Even from her position near the door, she could feel the dangerous aura around the man and could easily see the glitter of mischief in his eyes as he put down his papers and studied her. Regret hit her like a splash of cold water. What was she doing? This man had blackmailed and made her and Gideon do things they would have never done. This man had seen her naked. Feeling foolish and very afraid, she took a step backward into the foyer. Looking behind her, she cast a desperate silent plea towards Dominic.
Indecision flashed behind his brown eyes for a moment before sparking into something so powerful and determined it made her breath hitch.
From the sofa, Dimitri said something in a language Jade was now fully positive was Russian, which surprised her because she was not expecting Dominic to reply back in the brusque language. Immediately the swell of emotions behind the large man's narrowed gaze was shuttered behind a glacial wall she could not read. Taking a step back towards the door, he grasped the handle, and she realized he had every intention of leaving her alone with the blonde psycho.
Giving him a desperate entreating look, Jade silently willed him to stay. Dominic's face betrayed nothing, but his hand paused on the door's frame.
"If you keep looking at him like that Jade, with those beautiful eyes of yours and those chubby cheeks, I promise you Dominic will either die of blue balls right there on the floor, or he will go downstairs and shoot Gideon and take you for himself," Dimitri informed her with a laugh from the couch.
Jade gasped, the words hitting her like a blow to the stomach, looking from Dimitri's waiting smile and back to Dominic's impassive face, she could tell there was a thread of truth in his vile words. She looked at Dominic with a whole new light and stepped back from him. Without even a flinch, the massive man looked from her and over her head to where Dimitri sat as if a silent exchange was taking place before giving a jerking nod and exiting the door.
Now she was alone with the man that not only threatened them but blackmailed them, and she never felt more foolish.
"Tell me, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Dimitri's silken voice glided across the room, wordlessly beckoning her to sit, but she did not move.
Standing stock-still in her spot in the foyer's open doorway, her mind raced as she tried to imagine the best way to run back out of the room and get past Dominic, who surely lingered in the hallway or nearby.
"I…I made a mistake," she breathed in building panic, her eyes darting towards the door Dominic just exited through.
"Mmm, maybe, Gideon will definitely think so when he finds out, but you're here now. You may as well sit down and talk," Dimitri gestured to the empty sofa across from him.
There was a vein of command in his tone that caused her shoulders to tense and her heart to quicken even more. Now that she was here, it was apparent, he was not going to simply allow her to change her mind.
Reluctantly, she made her way around the sofa and sat at the farthest point. Dimitri smiled at that. There was something tired about that smile she noticed, and for the first time, she realized the man was quite awake for this early hour in the morning. Glancing at the scattered papers on the coffee table before him and the open laptop to his right on the sofa, Jade surmised that he had been awake for some time.
"Do you not sleep, Mr. Dimitri?" she asked, noting the open buttons of his untucked button-down shirt. He looked a little rumpled, but in a purposeful way, like cover models for men's high fashion magazines.
For a second, Dimitri's stark blue eyes widened, and his smile faltered, and she saw the young man, probably in his late twenties, sitting in front of her for what felt like the first time. Without his purposely disarming smile and sharp gaze, he seemed like any other attractive young man, not dangerous and into twisted games at all. With a blink, however, the momentary peek behind the well-crafted façade was gone, and his mischievous smile and shrewd cutting eyes were back.
"Please," he began in his low silken tone again. "Just Dimitri is fine. I save the title of Mister for the women between my sheets," he laughed at her startled expression. "And yes, I do sleep," he said, going back to her question. "Occasionally," he conceded thoughtfully after a few seconds. "But you're not here to talk about my insomnia, are you? Because I only know of one cure, and I don't think you’re willing to offer that."
Turning away quickly, she looked out the window beyond him to the dark sky, trying not to let him see how he provoked her. Looking back at him, she hardened her resolve and reminded herself why she was there.
Leaning forward, her hands clutched at the material of her pants. "Please, don't make us play any more of your games," she said the words in one breath, fearing her throat would close up around them.
Jade couldn't stop remembering the stiff outline of Gideon's shoulders as he pulled her from the bedroom earlier that evening. He was so angry. She had fantasized a million times of him undressing and kissing her, but this was never what she imagined. She had pictured him whispering soft sweet things of love and affection in her ear. She imagined him holding her to him until the fires between them were stoked so hot they began to burn with the need to make love. She did not imagine him pulling away from her touch with a look so pained and so murderous. Nor did she imagine his stony silence as she cried herself to sleep. There just had to be another way out of this. This price was too high. Jade feared she was going to break into a million pieces if she had to witness any more of Gideon's disappointment.
"And why would I do that?" Dimitri gave her a mocking look. "Because you asked so sweetly?"
"No," she said, her tone so hushed she could barely hear it. There was a beat of silence between them that stretched on until the air pulsated with waiting tension.
Not able to withstand his piercing gaze any longer, she looked down at her lap. "Maybe we can come up with another arrangement?"
