by SR Jones
“I don’t know where the cafeteria is.” There’s a challenge in the tip of her chin, but her fear is still there. She’s shaky and unsure. Sullen but also nervous as hell.
“Kate, why don’t you take Violet to the canteen?” Reece suggests.
The woman he addresses is attractive, maybe in her early forties, and not easily cowed because she looks directly at me, and purses her lips in disapproval.
She does as Reece asks though, getting up and talking to Violet as they exit the room. Maybe Violet will tell the woman everything, beg for her help. I doubt it, though. I think she’ll slip away using an excuse like going to the toilet if she does make a run for it.
I’m so fucking torn, half wanting her as far away from me as she can get and desperately wanting her to stay.
“I hope my little Thumbelina doesn’t say too much to that woman,” I tell Reece.
He shrugs. “Anything she says will stay between us four, if I ask it of Kate.”
I nod in understanding. “Oh, it’s like that is it?”
“It’s like that.”
I smile; it’s good Reece has found someone. He’s been a loner for far too long.
With a sigh, I cut to the chase, not wanting to waste time. “I need you to do your thing, investigate Violet. I’m sorry to ask you this when you are sick, but if you can spare the time while you are recuperating to check out whatever you can find out about her, I’d appreciate it.”
Reece owes me, so I’m hoping he will do as I ask.
“Is she your girlfriend?” Reece asks me in a way that tells me he won’t believe me if I say yes.
I go with the truth. “She’s a gift.”
“Excuse me?” Reece shifts his big body in the bed and winces in pain as he does so.
The man is a giant, but he’s obviously been badly hurt.
“She is a gift from Allyov.”
“A gift? He gave you a girl?”
I can feel a muscle ticking in my jaw at the judgment in his gaze, as if I asked for this. I didn’t have any fucking thing to do with any of it. It’s on Violet for her poor life choices, and Allyov for being a psychopath.
“Yes.” I stare him down. “So now this girl, she lives in my house, and she eats my food, and I want to know who the fuck she is and if she’s reporting back to him.”
“She seems scared, Andrius.” Reece clearly doesn’t like any of this.
“Yes, yes she does. Terrified.” And she is, I think, after our conversation today. “I still need to know.”
“Does she want to be your … gift?” Reece looks shell-shocked.
I can’t stop the harsh laugh that escapes me at the stupid question. “I doubt it. She’s young, scared, and doesn’t seem to know the ways of the world.” I don’t tell him more. “It could all be an act. I need to know.” I lean into him and fix him with a cold stare. “I need to know urgently.”
“Why the urgency?” he asks, trying my patience.
“You know my rules,” I snap.
“You’re going to kill her?” Reece sits farther forward and winces.
“What?” I click my tongue against my teeth. He’s being a bit overly dramatic right now, despite the situation. “Your head injury must be making you stupid. Of course not, but Allyov gave her to me to fuck. She’s a virgin, he says. If she’s for real.”
I explain to him how fucked up this is. How Allyov doesn’t run women but nonetheless plucked this waitress of his off the streets one night, drugged her, and gave her to me. I explain it is dangerous for her and for me. I’m walking through a minefield right now, and I need to know who the fuck she is.
“I’m supposed to be getting out of here in the next couple of days, so I’ll look into it as soon as I get home,” he says.
“You could walk away from it all,” he adds.
With a heavy weight weighing on me I sigh. “No, my friend, I cannot. Not until it is done.”
The door opens and Kate returns, followed by Violet.
My heart soars when I see her, still scared, still sullen, slink into the room. I’m fucked. Why do I care? I should be hoping she’d be gone.
I ignore the feelings and turn to Reece. “So … you’re head, it is now going to be even thicker.” I laugh, and Reece does, but he’s faking it.
He’s clearly freaked out by what I’ve told him. Tough.
I take my jacket off and hang it over the back of the spare chair, sitting and crossing my ankle over my opposite knee. My shirt sleeves are rolled up and I lean forward, looking at Reece. “If the police try to charge you, I can make it go away.”
