“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
“I… I needed a laptop. I needed to look something up, but I couldn’t get in because it’s locked, and I just…”
“Stop lying to me.”
Tears glistened in his eyes. “I needed to know who you really were. I’m sorry. I’ll get my things and go.”
“Tell me what you saw.”
“You told me you looked up everything you could find about me and my background, but I don’t know anything about yours.”
His refusal to answer only made me angrier. “I do a background check on all my employees. None of them get to know more about me than I want them to.” If he was able to break into my laptop, was it possible he had the skills to erase any traces that would connect him to my enemies? “This is your last chance. Tell me what you saw.”
“Um… your name on an envelope.”
“And?” There was no way in hell his face was so ghostly pale because of that.
He shook his head frantically. “I… I don’t want to die.”
Angry as I was, the pain in his voice made me want to comfort him. “Then why did you disobey me?”
Anyone else I’d found in my office would already be dead. I wouldn’t have wasted time interrogating them, but Henri had the power to melt my anger away with his sad eyes. I’d never hesitated to mete out justice before, no matter how scared a man might look. I was totally fucked up over Henri. There was no way in hell I could kill him. Punish him, yes, but I couldn’t do anything to truly hurt him. If he was not who I thought, I’d have to get Lance to do it for me.
“I… I…” He swayed on his feet, and I caught him just as he started to go down. I lifted him into my arms and headed to my room. Henri had started to come around by the time I placed him on my bed.
He tried to sit up, but I shook my head. “Don’t move.”
“What… what are you going to do to me?”
I considered that. The best thing I could do was send him somewhere he would be guarded until the war with the Landrys was over. After that I’d let him go, making sure he knew what would happen if he gave up any of my secrets. Fuck. He was making me soft. I couldn’t risk compromising my family’s position because my heart wanted something my head knew wouldn’t work out.
Right or not, I wasn’t going to do that. What I was going to do was make sure he knew that when I told him something was off-limits, there would be consequences if he didn’t listen.
I stepped into the adjacent bathroom, got him a glass of water, and wet a washcloth for him to lay across his head. Why was I caring for the man who’d violated my privacy? What the fuck was wrong with me?
You never should’ve taken him, never should have brought him home.
He’d seen me near the Landrys’ hideout the night Charles had been killed. It was perfectly reasonable for me to keep him close by, and why the hell not fuck him if he was with me?
What you did wrong was fall in love.
My heart pounded. Was I really in love?
No way. That couldn’t happen to me, especially not now.
I laid the cloth on his head. “When you feel like it, drink a few sips of water, but go slow.”
He looked at the water and frowned at me. “You… I…”
“I need you conscious so you can tell me what you learned and how you got into my computer.”
He drank a little water, glanced at me, then looked away.
“The longer you make me wait, the worse your punishment is going to be.”
“P-punishment.” His chest rose and fell rapidly.
“Yes.”
24
Henri
Why the hell had I ever gone into that office? What would Remington do to me when he found out what I knew? The only thing that kept me from passing out again was his expression. He looked like he wanted to fuck me more than he wanted to kill me. “I recognized your name, or I thought I did. I remembered the… murder investigation.”
“I suppose that made the news even wherever you were then.”
“Birmingham.”
He nodded and made a circling motion with his hand, encouraging me to keep talking.
“Can I please sit up now?” I’d be much more comfortable if he weren’t looming over me as I lay in his bed.
Remington shook his head. “No. Raise your arms above your head.”
“What? Why?”
He raised his brows and glared at me. Fuck. I was completely at his mercy.
He unbuckled his belt and yanked it through the loops. I trembled as he wrapped it around my wrists then secured it to one of the rails in the headboard. He slid a finger slowly along my throat, down my chest, and across my abdomen before tracing the outline of my cock behind my pajama pants.
I sucked in my breath as my cock started to swell under his fingers. How was I able to get turned on when I was so scared?
He stopped toying with me, and I wanted to beg him to keep touching me. When he met my gaze, his eyes were dark and full of lust. “Talk to me, Henri. I’ve waited long enough.”
“I… um… I wanted to see if I could find out if you were involved in the… um… murder. I didn’t know how or what I might find, but I was scared.”
“How did you get into my laptop? Nothing I discovered about you indicated that you had hacker skills.”
“I don’t. I only know the most basic things about computers. I just started thinking about what you might have used for the password, and I figured it out. It wasn’t hard to guess when I thought about what seemed important to you in this house. I remembered seeing your cello and being fascinated by it and the music you’d selected. I took a guess and it worked.”
Remington studied me for a few seemingly endless moments before saying, “What other secrets did you learn once you guessed the password?”
“I… um… learned that you or your family were at least partly responsible for those murders.” I shivered, and Remington’s eyes widened for a second. He was turned on by my fear.
“Let me tell you about those men I killed. They sold kids drugs that they’d cut with who the fuck knows what in order to increase their profit margins. They didn’t care what happened to the kids who bought their fucked-up product. Did the news where you were report on the night three kids died in a club here? And then another two the next weekend? That was their shit that killed those kids. Killing those assholes was a favor to the community.”
