by M. S. Parker
He came inside, his eyes intent on my face.
I drew myself up to my full height. In my heels, it was all of five foot three. But I could cut a man off at the knees with my glare, or so I’d been told. “Excuse me, Mr. Lang. I need to use the restroom.”
“Don’t start that shit again.” He jabbed a finger at me.
“I’m sorry?” Widening my eyes in mock innocence, I pressed a hand to my chest.
That was a bad move.
His eyes immediately fell to my breasts, and in response, my nipples hardened. Fortunately, I’d discovered the beauty of lined bras years ago, yet I still had a feeling he knew exactly what sort of reaction he’d caused.
“Don’t do that,” he said, his voice a rough growl. “I had you all but purring my name. Don’t you dare go back to calling me Mr. Lang in that haughty voice again.”
“Mr. Lang—”
“Don’t!”
The snapping fury in his voice ignited my own temper, and I shoved myself up onto my toes, snapping at him. “Excuse me? You don’t get to talk to me in that tone of voice.” I jabbed him in the chest and had the pleasure of watching his eyes widen. “I’m not your doting baby sister who hasn’t figured out yet that you're a total ass. I’m not your employee to boss around. I’m not your anything.”
“Yeah?” He shot out an arm and yanked me against him.
A startled oomph escaped me as I crashed into his chest. His hard, muscled chest.
Fuck.
I shoved my hands between us and wedged as much distance between us as I could.
“Two minutes ago, you were the woman I was getting ready to have wrapped around my cock, sweetheart.”
The smoky heat in his voice made my heart race.
The potent desire in his eyes made my knees weak.
And the arrogance on his face made me want to punch him in the head.
Curling a hand into a fist, I was seriously considering the last option. Out in the parlor, I heard a woman’s voice and I froze.
It wasn’t Isadora.
It was somebody older – and she sounded scared.
“Mr. Lang?”
Ash shot a fulminating glare at the door, but his voice was level as he said, “Just a couple of minutes, Beth.”
“How about now?” I smiled sweetly and pointed towards the door. I needed him away from me.
“Because we’re not done, Princess.”
I gaped at him. Princess? Had he seriously just called me Princess?
He chuckled, apparently amused by the look he’d seen on my face.
“Did you just call me Princess?”
“Yes.” He scraped the tips of his fingers down his jaw, rasping them over the light growth of stubble. Stubble I'd felt scraping against my skin. “I think it suits you. All damn high and mighty, staring down your nose at me.”
“Oh, really?” I sniffed and raked him up and down with a telling look. “I’m not the one who thinks I can snap my fingers and everybody will come rushing to do my bidding.”
There was a flicker in his eyes.
Out in the parlor, I heard Beth again and she sounded really upset. “Mr. Lang, please…”
I started to move toward the door, but he shoved an arm up, blocking me.
“Beth, two minutes isn’t going to hurt!” He all but shouted it.
Then he bent down, placing his lips next to mine. “What do you think, Princess? If I snap my fingers, will you do my bidding?” The hand he’d curved over my hip slid up, up, up until it was right under my breast. “Because I’m tempted to try. See, I’ve been having these fantasies ever since I first saw you.”
I sucked in a breath.
He lifted a hand, snapped his fingers right between our faces.
I jolted and heat exploded through me. My face burned red.
And my pussy…oh, man. I was so wet and so empty, I ached.
“I want to see you on your knees, Toni,” he said, his voice low and rough and raw. “I want you on your knees with your mouth wrapped around my cock.”
I had to swallow my whimper to keep it from escaping. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. I just had to keep remembering that he wasn't the kind of guy I wanted. He was an asshole.
I could see it, me on my knees doing exactly what he’d just described. My mouth was practically watering, and I had to fight to keep myself from reaching out and freeing him from his trousers. Running my fingers up, then down his length. Taking him between my lips. Tasting him...
I jumped as a fist pounded on the bathroom door. “Mr. Lang,” Beth said, her voice plaintive. “Please, this is urgent.”
He snarled and spun away, yanking open the door.
The sight of the ugly snarl on his face froze something in me.
But not as much as the sound of the woman’s voice.
Something was wrong.
I’d heard enough bad news in my life to know that.
Before he could yell at her, I cut between them.
She still stared at him. “Mr. Lang—”
“It couldn’t wait two minutes?” he bellowed.
“It’s probably been five,” I snapped, smacking a hand against his chest when he would have advanced. Then I looked back at the woman. Her pale eyes were overly wide, her breath coming too raggedly. And she was swaying.
Hell.
“Come on,” I said gently, slipping my arm around her waist.
She was only a couple of inches taller than me so it wasn’t hard to guide her over to the closet sofa and she practically poured onto it like water.
“If it’s that damn important–”
“Would you stop?” I hissed as I spun around and glared at him. “She’s terrified. She’s about to pass out, you asshat.”
I don’t know if he finally looked at her or if I’d just startled him into shutting up with the asshat insult, but he blinked and scowled, focusing on the woman who sat, weaving back and forth, on the couch. I crouched in front of her and reached out to take her hands. They were cold and clammy and when I checked, her pulse was racing.
“Beth?”