Kate makes a little sound in the back of her throat, but I ignore her and continue to focus on my friend.
“Thanks, but I think it’s sorted anyway.”
“And this crazy man, is he sorted?”
I now realize Kate must be the woman Reece was protecting, the job he got hurt on. I’d looked a bit into it before coming here. Spoke to Liam briefly too. Seems the woman has a crazy stalker, and he took his crazy out on Reece.
Kate is looking out of the window, and I lean farther in toward Reece and quietly whisper, “I can make him go away.”
Reece swallows hard and looks at Kate, but I can see in his eyes he wants it. “Let me think about it,” is all he says.
“There’s nothing to think about,” Kate butts in.
She looks at me as if I’ve crawled out of the gutter to infest their room with filth. As if she thinks I am disgusting, I don’t take it personally. In fact, I like her fucking balls, truth be told. Most women are either scared of me or in lust with me. There’s rarely any in between ground. It’s nice to meet one who isn’t either.
“As you wish,” I tell her.
Then I decide it is time to go. I stand, put my jacket on, and hold out my hand, interested to see what Violet will do. She stands immediately without being told and walks to me.
My dick stirs at the act of submission. She’s not completely submissive, in fact, she’s got a lot of bottle has my little rabbit, but every now and then, she does something and it makes me think she wants to be submissive. Maybe she just doesn’t know how.
Certainly, the moment we had in the bathroom at the restaurant what seems like a lifetime ago now, seemed to point to her being sexually submissive at least, if not in her wider life.
I take her by the wrist and lead her out the door, in time to hear Kate declare. “Who the fuck was that?”
Chapter 10
Violet
“Why did you let me go to get a drink?”
We are back in the car, pulling out of the parking lot when I ask him the question.
I could have run away, and I’m not sure why I didn’t. Yes, I’m scared of Allyov, but something more had me heading back up the stairs to the hospital room, where the friend of Andrius recovered. A giant of a man, he had a friendly face, unlike Andrius who doesn’t exactly appear friendly most of the time.
“I suppose I wanted to see if you came back or you ran,” he says.
“But you said it would be dangerous for me to run.”
“True. I’m starting to think it may be dangerous for you to stay too. I wanted to give you a choice.” He shrugs.
I stare at him, wondering what the hell he’s talking about. “Why is it dangerous for me to stay? Are you going to hurt me?” I can hear the tremor in my voice.
He’s driving, big hands loose on the wheel, his chunky watch shining at his wrist, profile beautiful in the sunlight streaming into the car.
God, he’s gorgeous.
“Not unless you want me to,” he says.
What does that mean? “Why would I want you to hurt me?”
His lips twitch a little. “Pleasure, pain, they can be intriguing companions. Think back to when you cut yourself on glass, and I threatened to spank you.” He turns to me now, fixing me with his astonishing gaze. “I think you wanted me to do it.”
I suck in a breath, and my cheeks burn. About to deny it, I snap my mouth shut. I d
id want him to, didn’t I? Part of me at least. A crazy, buried deep part of me finds the idea so appealing even now it has the power to make my mouth dry.
Instead of answering him, I turn to look out the window, squirming in my seat for a moment, trying to ease the throbbing ache at my core. A mere few words and a heated glance and he’s got me more turned on than any other man has ever achieved.
He clears his throat. “Maybe, I gave you a chance to run to save us both.”
“Do you always talk in riddles.”
He laughs at that, and then punches a button on the stereo and music fills the car. It’s something classical with a woman singing, and it’s beautiful. I haven’t heard it before.
“What’s this?” I ask, intrigued.
“La Boheme,” he says. “My favorite opera.”
“I’ve never listened to opera before,” I admit.
“Close your eyes, and let the music flow through you. Experience everything she’s singing about,” he says.
So, I do. I shut my eyes, and for the rest of the journey I let the music flow over me and through me.
When we arrive back at the house, Andrius’ mood sours. His features darken as he pulls up outside the door of the house, and we climb out of the car.
