by Ivy Nelson
Peter echoed Michael’s sentiment. “I’ll do whatever I can to help you out of this, Adara. Let me get out of your hair so you can rest. I’ll call you as soon as we know anything else. Let me know as soon as you hear from Homeland.” He let himself out and she found herself alone with Michael.
“I care about you, Angel. Whether you want me to or not. I’m going to do whatever it takes to protect you,” Michael said moving closer to her.
Suddenly the spacious room felt tiny. She sucked in a breath. “I think we should wait until all of this is over to get into the details of our relationship. Do you mind if I tie up the bathroom for a little while? I could use a nice long soak, and that tub looks amazing.”
“I don’t suppose asking if I could join you would be very respectful of your boundaries,” he said.
That sparked a smile. She nearly laughed even.
Michael didn’t seem so amused. “If you’re going to laugh at me, you could at least do it when I’m not staring right at you.”
This time she did giggle. “I’m sorry. I appreciate your respect of my boundaries. Your expression was just funny is all.”
He scowled. “Go take a bath, woman. I need to make some phone calls anyway.”
In the bathroom, she began filling the large tub. As soon as it was full, she stripped off her clothes and sank deep into the tub. A loud moan escaped her lips as her body was enveloped by the warmth of the water. Outside the door, she heard Michael swear.
“Everything OK out there?” she called.
“No, God damn it, it’s not. You’re naked and moaning and I’m out here having to listen to it,” he responded through the door.
Stifling a laugh, she moaned again.
“Don’t make me come in there, little girl,” he bit out.
Her pulse quickened. His voice had grown hard, dominant, and it sent shockwaves through her system. Until recently she had never really been sure if the whole Dom/sub thing turned her on or not. But right now, his dominant threat certainly did, and she was tempted to moan again, just to see what would happen. Instead, she sighed loudly and sank deeper into the suds.
“Your little sighs aren’t any better.”
“Fuck off. I’m trying to relax,” she blurted, hoping to break the sexual tension that had grown thick in the room.
“Oh, little girl. You’re lucky you’re not mine.”
Well that backfired. The threat in his voice intensified the tension. Christ, what was he doing to her? She didn’t make any more noises. Instead, she closed her eyes and tried to relax. A half hour later the water had started to cool so she pulled the stopper and climbed out. After drying off she donned a pair of pajama bottoms and a tank top, not bothering with a bra.
When she stepped out of the bathroom, Michael stood next to the window gripping a glass with amber liquid—probably whiskey—in it. His body was stiff, and he looked stressed.
“Bathroom’s free,” she murmured. “A hot shower might help you relax.”
“Nope. All I would be able to think about is you laying naked in that tub,” he growled.
“Is sex all you think about?” she asked
“Around you, it’s pretty damn high on my list of things to think about. You’re the best sex I’ve ever had. And that’s not just me blowing smoke up your ass.”
Beneath her thin top, her nipples hardened, stretching the fabric. A blush splashed her cheeks with color and heat. She hugged herself to hide the evidence of her arousal, but she knew there wasn’t really any hiding from his intense stare.
“I… I should get to bed,” she stammered. “Goodnight, Michael. Thank you again for everything.”
Fuck. How was she supposed to get any sleep after that encounter? In the bedroom, she shut the door and leaned against it. The best he’d ever had? That was difficult to believe considering his history at the club.
She wasn’t a prude, but she certainly wasn’t one of the adventurous submissives he’d been accustomed to playing with. That was one thing she appreciated about him. He was very upfront about the fact that he was known for playing with all the single girls at the club.
When he encouraged her to check out the club, he had warned her that there may be women approaching him to play. But he assured her he would say no. After she asked him a ton of questions, he had presented her with several books she might like to read and encouraged her to pick the one that jumped out at her the most. Conquer Me had attracted her attention, so she had started with that one. A few chapters in, and she hadn’t run away screaming from the relationship. It was actually quite a beautiful concept—submission.
Earlier, she had picked up the book and tucked it in her bag at the apartment. A glance around the room told her the bag wasn’t in there. Maybe she left it in the bathroom. Cracking the door, she didn’t see Michael. Maybe he went to bed. She tiptoed across the sitting area to the bathroom where she found her bag. Back in her room, she dug out the book and climbed into bed to read. Halfway through chapter eight, she dozed off.
Chapter Five
The shrill sound of his cell phone ringing jerked Michael out of a fitful sleep.
“Silas,” he grumbled once he had fumbled his way through accepting the call.
“Hey, it’s Peter. Carrie found some things the two of you should know. Can we come up?”
Michael pulled the phone away from his face. It wasn’t even seven yet.
“Let me wake Adara. We’ll order breakfast.”
After ending the call, he tugged on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. Making his way across the living room, he tapped on her door. No response. Several more taps. Then, panic began to envelop him. Surely she wouldn’t have left. He eased the door open and a rush of relief flooded him. There in the middle of the bed was the most beautiful sleeping angel. A book lay open next to her. When he realized what book it was, he grinned. So, she was still curious. Maybe they had a shot after all this was over. He sat on the edge of the bed and gently shook her.
