Twelve For Two Hundred (Men of the Vault Book 1)

by Aria Grace

  Edge is back.

  And he’s finally at my door.

  “Hi.” I instantly regret saying anything. I know better than to speak before I’m spoken to. But he’s just standing there, holding the door open. Does he want me to come out? Does he want to help me get locked in?

  The strange standoff seems to last for several minutes before he takes a step back, pulling the door wide as he moves. “Let’s go.”

  “Okay.” I step out and around him, still unsure if he’s taking me to a room or if he has something else in mind. “Where are we going?”

  His eyes narrow, and his expression turns even harder. “What room do you have for the night?”

  “Six.” We’re assigned private rooms based on who is expected to be in and what their needs might be. Six is a general playroom without any of the more extreme bondage tools. “Is that okay?”

  Edge doesn’t speak, but his hand wraps around my bicep as he gently tugs me toward room six. As soon as we’re inside, he gives me a small shove toward the bed. “Kneel on top. Keep your eyes lowered.”

  Without hesitation, I climb onto the center of the bed and rest my ass on my heels with my palms upright on my thighs.

  “Knees apart.” Edge’s voice is quiet, but that doesn’t make his words any less threatening. The command is simple and expected but still sends a line of shivers racing up my spine.

  Edge stands directly in front of me, still fully dressed and showing no signs of changing that. Even with my eyes now level with his waist, I can see the large bulge behind his zipper. It’s almost comical how different he is from the man who just left this room. I stop myself from smiling at the comparison but not before Edge catches the twitch in my cheeks.

  “Something funny?”

  I shake my head at the same time as I say, “No, sir.”

  He takes several steps around the side of the bed so he’s looking at my right side and back. I don’t dare look up to see what he’s focused on, but after a minute, he circles back to my left side.

  From the corner of my eye, I see him squat down so he’s eye level with my tattoo. My new tattoo. Thank god it’s healed enough for me to leave it exposed. I can almost feel his gaze tracing every line of my new dragon, but when he reaches out and drags a finger from the dragon’s mouth and along the flames, my dick bounces two inches in the air, and I gasp at the touch.

  “Sorry,” I whisper, more interested in saving the moment by not seeming terrified than of not breaking the rule about speaking first.

  “Did you come yet?”

  I glance at my cock, confused by the question. There is a small bead of precome at the tip, but it should be obvious that I haven’t. “No, sir. Just twitched a bit.”

  He circles back to the foot of the bed, standing right in front of me with every stitch of clothing still on his body. “Earlier. With your first john. Did you come?”

  “Oh, no. I usually don’t, sir.”

  Edge folds his arms over his chest and spreads his legs wide. “Look at me.”

  My eyes are immediately drawn to his, locking with those hazel orbs as my dick twitches once again.

  “Stroke yourself.” His gaze doesn’t wander as I wrap my hand around my cock and give it a nice pull from the tip to the base then back up.

  Instinctively, I look down to watch the action, but a strong finger slides under my chin and lifts it back up. “Look at me while you do it. Don’t look away, even when you come.”

  9

  Edge

  Every muscle in my body is bound tight, aching to move toward Liam so I can feel him under me. I want to roll him onto his back and fuck him hard until he comes without needing any stimulation on his cock at all. But I can’t allow myself that pleasure. Until I know what his game is, I won’t touch him. Not in that way.

  If Tanner is right about Liam wanting to get away from his family, he could be the vehicle I’ve been waiting for to get to Joseph. But if it turns out Tanner’s wrong, I don’t want to get caught with my pants down. Literally or figuratively.

  Tonight, I’ll control the scene by controlling the man.

  “Do you like that?” My voice is almost a growl, and his eyes get bigger as he inhales deeply.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Normally, I like the sound of that word coming from a lover’s lips, but something doesn’t feel right about it with Liam. “Sir? Is that what you call the others?”

  “Yes.” He looks up at me with questioning eyes. “Is that okay?”

