Destroyed by a Dangerous Man
Cleo Peitsche
Pouch Productions
Contents
Copyright
Author’s Note
Series List
Blurb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Other Titles
Copyright, Legal Notice and Disclaimer:
DESTROYED BY A DANGEROUS MAN © 2016 by Cleo Peitsche. All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means without permission in writing from the author. This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, events, locations and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This book is for entertainment purposes only.
This book is solely for adults.
Cover Photo ©2016 by Melody Simmons. Ebook created with Vellum.
Author’s Note
Dear Reader—
Thank you for purchasing this book. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I look forward to sharing more of my stories with you.
…Why join my mailing list? Because I release new stories at a special price to thank my readers!
xoxo,
Cleo
Series List
Other Titles By Cleo
Coming Soon (partial list)
Her Demanding Bisexual Alphas (Trilogy)
The Shark’s Double Secret (PNR Trilogy)
Notorious (Suspense Novel)
After Forever/Bisexual Billionaire Trilogy (Threesome Romance)
Careless
Hopeless
Fearless
After Forever Box Set
Office Toy Series (BDSM Gang Bang Romance)
Office Toy
Client Satisfaction
Company Vacation
Flex Time
Soft Skills
Executive Package
Executive Toy Series (BDSM Gang Bang Romance)
Executive Toy
Professional Sin
Dangerously Big
Trickiest Job
Dirtiest Lie
Forbidden Fix
Lawyers Behaving Badly (Office Menage)
Legally Binding
Triple Jeopardy
Willful Violation (coming soon!)
Private Chambers (coming soon!)
Morality Clause (coming soon!)
By a Dangerous Man (BDSM Erotic Romantic Suspense)
Season One
Trapped by a Dangerous Man
Wanted by a Dangerous Man
Saved by a Dangerous Man
Tempted by a Dangerous Man
Seduced by a Dangerous Man
By a Dangerous Man (Season One Box Set)
Season Two
Dared by a Dangerous Man
Broken by a Dangerous Man
Pursued by a Dangerous Man
Desired by a Dangerous Man
Protected by a Dangerous Man
By a Dangerous Man (Season Two Box Set)
Dangerous Man Standalone
Tormented by a Dangerous Man
Destroyed by a Dangerous Man (coming soon!)
The Shark Shifter Paranormal Romance
Touching Paradise
Master of the Deep
Oceans Untamed
Blood in the Water
Shark Burn
Complete Series Box Set (select retailers)
Take Me Hard Series (BDSM Romance)
Ride Me Hard
Love Me Hard
Use Me Hard
Take Me Hard Compilation #1
Push Me Hard
Fantasy Playland Series (BDSM)
Sleeping Lady
Sleeping chez Sade
Wide Awake
Wide Open
His Kiss
Fantasy Playland Box Set
Mistress Moi Series (Femdom)
My Three Slaves
Cuckold Chuck
Faye-Faye and the Sadist
Bad Boyfriend Series (Femdom Romance)
Bad Boyfriend
Standalone Titles
Luring the Pack (PNR Menage Novel)
Melted and Whipped (BDSM Novella)
Destroyed by a Dangerous Man
(By a Dangerous Man #12)
The family business is in trouble, and bounty hunter Audrey Stroop is dying to get back to work. Her boyfriend, ex-assassin Corbin Lagos, is equally determined to keep her safe.
To do that, he’ll stay close, even if it means trying to keep his dominant nature in check.
When they team up to solve what should be an open-and-shut private investigation case, Audrey learns that being the boss isn’t easy. In fact, it’s almost impossible.
Did she really think a dominant, dangerous man like Corbin could ever truly submit?
1
In the darkness, the hotel gym was a now-familiar outcropping of shadowy shapes.
I was hunkered down between the wall and the pungent receptacle for used towels. The seams of my jeans were cutting into my legs.
The phone in my fist remained silent.
“Come on,” I hissed.
My twin brother had put me on hold over two minutes ago. I didn’t have two minutes to spare.
The overhead lights flickered on.
I ducked my head to protect my eyes and crouched lower, my dark curls tumbling in front of my face.
“Ok, I’m back.” Rob sounded a little out of breath. “Tons of interesting new cases came in. Big bounties to chase.”
“Tell me,” I whispered. My heart pounded hard. “I can definitely do research from here—”
“What am I forgetting? Something important. Two things, actually.”
I pressed the phone harder against my ear. “Yes?”
“Dad made a rating system for how many hours we can spend on a job. To cut back on what we’re passing to the part-timers. I didn’t want to vote for it, but, you know.”
In other words, money was still tight. “I probably would have voted for it, too. The second thing?”
