by Lexi Blake
For the first time ever, she felt comfortable with him. “Yeah, I’m more a rock and roll girl. So stay and help me. I can pay you in oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I put the oatmeal in so I can eat them for breakfast and still hold my head up. Because of the oatmeal.”
“So you eat like a five-year-old. I like it.” Simon winked at her as she led him into the small room that served as both dining and living room. His eyebrows rose at the sight of a leather jacket draped across one of the dining room chairs. “New coat?”
She wrinkled her nose his way. She wasn’t going to hide the fact that she now had a love life. “That belongs to Lee.”
Simon chuckled a little as he crossed to her CD player. “So you found a boyfriend?”
“I did. He’s asleep.” She grabbed the cookies and brought them out. “Do you want some tea?”
“Coffee, please. I got used to it when I went to school in Boston.” The smooth sounds of a violin filled the air. “I’m going to turn it up a bit so we can get the full effect.”
Lovely music filled the space. And it was a bit loud. She started the coffeemaker. In seconds, it had filled the cup.
“I like it,” she shouted over the music. She wasn’t sure why he needed it so loud, but he seemed content.
He gave her a thumbs-up and grabbed a cookie. She sat on the couch next to him. He leaned over. “Mozart. They’re quite good, but the cellist is slightly out of time.”
She couldn’t hear it. It all sounded nice to her.
“Hey, I was getting everything ready for this audit thing, and I can’t find a couple of files.” He’d moved close, leaning over to talk in her ear. “Do you know if Molina keeps files in his office?”
“Which ones?” She asked, her voice rising.
“Uhm, let me try to remember. Oh, I wrote them down.” He grabbed a folder out of his briefcase and handed it over. “I’ve been looking for them because I need to reconcile the accounts with the donors.”
She looked at the names, a little chill going through her. Bates. Hughes. McMillian.
Hughes and McMillian were donors Thomas had turned down for various reasons. Bates was the current file he was paying close attention to. The three donors he’d met with personally. The only files he kept in his office. Why did those files keep coming up? It was Thomas’s company. He could turn down a donation if he wanted to. It wasn’t her place to question him. And yet she found herself curious. “I’ll check on it for you.”
She kind of wanted to get a look at those files. Why had her boss turned them down? When she’d asked, he’d blown her off saying they didn’t meet the criteria, but she wasn’t sure what the criteria was. Why was there a criteria at all? Money was just money.
Maybe there were tax implications. But the real thing that bugged her was the personal meetings. Molina always met with them personally before turning down their large donations.
And no one else thought it was odd? Molina didn’t like to meet with anyone. He often avoided meetings, leaving the department heads to handle the day-to-day business. He preferred to stay in his office or at his house most of the time.
One of the doctors in her study had been disbarred for embezzling funds from the grant. He’d used some interesting accounting practices. He’d filed false receipts for all kinds of medical equipment but pocketed the funds for himself. It had been an enormous scandal. The doctor had a gambling problem and had gotten behind on paying his bets off.
Was Thomas in some kind of trouble?
“Is there a party going on?” Lee walked across the room wearing only his jeans, his big body on display. He turned the CD down and then his eyes were on Simon.
And he didn’t look happy about her guest. She’d done as he asked and spent a good portion of the morning researching BDSM and Doms and subs, and one of the things she’d figured out was that Doms tended to be bossy and possessive.
And protective and wonderful.
She stood and walked over to Lee, cuddling up to him. One of the best websites she’d found was a sub’s blog where she talked about all the best ways she’d found to handle her Dom. It was a sub’s job to soothe the savage beast. Sure enough, his arms curled around her and he hauled her close. “Lee, this is Simon Weston. He’s a friend from work.”
“And he’s brought some work with him.” Lee didn’t sound like he approved, but after giving her a little squeeze, he held a hand out. “Nice to meet you.”
Simon stood up, taking his hand. “And you. I just brought some CDs over for Avery. She’s heading the big ball this year. It’s coming up in a couple of weeks, you know.”
“Oh, I’ll be around,” Lee assured him.
And she would have a date. She hadn’t expected that. She would have to get Adam to go shopping with her. She’d just planned on wearing her old black dress. She needed something sexy.
A little smile curved his lips up. “Cookies. I like it. Is there any milk to go with these?”
She kind of liked the idea of him enjoying milk and cookies. He was such a big, rough guy. “In the fridge. I’ll get it.”
“No, baby, I can handle it. You made the cookies.” He leaned over and whispered in her ear. “And it looks like you were very obedient.” He didn’t seem satisfied with her little kiss. He pulled her close and covered her mouth with his, his hands tightening around her. Possession and dominance flowed from him. Avery softened, giving him the lead. He had absolutely nothing to be jealous of. “Be right back.”
“Maybe I should go,” Simon said. “I didn’t want to intrude if you have plans.”
“No plans,” Avery said.
“Yes, we do,” Lee called out from the kitchen. “I have lots of plans, and they don’t involve a third.”
She felt her whole body flush. “Lee!”
He walked back with a glass of milk in his hand and an innocent look on his face. “I thought we were going to do that Eye thing with the champagne. Does Weston here want to hang around with the tourists?”
