Ladies of the Night OMNIBUS Collection: Sizzling Romantic Suspense

by Taylor Lee

  “You didn’t answer me, Diamond. Do you like it? I don’t know if you know Shaing Li, but she’s the hottest new designer out of China. She has the fashion world agog with excitement.”

  Diamond managed to shake her head and respond in a reasonably normal voice.

  “No, Ian, I don’t know Shaing Li. As for the dress, what can I say except that yes, it is beautiful and…outrageous.”

  Ian nodded in agreement. “Precisely. For that reason, it requires a very special woman to wear it. One who is as stunningly beautiful as she is outrageous. ”

  Knowing that Ian had to hear her heart pounding against her chest and certain that her cheeks were flaming, she met his gaze head-on.

  “I trust that you do not think that for one minute I would consider wearing that dress. Jesus God, Ian, I wouldn’t wear it in private, much less to a high end formal affair.”

  “Ah, but, Diamond, that is precisely what I think. You not only will wear the dress but you will wear it in a way that no other woman could. You will have every man in the room lusting after you and every woman green with envy.”

  Diamond felt her throat tighten with anger. So this is what it meant to be Ian’s lover? To be on display, like a yacht or a Bentley, so that all the wealthy men and their wives would envy him more? To underscore that not only was he exceedingly rich and powerful but he could attract a woman who would be the talk of the evening? All Diamond had to do was to bare her body in the most outrageous way possible. Taking several deep breaths to ensure that she could respond, she forced herself to speak softly but didn’t hide her simmering rage.

  “Is that how you choose to dress your ‘lover,’ Ian? To display her for other men’s pleasure and for other women’s envy?”

  When his smile widened to a grin, Diamond leapt to her feet.

  “In other words, Ian, you don’t want to present me as your lover, but rather as your whore.”

  Assuming that her description would make him as angry at her as she was at him, he literally took her breath away with his response.

  “Ah, Diamond, but I do want to present you as my lover.” He paused for a moment and glanced from the dress back to her.

  “And yes, my breathtakingly sexy woman, I most definitely want people to also assume that you’re my whore.”

  Chapter 15

  “Whoa, Tiger!”

  Ian hollered as Diamond flew toward him, her hands raised in front of her, prepared to attack. Murder was on her brain. Unfortunately, Ian was as skilled an MMA fighter as she was and, unlike her, wasn’t blind with fury. He caught her in md-air and wrapped his arms tight around her in a body grip. Holding her from behind, he drove her against the wall. He spread her legs apart with his strong thighs making it impossible for her to kick him—or to move.

  Diamond shrieked in rage and did her best to free herself but Ian was too strong and too accomplished. He knew exactly how to immobilize her no matter how hard she fought. At some level buried far below her fury Diamond was impressed. She knew a consummate fighter when she faced one. Dammit, she was one. But Ian had the advantage. He was cool & collected, not incoherent with rage. Jesus, he was barely breathing hard as he pressed her against the wall. The only indication he gave of an adrenalin rush was his aroused cock pressing against her ass.

  His voice was calm, controlled, but didn’t brook disobedience.

  “Stop fighting me, Diamond. You know you can’t win.”

  When she tried to break free, he tightened his hold making it hard for her to breathe.

  His voice dropped warningly. “You heard me, darlin’. Cool it. Or, if you insist on misbehaving, keep it up. I’ll be delighted to turn you over my knee and show you what happens to naughty little girls who throw temper tantrums.”

  Infuriated at his taunting reference to her as a misbehaving child, Diamond’s anger flared higher. With every ounce of her strength and a warrior cry she thrust her hips up in the air and tried to shake him off. To no avail. He was like a giant steamroller pressing her against the wall, intent on forcing every breath and fight out of her. After a long moment trying desperately to get a lungful of air, Diamond choked, gasping for air.

  Easing up, Ian’s voice in her ear was calm.

