Seduced by a Dangerous Man

by Cleo Peitsche

  “You!” he roared. There was madness in his eyes. Panic. He was terrified. “What did you do with it?”

  For a moment, I stayed frozen in place, unsure of myself in the face of Henry’s fury. It had been months since I’d physically tangled with anyone.

  Except for Zachary.

  Corbin had worried that the outcome of that night would make me less likely to defend myself in the future. He’d given me quite a lecture.

  The hesitation vanished, my years of experience kicked in, and my arm swung up. I depressed the button as Henry reached the doorway. Instead of the hiss of pepper spray, there was silence.

  My legs were already pedaling backward as Henry advanced. “Got that from your car?” he asked, sneering. “You think I was gonna let a little bitch like you run around with working pepper spray? Taser me.” He held his arms out. “Make my day.”

  I hurled the pepper spray at his head. He slid a little to the side, dodging it easily.

  I followed it up with the Taser, which glanced off his temple. A gash opened, spilling copious amounts of blood. Head wounds bled like that, and I didn’t think he was truly hurt.

  “Fucking bitch,” he said, holding his hand to his forehead. He was forcing me down the hall. I knew there wasn’t much farther I could go before I was trapped, and I regretted not having sprinted for the stairs.

  “You broke into my safe, didn’t you?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  “All I want is my passport,” he said. “I won’t hurt you. Hell, Audrey, you and I… we used to be friends. I’ll even tell you where some of my money is. I won’t have time to pick it up anyway. There’s probably close to ninety grand in a location not far from here. All cash, and it’s yours. Where’s my passport?”

  “I’d feel a lot more comfortable if you stopped walking toward me.”

  He stopped. I did mental gymnastics, but I couldn’t think of a place to lure him that would give me the advantage.

  I needed backup… and no one knew where I was. It wasn’t the first time I’d been in such a situation. Corbin was going to be furious when he found out. Eventually the guys who were at the office would come to the house, but it could be ten, fifteen minutes.

  In which case, the best strategy was to stall for time.

  “Money first,” I said.

  “Passports first.”

  “Remember that I know your aliases. If you screw me on the money, I’ll make a few phone calls.”

  Henry’s face went pale. “What’s to stop you from doing that anyway?”

  Crap. I shouldn’t have said it. It had been a bluff. Too good of one.

  “You’ll just have to trust me,” I said. “Your stuff is at my place.” And because I couldn’t help myself, I added, “Under my mattress.”

  Henry apparently didn’t get the joke, but that was fine. “Let’s go,” he said.

  “You first.”

  We stared at each other, then Henry lunged forward. I darted to the side, Henry’s fingers trailing down my arm.

  I sprinted down the hallway.

  Pivoted on a dime.

  Flew down the stairs.

  I veered away from the front door at the last second, remembering I’d locked it. Stupid.

  There was a sharp crack, then an explosion of plaster.

  Gun.

  Henry had a gun.

  And he wanted to kill me.

  Oh, God.

  Then I heard vehicles outside. Several of them. Backup, but it was too late. I would be dead before they got in.

  I ran into the kitchen, dove under the table. The large empty box full of bubble wrap that had been in the living room was now lying on its side next to the trash can. I was small enough that I might mostly fit inside.

  I crawled at cheetah speed across the floor and pushed as much of my body as I could into the box and angled what wouldn’t fit away from the entrance. I was more exposed than I liked, but the box was in the corner. This was my best chance. It would be the last place he checked, if he checked at all, and maybe the police would be inside before then.

  I could hear Henry, just barely, over the roar of blood in my ears.

  He was peeling back the shades in the dining room. They rattled as he let them fall back into place.

  I saw him between the flaps of the box as he walked into the kitchen, and I stayed very still. Maybe I was in shadow, almost invisible. As long as I didn’t move, he wouldn’t notice me. I had no idea if it was true, but thinking it helped me stay calm.

  Henry strode to the back door and checked it. Then he rattled the bolted basement door. I cursed myself. I should have opened that one. Then I could have trapped him in there, or at the very least, gotten away.

  Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  This was the price of lack of planning. I was out of practice, in over my head. The only thing between me and Henry was a cardboard box.

  Henry’s legs turned around. “I know you’re in here,” he crooned. “But it’s your lucky day. I need you alive, bitch. You in that cute little skirt? The perfect hostage.”

  There was pounding on the front door, the back door.

  “I have a hostage,” Henry yelled, so loud that it hurt my ears.

  Whoever was pounding the back door stopped.

  “You come in here, I’ll blow her brains out,” Henry screamed. “I got nothing to lose.” He sounded like he meant it.

  I squeezed my eyes closed. Then I opened them again. I wasn’t going to sit there and let fate decide what happened.

  And I wasn’t going to give Henry what he wanted, either, wasn’t going to let him pull me out of the house, a gun to my temple. I wasn’t going to trust a sniper to set me free.

  Henry was standing in front of the closed pantry. He tapped on the door. “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” he said. “Or maybe I’ll just shoot through the door.”

  I heard him plunk back the gun’s safety.

  This was it. My chance. I tensed, ready to move. But I kept waiting… waiting for the perfect moment.

  When it came to tackling a guy with a loaded gun, there was no such thing as a perfect moment.

  “Heigh!” Corbin’s voice boomed through the back door. “It’s Corbin Lagos. Let’s talk.”

  Henry wheeled around. I couldn’t see his face, but when he spoke, I pictured his expression clearly, the rage, the indignation. “I got something I think you’ll want.” He turned back to the door and slowly eased it open. A broom fell out.

  He mumbled a curse, then quickly crouched, looked under the kitchen table, shoved one of the chairs away.

  Thank goodness I hadn’t stayed there. But it was only a matter of time before he found me now.

  “You’re right,” Corbin said. “Whatever you want, I’ll make sure you get it. You have my word.”

  “Is the pussy that good?” Henry said. He forced a loud laugh, but I could tell he was getting desperate. He went back to the basement and jiggled the handle again.

  Now.

  I jumped up, my hands grabbing the metal trash can. I brought the cylinder up over my head. Henry wasn’t as close as I’d estimated, and he turned when he heard me.

  The gun wasn’t pointed at me.

  And then it was.

  I brought the can down over his head as hard as I could. He fired.

  The noise was deafening, but he’d missed me.

  He slumped to the ground. Out cold.

  “Heigh!” Corbin yelled. “Everything alright in there?” Cool-as-ice Corbin sounded worried.

  “Things are great,” I said. I had no idea where the bravado had come from. I pulled the zip tie cuffs from my pocket and secured Henry’s wrists.

  And I didn’t give him a safe word.

  The back door crashed in, and Corbin stood there. He was the stuff of nightmares… or of dreams. He’d ruined that lovely white T-shirt; he was bleeding from gashes on his arms, and he had scratches on his face and neck.

  I’d never been the sort of woman who needed a man
to ride in on a white horse. Well, sometimes I had needed Corbin, but needing help wasn’t what I’d wanted.

  But looking at him now, that terrified expression in his eyes as his gaze swept over my body, looking for blood, for signs that I needed medical attention… I suddenly understood the fantasy. This man would do anything for me. He loved me that much.

  He pulled me to him as uniformed men rushed past us, thundering into the basement, the living room, up the steps, checking that the house was clear.

  “I could strangle you,” Corbin said, his lips on my ear, his words for me alone. “Instead, I’m going to make love to you. After that, I’ll fuck you, hard, for scaring me.”

  I started to shake. I’d felt relatively calm until a moment earlier, but now it was catching up to me.

  Corbin rocked me gently. “It’s alright, baby,” he said.