“Wake up, Angel. We’ve got company coming.”
She muttered something unintelligible and rolled away from him.
“No you don’t little one,” he said nudging her again—harder this time. “Wake up.”
“Go away.”
Laughter filled him. “Not a chance. Peter and Carrie will be here any minute.”
She flopped onto her back and cracked one eye open. “What time is it?”
“Just after seven. Come on, get up and get dressed. And put a damn bra on, or I won’t be able to concentrate on the conversation.”
Both of her eyes flew open at that, and she blushed furiously while glaring at him. “You better be planning to get me coffee and breakfast.”
“If you’re good. Get your ass up. They’re on their way up.”
Her scowl deepened but she tossed back the blankets and sat on the edge of the bed, her slender legs swinging back and forth.
“Good girl.”
“Oh, stop with the big bad Dom act.”
“I think you like it,” he said as he picked up her book with a raised eyebrow.
“You think wrong,” she said. But he could hear a little of that saucy attitude in her tone. She was embarrassed that he had caught her reading the book he had recommended. He wouldn’t tease her anymore. Instead, he tousled her already messy hair and told her he would see her in the living room in a few minutes. Then he stepped out to order breakfast and coffee for four.
A few minutes later Adara emerged wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and thankfully for his dick, a bra. He couldn’t remember ever seeing her dressed so casual. Anytime they had spent time together she was coming from work where she wore formal business attire. The few weekends they had spent together, he had made it his mission to keep her naked as much as possible. A body as incredible as hers should never be covered.
When a knock came from the door a few minutes later, she jumped.
“Easy, Angel. It’s just Peter and Carrie,” he said as he made his way to the door.
“Morning, Michael,” the cute blonde said cheerfully. “Good to see you again,” she said patting him on the arm before brushing past him to where Adara stood.
“Hi, Adara. We didn’t really meet at the wedding. It was so crazy. I’m Carrie Mercer, Peter’s wife and submissive.”
Michael quirked an eyebrow upward. He wondered why she felt the need to disclose that part of their relationship.
He wouldn’t question it though. Maybe knowing another submissive would be good for her.
Adara smiled. “It’s good to meet you, Carrie. I’m grateful to your husband for all his help and for yours too.”
“Breakfast should be here in ten minutes or so. Shall we sit?” Michael said as he and Peter moved farther into the room.
Peter and Carrie each took one of the armchairs, leaving the sofa for Michael and Adara.
“I might have a line on your potential birth family, Adara,” Carrie said, not wasting any time.
“I’m listening.” Adara sat up a little straighter, giving Carrie her full attention.
“Based on the last name that Homeland used in your initial interrogation, I did some digging. I have a lot more to do, but if you are related to these people, I have reason to believe that your half-brother—or full, I haven’t quite worked that out yet—is in D.C.”
“I have a brother?” Adara asked.
“Several. Potentially anyway. We still don’t know if there is any truth to this. But if there is, you have multiple brothers and at least two sisters that I’ve been able to find. Terrorist leaders have been known for polygamist behavior. They often have dozens of children.”
Adara sat back on the sofa. Michael watched as a million emotions raged inside of her. This had to be a shock to her system. To go from being an only child to having many siblings would be a shock to anyone. Discovering that those siblings were potentially terrorists would be even worse. It had to be scary to think that might be the blood you came from. Michael reached for Adara’s hand and squeezed.
“Are you OK?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t know what to do with this information.” Turning to Carrie, she continued. “Do you think my brother is the one watching me? Did he plant those bugs?”
Carrie was shaking her head. “I don’t know yet. I just know he’s in the country and was last spotted in D.C. It’s been several months since anyone has actually seen him, but there is no record of him leaving.”
“I didn’t get the first wrong number text until right after I quit working for Atleigh.”
“That was months ago, Adara. You’ve been dealing with this for that long and you didn’t come to me?” Michael asked. “Why wouldn’t you come to me, Angel?” If he was honest, it hurt.
Adara blushed and shrugged. “I’m sorry. I honestly just thought it was a wrong number. After the first one, I didn’t get another until right before Darci’s wedding.”
After a moment of awkward silence, Michael turned to Carrie. “What else do you have for us?”
“Not a lot. I can tell you Homeland is aware of his presence but it’s not their top priority because they don’t have enough intel to know if he’s a credible threat. There is a team on him. I don’t believe they have connected him to Adara in any way. At least, not yet.”
“But we don’t know how much he knows about me?” Adara questioned.
“Right. It’s difficult to know that without digging some more. But I’m on this now and I promise to dig up everything I can. We’ll want to talk to your parents soon.”
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Adara jumped again. Michael squeezed her shoulder. “Just breakfast, Angel.” He hated seeing her so jumpy.
“Sorry. All of this just has me on edge.”
Michael went and let room service in with a cart. It was loaded down with breakfast for the four of them. They spent the next hour chatting about everything but the mess they were in, while enjoying eggs, bacon, pancakes, and other breakfast trimmings. Once their plates were empty, Peter and Carrie stood to leave.
