And Neil couldn’t have left himself unconscious from blood loss and also gotten rid of the murder weapon. My knees were starting to cramp, so I pushed to standing. “How much money did JD want to launder?”
“A lot,” Massimo said. “Three or four hundred.”
“Four hundred thousand?”
He nodded. “To start with. He’d sold a lot of his paintings.”
I wondered if Massimo really believed the money was from selling the paintings. Four hundred thousand, and it was only to start with? What the hell had JD been up to? “Thank you,” I said.
“Audrey… What’s going to happen to me now?”
“We’ll keep you safe and hope for a miracle,” I said. Massimo didn’t look reassured.
Well, there was one thing I could do to make him feel better.
I let Rob take Neil to see Massimo, and I paced in the spacious living room, trying to slot what I’d learned into what I already knew.
If JD had brought cash with him, that was a strong motive for a robbery. A robbery would get Congressman Bowlst off the hook, leaving me with zero leads instead of one impossible-to-access suspect.
When Corbin returned, I asked, “Why is Massimo cuffed? Did he try to escape or something?”
“Standard procedure for high-risk witness protection,” Corbin said. He handed me a folded paper. “Neil’s cousin.”
“How did you even know—”
“We’re monitoring the room.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised. Unfolding the paper, I said, “Thank you.”
“I already have someone looking into it. Let’s hope all of your PI cases aren’t so complicated.”
“Yeah.” The name on the paper, Jonah Rice, didn’t mean anything to me. There was a phone number, too. “I owe you,” I said.
“Happy to help.”
Was he happy to help, or was he feeling guilty? “Did anything… interesting… happen this morning?” I asked.
Corbin shook his head. “The men on the ground are holding position while the coordinators gather updated information. No one wants to walk into an ambush. I doubt anything will happen until tonight or tomorrow.” He didn’t seem upset or anxious or anything, really.
That was weird. I wondered again what had happened during his DC trip.
“I love you,” I said spontaneously. “I’m sorry everything’s so complicated.”
“Love you too, baby.” He caught my face in his large hands. “It’s safe to say that you’re not causing the complication here.” Staring into my eyes, he slowly moved in closer.
The second our lips touched, all the stress of the last twelve hours turned into a tsunami of pent-up lust. I dug my fingers into his shirt, loving the feeling of his strong body underneath.
He brushed his lips over mine. Too gentle. I didn’t want him to hold back. I pushed my body against his and realized that his cock was hard.
“Please fuck me,” I said.
Corbin pulled away. He looked down the hall. “Let’s see how much I can make you beg in ten minutes.”
He grabbed my hand, his strong fingers wrapping around mine, and led me to the door.
I shot a guilty glance over my shoulder as Corbin pulled me into the corridor.
Chapter 10
Outside the suite, Corbin made a left.
It didn’t take long for me to realize we were heading for the elevators.
“What’s wrong with the rooms on this floor?” I asked, glancing down the row of closed doors.
“You’re assuming they’re empty and that I have entry codes. And I’m assuming you don’t want to be videotaped,” he said. “Everything on this level has motion-activated recording.”
He took me down two floors and guided me to a room.
“An unlocked door? Convenient,” I said.
“Planned.”
“Really?” I asked, taken aback. I’d thought this was spontaneous.
A deep laugh rolled from Corbin’s chest as he engaged the massive deadbolt behind us. “Think of it as a necessity for working upstairs. If someone wants a bit of privacy, they have somewhere to go.” He stepped into me, forcing me back. His hands slid up my shirt to shove my bra up, over my breasts. He cupped them, trapping my nipples and treating them to pulsing squeezes. I moaned and felt my body getting slick.
He turned me around, yanked down my pants, and roughly bent me over the back of a tan sofa I hadn’t even realized was there. A lamp on an end table shook slightly as he pushed me forward.
I sighed in anticipation. Being fucked from behind while we were still dressed was exactly what I needed. Fast, dirty sex.
“Start begging,” Corbin said.
