Charmed and Dangerous [Clandestine Affairs 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Zara Chase

  About making him proud of her, albeit posthumously.

  Riley and Axel looked tough and determined, but she could see they were also frustrated. They desperately wanted to take Mance down but couldn’t—not when she had her gun pointing straight at Maddie—the woman they’d been hired to protect. Presumably it was bad for business if they allowed clients to be blown away. A distraction was called for. They’d only need a second—or at least she damned well hoped that’s all it would take—and Maddie had an idea. Mance’s gun was no longer actually touching Maddie’s head. Instead it was waving about just a fraction of an inch away from it.

  It would have to be enough.

  “Look, if you need me to submit to your plan,” she said to Mance, emphasizing the key word and watching Riley in the periphery of her vision, “then I’m sure we can work something out.”

  She saw Riley incline his head, just fractionally, but it was enough for her to know he’d gotten the message.

  “Submit!” Riley shouted into the ensuing silence.

  “What the—”

  Maddie threw herself sideways and instinctively covered her head with her hands. Two guns coughed twice each within a split second of one another, but Mance didn’t appear to get off even a single shot. Cowering on the couch, Maddie saw Mance’s body jerk with the impact of the bullets before it slumped onto Maddie, drenching her with blood. Mance had two neat holes in her forehead, a fraction of an inch apart, and two more on the left side of her chest.

  “Maddie!”

  Riley and Axel were beside her in seconds, pulling Mance off of her and checking her vital signs.

  “She’s gone,” Axel said.

  “Are you okay?” Riley asked, helping Maddie to sit up and examining her all over for signs of injury.

  “Yes, I think so. Just give me a minute.”

  “Take all the time you need,” Riley replied as Copeland and some of his men burst through the door, weapons drawn.

  Now that it was all over, Maddie started to shake and couldn’t seem to stop. Axel appeared with a cold cloth and wiped her face. Presumably she had Mance’s blood on it. Riley then pulled her jacket off, which seemed to have taken the brunt of the blood. He removed his own leather jacket and draped it around her shoulders. It still retained his body warmth and smelled…well, masculine. It was comforting, as was the strong arm that circled her shoulders and held her close.

  “I feel so damned stupid, not realizing it was her,” Maddie muttered, fighting to stop her teeth from chattering.

  “None of us knew,” Axel said, moving in to kiss her forehead. “I’m just so damned proud of you for thinking up the submit plan.”

  “And for leaving the trail of beads,” Riley added.

  “I lost my mom’s crystals,” she said indignantly and then burst into tears.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “I was so damned scared,” Maddie sobbed against Riley’s shoulder.

  “You were goddamned brave is what you were,” he replied, brushing the hair off her face and kissing her, simply because he could.

  “Thinking of the submit thing was genius,” Axel added. “Not many people think so coherently in those sorts of situations.”

  Maddie pursed her lips. “I could sense she was nervous, I wasn’t ready to die, so…”

  “You created the opening we needed when I was all out of ideas.” Riley stood up. “Come on, let’s get out of here and leave Copeland to clear up.”

  “Won’t they want to talk to us?”

  “That can wait. We need to get you home.”

  “Glad to see you didn’t forget anything you learned in your first sex lesson,” Axel said. “I knew you were a good student, but really—”

  Maddie managed a wan smile. “I needed something that would strike a chord with you. I figured that would do it.”

  “Count on it,” Riley said, chuckling.

  Axel drove while Riley cradled Maddie in his lap. She couldn’t stop shaking but seemed to want to talk about what she’d been through.

  “She was really afraid of the people she worked for,” Maddie explained, choking on the words. “I think she’d gotten in too deep. She said it all started because she needed the money. Her mom was sick and couldn’t pay her medical bills. Someone offered Mance a way out, and then she was stuck.”

  “Did she say who?” Axel asked.

  “No, and I don’t suppose it’ll be easy to find out. These people hid themselves behind stooges like Mance.”