“And to your family?” Oh God, why did I say that?
He smiled. “You seem so sweet, but there is an edge to you, isn’t there?”
“Um…”
“Yes, it benefitted us as well, but would you rather those men were still out there?”
I stared up at him. “No.”
He continued to glare at me.
“No… sir.”
He smiled, but he didn’t look happy. He looked… hungry. “What else did you learn?”
I might as well tell him. He could do whatever he wanted to me. I was tied to his bed, and he already knew I’d been on his laptop. “You had a folder… that… um… It was labeled Bob Gayle.”
His expression changed for just a second, and he looked… worried? Oh shit.
“Did you look inside?”
I wanted to tell him I hadn’t, but I was sure he would know I was lying. “Yes. I saw notes about what he’d done, links to articles about him, and information you knew before he was arrested.” What was the point in lying? I might as well just tell it all. “Did you… did you work with him?”
His expression shifted from arrogant interrogator to pure rage. Remington had been the first client who hadn’t made me fear for my life. When I’d taken my cousin up on his offer, I’d known my chance of dying was high, but I didn’t want it to happen now.
“Think what you want of me,” Remington said, voice flat. “I freely admit I’ve killed, and I will kill again.”
Fuck. Was there any chance he’d let me live after saying that to me?
/> “But I don’t kill the innocent. I don’t con the elderly and let them die without the medicine they need.”
I was absolutely sure he was telling the truth. “I’m sorry. I was scared. You wouldn’t tell me anything else about yourself, and I’m staying here with you, and…”
“Why didn’t you leave? You could have run as soon as you saw that folder?”
It was a damn good question. I hated that I was stuck there on my back, looking up at him. I wriggled, pulling at the belt that bound my wrists.
“Stop. You’ll only hurt yourself. Even if you get your wrists free, you won’t get away from me.”
I sank back into the mattress. “I thought about it. I told myself I should just get away, that anyone who was in any way connected with that man wasn’t safe to be with, that money didn’t matter that much.”
“But you stayed.”
I nodded.
“Why?”
I’d confessed to so much, but this was beyond me. “I don’t know.”
He traced a finger down the side of my throat. “I think you do. Tell me.”
My breath caught, and I looked up at him. That was a mistake. The heat in his eyes burned me. “I should never have come here.”
“You never had a choice.”
He was right, and I wasn’t upset because Remington had brought me here, I was upset because I didn’t want to leave. I was mesmerized by him.
“I want you.” The words were so soft I wasn’t sure he’d heard them until I saw his most predatory smile. He flattened his hand and slid it along my chest, over my abdomen, and then gripped my cock tight enough to hurt. I gasped and arched up into his touch.
“You do want me, don’t you? You’re scared, though. You know I can do whatever I want to you, but you’re hard for me anyway.”
I gave a shaky nod.
He gripped the waist of my pajama pants and pushed them down, freeing my cock. Then he moved to the end of the bed, grasped the bottoms of my pants and pulled them all the way off, leaving me naked and tied to his bed. He was still angry, and I knew he could do whatever he wanted. I tensed in anticipation.
He shocked the hell out of me by sitting down next to me, leaning over, and swiping his tongue up the length of my cock, then taking it into his mouth, sucking me in deep. I whimpered and arched my hips, unable to stop myself from pushing deeper.
He pulled back, and my cock fell from his mouth. He spit on it, getting it even wetter before wrapping his hand around it and jerking me with rough strokes.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
“Punishing you,” he said.
“But… you…” He rubbed his thumb over my cockhead, and I arched up, pushing into the circle of his hand. I was already hard and needy, and he was so fucking sexy, so demanding. I’d thought he was going to kill me, and now he was—
“Don’t you dare come,” he ordered.
“But I… You can’t…”
“I can do anything I want. I own you.”
“No!” I twisted, trying to free myself from the belt. He used a hand on my hip to pin me to the bed. How was he so damn strong?
“You’ll do exactly what I say. You disobeyed me, and you deserve this and more.”
“I’m sorry.”
His only response was to move his hand faster and tighten his grip. It hurt, but it also felt incredible. There was no way I was going to stop myself from coming if he did this much longer.
“You’re so close, aren’t you?” he asked.
I nodded frantically. “Please. Please don’t.”
He ignored me, not stopping until I was right at the edge, certain I couldn’t hold back. When he finally let go, I stared up at him, trying to drag in enough air to stay conscious.
Without saying anything, he stripped quickly, then straddled me, facing my feet and adjusting himself until the tip of his cock brushed my lips. He took it in his hand and teased me, smearing precum across my mouth. “I’m going to fuck your throat and you’re going to make it good for me.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
He stroked my cheek. “You’re taking this so well.”
My eyes stung. I was such a confused jumble of emotions.