  My eyes don’t stray from his as I shake my head twice. “No. You’ll call me Edge.”

  His insecurity is obvious as he questions my disappointment. Truthfully, I’m not disappointed in him at all. It’s my own fucking interest in this kid that has me disappointed in myself. “Yes, Edge.”

  A chill runs down my spine as he pants out my name. It sounds way better than it should. I spare a quick glance at his pulsing cock and can’t stop a small smile from tugging at my lip. “Do you need any lube?”

  As if he can read my mind, his open palm rolls over his head, collecting the puddle forming there, and he uses it to lube up the rest of his shaft.

  “Good boy,” I whisper, not wanting to praise him but unable to stop myself. “Do you need more stimulation than that?”

  “Like what?” If his hooded gaze wasn’t completely transparent, his needy breaths would give away his desperation. “I’ll take anything you want to give.”

  “Not from me.” I hold my hands up and away from my sides then clasp them behind my back. “But if there’s something else you need to come, you may ask for it.”

  The disappointment in his eyes is not lost on me. Sympathy tugs on my chest enough to almost make me give in and reach for him, offering him the touch we both clearly want.

  But I’m not going to do it.

  Not yet.

  Hopefully, not ever.

  “I think I’m close,” he says quietly, slipping his hand under his balls to massage them.

  My eyes lock on his as I nod once. “Come for me, Liam.”

  His chest quakes as his hand slowly bobs up and down his length. When his teeth clamp down on his lower lip and his eyes drift shut, I know he’s there. I’m torn between watching his cock explode and keep my sights focused on the beautiful expressions across his face. It’s not an easy decision, but even if I want to enjoy the full show, I can’t take my eyes off the content look on his face.

  And then Liam smiles.

  He looks up at me with adoring eyes, and I realize what a fucking dick I’m being. He’s expecting positive reinforcement, but I know better than to give it to him. I need to stay sharp and not let myself get caught up in those fucking eyes.

  I’ve got to get out of here. My gaze hardens as I give him a final once-over, forcing myself to keep any emotion out of my voice. “Get yourself cleaned up.”

  That’s all I give him before I turn on my heel and walk out of the room, dropping a few hundred dollars in cash on the ground behind me as I go. Tanner catches my eye just before I reach the exit, but I don’t even acknowledge him. I just need to get the hell out of here and away from the man who could so easily have been sent here to kill me.

  As soon as I get home, I put together a plan for what I need to do next. My primary business runs itself, only needing my intervention when meetings with the highest profile clients are scheduled. I have trusted partners who won’t require me in person for at least a few weeks.

  I can hardly sleep as various scenarios play out in my mind. There are so many ways in which things can go very badly for me and everyone I care about, including Tanner and his boys. But if Liam has been embedded in The Vault to get to me or Tanner, I will know about it very soon.

  Despite being up all night, I wait until morning to call Tanner. As expected, he doesn’t love my idea when I run it past him, but he cares enough to indulge me. And he knows I’m not going to stop searching until I know for sure what Liam’s agenda is. So, without too much convincing, he relu
ctantly agrees to give me full access to Liam—inside the club and out.

  Nothing happens for the next few days. I watch the surveillance feeds from my office, only going into The Vault on Wednesday night after I notice Liam taking a double shift. That’s unusual for newcomers, so my curiosity gets the better of me. I want to know why he’s willing to go twice when there isn’t any obvious reason.

  Tanner points me in the right direction, and I wait outside the door of the room Liam is in. When it finally opens, an older man with a huge suitcase comes out. The man smiles and tips his head in my direction as if we’re passing each other in a train station. When Liam doesn’t follow him out, I step into the room, not completely convinced he wasn’t chopped up to bits and stuffed inside that ridiculous suitcase.

  His robe-covered back is facing me, and he’s pulling the sheets off the bed. I know Tanner doesn’t require the guys to clean up after themselves, so I’m surprised he is. “Liam.”