“Please fuck me.” I rocked my hips side to side. “See how wet I am?”
“Soon you’ll be even wetter.” He lightly swatted my ass with his palm. “I like the idea of you walking around all day, your pussy dripping with my come. It’s a little extra inspiration to help you get home on time.”
“The threat of a spanking is incentive enough,” I promised.
Corbin had gone still, and I twisted to see why. He was standing casually, his muscular arms hanging. His cock had been freed from his pants and now pointed stiffly upward. It was long, thick and enticing.
It was also almost two feet away. He was big, but it wasn’t a fire hose.
Slowly my gaze traveled up his torso. Even though he still wore his shirt, I could see a partial outline of his sculpted abs and pecs. There was so much raw power in his body.
His jaw was set, his expression stern and demanding. And his eyes… staring right through me. Patiently impatient—like he would wait as long as it took, but his time was valuable and my wasting it wasn’t going unnoticed.
He wanted me to beg more, I realized.
I licked my lips and tasted the last faint traces of strawberry lip balm. “You… I… Won’t you please fuck my pussy? A good pounding will help me keep my priorities straight. When I see your cock, I’m reminded of how lucky I am.” My tone was syrupy, but we both knew I meant it. I’d had my fair share of one-night stands before meeting Corbin, and bodies like his weren’t exactly common. “If you fuck me, I’ll squeeze your cock so hard when I come. You don’t have to fuck me, but I would be ever so grateful if you did.”
One corner of his mouth twitched like he was fighting a smile. “That’s a good start.”
He pulled on my legs, bending them and forcing my knees together as he resettled them atop the sofa’s back. Unbalanced, I dipped forward, my arms flailing. But Corbin didn’t let me fall.
“Goddamn, your ass is perfect, baby,” he said. “Go on and put your hands on the cushions.” He used one hand to pull one of the thicker cushions away from the back of the sofa and shoved it in front of me.
I grabbed another one. With the two stacked together, I had something to brace myself against, though I suspected it wouldn’t be enough once he started pounding.
“I’m letting you go now.” He released my hips and stepped away, and I teetered on the sofa’s back, my knees folded underneath me, my fingers pressing into the cushions.
His breath was warm between my legs, and I tensed in anticipation. He didn’t keep me waiting; his tongue lapped my pussy. Stiffening the tip, he worked it inside my hole.
Moaning, I squirmed, and my body trembled like a storm-tossed leaf. I’d never been in this position before, and it felt precarious.
He tasted me deeply, then flicked the tip of his tongue over my clit. I gasped as clenching tremors beset my entire body.
“Hold on,” he said, straightening. He lined his cock up with my slit. I panted as his erection inched forward, my pussy stretching around his formidable girth. His swollen head stroked over my G-spot, and stars danced before my eyes.
“You feel…” I gasped. “I love the way you fuck me. I can’t get enough. Please fuck me, Corbin. I need your cock. All of it. Please—”
With a low growl, he dug his fingers into my hips and shoved himself home.<
br />
I gasped, words failing me as the orgasm tore through my body.
If not for Corbin holding me, I would have gone flying forward. But he kept me right where he wanted, right in front of his thrusting cock.
He fucked me hard. The lamp on the adjoining table hopped as he pounded away. His groans were loud, hungry.
I came again, my pussy clamping on his cock, just as I’d promised. My body sucked him, but he didn’t come, not yet.
He slid a large hand higher and squeezed my breast. The sensation seesawed between uncomfortable and painful, but it was hot. I loved when he seemed on the verge of losing control. It made me feel sexy and powerful.
I shifted my weight to my left arm and placed my right hand over his, over my hip. His fingers were large, strong. He pounded harder, and I had to lower my arm again. Squeezing my eyes shut, I bit my lower lip to keep from screaming out.
“Play with yourself,” he ordered, coming slowly to a stop. “Both hands on your clit. You’re going to come like this. I want you to feel it.”
First my left hand, then my right… It wasn’t easy to balance, but I squeezed both between my soft inner thighs, which were slippery-wet. When I touched my nub, I almost came.
