by Raine Miller
***
Red marks crisscrossed Zoe’s back and buttocks, and yet she still hadn’t called the safe word or even for a break. Every time Jason stopped to check in, she moaned for more and harder. Her skin was heated, and she wasn’t even flinching when he struck her. She had to be in subspace, drifting through the pain. He reached her limit and beyond.
Something inside his chest twisted in a knot. Was she pushing too far again? Getting too immersed in her role? Was she going to put herself in danger again? He cursed under his breath. Damn it. She hadn’t learned. A black and blue mark appeared at her right shoulder blade. Fuck.
He tossed the flogger on the chair. “We’re done, Zoe.” He tried to keep the anger out of his voice. Gently, he stroked her hair back from her face. “Are you with me?”
“Did I call my safe word?” she asked like a drunken person.
He groaned. “No, you did not.” He regretted his harshness when he saw her cringe. He picked her up in his arms and took her into the bedroom and gently laid her down on the bed, covering her with a blanket. Then he went into the kitchen and brought back some water. He held the glass to her lips so she could drink. “Slowly.”
She took the glass and looked up into his eyes, a little dazed. “I got it, thanks.”
“I’ll be right back.” He went into the bathroom and started a bath, testing the water to make sure it wasn’t too hot. On a side shelf, he found some bath salts and thick towels. The tub was an old-fashioned free-standing tub with claw feet. While the water was filling, he went back into the bedroom to check on her.
To his surprise, she was sitting up, looking tired but alert. “Are we taking a bath?” she asked with a sultry smile.
Warmth slid down his spine and soothed all his tense muscles. She was okay, thank God. “You are. The bath salts will help soothe the lash marks and bruising.” He helped her into the bathroom and grimaced when he saw the ugly purple bruises on her back and shoulders. “I had no idea I was hurting you so badly, Zoe. I’m so sorry.” He stroked her shoulders and back.
Looking at herself in the mirror, she gasped. “Wow, I felt it, but it didn’t seem to hurt so badly. Guess it’s like walking into a cold lake. You go in up to your ankles, then your knees, and by the time you’re up to your waist, you don’t feel the cold.”
“The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you.” Seeing the bruises made him sick inside. He should’ve stopped sooner. How could he let her do this?
She touched his cheek with her fingertips. Then she kissed him, her lips featherlight at first, then hard, opened wide to tease his lips apart with her tongue. He deepened the kiss until they were both gasping for breath. When they parted, she gazed up at him. “I’m okay,” she said. “Thanks for not holding back. I needed to know my limits. I expect my scene with Kadir may be rough, so I wanted to be prepared.”
He could tell she was still half out of it, still in subspace. Her eyes had that faraway, glassy look. Melissa had told him about this. She held on to his arm as she stepped into the tub and slid into the warm, scented water.
“You have to remember not to let it go that far,” he said, sitting on the edge of the tub. “Don’t trust Kadir to be a thoughtful Dom to stop a scene.”
“I know,” she said, patting his leg.
“You seemed to enjoy it.” The idea that she enjoyed the bondage role-playing made him even harder. Since when did he get off on this stuff? He watched porn, watched some of the bondage flicks. What guy didn’t? But he hadn’t thought he was interested in that lifestyle. He smoothed his hands over her shoulders and back, careful not to press on the bruises.
She shrugged. “Would that worry you if I did?”
He didn’t answer right away. Would it? “I don’t know.”
She stiffened. “Well, don’t worry. It’s all for the FLC.”
He turned on the hot water to keep the water from cooling. “I know. We have to take this guy down.”
“I can do it. He won’t harm me with Secret Service around.”
“As long as you don’t get reckless like Alana.”
She furrowed her brow. “I’m smarter than that.”
He thought about it. She was right, but he was damn well going to make sure she didn’t get overconfident. On a shelf, he found a thick sponge. He soaked it and added a ribbon of shower gel and smoothed it over her back, shoulders, and arms. He was tempted to move to her breasts but waited for the moment. This was sweet torture for him. She was so beautiful.