  “Where did you learn to use the word stooge?” Riley asked, smiling.

  “I watch TV, just like everyone else. Anyway, I’ve earned the right to use any words I want.”

  “Damned straight,” Axel agreed.

  “She said she was done here but needed to make sure nothing in Dad’s notes led back to the people controlling her. If that happened she said they’d come after her themselves.”

  “She doesn’t need to worry about that now,” Riley replied.

  “I knew you needed a clear shot. She’d moved the gun away from me just a bit while you spoke to her, and so I—”

  “Saved the day after we screwed up,” Riley finished for her when she appeared too choked up to speak. “You’re a heroine, darlin’. Your dad would be real proud.”

  “Do you really think so?” she asked in a tiny voice.

  “I know it,” he replied.

  They arrived home and Riley carried Maddie through to the closest bathroom. He stripped off her soiled clothing while Axel set the shower running.

  “Get yourself clean, honey,” he said. “I’ll wait right here.”

  She spent a long time in the shower, washing the smell of death from her skin. When she emerged Riley wrapped her in a huge fluffy towel and handed her a smaller one to wrap around her wet hair.

  “Better?” he asked.

  “Yes, a little.”

  “Come on. You need a hot drink.”

  In the kitchen, Axel had hot chocolate laced with brandy waiting for her. She obediently drank it all down, and Riley then suggested that she get some rest.

  “I don’t want to be alone,” she said. “I’ll have nightmares.”

  Given that she’d just seen a woman gunned down in front of her, Riley figured she was entitled to feel vulnerable.

  “Come on,” he said, sweeping her into his arms and carrying her through to the guest suite. “I guess we could all do with getting our heads down.”

  “Sorry about your crystals, darlin’,” Axel said, following along.

  “I was right about them,” she said. “They were my lucky talisman. You never would have found me otherwise.”

  Axel pulled back the covers and Riley placed her beneath them. Both guys then shed their clothes and joined her, one on either side of her, intent upon keeping her safe while she slept. Riley knew she was safe now. It was over and she didn’t actually need their protection. Nevertheless, they were there for her. There was bound to be a reaction to what she’d just seen. He slipped an arm around her shoulders and her head fell onto his chest like it belonged there. Axel’s left arm spread over her stomach in a similarly possessive manner. The contact with them both appeared to sooth her because she fell asleep almost immediately.

  * * * *

  Maddie opened her eyes, thinking she’d probably slept for an hour or two, tops. Instead the sun was high in the sky, and glancing at the clock, she saw it was gone ten in the morning. She’d slept for twelve straight hours and felt rejuvenated. Better yet, she hadn’t dreamt about the events of the previous day. Axel was beside her, eyes wide open, smiling at her.

  “How you feeling?” he asked.

  “Really rested.” She frowned. “How did I sleep for so long?”

  “That hot drink I gave you, I…er, put a little something in it besides brandy. I knew you wouldn’t sleep otherwise but figured you’d object if I told you.”

  “You seem to know a lot about me.”

  “Darlin’, you’re human.”

  �
�Well, thanks. I think. Where’s Riley?”

  “Taking a call from Copeland. He wanted to come over and talk to you. Riley’s putting him off until later.”

  As if on cue, Riley came back into the room.

  “Hey, how you doin’?”

  “I feel good, thanks. What did Copeland have to say for himself?”

  “The guy who helped Mance is singing like a canary, but unfortunately he doesn’t know much.”

  “So they’ll get away with it?”

  “Possibly. They’re going through Mance’s personal things with a fine-tooth comb, and if there’s anything there, they’ll find it. One thing’s for sure, though. No more vets will be used for drugs tests. The word’s being put out through the network, and everyone will know not to fall for it if the same thing is tried anywhere else in the country.”

  “That’s something, I suppose,” Maddie said, patting the empty space beside her. “Come back to bed.”

