by Ella Ardent
The limo stopped and she opened her eyes with reluctance. Rex was watching her closely, his lips curved in a satisfied smile. “The old fire still burns,” she whispered.
“Did you ever have any doubt?”
“You certainly acted as if the coals were cold,” she accused and he chuckled.
“Because I know that waiting is better.” The confidence in his voice made her smile. She wouldn’t have put it past Rex to have planned their time apart, right down to the day, except he couldn’t have planned for his partnership with Michelle to be shattered by Amy.
She knew he had to be hurting, but he gave no sign of his emotions.
Maybe they would be making love as friends who understood and respected each other, as well as knew each other’s needs. That would be different from the raging passion that had driven them back to the bedroom over and over again, when they’d first met years before.
Rafe opened the door and handed Athena out on to the pavement. It was a bit chilly, although the skies were clear, although it had been warm for April earlier in the day. She surveyed the window boxes as she waited for Rex, thinking it was almost time to oust the spring bulbs. She heard Rex inhale, then turned to realize someone was huddled by the door to the townhouse.
“Don’t say a word,” Rex murmured, his low tone still carrying authority. He nodded to Rafe, who got back into the limo to drive it to the garage.
So, Rex wasn’t surprised.
And he wasn’t afraid.
Who loitered outside The Phoenix?
The small figure was crouched beside the door, arms wrapped around its body, but stood as Rex approached. Athena felt her lips tighten in dissatisfaction when she realized it was Amy, the little hacker who had wormed her way into The Phoenix, ruined Rex’s partnership with Michelle and then laughed at the desires of their clientele.
But Rex had said he had a plan of retaliation to get even with Amy. He must have expected her to turn up like this.
“You must have the wrong address,” he said to Amy. “Leave or I’ll call the police.”
“I might tell them all about you,” Amy said with defiance. “I might tell them what goes on in this place.”
“They already know, thanks to you and Steele,” Rex said.
“But I miss it!”
“Your mistake,” Rex said. “But then, many people don’t appreciate what they have until it’s gone.”
“How sad to become a cliché,” Athena added, unable to resist. She strode to Rex’s side, ensuring that her heels clicked loudly on the pavement. She put her hand in his, letting her fingertips slide across his palm. Rex smiled, and Amy looked between the two of them, her mouth opening in horror at the implications of the gesture.
Athena smiled at her. “I don’t blame you for missing this place,” she said as Rex opened the door. “Too bad you fucked it all up.”
Rick swept open the front door from the inside, granting a disparaging glance at Amy. “Good evening, madam, sir. I do apologize that she is still here.”
“I have nowhere to go,” Amy protested. “I don’t have any money…”
“Tactical error,” Rex said, ushering Athena into the foyer. “Thank you, Rick.” He followed Athena and she smiled at the way his eyes were twinkling. He was enjoying this, almost as much as Amy was not. Rick helped her out of her coat as Rex turned to close the front door.
“But I can’t forget this place,” Amy cried. “I haven’t had enough!”
Rick smiled, quickly and secretly, his impassive expression restored almost immediately.
“Nobody who belongs here ever does,” Athena wrapped her arms around Rex’s neck, pulling him into the middle of the foyer.
“Please! Just give me one more chance,” Amy entreated, her voice carrying through the keyhole. “I’ll do my best.”
“It wasn’t good enough the last time,” Rex said.
“I’m not going to leave!” Amy cried in desperation. “I’m going to sit here and beg every time you come in and out. I’m sorry. I made a mistake. I want to fix it!” Her expression turned stubborn. “I’m not going to give up until you let me have another chance.”
“Really.” Rex nuzzled Athena’s neck and growled a little, bracketing her waist with his hands. He was deliberately ignoring Amy, and Athena knew it would annoy the little piece of business even more. Rex really did know how to play people—including Athena. She was wet enough to come on the spot.
But that would spoil the fun.
“My turn to tie the knots,” he whispered to her and gave her a little squeeze. “I’ve missed tying you up tight.”