  If I was going to fall apart, Corbin’s embrace was the place to do it.

  ~~~

  “Why do you think Gordon gave into the blackmail?” I asked. Corbin and I were sitting on the couch at the condo. Rob had left ten minutes ago, saying that he planned to celebrate the good news with a bad woman.

  “Secrets. He’d built a whole second life with his girlfriend and love child. Those of us who were high enough knew his secrets. Just as he knew ours.” Corbin paused. “He knew about you and me, but he didn’t tell Henry that. He didn’t blow my cover. He didn’t give Henry everything… only enough to keep himself safe. Brave for a coward, I guess.”

  “Maybe he thought that keeping Henry busy with you would buy him time.”

  Corbin grunted. I took that to mean he didn’t agree. Hell, I was just guessing. I knew so little about that world. It was better that way.

  I studied my boyfriend. Mine. He was a bit cut up at the moment. Personally, I thought the cuts on his arms were kind of sexy. After all, they were proof of how much he cared.

  After a few minutes, I said, “A man like that must have had everything.” One of the reasons it disturbed me was because this guy was like Corbin. Intelligent, highly trained, dedicated. His wife had clearly never suspected a thing, and I wondered if she’d thought Gordon was a mystery.

  Even after everything we’d been through together, there were parts of Corbin’s personality that were still foreign to me. I had accepted the possibility that it might not ever change. Perhaps parts of him were unknowable to himself as well.

  “Why does anyone do anything?” Corbin asked. It was rhetorical, and even though his tone was light, I could tell it troubled him as well.

  “Power? Revenge?”

  Corbin laughed. He tilted his head and studied me. “So now I know what motivates you.” His gazed dipped down, taking a meandering path toward my chest, then lower. He gave me a lascivious grin. “What else motivates you,” he corrected.

  “Hey, focus,” I said. I wasn’t ready to change the subject yet. “I’m serious here.”

  Corbin nodded. “So am I.” He pulled me into his lap. I let him do it, and even closed my eyes, savoring it. I knew there would be so many more moments like this with Corbin, but we’d come so close to not having any at all. Damn right I was going to appreciate each and every one.

  “You don’t know why he did it,” I realized suddenly. Corbin’s hand had been massaging a warm circle on my lower back, and he paused.

  “No,” he said. “I don’t. His reputation could have survived Henry exposing him.”

  “You’ve said he was honorable. Maybe he did it to protect them? The other family.”

  Corbin nodded slowly. “Could be. I suppose I’ll ask him one day. After the trial, after everything quiets down. Because I do want answers.”

  He resumed the massage, his hand dipping lower to cup the swell of my buttocks. I shifted away from him slightly, which pushed my hip right up onto pulsing proof that it wasn’t a casual ass squeeze.

  I wanted to push him away, to continue the discussion, but he smelled so good, and his body up against mine was beyond everything I’d ever wanted.

  “You’re perfect,” I said quietly. “And don’t tell me you’re not.”

  “Don’t know about that, but I think we’re damned good together.”

  “Yeah,” I said. I would have elaborated, but Corbin tipped my chin up and pressed his lips against mine. And there went both my ability and desire to speak. My eyes closed as his kiss intensified.

  He tried to slip his tongue between my lips, but I resisted him. I’d wanted to have a serious conversation, and he’d made it impossible. I was going to make him work for this.

  He exhaled, his warm breath stirring across my lips, and I almost gave in. I loved the way his breath smelled, always faintly of coffee. That, plus aftershave mixed with his faint musk, revved my engine even higher.

  He stood, bringing me up with him, then turned and lowered me back onto the sofa. He bent over me, his eyes shining seductively.

  “We can’t start something here,” I said. “My brother might walk in.”

  “Upstairs,” he said. It was a command, and one I had no qualms about obeying. His hands settled on my hips as we climbed the steps. He pulled me into his body and we walked into the bedroom together, pressed up against each other.

  Corbin kicked the door. It slammed into the frame, then bounced open again. I laughed as Corbin closed it again, this time doing it with an exaggerated gentleness, his hand petting the wood.

  He turned back to me. “You’re still dressed?”

  “You didn’t tell me to undress,” I said.