“Go on,” he said. “Get yourself off.”
I began rubbing my index fingers over my clit, but the thick base of Corbin’s cock distracted me. His slick shaft was stretching my pussy impossibly wide, and I found myself touching where our bodies connected. How could something so large fit inside me?
He leaned forward, moving even deeper as he hooked his arm under my collarbone. “Relax,” he said, his breath warm. “You can lean into me. I won’t let you fall.”
His other hand covered mine, and he moved my fingers aside so he could get at my clit.
One deft stroke, and my pussy squeezed him hard.
“Yeah,” he said. “That’s what I want.” He rubbed me, teased me. He began moving his hips in a circle, going from deep to deeper. His cock was too big for me like this, but he felt so good that I didn’t care about the discomfort.
“Come.” The order was a deep rumble that filled the room.
Gasping, I rode waves of pleasure, the frenzy building until I shattered.
Corbin groaned, his entire body trembling; I could feel it in the flexing of the arm keeping me on the sofa.
He was coming, too. Because he’d stopped thrusting, I could feel every powerful thump as his cock pumped me full.
He groaned again as my pussy squeezed him. Spasms seemed to ripple from his body and into mine.
“Goddamn, baby. Fuck,” he said, and it was more than I could have managed. The only thing I knew was that I was addicted to sex with Corbin Lagos.
“Don’t budge,” he said, carefully removing the arm braced around me. He pulled his length free, and I felt a flood of wetness dripping out.
I knew he’d stepped back, that he was watching my pussy, filled to overflowing.
“I’ll only be gone a second. Stay where you are.”
What could I do? I stayed.
He returned a moment later. “As much as it pains me to wipe away this spectacular tableau, I’m going to clean you up a bit.” His finger touched my slit. “You don’t know how much self-control it takes,” he murmured.
A warm cloth massaged my inner thighs.
“How much control what takes?” I asked.
“Not to keep you naked and chained to my bed,” he said. “You think I’m exaggerating, but nothing would make me happier than filling you with come whenever the urge strikes me.”
“We could do it for a long weekend,” I said.
The cloth moved up to my pussy, and I squealed, sucked in air, and wiggled. He increased the pressure, holding it there until I became less sensitive.
“We couldn’t do it for a weekend. You can’t fathom how many hours you’d spend underneath me, and anyway I don’t think I’d be able to let you go at the end.” His hand moved away. “All done.”
He helped me stand. I pulled up my panties and jeans and turned to face him.
“You’re exaggerating,” I said. “After two or three times, you’d get bored.”
He smiled. “I guess we’ll never know because I’m not about to go down that route, but I can promise one thing. I’ll never get bored with you.”
“Best boyfriend ever,” I said, grinning. I meant it, too.
“I aim to please.” He caught my arm and checked the time on the expensive watch he’d bought me. I didn’t normally wear it when I was working, and I was glad I’d put it on that morning. “Let’s get back upstairs before we’re missed. I’ll meet you at the door.”
Whistling, he went off down the hall with the washcloth, and I glanced around the room while I fussed my bra and shirt back into place.
The room was bland, furnished like an efficiency apartment and lacking the homey touches of the unit where I’d spent several days. There was a distinct lack of nice paintings and fresh flowers.
I didn’t care; the place was perfect for an afternoon quickie. I imagined some of JD’s cock-print paintings hanging on the walls and laughed.
“Audrey?”
I hurried to the door to meet Corbin. He draped an arm around me. “Soon there will be a lot more time for things like that.”
He sounded so confident in our relationship.
Even though I knew I might feel differently later—for example, when staring at the lock on his office door—I found myself almost believing him, believing in the possibility of a future so distant and unattainable that it might as well have been complete fantasy.
Chapter 11
Corbin and I slipped back into the room less than a minute before Rob came down the hall, steering Neil by the shoulder.