“Open up,” he demanded. I did, and he pushed his cock into my mouth. I could do it. I could please him with my mouth. I knew I could, but he went too fast.
I gagged around him and struggled for air, but he kept going, working his hips up and down and pushing in deep as he fucked my mouth mercilessly. I wished my hands were free so I could hold onto his thighs. Those straining muscles would feel so good beneath my hands.
He pulled all the way out, and I sucked in as much air as I could, expecting him to thrust back in and block my throat. Instead, he reached for his cock and pulled it up out of the way. “Eat my ass.”
I’d never done that before, but I didn’t hesitate. I swiped my tongue over his hole, wetting him thoroughly, then I pushed into him. He tasted clean and earthy, and I loved the feel of his ass squeezing my tongue. He groaned, and the rough sound made me feel empowered despite my position under him. I kept going, tongue-fucking him until he pulled away.
“Open wide.” I barely had time to obey before he drove into my mouth, going all the way in one rough stroke. I choked around him, desperate for air, and struggled to free myself.
When he pulled back, he teased my lips with the tip of his cock. “It’s okay, cher. I have every intention of keeping you alive. I’ll let you breathe when you need to.”
Before I could respond, he lowered his hips, and I swallowed his cock again. He didn’t go so deep this time. As I sucked him, he bent over and took my cock in his mouth. In no time, I was right on the edge again, ready to spurt my load down his throat. How good would that be? I sucked him more enthusiastically, praying he would keep going.
He lifted off me long enough to remind me not to come unless he told me to.
I wasn’t sure I could survive it. He fucked my mouth with deep, fast strokes, and I had to concentrate to breathe. I couldn’t stop myself from fighting against the belt that held my wrists and arching my hips to try to drive myself deeper into his mouth. He held me down, refusing to give me anything more, refusing to let me come. When he’d said he would punish me, I’d never imagined this combination of incredible pleasure and painful denial. My cock ached, and I thought I might lose my mind if I didn’t find relief.
“I’m going to come down your throat,” he told me. “I want you to swallow every drop.”
I nodded, unable to speak. He lifted his head from my cock and wrapped his hand around the base, squeezing tightly and helping me hold back my orgasm. Then he pushed deep into my mouth over and over until he groaned, and I felt his hot seed pour out. It was all I could do to swallow it fast enough. Some still leaked from my mouth. Would he punish me harder for that?
When he’d emptied his balls, he slowly pulled himself from my mouth and let go of my cock.
I lay there, panting, trying not to think about how desperately I needed to come, and wondering how much longer he planned to torment me.
He reached for the belt, unfastening it and unwrapping it from my wrists. He lifted each of my arms one at a time, kissed my wrists, and rubbed them, working feeling back into my hands. “Can you move all your fingers?”
I nodded.
“Show me.” I did, and he smiled. “Perfect. Scoot down to the end of the bed and get on your hands and knees. Don’t you dare touch yourself or come.”
I struggled to make my shaky limbs support me. The room swirled around me. I wasn’t sure I could handle whatever he had planned. “Wh-what are you going to do?”
He picked up the belt and slapped it across his hand. Holy shit. Was he really going to…
25
Remington
I ran the smooth leather of my belt over Henri’s ass cheek. He shuddered and his hands slipped out from under him, bringing him down to his elbows. I liked the position even better, the way his back arched, making his ass st
ick out as if he was asking me to punish him.
When I’d found Henri in my office, I’d been truly angry. I was also shocked he had managed to learn so much about me in such a short time. I never played my cello for anyone but myself, and the song I’d used for my password was special to me because my grandmother used to play it all the time when I was a kid. It was one of my strongest memories from the time before I realized more concretely what our family did; before I realized that my parents were like business partners, but they felt nothing for each other; before I realized I was going to grow up to kill people. I wouldn’t give up my position now. The power was too addictive, but that music made me remember a time when I had my innocence.
How could I be okay with the fact that this man knew my secrets? He didn’t know the worst one, though. He didn’t know how I’d gotten myself out of that murder charge. I didn’t regret what I’d done. It had been the right thing for me and for Gayle’s victims, but no one knew except Marjorie and X.
I didn’t care about any of that now. I was just hot as hell for him and desperate to see how far I could push him. All I wanted was to watch Henri struggle and beg as I tormented him until his release would be as much pain as pleasure. I wanted to punish him, and he deserved it. He’d known the rules, and he’d broken them. I could send him away without a cent. I could choke the life from him, but I wasn’t going to do either of those things. I was going to keep him right here and use him for exactly what I needed, over and over until our time together was up.
“Brace yourself,” I warned him.
“Remy, please.”
The desperation in his voice only made me harder. I slapped my belt against his ass. The blow was nowhere near as hard as it could have been, but he cried out, trying to scramble away from me. I seized hold of his hip, squeezing hard, knowing I would leave bruises there.
“Hurts so much,” he whimpered.
“Good. Maybe it will teach you a lesson.”
I brought the belt down again on his other cheek. He flinched, but he didn’t try to escape.
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