Having Her: Lies We Tell, Book 2

by Jackie Ashenden

Satisfied by the thought, Vin gave her a grin just to annoy her, then turned and started in the direction of his office.

  Kara pulled the door to the café shut and locked it, stuffing the key in the old, worn leather satchel she usually carried with her. She stood outside for a minute, not knowing quite what to do with herself.

  Fucking Vin. She was still feeling deeply unsettled and more than a little annoyed about his visit that morning. With all his questions and crap. And that cocky smile he’d given her as he’d stood outside on the sidewalk. Like he was sure of himself and sure of her. It grated. She hadn’t thought much about boundaries when she’d agreed to continue with this…thing that was going on between them. Hadn’t thought she’d need to. But his conversation with her earlier had crossed a line she didn’t want crossed. Sex. That’s all it was and that’s all it had to stay. She didn’t want anything more.

  Around her the sidewalks had begun to fill with people all making their way home, the city streets slowly clogging with rush hour traffic. And she should be going home too. Back to her apartment where she’d quickly swallow some kind of makeshift dinner before getting herself ready for him. A shower, body lotion, prettying herself up like a good slave.

  She scowled at nothing in particular, conscious of the anticipation already knotting in her stomach. Her body was, apparently, quite keen on the idea. But for some reason her head was telling her the opposite. That she should pull back, not exacerbate the hold he already had on her. Set some boundaries.

  From the depths of her satchel came the sound of her phone signaling a text message. God, was it Vin already? Sighing, Kara pulled it out and glanced down at the screen, an odd kind of trepidation joining the anticipation. But it wasn’t him. It was a text from an artist friend, asking her if she wanted to go out for a drink that night.

  She bit her lip. Yeah, shit, maybe she should go out. Have a night off being Vin’s sexual slave. He wasn’t her master outside the bedroom and clearly, given their conversation earlier, he needed a small reminder of the fact. And perhaps so did she.

  Deciding, Kara texted her friend, agreeing to meet up with her then sent off another quick one to Ellie, asking if she wanted to come out as well. Then she texted Vin. Can’t do tonight. Sorry.

  He’d be pissed off probably—or who knows? Maybe he wouldn’t—but whatever, that was too bad. The more she thought about it, the more she didn’t want to see him tonight. Like she had to put some distance between them. Make sure her armor was firmly in place.

  She was only just putting her phone back in her bag when it chimed again with another text. From Vin. You’re kidding. Why not?

  Kara set her jaw and replied. I don’t need a reason. I’m not your girlfriend.

  Vin’s reply was just as quick. No, you’re my slave. So do as you’re told.

  Her heartbeat quickened, a shiver going down her back. Already her body was responding to his commands, which made it even more important that she assert herself in some way. I’m not your slave tonight. So go play with someone else. Or better, go play with yourself instead.

  A small twinge niggled at her at the thought of him finding someone else but hey, it wasn’t as if they were exclusive.

  A second later his response came back. I don’t want someone else. I want you.

  Kara stared down at the screen, her throat feeling strangely tight.

  No, she couldn’t give in. It felt important to hold her ground, maintain her independence. Especially around such a control freak as Vincent Fox. Give him an inch and he’d take a mile, and he’d already taken way too many miles around her. No, if she was going to set boundaries then now was the time to do it.

  Her thumb moved decisively on the keypad. Too bad.

  She sent the text then switched her phone off and put it back in her satchel.

  Vin couldn’t believe how pissed off he was. It was all he could do not to throw the fucking phone at the wall. All his earlier good feelings and calm had drained away the moment Kara’s text had come through. Not tonight? What the hell? She’d been so adamant before that they were only screwing and he’d been good with that. Shit, he’d been more than fine with it. So why was she saying no now?

  Was it because he’d overstepped the mark with his questions earlier? Was this some kind of punishment?

