Arsen could hardly look at her after all he’d said. He wondered if she thought he was a murderer.
“Will you ride with me?”
“I think that’s a bad idea,” she mumbled as Tanner came up on the other side of Arsen.
Tanner said, “Look, I know it’s just a matter of time until they pick you up. The prints will come back as yours and we both know that. But the plan is that I’ll get you out as soon as they set bail and then we can begin an investigation into the murders on our own. I’ll need you to really think about all you did with the women so we can see if any of the places you went had surveillance cameras that might have caught someone of interest following you when you were with the women.”
Tanner’s car was parked in front of Arsen’s and they all stopped at it. His driver opened the door and Tanner gestured for Steele to get in first. Arsen grabbed her hand and pulled her back and whispered, “Steele, I really need you.”
She pulled back and looked at him. Then she looked at Tanner.
“I’m going with him.”
Rowan rolled his eyes and said, “Are you an idiot?”
Tanner gave Rowan a swift pat on the back.
“Get in the car, Rowan.”
He did as Tanner said but looked at Arsen.
“Nothing better happen to her.”
Fire flashed through Arsen.
“Little boy, you should watch what the fuck you say to me and her for that matter.”
Tanner tried to ease the tension.
“Watch your temper, Arsen.”
Steele took Arsen’s hand in hers and gently pulled him.
“He’ll be fine, Tanner. Come on Arsen.”
He allowed her to pull him away and as they walked he squeezed her hand. “Are you mad at me?”
She shook her head. “How can I be?”
“Are you disgusted with me?” He stopped and turned her to look at him.
The way her eyes darted back and forth answered him and he dropped his eyes and led her to the car where Paul waited for them with the door open.
Steel slid in and Arsen moved in next to her. After Paul had closed the door she turned to face him and took his face between her palms.
“Arsen, you can tell me anything. Even if you did do it, you can tell me.”
Fury filled him and he pushed her hands off his face.
“So you don’t trust me! Steele I have to have your trust or we have nothing!”
“Arsen! How the hell can I just blindly trust you?” she shouted back.
“Cursing, that will cost you,” he said in a low growl. “Or are we done?”
She looked away, and he could tell she wasn’t sure.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that I’m very confused and I know it all happened before me, but I’m jealous too.”
“Jealous? We both have pasts, Steele. Nothing can be done to change that.” Arsen grabbed a bottle of liquor from the little fridge and took a long drink. He sat back and held the bottle.
After another long drink, Steele placed her hands over his around the bottle. “Arsen, that’s not a wise decision.”
“I know that, Steele. Believe me, I know that I make poor, mother fucking decisions all the fucking time. You are a poor decision. I should leave you the fuck alone and I know that. I’m about to rot away in prison anyway. If I can’t get you to trust me and believe I didn’t kill those women, then I’m fucked for sure.” He took another long drink then let her have the bottle.
She put it away and got on her knees in front of him, placing her hands on his thighs.
“Arsen, don’t think like that. I’m sorry. I wish it was as easy as you telling me you didn’t do it and all the doubt could disappear, but I would be lying to you if I told you that.”
He took her chin and ran a finger over her lips.
“I need you to believe me, Steele. Or this is over.”
He could see her thinking and pulled her up to sit on his lap. He had to convince her. She looked at him and he saw she desperately wanted to believe him, but her brain was battling her heart.
Arsen pressed his lips to hers and felt her body turn into liquid. He pushed his tongue through her lips and ran his hand up her skirt, finding her warming already. One finger he pressed against her clit and she moaned and ran her arms around his neck.
He stroked her clit until she was squirming with the need to release. He stopped moving his finger and took his hand away then pulled his mouth from hers. She was panting and looked at him with confusion.
“Steele, do you trust me?” Arsen looked hard into her eyes and he found the answer behind them.
“I do,” she whispered.
“You cursed and you have to be punished. Do you understand that?” He searched her eyes again.
They actually brightened.
“I do.”
He lifted her off his lap.
“Drop your panties and get on your hands and knees and lift the skirt up over your hips.”
She looked at him for a moment then did as he’d told her. She turned away from him as she went to her hands and knees then lifted her skirt.
He pulled his leather belt from his slacks. Arsen ran his hand over her smooth, white ass then placed a kiss on one ass cheek. He knew this would make them or break them, and he gritted his teeth as he swung the belt.
STEELE
The sting as the leather bit into her flesh had her making a small scream before she choked it back. Steele had no idea how many times he would hit her and she was trying hard not to let any tears get away from her.
Another hard whack and she flinched with the pain. Arsen’s voice was tight as he said, “Do you think you’ll curse again?”
She shook her head but didn’t answer out loud. Another smack across her ass, this one harder had the tears springing forth.
“Out loud, Steele.”
“No, sir. No, Arsen,” he words were laced with her tears and she felt his hands running over her ass.
