Hunter & Prey

by Kira Barker

  But whatever she said, however tempting her offer was, I already knew that if I chose that life, it would be a life without Darren in it. And right now, I wasn’t ready to commit to that.

  Chapter 14

  I spent the entire drive home lost in thought. Now that I felt like I knew what game Brigitte was playing, I couldn’t help but feel a different kind of anger well up inside of me. Strange as that probably sounded, it had been easier to accept her throwing me to the wolves in the form of one Mr. Ray Moss if it had been just her flexing her muscles and pulling in a hefty sum of dough, or to establish new connections. And while I couldn’t shake off a certain amount of sympathy and understanding for her own plight, I didn’t see how that pertained to me. I had no plans whatsoever to quit, even should things get more serious with Darren. As I saw it, there was no indication that he wanted anything else from me than my company, in and outside of the bedroom, so why spoil a perfectly good arrangement with what-ifs and maybes that would very likely never even be on the table?

  After the taxi pulled to the curb in front of my building, I paid the driver, then got out, checking the street for the presence of people in dark vans who weren’t about to jump me. Seeing none, I let out my breath slowly as a hint of a smile appeared on my face. Looked like movie night with Adam was still on, provided they hadn’t kidnapped him over the course of the last couple of hours.

  In the elevator, I let my normally perfect posture slump, then turned all my phones to vibrate; after the conversation we’d had, I had no intention whatsoever of letting Brigitte bully me into taking on a last-minute appointment. She could go fuck herself for all I cared. I was off the clock for tonight and hopefully on Darren’s tomorrow, and I wouldn’t let anyone get in the middle of that.

  The elevator cabin arrived with a light “ding” and I got out, only to stop short in my tracks. It wasn’t that strange to see someone out in the hall, but the display in front of me made me do a double take.

  Adam stood just outside of his door, careful to keep his foot that held the electronic tracking device inside the strict boundaries of his apartment. He’d drawn himself up to his somewhat scrawny but still considerably height and looked like a bristling cat.

  Next to him, as always suave and not a hint understated, lounged Darren, arms crossed over his chest, staring Adam down although the other guy had a couple of inches on him. The air should have crackled with static, if that was possible from the animosity two people could portray outright.

  And I had a good idea what their issue might be.

  At the sound of the elevator doors opening, followed by the clicking of my heels, they both looked over to me. Darren’s face was blank within a moment, then his eyes lit up and a slight smile appeared. Adam was still scowling, and it was worry that had his features all scrunched up.

  After the late lunch I’d just had, the last thing I needed was to play referee between two people who should never have met, if the universe wasn’t out to get me this week.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked Darren, foregoing a proper greeting until I had him out of my hallway. The thought occurred to me that I didn’t know how he got my address, but several sources came to mind, and neither was something I wanted to discuss in front of Adam.

  “I came to talk to you, but you were obviously not at home,” Darren replied, his voice as smooth as always.

  Inhaling slowly, I nodded, but before I could say anything further, Adam spoke up.

  “He was pounding on your door loud enough that I heard it in my den, so I went outside to investigate.” He kept frowning, but his mouth took on a disapproving twist. “Are you making a habit of entertaining your clients at home now?”

  If he thought he could insult either Darren or me with that, he failed, but Darren’s pleasant smile took on a somewhat wry twist. Boys.

  I shook my head, but instead of explaining myself, I stepped up to my door and unlocked it, then held it open for Darren.

  “Please come in. I’ll be right with you, after I have a brief chat with my neighbor.”

  Darren looked only too pleased, and while I didn’t mind having him in my home, I didn’t like having to make myself a pawn in his petty game. As soon as he was inside, I closed the door again and rounded on Adam.

  He was still staring at the door, but when his gaze dropped to me, he had the grace to look at least somewhat apologetic.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey there yourself. What’s this all about?” I wanted to know, raising my brows at him in question.

