Soulmate: Feel My Heart Beat Book 1

by Delmire Hart

  They reached the secretary’s office and he beckoned Demetrius inside. Together they searched the internet for more information on this ‘parkour’. It was term he had heard before but he didn’t know the meaning behind it. Each new video they saw just drove home how much work would have to go into creating a team to protect Miller. Wall climbing, rooftop jumping, the people in the videos made the cityscape their playground. After watching half a dozen or so videos Demetrius sighed.

  “All right. Kareem and Adams are going back to William’s rotation and Ueda will be the team leader for Miller’s team. We will have to see if anyone can match that and that’s none of the current security staff we planned to use.”

  Ken nodded in agreement before replying, “I’ll get a message around to our current staff to see if anyone wants to interview for the team, maybe there are some hidden talents but otherwise we might need external hires.”

  “Alright, all new hires isn’t great but at least with Ueda leading we should minimize any issues caused by fresh recruits. Miller’s probably not going to be found until he wants to be now. Our focus needs to be not losing him. This city is big so once he’s given us the slip it’s like finding a needle in a haystack. Ideally we need to see what he can do but I’m not sure if he’ll agree to give away his advantage.”

  “I’ll talk to William and see what we can do,” Ken said then paused before sighing. “I would like to think William asking him would be enough but after hearing their last conversation I doubt that’s going to be the case. Maybe he can be bribed?” They shared a look.

  “I’m not going to hold my breath on that.” Demetrius clapped Ken on the shoulder. “Let me know if anyone applies but I think we’ll both be working late tonight.”

  ***

  Demetrius’s prediction was proven somewhat true. Miller still lost the guard team each day but it took a lot more time and effort to do so now they were expecting him to run. Ueda called up at the beginning of the chase on day two to advise that he was trying to shake them and checked in periodically until he reported two hours later that the brat had finally gotten away. Demetrius rotated the other two guards to see if he could work out a temporary roster while they recruited his permanent team but noticed an interesting trend amongst the guards sent to tail him.

  There were those like Ueda whose failure to keep him under guard only spurred him on to try harder and think outside the box for ideas to improve his performance. Others would be discouraged and throw in the towel after being outwitted by a ‘kid’ and ask to go back to their regular assignment. Lastly, there were some who refused to admit defeat to their superiors and didn’t report in to advise he escaped. Instead they pretended all was fine when asked for updates. He wondered if he would have time to cycle all his security staff through Miller’s guard team before he settled on a permanent roster. While he didn’t think William would be impressed with him using his lover as a test dummy, it would be a great opportunity to weed out the people who were a liability and judge the overall level of fitness, teamwork, and intelligence of his staff.

  Miller himself had proven to be incredibly fast, agile, and smart. However, he was a reluctant participant to his own safety; happily shimmying up buildings and jumping off ledges, causing more than one bout of swearing and yelling over the radio channels. In the end, the Miller security team had to have their own radio channel because of the sheer chaos of trying to keep up with him and the meltdowns that ensued as they inevitably lost him. It was only day four. The channel was now a great source of amusement for the other security staff and Demetrius had walked into the staff room to find a few personnel laughing over the mayhem while they ate lunch.

  Demetrius himself would probably find it more amusing if it wasn’t his problem to fix.

  Ken received several expressions of interest about joining the Miller security team permanently; for many people it was a good opportunity and an excellent pay packet with perks. Unfortunately, some of those pulled out after the shenanigans that went on but a surprising number were still interested. Enough that they might be able to pull up a team without having to resort to hiring externally.

  Ueda had proven to the perfect choice for team leader as he suggested, and then organised, a training excursion to a local gym that specialised in rock climbing and parkour. He booked out the parkour section for the entire day and even roped in the gym specialist and few local enthusiasts to show them how it was done. All the prospective hopefuls were attempting to copy the tricks and climb up the fake buildings with varying degrees of success. Ueda had been giving it a go himself and was one of the few so far who completed the course.

  Ken and Demetrius spent the morning watching and taking notes to go over later with each of the guards. William himself was present as well in between fielding phone calls and now they were just waiting for the star of the show to arrive. Somehow William had convinced Daniel to come down and show them what he could do. Demetrius was surprised that the kid had agreed and even more so once he discovered it had something to do with the incredibly expensive gourmet sushi that the boss picked up on the way over.

  He was pulled from his musing as he noticed the cause of all his current security woes making his way over to them. Miller sported his usual cheeky grin and was dressed for ease of movement in a loose singlet, shorts, and worn-looking sneakers. He sidled up to William and peered at the bag he was holding.

  “So, I heard something about sushi?” William’s lips twitched as though he was attempting not to smile.

  “Hello, kitten.” The kid flushed at the pet name, glancing over at Ken and Demetrius before his gaze was drawn back to William as he continued speaking. “There is sushi.” He held up the bag for inspection but pulled it back as Miller excitedly reached for it. “But you have to win the course to get it.”

  “Is it good sushi?”

  “Of course.” William’s trademark smirk appeared as he lit up a cigarette. “From that place you were telling me about the other day.”