Sobs began to come out of her and she knew it was from so much more than the pain. It was for everything. She was about to lose the man she was pretty positive she was beginning to love deeper than she imagined possible.
His arms were suddenly around her and he turned her to him. He pulled her into his wide chest and shushed her with soothing sounds and soft caresses.
“It’s okay, Steele. It’s all going to be okay.”
She took his lapels in her hands and pulled at them as she leaned back and looked up at him. Tears ran in rivers down her reddened cheeks.
“No it isn’t. None of this is going to be okay. They’re going to take you away from me. I just found you and they’re going to take you away.”
His hand ran over her hair and she found him smiling at her. He kissed her slow and soft.
“I just gave you your first punishment and you’re thinking about what might happen to me instead of being angry with me?”
She sniffled and said, “How can I be angry? You just did what you said you were going to. And it did hurt and it will definitely make me think about what comes out of my mouth.” Steele eased her cries. “The truth is I don’t think I would’ve even cried if I hadn’t been holding it back since Tanner came and told me they’d called you in.”
Arsen moaned as he pulled her hair back, exposing her throat.
“You’re so fucking perfect, Steele.” He pressed his lips to her neck then ran his tongue up until he reached her mouth.
He kissed her hard and laid her back on the floor. Her skirt was still hiked up, and he ran one of his hands to hers and moved it to his swelling cock.
“Take it out,” he told her then continued his kiss.
His mouth was hard on hers as she fumbled to unbutton his slacks and release him. She knew she should be mad at him for spanking her, but a part of her wanted to know what it was like.
The fact was it allowed her to release the tension she’d been holding and with that came a lot of freedom. Unbelievably, she found it had sti
mulated her as well and she was wetter than hell and aching for Arsen to be inside her.
She finally freed his erection and guided it to her. He pressed into her as soon as she lined him up and she moaned with how fantastic it felt as he filled her.
Hard, deep thrusts he made, as she wrapped her legs around him. She arched her body up to meet each thrust and ran her hands through his hair. He ran his hands back and took hers in them, holding them over her head.
She wondered if he hated being touched during sex. He seemed never to want her hands on him. He pulled his mouth from hers and looked at her as he pounded into her.
“Say it,” he said, and she found herself confused.
“Say what?” she asked.
He shook his head and took both her wrists and held them with one hand as he took the other and smacked her thigh.
“Say it.”
She searched his eyes as he continued to thrust into her. Something in them was making them shine, and she suddenly knew what he wanted to hear.
“I love you, Arsen.”
He smiled and kissed her hard, thrusting his tongue to the back of her mouth, claiming every last part of it as his. She found her heart pounding with what she’d said. But was aware he’d not said it back to her.
Somehow it didn’t really matter as she could tell he did have love for her. She arched up as her body was aching to release. And for the first time he pulled his mouth from hers and said, “You come when you want to. As many times as you want to.”
A knot formed in her throat and tears began to fall as he watched her. She let the orgasm overtake her and he watched her as it did. A smile moved over his face as he continued to thrust in and out of her.
“My God, you’re beautiful when you come, baby.” He kissed her long and deep and she felt more for him than she had before.
His body tensed and he spilled into her. She was shocked to find herself coming again with his release. They lay on the floor, flooding the car with their gasps. Arsen released her mouth as their bodies began to stop throbbing against the others.
The privacy window opened just a little and Paul said, “Boss, you might want to get yourself cleaned up. The police are waiting in front of the building.”
“Fuck!” Arsen said as he rolled off her.
Steele sat up and looked for her panties.
“Arsen, I’m so sorry. What should I do?” She found the panties and pulled them on quickly.
He buttoned his slacks and zipped them after tucking his shirt back in. He put the belt back on and grabbed his jacket. As he sat back on the seat, she ran her hands through his hair, taming it since she’d ran her hands through it, messing it up before.
Arsen took her wrists in his hands and said, “You are to stay at my penthouse. Promise me you won’t go anywhere. I’ll be out as soon as I can.”
She nodded and said, “I will. Don’t worry about me.”
“I can’t not worry about you, Steele. Just as long as I know you’ll do as I’ve said, it’ll help me not to go crazy until I can get back to you.” He kissed her again. “Tell me again, before they take me away.”
“I love you, Arsen. I’ll be there waiting for you. I promise.” She gave his hair one last smoothing and managed a smile.
He pulled a set of keys from a hidden compartment.
“Take these so you can get into the penthouse.”
The car pulled to a stop and Paul came around and opened the door. “She should probably stay in here,” he said.
Arsen nodded.
“Take her to my place, please.” He looked at Steele. “One more rule, Steele.”
“What is it?”
“That little dick, Rowan. I don’t want you around him without me present. Tell Tanner about my arrest and do not go with him to do anything. I don’t want the little shit head to mess with your mind about me.”
“Okay, Arsen.” She found she couldn’t stop touching him as she ran her hand over his cheek.
