Binding Her to Him (Dupree Investigations Book 1)

by Tl Reeve

  The lights in the room dimmed, and a soft spot light illuminated the stage. Red satin curtains pulled back revealing a woman tied to a chair. What the hell have I gotten myself into? Her eyes were glued to the woman as she twisted against the bindings. Her eyes were heavy lidded like she’d been drugged. “What is this?” she whispered, more to herself than anyone in particular.

  “This? This is what everyone comes for,” another man said sliding into the booth on the opposite side of her blonde acquaintance. “Oscar Robles,” he said holding out his hand. “And you are?”

  “Bambi,” she said, taking his hand. “My parents are complete nature freaks.” She rolled her eyes when he gave her a skeptical look and released her hand. Thinking fast she added, “They are convinced I was conceived the morning they were getting busy and a deer walked right past them.”

  “Hmm,” Oscar said as his gaze wandered over her body.

  Kennedy clasped her hands together and squeezed them tight to keep from shivering in revulsion. Even though the Oscar was dressed better than yuppie and Lothario put together, he reminded her of the devil. She could feel it down to her toes. Not even his three-piece suit, perfectly quaffed hair and pencil beard could cover that up. Piercing grey eyes regarded her for a moment, and she swore her cover had been blown.

  “So….” She pointed to the stage with the girl who looked like she’d topple over at any moment.

  “Ah yes,” he smiled, exposing perfectly straight white teeth. “That’s our entertainment.”

  “Entertainment?”

  Yuppie looped an arm around her waist, forcing her to bite back a whimper at the contact. “We tell our stage helper what to do,” he said, pointing to the man who wore a mask as he walked out on stage. “And he does it.”

  Whoa. “Interesting,” she muttered. “And she likes it?”

  “Why wouldn’t she?” he asked.

  Oh, I don’t know, maybe because she’s so drugged out she can’t even keep her head up? “She doesn’t look too…”

  “All there?” Oscar finished for her. “Each girl is different, some like to relax before they get up on stage.” He shrugged.

  Kennedy shook her head. “I’m sorry, how do you know this?”

  Oscar smiled again. “I’m the owner.”

  Color her floored. The guy was either really stupid, or he had something planned for her and didn’t care what she knew. She voted for the latter. “She takes something and performs?”

  “Not something,” yuppie added in. “This.” He slid the small baggie toward her. Inside sat a small candy shaped pill. Twilight—had to be. “It relaxes our girls, gets them in the mood and makes us a killing.”

  “What is it?” she asked staring at the bag.

  “Twilight, baby,” Oscar said. “Want a hit? You might like it,” he said with a wiggle of his brows.

  Shit, if she said no, she was fucked. If she said yes, she’d be doubly fucked. Glancing up at the mouth of the VIP entrance, she caught a glimpse of Phoenix. Was she really going to do this? Ava died from this shit. The girl on stage getting ready to suck the guy’s cock looked ready to keel over as well. “What the hell. Bottoms up.”

  Pulling the pill out of the baggie, she put it on her tongue and closed her mouth. Instantly, it started to dissolve. All she could hope was that Phoenix saw her and would get her out of this situation. “So, what do you think?” Blondie took her hand guiding it into his lap. Kennedy turned and smiled.

  “Mmm,” she mumbled. Frantically trying to put the pill somewhere in her mouth where it wouldn’t completely disappear.

  “What the fuck, Bambi?” Phoenix asked, using the fake name she’d been given before getting to the club. “I take you out for a night on the town, and this is what you do?” Phoenix slammed his fist on table, drawing both men’s attention from her. It gave her precious seconds to pull the pill out of her mouth and press it into her palm for safe keeping.

  “Hey buddy, she’s with us,” Oscar said standing up.

  “She’s my fucking girlfriend,” Phee barked, trying to get to Kennedy.

  The amount of time the pill lay on her tongue had allowed some of the drug to seep into her system. The world around her became fuzzy, and her head felt light, as though it could fall off with the slightest touch. “Phoenix,” she stammered. “What are you doing here?” She shook her head trying to clear it. “I think I want to go home.”