  Miller’s eyes went big. “Tsuru?!” he exclaimed as he practically bounced in place. “All right, I’m in! What do I have to do?”

  William beckoned Ueda over to give Miller the run down on the course while Demetrius looked on in bafflement. He glanced over at Ken who looked resigned. He hadn’t officially been introduced to Miller yet but as the head of William’s security, he was well versed on all the information they had on him on paper. While his young age had Demetrius mentally referring to him as a kid, it was shocking to see him actually acting like one.

  This was William’s soulmate? Some cheeky little brat who talked back, refused to cooperate when it came to his own safety, and dressed in torn clothing like a street punk? Yet William himself was regarding Miller with amused indulgence and already referred to him affectionately with a pet name.

  Apparently done with all the instructions and a quick warm-up, Ueda and Miller made their way over to the parkour course and the security team hopefuls respectfully backed away to clear the area. The staff member from the gym got ready with the stop watch and gave a countdown.

  Demetrius stared in growing astonishment as the kid took off with incredible speed and managed to hit each obstacle barely losing any momentum. He felt his jaw dropping as he shimmied up the tall building replica with practised ease and jumped off the other side, catching himself before swinging down to land with a roll then springing up to continue through the obstacles. The time he was making cut the best of their prospects in half and he was doing it with breathtaking ease. There was a loud whoop and Demetrius realised with a start that Miller was laughing as he made his way, obviously enjoying himself.

  He had to give the kid some credit, he had already seen for himself how hard the course was. His agility was his strong point and his small stature meant he had less weight to pull around but it still required a great deal of strength to be able to pull off what he was doing. He crossed the finish line and the staff member called out the time. Demetrius was floored, it was
less than half the time of the next closest. He looked around and saw more than one person with their jaw on the floor and a few sporting hopeless expressions. He noted anyone who still looked interested and determined as it was the determination that would be needed to keep up with Miller.

  The kid himself trotted over, breathing heavily but with a big cheeky grin in place. “So, did I win?” William wordlessly handed the sushi over to be greeted with another excited whoop. Miller pulled himself up onto a nearby low wall that wasn’t being used and dug into the sushi with loud noises of appreciation. Demetrius looked over at Ken helplessly.

  “I think we underestimated him.”

  Ken snorted inelegantly in reply. “Well, he’s not my concern.” Demetrius frowned at him but greeted Ueda as he approached.

  “What do you think?”

  “He’s something else.” Demetrius could hear the respect in his tone warring with determination. “But I guess no ordinary person would be William’s soulmate. I think we have a few prospects here for the team but they will require some training. We really need to win Miller over to our side and get his cooperation to be effective.”

  They all glanced over at Miller and William who were engaged in some kind of banter in between Miller stuffing his face. They watched as he offered William a piece of sushi and he leaned down to eat it out of the kid’s fingers much to his embarrassment. Miller went red and glared at his chuckling soulmate.

  “Is it okay to be acting like this in public?” Ueda asked, looking concerned. “I mean, they can act how they want, don’t get me wrong, but Miller’s status as soulmate isn’t known yet and I figured they would try keep it quiet for as long as they could to minimise the risk to him.”

  “It’s fine.” Demetrius gave him a re-assuring pat on the shoulder. “Everyone here is vetted from our security force.”

  Ken nodded in agreement. “In all honesty, it’s probably good for those here to see what he means to Mr Hunt, they will be protecting him with their lives if needed. It’s good for them to understand just how important that job is.” The secretary pushed up his glasses and gave a small smile. “It’s been a long time since Mr Hunt has acted like this with someone, it would be a shame to ruin his fun.”

  “I can’t say I’ve ever seen the boss act like this,” Demetrius said then frowned as Ken’s smile turned sad.

  “Well, it’s been nearly a decade but perhaps now it’s time to move on.” The secretary sighed and waved the folder in his hands. “Right now, we need to organise the little hellion’s security team.”

  Demetrius mentally groaned. It looked like he was in for another long day.

  Chapter Twelve: Chase

  Daniel probably should have thought about it but he had been floating on endorphins from the thrill of the run through the parkour course and stuffed with the amazing sushi that was his prize. William had a meeting and while he expressed regret over not being able to spend the afternoon with him, he offered to drop him home in the limo on the way back to the office. Daniel had assumed William was offering him a ride home and it didn’t occur to him that he might have had another sort of ride in mind.

  Now here he was, clothes somehow missing, getting sexed up in the back of a limo. God, the man was a human octopus, his hands where everywhere. Lips, teeth, and tongue where trailing over his neck and were those noises coming from him? He would be embarrassed by the wanton moans echoing around the back of the limo but his head still spun. That, and he was rather lacking awareness; too focused on the fingers that moved inside of him and the teeth grazing over his pulse.

  “Ahh… A- William!”

  “Yes, Daniel?” Daniel tried to speak but dissolved into more moans as those fingers found the spot that sent pleasure shooting up his spine. “Was there something you wanted?”

  “P-please…!” He wasn’t even sure what he was asking for. More of this man who left him reeling? He wanted more, just more. He was beyond thought already, how did William do this to him? He didn’t have time to order his thoughts before the fingers were removed and he was turned around with his back pressed up against William’s chest. Long fingers pinched at his nipples and he felt William’s throbbing erection teasing at his entrance. It was surprisingly slick and now that Daniel thought about it, William’s fingers had been too.

