10 Commandments

by Dark Angel

  “We had a very productive session with a new client tonight. Working out the kinks, pun intended, always makes me hungry,” Max says.

  He walks close to my other side and places one hand on my lower back. I can’t imagine walking across a crowded floor this close to two men who tower over me, but Max and Theo slink like jungle cats on their long legs, and we cross the floor as graceful as dancers.

  “Well,” I start, “I don’t think you are going to be very inspired by the buffet here. Probably some crab cakes, foie gras, and stuffed mushrooms. They have the same thing every time I come here.”

  “I feel very inspired,” answers Theo, eyes smoldering down at me.

  I feel myself flush. I’m not sure I’m very hungry, but I might also be inspired.

  “Skip the crab cakes, but they have added these lovely little smoked salmon toasts that are possibly to die for,” a female voice chimes in from across the table. “’Course, I’m not supposed to have the salmon, but the cheese is amazing.”

  I look across the table at a stunning, heavily pregnant blonde woman in a black-and-red gown cut deep in the front, displaying her creamy breasts.

  Behind her with a possessive hand on her back is a proud man. Spread out nearby are six other beautiful men, watching her with a hunger that has nothing to do with the food.

  “Caroline?” I ask. I have heard about the new head of Sin Inc., but I didn’t think I’d be meeting her here tonight. I suppose we will now be swimming in the same circles more than we did in the past.

  “In the more-than-usual flesh,” she answers, gesturing to her swollen belly. “Justin, be a love and pick out some tasty treats. I want to sit down and chat with the new owner of Scarlet.” She nods toward a lean, sexy man staring at her with a hunger that doesn’t look like it will be quelled with crab cakes.

  I follow her, slightly starstruck, to a table off to the side. Unlike my assigned table, this one has a great view of the room but is more hidden from prying eyes.

  One of her seven escorts is already sitting at the table poking at a smartwatch. As we sit, one of the waiters scurries over with a tray of drinks already for us. The seated man slips him a twenty, then stretches lazily.

  “I figured we should get to know each other since we are the nubile young ladies in charge of the how, should I put it, darker side of business in town.” Caroline smiles at me.

  I want to believe that she is as kind as she is making out to be, but I’m not sure if I can trust her yet.

  “Do you mind if I call you Evie? You’re just so adorable. I think it fits.”

  “Did you hire my former staff to kill a man?” I ask her point-blank, ignoring her question. I have heard rumors about how Caroline “inherited” Sin Inc., and I am not up for playing the usual game of politics.

  “And here I thought you were sweet and innocent.” Caroline smirks at me. Her look is dangerous, and there is fire in her eyes. But underneath that is another woman thrust into a new world.

  I really want her to say no. I want to find a friend and ally in her.

  “I might have needed someone to ask some questions of a less-than-helpful gentleman. Ares would have gone, but I wanted to direct attention away from my Sinners. But he does get so jealous when I hire out.” She looks over her shoulder at a dark man scowling toward us, the bulge in his pants betraying that he is as turned on as he is jealous.

  “Evie, darling, I merely hired them to get information. I never wanted them to really hurt anyone. And I haven’t seen them since the meeting to set it up. I promise you they are not now, nor will they ever work for me. I don’t trust them.” The playfulness is gone from Caroline’s voice. “We don’t kill innocent people.” There is a tiny crease between her eyebrows.

  She wants to say more, but I don’t think she knows if she can trust me yet. The slim man, Justin, comes over with a huge plate of food and sets it in front of her. He picks up a salmon toast, pops the smoked fish into his mouth, then gently feeds the rest to Caroline.

  She smiles and closes her eyes as he kisses down her neck, inhaling deeply, as if he wants to devour her.

  The tableau reminds me of my own escorts, standing very close behind me. One or both of them have been trailing their fingers along my back through our conversation, teasing my skin and playing with my hair.