  Liam’s back stiffens for a moment before he moves even faster to complete his task. “I’m done for tonight. Sorry.”

  “Why are you cleaning up?” I take a few steps closer to him but he raises his hand.

  “Please don’t come any closer. I need a shower and…just please don’t.” The hitch in his voice erases all the warning bells going off in my head since I first saw him.

  “What’s wrong?” Ignoring his request, I close the distance between us and spin him around by his arm. Liam tries to tighten his robe around his waist, but he doesn’t get to it fast enough. Before he can hide beneath the thick terry cloth, I see a wet diaper wrapped around his waist. I don’t know what to say. It’s certainly not what I was expecting. “Oh.”

  Liam drops his chin to his chest and pulls away from me. “I need to go.”

  I’m not sure if I should laugh or feel sorry for the fact that his last client had a diaper kink. But he seems physically okay, so I don’t stop him as he throws the soiled sheets into the corner and scurries out of the room.

  The following day, when Liam gets a ride into town with a few of the other guys, Tanner turns on the tracking device in the phone Liam is using and gives me a call.

  I’m immediately on the road, following them to the nearest mall. Five guys pile out of the SUV and go to the main entrance as a group. I give them a five-minute head start then I climb out of my car and watch from afar.

  For the first two hours, they act like typical guys, spending their free time any way they want. They do some shopping and eating before they begin to pair off into smaller groups. A couple guys settle in at the coffee shop for people watching, and two others head to the arcade. But Liam goes in the other direction.

  Once he’s on the other side of the mall, he slips out the door and into the back of a waiting cab. My belly is in knots as I follow the cab into town. He could be going anywhere, to meet anyone. Maybe this is when I finally come face-to-face with my sworn enemy.

  Is Joseph Nicola waiting for me the way I’ve been waiting for him for so many years? Is he seeking revenge for his brother’s death in the same way I’m seeking it for mine?

  I’ve almost convinced myself this is the beginning of the end when the cab pulls over in front of the public library. I drive past and pull into the parking lot, not drawing any attention to myself as Liam climbs out of the car and walks right into the library.

  As soon as he’s out of sight, I pull up my hood and put on my sunglasses, hoping not to be seen by whoever Liam is meeting with. The library isn’t huge, so it doesn’t take long for me to spot him at one of the public computers. His back is facing me so I slide onto a chair with a newspaper and pretend to read it while watching to see who’s watching him.

  Because Liam is still fairly new at The Vault, he might have a nice little savings of tip money but probably not enough to buy his own computer yet. My question is more about who the fuck he’s talking to and what the hell he’s doing on that computer. Even more importantly, does it have anything to do with me?

  Liam only spends about ten minutes at the computer before standing up and rushing out of the library. I can’t tell what he was doing, but he is definitely upset as he walks outside in search of another cab to get him back to his friends.

  Instead of following him into the mall again, I park and watch the main entrance until the small group files out thirty minutes later. I could stay with them to make sure he gets back to the compound without any more detours, but it’s getting late, and they all have to work tonight. I don’t expect any stops along the way.

  So, I head home to get ready. Because, although he won’t know it, I’ll be watching everything Liam does with his clients from this point forward. It might be an invasion of his privacy, but Tanner never promises privacy to any of his boys. In fact, they all know the cameras are being monitored in all rooms at all times for their safety. And even though Tanner seems confident that Liam has no ill intentions, he didn’t hesitate to allow me access to Liam’s feeds. He knows I need to find out for myself what really brought Liam Nicola back to Nevada.

  “Rainier speaking.”

  The casual voice of one of my oldest friends fills the cab of my SUV. “Hey, man. It’s Edge.”

  “My man. I thought you were dead.”

  “That’s the way I like it.” I chuckle at his comforting dramatics. He’s always been a smartass. “But I need some help.”