“Only if it’s my turn tomorrow,” Athena replied, her puss humming in anticipation.
He drew back a little to look into her eyes. “You’re not going to negotiate more than that?”
“You’re not the only one who sees secrets,” Athena teased. “I know you have to be first.”
“You don’t want to choose how, where or what pose?”
Athena smiled. “I’m your fantasy tonight, which makes it all your choice.”
“Hmm. I’m thinking your room.” He kissed her earlobe even as his fingers opened her dinner jacket. “Rope and duct tape.”
“So rough?”
“The contrast with your fine lingerie is fantastic. What are you wearing tonight?” He eased the fronts of her jacket back, revealing the black lace bustier she’d chosen with a kind of optimism. His eyes shone as he nodded. “White rope,” he said with such authority that she couldn’t wait. “And lots of it.”
“Hog-tied?” Athena asked with hope.
“No. Spreader bar. Those high heels. Hands bound behind your back and hung from the ceiling.” He ran his fingers over her mouth, as if he couldn’t resist touching her. Athena felt powerful and hot. She’d wanted to be Rex’s fantasy for a long time. As far as she was concerned, he could do whatever he wanted to her. “Lots of tape for that gag.”
“Pictures?”
He smiled even as his gaze heated. “I’m thinking there will have to be.”
“Spanking?”
“Riding crop. Do you still have that black leather one?”
“How could I be rid of your favorite?” Athena purred.
“Good.” Rex speared his fingers into her hair and drew her close. He surveyed her, then moved to kiss her. Athena closed her eyes, wanting.
“Please, Rex!” Amy cried from the porch, pounding on the door as she shouted. “I’ll do anything!”
“The magic words,” Rex said with satisfaction. He left Athena and abandoned the kiss before it started, then opened the door to survey a hopeful Amy. Athena gritted her teeth, hating that Amy had cheated her of his kiss.
Rex snapped his fingers and pointed at the floor. “In,” he commanded and Amy’s face lit with hope. “Naked. Knees. Now.”
Athena folded her arms across her chest, not liking this development one bit. If Rex thought he could take Amy instead of her tonight, he could think again. If he thought she was going to share him with this very bad former employee, he could also think again. In fact…
“I’ll do anything,” Amy repeated, her words falling over themselves as she tripped over her own feet in her hurry to get inside. “It doesn’t matter.”
“You’ll do what you’re told,” Rex said with force. “And you’ll do it silently.”
“Yes, master.” She stood, eyes bright, looking between the two of them.
“But she’s already disobedient,” Athena said, feeling the need to point out Amy’s shortcomings. “Didn’t your master give you several commands?”
Amy jumped a little. She quickly began to peel off her clothes and set them aside, hurrying to get naked and on her knees. Athena pursed her lips and considered her nails, trying to redirect her desire now that plans were changing.
And failing to stifle her disappointment.
“I get to punish her first,” she said, knowing Amy would pay dearly for this interruption.
Rex’s hand slid do
wn Athena’s spine, then rested on the back of her waist. Even when she was annoyed with him, the man could set her blood on fire. “We’re too busy tonight for Amy to interrupt us,” he murmured, his voice dark with promise. She glanced up and he smiled into her eyes, the intensity of his expression making her heart flutter.
“But she has to be punished,” Athena whispered, before Rex pushed his fingers into her hair again and kissed her to silence. His was a possessive and domineering kiss, the perfect kiss to prove to her that he hadn’t been distracted from their plans after all. In a way, it was hot to make out in front of Amy, knowing how much the younger woman wanted the feast Athena was going to savor, knowing how closely she watched.
“That’s why we have staff,” Rex murmured when he lifted his head. He snapped his fingers and Rick was beside them again, inclining his fair head in deference. Rex never looked away from Athena as he gave the command. “Rick, please lock the doors and ensure that you thoroughly discipline Amy in your own room tonight.” He brushed his lips across Athena’s slowly. “Athena and I are not to be disturbed. We will have breakfast at eight in Athena’s suite. Amy will be delivered naked and in shackles to the office for nine, so she can begin making up for her mistake.”