“Hmmm. That feels good,” she murmured. “I’m going to do this, and we’re going to have a successful mission.”
“It’ll go just fine,” he agreed, but inside he hoped Kadir turned the offer down.
“Could you come in here with me?”
He blew out a breath, thinking how much she meant to him. He did love her, damn it. But telling her now might distract her. “Sure, baby, I can try.” He got out of his clothes and slid into the tub.
She spun around and faced him, hooking her legs over his and around his back so his cock barely touched her pussy.
“Better?” she asked, grabbing the sponge from his hands and adding more gel to it.
“Much. It’s a decent-size tub.” He grinned. Then he sighed as she soaped up his chest and groin. The water was up to his ribs, so areas below the water level received more of a good rubbing than a soaping. “If you keep working my cock with that sponge, I’ll come in the tub.”
She laughed and dropped the sponge. “Not yet, I have plans.”
“Which are?” As she got more playful, he got harder and hornier.
She sighed and ran her hands over her breasts, pinching her nipples, then slipped one hand between her legs and stroked herself. She was killing him slowly, softly, and he fucking loved it. Then she put her hands behind her and arched her back. “Touch me.”
“Where?”
“Everywhere.” She groaned. Her eyes sparkled with lust. His body reacted, forgetting the anxiety of the FLC, wanting nothing more than to bury his cock deep inside her.
He reached for her breasts, kneaded the beautiful globes. With the flat of his thumb, he flicked her nipples until they pebbled, then he leaned forward and sucked one. She cried out. He tugged, drawing the nipple out and sucking it harder. Then his fingers parted her folds between her legs and found her swollen clit. He pinched it with his two fingers, and her body jerked. Then he teased it, lightly touching, knowing he was making her ache. “You want more?”
“Yes, harder. Please.”
“I thought so.” He pressed on her clit, and she shouted out his name as his fingers shoved inside. “Like this?”
“Yes.”
“Hmmm. I can feel how wet and hot you are.”
He wasn’t expecting it when her hand clamped around his cock, and she stroked him. Damn, she felt so good. “Tell me what you want,” he said.
“Make love to me.” She looked at him with pleading eyes. And his heart burst. He loved her. How could he let her go through with the plan?
“I’ll help you out of the tub.”
“No, right now. We’ve both been tested and immunized for everything on the planet after getting this job, and I’m still on the pill, so no worries.” She shifted so she was on her knees and straddling him.
He should be making this comfortable for her, instead of doing it crunched up in a bathtub. “You sure?”
“Hell yeah, Jason. I want you now.” She held his cock in position, and he felt her moist heat touching the tip of his cock. Then, a second later, she impaled herself on him.
They both groaned. He grabbed her hips and rocked into her as best he could, considering she was on top of him and the tub was unyielding.
She ground her hips in a rhythmic thrust, and by the sounds of her moans he knew she had to be close to her climax. Using his thumb, he rubbed her clit, making her go wild. He loved it when she was like this. “Come for me, baby.”
She moaned then. “Ahhhh!” Her body shuddered and jerked, and
he continued to thrust into her, harder and faster.
“I’m going to come,” he warned. The first pulse was so intense he gripped her shoulder, then the next several pulses ripped through him. He closed his eyes, drifting on the pure high of pleasure. Slowly, he tumbled back down and pulled her into his arms. Her head rested on his shoulder.
He’d come so hard, his head was spinning. He kissed the tip of her nose. They held each other close until the water cooled. “Hey, Sweet Pea. Let me get you to bed.”
She nodded. “Only if you stay.” She tried standing but needed Jason’s help. “I feel drunk.”
“I’m not surprised.” He drew the towel around her and dried her off.
When he opened the door, Dexter was standing there, whimpering. “Aww, Dexter. I’m okay.” Dexter wagged his tail when Zoe came out of the bathroom in Jason’s arms.
