Tempting Marcus (Mercenary Heat Book 1)

by Jan Graham

  That was the exact point, unauthorized. Why hadn’t she called him, let him know she was struggling? He’d have authorized whatever time she needed. Well, not extended time, but a brief period for her to get it together. He hoped Ash was correct that she’d not only given him the slip but Charlton’s men as well. Nik did say the two guys tasked with collecting Beth weren’t the brightest pair, but that may just put her in greater danger.

  “If she’s after space to think, she’d go to the Highlands. Call our contacts down there and see if anyone’s spotted her. Check the hospital in case she’s making an impromptu visit to her father before she’s taken,” Marcus ordered.

  He hoped he was right in thinking she’d made a trip home. Knowing her father’s accident unnerved her could have brought on a case of Beth facing her own mortality. Never a good thing for someone so young. Again, he wondered why she hadn’t spoken to him about it. They could talk about anything. That was their communication style since he first met her. Beth never held back when something worried her. Had taking the relationship to the next level changed that? After all, she’d been after him for four years, made it clear sex was on her agenda from the very beginning. Surely the intimacy would enhance their connection, not drive a wedge in it.

  For a man who prided himself on keeping his dick in his pants and living by a firm set of rules, he’d well and truly fucked up. Beth going missing heightened the danger for everyone on the collection list, for Nik, the team, and ran the risk of blowing the mission asunder. Despite that, one thought kept returning to Marcus’ mind. He’d give her one hell of a first spanking when she finally returned.

  “Her cells back on, I’ll have a location in a sec,” Billy announced, much to Marcus’ relief. “Oh, shit. Boss, we might have a problem.”

  Chapter Ten

  I’m being followed.

  Bethany checked the rear-view mirror once more. The black SUV kept its distance, but she was almost certain it tailed her. Her time away definitely cleared her head, she felt more focused and calmer about the role she’d agreed to take on. As for Marcus and her, they needed to talk. Part of the pressure she felt stemmed from them being together. The poor timing of the situation messed with her head. She didn’t want to let him down on this mission, the importance of it uppermost in her mind. Working out a relationship she’d almost given up on ever happening merely added to the strain.

  Beth wondered whether the same car with two male occupants was behind her as she’d traveled down to her parent’s home in the Southern Highlands. She didn’t notice it, but her attention to detail had been off while traveling down the freeway that connected Sydney to the semi-rural community where her family lived. Traffic was heavy on the main interstate thoroughfare connecting the east coast states of Australia, the car would have been easy to miss. Convinced the kidnappers weren’t on her tail, she’d seen no one suspicious when she caught the cab home before Ash arrived at the club, then headed out of the city in her car. A car that would be unfamiliar to anyone following her.

  The Black SUV followed at a moderate distance, two male occupants, changing lanes when she did, accelerating and slowing in unison with her—it couldn’t be a coincidence. Not given the current assignment. Shit. Had she fucked up again? Marcus would kill her. Bethany needed to be one hundred percent sure before she alerted the team. Pulling into the next truck stop, she took her time getting out. The SUV pulled in and parked not too far away, both men staying inside the vehicle.

  If it was a tail, they weren’t good at their job. Firstly, she’d made them. Secondly, they were now being totally obvious. People used highway facilities like this to take a break, usually getting out of their cars to walk around and stretch their legs or grab a drink and something to eat. They didn’t use it as an excuse to pull over and remain in the car.

  They’re either amateurs or too cocky for their own good.

  Beth walked inside, keeping her own car in sight to ensure her new fans didn’t try to sabotage her only means of escape. Emerging from the highway shop, large coffee and her smartphone set to camera in the same hand, Beth took a quick snap of the suspicious car. Hopefully, the license plate would be clearly visible even if the faces of the occupants weren’t. It was the best she could do without giving away the fact she’d made them.

  A quick text to Billy with the photo attached and Beth was once again on her way, black SUV in tow.