Simon shook his head. “Not at all.” He reached for the folder he’d handed her and put it on the table. “Go with the Bradford Quartet, dear. And if you don’t mind helping me out with those files, I would appreciate it.”
“Sure.” She was a little anxious about it, but she would rather know. She liked Thomas, but something was off. Surely there was a reasonable explanation, but she wanted to know.
She walked Simon out. By the time she got back, Lee was sitting on the couch munching on cookies. He gestured for her to sit in his lap.
It was a long time before she got back up again. It was only much later that she thought to put the folder away. She’d thought she’d left it on the table, but sometime it had gotten moved to the couch.
Avery put the folder in her briefcase. That particular mystery could wait until another day. She had some sites to see and nothing was more spectacular than Lee’s body as he walked toward the shower.
“Come with me.”
She left all her suspicions behind and joined her lover.
Chapter Ten
Liam rolled out of bed and marveled at the fact that he’d never slept as much as he had in the last four days. He’d slept every night in Avery’s bed, making love to her and then falling into a peaceful sleep. Then he would wake up and cuddle close to her. Except he had nothing to cuddle this morning. He frowned and looked around before hearing the shower turn on.
He needed to train her better. She should have woken him up. He liked showering with her. Four days of living with Avery Charles and he’d proven his own fucking words wrong. He’d promised to make her crave him, but he was the one with the addiction. He was addicted to being her Dom. He was addicted to her.
He sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair. A low vibration hummed, his cell moving slightly on the bedside table.
He was going to have to answer eventually. Avery was going back to work today. She’d used a couple of vacation days and spent them with him. He’d had her close for four days, but she had s
Four days of freedom. Four days of paradise. Four days when he hadn’t thought of anything except her. He’d ignored his fucking phone. He’d walked away from Jake when they passed in the hall. He’d pretended he didn’t know what he knew.
Ian had secrets, and Liam needed to figure out how to handle it. Was he a member of this team or a chess piece Ian Taggart was maneuvering?
He’d avoided the question for days, preferring to dive into Avery. He’d fucked her and taken her all over London. And fucked her again.
He’d started her training. Nothing hard core. Just some light bondage and protocol.
His phone just kept on. He looked down. Eve. Damn it. They were sending in the big guns. He picked it up. “Donnelly.”
“Can I talk?” Eve asked. What she was really asking was whether she was on speaker or whether someone was close enough to potentially hear her over the phone.
“Sure.” He never put anyone on speaker, and his volume was always low.
“Liam, you need to come in. Ian is so concerned.” Her soft voice came over the line. “We’re all concerned. I know what Weston showed you, and Ian would like a chance to explain.”
Damon Knight had looked at the file folder. It had been a good bet he would let his friend know he’d been made. Liam thought quickly knowing that someone, somewhere was listening in to his side of the conversation. He hoped the fuckers had enjoyed the show last night. Avery was turning out to be a screamer. “It’s so good to hear from you. Yeah, I’m going to stay in London for a while. I don’t think I’ll be taking on any new jobs soon.”
She sighed over the line. “Liam, this is your family. Are you really just going to drop us because some asshole puts a thought in your head?”
“I don’t know. I need some time to think it over.”
“He’s getting ready to pull you from the op, Li.”
A savage rage rolled over him. No fucking way. He kept his voice calm. “That’s not a good idea.”
“Someone ran a trace on your cover. They’re looking at you.”
“It’s only to be expected.” He was going to have to deal with this.
“Please, Liam,” Eve pleaded. “Come to the club tonight. Talk to Ian. He’s messed up over this.”
“I doubt that.” But he was having a hard time telling Eve no. She’d helped him so much. “I don’t have all the information I need to make an informed judgment.”
Because it had been so much nicer to focus on Avery. He’d kept her out of trouble. He’d sent Adam the names Weston had left her to find the files on. He’d done his job. Mostly.
He’d managed to not kill Simon Weston. He’d seriously thought about it when he’d caught the bastard still sniffing around Avery. And attempting to bring Avery deeper into this game. That was what rankled. Weston knew Avery wasn’t involved, and he still tried to pull her in. She wasn’t a bloody agent. She needed to get out.
“You aren’t going to get the truth by staying away. Please, Li. Come to the club tonight.”
“I won’t be alone. I would need to bring a friend with me. Is there going to be a problem with that?” He wasn’t going to leave Avery alone. He wasn’t happy about letting her go to work. Something was brewing in that head of hers. He’d caught her staring at those names from time to time, her eyes glassy as she thought. She could sink into her head and get lost for long periods of time. He hated that. He hated not knowing what she was thinking.
“That can be arranged,” Eve agreed quickly. “I can talk to her while you talk to Ian. Li, you need to come in. I’ve never seen Ian so pissed off and, quite frankly, upset. He damn near threatened that MI6 agent with death for pulling that crap on you.”
Yeah, Liam could bet he’d done that. Ian didn’t like his plans being upset. “It’s always good to know the truth.”
“You don’t know the truth, Li.” There was a little pause. “Can’t you talk to him?”
He knew he would have to. “Yes. We’ll be there tonight.”
A long sigh came over the line. “Thank you.”