“It’s all right, bud. She’s fine.” Jason carried her to the bed and pulled the covers over her. Dexter lay down on the floor near Zoe.
“Hurry back. I think I’m ready for round two,” she said, giggling.
“Where are you getting all this energy?” Usually after a BDSM session, a submissive would want to sleep. They’d be thirsty, even hungry.
Jason used the bathroom then drained the tub. After he hung up the towels, he walked back into the bedroom, and Zoe was sound asleep. Soon she’d have to kneel before a maniac and be his submissive for the greater good.
How could this peace agreement help cure violence and terrorism in the world when fighting had been a part of life for several centuries? He sat on the edge of the bed and brushed strands of hair back from her face. She’d sleep for hours now. In the corner, curled up in his dog bed, Dexter’s puppy belly rose and fell. His little paws twitched as if he were running in his dreams.
She’d bought a townhouse. He smiled at the irony. She’d adopted a dog. The woman who didn’t want to settle down, who wanted the freedom of mobility. He didn’t even know if she liked kids. And here she was a homeowner with a backyard and a dog. Everything had changed. She was making a future for herself, and it ripped a wide hole inside of him knowing she’d planned a future without him.
It was his own goddamn fault.
Walking around the other side of the bed, he crawled in and eased up next to her. After all this was over, he’d take her on a vacation someplace warm and sunny. His phone buzzed, and he checked the readout. The hairs on his arms stood up. No fucking way. There had been another attempt on Alana’s life.
CHAPTER 22
Jason arrived two hours early to the cocktail reception. All the White House staff and FLC members attending had been instructed to do so. A quartet, which was warming up, played orchestral music in the entrance hall. The caterers and wait staff rushed in and out of rooms with glasses, plates, carts of food and bottles of alcohol. No one would know the level of heightened security inside and outside the building. Extra security had been added after Alana’s attack.
Many of the world’s most powerful leaders would be attending, those in agreement with the peace treaty and those adamantly against it. Jason wanted to see how the president was going to keep a world war from starting within the walls of the White House tonight.
“Whose idea was this again?” Tyler asked as he stood beside Jason, wearing a more formal suit.
“The president or first lady. I’m not sure,” Jason said. “Frank is going to have his hands full keeping the media away. Someone leaked info about the reception. News vans are lined up outside.”
Tyler made a grunt. “Frank already has his hands full assigning extra security to Alana’s room. FBI has stepped in to investigate. They want to know how someone managed another attempt on her life when she was under guard. No one is allowed near her room without a security escort.”
“Any chance the FLC’s assassin has targeted her because of the scene with Aleid?”
Tyler frowned. “I doubt it. I hope not. She’s loyal, not like Celia. The FLC had been giving Alana special training in martial arts, weapons and computers for future undercover assignments outside the Red Tape Room. The FLC has plans for her.”
“If she recovers,” Jason added.
“They moved her out of Intensive Care. She’s off the critical list.”
The news eased Jason’s mind a bit. Still, someone wanted her dead. “Zoe and Melissa are driving Julia crazy because they don’t have permission to see her.”
“It’s too much of a risk right now.”
Jason heard some commotion by the entrance. “The UN officials are here. A bit early, aren’t they? They were told no one would be admitted to the parlors until after seven thirty.”
Tyler checked his watch. “It’s six o’clock. Secret Service will have them wait in the Grand Foyer.”
Jason laughed and shook his head. “Guess who’s with them? Mrs. Charlotte Ellison.”
Tyler nodded. “She probably wanted an early start to criticize Mrs. Bryson’s party. She’s a piece of work.”
“I’d have used a different word.”
“Good evening,” Julia said from behind them.
Jason turned and gave her a polite nod. “Good evening, Julia. You look amazing.” She wore a flowy green dress that showed a bit of cleavage. Quite a change from her conservative business suits.
“Thank you.” Julia even smiled, but only briefly. “Mrs. Bryson wants to see all the FLC Secret Service agents upstairs in the East Hall immediately.”
