A View to a Thrill (Masters and Mercenaries Book 7)

by Blake, Lexi

  Who’d fought for him. He’d always thought Ian felt a bit sorry for him. In truth, he’d never really understood why Ian had made the offer. He’d leapt at it though. It had been a lifeline. He couldn’t go back to legal work. Not after he’d had a taste of undercover work. It was in his blood. He’d been convinced he wasn’t good for anything else, couldn’t want anything else.

  Could Chelsea really have thought she was helping him? It didn’t matter in the end. He couldn’t trust her. She couldn’t change. She’d proven it. Either she’d told him the truth and she really wanted to work for Ten and leave him behind or she’d lied to him. He could stand for neither scenario.

  She’d known where the package was and withheld it from him. Likely, she’d intended to go to Italy with her new boss.

  “By the way,” Ian began, “that was one hell of a choke-out. I’ve wanted to do that to her since I met her.”

  He needed to get away for a moment. He stood up. “Can you handle the autopilot while I get a cup of tea?”

  He needed far more than caffeine, but he wouldn’t get that until they touched down.

  “I might not like being in a small metal can over a sea of sharks, but I can handle the autopilot. Actually, I’ve always wanted to land one of these suckers. Maybe…”

  “Not as long as I’m breathing, boss.” He turned and walked out of the cockpit. The kitchen was toward the back. He had to step through the cabin. He had to admit that his uncle knew how to travel. An executive jet with twelve comfortable seats. He’d been surrounded by wealth all his life, but the Malone fortune far eclipsed the Weston’s. It hadn’t always been that way.

  Jesse was snoozing in his seat. Charlotte was curled up reading and Chelsea was staring out the window. She’d changed into a breezy skirt and a top that showed off her breasts.

  Now that he couldn’t touch her again she decided to dress to show off. Well, naturally. Their relationship never had good timing. He walked past her without another glance. She wouldn’t matter after a while. She would be like all the rest of them, in his past. He would move on and…what?

  Get married? Perhaps but he worried he wouldn’t feel for another woman the way he did Chelsea. Keep working? Certainly, but wouldn’t he wonder where she was and what she was doing?

  He moved into the small kitchen area and looked through the cabinets to find the tea bags. They were woefully inadequate, but would have to do until he could hit the ground and find the nearest bar.

  He needed to get her out of his head. Time. Space. That was the only thing that would do it. Eventually she would be a distant memory, something he only thought about from time to time.

  “Simon?”

  His cock wasn’t going to forget her at all if she kept showing up. “I’m just getting a cup of tea. I’ll be out of your way in a moment.”

  “I wanted to talk to you.”

  He turned to her. He could make this quick. “Did you or did you not mean what you said at the ranch?”

  She never apologized, simply blazed her way through even when she was wrong.

  “No. Not a word of it. I’m so sorry I hurt you but I thought it was for the best because you were going to be brought up on charges for killing those men.”

  She was playing him again. She had to be. “It doesn’t matter. I really don’t care.”

  “If I believed that I would want to die.” Her eyes didn’t quite find his. “I would like to know what my requirements are, Master.”

  His cock jumped in his pants but his stomach took a deep dive. “Our contract doesn’t matter anymore.”

  Her eyes finally came up, a hint of a challenge in those dark orbs. “Doesn’t it? I didn’t negate it.”

  She was not going to do this to him. “You did when you told me you were leaving.”

  “Did I? I would like to see it. I think I need to read that clause.”

  Fuck all. He hadn’t written it so he had an out because he hadn’t dreamed he would need one. He’d given her a very specific out, but he was in for the duration of their time together. “Chelsea, you can’t expect that there is a contract after what you did.”

  “I just said some words. I didn’t use my safe word. I didn’t say we were done. I would like to see the terms of my contract so I can know what my rights and responsibilities are. If you don’t have a hard copy, I can read it on Charlotte’s phone. Don’t tell me you didn’t write it on your laptop because I know you did and you saved it. You have backups. Just give me the server name and I’ll get it myself.”