  He shrugged and hastily stepped back inside his apartment when I advanced on him. The last thing either of us needed was a swarm of CIA agents adding to the conundrum.

  “I was just trying to help,” he offered.

  “Then what’s with all the huffing and chest pounding?”

  Adam seemed somewhat abashed.

  “He’s kind of a jerk, you know that?”

  “He’s a lawyer who thinks he’s God’s gift to mankind. Of course he’s a jerk.” I snorted. “But that’s beside the point. Since when do you get involved in my business?”

  He opened his mouth to reply but then thought better of it, instead leaning closer in a conspiratorial way.

  “I don’t like him. I don’t think you should continue to see him or let him into your home.”

  “That’s none of your business,” I reminded him, not hiding the annoyance anymore.

  “He was nosing around outside of your door. I can’t be sure, but I think he was trying to tinker with your lock,” Adam offered.

  “Darren? I doubt he’s about to start a new career as a cat burglar. Besides, what reason would he have for breaking into my apartment? If he wanted in, he’d just have to ask.”

  “I don’t like him. I have a really bad feeling about this,” he kept insisting.

  I looked at him levelly for a moment, then cocked my head to the side.

  “Are you jealous? Is that it? Because I spend more time with him now than with you?”

  It was mostly meant as a tease, but when a look of guilt appeared on Adam’s face, I felt my stomach sink.

  “Seriously?” I asked. “You are aware that I make a living sleeping with guys like him. I can’t just laze around and drink coffee with you all the time.”

  “That’s not it,” Adam bit out, confirming my guess. “Random guys, or even your regulars, don’t bother me. But there’s something about him that rubs me the wrong way…”

  He trailed off there, looking at me helplessly, as if that were enough for me to understand.

  “Goodbye, Adam,” I said, then turned toward my own door.

  “So, movie night later?” he called after me, hopefully.

  I paused with my hand on my door handle and cast a brief look over my shoulder.

  “I doubt that I’ll have time. But if by some miracle I find myself free later, I’ll let you know.”

  With that, I left him standing inside his own door and closed mine in his face.

  Exhaling slowly, I closed my eyes for a moment and tried to sort out my thoughts. What the fuck had that been about? Adam had never, not in the slightest kind of way, interfered with my job. True, after last week’s stunt with Ray, I had kind of avoided Adam. Mostly because I knew that he likely wouldn’t have had time for me anyway, seeing as he’d been busy that evening when I might have needed some comfort, and the CIA usually didn’t drop jobs on him that he could work out within a few hours’ time. The last thing I needed was pity for every wince and groan, either, so I’d kept my distance. My apartment was soundproofed, but I had no idea if he hadn’t been accidentally privy to a few things that had happened last week.

  Could it be that? Had he heard me cry out in pain and thought that Darren had been the cause?

  Scrunching my eyes even further shut, I sighed, but then I felt warm fingers slide over mine to pull them away, and I smiled by the time Darren leaned in to capture my lips in a soft, long kiss. Opening my eyes, I stared into his warm, brown o
nes, then reached up to keep his head close so I could devour his mouth for as long as I wanted.

  We both ended up a little out of breath by the time we parted, Darren grinning down at me. “I was just going to tell you that I missed you, but it feels like I’m not the only one.”

  Smirking, I reached for his belt, working quickly on pulling it free so I could get inside his trousers.

  “I’ve been off work the entire week. If you think that absence makes the heart grow fonder, just wait and see what happens to a girl’s libido after seven days without sex.”

  He laughed, not making a move to stop me.

  “Can’t wait to find out. But I didn’t mean you. I meant your neighbor. Or should I rather say boyfriend?”

  I’d just managed to unzip his fly and was about to reach inside, but that made me stop in my tracks. Looking up from the promising bulge in his pants, I caught his gaze, seeing good-natured humor in there, but also something else.

