave you to it,” I told them with a wink. “This pretty rich boy’s got to get into character.”
“I can’t wait,” Everly said softly, meeting my gaze.
While they giggled and cooed over the outfits, I made the trek to the other side of the house. Ian and Isaac were nowhere in sight, just as I’d expected. They hadn’t laid out how they would work into the equation, but I figured that was going to be the interesting part.
But something told me all of our wicked fantasies were about to play out.
I decided on a shower. I’d already taken one that morning, but I needed another. The information Ian had given me had left a coat of filth on my skin. I fought back the memories of Roger, the vile things he’d done to me. In my nightmares, I often saw his hands, only they weren’t human in my dreams. They were demonic: thick red skin, long, pointed nails. Definitely the stuff of nightmares. But here, in the bright light of day, I knew he wasn’t part of me, not in any way, and I damn sure wouldn’t let him intrude now.
It took a minute to clear my head, but the warm water managed to wash the fog from my brain. I replaced those evil memories with thoughts of how this would play out.
I pulled on a pair of shorts, a T-shirt, opted to go without shoes. I wasn’t quite sure what a rich boy’s wardrobe looked like, but I figured that didn’t matter a whole lot in this scenario.
I opened my bedroom door so I could hear the girls when they came in. When I heard Everly’s lyrical laugh, I went to the hallway, watched as they moved around the living room, chatting away. Everly was right. I seriously doubted those outfits were anything a maid worth her salt would wear. The halter accentuated Everly’s beautiful breasts, while the teeny-tiny skirt barely covered her cute little ass. Her midriff was bare, and I suddenly wished Ian and Isaac would find a way to have her wear something similar on a daily basis.
The thought made me smile.
Heaven danced around the room, teasing the tops of the furniture with a feather duster, though I knew she wouldn’t find a speck of dirt. The maids who actually knew how to clean had come and gone, efficiently covering every inch of this place earlier that morning. But the girls were doing a good job of setting the scene.
I went to the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of water while they continued the ruse in the other room.
“Who are these people, anyway?” Heaven asked, still chattering away.
Everly turned. “I don’t know, but have you seen the son?”
“Who is he?”
I fought the urge to laugh, realizing they were seriously in character, chatting about the pretend rich boy.
“Don’t know, but he’s hot.” The dreamy look on Everly’s face had me believing she based that on her true feelings. It warmed me inside.
“Well, well, well.” I propped my shoulder against the wall, eyed them with heated interest as I turned the water bottle cap between my fingers. “What have we here?”
“We just need a few more minutes, sir,” Heaven said, almost dismissively, before she looked over, paused. Her eyes sparked with heat and interest.
“Don’t mind me,” I told them, walking into the living room and flopping down on the sofa, ensuring they saw me ogling them. Granted, my attention was more focused on Everly, but in an effort to set the scene, I included Heaven every now and again. I happened to enjoy role-playing. Mainly because it allowed me to get out of my own head for a while. Gave me a chance to explore the world in ways I’d never done before.
Everly went with the shy, innocent demeanor, something a lot of people assumed about her.
Granted, she looked the part, was incredibly sweet, but there was a hellcat underneath the facade, one who knew what she wanted and didn’t care who knew. She was secure in her own skin, knew her self-worth. I appreciated that about her.
Heaven, on the other hand, had self-doubts cast on her by that asshole of an ex-boyfriend. I’d watched the guy belittle her with words disguised as jokes. She often let them roll off, but I’d seen how they hurt her. A few times, I’d wanted to punch the guy, but it hadn’t been my place. I wondered, as I sat there, why I’d ever thought that. Heaven was my friend. She deserved people to take care of her.
Everly moved around the room, stopped directly in front of me to lean over the coffee table, gave it a slow swipe with the feather duster. My eyes locked on her ass, peeking out from beneath that skirt.
I reached up, allowed my hand to brush the back of her thigh. Rather than play the role of shock and dismay, she tossed her hair over her shoulder, gave me a heated look.
“You’re a naughty boy, aren’t you?” Her voice was low, seductive.
“Don’t forget lonely,” I teased, continuing to eye her exposed skin.
