Sin
Page 12
I shook my head. “He seems so unassuming in person. You’d never know how deadly he can be.”
Ian gave her a wry look. “Don’t we all? The kid was training with one of the best agents at that time. Leo is now known as Noah Blake. Noah was trained by Libra, also known as Rafe DeMarco.”
I sat up fast. “Holy shit! Rafe DeMarco is Libra? The one I’ve heard all the stories about?”
Ian chuckled. “The one and only.”
“So what do they have to do with Matthias? They’re a little older so they wouldn’t have been in his training class, right?”
“No. But Leo took Perseus under his wing after the kid got him out of some scrape or another. Trained him in hand-to-hand and kept him away from the others. Protected him as he grew and his skills increased. No matter how well-trained, Perseus was still a teenager at that time. If some of the other agents had wanted to take him out, they probably could have. A teen boy against grown men? It could have been bad, but Leo kept him safe.”
It was hardly the point of the story, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Matthias being at the mercy of older, hardened agents. I owed Noah Blake a debt of gratitude for playing the big brother when Matthias needed one.
“One day, there was all this chatter about how Leo had requested a meeting with Orion. Back in those days, you didn’t just request a meeting with the leader lightly. The old Orion was a paranoid son of a bitch and usually kept his location a secret. But the next day we all found out that Leo and Perseus were gone; out of ORUS and their status changed to Deactivated.”
“Deactivated?” I wrinkled my nose. “I’ve never even seen that status before.”
“Exactly.” Ian’s eyes gleamed. “That’s because the only two statuses ORUS used for decades were Active and Terminated. No one got out. Not unless they were in a body bag.”
Suddenly he got serious, his facial expression hardening. Ian leaned forward, his eyes holding hers. “It’s much the same with the Family. But then again, I think you already know that.”
I was suddenly so tired. “What do I do?”
“If we can get you back in, you have to complete this mission. Do you understand? Bringing Perseus to us is the only way you can save him. The Family won’t stop until they think he’s dead.”
There was a fervor in his voice that made me uncomfortable. I had to wonder whether Ian had more riding on this mission than he’d told me. Or if there was more going on than it appeared.
He stood and walked into the attached kitchen. I heard the water running in the sink and the sound of the refrigerator opening. Normal, everyday sounds playing in the background as I thought of how to save two lives. Sabine was counting on me but I couldn’t betray Matthias either.
Finally, I raised my head to see Ian watching me from across the room. It wasn’t pity on his face. I doubted he was still capable of experiencing that emotion, or any emotion at all. But he did look disturbed.
“This girl must be some friend.” He said it like the notion of having a friend was unfamiliar.
“I made her a promise. I can’t just leave her. I need to get to Father.”
Ian’s lips tightened. “Do you think Matthias knows who you work for?”
I shook my head. “I think he was just in shock that it was me. He kept saying ‘who sent you?’ but if he’d really thought I was on a mission, I doubt he’d have left me there without alerting anyone else.”
“Well then, your cover hasn’t actually been blown, has it? As far as he knows, you’re just an old friend come out of the blue. Coincidences happen. Make it count.”
I thought of how my life had come full circle. Snatched from my bed as a child by monsters, protected by a boy who owed me nothing. Now the only thing standing between me and saving my friend was the boy I owed my life to. “There’s no such thing as coincidence.”
Ian shrugged. “Maybe not. But you’re here and possibly the only one who can get through to him. Go back in. You could be saving his life by bringing him back into ORUS.”
I stood. “I doubt he’ll see it that way.” It was already a bitter pill; imagining the look on Matthias’s face when he realized I’d double-crossed him.
“Does it matter? He’ll be alive. We’re the only ones who can really protect him. And then he can help us get Father.”
I only hoped that he’d one day understand what I’d done. Because losing him twice in one lifetime wasn’t something I could survive.
Matthias
I took a small sip of coffee, grimacing at the taste. I usually took my coffee black, but this was on another level, like death in a cup. But at least I was more alert.
I was inside a sex club and I was pretty sure I didn’t want to be here. I’d seen plenty of sex. But Rafe had insisted what I had seen growing up had been about power, control and abuse. He’d said what happened here was about nothing but pleasure.
There was a part of me that wanted to bail, to run, to block it out. There was another part of me that was sure I’d be numb, like always and not feel anything.
And then there was the part of me that was…curious. I wanted to see if what I’d felt with Gemma was a feeling I could conjure up anywhere else. I wanted to know if it was possible I wasn’t completely dead inside. If the desire wasn’t a fluke.
Also…if it wasn’t a fluke, maybe I needed to learn what the fuck I was doing.
“I can’t believe people actually do this stuff. And that they don’t mind people watching.” I glanced to my left. I was sitting in a booth on the main floor of the club. Narrow walkways wound between the booths so the girls dancing on the main stage could come closer and perform if they wanted.
A brunette with wild, dark curls sashayed down the walkway next to my booth, pausing to bend over and touch her toes, peeking at me from between her legs. I choked on the sip of coffee I’d just taken, gasping as some of it went up my nose. Rafe patted me on the back, but his hand was so heavy it felt like I was being beaten.