“Is there a problem?” Tyler asked.
“Not exactly.” She glanced around the room at the preparations. “A change in plans, I believe.”
***
Jason studied the nine men in black business suits who stood at attention before the first lady in the East Hall. They were all elite team members, handpicked for their intelligence, physical strength, covert and/or military training and also for their sense of loyalty to the country and the first lady. These nine were her private miniature army to aid her in the FLC business. The adrenaline rush tensed his muscles. He always liked that thrill right before the start of a mission, but he couldn’t shove aside a sense of foreboding.
The first lady stood and walked toward her men. She looked elegant in her red dress, her signature color the media always commented on. This dress was elegant and classy, and she’d worn it before. Jason smiled. The media spent more time talking about the clothing and shoes of celebrities, or who was sleeping with or divorcing whom, than life-or-death current events. They spent more airtime discussing how the first lady wore the same dress in public more than once rather than focusing on one of her projects.
“A situation has come up.” Faith paused until she knew she had everyone’s attention. “Blake just informed me that Majeed Kadir will be arriving early and attending the reception after all.”
Jason glanced at Tyler. The leader’s arrival made the reality of the impending nightmare all too real. He hated the idea of that madman touching Zoe.
“During the evening, I’ll be inviting the target delegates over to the West Wing for a tour and then to a viewing of the Red Tape Room. These tours must be private. It will be your job to station yourselves at various points to stop anyone from passing as I conduct these tours.” She waited until the men nodded. “Use the excuse that it’s for security reasons.”
“What about the media?” Johnny Vargas asked. “How the…how did they find out about the party?”
The first lady made a face. “We’re looking into that.”
“What if you don’t get these men to agree to a session this evening?” Jason asked.
“Then we fail,” she said. “Besides Melissa, Julia, Zoe and other FLC members, we’ll have a number of non-FLC White House staff women attending who are quite attractive. These men have been away from their lovers and wives for several weeks during the stressful peace talks. A little temptation of beautiful women should help maneuver them right where we need.”
There was agreement and nods among the men. “Anything else you need
from us?” Johnny asked.
“Any other concerns?” Blake added. The clean-cut former military intelligence officer with his hands on his hips looked like he should be wearing camouflage and combat boots instead of the nice business suit. As Frank Phillips’ assistant, Blake didn’t need a badge identifying him as security.
“Keep the UN officials out of the West Wing during the tours. Especially Charlotte Ellison,” the first lady said.
***
Zoe entered the Blue Room with her heart pounding so hard she swore everyone in the room could hear. A champagne cork popped, and she jumped.
Melissa squeezed her hand then released it. “Relax, will you? Didn’t you used to go undercover with really bad guys?”
Zoe took a breath and let it out slowly. Her pulse slowed down a bit. She laughed nervously. “Yes, but never dressed like this.” She smoothed the royal blue chiffon dress she’d bought the other day. The material was so light it fluttered when someone walked by. The dress draped over one shoulder and was decorated with a large jeweled pin. Melissa also wore chiffon in an A-line black dress with a beaded bodice. “The bad guys I’ve dealt with never dressed so nice either.” Delegates and their officials and aides or bodyguards stood around in small groups, drinks in hand. When she spotted Jason across the room, she relaxed. The warmth in his smile made her insides soar.
He marched straight across the room. “Wow. You two look gorgeous.”
“So do you,” Zoe said. She wanted to put her arms around him and kiss him, but even a friendly gesture wouldn’t have been appropriate in this setting.
“You look handsome, too,” Melissa said. “Make sure you keep your eyes on our targets and not your beautiful girlfriend.” She scanned the room and frowned. “Looks like Miss Charlotte already has monopolized the party.”
“Where?” Zoe asked. Mrs. Ellison sat in a Victorian chair, wearing a formal gown. The party had been announced as being an informal meeting. Around her, several dignitaries, including a couple of the FLC’s targeted presidents, hovered, intently interested in her flamboyant conversation.