  She was right, of course. He had saved it. He was a creature of routine and he’d hit save, so it was on his backup. He’d modified one he’d written for the subs at Sanctum. One of the first things Ian had asked him to do was rewrite the contracts. He’d written them for The Garden so he knew what he was doing. He’d fucked up because he’d known what he was doing and then he’d written the contract to suit his stupid romantic sensibilities. He’d been an idiot. He contemplated lying to her. Telling her anything that would get her off his back.

  Or he could be honest and fuck the shit out of her. His cock was in firm control now. He could stay within the confines on their contract and spend the next week or so fucking her over and over again until he screwed her out of his system.

  “I don’t like the look on your face, Simon. Please don’t lie to me.” She stood there, her eyes softer than he could remember.

  But he could be cold. She’d made him that way. “I wasn’t thinking about lying to you. I was thinking about using the contract to fuck you until I don’t care about you anymore.”

  She sighed, a relieved smile coming over her face. “Oh, that’s good.”

  Had she listened to him? “I said I want to fuck you until I don’t want you anymore.”

  “I won’t ever stop wanting you.” She turned her face up to his. “I’ll take what you give me, Simon. A day. A week. A lifetime. Eternity. I’ll take it all because I love you and I won’t stop trying. I screwed up. I should have talked to you and I know that now. I shouldn’t have made a unilateral decision. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”

  Chelsea Denisovitch was asking for forgiveness? “Are you asking as Chelsea or the bloody Broker?”

  “Both because they’re both me. I did terrible things as The Broker. I did some good things, too. But I want to be Chelsea now. I really want to be Chelsea Weston, but I know I screwed that up.”

  What the hell game was she playing now? It was messing up his head. “You’re going to work for Ten.”

  “I might have to, but I’m going to negotiate new terms. Even if you won’t forgive me, I’m going to stay in Dallas. I’m going to have a relationship with my sister and whatever little demons come out of her union with Ian. I was scared that I would hurt her. Hurt you. But she says I would hurt her more by walking away. What do you say? I didn’t think I deserved you. Should I walk away? Or stay and fight? I can’t pretend we don’t know each other. I can’t just be polite, not when we’re working together. I want the terms of our contract. I insist on them.”

  She insisted? Oh, he could comply. He let his hand find the back of her neck, drifting up and into the soft nest of her hair. He tangled his fist there. “You want me as your Dom? Our contract was written for the duration of this operation. I don’t have a way out. I locked myself in. You can merely say you’re done and everything ends. Do you know what I’ll do to you?”

  Her face fell a little, but she didn’t back down. “Probably something a little nasty. Are you going hardcore?”

  “You have no idea. Continue down this path and you’ll have my cock up your ass before you know it.” He wanted it. Blow jobs might be his trigger, but he never felt more alpha than when he was fucking a sub’s tiny asshole. And Chelsea was the ultimate sub, the one who wouldn’t submit. If he could get inside her, could make her bend to his will—what a fucking high.

  A high? He was fooling himself. It was trust and love and submission rolled in one gorgeous ball and he wanted it
more than he wanted to live another moment. He wanted to fuck into that tiny hole and know she was submitting to him. He’d been her first and damn but he wanted to be her last.

  “Show me your tits.”

  Her eyes wrinkled, her face turning down.

  “You want to be my sub? You obey me. Show me your tits.”

  She took a halting breath as though fortifying herself, and for a moment he thought she would walk away. And then her hand moved to the bottom of her blouse and she pulled it up and off her torso. She wasn’t wearing a bra. Her breasts were right there on full display. Pink and brown nipples. Small but full.

  The bloody tea could wait.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chelsea’s whole body woke up, every cell seeming to sing with anticipation as Simon’s hand came out and covered her breast. She loved his hands. They were big and strong and callused in a way she wouldn’t have thought a royal’s could be, but then Simon was an enigma. He was a code she couldn’t crack and all the more attractive for his mystery. She could really spend a lifetime trying to figure the man out.

  God, she hoped she got to.