  When the song ‘I Touch Myself’ by the Divinyls suddenly filled the cabin of the car, Bethany grinned. The ringtone she’d assigned her boss, until recently, described her relationship with Marcus perfectly. Lying in bed, trusty vibrator in hand, visions of Marcus in her head, moaning his name as she came. Since they’d fucked, she hadn’t bothered to change it, the song remained apt.

  His call didn’t surprise her, Billy would have forwarded the text to him immediately, given this was the moment they’d been waiting for, he’d want to hear about it first.

  “Speak to me,” the deep, sexy, gruff tone and commanding words had Bethany immediately clenching her thighs in response.

  The man drove her crazy. She’d known him all her adult life and a bit before that. What she suspected was merely a school girl crush in her late teens didn’t dissipate. Instead, it blossomed into a fully fledged case of horny desire, possibly even love if she was honest with herself.

  “Hey daddy, how are you?” The fact he cleared his throat in response to her statement widened the grin already on her face. Having explained away her daddy nickname for Marcus to the rest of the team by saying he was the godfather of their mercenary unit, when in fact, for her the endearment meant much more and the innuendo in her tone each time she said it probably didn’t fool anyone.

  “I didn’t call for a chat, girl. Now tell me what’s happening.” His response made her clench even tighter, this time stifling a moan. She needed to get control of her reactions. Just because the timing of their relationship was poor didn’t change the fact it was what she’d always wanted. It didn’t change the response her body would have to him, especially when he called her girl.

  The term girl featured highly in her fantasies about Marcus—on your knees, girl—good girl—anything that ended with him using that word made her wetter than anything else her mind conjured. The other night, he’d brought those fantasies to reality, using the words just as she’d imagined. For Bethany, it wasn’t a term of disrespect, it was an endearment from the strong, dominant man she now knew cared about her, just as she cared for him.

  “I think I’m being followed...” Bethany filled him in on why she believed so, explained her methods of confirming the suspicion, and described the two assailants as best she could. It was all about the detail with Marcus—if you thought anything you needed to explain how and why you’d come to that verdict. He did it with everyone, including the male team members. It was a Marcus thing, not a gender one.

  “I see.” Marcus was a man of few words at times, something which frustrated the hell out of her. “Do you have something else to tell me, baby girl?”

  More thigh clenching. If he didn’t stop being so dominantly, annoyingly sexy, she’d have a wet seat by the time she arrived back in Sydney.

  Beth sighed loudly. Marcus had obviously heard from Ash, her current babysitter for the mission. Marcus’ instructions to her were clear. Wherever she went she needed another member of the team within visual distance. Not that it would stop the abduction, after all, that was the plan. It would, however, ensure the kidnappers and her location were identifiable. Her locale remaining under surveillance in case the mission went pear-shaped and Marcus needed to retrieve her ASAP. Which, according to the latest Intel, could happen.

  “Oh, I forgot to mention something. I may have lost Ash in my travels today.” It was pointless trying to deny a fact he already knew.

  Words never failed Marcus when he was giving anyone in the team a dressing down for doing the wrong thing. Of course, he was usually much kinder when it came to female operatives than th
e guys. His rebuttals could still be cutting, he always said exactly what he thought, just in a less forceful manner.

  “Your actions today cause me to think about the books you and Billy read. You know the ones, those romance things. What’s the term you both use for the heroine that behaves in selfish, mindless, life-endangering ways when they should know better?” Usually, his reprimands didn’t involve questions, but the sudden silence on the end of the line told her he expected an answer.

  “TSL’s,” Bethany responded, “because they’re too stupid to live. T.S.L,” she replied, getting his point instantly.

  “Well today, my dear, for the first time since I’ve known you, you’ve reached T.S.L. status,” Marcus’ voice was uncharacteristically harsh. “Not only have you compromised this mission, worried all of us needlessly, but most importantly, you’ve placed yourself in imminent danger. What if they make a move? What if they aren’t just following you to track your movements and routine?”

