They drove in silence. He gripped the steering wheel, paranoia setting in. What the hell did Dmitry mean when he said fighting for Yenin would pay a fortune? What bothered him more was that he suggested Conner could be out of a job. Was it possible Yenin was behind the ridiculous accusations at work? It made sense. After all, the allegations were false and anonymous.
Conner followed Sabrina into her house and shut the door behind him.
She dropped her purse on the kitchen table and turned to face him. “Talk.”
He plopped onto the couch and glanced around again at the number of books in her living room. He didn’t think any normal person could read that many books in a lifetime. And he would bet money she’d already read most of them.
He leaned his elbows on his knees as Sabrina sat next to him and curled her legs under her.
“Dmitry’s a good enough guy. I don’t think he meant any harm.”
She startled. “If that guy was one of your friends, I’d hate to meet any of your enemies.”
Conner smiled briefly and then leaned back against the couch to give her some details. “There’s this Russian mob guy named Anton Yenin. He thinks he owns Vegas. And in a way he does. He has hounded me to fight for him for years, but for some reason he’s gotten demanding about it lately, and even threatened me if I didn’t.”
“Shit. Are you serious?”
“That’s two.” He narrowed his gaze at her. “Stop cussing.”
Sabrina jumped up and put her hands on her hips. “Conner, don’t change the subject. This is fucking important.” She emphasized the word fucking and stiffened as though challenging him.
Conner blew out a breath. “I agree. It’s important. And I’m trying to tell you the saga. If you would just listen. You don’t need to sully yourself with foul language. I got the picture.”
“Sully myself? Listen to you.” Her voice rose. “There’s some fucking asshole mob guy fucking threatening you, and he sent his fucking minion to find you and add to that fucking threat, and you want me to fucking watch my fucking language?”
Conner pursed his lips. “Sometimes you suck at submission.” He wiped his palms on his jeans, itching to take her over his knee and knowing now was not the time. He’d made himself very clear on the issue of cussing—and she had failed at it miserably since he’d started dominating her. What the hell kind of submissive would she be long term?
He stared at her, wondering how they’d gotten so far off track since that morning when it had seemed the world was a perfect place for the two of them.
“I think I should go.” His patience was waning. He had a shit ton of problems on his plate, and he didn’t want to fight with Sabrina on top of everything. He was afraid he might say something he couldn’t take back if he didn’t leave. He stood.
“You have got to be kidding.”
He shook his head. “Sabrina, you’re pissed. And frankly I’m pissed also. And I have a very full plate. I don’t need you topping me right now in addition everything else. I’m going to leave. I’ll call you later.” He headed for the door, knowing it was the right thing to do.
Ordinarily he wasn’t as short tempered as he had been for the past week. However, ordinarily he didn’t have some crazy person trying to get him fired, a Russian asshole threatening to make him fight underground, some insane professor pretending he was her boyfriend, and a submissive from the club trying to claim him as her own when it was totally over between them before it had ever started.
Sabrina was a woman he wanted a future with. At least he thought he did. If she had a submissive bone hiding inside her somewhere. But right now, he needed space. He needed to go to the gym and work out his frustration. There was no way he could reason with her this afternoon.
“Fine. Go.”
He walked out the door without looking back, madder than ever. At himself more than anything. Was he doing the right thing?
If it meant the difference between saying things he couldn’t take back and holding his tongue, then yes, he needed to walk away.
He nearly jogged to his car and pulled away from her house before he could talk himself into going back inside to reason with her. Neither of them was in the right frame of mind to be rational. Later. If she was still speaking to him…
•●•
Sabrina winced when the door slammed shut.
What the hell had just happened?
She flopped down on the couch and groaned. That had not gone well. And she accepted the majority of the blame. Why on earth had she thought goading him would be a good idea?
Obviously the man had a lot going on. Maybe she didn’t know him as well as she thought.
Hell…that was an understatement. She didn’t know him well at all. She knew he was the sexiest man she’d ever seen. He worked out hard and fought amateur MMA. He was a firm Dom. What else did she really know?
That he made her panties wet every time he entered a room.
That her heart raced just thinking about him.
That he could make her come harder than anyone she’d ever been with.
Fuck.
Oh, and he didn’t tolerate cussing for some reason.
Some Russian mafia guy was after him.
Some other professor wanted in his pants.
Some gorgeous submissive at the club thought she deserved to put her claws in him.
Hell, there might even be a student or two who would fight over him given the chance, like that Angelina girl, or whatever her name was, from last semester. If he had to deal with very many coeds like her, she didn’t envy his job.
Sabrina closed her eyes and groaned again. She needed to apologize for her insolence. Later.
She ran a hand over her face and stood. They both needed a time out. And she had work to do. Perhaps if she buried herself in her editing, the day would fly by. Later tonight she would text him and apologize.
Sabrina hauled herself off the couch and headed for her office. She booted up her computer and tucked herself into her seat. Over a dozen e-mails had accumulated since she’d last gone through them yesterday. She opened the first one and worked her way through them, intending to address only what was most urgent on a Sunday afternoon.