“Wait. I just remembered something. You’re supposed to be enjoying Vienna, not calling home. Bad Audrey. What if Corbin finds out?”
“He won’t. And if he does find out—”
“Time’s up,” a deep voice said. Corbin pulled the phone out of my hand. “Sorry about that, Rob. Thanks for calling.”
His vivid blue-green eyes were fixed on mine as he hung up.
My jaw dropped, then snapped shut. “Rob called you?” I growled as I rose to my full but unimpressive height.
Corbin’s muscles bulged as he crossed his arms over his chest. He was dressed for a workout, wearing lightweight shorts and a tissue-thin black shirt that clung to his torso and broad shoulders. It was strange to see him in an outfit that hadn’t cost thousands of dollars.
“Yes, he called me. Because your brother has integrity.”
“My brother is a kiss-ass.”
Corbin’s dark eyebrows drew together. A muscle tightened in his square jaw. “When you agreed to this trip, you promised to leave work behind.”
“I wasn’t calling abo
ut work.” I grabbed for my phone.
Corbin held it over his head—well out of my reach. A teasing smile made his handsome face irresistible. “No?”
“You heard me.”
“Well, then, I suppose you were calling for help.” He made a show of looking around. His masculine, woodsy scent did dizzying things to my head. After I got my phone back, maybe I could convince him to meet me behind the treadmill…
Then I realized he was watching me in a mirror.
Watching and smirking.
I glared.
“So, baby.” His voice was deep, seductive. “Where are the hoodlums who chased you into the gym, who forced you to cower on the floor? I must have scared them away. Good thing your brother called me to come save you.”
He dangled the phone a little lower.
A trap.
But I had to find out what was happening at home.
I went up on my tiptoes to reach it. We were so close that my breasts brushed against him. Electricity tingled through me.
“We’ve only got a few days of vacation left,” he said softly. “Surely you can suffer through that, can’t you?”
Sighing, I stepped back. “But I wasn’t planning to cheat. I just wanted to see how things are coming along.”
“A distinction without a difference. Think I’ll hold on to this.” He shoved my phone into a pocket.
My heart sank into my ankle boots.
“Glad we had this chat. I’m going to get in a workout before dinner. Care to join me?”
“No,” I said sullenly. “I’m still sore from yesterday. I guess I’ll go…” But what the fuck was there to do?
“You could get a massage,” Corbin said.
I’d had so many of them in the last three weeks that they’d turned into something to be endured.
The same for shopping (Corbin always insisted on paying, though he had allowed me to purchase a few cheap souvenirs to take home), sitting in hot tubs, getting manicures, and all the other things that had been fun at first. I’d been to art museums and operas, private tours of the countryside and masked balls.
To quote one of my favorite movies, I had culture coming out of my ass. I wanted to get my hands dirty.
I wanted to get back to work.
“Maybe I’ll let someone grope me,” I said. “Ten minutes in an alley for ten minutes’ phone usage.”
“Fine. The translation is Mein Freund ist ein eifersüchtiger Psychopath.”
I didn’t need to speak German to recognize the word psychopath. “Maybe I’ll just walk up to the guy and start undressing.”
Corbin shrugged. “It’s cold outside.”
He was casual because he knew I couldn’t get into trouble. He’d made the front desk cut off long-distance access on the room phone. It was pretty much the first thing he’d done upon our arrival. The man had no faith in me.
The question was, had my brother been lying when he’d said there was action at home, or was that just to wind me up?
I needed to get hold of a phone.
2
We were staying in the middle of Vienna, in a hotel that, at twelve floors high, was a skyscraper by local standards.
As I boarded the glass elevator, I turned to look outside at the small, winding streets and the twist of spires and towers of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. It was only around six, but the sun had set, and the evening sky cast a silvery glow over the city.
We were on a long vacation because I’d lost a bet to Corbin.
Vienna had been my choice.
He’d wanted to go someplace quiet—Alaska kept coming up. But I’d known I would get bored. There was only so much beauty and peace I could stand before going crazy.
So I’d plumbed my schoolgirl bucket list and came up with Vienna. I’d thought it would be full of cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages, and syphilitic musical geniuses strutting around in powdered white wigs.
Not quite, though some of the touristy areas came close. However, it was a pretty, charming city with plenty to do.
Except, no bounties to hunt down.
The elevator doors opened on the tenth floor, and a woman in her early sixties wearing a red T-shirt got on.
She pushed the button for the lobby. It wouldn’t remain lit.
“This is going up,” I told her.
“Oh, is it? I’m sorry.” She walked out, and I saw Critter Chomp Bar & Grill on the back of her shirt.
“Critter Chomp?” I said, so surprised that it just slipped out. “In Ashdale?”
