A Little Harmless Lie

by Melissa Schroeder

  “Wow. I had no idea you had this back here.”

  He walked through the doorway. “Push that button.” He nodded in the direction of the white press button next to the door. She did as he asked and he walked farther into the room. “I had this put in when we built it because I knew I would spend most of my days here that first year.”

  “So, this was never used for…uh…other things.”

  His lips quirked. “No. In fact, other than letting Cynthia or May use the bathroom, you’re the first woman I’ve had in here.”

  She looked at him then, saw the seriousness in his expression. The fact that his two best friends’ soon-to-be wives were the only women who had been in the room did not escape her notice, or that he put her on the same level as them.

  He waited, patient as always. She realized he was waiting for her to tell him differently, to contradict what he’d just said. He was waiting for her to deny him. She should. It would be the responsible thing to do. Leading him on, not letting him know that she would soon be gone, had to be gone, it wasn’t the right thing to do. But she didn’t want to give him up. This thing they had, the connection that grew stronger day by day, it was intoxicating.

  “So you have this massive California-king bed back here and never let me know?”

  He smiled at her, walked to it and dropped her. She squealed like she always did. He seemed to love tossing her on the bed, taking delight in her reaction. He was a Dom, very demanding in bed, but there was such a playful side to his nature that it always made her melt when she thought about it.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  He left her there and went back out into the office. Dee heard him talking to someone on the phone and she realized that he was telling the rest of the bouncers to leave. When he returned, he was no longer the smiling, playful lover. The intent she saw in his eyes had her heart turning over.

  “I think you’re ready for another step, Dee.”

  His voice was harder, a little distant, and dammit, it made her whole body shiver with anticipation.

  She opened her mouth as he turned his back and said, “No talking unless asked or using your safe word.”

  She frowned, but said nothing. She’d known he would want this, want to take another step, but she wasn’t sure she was ready. Although even now the anticipation had her nipples hardening.

  He pulled a few things out of the drawer but left them lying there, just out of her view. He turned around, leaned against the dresser and crossed his arms.

  “Stand up.” She did as he ordered. “Strip.”

  For a moment, she couldn’t comprehend what he’d just told her to do. When she finally worked it out in her brain, she gaped at him.

  “I gave you an order. Do it.”

  His voice didn’t rise. If anything, it lowered, sliding seductively over her nerve endings. He stared at her, waiting. Again. She remembered the first night he had said something about making her strip, and now apparently he thought she was ready.

  In that next instant, she realized she was. The idea of having him watch her embarrassed and excited her on a whole new level. Without breaking eye contact, she unbuttoned her vest. His gaze dipped down to her fingers. She had a feeling that with every button released, she pushed him a little further. She slipped her gaze down his body and it wasn’t hard to find him gloriously aroused.

  She pulled off the vest and placed it on the chair beside the bed. She did the same with her shirt, and her pants followed. Soon she was standing in front of him in nothing but matching black lace panties and bra. Thong panties to be precise. Wanting to push him a little, knowing that she would like the punishment, she turned to give him a view. She thought she heard him groan, but when she looked over her shoulder at him, he was still in the same position, watching. She reached behind her, undid the bra and tossed it on the chair with her clothes. Now she slipped her fingers beneath the lace of her panties, then slowly slid them down her legs, bending over to give him an excellent view of her ass.

  This time she was sure she heard a groan.

  When she turned around his gaze zeroed in on her sex.

  “Spread your legs.”

  She did as ordered once again. He approached her then, every step measured.

  “You were trying to tease me,” he said as he stepped beside her. He kissed her shoulder. “You will pay for that.”

  His dark promise had heat bursting through her blood. He slipped his fingers between her pussy lips.

  “Ah, so it does turn you on being bad. I had a feeling you were going to be the most disobedient sub I’ve ever trained.”

  He moved his fingers over her clit, brushing the tiny bundle of nerves enough to tease. He slipped his hand over her breast, skimming her nipple, and then slid his hand around her neck and turned her head toward him. He kissed her then. His tongue dove into her mouth immediately, taking possession. Of her mind, her body, her soul. He pulled away, leaving her waiting, wanting.

  He walked back to the dresser and grabbed a few items.

  “Seeing how you like to be spanked, I think we need to try something new.”

  When she saw the butt plug in his hand, apprehension, fear and God help her, arousal twisted through her.

  “You don’t like it, you have a safe word.”

  She looked up at him. She didn’t like the way he knew her thoughts, the way he could figure out just exactly what she was thinking. It made her feel too vulnerable.

  “Get on the bed, on your stomach.”

  She didn’t do it fast enough to make him happy.

  “Now.”

  She obeyed, her body quivering. Fear and need had her heart beating against her chest.

  He joined her, kneeling beside her. She heard the cap of something open, and a moment later she felt the cool gel of lubricant as he slipped his finger into her anus.

  “Take a deep breath and relax.”

  He worked his finger all the way in and then started to move in and out of her puckered hole. Just like before, it sent a tidal wave of shivers ping ponging through her body. She liked the experience, had a feeling of what was coming later on. The anticipation had another coat of her juices wetting her sex.