  She tried to climb out of the booth, but she listed to the side. Around her, everything slowed down. She could hear Phoenix arguing with the two men who were in the booth with her, but she couldn’t move anymore. Whatever was in the drug, it was potent. She figured she’d only consumed less than a quarter of it, yet it felt like she took it all. Damnit, focus, she chided herself. But, the last few ounces of her strength were waning and she knew if she didn’t get out of there now, she’d never make it home.

  “Come on, girl.” She felt the warmth of Phoenix’s hand cover hers and gently tug her from where she sat. Scooping her up in his arms, she burrowed her face in his chest and breathed deep.

  “You can’t take her,” she heard one of the men say.

  “Watch me,” the deep rumble of Phee’s voice vibrated through her.

  Shifting her in his arms, he started walking. Kennedy took a deep breath and lifted her hand. “Got it. I did…the…job.” Each word she spoke took all of her strength.

  “You did good, baby. We’re going home now. No one will ever hurt you again.” She could hear some kind of emotion in his voice, but didn’t care.

  ****

  Phoenix sat at her bedside all night. Once he carried her from the club and made sure Eric bagged the pill crumbling in her hand, he took her back to his place, double time. Already cold and clammy to the touch, no one knew with a hundred percent certainty what would happen to Kennedy. He knew if anyone could pull out of this shit, it was her. Plus, he promised her partner he’d call 911 if something went wrong during the night.

  Glancing over at the clock, he rubbed his eyes. It was ten after seven in the morning. He’d drawn the heavy curtains over his windows to block out the light so she could sleep as long as she needed. He’d also made sure no one would fucking call the house either. He wanted no one disturbing her while she came off the drug.

  Phoenix ran his fingers through his shoulder length hair and blew out a breath of frustration. Kennedy had been incredibly brave and so fucking stupid at the same time. He promised himself he’d only give her ten minutes in the VIP section before he came looking for her. He’d waited five. Thank fuck too. Had he been a minute later, he’d have lost her.

  Standing at the entrance of the area, he’d watched her being pawed at by both men and she hadn’t even realized it. Like the girl on stage, Kennedy’s eyes had been glassy and unfocused. Her body completely relaxed, with her lips parted slightly. She’d succeeded in scarring the shit out of him.

  “Mmm, where am I?” He watched from the chair across from the bed as Kennedy stretched and looked around.

  “You’re at my place,” he said standing up. “Do you remember what happened last night?” he asked walking over to her.

  Rubbing her eyes with a grimace, Kennedy laid her hand against her forehead. “No,” her voice was raspy and sexy as hell.

  “You were drugged, but you managed to hold onto the evidence,” he said sitting down on the bed next to her.

  “I feel like I have a jackhammer pounding against my skull,” she whimpered.

  “Here.” Handing her two aspirin and a bottle of water, he helped her take the meds. “Go back to sleep and I’ll make us breakfast.”

  Kennedy nodded, lying back down. “Okay, sounds good.” Her eyes fluttered closed, and Phoenix couldn’t help himself. Leaning over her, he kissed her forehead and stared at her a moment more before leaving the room.

  Hopeful they were out of the woods, Phoenix made his way downstairs and headed for the kitchen. He figured he had a couple of more hours before Kennedy would wake up, and he w
anted to make a few phone calls. “It’s about time you came down.” Phoenix stopped dead in his tracks. Eric stood by the butcher block table. His hair was rumpled from lack of sleep and weariness filled his eyes.

  “Kennedy is fine. I told you I’d take care of her. You didn’t have to stay,” he said absently as he crossed the room to the fridge. Grabbing the jug of orange juice, he pulled it out and put it out on the counter. After pouring himself a glass, he offered some to Eric.

  “I didn’t stay. I went straight to the station and dropped off the evidence. By the time I got into bed it was almost three.” Scrubbing his face, he grabbed the glass from Phoenix and took a swallow. “I’d just fallen asleep when I got the call. We had another murder last night.”

  Shit. “Let me guess, blonde, petite, had rope marks on her wrists and legs?”

  “Yeah, how did you know?” Surprise filled Eric’s voice.

  “Fuck. Man. There was nothing I could do to rescue the girl on the stage. I couldn’t risk Kennedy. I had to grab my girl. Fuck!” Phoenix slammed the glass down on the table and paced.