“Yes, sir!” Rick said with enthusiasm.
Amy bit her lip, presumably to keep from protesting. Rex ushered Athena toward the stairs. “I hope you have a lot of white rope,” he murmured.
“Probably even enough for you.”
Rex glanced back from the turn in the stairs, and Athena surreptitiously watched him. She knew he would put the final touch on Amy’s punishment. “Oh, and Rick, you don’t need to be shy about expecting your own needs fulfilled. Amy assures me that she will do anything.”
Rick grinned, and bowed. Amy’s eyes were wide.
Athena stifled a chuckle as they climbed the rest of the stairs. “You are bad,” she murmured and shared a smile with Rex.
“You’re the one who said she needed discipline.”
* * *
Pathetic.
It was just pathetic.
No, she was pathetic.
Caitlyn didn’t have to force a smile when Zach’s black Jetta came around the corner and stopped in front of her apartment. Even with the dark tinted windows, she had no doubt it was him. Of course, he was right on time. He always did what he said he’d do. He was always reliable.
It was a little too easy to rely upon him.
No surprise that she wanted more than conversation with Luke’s best friend, but Caitlyn recognized a man of principle when she met one. She was off-limits, because she’d been his buddy’s girl—even though actually she hadn’t been.
What would Zach think if he told her the truth?
She’d have to tell him the whole truth, then he’d run like hell.
Caitlyn opened the door quickly and threw herself into the passenger seat, knowing Zach would have gotten out to open her door for her, even in the rain. He was still in the act of opening his own door and looked at her in surprise.
God, the man was sexy enough to bite. He’d obviously taken a shower in those moments before coming to get her, because his dark blond hair was still a bit damp. He must have shaved as well, and he smelled like soap and a very good cologne. He was dressed casually, which was one good thing. She’d seen him once in a suit and tie and nearly come on the spot.
“I would have gotten the door,” he said, a little edge of irritation in his voice that she knew would fuel her fantasies later.
“I know. And you would have gotten soaked.” Caitlyn smiled. “It’s already so nice of you to give up your sleep for me. I don’t want you to get a cold, too.”
“We’re both going to get wet at some point,” he said, matter-of-fact as ever and pulled away from the curb.
Caitlyn didn’t say that she was wet already. Just being in Zach’s car close beside him was enough to rile her up. Hell, hearing him answer the phone, knowing he was coming to meet her, knowing he was alive and somewhere in Seattle was enough to turn her on. She took a deep breath, liking the smell of him that filled the car. He was Mr. Clean. No cigarette or smoke smell. No garbage on the floor of the back seat of his car. No dirty hair or fingernails. Just Mr. Clean, Mr. Buff, Mr. Polite to a Fault. Mr. Restraint and the King of Self Control. He was the kind of guy Caitlyn had always wanted to meet and fall in love with.
He certainly was the kind of guy her mother would have liked her to fall in love with. Zach was quietly successful. She could tell by the expensive lines of that suit she’d seen that one day, and since then had noticed the quality in everything he owned or wore. He probably had millions secreted away—or if he didn’t, he would soon.
Zach, however, wasn’t the kind of guy who ever fell in love with Caitlyn. Nope, she drew the losers with a magnetic force that was staggering. It was a gift. The gorgeous losers hit on her in bars, they approached her in the street. They came out of the fucking woodwork, smelling of cigarettes and booze and cheap cologne, reeking of their own self-adoration. They were usually good-looking, they always worked out, they were invariably dangerous to know, and they were interested only in themselves. Women were accessories for their own pleasure.
Like Luke. He’d been perfectly typical—if a little more charming. She’d been determined after two dates to break it off—it had been hot and dangerous, but the kind of flame that sputtered fast. Then she’d met his best friend. Holy shit. Meeting Zach had been like being struck by lightning. Caitlyn known instantly that he was The One.