I don’t ask him what is wrong, but clearly, something is. When we enter the house, I find out soon enough. He calls out to Justina and then informs her when she appears we’re all going out to a club where we will be meeting Allyov.
My pulse jumps. This might be a regular occurrence for Andrius, probably is. If I became more of a long-term companion of his, I’d possibly find myself in Allyov’s company on a regular basis. Might find I get a chance to carry out my plan anyway without having to get near Allyov. A smear of peanut butter on my fingers and on the rim of his glass would be enough, wouldn’t it?
Would I escape with my life though? Surely my hitman admirer would figure out it was me in a heartbeat. He knows I don’t add up, that my story is odd to say the least, and he’s suspicious of me. He’d figure out I’d been the one to poison Allyov immediately.
And then it wouldn’t be Allyov chasing me down to sell to the Middle East. No, Andrius himself would be after me, and it would be personal then. I wouldn’t merely be the girl who killed his boss; I would be the girl who fooled him and killed his boss.
If he had feelings for me, though, could he still hurt me? Does he have feelings like a regular person. Those things he told me in the car on the way to the hospital were scary. He’s killed women. So his code isn’t as cut and dry as his fangirls in the restaurant would believe.
I drag my mind back to the immediate problem. I don’t have any clothes fit for clubbing. I turn to tell Andrius, but he’s already stomping down the hallway toward the end of the long entranceway. Instead, I turn to Justina.
“I don’t have any clothes suitable for clubbing,” I say.
“I do,” she replies with a grin. “Come with me, and I’ll transform you from a dowdy young girl to a sexy, alluring woman.”
“Hey, I’m not dowdy.” I lightly play-punch her arm and give her a smile. I’m hoping I can get more information out of her if I play nice.
She laughs. “You’re beautiful, but you are kind of dowdy, with the way you dress at least.”
I follow her up two flights of stairs, and when we get to her room, she throws the door back, and I gasp as I walk inside. It’s stunning! Truly opulent.
“This room is amazing,” I tell her.
“I know.” She beams at me, all cat that got the cream. “I did it myself with Andrius’ credit card. Come see the bathroom it’s the best room in this house.”
She’s not lying. The minute I enter the room, I never want to leave. It’s both opulent and a little faded. The faded is an important touch as it stops it being garish and makes the touches like the gold taps and the angel wings quirky rather than trashy.
“You have exquisite taste,” I tell her.
She shrugs. “I like beautiful things, and I like making things pretty again when they are faded. Like you, and like I was when Andrius found me. I made myself pretty again, this room, and now I will do the same for you.”
I should be upset at the way she’s talking about me, but something about her words is kind rather than condescending.
“If you promise me not to do any cutting of yourself, you can take a long soak in my bath; I have the best oils and fragrances. Andrius gets this custom-blend stuff that he wears, and he introduced me to Penhaligons, so now I’m addicted to their scents. This one would be gorgeous on you.” She points to a milky glass bottle with a label with the palest pink and rose gold writing on it. “There’s bath milk, hair and body mist, and perfume. Knock yourself out. Oh, and here.”
She reaches inside her pocket and takes out a hair band. “Put your hair up, I can style it better if it’s not freshly washed.”
Leaving me alone in her bathroom, I know she’s doing more than letting me having a bath. She’s showing me trust.
Although, to be fair, if I had wanted to try a repeat of harming myself, I could have simply gone into the kitchen and taken a knife. Andrius hasn’t made it out of bounds as he’d threatened. Perhaps he knows I won’t be doing that again anytime soon.
I turn the heavy taps and pour in some of the milky liquid from the bottle she pointed out. A wonderful scent fills the room. Roses, but underneath something heady, musky and almost a bit peppery. Wow.
I’m used to wearing something from the chemist that costs ten pounds for a bottle. Piling my hair on my head, I step into the water and sigh. It’s warm, and fragrant, and heavenly.
Pale gold angel wings hover over me, protective but also a little intimidating.
Like Andrius.