  He got up from his desk, shoved his chair away, strode to the window and back again, restless and edgy. It shouldn’t matter. It shouldn’t matter that she didn’t want to see him tonight. It shouldn’t matter that he didn’t get to have his way with her beautiful body. Tell her what to do and when to do it. He’d been fine before she’d come along so why things were different now was anyone’s guess. Really, he should be shrugging his shoulders, grabbing Hunter and going out for a night at the pub on the piss.

  He stopped by the desk, glaring at his phone. Her text was still sitting there. Too bad. He’d texted her again then, when he hadn’t got a response, had tried calling her. But she wouldn’t answer her phone. Calling her again would be stupid. And desperate. And he wasn’t desperate.

  “Fuck,” he said to the empty office.

  Those moments with her, in her apartment, where she knelt at his feet, were the only moments in his life where he had any control. Where life would do what he said for a change instead of feeling like he was at life’s mercy. And they were good moments. Shit, they were vital moments. He didn’t want to lose even one of them. But what else could he do? If she wasn’t into it then he couldn’t make her. He may take control with her in the bedroom, but out of it he wasn’t the type of guy who forced women into doing what he wanted.

  Go play with someone else…

  Vin ran a distracted hand through his hair. Yeah, but there was a small problem with that; he didn’t want someone else. He couldn’t even imagine explaining what he wanted with some other woman. Oh, he knew there were places to go where he could get that whole master/slave dynamic if he wanted. But he didn’t want it with just anyone. It only worked with her. There was just something about her, the way all her guards fell when he told her what to do. When her wariness dropped away and her snark vanished. When she let the pleasure he gave her overwhelm her. It made him feel like a god and hell, what man didn’t like that?

  Vin scowled at the phone, still displaying, Too bad.

  Too bad his ass.

  He had to know what had changed her mind. He had to. If she had good reasons for blowing him off then that was okay. It would suck but he’d deal with it. But he had to know what those reasons were. See what had changed between them.

  She was his. She was his slave. And it was about time she learned that what was his, stayed his.

  Chapter Seven

  Kara swallowed the last of her wine and put her empty glass back on the bar. Ugh. Cheap chardonnay was not her favorite. It tended to go all acidic and sit uncomfortably in her stomach, and God knew she didn’t need any more reasons to feel uncomfortable since she already felt uneasy enough as it was.

  “Another glass?” Lincoln, the guy she’d met in the bar, slid an arm around her waist, leaning in close.

  She resisted the urge to pull away from him. “Uh. No thanks. I’m good.”

  He nuzzled her ear. “Perhaps we should head out then?”

  Head out. Yeah, they should. She’d been anticipating this moment from the second Lincoln had approached her an hour or two ago, but now that it was here she felt uncertain and didn’t know why.

  After a couple of wines with her friends, she’d come to the conclusion that not seeing Vin wasn’t the only boundary she could set. That maybe she needed to set a few sexual boundaries as well. Like the fact that finding another guy would be a good thing for her, assert her sexual independence and all that. After all, she wasn’t a virgin anymore, which hopefully meant that weird vulnerability thing she’d had going on before should have been well and truly put to bed, so to speak.

  And hell, maybe she could even have sex like a normal person. Without the slave costume and the orders. But the
only way to do that was to find a guy she could do it with. A guy who wasn’t Vin.

  Kara flashed a glance back at the table where some of her friends were sitting. One of them gave her a big thumbs up. And why not? Lincoln was hot and he seemed to be into her. Plus he seemed as normal as they came which was always a bonus.

  But…

  Jesus, it would have been good if Ellie had been able to make it, but her friend had had packing stuff to do in preparation for her trip and hadn’t been able to come out. A pity since Kara could have used an unbiased opinion about Lincoln and whether going off to spend a night with him was really a good idea.

  You don’t need Ellie to tell you it’s a crap idea.

  Kara shook the thought off. No, God, there wasn’t anything wrong with the idea. It was something she wanted to do. Needed to do. If only to get Vin out of her head because even now, even sitting with Lincoln, all she could see was how he wasn’t as tall as Vin. Or as broad. That his jaw line wasn’t as straight and his gaze didn’t have that burning, fierce look like Vin’s sometimes had. And he certainly didn’t have Vin’s air of absolute authority that made her want to…

  Shit. She had to stop thinking about bloody Vin.