  Soon he moved his finger out and replaced it with the plug. It was a little bigger, but again, he went slowly, allowing her body to accustom itself.

  Once it was in all the way, he said, “So, now you need to be punished.”

  His voice was controlled, but there was a thread of lust shimmering there. Dee wiggled and he slapped her ass. The hard hit stung, sending spikes of pain and arousal through her. It vibrated against the plug in her ass, then feathered out.

  “You like to tease too much. Way too much.”

  He smacked her harder on her other cheek. The sting made her clench her cheeks together. With the plug in, it intensified her reaction.

  He smacked her twice more. Her clit throbbed and her pussy wept with her arousal. She wanted to squirm, needed to rub against something to relieve the tension. But she knew that he would add to the torment.

  He moved from the bed. She knew from the sounds that he was removing his clothes. Soon his hands slipped over her hips and turned her onto her back.

  He smiled down at her. “You’re learning your place.”

  She wanted to say something. He laughed as he bent down and gave her a hard, quick kiss. “You’re a joy.”

  The whispered words melted her irritation and made her sigh. They zeroed in on her heart, warmed her soul. He slipped down her body, settling between her legs. He set his mouth against her sex as he twisted the plug in her ass. The twin movements had her body humming. When his tongue thrust into her slit, she almost came there and then. He tasted her, groaning against her pussy. It sent a rush of vibrations over her slit, her body.

  He wasted no time before moving up her body, donning a condom and then thrusting into her. She winced at the feeling of fullness, and he bent down.

  “I’m sorry, love. I didn’t even think.�
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  With the plug in, he felt even larger. He started to move then, his movements slow, easy, frustrating. She wanted to come. She wanted to come right then. But she couldn’t until he allowed it. He picked up speed and their bodies slapped together. She skimmed her hands up his arms, threaded her fingers into his hair and pulled him down for a hot, wet kiss.

  As she did, she raised her legs around his waist. He groaned against her mouth and his speed increased. Satisfaction filled her as she felt his tension build. She was close, her body ready to release, and with one hard thrust, he pushed her over the edge. She pulled away from him and screamed his name.

  He rose to his knees, pulling her up as he changed the direction of his thrusts. She wasn’t even recovered from her first orgasm and he had her hurdling over into another one. This time, he joined her, groaning her name as he came.

  He collapsed on her and she grunted from the hit.

  “Damn, Micah, you weigh a ton.”

  He laughed. “I think I might be dead.”

  He turned his head to look at her. The warm look in his eyes had her body shivering. At the same time, her heart wept. She never wanted to leave. She wanted to see that sleepy smile every day of her life. Dammit, this was one of the reasons she should have never started this. Loving him could get them both killed. Without warning, tears sprung to her eyes.

  He frowned. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded. “It’s just been kind of a long day.”

  He said nothing as he rolled her over and removed the plug. He rose from the bed and walked into the bathroom. She couldn’t help but admire the way his backside flexed with each step. A moment later, she heard the water running and then turn off. He was smiling when he came back to her, that same warm look in his eyes. Slipping in next to her, he pulled her into his arms.

  Gently, he brushed his mouth over hers. “Sleep. Don’t worry.”

  Loose with her release, relaxed beyond belief, she allowed sleep to tug her into dreams.

  Chapter Twelve

  Micah.

  Micah groaned the moment he heard Harry’s voice over the intercom. He cracked an eyelid up, noticed it wasn’t even noon and closed his eye. He didn’t want to move. He wanted to bury himself in the warmth of the bed, feel Dee’s body next to his. He had never felt this attached to a lover, never overwhelmed each time he had her in bed with him. Only with Dee.

  “You better answer him. He won’t go away.” Dee’s voice was filled with sleepy warmth.

  “You just want to go to sleep without interruption.”

  She smiled. “There is that.”

  He rolled her over and rose above her, pinning her arms beneath his. “I should spank you for that.”

  She smiled. “If I’m lucky.”

  And just like that, he wanted her, needed her like she was some kind of fucking drug his system craved. What was it about this woman? Yearning for a connection, he leaned down and kissed her.

  Micah.

  Harry’s voice had risen an octave. Micah sighed against her lips. “Don’t move.” He jumped out of bed, grabbed his jeans and pulled them on. “I’ll see what he wants and I’ll be right back.”

  “Don’t worry.” She settled back against the pillows. “I’ll take advantage of the break and take a cat nap.”

  She rolled back over onto her stomach and burrowed into the pillows, sighing with pleasure. And just like that, his heart dropped to his knees. He stood there, watching her slip into sleep, his shirt dangling from his hands, and his head barely able to comprehend what he’d just figured out.

  Dammit, he was definitely up to his eyeballs in love with the woman.

  He wanted to tell her, tell her right this moment, but he knew he didn’t have the time. Instead, he put on his shirt and walked to the bed. Leaning down, he brushed his mouth over her cheek.

  “Be right back, fighter.”