He’s a dark angel, one who nevertheless swooped in and saved Justina. For a moment, I feel a pang of bitter envy. She gets all this. A wonderful home, a man who protects her and expects nothing in return. He doesn’t see her as an inconvenience, a problem. He simply cares for her.
She cares for him though, doesn’t she? She told me, she makes sure his life runs smoothly. I expect she does a lot for him I don’t know about. She doesn’t fuck him, but does she procure women for him? Surely not after her background. Who knows though? Maybe he has a girlfriend or a casual fuck buddy or two. I want to ask Justina, but I know she won’t tell me.
As the water swooshes around my shoulders, I close my eyes and imagine living here full time. For a moment I smile as I think about Aliya coming to visit and how amazed she’d be by my new home. Or maybe I could hold a party and invite the loser bitch who stole my boyfriend and show her how I lived now.
Then when everyone went home, Andrius and I would return to the quiet house, say goodnight to Justina, and head to bed. In that dark, opulent den of his, with the huge bed. He’d undress me, slowly, carefully as if I were something to be treasured. Then when he had me naked, he’d lead me to the bed as he sat, fully clothed and draped me over his knee, ass in the air.
Maybe I had said something untoward at the party, flirted with a man, only a little but enough to earn a punishment. He’d smooth his big hand over my bare flesh and then bring it down with a smart thwack. Not enough to hurt badly, but to sting.
“Do you know why I’m doing this?”
I nod, breathless. “Because I’ve been a bad girl.”
“Yes, and bad girls get punished.” Another hit and I moan a little as I wriggle on his knee.
“Keep still.” His order shoots more desire through me, and I moan again.
My eyes shoot open as I realize I’ve made the sound out loud, in Justina’s bathroom.
God, the mortification. I bet she heard!
I need relief, but it feels wrong to touch myself here, in her space. So instead, I grab the bar of soap sat in a stone soap dish and wash. Even the soap smells wonderful.
Clean, I step out of the tub and dry off. Justina told me to use the body mist that matches the bath milk, so I do. It’s heavenly. The sam
e seductive scent, and moisturizing but not heavy. I wrap the towel around myself and open the door, peering out.
Justina is rifling through a magazine on the bed.
“Okay, I’m going to jump under the shower, and then we’ll do hair and makeup. Do you want to go get us a bottle of champagne from the kitchen? May as well have a drink while we get ready.”
I nod, unsure I want to drink, but thinking maybe one glass won’t hurt.
“Good.” She opens the bathroom door, pauses, and says. “It’s nice having female company around here. My girlfriend comes to stay sometimes, but truthfully, she doesn’t approve of Andrius. Says he scares her. I tell her he won’t ever hurt me or anyone I care about, but she says he’s like one of those dogs … you know the dangerous breeds. The owners never think they’ll attack them until they do.” She sighs. “She is wrong about him, and I hate she sees him that way, but I love her. So I try to juggle them both.”
All the way down the stairs, Justina’s words play on my mind. Like one of those dogs whose owners never think they’ll attack … until they do. God. I shiver.
Padding into the kitchen, I stop short when I see the man himself sat at the table.
He’s messing about on an iPad, and he looks up at me slowly. His gaze travels the length of my towel-covered body as if I’m wearing the sexiest underwear in the world.
“I erm … Justina asked me to get champagne. She says she’s going to do my hair and makeup.”
He gestures to the fridge. “Help yourself.” I go to the fridge, open it, and see four bottles of champagne in the door. I take one out.
“Do you, erm, do you want a glass?”
“No thanks, don’t like it.”
“Okay. Where are the glasses?”
“There.” he nods to a cupboard, and I go take out two glasses. Nervous as hell for some reason.
As I leave the room, praying my towel stays put now because I can’t hold it up if it drops as my hands are full, Andrius calls my name.
I stop and turn to him.
“Tell Justina not to put too much makeup on you. You don’t need it.”
My mouth runs dry at the naked hunger in his gaze. He breaks eye contact before me, looking back to his iPad as if I’m not there, and I practically run out of the room.