  Lincoln’s heavy arm tightened around her waist. “Come on, Kara. Let’s go.”

  Yeah, definitely they had to go. If she stayed here too much longer she’d lose her nerve and that wasn’t the point of the evening. The point of the evening was to grab back some freaking independence. Put some distance between her and Vincent Fox.

  Kara slipped off the bar stool, reaching for Lincoln’s hand and threading her fingers through it. He grinned at her in the darkness of the club, the bass of the music so heavy she could feel the beat in her chest. He was a good looking guy. Really good looking.

  But he’s not Vin.

  Like her brain hadn’t told her that fifty million times already. Bah. She didn’t want Vin. Not tonight.

  Turning, Kara began to lead Lincoln through the dancers, heading for the exit.

  In the corridor outside, he pulled her back into his arms, one arm around her waist, holding her close. The move was unexpected but she went with it, trying to relax her tight muscles, tipping her head back to meet his gaze. He grinned and leaned down for a kiss, his mouth brushing over hers.

  But there were no sparks. No fizz of desire. Nothing.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  His arms tightened, his mouth becoming more demanding. And Kara felt…uncomfortable. Like she couldn’t breathe. She pushed against his chest and to give the guy credit, he lifted his head, loosening his arms and frowning. “What’s up?”

  Kara struggled to get a breath, the unease closing like a fist around her ribs. “Uh…nothing. I just…needed some air.”

  “You still good to go, baby?”

  “Don’t—” Don’t call me baby. Only Vin gets to call me baby.

  “Don’t what?”

  “Nothing.” Christ, why couldn’t she breathe? Why did she feel as though she had to get away? Like she had with every other guy she’d ever initiated things with.

  Every guy except…

  “Hey, if you’re not—”

  “I am.” Kara reached for his hand again, tugging him with her as she began to head up the corridor toward the exit. She was going to do this. She had to. Otherwise what she’d be left with was dressing up as a slave every night for Vin Fox. Reliant only on him for her sexual pleasure. Which was crazy and so not happening. Relying on anyone for anything was so not happening.

  Outside the footpath was full of people waiting to get into the club, or leaving it. Music thumped. People yelled at each other. Teenagers moved in packs catcalling and stumbling over each other.

  A strange kind of fear began to replace her unease. The usual fear. Of going back to this complete stranger’s house and getting naked with him. Of stripping herself bare. Being exposed. Vulnerable.

  She swallowed, gripping his hand. Then she turned round suddenly, facing him. “When we get back to your place, I want you to take control. Okay?”

  He frowned. “Take control? What?”

  She could feel herself beginning to blush. Oh Jesus, she should never have said anything. And yet there was only one way she knew of that gave her some measure of protection for herself—being someone else. Being the slave. “I want you to call the shots in the bedroom. Like I’m your…” She stopped, unable to say the S word.

  Lincoln apparently didn’t need to hear it because he gave a disbelieving laugh and said, “You’re kinky? No, scratch that.” He gave her a quick once over, clearly taking in the skintight black mini dress, fishnets and combat boots ensemble. “Of course you’re kinky.”

  Painful embarrassment flooded through her. Was the master/slave thing a kink? She supposed it was. There wasn’t anything normal about it. People might have a role-play thing going on in their sex life, but it wasn’t usually the only way they could have sex.

  Trying not to let her embarrassment show, she lifted her chin instead. “Kinky or not, you’re seriously turning down the chance to order me around when you get me home?”

  His grin turned into something that was probably meant to be suggestive, except she didn’t find it anything but predatory. “Shit no. If you’re into that, I’m more than happy to help.”

  You’re actually going to go home with this guy? Strip naked in front of him? Give him all the control? Like you do with Vin?

  Instinctive denial shot through her but she ignored it. She had to ignore it. This had become a battle. A battle she wouldn’t let her need for Vin Fox win. “Come on then,” she said decisively. “Have you got a car?”