  “Do you carry lube around in your pocket or something?”

  “Ride me,” was the all the response he got, but it thrilled him to hear the other man’s deep voice hoarse with desire. Daniel shivered at the tone and sank backwards, slowly impaling himself in one long, smooth movement. He groaned at the feeling and William tightened his grip on him. Once fully seated he paused for a moment, revelling in the full sensation before starting to move. William’s hand came around to stroke his cock in time with his movements and Daniel soon practically bounced in his lap, head thrown back onto his shoulder and one hand reaching around to bury itself in dark hair. Both of William’s hands moved to his hips to help guide his movements.

  “Ooh, I-I…” Daniel could sense himself approaching the edge in no time at all, the angle he sat forcing William’s cock to hit just the right spot every time without fail and he spiralled towards climax incredibly quickly.

  He came as teeth bit down right on his pulse point and a groan rumbled out from William’s throat while he rode out his climax. They stayed like that for a minute, both trying to catch their breath. The teeth detached from his neck and he gasped as William yanked his head around for a sloppy kiss. They broke apart, William’s now softening member slipping out of him with an obscene squelch and Daniel slid bonelessly down onto the seat beside him. He was sticky and covered in his own fluid, William’s spend ran down the insides of his thighs and his limbs felt like jelly.

  “Are you trying to make it so I can’t walk and escape my guards today?” He peeked up at his soulmate and watched the smirk settle back into place.

  “If that’s the outcome, it’s an added bonus.” Daniel raised his eyebrows sceptically at the flippant reply. “I was just after my fix of my tasty little lover. If I had the time I would take great pleasure in taking you back to the penthouse for a repeat of Monday’s activities but unfortunately I have a meeting I cannot get out of.” His eyes smouldered as he stared so intently it was like he wanted to eat him alive with his gaze alone. Daniel shivered and found his cock trying to twitch back to life, much to his immense mortification.

  “Stop looking at me as though you want to eat me! Haven’t you had enough?!”

  “No,” William replied curtly as he pulled out a cigarette from his coat pocket and lit up. “That was barely more than an appetiser but sadly we are out of time.”

  Daniel glanced out the window to see they were only a few streets away from his apartment. He scrabbled around for his clothes and William helped him pull everything back on. How the man looked as immaculate as always after that when Daniel was a dishevelled mess, he would never know. The limo pulled up in front of his apartment building and a knock on the privacy screen announced their arrived. William reached forward and pulled him into and intense kiss, not letting him go until he had wrenched a soft moan from his throat.

  “Don’t lose your guards.” He opened his mouth to protest but was silenced by a glare. “I’m not above installing some of your things with GPS trackers. Do not try my patience.”

  Daniel poked his tongue out in childlike defiance and found himself pressed up against the door with William’s face far too close for comfort. Golden eyes burned into his and he could not look away.

  “Do. Not. Try. Me.” He leaned in for one last brutal kiss full of possession before releasing Daniel. The photographer took a second to gather his wits back before he fumbled open the limo door.

  “Yeah, yeah. It’s fine.” He stumbled out of the door, barely catching himself on the side of the vehicle and his legs threatened to give way beneath him. “Thanks for the ride and all that.”

  Daniel flushed at the double meaning and slammed the door shut o
n William’s knowing grin. He heard the limo pull away as he slowly made his way up the steps and into the building. He had a stakeout to get to later tonight and he only hoped that he was going to able to move well enough to ditch the guards. He didn’t need the entourage getting in the way while he took some sneaky shots of the latest dirty politician he set his sights on.

  ***

  Daniel grinned. He had had a different set of guards today, presumably something to do with the parkour course they were at earlier and they had been lost in a matter of minutes. To be fair, he had the added advantage of being able to slip through traffic on his scooter while knowing the streets around his apartment inside out. He felt the buzz of his phone in his pocket not long after he thought he had lost them. William unwittingly confirmed his successful escape. Daniel would probably be paying for all the havoc sooner rather than later but he was going to keep his freedom as long as possible.

  He wondered what William would do once his patience snapped and his body heated at the thought. He had a sneaking suspicion that William might use it as an excuse to make him familiar with the items in the cabinet in his soundproofed room; it seemed exactly like something the older man would do. Daniel wasn’t entirely comfortable with how that idea made him feel. He squirmed in his seat at the tendrils of heat the thought brought on before wrenching his thoughts back to the road in front of him. He needed to focus on not getting run over by the bustling traffic.

  It wasn’t long before the traffic thinned out and Daniel found himself in the seedier part of the city. James Barrett was his target for the day. He was a well-known politician and he had received a tip-off from the police station that he was involved in underground activities, possibly trafficking of some description. The informant said a meeting was going down tonight at one of the less savoury clubs in the district. From what Daniel had heard, it was rumoured to be one of the worst clubs in New York and actually prided itself on the fact that the law was regularly flouted there and anything was for sale. Just the thought of it made his stomach turn.