  “Something you ought to know,” he said, perching on the edge of the bed. “We think your dad was run down in the narrow street behind the center. I’d been wondering about that. It’s not easy to wait for someone to appear and then run them down as though by accident. But your dad would have needed to park in the garage and cross that quiet street to get to his car when he finished at the center. He was a man of regular habits, so they’d know when to expect him and could have been waiting.”

  “Oh.” Maddie covered her mouth with her hand.

  “Anyway,” Riley continued, “I figured that had to be what happened. I told Copeland to ask Mance’s sidekick about it, and I was right, although he claims not to know who drove the car.”

  “I see,” Maddie said quietly. “Then they moved his body here and made it look as though he’d been hit while checking his mailbox.”

  “Right.” Riley touched her cheek. “You okay?”

  “Yes. I’m glad I know what happened.”

  “Copeland’s coming to talk to us in an hour.” Riley smiled at her. “I’ll get breakfast going. I’m betting you’re hungry.”

  “Actually, yes I am.”

  By the time Maddie had showered, dressed, and made her way to the kitchen, Riley had scrambled eggs and crispy bacon ready for them all, along with gallons of fresh coffee. Maddie hadn’t touched the food at the center the previous day and was ravenous. She cleared her plate and then ate two slices of toast. She noticed the guys share an amused glance.

  “What?” she demanded.

  “Oh, nothing,” Riley replied, chucking her chin. “Just glad to see you’re not traumatized, is all.”

  “If I let what happen affect me then the bad guys win,” she said with lofty scorn.

  “Atagirl!”

  Copeland arrived just after they’d cleared away the dishes.

  “How are you, Ms. McGuire?” he asked.

  “I’m hanging in there,” Maddie replied, thinking Copeland had aged ten years in one day and didn’t look as though he’d slept at all.

  They spoke for an hour, asking as many questions as they answered. When they were all done, Copeland told them he’d need the three of them to come into the CIDC offices and make formal statements on Monday. To her shame, the first thought that went through Maddie’s head was that Monday was two days away.

  Two whole days in which to play with Riley and Axel.

  “I expect you wanted to get away immediately,” Maddie said to them after she’d shown Copeland out. “Will you mind hanging around for another two days?”

  “Not at all,” Riley replied. “In fact I was going to suggest that we helped you sort out the rest of your dad’s things so you could leave as well if you want to, and get back to your life.”

  What life? “Yeah, if you’re sure, that would be good. I’ve already spoken to the realtor, but—”

  “We understand,” Axel said. “Where do you want us to start?”

  Maddie shared a glance between them and was overcome by a reckless desire to say what she was thinking. Without pausing to consider the wisdom of her whim, she came right out with it.

  “How about with my next lesson?” she asked with a mischievous smile.

  Riley blinked. “Come again?”

  “I certainly plan to. You promised to teach me more stuff. Given how useful your first lesson proved to be in a life-and-death situation, I think you ought to deliver, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, but—”

  “No buts and no strings,” Maddie said firmly. “You owe me.”

  “I guess there’s no arguing with that,” Riley said, grinning. “Okay, babe, there’s no time like the present. Go into the guest suite, take all your clothes off and stand in the corner, facing the wall until we’re ready to join you.”

  It felt to Maddie as though her entire body flushed with anticipation and they hadn’t laid so much as a finger on her yet.

  “Yes, masters,” she replied meekly, walking sedately away from them when what she really wanted to do was break the world sprinting record and get naked.

  * * * *

  “What are we supposed to make of that?” Axel asked as they watched her go.

  “We’ve created a goddamned sex goddess,” Riley replied, grinding his jaw.

  “And that’s a bad thing, because…”

  “I didn’t say it was a bad thing exactly.”

  “I know, she’s different. Even Mance appeared to notice how you feel about her.”

  “She knew more than I do then,” Riley said gruffly.

  Axel grinned. “Have it your way. Come on, let’s not keep a naked lady in need of punishment waiting.”

