“What kind of sessions?”
“Boudoir,” she mumbled and focused on digging through her bag of outfits. “I’ll be right back,” she announced, holding up a wad of clothing.
Boudoir. It didn’t register to me what she meant. Not when she emerged from the bathroom with a robe wrapped around her. Not when she walked into the other room and stopped beside the bed.
No, it was when she turned to the camera and dropped her robe to the floor, revealing her lingerie-clad body. She was standing there looking like the ultimate sex goddess in a black bra and matching G-string framed by a garter belt and thigh-high stockings.
Pressing the palm of my hand against my dick, I stifled a groan when my eyes landed on the strappy stilettos adorning her feet. But that was the last semblance of control I had.
Ripping my shirt over my head, I tossed it across the room and stomped toward Sloane from behind. I slid one hand around her neck and the other around her stomach, roughly pulling her back against my bare chest. With my face buried in the crook of her neck, I asked low enough for only her to hear, “The fuck you doing? I thought this was for a book cover.”
“It is,” she breathed. “For one of mine.”
I didn’t attempt to muffle the groan that erupted from me. For one of hers. Erotica. My grip on her tightened briefly as I fought to rein in the urge to bend Sloane over the bed and fuck her in front of everyone in the room. Knowing she wouldn’t like it helped me get a handle on the moment. That and the photographer catching my attention.
“Yes! Holy shit! That’s hot,” she praised, followed by hundreds of clicks.
“You’re in so much trouble,” I whispered.
She fucking quivered again. “Motherfucker. You’re killing me, baby,” I told her and moved both hands to her hips, pulling her back so I could grind my hard cock against her ass.
“Fuck, yes! Keep going. Turn her around,” Amy instructed excitedly.
And so it went from there. We went through a cycle of poses, Sloane changed outfits, and we did it again and again. However, when Amy finished with Sloane in her last outfit, I had my own request, if I could get Sloane to agree to it.
“I want her to take some of us naked. Just for you and me,” I started.
“No way. Not happening. Nope,” she said before I finished the last sentence.
Stepping closer, I ran my hands over her shoulders and down her arms. “I’m not talking about dirty pics that show everything. I mean sort of like the ones she just took,” I explained and thought a demonstration might help my cause. Covering her breasts with one arm, I slid the other down her torso and covered her pussy with my splayed palm. “Like this,” I said against the shell of her ear and nipped her earlobe for good measure.
“Okay,” she breathed. “I’ll ask Amy if she has time for a few more shots.”
She returned a few minutes later with pink-stained cheeks, and I knew Amy had agreed.
“You sure you’re okay with this?” I asked. I was notoriously shameless and had no qualms about being naked in front of other people.
Sloane nodded. “Yeah. She’s going to finish with Frankie and send her assistants home so we won’t have an audience.”
“Frankie’s going to be pissed,” I teased, hoping to help ease her nerves.
Sloane cracked up laughing. “Yeah, she will be, but not for the reason you think.”
“And what’s that?”
“Uh, let me put it this way—don’t be surprised if she asks you for a dick pic in the very near future.”
We continued talking, and Sloane seemed adequately relaxed when Amy said she was ready for us. “I’m going to get the cameras set up and adjust the lights. You two let me know when you’re ready,” she shared and turned away from us, providing a little bit of privacy that I knew Sloane appreciated.
Kicking off my boots and unzipping my jeans, I proudly dropped them to the floor and bared my naked ass. Sloane, on the other hand, stripped as fast as she could and plastered her front to mine, causing the sound of a light smack to echo off the bare walls.
“Nervous?” I chuckled.
“A little,” she admitted. “I trust Amy, but I’m not used to being naked in front of more than one person, and it’s a little odd.”
“You’ll get used to it,” I started and wanted to smack my forehead the moment it came out of my mouth. Thinking quickly, I added, “But I’m sure we can turn up the heat to keep you comfortable.”
“What?” she asked in confusion.
“Didn’t you say it was a little cold?”
“No, I said it’s a little odd,” she reiterated.
“Are you two ready?” Amy asked, thankfully interrupting my shitty attempt at not sticking my foot in my mouth.
I deferred to Sloane. With more confidence than I expected, she declared, “Yes, we are.”
“All right,” she said gleefully and clapped her hands. “Let’s get to it.”
23
Since Bronze drove his truck to Cherryfield, I rode with him to Devil Springs, instead of following him back the Sunday after his fight. Which meant I would be staying with him for almost two weeks before we left for my next book signing.
On the other hand, I was beyond excited for the opportunity to write my stories in a bookstore. Bronze had mentioned it again when he invited me to stay with him, almost as if he was trying to ensure I would say yes. Little did he know, I would’ve said yes no matter where he asked me to go, but listening to him confirm it with Tatum and Josie was the icing on the cake.
When Monday morning rolled around, I pulled Bronze’s truck into the lot and grabbed my bag, nervous as hell. In fact, I was so much on edge that I jumped and almost screamed when the entry bell sounded. “Morning!” I called out with a bit too much enthusiasm in an attempt to cover my trepidation.