The third one made her blood run cold.
What the…?
Dear Ms. Duluth,
If you value your dignity, I suggest you find someone else to play house with. Your current dalliance is not in your best interest. The professor is about to learn a hard lesson. I suggest you make yourself scarce fast before you find yourself in a heap of trouble. These sorts of things can follow you for a lifetime.
Sincerely,
A Concerned Citizen
Sabrina held her breath and read the short message over and over. What the hell? Suddenly, she noticed there was an attachment. A zip file.
Fuck.
With shaking fingers, she clicked on the download button. After a few tense seconds, a stream of pictures popped onto the screen. Sabrina sucked in a sharp breath and jumped to her feet, releasing the mouse as though it were poisonous.
Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. How the hell did someone get these photos?
She shivered as she stared at each shot as it flipped by, each one remaining for only a few seconds before another showed up like a slide show. A pornographic slide show.
The first few were innocuous enough. A picture of her leaning toward Conner outside Extreme. It had to have been that first night. Though how anyone managed to catch a shot that demonstrated anything but aggravation was beyond her.
The next shot was of her in his car outside the arena the next Friday night. It was blurry.
The third was of the two of them at King Pizza at lunch. She looked very submissive in that shot. It stunned her to think she’d appeared so vulnerable in public.
And then her gut clenched. She grabbed her belly to avoid vomiting on her keyboard as her eyes widened. There she was, completely naked, lying over Conner’s lap as he spanked her on her own couch. It was a b
it blurry also, obviously taken from outside the front window through a gap in the blinds. She knew for a fact the blinds hadn’t been open when she stripped in the living room.
The next one made her grab the back of the chair and hold on to avoid collapsing. She was bent over the side of Conner’s bed as he pushed a plug into her. Her face conveyed extreme rapture.
All the blood ran from her head, leaving her faint.
Why?
She sank to the floor finally and leaned against the wall, lowering her head between her knees before she hyperventilated. She needed to catch her breath before her mind would work again. She squeezed her eyes shut and inhaled long and slow. Oxygen. And then action.
But what was she going to do?
She stiffened. Even before she’d opened the e-mail she’d been pissed with Conner. Now she was livid.
It’s not his fault someone is stalking us and taking pictures. Her rational self-made a plea for Conner.
Her heart told her to run.
She glanced around the room, feeling violated. Someone had fucking followed her, or Conner, and taken pictures at nearly every juncture. How many more were there? There could be hundreds for all she knew.
Shit.
Should she call the police?
Wait. What about Rider, Emily’s boyfriend? He was a cop. Maybe she should call him.
Ugh. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to actually see these degrading pictures.
How humiliating. She shivered again and wrapped her arms around her middle as though cold.
She stayed like that for a long time, unable to move. Unable to make any decisions.
Holy shit.
Maybe she should heed the advice of the e-mail and stay away from Conner. Clearly he had a closet full of ghosts if someone was following him all over creation and taking pictures of him.
Why? What was the objective?
Or perhaps the stalker’s goal was simply to get rid of Sabrina.
Hmmm. That was a possibility. There seemed to be a plethora of women who wanted in Conner’s pants badly. Maybe one of them sent the message. Whoever it was, they were articulate.
That professor who wanted him to go out with her? Or what about the girl at the club, Missy? She didn’t seem like the type to use such proper English, but who knew?
Would a professor at the university be threatening Sabrina so she could sleep with Conner? Not likely. Because even without Sabrina in the picture, that didn’t mean Conner would go out with the woman.
What about the Russian guy? Jesus. She knew the Russian mob wanted Conner to fight for them. That was abundantly clear. But what did that have to do with Sabrina?
Fuck.
She pulled herself off the floor and made her way out of the office without glancing back at the computer screen. She would vomit if she saw those images again.
She padded to the kitchen, unease creeping up her spine.
Was someone outside even now, watching her? She glanced at the front window. The blinds were closed, just as they had been the other night. One slat was askew.
She inched closer. Yep. One slat was definitely lying on its side, having gotten caught in the strings. That was for sure where the picture had been taken.
Sabrina reached out and righted the slat before turning toward the kitchen.
No way in hell could she edit as she’d planned for the afternoon.
She needed to talk to someone.
Rider seemed like the best option. She wasn’t calm enough to call Conner. And she wasn’t sane enough to make good choices under the circumstances.
She grabbed her cell phone from her back pocket and scrolled down to find Emily’s number. Thank God the woman had exchanged numbers with her.
Sabrina lowered herself onto a kitchen chair as the phone rang.
Emily picked up on the fourth ring just when Sabrina was starting to worry.
“Sabrina. Hi. How are you?” Her voice was full of excitement.
“Not so great actually. I don’t suppose Rider is with you. I could use some advice. It’s kind of personal.”
“Oh. Okay. Sorry. He’s at the gym. I think Conner is with him in fact.”
“Shoot. Right. That makes sense.”
“I could text Rider and ask him to contact you when he’s done. I can’t guarantee he would keep it from Conner, though. The guys are pretty close.”