  “Talking of which, I visited the sex shop we saw on the edge of town.”

  “Ah, so that’s the errand you had to run yesterday afternoon. I’d been meaning to ask.” Axel flexed a brow and flashed a knowing smile. “Don’t recall you making those sorts of deviations from jobs before.”

  “We’ve never fucked a client before.” He shrugged. “You know me. I like to have the right stuff on hand.” Riley reached into the closet where he’d left a carrier bag and tossed it at Axel. “There we go.”

  Axel delved into the bag and extracted nipple clamps, more lube, fluffy restraints, a Japanese flogger, and a butt plug.

  “That ought to about cover it.” Axel threw everything back into the bag and swung it by the handles. “Shall we?”

  “After you.”

  They walked into the guest suite and found Maddie exactly where she was supposed to be—naked, standing in the corner with her head bowed. The sight of her cute butt caused lust to rip through Riley like a tornado, but he ignored his discomfort as they stood in the doorway and looked their fill. Her hair tumbled down her back and fell across her breasts, and she was trembling. Riley didn’t think that was because she was cold. Neither one of them spoke. Instead they sat on the couch at the end of the bed and stripped off their clothes.

  “Come here,” Riley said once he was naked.

  She turned slowly, flicked her hair over her shoulders, and walked toward them. When she was within range she stopped and lowered her eyes again. She is good at this, Riley thought, too damned good.

  “Hold out your hands.”

  She did so and Riley attached the restraints. With her wrists cuffed, she dropped her hands so they covered her pussy, again not looking directly at them. Riley could see moisture trickling from her cunt and working its way down her inner thigh. He tamped down the desire to lick it away. First, she needed to be punished. Without saying a word he worked lube into her solidified nipples and then attached the clamps. She gasped and clearly wanted to speak, but didn’t. The minx had so far avoided giving them any reasons to chastise her, seeming to understand this game even though they hadn’t bothered to explain the rules to her.

  Shit, there were no rules!

  Riley stood up and positioned a footstool just in front of them.

  “On your knees,” he said to Maddie. “Lean over that so your gut’s on the middle and your tits dangle t
he other side.”

  She got into position and remained perfectly still. Once again Riley and Axel took a moment to admire the view. She’d knelt with her legs slightly apart, giving them a clear view of both her ass and the lush pink lips of her pussy. It was just about the prettiest damned view either of them had seen for a long while.

  “Would you like to teach her some respect?” Riley asked Axel.

  “Someone needs to,” he replied, taking the flogger from Riley and standing up.

  “Axel’s gonna flog your sweet ass, darlin’,” Riley told her. “Just remember your breathing, like we did with the tantric thing, and wait for the pain to become pleasurable. Having the clamps on your tits will help. They restrict the blood flow and make them more sensitive.”

  She nodded and Axel went to work. He spread one large hand over her ass and then rested the thongs of the flogger on it, getting her used to the feel of them. Then he lifted the weapon and brought it down lightly. She grunted but held her position.

  “Okay?” Axel asked.

  She nodded, so he repeated the process a little harder. Riley noticed that her juices had reached almost to her knees. She was loving this. Axel continued with the punishment for a minute or two more, putting a little more force behind each blow.

  “That’ll do for starters,” Riley said. “Have you learned your lesson, Maddie?”

  “I’m not sure,” she replied from beneath the curtain of her hair. “Can you repeat the question please?”

  Both men stifled laughs as Riley walked up to her. If he didn’t touch every inch of her pretty damned soon, he’d disgrace himself by shooting his load then and there. That was the power she had over him, yet she was the one wearing the restraints and being flogged. Riley figured she probably knew she was the one in control. She’d reduced two badass SEALs to quivering wrecks and was enjoying every damned minute of it. There was something about Maddie that got to Riley on all levels. If things were different…Damn it, how often had that thought gone through his head these past few days?