His hands ran up her arms, and he kissed her one last time. Then got out of the car. The door closed behind him, shielding her from the officers’ view.
Steele watched as the police officers came straight up to Arsen and both took out their guns and pointed them at him. His hands went up, and he stopped moving.
Her breathing stopped and more tears found their way out. She pressed her hand to the dark glass as sobs racked her chest. One officer cuffed him and put him in back of the police car. They drove away with him and Paul started driving her away.
She watched out the back window as they went in opposite directions and cried hard as she lost sight of the police car. She’d never felt that much pain before and it hurt more than she knew she could actually live through.
It was as if she was in an alternate reality as Paul pulled up to the building where Arsen’s penthouse was. He opened the door and when he saw her state he opened his arms.
Steele same into them and cried on his shoulder.
“I’m so scared, Paul.”
“I know. So am I,” he said. “Somehow he’ll make it out of this. He didn’t do it you know.”
She nodded.
“I know. There has to be something we can do to help find the real killer, then this will be over and we can move on.”
“You’re a smart girl. Think on it,” he said and let her out of his tight hug. “Now go on up and have a nice, stiff drink and relax.”
She gave him a weak smile.
“Okay, thanks.”
Steele wiped her eyes and walked inside. The place felt odd without him there. She wandered to the bathroom and picked up his bottle of cologne. After dabbing a little on her wrist and taking a sniff of it, she made her way to the kitchen and made herself a small glass of cognac.
The keys she laid on the counter top and noticed one of them looked different. Like an old key, maybe to a box or something. Curiosity overtook her, and she took the keys and went to Arsen’s office. He’d never taken her in there, but she’d seen him come out of it.
The aroma of leather filled her senses as she opened the door. The chair behind his large oak desk was leather and there was a leather sofa against the opposite wall. A large set of cabinets lined another wall, and she went to them, opening one at a time. Careful not to disturb any of the contents, she looked around in them.
At the back of the third cabinet, she saw a dark box. When she pulled it out, she saw it would take an old key to open it. She placed it on his desk and put the key in the slot and the box opened. Inside was one thing, an old tattered notebook with the words, ‘life sucks’ scrawled across it in black marker.
Steele pulled it our carefully and opened it to the first page. At the top of the first page was written, ‘Day 1 - The Day I Met Beth.’
She read the page and saw it was about Arsen’s first love. And by the end of the fifteenth page, she found out why he didn’t think love was something for him.
It seemed that Arsen had been beaten nearly to death by the girl’s father and the girl was actually mad at Arsen over it. Seemed he hadn’t stood up to the man who was older and larger than he was.
The rest of the little notebook told her about how his mother abandoned him while he was in the hospital and how he had to go live in a foster home. Then the girl’s mother, who was a secret BDSM lover, took Arsen as her sub.
By the time she was done reading, Steele was livid with the two women and one girl who had damaged Arsen so badly. She replaced the notebook and put it right back where she’d found it.
Her stomach hurt as she thought about Arsen as a skinny teenager who got beat up so badly he had to spend a week in the hospital. And he had described some of the things the woman he called Mistress Sinclair had done to him, to make him be submissive to her.
Steele was seething with anger at the women. In an effort to better understand the man she’d fallen in love with she went through his desk and a note in the top drawer caught her attention.
In feminine handwriting the note r
ead; I know what you did, and you won’t get away with it. The initials, K.P. were at the end.
Steele put the paper back in the exact same spot she’d found it. One of the victims, the last one killed was Kyla Peterson. And by the file Tanner had on Arsen, she was his first sub.
Meagan had been killed first. A week later, Lacy Andrews, Arsen’s last sub, was killed. Kyla was killed last and somehow she must’ve seen something that led her to leave him the note.
Steele pulled every drawer on his desk open and in the back of one of the drawers was a small length of rope. She didn’t touch it, but she knew it was the same type of rope the three women were bound with.
She closed the drawer as her body went numb and her brain quit working.
He did it!
Part Five: For Approval
STEELE
Cool air blew over her face as the vent in the ceiling of the small room in the police station poured the cooled air out. Her chair was directly beneath it as she waited for Arsen to be brought in.
Tanner had called her early that morning and asked her to meet him there so he could talk to Arsen and she could take notes.
After what she had found in Arsen’s office the day before, she had a pretty restless night. But when it came down to it, she thought there had to be someone setting him up. The man she was beginning to know just couldn’t do those terrible things.
The door opened, and she stood, ready to see Arsen, but instead saw Rowan. “What are you doing here?” she asked as she sat back down.
“I work on this case too, Gannon.” He took the chair next to hers and she knew Arsen was going to have a fit if he got there before Tanner did and found them alone.
“Want to know what I found out about your boyfriend?”
“It’s most likely rumors but go for it, Rowen.” She crossed her arms over her chest and listened.
“After snooping around, I found the woman who made the man.”
Hacked For Love & The Dom's Songbird Page 57