I sucked in a breath and held up my hand to ward off any more ‘helpful’ blows from Rafe. “I’m good, mate. Thanks.”
Rafe chuckled. “I think she’s flirting with you.”
I looked over and watched as the brunette wrapped herself around the pole at the edge of the stage and then did an inverted move so that she could watch me upside down as she spun around the pole.
I could feel myself blushing from head to toe. “She’d just be disappointed.”
Rafe leaned forward, and my fingers curled around the coffee I’d been nursing for the past hour. “I know it looks intimidating. But sex is about a lot more than body parts.”
“I bet knowing how to work the parts helps though, huh?” I thought about my humiliating experience with Gemma and sighed. I didn’t even know how to keep control long enough to actually have sex. I’d come too fast, before we’d even gotten anywhere.
Rafe chuckled. “Believe it or not kid, knowing the anatomy is the easy part. Hell, with your brain we could just have you memorize a fucking medical textbook overnight and you’d be good to go on that.”
I decided not to mention that I’d already read the standard textbooks used at Harvard Medical School a few years ago.
“But the mechanics aren’t where most guys go wrong. It’s the emotions. The connection. For years, I slept with random women; most had no clue who I really was. I thought that was the safest thing. No one could get hurt. But sex with someone after you actually give a fuck is way better.” Rafe took a sip of his drink and then checked his watch. “Actually, we should move this along a little.”
I was disappointed. We hadn’t been here very long. Rafe’s fiancée had come with us but very thoughtfully left us alone to talk. I appreciated that. It was humiliating enough to talk about this stuff in front of the guys. But if I had a girl waiting who looked at me the way Diana looked at Rafe, I wouldn’t want to waste my night taking some sex-illiterate kid around a sex club either.
“It’s okay, mate. We can go.”
&nb
sp; “We’re not going anywhere except into the public viewing area. You thought I was ditching you that fast?”
I glanced behind us. “Isn’t Diana waiting for you?”
Rafe chuckled. “Believe me she’s enjoying herself right now. Probably too much.”
“Still, I’m sure you have better things to do,” I trailed off miserably.
Rafe raised his eyebrows. “And I thought I had trust issues. Come on.” He slapped some money on the table and then motioned with his head for me to follow.
We slid out of the booth and then walked next to the stage as we crossed the room. I had the urge to lower my eyes, as if I were being disrespectful to ogle them, but then I remembered this was why we were here. They wanted to be seen. It was oddly freeing.
The girl I’d seen earlier wiggled her fingers at me as we passed, and I smiled nervously. She was gorgeous with small, petite features and full, bouncy breasts that moved tantalizingly as she walked. But she also reminded me of Lucia a bit, which made me feel disloyal immediately. So I kept walking.
Another girl danced at the end of the stage, and her almost-black hair and long, lithe body immediately made me think of Gemma. And what do you know?
Hello instant boner.
“Jesus,” I whispered, walking faster until we were out of the main lounge area and in a dark hallway.
“These are the public viewing rooms,” Rafe said, motioning to the various windows that were visible. “They know they’re being watched. They get off on it. Each window has something different. Take a look. I’ll be out front getting another drink while you… browse.” He smirked and then walked off.
I was intensely thankful that I’d been left alone for this part. I definitely didn’t need another bloke with me as I watched this stuff. It was embarrassing enough.
I approached the first window cautiously. Based on what I’d passed just coming in, anything could be waiting behind that glass. When it became obvious what the people, the many people, behind the glass were doing, I backed away slowly. It was intimidating enough to watch two people having sex; I wasn’t ready to watch an entire group going at it.
I shook my head and then walked on. The next room was decorated to look like a doctor’s office. A man wearing a white coat had a woman bent over a gurney, plowing into her from behind. From her soft whimpers, he wasn’t being gentle about it either. My protective instincts raised up. It was difficult for me to watch any woman in distress, but Rafe had stressed to me before we entered that everyone in this club was screened carefully and was engaging in consensual play. As I watched closer, the woman’s face broke into a smile of satisfaction as she shivered in delight.
Okay, so she was enjoying herself. It might not be to my taste but as long as they were both cool with it. I walked to the next window. Each one was decorated to mimic a particular fantasy. There was a police interrogation room, an office with a desk and printer, and even a kitchen. Did people have chef fantasies? It was all a bit strange to me; mildly arousing, but strange. Was this what women liked? Games and fantasy?
Then I walked to the last window. For a moment, I was confused. Most of the other rooms had been decorated so carefully but this one was just done like a standard bedroom. It was dark, save for the golden light spilling from the lamp on the night table. A couple writhed on the bed.
The man was holding the woman down and licking between her legs as she moaned lustily.
I paused, every cell in my body instantly on fire.
My eyes tracked how the man touched her, his hands running over her thighs and calves gently as he pleasured her with his mouth. Every few seconds, he glanced up at her as if checking on her welfare, and the woman tangled her hands in his hair, encouraging him with soft caresses.
God, the way they looked at each other. I could feel the love between them even from outside the room.