  “Of course you do.” He sighs dramatically. “Between you and Tanner, the only time I ever get a call is when you need me to do something for you.”

  “Yeah, yeah. You need some cheese with that whine? Maybe I’ll come over with some popcorn and we can watch movies on the couch and talk about our feelings. Would that make you feel better?” It’s nice to be myself with Rainier. He’s known me long enough not to require polite banter or professionalism. I can be a dick, and he doesn’t ever take it personally. Which is good, because I’m usually a dick.

  “Perfect!” His voice gets screechy like a teenage girl. “Can we paint toenails too?”

  “Anywaaaay,” I say, dragging out the word. “Do you have access to the public computers at the library?”

  “Yeah, of course.” He grunts as if the question is ridiculous. “Why? You trying to put your name at the top of the list to borrow Fifty Shades? Hoping to learn a trick or two.”

  “Read it. I coulda done a better job writing it. Are you done yet?”

  He chuckles. “Yeah, fine. What do you need from the library?”

  “Can you pull up the logs for the past few hours? I’m looking for any kind of messages, files, photos, etcetera that could have anything to do with me or that seem encrypted.”

  “I’m intrigued,” Rainier says with a ridiculous French accent.

  I love this guy, but the dude needs to get out more often. The shit he does to entertain himself is just embarrassing.

  “Can you narrow down the timeframe down to a smaller window? There are a lot of computers, which means a lot of shit to go through.”

  “I’m looking for a session that was less than twenty minutes long.” I glance at my watch and work backward. “It started sometime after two and was over by three, so maybe just that one hour.”

  I hear the tapping of Rainier’s keyboard in the background and his little musings as he chatters to himself. Several minutes pass before he finally speaks directly to me.

  “All right. I have something that matches your description.” He goes silent, as if setting up a dramatic pause.

  “Well, what the hell is it?” My foot taps the floor in an uncharacteristic display of anxiety. I pride myself on maintaining control of my body at all times, so this fidgeting shit is unacceptable.

  “Hmm.” I can hear the cogs turning in Rainier’s head from over the line. That guy is always thinking. “Not sure. It’s just a draft message saved in an email account. Seems relatively innocent, but I feel like that’s intentional. I’m sending it to you now. Let me know if it means anything to you.”

  “Thanks, man.
” As soon as the message shows up on my phone, I study it for information. “I’ll let you know if I need anything else on this.”

  “Don’t forget about our movie night!”

  “I’ll update my Netflix queue now.” God, he’s probably serious. “Later.”

  10

  Liam

  I’ve never been more humiliated in my life. I thought I knew humiliation when my aunt Teresa first came into my bedroom when I was thirteen years old. She told me she would teach me how to be a man. When I never quite got the hang of how to please her the way she wanted me to, the shame was overwhelming.

  I felt like a failure. Like I would never be worth anyone’s time or attention. But when that man took off his slacks and presented a very large and very full diaper to me, I wanted to die. If his kink had stopped there, maybe it wouldn’t have felt so wrong. Everyone is entitled to their preferences. But when he wrapped a big piece of thick cotton around my ass and told me to be a good boy and tinkle, I had to physically stop myself from running out of the room. I grab on to the frame of the bed and prayed he’d tell me it was just a joke. But he didn’t. And it was no joke.

  Tanner said we can list up to three hard limits, and he would do his best to try to accommodate. I hadn’t planned to use them, but this guy will definitely be on my list. Because I will never change the diaper of a grown man while he jacks off using his own feces as lube again.

  A full-body shudder rocks through my body, and I bury my face even deeper into the pillow. Why did Edge have to walk in at that moment? Why does karma hate me so badly that she would torture me in such a cruel and devastating way?

  I’ll never be able to look Edge in the eye again, even though I was never really comfortable doing it in the first place. But what’s done is done. And diaper man left a big tip, so I guess there is some silver lining. Added to everything I’ve saved up over the past month and a half, I now have almost $6000.