  “You were cutting close as it is. Kennedy was the priority,” Eric said with ease. “I would have done the same.”

  “I’ll tell Kennedy when she wakes up again,” he replied, laying his hands on the table.

  “I think that’s a good idea.” Finishing off the juice, Eric put the glass in the sink. “I need some downtime. Call me if you need anything.” Slapping Phoenix on the back he walked over to the back door. “Remember man, there’s no way you could have prevented what happened. Horrible as it might sound, it’s the truth. Whatever is in that damn drug, it’s fast acting and there’s no way survive it. Kennedy got lucky.”

  “Yeah man, I know. Thanks.” Hearing just how close he came to losing the girl of his dreams brought home how much he wanted her. The click of the backdoor closing signaled Eric’s departure, and he decided maybe breakfast could wait.

  Phoenix headed back upstairs and stood at the door to his room. For long moments he watched Kennedy sleep, warring with himself. On one hand he wanted to climb into bed with her, hold her tight and not let her go. On the other hand, he wanted to give her space so she could come to him. Fuck it. He threw caution to the wind. Maybe it was the lack of sleep or maybe he just didn’t care anymore, he needed to be close to her. He wanted to feel her lithe body press against his while he held her. He wanted to wake up next to her and slowly make love to her. And they would too. He was sure of it.

  After taking off his clothes, he slipped into bed and pulled her warm body next to his. Kennedy instantly relaxed and snuggled down. The soft hum of contentment that passed her lips had him rock hard immediately. Swallowing hard, he tried to think of other things. But all thoughts came back to Kennedy and how much he needed her and how much she really needed him. “Sleep now, baby. Because by the time you wake up, your life is going to change forever.”

  Chapter Eight

  She awoke in a pitch dark room, not sure if it was day or night and with no knowledge of how she got there or when. Kennedy tried to process the last several hours…days? Shit, she didn’t know. Cocooned in the blanket of warmth surrounding her, she wanted to drift off and forget about everything. Wiggling farther down into the comfort of the bed cushioning her, Kennedy felt the hard press of a body behind her. She wiggled again. Wasn’t she at home?

  “If you don’t stop doing that, Kennedy, I won’t be responsible for what happens in this bed.” Phee. Holy shit. What the fuck happened to me, and how the fuck did I get here?

  “Um?” Her heart hammered. Her hands fisted in the sheets. She tried to remember how she got there. “I’m naked.”

  “Yes, you are. I took your dress off,” he answered, as if it was nothing for her to be naked in bed with him.

  Closing her eyes, she pursed her lips and reached under the covers. Her hand came in contact with warm skin. His chiseled to perfection chest formed two perfect pectoral disks, accented with small pebbled nipples. Farther down she counted six defined abdominal muscles. His rough grunt had her hand stilling for a moment. You have to know, Kennedy. You can do this. With a slight whimper she went lower. There just at his navel rested his erection. The crest slick with precum. “You’re naked too!” Quicker than she thought she’d be able to muster, she climbed out of bed. “Did we…Are we…” she squeaked, turning away from him when he rolled out of bed and crossed the room.

  “No, we didn’t. This is how I sleep. I figured you’d sleep the same way.” He laid his hand on her shoulder forcing her to face him. “You know this thing between us,” he murmured motioning between them, “isn’t just a fluke, Kennedy.”

  Wrong. So damn wrong. It is a fluke. It’s a disaster of epic proportions waiting to happen. “Phee we both know this isn’t good. We just don’t fit the same anymore.” Her gaze locked with his, and she could see the desire for her burning brightly in his dark brown eyes. Arousal sparked between them in an instant. Hot, fast and all consuming. She could deny it all she wanted too, but it’d always been there.

  Kennedy’s nipples puckered into hard beads. Her pussy ached, growing wetter with each passing second. Dear Lord I’ve barely even touched the man, and I want him more than I want my next breath. “We should just go our separate ways, Phoenix.” Even to her, her words sounded breathy and uncertain.

  “Your mouth is saying one thing, but your body is saying something else, sweetheart,” he crooned, his hand cupping her nape. His teeth caught his full bottom lip as he stood there regarding her. “What do I have to do to shut that mind of yours down?” Head bent, his lips brushed against hers. The zing of awareness shooting through her body startled her. Despite her denial, her anger and pain at his rejection, she wanted him with her next breath.