Instantly, I stepped back. Even though these rooms were for public viewing, what was going on in there seemed too intimate, too precious to be shared with just anyone. But like a moth to flame, I was drawn back to the window when I saw the man move back, wiping his mouth on the bed linens before kissing up the slight curve of the woman’s belly and then over her breasts. She wasn’t as big up top as the girls on the stage, but the man didn’t seem to care. His big hands cupped her breasts gently, lavishing kisses on both before he settled on top of her.
With a happy giggle, the woman accepted his weight, wrapping her legs around his waist, tilting her face up for a kiss. I practically had my nose to the glass, desperate to see what happened next. The woman looked so happy, so loved. This man clearly knew what he was doing.
As they kissed, their lips never separating for even a moment, the man lifted up and reached between them. By the way his arm moved I figured he was stroking her clitoris. I knew that much from all my reading. Sure enough, the woman only broke the kiss to scream in pleasure. Then the man lowered himself and thrust hard.
I spun around, my heart beating fast, my dick hard enough to drive nails with. Walking quickly, I passed all the other windows until I emerged into the main lounge again, the noise and music hitting me from all angles after the quiet intimacy I’d just witnessed.
Then I skidded to a halt.
Rafe was sitting in the same booth with Diana straddling his lap. Her long, blond hair flowed over her back as she kissed him, the way their bodies rocked indicating what was happening below the table.
Shit. I thrust a hand through my hair. I definitely didn’t want to interrupt, but I wasn’t sure I could handle walking down the hall of fantasies again either. In theory, it sounded like a good idea, bring the virgin kid to a sex club and show him how it’s done. But in a way it was like taking a diabetic to a candy shop. I could watch other people make love a million different ways and still be just as lost in the weeds.
Because I had no idea how to get from point A to where Rafe and Diana were currently wrapped around each other. And that was what I wanted.
Rafe finally noticed me standing awkwardly in the middle of the lounge. He patted Diana affectionately on the rump and murmured something that made her go stiff as a board.
Despite all the naked girls dancing a few feet away, Rafe’s eyes never strayed from Diana. The sight made me chuckle. That was surely love. The man was surrounded by naked, sexy women and all he was interested in was the woman on his lap.
“All right, kid?” Oskar appeared at my elbow. His blond hair was askew and he looked like he’d buttoned his shirt in a hurry.
“Where were…?” I realized that was probably the wrong question to ask in the middle of a sex club. “Uh, hey. Ready to go?”
“In a bit. I see Rafe is still wrapped around his future ball and chain.” Oskar winced. “Better him than me. I’m never letting a chick tie me down. Let me go settle the bill.”
I grunted an acknowledgement, but my thoughts went back to the couple in the dark bedroom.
If that was what it meant to be chained, I’d welcome being tied down.
I screwed up with Gemma, and I needed to track her down. If for nothing else than to get some answers. And I had to figure out practical application, but I wasn’t going to learn that here. First things first: find Gemma. And given how things had ended, that might be easier said than done.
15
Matthias
The ride back to the penthouse was awkward.
Rafe and Diana were practically clawing all over each other. It was one of the few times Rafe had used a driver, so I chose to ride shotgun instead of being stuck in the back with those two.
To be fair, they weren’t nearly as bad as Noah and Lucia, but I knew exactly what they’d be getting up to the moment they hit the penthouse. Oskar, surprise, surprise, had chosen to stay, which was… whatever.
I, on the other hand, needed to go to bed. I was feeling edgy and needed to process everything that had happened over the past day.
A good night’s sleep would do wonders. That’s if you think you can sleep.
As we walked the short path from the car to the main building, I searched my surroundings. It was instinct. I knew Rafe was doing the same thing because instead of draping herself all over him, Diana was walking straight, her eyes shifting around as well.
I always found it interesting that she’d come after Rafe. And she’d managed to get past his defenses. Which, given who the hell Rafe was, was an anomaly. Of all the men whom I’d worked with since joining ORUS, Rafe was the outlier. He was like some kind of legend in the organization. But still, the beautiful blond with the killer eyes managed to slip past his lifetime of trusting no one.
A woman could do that to you.
Could that happen to me?
I had to figure out what the hell I was going to do about Gemma and about almost sleeping with her. And I still hadn’t told Noah or Rafe about my suspicions concerning the Family. Like everything else, I needed to process that and come to my own conclusion before I brought it to Noah’s attention. Liar.
Yes, there was a part of me that didn’t want to add one last thing to the pile of shit. But that was because I was trying to keep everyone safe.
As expected, the moment they hit the penthouse, Rafe and Diana were giggling and pretty much running down to their room. Considering everything that had happened with the break-in, Noah had them all on premises again for safety. Hell, Rafe could barely wait. He just picked Diana up and tossed her over his shoulder caveman style. I shoved down the pang of envy.
As I scrubbed a hand through my hair, I headed down the hall and made a left toward my room. The moment I crossed the threshold I stopped short.
Gemma stood up from my bed. “I didn’t think you were coming back.”
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
She held up her hands as if to say she came in peace. “Dylan, he um, let me out yesterday. And also he let me back in. It’s a long story. Nice guy.”