A few minutes later, the door opened again and they both came in. “Oh. My. God.” I said, and I couldn’t stop myself from giggling. And my panties were hot. And drenched. One of the men—they must have been twins, I couldn’t see a hair’s difference between them, they were dressed in identical severe suits, they had identical broad shoulders and massive hands, and they had huge, identical bulges in their pants, pointing right at me—one said,
“Ms. Cullen, we will have to do a body search.”
I stood shakily, scraping the chair on the floor, and I said, “Will you both search me?”
They exchanged a look between them, but they didn’t answer, and I said, “Together, or separately?”
I couldn’t get the words out of my throat without them shaking my voice.
The two big blonds looked at each other. Identical grins tugged at the corners of their mouths. As they came near, I remembered Liam’s advice. Stay professional and aloof.
I gave them as cool a look as I could. “You gentlemen know that I’m expected here, right?”
When they didn’t respond immediately, I seized the initiative and said, “You know that my ID is legit, so you have no reason to detain me. Right?”
They were still. “Or to… ” the idea of them both searching me was still making a fire in my panties, but I had business to do. I shouldn’t risk being compromised at this point. The men were clearly interested. More than interested, going by the tension in the fronts of their pants. Maybe it would be useful. Save it, Courtenay, I told myself. Bank it. I felt very professional and grown up.
The power of that only made me feel hotter, but it was what it was.
One of the blonds said, “We’ll give you a pat down.” And the other said, “It will be quick.”
“I’ve been pretty co-operative so far,” I told them. “Mind telling me who you are and showing me some ID now?”
“I’m Horst and this is Gunner. We’re Secret Service.”
“Are you?” I wasn’t sure why that came out, it was like a reflex. Both men colored, though, so I must have hit something. A surge of confidence charged through me. What Liam had called, The power of a good bluff.
The search was swift and efficient. As the twins showed me back to the lobby, seeing these two powerful men cowed with an air of unfinished business made me feel about seven feet tall and I loved the smart click of my heels on the lovely tiled floor.
Striding slowly down the wide staircase, looking like he owned the mansion, Irons greeted me with a look.
Like the grin of a wolf when it sees a deer.
“You’re perfectly in time for dinner.”
Chapter 8
“Secret Service, you say?” Liam spoke into the phone and Declan leaned closer to hear. The suite was immaculate. All the cushions were on the furniture, the bed was nicely made and everything was clean and fresh.
The towels were fluffy and neatly folded, all the glasses sparkled and shone, and colorful cascades of fresh flowers were neatly arranged in vases around the rooms. It was the first and only time the suite had looked like that since the moment they had all moved in three days before.
Courtenay’s voice was thin and soft. “That’s what they told me they were.”
“Twins?” Declan said.
“Identical.” Declan and Liam looked at each other.
“From the sound of your voice, though,” Declan said, “I’d guess they made quite an impression on you.”
“Can you tell?” she said, “Sorry, I mean, ‘no, I don’t know what you’re talking about.’” Courtenay couldn’t completely silence her sparkling giggle. Declan smiled when he heard it.
“I’d say your panties were more than moist at that moment,” Declan chuckled. “Did you not want them to conduct a thorough search? See if anything turned up they might hold against you?”
Liam twinkled, “Hard evidence, perhaps?”
Declan leaned closer to the phone, “Something that could be made to stick, you mean?”
“Stop it,” Courtenay sad, “I was really nervous.”
“And then you were really horny,” Declan grinned.
“We’re missing you already,” Liam said, “Can you tell?”
“I’m missing you, too.”
“Next time,” Declan said, “We should do a video call. Then we’ll be able to check on the state of your knickers.”
“Before and after,” Liam grinned.
“And during, as well.” Declan leered, audibly.
“So, have you met with the man yet?” Liam asked her. Declan hovered, craning his ear, obviously wishing he could take the phone.
“Irons introduced me to him at dinner. There are about twenty people staying here, and we all ate around a long table. It’s like Downton Abbey or something, one of those English country house things.”
Liam said, “Sounds grand.”
Declan chipped in, “Do you think you might get the job done in the library? Keep an eye out for lead piping. Or a candlestick.”
“Don’t mind him,” Liam said, “He can’t help it. He had a twisted and geeky childhood.”