  I have been so wrapped up in talking to Caroline about my former employees that I didn’t really notice, even while I have been stretching toward their roaming fingers. I think about what it would be like to have those fingers explore me further.

  “I noticed the change-up in your escorts. You are drawing quite a bit of attention, my dear Evie. Here I thought I was the only one brave enough to bring more than one date to these things.” Caroline’s teasing voice is back, pulling me away from the thoughts of Theo and Max running their warm, soft hands up my thighs and exploring my innermost depths.

  I shake my head to clear my mind of the dirty thoughts. I look at her quizzically, then blush. I want to trust her, and I could really use a girl friend.

  “My regular date canceled at the last minute. Max and Theo,” I say as I gesture to the men behind me, “and the rest of my new employees are helping me out and escorting me tonight. None of them were free for the whole evening, unfortunately. Appointments, you know, and it seemed like a good way to get to know everyone.”

  “How many gentlemen have you hired?” Caroline asks

  “Ten,” I answer. “Business is booming, and when there are twins involved…” I am turning even redder. I know Caroline knows what Scarlet is, but she doesn’t know about the other night.

  Caroline has a nice laugh. “Oh, Evie, I know. I was just like you before…well, I was just like you. Don’t worry. You now have ten beautiful, talented men at your disposal. Embrace it. I’m sure you will find what you need.”

  I smile at her. I do like Caroline.

  “Now if you will excuse me, the baby thinks I should powder my nose. Again…” With that she stands and with a pack of men in her wake and glides gracefully to the ladies’ room.

  Chapter 10

  Evelynn

  Watching Caroline walk away with her entourage of sinners, I am pulled back to the table by Max.

  “Theo and I need to head back soon. I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to dance. Next time?” The two of them have taken seats at this secluded table. Max is holding my hand, and Theo’s resting one hand suggestively on my thigh.

  “I think you will find that while it takes two to tango, it can be even more exciting with three,” Theo purrs behind me.

  A shiver runs down my spine, and I imagine being pressed between their two well-toned bodies.

  “Tango? I was hoping for something with more bounce,” Gunther interrupts Theo.

  I look up, and Gunther and Finn have arrived, decked out in dark cream suits. Their golden Adonis bodies draw every eye to our secluded corner.

  The darker twins give me chaste pecks on the cheek before handing me off to the golden gods before me.

  “Well, did you want to dance? Or…” Gunther asks me when the others have left. I raise an eyebrow at him.

  “Or would you like to make the rounds and show off your stunning gown?” finishes Finn.

  I feel a flush cross my cheeks. They know exactly what I thought Gunther was implying.

  All these men seem to like taunting me. My nerves dance with the temptation to let loose and see where all that teasing could lead.

  I take each of their hands and stand up. “Let’s make the rounds. I want to make sure everyone knows I still care about the same things even if I am running a dungeon.” The guys laugh a little and put my arms through theirs.

  Their pulsing muscles remind me of watching them work, well-oiled arms striking the right balance between pleasure and pain. I shiver, then stand straighter.

  I am here tonight for a cause. I will not let the rotating cast of gorgeous men distract me.

  “Cold?” asks Gunther, concerned.

 
“I’m alright, just…” I start to answer.

  “Hot?” asks Finn, smirking.

  “I’m fine,” I say, almost scolding. “Behave. That’s Mrs. Robertson. She put on the event tonight. I want to thank her.”

  We join a small circle of people around a tall woman just on the other side of 50. I worry stepping in that the guys won’t be comfortable, given that in their line of work, small talk is rarely called for, but they are charming and witty.

  I am genuinely enjoying myself. I have always loved these events, and the guys have all been better than my usual single dates.

  The conversation in our little circle stays lively.

  I start to hear the whispers behind and around us. The people outside our circle have stopped talking about anything but the three of us.

  “The third set…”

  “All identical.”

  “What is she doing with all of them?”

  I feel my face growing warm, and I can’t keep up with the conversation anymore. Finn is telling a joke, but Gunther catches my eye. He slides a hand around my waist and pulls me close to him.