“Aww. You poor thing. What’s a boy to do left all alone in this big house?”
I smirked. “I can think of a few things.”
“Yeah?” She stood, walked past, her leg brushing mine. “It has been a long day.”
Heaven, dusting a high shelf on the entertainment center, stared back at us.
“What about you?” I asked her.
“What about me?” Her words were whisper-soft, hesitant, not in tune with her character.
“You need a little relaxation time?”
She grinned, her lashes fluttering. “What did you have in mind?”
I nodded toward the backyard. “I’ve got a pool. Maybe you’d like to get … wet.”
Everly played coy. “We didn’t bring swimsuits.”
“No clothing allowed,” I told them.
Heaven walked around behind the sofa, her nail grazing my shoulder. “Are you suggesting we get naked?”
I gave a casual shrug. “Up to you.”
In a bold move that I’d come to expect from Everly, she came over, forced the foot I had propped on my knee to the floor before she straddled my legs.
“What’s in it for us?”
“I can think of a few things,” I said, smirking up at her, all that silky hair falling like a curtain around us.
Her hands slid over my chest, her lips hovering just above mine. More hands glided over my chest as Heaven stood behind me.
“What do you think?” Everly looked up at Heaven.
“I wouldn’t mind getting wet,” she teased, her lips brushing my ear.
Yeah, these two feisty women could pull off this whole seductive maid thing.
And I was about to see just how far they’d be willing to take it.
Heaven
When Dante first showed us the note, I’d thought they were joking. Pretty rich boy. Maids. Who thought up this stuff? Other than porn writers?
However, based on the seduction routine taking place right now, I could tell they weren’t joking.
Nope. Not even a little.
The gleam in Everly’s eyes had told me that my sweet, innocent friend was excited to see how this played out. Initially, I’d considered hiding out in my room, but Everly had a way of persuading me to do things I wouldn’t normally do. And this was certainly at the to
p of that not-in-a-million-years-would-I-ever-do-that list.
Yet here I was.
Since I had an out in sight—I was leaving tomorrow—I couldn’t help but give in to that secret inner urge to indulge.
While we’d dressed, Everly had given me suggestions, telling me to enjoy it. It was make-believe after all. We didn’t have to be our usual selves; we could be anyone we wanted to be. Since I’d never done anything of this nature, I had followed her lead. The instant I saw the heated look on Dante’s face, I knew this was a role I wanted to explore. After all, how often did a girl get to step into someone else’s skin to play out someone else’s fantasies?
I grinned. Probably quite often in this house.
Dante got to his feet, Everly sliding her arm through his as she stared up at him dreamily. That wasn’t an act, I knew.
I fell into step, leaving the feather duster behind.
Practically molding herself to Dante’s side, Everly smiled up at him. “I might need a little help getting out of this uniform.”
Not missing a beat, he peered over at me. “Perhaps you could help her with that.”
Breath lodged in my throat. I might not be versed in this sexy, wicked world of theirs, but I wasn’t naïve, either. I knew what he was hinting at.
“Only if you watch,” I told him, sliding my hand over his forearm.
“It would be my pleasure.”
Funny, he was pulling off this role quite well. Almost as though he’d been born for it. Maybe every guy had a fantasy of seeing two women touching one another.
Dante stepped away, taking a seat, his eyes never leaving us. We were standing on the patio, the sun beating down overhead. It was broad daylight, and though the backyard felt private, I knew anyone could watch if they were determined enough.
Since Everly had taken the lead thus far, I decided it was my turn to flex my acting chops. I walked around behind her, slowly sliding her hair over one shoulder, letting my fingernail graze her neck. She tilted her head to the side as I reached for the tie on the halter.
“Take your time,” Dante instructed, his voice an octave deeper than usual.
I fluttered my lashes, following his rules. I worked the knot free, trailed my fingers down to the clasp on her back. I stepped in close, my hips pressing to her butt as I flipped the catch open. Rather than let the fabric fall to the floor, I reached around, holding it to her breasts, cupping them in the process. Her skin was so soft, a stark contrast to what I was used to.
Their Fairy Princess (Office Intrigue Book 7) Page 18