The two men’s eyes sparkled as they leaned in to hear Courtenay’s voice. “All the men had on black suits. There are only a couple of other women, but they all wore, like evening dresses. The help are more dressed up than the guests. Guys in penguin suits, women dressed like French maids.”
Declan craned his head toward the phone, “I bet His Honor liked those.”
A dry laugh came back from Courtenay, “Oh, yes. His eyes were on stalks every time one came near him.”
Liam said, “Do you think he might be after a few strokes of the old paddle? A bit of bondage, maybe?”
There was a moment’s quiet. “I don’t know. I don’t know really anything about that scene.”
“Ah,” Declan said, “you surprise me now. You being such a ravenous little slut and all. I thought you’d be up for anything with a tang or a bloom in it.”
“What?”
“Like I said,” Liam cut in, “Don’t pay any attention to him.”
“And speaking of punishment,” said Declan, “and things of an unsavory nature, how’s our saturnine friend?”
“Irons?” For a moment, Courtenay sounded a little distant.
“He’s not there in the room with you?” Liam asked her.
“No. Of course not.”
“But you’re expecting him,” Declan guessed. Liam caught his eye and nodded.
“Not yet.”
“Look,” Declan said, “There’s no knowing what that man’s up to. You should be extra careful around him.”
~~~~
When they hung up, Liam looked in Declan’s eye. “You can’t go getting all possessive on her now. Especially not with the situation we’ve put her in.”
“The situation Irons has schemed and engineered her into, you mean. It’s not just me being possessive, I’m telling you. We can’t trust that man. Who the fuck is he? Where did he fucking spring from?” Declan poured a splash of bourbon into a crystal tumbler. “You know,” he lifted the glass, “While we were researching, checking out the lay of the land and such, I did a bit of background on your man Irons.”
“I’ll bet you did.”
“Did you not think he was worth a look?” Declan spread himself across the couch.
“Not from me,” Liam fixed a glass for himself, “I was certain that you were going to do it. No point in duplicating the effort.”
“Do you know what I found?”
“Well, obviously, no, Declan. I don’t know that. I do know that you’re about to tell me. And, I don’t mind saying, I’m all agog, but I bet I know how the story ends.”
“What do you think?”
“I think you found wreaths of smoke behind clouds of mist and, behind all that, many mirrors.”
“You’re not far off.” Declan leaned forward. “All of his qualifications, his CV, even the firms where he’s practiced law—law, mind you—it’s all shadowy
and vague. Everything sounds big and grand, but it’s impossible to confirm anything at all.”
Liam sat with his glass in an armchair. “It’s come to something when you can’t trust a lawyer.”
“Okay, there’s no need to be funny.”
“Oh, now I know you’re in a bad way. I never once heard you say that before. This calls for drastic measures.”
“All I’m saying is, we have no way of knowing who we’re dealing with.”
Liam picked up the room service menu. “Well, the truth is, we don’t know any more after looking for the facts than we did before we started.”
“Right.”
“But I don’t think there’s any doubt about who it is we’re dealing with.”
“Okay, fair enough.” Declan took a bite off his bourbon.
Liam asked him, “Could be a long day or two. Do you think we should order up a few hookers?”
“Is that what they’ve got on the menu today?”
“Not this one, no. This is just steaks and sandwiches and more champagne.”
“Ah, no. No hookers for me. You go ahead. I’ll wait for our sweet little honeydripper to come back.”
“Man,” Liam whistled. With a grin he said, “You really have got it bad. I’ve never known you to be off your pussy before.”
“Best if she finds out what she can about our man of mystery, though. While she’s got the chance. You agree?”
“You know that I’m no happier about it than you are.”
“Well, you’re putting on a better front, then.”
“Ah, that’s my unflappable charm. Watch and learn.”
“You do agree, then?”
“Regrettably, I do. I think she should milk the fucker dry, by any and all means possible. I’ll send her a text to that effect, right away and toot de fucking sweet.”
As Liam tapped in the text, Declan asked him, “What do you think about the two blond fellows?”
“You mean do I fancy a couple of blond fellows?” Liam blinked. “I haven’t seen them, so I couldn’t say.”
“Sounded like our little lovely fancied them.”