Her eyes focused on mine. They were a startling shade of light blue. “You’re Toni. Isadora’s assistant.” She smiled weakly. “She likes you.”
“Yeah.” The fact that she’d immediately swung to Isadora had my gut turning to ice. I squeezed her hands. “You said something was wrong. What is it, Beth? What’s wrong?”
She swallowed and her gaze tracked up until she was staring at Ashford.
“She’s…” Beth swallowed. She stopped and squeezed her eyes closed.
I tightened my grasp on her fingers. “Beth, tell us.” I put a hard edge into my voice.
It worked.
She steadied and nodded, looking back at me. “I don’t know what happened, ma’am. She was there. Then she wasn’t. She wanted me to bring her a pitcher...” She froze and shot a look at Ash – at Mr. Lang.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Isadora likes a pitcher of margaritas every now and then,” he snapped. “I gave her the first one a few months ago. I’d rather she drink here than anywhere else. What, did she pass out? Is that all that’s wrong?”
I could have told him that wasn't it.
Beth started to cry. “No, sir. She’s...sir, I can’t find her!”
He had been standing behind me, apparently content to let me handle the weeping female.
Suddenly though, he was the one in front of Beth. I had somehow been moved aside. I hadn’t been shoved or jostled or even rudely pushed. I was just…moved. He had his hands on the older woman’s shoulders and I could see him almost shaking with the effort of restraining himself.
“What did you say?” he demanded, his voice low.
Beth sniffed. “Sir, I tried to tell you it was urgent. Miss Isadora...she’s gone.”
Blindfold Vol. II
By Cassie Wild and M.S. Parker
Chapter 1
Toni
“Sir. I understand that you're upset.” The office
r spoke in a voice that managed to be soothing and calm without being condescending.
It was a nice voice and I had to admit, if he had been talking to me, it might have done something to penetrate whatever emotions were trying to drown me. As it was, it helped to ease the near-panic I was feeling. A little bit.
It had absolutely no effect on the man standing next to me.
Maybe it shouldn't have.
We had no idea what happened to his sister.
She was just…gone.
Twenty year-old Isadora Lang, wealthy and beautiful heiress – and my boss – was nowhere to be found.
Slowly, he turned away from the window and approached the officer.
I had to give the cop some credit. Even though thirty-two year-old Ashford Lang stood a good eight inches taller, and was probably a good fifty pounds heavier, the boy in blue didn't back down or even blink. As someone who knew what it felt like to go toe-to-toe with the wealthy CEO of Phenicie-Lang, I could appreciate the courage that took.
Ash stared down at him, green eyes blazing. “You understand?” he echoed, his voice cutting. “My sister is missing. But you understand? Do you think upset even comes close to what I'm feeling?”
I'd seen how he behaved when he'd believed I was a man his sister had hired as an assistant, and calling that upset would've been a stretch. No. I was pretty sure upset didn’t even come close to how he was feeling at the moment.
“Gentlemen.”
A new voice rang out, cutting through the rapidly growing tension. Reluctantly, Ash pulled his eyes from the cop. He and I both turned. The cop didn’t. From the corner of my eye, I thought I saw him take a deep breath and I wondered if he truly understood how close he'd been to having his ass handed to him.
The newcomer turned out to be a woman, dressed in a sharp suit, her hair cut in a neat, pixie-like cut that framed a face that could have been twenty-five or fifty. I pegged her at somewhere in between, but only because of the age I saw in her eyes. Those eyes were an incisive shade of brown and she looked like she’d seen it all, done it all, and probably invented a few things while she was at it.
Her smile was polite and professional.
The badge she displayed wasn't needed. I could spot a cop a mile away, and her entire demeanor practically screamed it.
“Officer Raleigh, why don't you join the other officers?” She glanced past us to look at the cop. “I'll take over here.”
The uniformed cop gave her a nod, then tipped his head in our direction before leaving the room. I had to give him credit for the polite exit. I wouldn't have blamed him if he'd simply left without a glance.
Once we were alone with her, she focused on Ash.
“Mr. Lang, I'm Lieutenant Green.” She held out a hand and Ash shook it, his expression still dark and angry. She continued, “My superiors thought it might be better if I came down here.” She paused, gave me an acknowledging glance, and then added, “I've worked with abduction cases in the past.”
Next to me, Ash tensed and it was all I could do not to put a hand on his arm to try to comfort him, soothe him. No matter what had happened between us in the moments before we'd learned of Isadora's disappearance, he and I didn't have that kind of relationship. I was here because I was Isadora's assistant and I'd been in the house when she'd disappeared. Nothing more.
Nerves and anger pulsed under his voice. “Abduction. Is there a ransom demand I don't know about? I'll pay whatever's asked.”
“No.” Green shook her head. “It's far too early to be making assumptions. And in all honesty, your sister has probably gone out to a club or to visit some friends. Maybe she decided to take a few days to herself.” She glanced at the furniture and arched one dark eyebrow. “Perhaps we could sit?”
Ash looked like he was going to explode.
Quickly, I moved forward and touched his arm, acting before I could think better of it. “This will probably take some time, Ash.”