  “Drop the skirt and pray you aren’t wearing knickers, love.” He pulled his hand back and leaned against the counter, his eyes on her. Cold. The blue was like steel now and she needed to see she could melt it just a little.

  Patience. Charlotte had counseled patience. She’d put her Dom in a bad situation and now the lion had a thorn in his paw and it wouldn’t be easy to take it out. She had to be steadfast.

  Patience had never been her strong suit, but she had to change if she wanted any chance at all with him.

  The good news was her sister gave great advice. When she’d asked Charlotte for some undies, her sister had shook her head and told her to get used to going commando. Chelsea hooked her thumbs under the waistband of her skirt and pushed it off her hips. When had it gotten easy to be naked in front of him? He’d given her so much, but this ease with her own body was the greatest gift of all. She’d always hated the way she looked, but how could she not be at peace when he looked at her that way?

  Would he still look at her the same way? It suddenly occurred to her that he really could have some revenge here and now. He could turn cold and mean. He could tell her she wasn’t pretty enough for him and send her away. If he stared through her and ridiculed her, would she be able to handle it? She might deserve it, but she wasn’t sure she could take it coming from him.

  “Fuck, you’re gorgeous.”

  Never from him. Even when he was angry with her, he wouldn’t hurt her. He might be a mystery to her, but she’d figured out the depths of his kindness. “I love you.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t want to hear it. I might be willing to play with you for the duration of our contract, but I won’t hear those words and don’t expect them from me.”

  “Just because you won’t hear them doesn’t mean they aren’t true, Master.” She had to give him everything until he finally realized she wasn’t going anywhere. She’d hit him where he was most vulnerable. She’d told him she was abandoning him.

  His jaw tightened. “Turn around. Palms flat on the wall. This isn’t the same as before. This isn’t some love affair. This is a D/s relationship and nothing more. There’s punishment and pleasure, but that’s all. You will serve me. I’ll keep you safe. At any time, you can end it.”

  “I’m not going to end it. I don’t want it to end.”

  “Chelsea, I don’t know what’s made you change your mind, but it’s not going to work. It’s best we let it go now.”

  “I have until the end of the op.”

  “Then turn around and accept my discipline.”

  She turned because he likely needed this. She could handle just about anything as long as he didn’t send her away.

  Fire licked her as Simon’s hand came down on her ass, peppering her with slaps. He didn’t count, simply spanked her like he was never going to stop. The pain flared and heightened her senses, making her skin come alive.

  “What is my first rule?” He slapped at the fleshiest part of her ass. She felt that smack all along her spine. There was no doubt. Her Dom was pissed.

  But he was still here. He was still hers and she had a chance. “To obey you in the field.”

  Another walloping smack nearly jarred her teeth loose. “And did you disobey?”

  “Yes, Master. I did.” She wasn’t going to argue with him that she’d done it with the purest of intentions. He’d let her off the hook when she’d placed herself in danger the first time. He wasn’t going to do it now, and she had to show him that she could bend. “I’m so sorry. Please let me make it up to you.”

  Charlotte would be proud. She’d told her to memorize those words because she would likely be using them so very often.

  “Do you think sweet words are going to save you?” Another nasty smack.

  Her eyes were watering, but she felt the clench of arousal deep in her body. She would take him here and now knowing fully well that her sister would probably hear her. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was being near him, proving to him that she’d made a terrible mistake and they belonged with each other. He’d been right. They did have so much in common, so many things to bind them together. She had to hold on to those things.

  “I don’t need to be saved from you.”

  She could hear him breathing. He wasn’t nearly as unaffected as he would like her to believe. “You might not think that five minutes from now. Stay where you are. Don’t you move.”

  He was leaving her here? Standing naked in the kitchenette? She kept her mouth closed because her ass was already aching. He would come back. Surely. At some point. He wouldn’t land the plane with her standing here naked. That would be dangerous and he was a good pilot. Of course, there were still hours and hours until they touched down in Venice. He could torture her for a decent amount of time.