She turned, her head tilting in puzzlement. “Yes. You know Ashdale?”
I stuck out my arm to stop the door from closing. “My best friend lives ten minutes from the bar. She’s there all the time, and we always go when I visit.”
“My son is one of the managers.”
“Really? I know one of the managers. Um, Jimmy.” Even as I said it, I could see the family resemblance, the same round spud of a head and wide eyes. It was a lot less cartoonish on a woman.
“That’s my son!” She looked thrilled. “What’s your name?”
The door bumped my arm again. “Audrey Stroop.”
“He’s not going to believe it. He’s taking a walk with my husband.”
“Jimmy is here?”
She nodded, and suddenly I realized what else had been missing from my vacation: people to talk to. Corbin was fantastic, smart, and entertaining, but apart from the occasional tourist, I had no one else to speak with.
The problem wasn’t even the language barrier; I would have felt just as isolated in any city where I didn’t know anyone.
“What are you doing tonight?” I asked.
“We’ve got tickets to the opera,” she said with a laugh. “What else?” A crafty look crossed her face. “I don’t know how busy you are, but…”
“What?”
“Jimmy would surely love to get away from his parents for a few hours. If you’ve got free time tomorrow—”
“I’m sure I do.”
“We’re in room 1008.”
I nodded enthusiastically. “We’re in PH1, under the name of Meyer.” The alias had been Corbin’s idea, for privacy.
“Fancy,” she said. “Are you on your honeymoon?”
“No.” Not yet, in any event.
My heart was light as I walked into our sumptuous penthouse suite. When I pressed the button beside the door, a dozen lamps spilled small pools of light onto the wall and carpet. Corbin had closed the drapes already, making the spacious rooms seem cozier.
The phone on the desk rang. Thinking it was Rob, calling to make amends, I sprinted across the carpeted floor to grab it.
“It’s Jimmy.”
My disappointment passed quickly. “Hi! Yeah, I recognize your voice. It’s so great to hear from you!” I sounded too enthusiastic, bordering on demented.
“Talk about fate. I was planning to ask Veronica for your number when I got home.”
Uh-oh. Maybe his mother had mistaken my eagerness for romantic interest. I tried to think of a subtle way to mention Corbin.
“I know you’re a bounty hunter, but you’re also a private investigator, right?”
The grin popped back onto my face. “Sort of. Sometimes.”
Technically, Stroop Finders wasn’t a private investigation firm. That was something I’d been trying to change for ages, and it was coming along… slowly.
“Well, I need an investigator. Booze got swiped from the bar.”
“Oh. You’re better off calling the police. The insurance company will need the report you file.”
“Not drinks. Booze, our mascot.”
“The stuffed grizzly bear?” It was an oversized monstrosity that probably harbored a thousand strains of deadly viruses in its polyester fur. It lived next to the front door.
“Yes. But here’s the thing. We know who has it, and we just need someone to get it back.”
“Hm.” That really wasn’t the kind of work I did—especially the stealing part.
>
On the other hand, I was desperate for a distraction. “Maybe. Let me think about it. I might not be able to start until I get back.”
“Great. Also… My mom thinks I’m calling you to meet up tomorrow, but my dad is sick. I’d rather spend the time with my parents.”
“Sorry about your dad.” I wondered if his parents wanted him to disappear for a few hours for their own reasons, but it wasn’t my business.
After he’d hung up, I stared at the phone in frustration.
Was I really considering taking the job? Apparently I was.
I’d gone from tracking dangerous men to looking for lost toys.
With a working cell phone, I’d be able to start interviews tonight.
But that was unlikely to happen. Unless I could convince Corbin…
I kicked off my ankle boots and flopped onto the luxurious bed. A year ago, a hotel suite like this would have left me dumbstruck. Back then the height of luxury was paying full price for microwave dinners. And I’d been happy like that.
Well, maybe not happy. But it was my life. Twenty-four years old and underpaid, but doing what I loved.
Corbin had changed everything. He was filthy rich and stubborn as hell. There had been an adjustment period. Perhaps it’s more accurate to say an ongoing adjustment period.
When it came to staying in nice hotels, however, I didn’t argue. Corbin had once made the excellent point that he liked to eat in fine restaurants and stay in nice places, and that it wasn’t fair to make him suffer because of my pride.
After all, it wasn’t like I particularly enjoyed sleeping in dank shit-holes or eating mushy vegetables and freezer-burned ice cream.
There were far worse things than dating a hot, rich guy who was generous with his money.
Far worse things about Corbin, even.
Like his former profession and the fact that he’d killed people—was still capable of killing, as he’d demonstrated not so long ago. It was something I avoided thinking about.
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