  She smiled and then it faded as she drifted into deeper sleep.

  As he slipped out the door to his outer office, he pulled his mind back from the woman in the bed and the ramifications of his feelings. He’d take care of the problem, then he would do everything in his power to let the woman know how he felt. If he was stuck with the feelings, there was no reason she shouldn’t have to suffer also.

  By the time he made it to the lobby of the club, Harry was on the intercom once more. He had a feeling he’d probably woken up Dee again, but then Dee would figure out a way to pay Harry back later.

  Next to Harry stood a tall blond man. He was dressed in a suit, which meant he wasn’t from the area. Hawaiians weren’t into dressing up with long sleeves, and this guy looked a little too intense.

  “I’m here, Harry.”

  Harry whipped around, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear and irritation.

  “Ah, Micah, this is Conner Dillon and he had some questions to ask you. I said I could answer them, but he said he only wanted you. I tried to tell him you were, uh, busy, but he wouldn’t let it go.”

  “It’s okay, Harry. You can go.” Harry tossed a nasty look at the man, which was pretty impressive considering that Harry was three inches shorter and there was no way he was as lethal as the man who stood before Micah. This one had the look of a man who knew how to defend himself.

  “Do you want to tell me what this is regarding?”

  He shook his head. “I would rather talk in private. The things I need to say do not need to be overheard.”

  Micah sighed, thinking of the woman up in bed, and the fact this looked like it would take longer than he wanted it to.

  “Come on.”

  He wouldn’t be nice. He didn’t want to. He wanted to be back in bed with the woman who had turned his world upside down. Micah said nothing as they walked up the stairs to his office.

  He closed the door behind Dillon and motioned toward the chairs. He didn’t offer him a drink.

  “I guess you’re going to tell me what you want.”

  “Is there a reason for the animosity?”

  “You smell like a cop.” Micah shrugged. “I don’t like cops.”

  “Fair enough, but I’m a former FBI agent, not a cop. Now I run a security firm.”

  He pulled out his wallet and offered Micah a business card. Micah took it and read the name, his eyebrows rising.

  “Not just a security firm, but one of the top security firms in the country.”

  Dillon shrugged.

  “So, what do you want with me. I have no need of your services.”

  Dillon glanced at the monitors that filled the room. “Yeah, I can see that. What I have to talk to you about is personal.”

  “Look, if you want a membership you don’t have to talk to me.”

  Conner laughed and pulled up the briefcase he had been carrying. “No. This goes back to my FBI days.” He unlocked the case and pulled out some pictures. “I wanted to know if you know a woman named Marjorie Rizzoli?”

  Micah shook his head.

  “I know you know Dee Sumner.”

  He felt his heart constrict, but he made sure he showed none of his reactions on his face.

  “Yes.”

  He saw no reason to deny it, because if Dillon knew, then he would paint him a liar.

  He set a picture on his desk. Micah hesitated and then picked it up. God, it was Dee. Not the Dee he knew today, this was a teenager with big curly brown hair and a smile that told you she could take on the world. There was no way mistaking those eyes. Big, blue, luminous. Damn.

  “What’s this?”

  “That’s Marjorie Rizzoli, who has been missing the last ten years.”

  For a moment, his head couldn’t comprehend what the man was saying.

  “You show me a picture of Dee Sumner from her high school days and try to convince me she’s someone else. I don’t really give a damn.”

  He slid the picture back to Dillon, although he didn’t want to. He wanted to hold it for a little while longer. It was a glimpse into a history she didn’t let him see.

&n
bsp; “No. That’s Marjorie.” He offered up the other piece of paper he was holding. It was a copy of a news clipping, Dee looking bewildered, surrounded by agents, being hurried along a street. Under the picture was the caption Rizzoli’s Daughter Turns Snitch.

  Shit. He remembered it now. The Italian princess whose father put a contract out on her. The FBI couldn’t protect her and she was killed in a raid. It had been something he’d heard about Rizzoli after the fire that had destroyed his club. He remembered Evan saying that if Rizzoli had no problem killing his own flesh and blood, he wouldn’t think twice about two nobodies like them.

  Micah raised his head. “She’s supposed to be dead.”

  Dillon grimaced. “That was my doing. It took a lot to convince the FBI to do that, to make sure that everyone did think she was dead.”

  “Why the fuck did you do that?”

  “It was the least I could do. Jesus, thanks to a leak within the department, she was almost killed.”

  “That isn’t how I remember it. I remember they said she had called a friend, exposing where they were.”

  Dillon shook his head. “Even if she had access to a phone, she wouldn’t have done it. She was seriously scared of what would happen to her.” He hesitated. “She saw what they did to that man. They didn’t know she was there, but she watched them torture him. Or at least, heard what they did to him.”

  Just the thought of that seventeen-year-old in the picture hearing what they did to the man, the way he had been tortured, made Micah’s blood run cold.

  “So what does this have to do with me?”

  “She works for you.”

  “Worked.”

  Dillon sighed, irritation thrumming in the sound.

  “Dammit. She’s always one step ahead of me.”