Michael watched as Peter spoke directly to Adara with the kind smile and gentle tone of someone talking to a scared child. “The good news is that Homeland hasn’t beat your door down demanding an interview. Let’s focus on that. I’ve got my men searching for your potential relative. We’ll get you your life back as soon as we can.”
Adara offered her hand to the tall security expert for a handshake. Michael smirked as Peter chuckled and wrapped her in a hug instead. “I told you, you’re family,” he said as he released her. “Come on Carrie, my love. Let’s get to work.” The couple said their final goodbyes and Michael observed Adara quietly for a moment after they were gone.
“Are you OK? What do you need right now?” he asked.
At first, she just stared at him. “Adara,” he prodded.
She shook her head. “Sorry, I’m not sure what I need. I just want my life back. Yet forty-eight hours ago, I was prepared to disappear for good.” She paced the living room. “I have siblings for crying out loud. I might be the daughter of a terrorist. I have so many questions and no way to get answers.”
Michael wished he could produce the answers she was looking for, but he couldn’t. Not right away anyway. It was going to take digging and hunting to find what she was after. He had just as many questions as she did. It felt lame that he didn’t have anything better to say to her, but he did the best he could.
“We’re going to get through this, Angel,” he promised. He just hoped it was a promise he could keep.
• • •
Adara paced the hotel room for what must have been the hundredth time. Michael had been called into his office and had ordered her to stay put. For the briefest of moments, she had considered running. But she had finally been convinced that she was better off letting Michael and his friends help her. After several hours, Michael returned.
“Let’s go get something to eat,” he said as soon as he came in the door.
“Sure. I’m starving. You were gone for hours,” she said.
He frowned. “You could have ordered room service.”
She shrugged. “Felt silly. I don’t like spending other people’s money.”
Michael just shook his head. “You have to take care of yourself. If you’re hungry in the future, order the damn room service.”
God, he was bossy. She decided to let it go. “Where are we going for dinner?” she asked.
“Wherever you want. My treat.”
“What is this? A date?”
“If you want it to be. Otherwise it’s just dinner between two people who happen to be stuck together at the moment. I would like to think that if none of this were happening, we would be having dinner together anyway.”
That was a fair point. Why was she being so defensive?
“I could go for a good steak and a bottle of wine. I’ll get changed,” she said moving towards her bedroom door.
“Meet you back here in ten,” Michael said as he walked to his own room.
A half hour later they were pulling up in front of a nearby steakhouse. She should have known he would know exactly where to go for a good steak. It made her smile. There was no wait, so they were seated quickly. When the waiter walked away with their wine order, Adara asked, “Where did you go?”
“I had a meeting with the chief of police and the mayor. My promotion was finalized the day you called me to come get you. I’ve been putting off some press appearances. I was also clearing up why I have you in my custody. They aren’t totally sold on it, but I’ve bought us time anyway.”
“That’s good,” she said as the waiter came back with their bottle of wine. After he went through the production of pouring them their first glass, she changed topics.
“What’s our next step?”
“Wait for Homeland to contact us. Wait for Peter to tell us if he’s found anything.”
“That�
��s a lot of waiting,” she said wryly.
He chuckled, “We can also go see your parents and see if they can shed some light on this.”
She glanced at her watch. It was early still. “Maybe after dinner. Their assisted living facility isn’t too far from here and visiting hours run until nine.”
“Sounds like a plan, Angel. What do you say we set aside the mess we’re dealing with for now? Let’s just enjoy dinner.”
It sounded like a good plan. She just wasn’t sure if she could keep her mind off of the situation long enough to enjoy anything.
“I’m not good at putting things out of my mind. And I’m not good at waiting,” she told him.
He laughed. “I saw you were reading the book I gave you. I can think of a few things we could do while we wait.” The grin that spread across his face was salacious, causing her to blush.
“Oh stop. You know I’m not sure what to think about all that.”
“I don’t know, Angel. You ask a lot of questions. You were enjoying the club. I think you might be intrigued, maybe even curious.”
Instead of responding she just picked up her wine glass and took a long pull from it.
“What do you want to know, Angel? I’ve answered all the basics. Let’s dive deeper.”
She shook her head and played with the stem of her glass. “I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”
“Sure you do. Just ask the first thing that comes to mind.”
Her eyes drifted upward as she considered what to ask him. “How did you get involved in BDSM?”
He leaned back in his chair and said, “I’ve always been a fan of BDSM themed porn. I just didn’t know it was a real community that normal people were involved in. Then I met Darci, and she introduced me to the local scene. I’ve been hooked ever since. That was almost a decade ago.”
His casual admission that he enjoyed BDSM porn sent her eyebrows upward. “Watch a lot of porn, do you?”
“Not as much as I used to. I still keep a couple of subscriptions to some of my favorites.” He shrugged sheepishly, almost embarrassed. “Once I started going to Exposure, I found the real thing was way more satisfying than porn.”