  “Uhm, hey, I was just grabbing a drink.” Jesse’s lips quirked up as he crossed to the small fridge. “Pissed off the Brit, huh?”

  Yep. This was torture. She was naked and couldn’t move or she risked pissing off her Dom even further. Just the day before, she likely would have screamed and jumped for the bathroom, but she’d finally figured it out. She had a choice. She could run for that door or she could accept that Simon needed this and take a deep breath and stop being a scared child. She was naked, but there wasn’t a person on the plane who would be shocked to find her naked and waiting on her boyfriend to come back to torture her a little more. Hell, Ian would probably cheer. She knew her sister would. Jesse, for all his weird post-traumatic stress problems, had never been anything but kind to her. What was she so afraid of?

  “Yes. You could say that. He’s mad at me for disobeying him. I don’t think he likes my new job.”

  Jesse leaned against the wall, seemingly at ease with the whole naked female thing. “Well, he usually just yells at me.”

  Chelsea frowned. “You like killed a dude with your bare teeth. I was just exploring other job options.”

  Shit. She needed a filter.

  Jesse just grinned. “I was smart enough to not sign a contract that said I get my ass whipped.” His light dimmed a little. “But I’m sorry I scared you.”

  “You didn’t scare me. Not at all. It was gross though, and I think you might need a tetanus shot, but that guy was an asshole. He would have killed you. It’s okay.”

  “So we’re cool?”

  “We’re cool, Murdoch. You’re a good guy. I’m happy to be your friend, and I know if someone else tries to kidnap me, you’ll take care of it in the messiest way possible.”

  His hand came up in a mock salute. “Will do. And might I say your ass looks mighty fine even when it’s red. I think he left a handprint.”

  “You’ve said enough, Jesse,” a cold British voice said. “Take your drink and leave.”

  Jesse gave her another wink. “Will do, boss. I’ll let Charlotte know the kitchen is closed.”
/>   “You do that,” Simon said.

  Jesse walked away and she turned her head, trying to see what Simon was doing. He was carrying a leather bag. Shit. He’d gotten his kit out. Damn it. She was in trouble.

  “I thought you didn’t have your kit.”

  “Ian was kind enough to bring it with him when he realized we would be leaving Dallas for a time. Charlotte brought some of your things and Ian brought my kit.” He set the leather bag on the counter. “You didn’t move.”

  “You left very specific instructions.”

  “Tell me you wouldn’t have hidden a week ago.”

  She was fairly certain that he would know if she lied about this. “I thought about it even today.”

  “What changed?”

  How should she explain this to him? “You think I’m pretty. You think there’s nothing wrong with me.”

  “I’ve always thought that.”

  “Yeah, well from today forward, I choose to believe you.” That was what had changed.

  His voice went low, the words coming out in the sexiest of rumbles. “They all know you’re back here. They all know I’m going to do something nasty to you.”

  “Yes.” And that didn’t horrify her the way it would have before. Maybe it was time for more truth. “Charlotte was the one who found me after Victor tried to rape me, so I think it’s only fair she knows I’m getting something good for a change.”

  He paused, and for a moment all she heard was the whine of engines. “That’s not fair.”

  She had zero intentions of playing fair. This was the most important game of her life, and she intended to win. “I was just explaining my thinking, Master. Is there really a handprint on my bottom?”

  She felt him touch her, his fingers grazing the skin he’d punished and making her shiver. “I was hard on you, but you should expect that from now on, and no, there’s no print. There’s only a lovely shade of pink that will likely be gone in an hour or so. Jesse was teasing you. Do you really consider him a friend?”

  “Yes. He’s my friend.” She might have just realized it, but it was true. The only reason she hadn’t gotten close to anyone had been her own standoffishness. When she looked at the situation through new eyes, she could see everyone had tried. Adam constantly tried to battle her for hacking dominance—like that would happen—but it was his way of reaching out. Eve had asked her to lunch a few times. Chelsea thought it was so she could psychoanalyze the new girl, but what if it had been about friendship?