  “I’m sure that—” Bethany’s interjection was clearly unnecessary in Marcus’ mind.

  “Quiet,” Marcus’ raised voice reverberated around the car.

  He’d never yelled at her before. As Beth contemplated a quick apology, the sound of something breaking at Marcus’ end of the line fractured the silence, and she reconsidered the idea. The silence extended for some time.

  “Shit. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled at you. It’s just…” Beth remained silent, waiting for him to finish what he was trying to say. “How the hell will I find you if they take you now, Beth?”

  The combination of his lowered voice and gently spoken words made the concern he felt for her clearly evident.

  “I’m sorry, daddy. I’ll be more careful in the future.” Beth wasn’t just saying the words to appease Marcus or because she’d made him angry and it was the right thing to do. She meant every word. She would be more careful in future because he was correct. How would he find her if they took her today, right now in the middle of this Neverland between the Highlands and the city? Yes, Nik would eventually be able to message them her location, but the two of them would be left hanging until that took place.

  “It’s my job to keep you safe, Beth. If I ever lost you, it would destroy me.” The admission took Beth aback, so much so, she nearly missed the question that followed. “Now are they still tailing you?”

  She checked the rear-view once more. “Yep, still there. What do you want me to do?”

  “Keep driving. Ash is heading your way.” He was back to his usual self now. Steady even tone, deep sexy voice. “And don’t be concerned if you see someone else tailing you shortly. They’re friend, not foe.”

  The words were barely out of Marcus’ mouth when Beth heard the not-so-subtle roar of a motorbike gaining on her from behind. A quick check in the rear-view confirmed her suspicions. The moment she’d turned on her phone at the truck stop Marcus would have picked up her location, probably even before she sent the message to Billy. The amount of technology he used was phenomenal, and unless his crew pulled a swift turn-everything-off-and-go-dark like she’d done, he knew where everyone was any moment of the day or night.

  “Why on earth did you call Steve Jax on me, Marcus?” Bethany couldn’t believe it. Steve would never let her hear the end of this one.

  “When we realized you were missing, I rang him. He said he was up for an afternoon out on the Harley. I suggested he look out for you in his travels.” Bethany pictured the wry smile on her boss’s face. He’d probably look like the cat that swallowed the proverbial canary. “He’ll stay with you until Ash arrives. Once you’re back in the city, head to the club as if you’re going to work. Hopefully, they’ll follow you in and we might be able to identify these bastards.”

  “Will do, Boss.” Bethany admired his attention to detail, realizing now, she should never have given Ash the slip. If things had gone wrong, the whole mission would have been a major fail, and more than likely, she’d be one more statistic to add to the slave traders growing list.

  “Now, in case Ash doesn’t have a chance to fill you in, the mission has changed. It’s being kept onshore, so you won’t be transported out of the country.” Beth frowned at his words. Clearly, she wasn’t the only issue Marcus was forced to deal with today. “Hopefully, that means you won’t be with your kidnappers long. I’ve been assured the transaction will take place within a week. I hope that means as soon as they have you, I’ll receive a call to come and collect straight away. Are you ready for this to go down quickly, Beth? Have you got that head of yours straight?”

  “Absolutely.” It couldn’t happen soon enough because once this was over, she could sort out exactly how to make the relationship with Marcus work.

  “One more thing before I go, Bethany.” Marcus remained as serious as ever, “try to be a good girl for daddy from now on. You’ve already given me one reason to put you over my knee and spank you.”

  * * * *

  Beth walked into The Dungeon, the most renowned BDSM club in the city and her place of work for the last few months. She’d learned a lot while she’d been here, and no doubt would miss it once she left. At the completion of the mission, her employment would be over, but the lessons she’d learned about BDSM wouldn’t be. Not if Marcus was serious about giving them a shot at a real relationship.