Rob’s face was grim. He pressed his lips together in a sad sort of smile when he saw me. Neil, on the other hand, had clearly been crying; his eyes were so red and swollen that it wouldn’t have been difficult to convince me he’d been attacked again.
“I’ll be back in a minute.” Corbin walked away.
“How’d it go?” I asked.
Rob shook his head.
“It’s unfair to leave him like that,” Neil said, his voice wavering. “I could handle it. You could handle it, but not him…”
“Massimo’s a lot stronger than you think,” I said. “He was on the run for several weeks, and he did just fine.” Then I remembered the night I’d spied on Massimo in Paris. How alone he’d seemed.
“I think,” Rob said, “that we might want to consider finding a better solution.”
“Oh, sure,” I said. “It’s not enough that I’m driving myself crazy trying to solve a murder, and it’s not enough that I’ve got my boyfriend calling in international favors to do things of dubious legality, but now I’m supposed to find a cushy, five-star hotel for Massimo to stay in?”
“Audrey—”
I cut Rob off. “This isn’t easy for me. I’m not a private investigator. I don’t have the contacts I need, and if not for my boyfriend’s connections, we’d still be trying to get a copy of the autopsy. At every turn, I’m being lied to—”
“I’m sorry about that,” Neil said. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, but fresh tears welled up.
“It’s not just you,” I said. “You. Massimo. Sara. I only talked to Oswald for a few minutes, but he probably made up a bunch of shit, too. Why stop there? I bet Sara and Oswald’s housekeeper lied. The guy who sold me a sandwich and told me to have a nice day—definitely full of it.” Even as I spoke, I knew I was avoiding thinking about the only one whose lies had hurt me: Corbin.
“What’s Sara lying about?” Neil asked.
“If I knew what people were lying about, it wouldn’t really matter that they’re lying.” I didn’t think I’d been screaming, but one look at Rob’s stunned face was proof that my voice had gotten a little loud.
Neil sucked in a shaky breath. “You’re right,” he said. “I should have been up front with you, bu
t I know my cousin had nothing to do with JD’s murder.”
“Did JD have cash with him?” I asked.
Neil’s face went white.
And then I knew the real reason he’d hidden the truth.
“There wasn’t any cash recovered at the crime scene,” Rob said, reading my mind.
Anger ballooned inside me. “How convenient that your cousin backed out at the last minute, when the money was already there.” I looked at Rob. “I’m thinking this was a robbery gone wrong.”
Rob nodded in agreement.
“My cousin didn’t have anything to do with it,” Neil insisted. “He’s the meekest guy you’ll ever meet, I swear. If you expose him, it will ruin his life.”
“Who would your cousin have told?”
Neil shook his head. “No one. He hated everything about the idea. He thought he’d get caught and end up in prison, watching his kids grow up without a dad. I swear on my eternal soul, there’s no way he breathed a word about it.”
“Where did the money come from?” Rob asked. “The paintings?”
Neil kinda laughed, then his face crumpled. “His work wasn’t selling well lately. Niche market. You know about the other things he was doing. Selling drugs. Prostitution.”
“Blackmail?” I asked.
“Absolutely not. JD never would have done that. He believed in fairness.”
I snorted.
“You have to understand,” Neil said, “that JD was a libertarian kind of guy. He thought consenting adults should be allowed to do whatever they wanted, and fuck the laws. But he wouldn’t have tried to hurt someone.”
I uncrossed my arms and walked to the window, which was bolted closed, an opaque milky wash covering the glass. “I wish I could trust you,” I murmured.
“You can,” Neil insisted. “I’ll cooperate. You already know the one thing—”
“What’s your cousin’s name?”
Neil hesitated only for a moment before saying, “Jonah Rice.”
“Phone number?”
“I have to check my address book.” He consulted his phone, then rattled off the digits.
Since I’d previously seen the number in writing, it was ingrained in my memory, an old habit from when Dad used to torture me and Rob by making us memorize car license plate numbers. Neil had passed the first test; it was the correct number. Frankly, I was a little surprised.
Protected by a Dangerous Man Page 7