  “I should hate you.”

  “I know, baby. I know,” he whispered, stepping closer to her, effectively backing her up to the wall.

  “I really do hate you,” she sobbed. His hands caressed her flesh, and a ragged cry left her lips. “You broke my heart, Phee.”

  “I know I did. Now let me mend it, Kennedy. Let me love you like I should have all those years ago.” Without another word, he lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, the thick stalk of his cock pressing against the v of her thighs and rubbing deliciously against her clit and slit. Kennedy bit back a moan. She shouldn’t be letting him take her to bed, because she knew if he made love to her right now, she’d be lost to him forever.

  “Phee, no. I can’t.” Her lame attempt to stop him fell on deaf ears. “Come on Phee, you know I’m not the girl for you. We shouldn’t. You deserve better.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Kennedy,” he stated, setting her feet down on the floor. He pulled back the curtain, and the soft early morning glow filled the room, making it easy to adjust to the light. “Look at me, baby. Look in my eyes. I know you see it. I know you see just how much I want you. How much I missed you. How much of an asshole I was to leave you all those years ago. I need your forgiveness. I need your love.” Taking her mouth with his, Phoenix’s hands framed Kennedy’s face, holding her reverently while coaxing her open for him. Running his tongue along the seam of her lips, he gently guided her until she relented and he deepened the kiss.

  Phoenix moaned. Sucking in a breath, his arms dropped to her ass fitting her to him. Kennedy whimpered, grinding against him. What started out as a sensual kiss quickly became all consuming. She feasted on him, sipping at his lips while he toyed and teased her senses, lulling her into his secure embrace. “I still think this is a bad idea,” she panted, shuddering in his arms.

  “Stop thinking.” He smiled against her mouth.

  He nipped at her, playfully sucking her bottom lip into his mouth before devouring her once more. Slowly he pushed her backwards until the backs of her knees hit his bed and they were toppling over. Phoenix caught himself, so not to hurt her. “I’ll show you how much you still love me.”

  Kennedy gave a shaky nod, her gaze still l
ocked on the harsh angels of his face in the low light of the room. She could see the leashed power caged just beneath the surface. “What if I want more,” she asked, in a soft voice.

  “We’ll get there,” he assured her sliding her to the center of the bed. “Just let me take care of you.” Kissing her again, his hand slid down her body and palmed her sex. “Fuck you’re so wet.” She could hear the wonder in his words. Desire pooled deep within her belly, causing her clit to pulse with need. He reached into the bedside table and took out a bundle of rope, then closed the drawer.

  With slow meticulous precision, he tied her hands together, then raised them over her head before tying them to his wrought iron headboard. Adrenaline spiked in her system, twining with desire. Bound and at his mercy, she ached for him. She needed this. Needed the surrender, the ability to let go and allow him to care for her.

  “Please, Phoenix,” she hissed arching her hips into his hand.

  “Lay back and relax.”

  Easy for him to say. She felt like a drop of nitroglycerin about to hit the ground. Anticipation coiled deep inside her, tempting her, drawing her out of the fortress she built around her heart and mind. It appealed to all of her senses to let go and do as Phoenix asked; give over to him. But how did she know if she gave over once more, he’d continue to be there for her? His words rang clear in her mind; Let me love you like I should have all those years ago…Yes! Her body screamed for her to give over to him, take what he was willing to provide her.

  Gasping, she strained against the bindings, desperate to hold him in place when his tongue swirled around her nipple. Wet heat encased the hard bead and she squirmed under him. Her back bowed off the bed, offering up her body to him for his pleasure as well as hers. And all the while his hand hadn’t done anything to her pussy. He was content to hold her there, keeping her on edge and guessing what he might do next.

  Phoenix sucked her nipple into his mouth, and Kennedy saw stars. Her pussy clenched. Without thinking twice, he took her right to the pinnacle of her climax and backed off, driving her up the wall. As he moved to the neglected nipple, he inserted one finger into her wet cunt and wiggled it. Her head fell back into the pillows. Her mouth fell open in a silent scream and her legs squeezed his hand for all she was worth. It was too much, but not enough all at the same time.