  She knew he had kinks, not that he ever spoke about them. He was a Dominant. His nature evident not only in his work life but as she’d recently discovered, in the bedroom as well. He was the Boss, in more ways than one, and Beth was happy with that arrangement. The spanking he’d threatened earlier would take place, she knew that for certain and looked forward to it. Having only toyed with kinky activities before—light, playful spankings, handcuffs, and blindfolds—Beth wanted more. She longed to go further and explore what a Dominant man like Marcus would bring to her life. Submission was something she desired to give to the right Dom, and Marcus was that man.

  She’d discovered there were tags applied in the kink community, and if these were anything to go by, Beth knew she wasn’t just a submissive, she also fell into the category of a brat. She liked to tease, to misbehave, to push the bounds of what was expected of her. That was her nature as was her desire to submit to whatever Marcus needed but only in the bedroom. She couldn’t see it invading other areas of her life.

  Her thoughts flicked back to the SUV with its dodgy occupants. Allowing them to follow her all the way here—she assumed they still parked where she’d left them—really brought home the gravity of what she’d agreed to. Down the street, a few feet from the club’s entrance, near the alley she’d exit from when leaving the club, sat her abductors. She didn’t understand their delay in grabbing her but silently thanked them for their tardiness. No doubt they’d continue to watch until they decided it was safe to take her. The wait was driving her mad, evidenced by today's negligent cut and run.

  Pleasant imaginings of spankings and more frustrating ones of waiting to be kidnapped were washed away by a tight hand that gripped her upper arm. She glanced to the side only to see a furious Ash dressed in bike leathers. He didn’t speak, nor did he release his grip when she attempted to twist free of the hold. She expected him to be unhappy with her and hoped a sweetly sincere apology would make things right. From the look on his face that wasn’t going to cut it. Pulling her along with him, he headed toward the buildings second level, and, she assumed, the private playrooms reserved for guests of the club who wanted to scene without the watchful gaze of other patrons. Beth had been inside them but only to clean and prepare the space for the next guest.

  “I can walk by myself you know,” she snapped, wrenching her arm once more in a futile attempt to free herself.

  “At the risk of losing you again, I prefer the current dynamic,” Ash spat back at her.

  Okay, she had underestimated his wrath over ditching him earlier in the day. He glared down at her as they reached their destination. Swiping the card down the slide lock, he shook his head and sig
hed.

  “I’d hate to be you right now.” He booted the unclasped door open with his foot and pushed her inside before following and locking the door behind them.

  Marcus leaned against a leather spanking bench, an expression of fury on his face, his brow creased, lips taut. Beth heard his heavy inhales and exhales from across the room. Knowing the gravity of her slip up, she forced herself not to smile as images of Billy talking about Marcus’ rapidly fluctuating aura flashed through her mind. She didn’t need Billy to remind her he was in no mood for sass.

  “Hello, Marcus.” He didn’t reply to the greeting, not that she expected him to. Instead, he addressed Ash.

  “Say what you need to, Ash, then return to your surveillance duties,” Marcus sounded cold but calm, despite his body language to the contrary.

  Ash moved in front of her, blocking her view of Marcus, his expression nearly as lethal as their boss'. When he spoke the tone of his voice was nothing like Marcus’. Fury laced every word, his hard stare fixed, boring into her uncomfortably. Beth knew she deserved a bawling out over the stunt she pulled today, but not by Ash. The fact he stood before her, calling her out on being irresponsible, jeopardizing the mission, acting in a selfish and unprofessional manner made her misconduct all too real. Unlike when she’d missed knowing she’d been photographed, Marcus wasn’t protecting her this time. In fact, he was suspiciously quiet.

  “You’re always so focused, so conscientious. It was why none of the team had a problem with standing behind you and supporting you in your first key role as an operative. Ditching me and going AWOL at such a pivotal time has the guys doubting you’ll be able to pull this off.” His annoyance with her was evident, the fact all the guys knew what she’d done hadn’t occurred to her until now.