Having his full attention now, Dimitri sat forward, placing his elbows on his knees. "Are you offering yourself to me?" His eyes gleamed with an unholy light.
Jade swallowed thickly. "I…I don't know," she answered honestly.
Some of the glittering heat in his eyes died a bit, and he gave her a long considering look. Flattening his palms together like a prayer, he tapped his fingers to his lips thoughtfully. "Did you even think this through Jade? Do you realize what you're even doing right now?" his sober tone was surprisingly void of mischief. It made her tremble all the more.
Taking her silence as answer enough, Dimitri sat back against the sofa with a heavy sigh and a rueful shake of his head. "Good God, you should have never left your little town in Texas. You're literally in the presence of sharks, and you're putting yourself in my lap, begging me to devour you, and for what, Jade?"
Anger burst through her fear like a raging fire. "For Gideon!" she shouted, her hands balling the fabric of her pants in her fists. "He hates this. I can’t stand to see him have to do something he is going to regret."
"And he won’t hate that you snuck off to see me more?" he taunted and quirked one golden brow. "He won’t want to kill me or you for that fact when he finds out you came up here foolishly offering yourself to me?
His words felt like weights pulling her down into a dark bottomless lake. She didn't even know what she was doing. She didn’t really think of offering herself to him, not in that way. She just wanted to do something, anything to save Gideon.
Before she could even organize her thoughts, Dimitri answered, his cruel smile returning to his handsome face. "Because I'll take your offer Jade if that's what you want. I'll probably have to shoot Dominic to keep him from getting to you first, but I'll lay you down on my bed," he pointed to the black double doors on the opposite wall, where she assumed his bedroom was. "And I'll introduce you to a whole new world of pleasure and pain."
Jade shivered at that sinful promise and tried to force herself to focus. Not able to meet his gaze, she thought of his words for a moment as she stared down at her sneakers against the plush fur rug. "And you'll let Gideon go and not release my vide
o?" she asked, feeling sick and cold at once.
Standing up from the sofa to his full height, he walked slowly around the coffee table and stopped next to her, forcing her to bring her gaze to his. His arctic blue eyes were like no one's eyes she had ever seen before. Cold and calculating, yet in this moment, she could see a flicker of warmth, as well as the cool determination, emanating like a pulsing beacon. Holding out his hand, he waited yet demanded for hers.
It felt like a Faustian contract being signed in blood as she put her hand in his, feeling his long fingers curling around hers and gently tugging her up to stand.
"Yes, you have my word," he promised as he easily began to walk backward, guiding her along, out of the enclave of the sectional sofa and slowly around towards the bedroom. All without looking back and all the while keeping his eyes locked on hers.
With every step, her stomach dropped, and her fear spiked. Beyond his broad shoulders, she could see the bedroom door loom closer, and she began to tremble. Dimitri's hand tightened around hers, sensing her fear begin to smother her senses. His strong grip around her hand only reminded her of his promise of "pleasure and pain," and she began to cry, her knees buckling.
With a quick step forward, Dimitri was there, his hard chest colliding into her and his arms wrapping around her as she sobbed against him. Instinctively, her arms went around his waist as she cried, and he held her tighter to him.
His laugh vibrated through her like a gentle thunderstorm. "I knew you couldn't do this," he spoke above her head. One hand came up and brushed back some of her curls, gently pulling her face from his chest until he could stare down at her teary face with a knowing smile. "Now, tell me what you really want."
"I want Gideon," she cried, thick tears rolling down her face.
Using both hands now, he gently smoothed her long hair back, tucking it tenderly behind her ears. "Do you want him to make love to you?"
Tired and emotionally drained, Jade blinked through the haze of tears and looked back up at Dimitri's blue eyes. "Yes."
"So, why are you offering yourself up to me?"
"Because he doesn't want this," she explained weakly, her arms falling from his narrow waist. "You are making us do things, all for nothing. We didn't damage your property."
He simply smiled at that.
And with a sigh, she realized there was no talking him out of his plan, and she could not go through with this other bargain. Feeling defeated and very foolish, Jade felt her energy begin to seep out of her just as Dimitri's arm tightened around her waist, pulling her closer to his comforting warmth. Not caring anymore, she let her cheek rest against the firm rise of his chest just as he lifted his arm behind her head and checked his watch.
"Here," he said, scrounging into his pocket and pulling out a familiar black and gold folded piece of paper and handing it to her. Accepting the paper, she unfolded it as he spoke again. "Take this coupon and go down to the spa. I will call and make the arrangements for them to open early and accept you in."
Looking at the gold and black coupon in her hand, Jade blinked at it before looking back up at him with a tired laugh. The sound and the corresponding smile just errupted from her without warning. She wasn't sure if it was due to the emotional trauma, or it was the fact that she was exhausted, but the coupon looked so absurd right now.
"Where do you even keep getting these?" she laughed, eyeing his pocket he pulled it from suspiciously.
She expected him to say something smart or maybe laugh too, but she did not expect the sudden look of hunger that crossed his expression, making her laugh falter. Pushing her from him, Dimitri seemed to compose himself, standing straighter and his expression turning hard. "Go, Jade, before I change my mind and take you up on your offer," he warned.