  “What, Adam? He’s not my boyfriend!” I huffed, my indignation real. The very thought made me crack up. “Really, have you ever heard of a prostitute dating someone? I know that there are guys out there who are pretty open about relationships, but, come on. Who’d not go insane if they had to watch the woman they love go fuck other guys day after day?”

  “He did seem rather offended, if you ask me,” he pointed out.

  “Forget about him,” I said, then finished my previously started task, loving how smooth and warm his cock felt under my fingers. “You came to see me, not him, right?”

  “Indeed,” he murmured, reclaiming my lips, but while he seemed very happy to have me there, stroking him, he didn’t make a move to push things further. It seemed that he actually did want to talk, although he didn’t seem to mind a little extra stimulation besides my wit.

  “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?” I said as I broke away again.

  “Are you busy this weekend?”

  I shrugged, using the motion to better twist my hand up and down his cock. His eyes never left my face, but the need I saw churning in them heightened, and I wondered just how far I’d have to push him until he decided that talking was completely overrated.

  “I think I have an appointment with my favorite client,” I offered, using my other hand to cup his balls and squeeze gently.

  “Is that so?”

  “Unless he cancels on me, yes.”

  “Hmm,” he replied, his eyes briefly flitting to my lips, but snapped straight back up again. “And tonight?”

  “No concrete plans. I thought about taking a long, hot bath, then spending the rest of the evening relaxing. Care to join me?”

  His smile morphed into a grin.

  “Can’t, sadly. You see, I have an appointment with a client tomorrow morning in New York City. My plane leaves in two hours. But you could join me instead. I just so happen to have an extra ticket here with me.” He let go of me and pulled something out of his jacket pocket. “It’s not actually a real ticket because I’m flying with the company jet, but that was too good a line not to use. What do you say? Wanna join the mile high club with me?”

  Smirking, I plucked the napkin from his grasp. There was a very crude approximation of two people fucking, standing up against a wall, drawn on it. I couldn’t help but laugh at it.

  “Already a card-carrying member, I’m afraid,” I pointed out, but that didn’t seem to surprise him one bit. Of course it didn’t. “But if you’d still want me along…?”

  “Always,” he confessed and leaned in for another kiss. He was still smiling, but mirth drained from his face, settling into a more neutral look now. “I’m staying until Sunday to make sure that if the client has any further questions, I can answer them in person. That means that I can’t plaster my weekend with any other standing appointments, but then spending most of the time with you doesn’t make it sound so boring.”

  I thought about that for a moment, but there wasn’t really much to consider. It had been ages since I’d had time—or cause, on the job—to leave the city, and there wasn’t anything holding me back here.

  “Just give me a few minutes to pack my bags and I’ll be ready.”

  Letting go, I tried to step away from between him and the wall, but he pinned me there with his entire weight, his freed cock rubbing over the soft fabric over my hip.

  “And what about me?”

  “I’ll finish that once we’re underway. After all, we’ll be spending quite some time together this weekend, right?”

  “So very right,” he agreed, then eased up, busying himself with putting his cock away while I started getting my things.

  “Do you have anything else planned except ravishing me on the plane and putting the hotel bed to good use?”

  “There’s always the floor, too,” he let me know.

  I rolled my eyes at him.

  “I meant, shall I pack anything special? Are you going to take me out, or should I pack more underwear instead?”

  “I’d rather you’d stay naked the entire time,” he teased, but then followed me into my bedroom, where I was eyeing my outfits critically. “Which reminds me. Here,” he said, then reached into his pocket to get out a thick envelope.

  I glared at it for a second as he held it out to me, but then snatched it up and dove into my armoire to put it into the safe. I felt rather stupid at my own reaction, but when I came back, I found him amused by it.

  “I do remember our talk from last week,” he offered. “Besides, you can always view it as regular salary for planning and organizing my weekend.”

  “What, now I’m your assistant or something? Isn’t your travel itinerary completely booked already?”

  He shrugged.

  “Flight and accommodations, yes, but I’ll leave the rest to you. If you want to go out for dinner or a show, just make reservations and I’d be happy to take you anywhere you want to go. Except for that one appointment, you have me at your complete disposal.”