“Yeah. Of course. It was a bad idea.” Sabrina nibbled on her lower lip, thinking about Plan B. She couldn’t just sit there and wait. The stress was killing her.
“You could call the gym. Joe, the owner, might pick up, and he could track the guys down if it’s urgent. I’m sure they left their cell phones in their lockers. It’s tough to get ahold of them when they’re working out.”
“I’m sure.” She glanced out the window. She didn’t think she could stay inside the house one more minute alone anyway. Even if she had spoken to Rider over the phone, her skin was crawling. “I think I’ll just drive to the gym. That’ll be faster. Can you text me the address?”
“Absolutely. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help. I hope everything’s okay.” She didn’t add the lilt to the end of that sentence that would have turned it into a question. Bless her.
Sabrina didn’t want to discuss it with Emily right then. It wouldn’t do any good. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’ll get back with you later this week, okay?”
“Sure. Be careful. Talk to you soon.” Emily hung up. Thank God she was so polite and easy.
Sabrina wasted no time grabbing her purse, slipping on her shoes, locking all the doors, and heading for her car.
Chapter Sixteen
Conner was in the cage sparring with Zane when he caught Sabrina out of the corner of his eye. He held up a hand to keep Zane from knocking him flat and turned to face her.
She stood just inside the door talking to Joe, but glanced at him and gave a half grin.
What was she doing there?
They’d fought. Did she want to apologize? He hoped not because he owed her the apology, not the other way around. He’d worked out with weights before sparring with Zane and realized he was being an ass.
Actually, she looked a little distressed and glanced around the room as Joe walked away from her. He didn’t head toward Conner, however, or even glance at him. He scurried to the other side of the gym and set his hand on Rider’s arm.
Rider lifted his gaze toward the front door and nodded. As he set his weights down, he glanced at Conner with a furrowed brow.
“Is that Sabrina?” Zane asked.
“It is.” Conner tugged off his gloves as he made his way to the gate.
“She looks kind of pale.”
“I see that.” Conner grabbed a towel and wiped his brow as he walked.
Joe led Sabrina into his office. Rider followed ahead of Conner. What the hell?
Conner caught up with Rider at a jog. “What’s going on?”
“No idea. Joe said she asked to speak to me.” Rider paused and turned toward Conner. “Maybe…”
“No fucking way. Don’t even suggest it. I’m going in too.”
“Of course you are.” Rider kept going. He pulled the door open to the office and stepped inside with Conner on his heels.
Joe stood just inside. “I’ll give you all some privacy.” He shut the door with a soft snick as he left.
“Sabrina? Are you okay?” Conner kneeled in front of where she sat in a folding chair.
She looked like she was holding on by a thread, and the moment he met her gaze a tear slipped down her face. She shook her head.
Rider shut the blinds on the large window that normally allowed everyone in the gym to see into the office.
Conner took her hands in his. “Baby. What is it?”
He was aware of Rider leaning against the desk next to him. The office was small.
She lifted her face to Rider. “I’m sorry to bother you. I didn’t know where else to go. And I thought you could help.”
Rid
er grabbed a chair and pulled it up next to Conner. “Of course.”
“What happened, baby?”
She glanced at Conner and then ducked her face. “I got an e-mail.”
“Okay.”
“A threatening e-mail. Warning me to stay away from you.”
Conner flinched. “Seriously?”
“Yes.” She lifted her face and bit her lower lip.
“Did it say who it was from?” Rider asked.
“No.” She shook her head. Tears fell faster.
“God, baby. I’m so sorry.” He ran one hand through his hair and held one of hers with the other. “This is so messed up.”
He glanced up at Rider. “What the hell?”
“Dude, you have so many enemies right now, I can’t even begin to sort this out.” He looked at Sabrina. “Can you show us the e-mail?” He rounded the desk to sit in Joe’s chair and power up his computer.
“Yes. But there’s more.” Her voice was lower, almost too low.
Conner dipped his head, trying to catch her gaze. “What?”
“There’s a zip file attached.” She jerked her gaze to Rider, ignoring Conner. She spoke quickly. “I’ll show you the e-mail. I know you need to see it. But is there any way we could keep the attachment closed?”
“Why?” Conner gripped her hand tighter. “Sabrina. Look at me.”
She took a deep breath, but her eyes were closed and she didn’t meet his gaze. “Someone’s been following us.”
“Who? You and me?”
“Yes.”
“And they took pictures. Is that what you mean?”
“Yes.” She opened her eyes finally, more tears falling. “Do not open them in front of anyone. Please.”
“It’s just me and Rider, baby.”
She shook her head vehemently. “Conner. No.”
He stiffened. “Wait. Are you saying there are nude pictures of us?”
She nodded, biting her lip.
Rider jumped up and handed her a tissue from a box on the desk, leaning over to reach her. “Okay. Listen. No matter what, we’re going to have to call this in, Sabrina. That’s serious.”
She nodded, sobbing now. “I know. That’s why I came to you. I couldn’t think straight, but Rider, I’m not kidding. I don’t want anyone to see those pictures.” She shivered. “Not even you.”
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