But he was a nice guy, and she was dating his buddy. Worse, she wasn’t one of those sleek blondes, turned out to perfection in designer clothes. Women who looked expensive and were a lot of trouble were just about as different from Caitlyn as possible—and it had to figure that they were Zach’s kind. He had a different one on his arm every time she saw him.
The crux of it was that the only way to see Zach again was to keep dating his loser buddy. On and on that relationship had gone. It might still be going on if Luke hadn’t died.
Well, if she and Luke hadn’t had that last fight.
Because Luke, for all his faults, hadn’t liked the discovery that he was a substitute for anybody else. The hot loser boys were all like that. They had ego and to spare. Caitlyn had been an idiot to tip her hand.
Not that she’d had a choice, really.
She stole a glance at Zach and he winked at her as he backed into a parking spot at the cafe they’d frequented since Luke’s death. It was just a friendly reassuring wink, a hey-pal wink, but it made her heart skip a beat all the same. Of course, he parallel parked perfectly, nailing it the first time with ease, while she would have had to give it three or four tries to even be close at getting it right.
Mr. Control.
The really big problem was that Caitlyn had a taste for sexual adventure. That’s what she got from the hot loser boys. They were always up for it, although there was a risk of everything going wrong. Caitlyn kind of liked the danger.
She might have told Zach about her feelings, but she was pretty sure he’d be disgusted by what she liked in the bedroom. Danger couldn’t be his gig. He’d probably lecture her about having a low self-worth. She didn’t have a low self-worth. She just liked being trussed up, being given what she wanted most while unable to do anything about it. She wanted to surrender completely to a guy she could trust totally.
Like Zach.
Caitlyn sighed and didn’t have to fake the tear she shed. The only way to keep seeing Zach now was to mourn Luke, which was a lie because she didn’t miss Luke at all. But telling Zach any of the truth—never mind all of it—would only ensure she never saw him again.
She sighed and felt shaky. She was relying on some stupid scheme to have the people at The Phoenix fulfill her fantasy, which was just about the most pathetic thing on the planet.
“You okay?” Zach asked with concern and she realized he was watching her. “We could go somewhere else, if you’d rather.”
/> Caitlyn looked out the window, her heart clenched tightly, and took a chance. “No, it’s fine. It’s just the rain.”
“Kind of a bummer,” he agreed then smiled at her. He reached into the backseat for an umbrella. “Let me get the door for you this time.”
“The rain’s not a bummer for me,” she said quickly. “It just really turns me on.” She wriggled a bit on the seat.
She felt his shock.
She saw his gaze flick to her butt.
She had a heartbeat to hope, then his eyes narrowed. “And that makes you miss Luke,” he said flatly. “I get it.”
Zach was out of the car immediately, leaving Caitlyn grimacing at her own stupidity. Any other guy—well, any of her typical loser dates—would have seen that as an invitation to jump her bones. She would have been in the backseat of the car by now, getting drilled hard and fast, instead of having Zach’s fingertips under her elbow and his umbrella sheltering her from the rain.
She shouldn’t have been so overt about it.
She should have known better.
But then, if she kissed him or made any kind of first move, he’d just think she was using him as a substitute. She had no idea how to appeal to man like Zach, which probably meant it couldn’t be done.
Didn’t it just figure that Luke had left her in a bind like this? Fucking people over had been just about his favorite thing to do, and that last time, he’d exceeded himself royally.
Caitlyn leaned a little bit against Zach as he escorted her to the cafe, and dared to dream a little dream about the people at The Phoenix.
They were her only hope.
She refused to make too much of the fact that she hadn’t heard a word in response to her application, other than the acknowledgement of receipt.
* * *
Amy couldn’t decide if she was in Heaven or Hell.
On the one hand, she was back inside The Phoenix. That had to count for something.
On the other, Rex had taken great pleasure in giving her a task that was impossible. She had to accomplish it to stay at The Phoenix, which was a lot like being taunted with her heart’s desire but knowing she’d never be able to claim it. She felt like a cursed princess in a fairy tale, given some insurmountable obstacle to prove her worth.