  “Good point.” His head lowered, he stalked closer to me. “Take off anything you don’t want ripped away. I’m not in a patient mood.” But playfulness danced in his eyes.

  My clothes went flying until I was naked. “Better?”

  “Perfect,” he said, his gaze roaming all over me, making it very clear that he was referring to what he looked at. And even if I didn’t agree with him—I had a list of faults and flaws, same as any woman who didn’t have a full-time airbrusher on staff—I did believe that he meant it.

  “Get on the bed, hands and knees, ass in the air, shoulders down,” he said.

  I started for the lights, but Corbin stopped me. He shook his head.

  Sighing, I positioned myself on the bed. I raised my ass only enough to satisfy his requirements.

  He pushed on my shoulders, pulled at my hips. “Like that,” he said. His hands cupped my buttocks, squeezed and kneaded them mercilessly until I panted with frustration. “I could play with your ass all day.”

  “Maybe this is making my neck sore,” I protested.

  “That’s what your safe word is for,” he said. The teasing had drained away. Apparently he was in one of those moods, where he was insatiable and demanding. It meant I was likely to be sore the next day.

  I heard him unzip his fly, and I twisted to watch as he pulled down the waistband of his pants and pulled out his long, thick cock. He was still dressed otherwise.

  He stepped forward and pressed the bulbous head against my entrance. I moaned, my eyes closing. From this angle, if felt like it would be impossible for him to actually penetrate me.

  But he did. Slowly and forcefully.

  “If you could see how hot it is, the way your pussy is swallowing my cock. I feel all those little tremors. It’s like you’re trying to devour me.”

  “You make me sound like a greedy animal,” I said, embarrassed.

  “My greedy animal.” He rubbed his hand down my sloped back, his fingers pressing along my spine until he reached my neck. His hand closed over the back of it, pinning me in place, and he walked up on me closer until his legs were flush against mine.

  I whimpered, and my hips bucked lightly, trying to get comfortable with the thick cock penetrating me so thoroughly.

  Corbin used his other hand to force my knees closer together. I was a bit unbalanced now, held in place by his hand on my neck and his erection in my pussy.

  He pulled back, and there was a wet sucking sound.
I moaned at the loss of him.

  “Turn around and lick me,” he said. The words were technically unnecessary; he was already forcing my neck around, pulling my head toward him. He widened his stance. “Keep your ass in the air,” he said.

  I accepted the tip and first few inches of his cock in my mouth.

  “Suck me like you’ve seen a penis before,” he said with an impatient jerk.

  I laughed even as my pussy got wetter, and I had to stop sucking him a moment to catch my breath.

  Corbin didn’t appreciate the pause. “Slide your hands out,” he said, and the moment I did, he was deep inside my mouth.

  Now I could smell him. The taste of our bodies together was even sexier than just Corbin. He pulled free of my mouth, then nudged himself back between my lips. The hand that wasn’t holding my mouth on his cock slid over my ass. He shoved two fingers into my pussy, and I tightened around him with a frantic flutter.

  The moan building from deep in my chest was growing louder as I sucked his cock, my senses oblivious to everything that wasn’t Corbin. He worked me deeper on him, and it was easy to take because I was so horny. As long as he kept finger-fucking me, I didn’t give a damn about anything else. If there had been a fire, they would have needed to carry me out still nursing Corbin’s cock.

  That’s just how it was between us.

  “Where should I come?” Corbin asked. “Down your throat?” He rocked his hips, forced my lips around the base of him. “Would you like that?”

  I tried to nod but couldn’t. Corbin laughed. He hammered his fingers into my tight hole. “How about deep in your pussy?”

  Of course that would have been even better.

  He slowly withdrew from my mouth, and I felt every inch of him sliding out. His head was so juicy and thick. He dragged it across my lips, which were wet and slippery. I tried to stick out my tongue, to lap him.

  “You’re desperate today, aren’t you?” he murmured. “I’ll give you what you need, baby.”

  Maybe I was. Completely uninhibited. This was real, what was between us. I wasn’t in it alone, feeling it on my own. I was his, and he was mine, and I didn’t want to hold anything back.