  The attention is getting to me a little. I’m not sure I want to be the talk of the party this way. Finn catches on and makes an excuse for us to head back to our assigned table.

  “They’re all talking about us,” I whisper.

  “Of course they are. You are stunning,” says Finn.

  “Evelynn, you are the talk of the town. I don’t think we even have that much to do with it,” Gunther continues for his brother.

  I smile at both of them. They are being so sweet. I think back to Caroline telling me to embrace having them at my disposal.

  God, it is so tempting, especially when they are being so wonderful.

  Just when I am getting lost to two sets of deep blue eyes, my phone goes off. It’s my private number. Not many people have it, so it must be important.

  “Guys, I have to take this,” I say. I think I might almost be relieved the phone went off when it did. I’m not sure what I was about to do. “I’m going to step outside, if you have to run to your appointments. Well, I had a wonderful time.” I kiss them each on the cheek and rush out into the cool night.

  I answer the ringing phone as I close the glass door behind me, the noise of the crowded ballroom contained.

  “Hello?” I say. Then someone grabs me from behind, and I feel a sharp, cold point on my throat.

  My phone drops to the ground with a thud. I am dragged into an alcove in the hedge surrounding the ballroom. Whoever is holding the knife to my throat pulls me down hard onto a stone bench.

  Hands in my hair hold me down and pull my neck back. I strain and look up. Draven holds the knife to my neck.

  “Shhhh, little boss, you don’t want my hand to slip now, do you?” he whispers. His voice is oily.

  I don’t know how I never noticed that while he was working for me. Everything about Draven is oily. I swallow and feel the blade bite my tender skin.

  “Draven, watch out. If Ms. Eve here listens closely, she gets to leave unharmed. We don’t want to damage her yet now, do we?” Ash—I recognize his harsh voice and the way he seems to spit my name, even though he doesn’t come into view.

  I think back to Caroline saying she didn’t hire these guys. God, I really want to believe her right now, because if this is what I think it might be, I am going to need an ally.

  “Evelynn, what my two companions are trying to communicate.” Lars stands over me. He is the tallest of my three former employees and the one I always trusted least. Something about him is too quick, too smooth. “You know something about us. Something of a sensitive nature that we would rather word not get around about.”

  Lars runs a hand down my cheek, then my throat. His fingers are colder than the knife blade.

  “You mean the murder,” I manage to say.

  “Lars, she might have more backbone than we thought. What do you say we just keep her instead of scare her?” Draven laughs, holding the knife steady against my throat.

  “That would draw attention, Draven. We don’t want the kind of attention our former boss seems to be enjoying with our replacements,” answers Lars. “Now, Evelynn, that was a situation that got a little out of control. I know you are all about control, but sometimes things get messy. If your analysis of the situation were to come to the attention of, say, the police…well, I can’t guarantee that your family wouldn't find themselves in a similar situation. Or maybe all of Scarlet?”

  I inhale sharply.

  “You don’t have any proof, Eve,” Ash says, now sitting next to me. I can see him out of the corner of my eye.

  He sits right up against me, wraps his arm around me, and squeezes me in place. I can feel the shape of a gun in his jacket pocket pressed against my side.

  Draven runs the knife down my throat and slices down the lace front, just to the tops of my breasts.

  “Keep that pretty virginal mouth of yours shut, or you won’t like what happens next,” whispers Ash.

  I shiver, terrified of what might come next.

  Chapter 11

  Gideon

  Evelynn. That is one beautiful woman.

  I’m finished with clients for the evening. Now I can move on to the gala.

  I have been looking forward to it all day, but I’m not quite ready. Jake is; he just doesn’t take the same care with getting ready than I do. He looks great, but I don’t go for the five-o’clock shadow thing, especially when we are going to be escorting Evelynn.

  I saw her when she left with Robin and Gustav earlier—a delicate rose blooming in innocence. She took my breath away.