It was probably my use of his nickname more than anything that got through to him. Brilliant green eyes glinted almost feverishly as he studied me. After a moment, he gave a short, terse nod. I was slightly surprised when he took my elbow and led me to a couch, gesturing to the lieutenant to have a seat as well. Fortunately, it wasn't the couch we'd been on earlier. That could've been…awkward.
Green sat down and smoothed her skirt, folding her hands in her lap, taking an almost deliberate amount of time to do it. If she was waiting for hors d’ oeuvres, she was wasting her time. Finally, she spoke, her attention still focused on Ash. “It’s my understanding that you employ several bodyguards for your sister?”
Lieutenant Green studied Ash the same way I would have looked at bacteria under a microscope in one of my biology classes.
I didn't like it.
Ash gave her a cool look that said he didn't like it either. “Yes, though they're used for when Isadora goes out. I rely on my home security staff to keep her safe while she's at home. You should know that each security member who was on duty today will be fired, so you might want to get their contact information in case you need to see them again.”
“That seems a bit harsh.”
“Harsh?” His body stiffened. “My sister was taken on their watch.”
“That is still undetermined.”
“Really?” Ash’s sarcasm was so thick, I was surprised nothing viscous dropped from the air to stain the thick, expensive carpet. “Oh, maybe I missed her while I was going over the security footage, or when I was tearing the house up, bellowing her name.”
“She could have left.” Green sighed and glanced at me.
I recognized the look well enough, but she was looking the wrong way for backup. I might not have known Isadora that well, but I didn't think it was likely that she just stepped out without telling anyone where she was going, especially since she hadn't told me that we were done for the day. She was disorganized, but never thoughtless. I wasn't a mind reader, but I was a good judge of character on top of studying to be a psychiatrist.
I returned Green’s steady look, but didn't say anything. If she wanted my opinion, she was going to have to ask for it. And I doubted she'd like it when she did. Her gaze lingered for a moment and then she turned back to Ash.
“Here are my concerns, Mr. Lang. Your sister is twenty years-old. I’ve got a fourteen year-old. I all but raised my two younger sisters. And although it was quite some time ago, I recall how it felt to be twenty. You want privacy. You want some independence. Does your sister have any of that?”
“She has safety,” Ash snapped.
“Safety.” Green nodded as she said the word slowly, as if weighing it on her tongue.
“Look,” he said. “My sister wouldn't leave without telling me where she was going or taking her bodyguards with her.”
I was torn between hugging him and rolling my eyes. He was smart. He'd managed to get his MBA while raising Isadora and taking over the family’s numerous companies, even though he'd only been nineteen when his parents had died. But smart didn’t always produce insight. And insight into a loved one was always the hardest.
I knew that from experience. I'd had common sense drilled into me by my older brothers, but I'd known plenty of kids through the accelerated learning programs I’d been in who were practically as dumb as a stump when it came to practical things.
When it came to his sister, I had a feeling Ash was clueless.
Actually, when it came to twenty year-old females in general, Ash was probably clueless.
That wasn’t to say he didn’t have a clue about women. Or at least a certain type of woman. But Isadora wasn't that type of woman, and she was at the weird stage where she was still figuring out who she was. Ash, on the other hand, probably looked at her and saw a girl in pigtails and a Catholic school girl skirt – or whatever flavor of private school she’d attended. Had he actually thought she was more interested in being safe than having a life?
I would've felt bad for him if I hadn't been so worried ab
out Isadora.
When I was twenty, I’d at least kept my parents advised of my whereabouts in general. I still lived at home even though I'd been in college. I’d respected them enough to know that they just wanted to make sure I was safe.
My brothers, however, were a different matter entirely. If they’d tried to dictate my every move after I'd become an adult? I probably would have filled their shampoo bottles with Nair. Again. Their overprotectiveness and over-helpfulness was bad enough.
Even though I loved my family, the freedom from all of that had been one of the reasons I'd chosen to move out shortly before my twenty-first birthday, even though it cut into my college funds.
It was a different sort of vibe here. Ash had raised Isadora since she was seven, so she'd had to have some respect for his authority. But still, he was her brother, not her father, and even if her memories of their parents were dim, she still had them. It had to irk her that she had so little freedom to come and go as she pleased. The question was, was her annoyance enough that she would've just taken off without a word to anyone, even if it was just to cover for her?
Sighing, I rubbed my temples with my fingers, a headache settling in nice and tight.
The sad thing was, I did understand why he was so determined to look after her. Aside from the fact that he'd been responsible for her for the past thirteen years, she was all the family he had left. Also, for all intents and purposes, Isadora was an adult, but she was sweet and naïve, not the best combination to have when roaming the city streets alone. Granted, she could probably thank her brother for that, since Ash had sheltered her to the point that she had no idea what real life was like.
Caught up in my thoughts, I startled slightly when the lieutenant said my name.
“I’m sorry?”
Green arched a brow. “I was wondering if you might have any idea where Isadora might have gone.”
Blinking at the unexpected question, I shook my head. “No, I'm sorry. I've only been working for her for a week.”
“What is it you do exactly?” Green asked as she pulled a notebook from inside her bag.