He hung up the phone. What was he going to do? He was caught. He was trapped. He had to figure out what the fuck he was doing, and he needed to do it fast. Not just for himself but for Avery. Weston had put him in a corner. He’d given Avery names to research. Somehow, those names were connected to the arms dealing, or Weston suspected they were. Weston was pulling Avery further in, and Liam didn’t know what to do about that except to bind her up in chains of pleasure and affection so maybe she would obey him when the chips were down and the shit started to hit the fan.
Because he was more sure than ever that it would hit the fan.
She was going back to work, and he was going to figure out just what was going on at United One Fund and how Eli Nelson figured in. According to her day planner, Molina was going to meet with Nelson tomorrow. At least he thought it was Nelson.
The Nelson project might be a done deal tomorrow and then he would focus on Molina. He would need to get into Molina’s office.
He had the key to the office, but he wasn’t able to copy the security codes to get into the building. He’d been hamstrung with that security system, but if he was there with Avery, he could get in. He just had to make sure she didn’t see him going into that office. That might be a problem.
He might be forced to work with Weston. He would rather see the files without Weston around. He needed to make sure there was no way to tie Avery to anything. It wouldn’t be the first time some criminal bastard had set up his assistant to take a fall. Grace Taggart was proof of that.
Bates. Hughes. McMillian. Those were the names on the file Weston had offered up.
According to Avery’s day planner, they were the only donors who had met with Molina. There was a connection to the arms deals, but he needed the original documentation to put it all together. A big deal was going down. He could feel it. This was why Nelson was here. The former CIA agent was putting together something, and he was using UOF to do it. He might have been using them for a long time. Even if they got Nelson in custody tomorrow, Liam wanted to take Molina down. It was the only way to make sure Avery was safe.
“Hey.” Avery gave him a big smile as she walked into the room.
He couldn’t help it. He saw her and he needed. “Is that how you greet me?”
She sank down to her knees, her legs falling apart just as he’d trained her. It was the formal greeting of a beloved submissive to her Dom. It was an acknowledgement of their pact. The sub to support and obey when need be and the Dom to adore and protect.
He’d played at this for years, but it finally hit home with this woman. This was honesty. There was no prevarication. No pretending they were friends and roommates and part-time lovers. They were a Dom and a sub with very delineated roles. She softened him. He strengthened her. It didn’t necessarily always follow gender lines. There were plenty of Dommes who lifted up their male partners. But for him and Avery, this was how it was. She showed him that he could sink himself into someone, and he was working on showing her just how fucking right she was.
Her head was down, her knees spread, her hands palms up on her thighs.
She was perfect and his cock responded, but then he was always hard around her. He got off the bed not feeling a damn bit of self-consciousness about his nudity. He hadn’t taken a shower. He still had her sweat and arousal on his skin. He would walk around with it all day long if he could. He sank his hand into her hair, giving thanks for her submission. “You know you’re gorgeous, love.”
“You certainly tell me enough.” He didn’t have to see her face. He could feel her smile.
She was gorgeous. How had he ever for a moment thought she wasn’t? “Have lunch with me today.”
Her face came up. Just a few days and she already smiled more. She was so much more confident. “That wasn’t a question. Do you need an answer or should you just tell me when I should be ready?”
Brat. Yeah, he loved that. “Noon. I’ll be there at noon. I’m crazy about you, you little brat. We’re going to the club tonight. Are you ready?”
A sure smile he knew damn well he wouldn’t have seen a couple of days ago crossed her face. “Yes. I’m ready. Though I don’t have any fet wear. I should have some, right? I read that sometimes clubs don’t allow people in plain clothes in.”
She’d become an expert in the last couple of days. And he’d noted that she’d started reading a writer named Amber Rose. Serena would be thrilled that she had a new devotee.
“I’ll handle it. You’ll wear what I select for you and only what I select.” He would have to make a side trip. His first inclination was to ask Eve to find her some clothes. He’d never given a crap about what a woman wore. He’d only cared about how quickly he could get it off her. But the thought of Avery wearing only what he picked out played around in his brain.
“No undies then, huh?” She frowned. “I used to like underwear, you know.”
“Why hide that pretty little pussy, baby?” Her nipples had already peaked. He could have her again. Maybe if he impaled her on his cock twenty-four seven he could keep her out of trouble. He wanted to ask about the names on those files. He wanted her to tell him she wasn’t thinking about investigating them herself, but he couldn’t risk tipping someone off. They were listening in here, and someone had started following them. He’d picked up the tail the afternoon after they had slept together the first time. Someone was watching Avery Charles, and he couldn’t be sure whom. Her creepy boss or Nelson? Had Nelson made him? Would Nelson show for the meeting now or would he disappear into the woodwork again?
He was just about to kiss her when he noticed her leg spasming. He pulled her up. “You have to tell me when it hurts.”
She held on to him for one sweet moment, her nipples brushing against his chest. “It didn’t hurt, Lee. It just does that from time to time.”
He didn’t like that her leg could give out at any moment. It wasn’t bad when he was around because he was always watching and ready to catch her, but what happened when she was alone? “I think you should stay home.”
-->