  “Dude, your eyebrows are perfect. Let’s go already.” Jake grabs my arm and waggles his eyebrows at me.

  I always tease Jake that he is my sloppy alter ego. Being identical, we are always striking. But dressed up, the differences in presentation are definite.

  “I’m coming. Aren’t you going to comb your hair?” I ask, grabbing his midnight-blue jacket and tossing it to him.

  “I did. This is the look I’m going for—rugged bad boy.” He slips the jacket on and heads out the door. “To contrast with your Ken doll look.”

  “Fuck you,” I answer back. “Just for that I’m driving. Don’t want to be late.”

  Jake laughs and tosses me the keys. We dash across town to the swanky country club venue. Jake is white, knuckling the “oh shit” handle the whole way.

  What can I say, I like to drive fast. And with the added bonus of getting to see Evelynn in that gown again, I can’t wait to get there.

  We walk into the ballroom, and you could hear a fucking pin drop.

  “More twins?” I hear off to the side. Oh, good. People have noticed. I was hoping it wouldn’t take long.

  I’m sure Evelynn and her rotating escorts have been the talk of the evening. I hope she is handling it well. I know Evelynn likes to be watched, but I don’t know how well that translates to social functions like this.

  Jake and I cut a path to the table assigned to Evelynn and her dates tonight. The silence stretches in front of us and breaks in a wave of whispers in our wake.

  I know we look great—Jake in his midnight jacket and me in wine. We may have the same chiseled good looks, but we don’t go in for that matchy-matchy thing some twins get off on.

  Evelynn isn’t at her table. There are three champagne flutes, one with a delicate lip print like a butterfly’s wing, the color of blush. Evelynn’s shade.

  I smile to myself. Her lipstick matches her pink nipples. I hope I get to see those more often in the future.

  “I don’t see Gunther and Finn either.” Jake interrupts my increasingly dirty thoughts.

  “Well, they had a tight change over for their next appointment, probably left a little early to get changed,” I reply. “Evelynn is probably in the ladies’. We should wait for her here.”

  “Or,” Jake says, pleading a little. “We could hit the buffet? We didn’t exactly stop for food. And she m
ight be over there.”

  I smile at my brother. “They won’t have Taco Bell,” I tease him. He rolls his eyes back at me. “But sure, let’s hit the buffet and look around for Evelynn.”

  We cross to the other side of the room. I recognize a couple of clients but make sure not to give anything away. You never know what jealous husband doesn’t know about his wife’s wanting a good spanking. Pity, I’m sure some of them would like to be involved.

  At the buffet, we half fill a couple of plates, but still no Evelynn. A very pregnant blonde with amazing tits comes up to us as we are looking around, trying to figure out where the ladies’ room is and how to check if Evelynn is in there.

  “I’m guessing you are more of Evelynn’s?” she says to us. Unlike the rest of the whispers, she sounds impressed and happy. “I’m Caroline. Having trouble finding your girl?” she asks.

  “Hello, Caroline. I’m Gideon, and this is my brother Jake. Yes, we thought she might be in the ladies…but,” I answer her, trailing off and hoping she will offer to check for us.

  “I’ve been in and out of there all night. She isn’t there, boys. Sorry. Have you called her?” Caroline is trying to be helpful. A tall dude comes up behind her and very protectively puts his hands around her, resting one softly on her swollen belly.

  “I have to go sit. You boys take care of that girl when you find her, okay?” She nods knowingly at us and heads off to a table partially secluded but with a great view of the room.

  Jake pulls out his phone and tries her private line. Nothing. He tries again. Still nothing.

  I try. No reason to think she would answer me and not Jake, but I’m getting worried. Nothing. I really hope she is still with Finn and Gunther. I can’t think what could happen to her here, but I just don’t know.

  “Gideon, calm down. She probably stepped outside for some air or something.” I look at my laid-back brother and take a deep breath. I can feel the worry leave my face. “Let’s head outside and see if she is there.” I nod and we do.