  Why that made me grin, I couldn’t say—or rather, didn’t want to know. If I had, I could likely have found my answer easily.

  “Very well. But I am happy to include input from you.”

  “As long as I’m with you, I don’t care what we’re doing,” he said, then left me to my packing.

  I looked after him for a moment, but forced the stupid smile from my face and looked over my wardrobe once more. Oh well. If he wanted to leave everything up to me, I’d make sure to get the most out of the weekend for both of us.

  Chapter 15

  I’d made good on what I’d started on the way to the airport, feeling kind of vindicated as we weren’t in one of the usual limousines—James was driving one of Darren’s own cars, with us in the backseat and no privacy panel to roll up. I hadn’t instigated things, but when Darren had slid his hand up my thigh underneath my skirt and started playing with my lacy underwear, there had been no reason not to reciprocate. James, of course, made no mention of anything, but he oozed disdain even more than usual as he held the door for me as we got out.

  The company jet was a sleek little Gulfstream, the interior all in leather and mahogany and the steward very discreet about disappearing into the front once he’d served refreshments. The jet also came with the advantage that we didn’t have to do the dirty on the toilet, but could just get down to business right in the middle of the passenger cabin.

  A week of celibacy had left us both raw and needy, and it was only after we were sated for now that caresses turned tender and whispered words gentle.

  It was early evening as we touched down, and I spent the cab ride to the hotel poised over Darren’s tablet, clicking away to assemble somewhat of a schedule. I’d brought my own, too, but it had trouble connecting, so he’d gallantly lent me his. He was on the phone in the meantime, confirming his meeting for tomorrow and checking back with his firm to make sure nothing else had come up in the meantime. And then I had him all to myself.

  Our quick tryst on the plane might have taken
the edge off, but Darren left me barely enough time to explore our suite before he pulled me to him, carried me over to the atrociously huge bed, and reacquainted himself with every inch of my body. I hoped for the staff’s sake that they either had thick walls or didn’t offend easily, because there was some screaming involved, of a decidedly positive connotation. Too tired to bother with dressing again, Darren simply called room service, and we spent the remainder of Friday evening eating, drinking, laughing, and screwing each other silly. In short, the perfect start to the perfect weekend.

  Darren’s meeting was early, but I still managed to wake up after him, shower, put on fresh makeup, and be ready to have breakfast with him in the dining room downstairs. The eggs were delicious, and the fruit section of the buffet alone to die for. I felt no shame at letting Darren feed me grapes and cheese off his plate after I insisted that I couldn’t possibly eat anything more. My laughter and his good-natured attempts to stuff me like a goose drew a few glances, but I didn’t mind; I was used to that.

  It was only when we were finished and left the room that I realized that they had been different looks than I usually drew. There was no malice, no contempt at all; and that was when I realized that to everyone else, we must have seemed like two people in love, spending the weekend together in happiness, without a care in the world.

  That thought kept a smile fixed to my face during my brief shopping tour that I idled Saturday morning away with. A different city, a different life, that’s how the day felt to me. Here, I was a stranger, but for me that meant that I had a blank slate. No one knew what I earned a living with, and no one cared how Darren and I had met or how our arrangement worked out.

  He called me just as I returned to the hotel, laden with bags, asking me if I wanted to join him and whoever he’d had the meeting with. Of course I agreed, quickly changed into a fresh dress, and went to find the restaurant he’d given me directions to. His client turned out to be what I would nicely describe as an aging diva, a former movie actress who had made enough money to keep her set up in style still, but who resented the world for no longer eating out of her hand. She was exactly the kind of woman who loved to throw a tantrum over company like me, but contrary to my knee-jerk expectation at our introduction, she seemed actually pleased to meet me. Darren didn’t elaborate on who I was, but the way he kept glancing and smiling at me likely led her to draw her own conclusions.