“She’s here!” I heard Josie squeal from somewhere I couldn’t see. She appeared moments later and motioned for me to follow her. “This way. We have a surprise for you!”
“Oh, you didn’t have to do that,” I managed to say. Graciously accepting compliments or gifts was not a strong point for me.
“We wanted to,” she replied and came to a stop in the far corner of the bookstore. Positioned in front of a black backdrop hanging in front of the far wall of bookshelves was a small table, topped with a black tablecloth and adorned with twinkle lights. A comfy-looking leather office chair sat behind it.
“Voila!” Josie beamed.
“I love it!” And I honestly did. “Especially how the twinkle lights set the mood. I’m going to have to do this in my home office.”
“Yay! I’m so glad you like it,” she said, sounding relieved.
“Wait!” Tatum shouted with an overwhelming amount of excitement. “I also have a surprise.” She moved behind the table and pulled the black backdrop to the side revealing several different life-sized cardboard cutouts of Bronze wearing a hot pink evening gown.
I started laughing so hard that no sound came out for several seconds before I inhaled deeply and laughed until my stomach started cramping.
“Oh, this is the best surprise ever!” I cheered and studied the replicas. “Is his hair pink in that one?”
Tatum frowned while Josie explained with a grin. “Obviously, Bronze lost a bet. The loser had to dye their hair pink and wear a pink dress to work every day for a month. Tatum forgot to specify the type of hair dye or the length of time, so Bronze picked the kind that washes out in one day.”
“I bet Avery has software that will easily change his hair to whatever shade of pink you’d like,” I suggested.
“In case you didn’t know, I’m on a permanent member of Team Sloane,” Tatum said seriously.
“Make yourself comfortable, and we’ll try to stay out of your hair. Customers shouldn’t be a problem because we don’t have a lot of traffic. And, please, let me one of us know if you need anything. We’ll both be here all day.”
“Thank you so much, Josie. I can’t tell you how muc
h I appreciate the opportunity.” Leaning closer, I lowered my voice, “A little secret—I’m going to try to write an entire story from start to finish while I’m here.”
Josie used her fingers to simulate zipping her lips. “That’s so exciting! And your secret’s safe with me,” she promised.
“I really hope I can pull it off because it’s sort of poetic—a book’s full circle.”
Josie wiped under her eyes. “I think I’m going to cry.”
“I think I’m going to vomit,” Tatum said flatly, causing me to chuckle. She cleared her throat, and her tone completely changed. “Josie, once Sloane’s settled, I need to talk to you about the delivery we have scheduled for later this week.”
With that, Tatum returned to the office, and Josie spent another few minutes fussing over me before she joined her sister. After setting up my laptop, I put in my earbuds, selected ocean waves as my white noise, and started writing a new story.
I was having a great time and writing more words per day than usual. I don’t know what it was, but something about the bookstore profoundly spoke to my soul. At the rate I was going, I could possibly complete two short stories during my stay in Devil Springs.
Like Tatum said, they didn’t have many customers, but the ones who did come in didn’t seem to notice me. I was anticipating numerous interruptions, but Tatum and Josie stayed busy and left me alone to work.
The first part of the week flew by. Since Bronze spent his days at the gym next door, I met him there when the bookstore closed for the day and spent the evenings with him and Blue. Copper was still keeping his distance, but the rest of the club seemed to enjoy having me around—if the number of times someone stopped by unexpected was any indication. By the time Thursday rolled around, I was beginning to wonder if the three of us would have any evenings to ourselves. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to find out as all hell broke loose the next day.
After another productive morning of writing, I removed my earbuds and was headed for a bathroom break when the store’s phone rang. “Hello, Books, Books, and Books. Can I help you?”
Josie’s eyes landed on me as her face paled. She held one finger over her lips, telling me to be quiet, and then she pointed to the office and mouthed, “Tatum.”
I darted behind the checkout counter and into the office. “Josie needs you,” I blurted. “Seems urgent.”
She got up and went to see what was going on faster than I expected, which left me with a growing sense of unease. Before I could process what was happening, Tatum herded Josie and me into a room in the back of the store and locked the door.
“That phone call was someone threatening to ‘send the store up in a ball of flames,’” Tatum said matter-of-factly. “Sloane, we’ll have to explain along the way, but we’re leaving now.”
“Oh, okay, um, I’ll just grab my laptop and bag, and I’m ready to go.”
Tatum grimaced. “I’ll have to bring it to you a little later. We have to leave now,” she explained, though she didn’t seem as panicked as I felt. I hadn’t realized I’d been following her as she was talking until she came to a stop in front of a bookshelf in the back room. She removed a book from the third shelf and revealed a hidden keypad.
Once she entered the code, a secret door opened, and she ushered us inside, the sound of the locks sliding into place echoing around the dark, bare room. I wasn’t scared of the dark by any means, but I also wasn’t crazy about standing in a secret room with zero visibility.
“What’s going on?”
“I’ll explain everything once we get to safety.”
At that, I shut my mouth and followed instructions. It only happened once—as far as I could recall—when I was younger, but I remembered that time vividly. Part of what stuck with me was my mother’s voice. I never found out what happened, but she conveyed her fear and the seriousness of the situation solely by the tone of her voice. And Tatum’s tone was damn near an exact replication of my mother’s.