Nodding, she took a stumbling step backward, still clutching the coupon, and turned away.
~
The room around Gideon was in shambles. Sitting on the bed breathing hard, he held his head with both hands as the video on the TV finally stopped. He had watched Jade offer herself to the devil, and he couldn't do a damn thing to stop it.
He had woken to an empty bed beside him and immediately sprung to his feet. Calling out her name, Gideon had checked the bathroom, praying she would be inside but found it empty. Cold, gut-wrenching fear formed in the pit of his stomach as he grabbed for the bedroom's double door handles and found that they would not budge. Fear quickly mutated into a frenzied rage, and Gideon had let out a bellow so deep, so filled with agony, it didn't feel like his own voice. Throwing his weight against the door, he cursed and yelled as the damn thing did not move. It was as if the door was reinforced with steel. She was gone, and he was trapped. Trapped no doubt by that smug bastard. Horrible, hair whitening thoughts poured into Gideon's tortured mind as he raged throughout the room, throwing things and ripping pictures off the wall. He would destroy the entire fucking place if he had to, he would find something to use to claw his way out of the room even if he had to start punching through the sheetrock. It was only the sudden sound coming from the TV that stopped Gideon.
Like a madman overcome by horrified silence, he stood and watched the video of Jade on the TV. Gideon watched her scared expression as she silently pleaded for the huge guy, Dominic, not to leave, and Gideon could see the realization of her actions hit her. He felt his insides tear, and he thought he might fucking puke as he watched her hang her head and offer "another arrangement" to Dimitri. He would kill her, Gideon thought with absolute clarity through the fog of his madness. If he got her back, Gideon would strangle the life from her beautiful little neck.
He had yelled to the top of his lungs and from the depth of his soul as he watched Dimitri begin to lead her to his bedroom door and sagged with drained relief as he realized she couldn't do it. The torment of the video eventually ended, and he watched her leave Dimitri's suite, presumably heading toward the spa, as he suggested.
The morning light was spilling through their room now, and Gideon had not moved for minutes, the blank screen on the TV reflecting his broken image back at him. After a few minutes, his breathing finally regulated, and he stood up just as the TV flickered to life yet again. Holding his breath, Gideon stared murderously at the blank screen, dreading what he would see. Slowly, the image cleared, and he exhaled. Shot from another security-camera angle, it showed a darkened room surrounded by candles. Lying face down on a narrow massage table in the middle of the room was Jade's familiar figure. Her loose curls were flipped over her head, creating a cascade of curls off one end of the table. A short, plump woman was working on her leg, massaging glistening oils onto Jade's skin as she worked. Sinking back down to the edge of the bed, Gideon watched in a trance at the soundless video.
Jade's words still rang in his head despite the fury that still raged within him, she had admitted to Dimitri that she wanted him to make love to her, that she had wanted him! Laying back on the bed with a deep groan, Gideon closed his eyes. That had been all he ever wanted to hear. To know that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her should feel euphoric, not like this. Knowing that she nearly gave herself to that bastard nearly tainted the sweet words. It was a type of maddening torture he feared would haunt him all his life. Why did she think he needed to be saved, goddammit?! It was his job to look out for her!
Somewhere beneath him, his phone rang. He jackknifed into the sitting position and looked at the screen. Presumably, the video was live, and if that was the case, Jade was still lying face down on the massage table as the lady worked on her. Looking around, Gideon picked up the fallen lamp on the floor and tossed aside the tangled sheets, finding his phone stuck between the mattress and the nightstand.
Looking at the unknown number, Gideon felt his shoulders tighten as he sat stiffly back down on the bed's edge and pressed the phone's green button.
"You know this is all your fault, right?" Dimitri's smooth voice grated across Gideon's nerves. He never wanted to kill a man more so than this moment. Biting his lip, Gideon f
orced himself to remain silent.
"Here I am giving you everything you ever wished for," Dimitri continued, unperturbed by his silence. "Forcing you two to stop acting like shy children and admit your desires for one another, and you fuck it all up? Take my advice-"
"I don’t need your fucking advice," Gideon snapped, his hand tightening around his phone.
"Fine, don't take it. And when you fuck up all my benevolent hard work again, and your beautiful sister comes running to me trying to rescue you, I promise you, Mr. Lattimore, I will not turn her down a second time," Dimitri cautioned. "I will lead her right to my bed and fuck her blind, do you understand me?" Dimitri's voice slithered and taunted like a poisonous snake, and Gideon shivered with pent up rage. He just needed five minutes with the guy. Just five fucking minutes, and Gideon would knock out every fucking tooth in the guy's skull and make him swallow them.
Unaware of his restrained rage Dimitri continued his voice dripping in exciting promise. "You think I'm twisted now. You have no idea. I'll send you sound clips of her screaming my name while you rot in jail. I'll make her the mother of my children just to piss you—
A Love So Wrong: A Forbidden Romance Page 22