“You’re awfully intuitive all of a sudden.” Liam reached over to lay a hand gently on his shoulder, “Are you getting more in touch with your feminine side, is that it?” Declan shrugged him off and his grin tightened. Liam said, “Or maybe you just fancy a couple of big, strapping blond fellows for yourself?”
Declan’s head tilted and his eyes narrowed. He shook his head. “No, smartass, what I mean is, do they sound like Secret Service to you?”
“Do they bollocks. Blond Teutonic twins? How fucking secret does that sound? And besides, blood relatives, working together? None of the agencies would allow that, I’m willing to bet money on it. Too easy to exploit, too ripe for a conflict of interest.”
“That’s what I was thinking. What’s their fucking game, then, I wonder? This whole thing, it’s a fucking iceberg. There are way too many mystery objects and jack-in-the-fucking-box surprises for my liking.”
“Sooner we get the old bastard croaked and get the fuck out of here the better.”
Chapter 9
Irons was due to knock on my door. I sat on the bed and fidgeted. Going over some details, was what he said he wanted to do. I was sure I had a good idea of what kinds of details he wanted to go over, and pretty much all of them were inside my underwear.
The text from Liam should have made me feel easier about seeing him, but it just made the whole thing more real. And a lot more dangerous. Everything around Irons was dangerous and every situation he was in seemed likely to explode at every ticking moment. All the time I had thought how exciting it would be to be a part of what Liam and Declan did. Now I was in a dark, sprawling mansion, about to meet a man I couldn’t trust, supposedly to arrange the killing of a man I didn’t know. Inside I shook like a flag in a gale.
But it was exciting.
And what would happen when Irons got here? Would I let him take what he wanted, would I have any will to resist him? I was afraid that if he looked at me hard enough with those steely eyes, I would just do anything that he told me. Anything. And looking in those eyes, I could never guess what he would tell me to do in that arrogant, commanding way he had.
Only that he would have no limit. That he would not have a point of stopping, an edge. Everything with him was over the edge. Past any point of no return.
My body quivered.
Declan wasn’t happy about me seeing Irons like this, I knew that. He was suspicious of Irons and he didn’t trust him. I think he was also a little bit jealous and possessive and the way he pretended not to be made me love him all the more. Liam seemed to be okay about it, although he was harder to read than Declan. His lighter manner could be deceptive sometimes and Liam could spring a surprise. In my wildest dreams, I never thought I could love a man as much as I loved either of those two, let alone both.
Now, alone in the dark paneled room, sitting on the heavy, embroidered cover of the high, old-fashioned bed, waiting for Irons’ hand to knock on the door, I was a crashing storm of emotions inside. I knew I would have to calm myself before I saw him. The idea was for me to get information, to learn something about him, to pick around for clues. Not to be overwhelmed by emotion and sensation. I almost was already, and he hadn’t even arrived yet.
My heart jumped into my mouth at the sound of my cellphone ringtone. The screen didn’t display the number. Uncertain for a moment, I pressed the button to answer.
“Yes? Hello?”
There was a pause. “Ms. Cullen.” Irons’ low, hard voice burred into my ear. “I’ve been detained a while.” A pause. “Come to my room in half an hour.”
He didn’t even wait for my answer.
The doors on his floor were taller and wider than the door to my room. I stood on the thick, blue carpet and hesitated with my hand raised. I wanted to feel prepared. Knock firmly. Act confident. But he spoke before I could do anything.
His voice was harsh, “It’s open,” he said. “Don’t hang around outside, come in.” He must have been watching the crack of light under the door.
The room was much bigger than mine. As well as the huge four-poster bed, a suite of armchairs and a couch surrounded a mahogany table by a big stone fireplace. It was dark, all apart from the corner by the fireplace where he sat.
He lounged with his long legs nonchalantly crossed, in a studded leather armchair by the table, looking down into some papers in his lap. Still looking at the papers he told me, “Come on in. Shut the door.” Then he looked up. He inspected me like a thing he was going to buy. His sweeping stare assessed every part of me. And everywhere his eyes probed, I tensed and trembled.
My hand was still on the doorknob.
Three Hitmen: A Triple Bad Boy Mafia Romance (Lawless Book 2) Page 6