Moments later, more locks clicked, and light illuminated the small space before another door opened. “Sorry,” Tatum apologized. “It’s hard to find the hand scanner in the dark,” she explained and pointed to a device mounted on the wall.
After my eyes adjusted from the sudden brightness, I realized we were in what looked like another type of safe room, and thankfully it was one with lights. “Almost there,” Tatum shared and set about opening yet another door, which opened into the bookstore’s office. “Where are we?” I asked.
“Not where you think,” Josie murmured and took my hand to pull me along behind her. She quickly moved through the store and, to my shock, out the front door.
“Wait! I can’t leave without telling Bronze!” I insisted as I increasingly became alarmed.
“He already knows,” Tatum told me while practically shoving me into the backseat of the weirdest looking four-door Jeep.
“Is this Jeep pink?” I asked, unable to stop myself.
Tatum huffed while Josie laughed. “Barely. I made one offhanded comment about preferring a pink Jeep over a minivan, and my boss thought it’d be hilarious to make my dreams come true by having this bitch painted the palest shade of pink he could find before delivering it to me.”
“So, this is your work vehicle? As in, belongs to the Bureau?”
She shrugged, failing to notice how I was gearing up to have an epic freak-out. “I wouldn’t call it my work vehicle, but it does belong to the government.”
“And it’s bulletproof,” Josie supplied.
“Why am I in a government-owned, bulletproof vehicle?” I asked through clenched teeth while my voice became increasingly louder.
Tatum cleared her throat and fulfilled her promise to explain. Sort of. “I can’t tell you the reasons why, but we have plans in place for a variety of possible situations—one being the need to escape quickly and quietly with minimal risk of detection. In order to do that, we created safe rooms on each end of an existing underground tunnel that connects the bookstore to the party supply store on the other side of the shopping center. Right now, we’re taking you to a safe location. We’ll figure out the rest when we get there.”
I turned in my seat to look out the rear window. “But what about Bronze and Blue?”
“They’re already on their way.”
“What? How?”
“They were able to leave before we were since they could just walk right out to his truck, but they’ll arrive after us to not draw extra attention.”
“Where are they going to go until they get there?”
Josie reached over and clasped my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “They’re completely safe. He usually drives around for fifteen or twenty minutes this time of day because Blue has trouble falling asleep for her midday nap if it’s a busy day at the gym. Them leaving around this time would be expected for anyone watching.”
Her words silenced me for a large portion of the drive. I couldn’t help wondering if the threat was related to me, not them. The thought played on repeat in my mind until I figured out a way to ask without asking. “Has anything like this ever happened before?”
“No,” Tatum answered, “but we haven’t been open that long either.”
“Oh,” I replied and chewed on my lower lip. I wanted to ask, but there was no way the threat had anything to do with me. It couldn’t have. The only person who knew I was working in the bookstore was Frankie, and I trusted her implicitly.
“Are you wondering if this is about you?” Tatum asked.
“Maybe a little,” I confessed.
“We don’t know. My colleagues are working on a trace now. The caller didn’t give away any clues that I picked up, but I haven’t had a chance to listen to the replay.” She shrugged. “This is amateur shit. They’ll probably know who it is before we arrive anyway.”
With every breath of my being, I hoped she was right.
“Wait until the garage door is completely closed. Then, we’ll get out and go inside. You’ll go with J
osie while I find out what’s going on. I’ll update you as soon as I know something,” Tatum explained.
Josie led me through the kitchen to a set of stairs that led to a wine cellar. She removed a bottle of wine from the shelf and pushed against the wall. Once again, a secret room was revealed—thankfully with working lights.
“I’m not sure how long we’ll be in here, but please make yourself comfortable,” Josie said as she closed the door and secured it.
I glanced around at the cozy sitting area that looked like it should be featured in a home décor magazine instead of hidden in the middle of a mansion behind a secret wall. “What is this place?” I wondered aloud, letting my imagination take over to keep my fear from reaching uncontrollable levels.
Josie took a seat on the small sofa across from me and cleared her throat. “As Tatum said, we can’t give you the details, but I can tell you that the room you’re in was created for the sole purpose of safety.”
I nodded absently, a story already beginning to develop in my head. “Um, you wouldn’t happen to have a pen and some paper, would you?”
Josie grinned knowingly and disappeared into what I assumed was another area of the safe room. Returning with a pen and notepad, she handed them to me with a bright smile. “Got a new idea?”
“I do,” I replied excitedly. “I always try to jot them down somewhere as soon as they hit me, but this time, I think it’ll be a nice distraction from whatever’s going on.”
“I wish I could tell you that it’s nothing to worry about,” she trailed off, leaving me to silently fill in the rest—but it probably is.
“I wish you could too, but we have to face whatever challenges life presents us with, and right now,” I gestured to the small room, “this is one of mine.”
“I’ll be quiet and let you do your thing, but do you want something to eat or drink first?”
Bronze (Blackwings MC - Devil Springs Book 5) Page 20