  “Sure. This way.”

  But they hadn’t gone more than a couple of meters along the sidewalk when a prickling sensation crept over the back of Kara’s neck. She turned her head and the breath squeezed tight in her chest.

  Beneath a streetlight, leaning back against a familiar red Corvette, was Vin.

  She stopped, frozen to the spot as their eyes met. And locked.

  What the hell was he doing here? Her heartbeat began to race, adrenaline singing like a choir in her bloodstream. There it was. The fizz, the spark. The dizzying rush of desire. All the missing pieces of the puzzle that if the world had any justice, should have been there with the man she’d wanted to go home with tonight.

  But they weren’t.

  “What are you doing, Kara?” Vin didn’t move, leaning against the car with his arms folded, relaxed almost. But he wasn’t relaxed. The ferocity of his gaze and the leashed energy in his posture told her he was angry. Very, very angry.

  Her own anger flared. “I could ask you the same thing.”

  “Why do you think I’m here? I was looking for you.”

  “Well, now you’ve found me. What the hell do you want?”

  “Kara?” Lincoln had begun walking back down the pavement toward her. “What’s going on?”

  Vin’s gaze flicked to the other man then back to her. And her breath caught. He knew. He knew what she’d been going with Lincoln to do.

  Something ignited inside her. Part anger, part fear, part excitement. She held his gaze, determined not to look away. Determined to let him see the boundary she was putting between them. That in the bedroom she may be his slave but she wasn’t out of it.

  “Hey,” Lincoln said as he came closer. “Who’s this guy?”

  Kara opened her mouth to say no one in particular but Vin cut across her. “She’s mine,” he said with complete and absolute authority. As if stating an incontrovertible fact.

  The words died in her throat unsaid. He’d claimed her in the privacy of her apartment but out here, in front of someone else, it was a whole other story. No one had ever said she was theirs, not publicly. She’d never belonged to anyone.

  “Hey, she’s not yours, mate,” Lincoln said. “She’s got a mind of her own.”

  Slowly, Vin pushed himself away from the Corvette. “She’s mine,” he repeated in the same hard voice. �
��And she’s coming with me.” He didn’t come any closer but then he didn’t need to. A cold anger radiated from him, leashed violence in every line of his body. “Get in the car, Kara.”

  She didn’t want to get into the stupid, freaking car. She couldn’t let him and her own ridiculous desire win this. But the word no seemed to have vanished from her vocabulary the instant he’d said she’s mine.

  Lincoln looked at her and the expression on her face must have given her away because he said, “Kara, if he’s bothering you, I can—”

  “He’s not bothering me,” she managed to get out. “And I’m sorry.” Because she knew, she fucking knew with every single cell of her being, that she couldn’t go home with Lincoln. Couldn’t take her clothes off in front of him. Couldn’t have sex with him. Because at the sound of Vin’s voice something inside her had gone quiet and still. Like prey going limp in the jaws of a predator, knowing it was caught. That fighting was useless.

  Lincoln frowned. “You’re not going home with me then?”

  “No,” Vin said. “She’s not. Now get in the car, baby.”

  And she found herself turning and moving toward the Corvette, not looking at Lincoln. Drawn by the other man standing beneath the streetlight.

  Vin opened the car door for her, standing aside as she got in, and soon as the door closed behind her, the unease vanished and relief flooded through her veins like a tide. She fought it, tried to hold onto the anger instead. Because, God, she’d gone ahead and meekly obeyed him without even an argument. What the hell was wrong with her?

  The driver’s side door slammed shut, the interior of the car filling up with Vin’s intense, electric presence. She could almost taste the anger in the air between them, like sparks from a firework.

  “What the hell, Vin?” she demanded. “Giving up construction and trying stalking instead?”

  He put his hands on the steering wheel, his knuckles white. “You were going to go have sex with that bastard, weren’t you?”

  “What? Lincoln? Yeah, as a matter of fact I was.” She threw the words at him like stones. A challenge. Part of her wanting to see what he would do, how far he would go.