  “Okay, baby. It’s okay. Are you done?”

  When she didn’t answer, just kept scrabbling for air, he repeated, “I asked you a question, Riley. Answer me. Are? You? Done?”

  When she turned her head so he couldn’t see the angry tears running down her cheeks and nodded slightly, he loosened his hold, but kept her secured against the wall. Humiliated by his victory over her, and her abject failure to even put up a decent fight, Diamond allowed herself to ease up. Ian responded by lightening his pressure a little more.

  He pressed hips lips against her ear and murmured, “That’s a good girl. Take a breath and if you promise me that you are done trying to fight me, I will let you go. Hell, I’ll even give you a glass of water.”

  When she didn’t answer, just kept her face against the wall but allowed herself to relax slightly against him, he said approvingly, “That’s the way, Tiger. Relax, baby.”

  He added teasingly, “Jesus, sweetheart, if I’d known you’d object so violently to being my whore, I might not—”

  At her enraged shriek, he laughed and pressed her back up against the wall.

  “Settle down. I was just testing you. To see if you really were up for a conversation.”

  When she didn’t answer, just sucked in noisy panting breaths of air, he continued.

  “Okay, just to be sure, we’ll start our conversation here against the wall. Although I have to tell you, this isn’t the best place for a serious discussion given the proximity of your first class ass pressed against a most responsive part of my anatomy…”

  At her angry gasp, he laughed. “C’mon, Diamond. You know the basics of male/female physical reactions to stress—particularly for adrenalin junkies like us. Just to show you that I’m serious and really do want to discuss what needs to happen tonight, I’m going to let you go.”

  He loosened his grip and then took her by the hand. Looking down into her eyes, he said, “Tell you what, let’s go into the living room and treat ourselves to a large glass of Bushmills in preparation for what is sure to be an interesting–and challenging evening. Are you up for that?”

  Seeing that he was serious and for once wasn’t laughing at her, she nodded. Jerking her hand out of his grip she marched past him through the bedroom and into the living room. With as much dignity as she could muster, she sunk onto the sofa and took slow, deep breaths trying to get her pounding heart out of cardiac attack range.

  Ian seemed to understand her need for distance because he took his time opening the bottle of scotch and pouring a generous amount into two glasses. He walked toward her, studying her through narrowed eyes as he handed her one of the glasses. He raised his glass to her and not able to keep the twinkle out of his eyes, grinned.

  “Not sure how this evening could get any more dramatic, but here’s to interesting times.”

  Diamond considered plunking the glass down on the table and making a run for the door, but she knew it was impossible to escape. After all, she was his partner, and regardless of the scene she’d just participated in, they actually were on a mission. Refusing to respond to his toast, she looked away and took a large gulp of the alcohol, grappling with the harsh burn in her throat. Her refusal to acknowledge him worked because Ian sank down next to her on the sofa but at a respectable distance. He sipped on the whiskey then put the glass on the coffee table and pinned her with a serious gaze.

  “Listen to me, Diamond. First, I apologize for teasing you.” His lip kicked up at the corner but he made an obvious effort to keep it from becoming a smile. He added semi-seriously, “It’s just that you are so damned teaseable.” At her frown, he held up his hands and continued.

  “Okay, back to tonight. I wasn’t being a smartass when I said that I wanted people to think that you are my lover and
, yes, also that you are a…how about we use the term ‘call girl’ instead of whore?”

  Diamond sniffed and said with a bitter grunt.

  “Why equivocate, Ian? A whore is a whore.”

  Ian shrugged and said, “As you wish. The point is that I want the audience tonight to think that you are a professional. A whore in your terminology. That is precisely what I want people to assume when they see us together.” He glanced over his shoulder in the direction of the dressing room. “Trust me, in that dress with your body, that gorgeous hair, and a face that could launch 10,000 ships, there will be no doubt. Before you unsheathe that K-Bar you threatened John with, let me explain.” He interjected with a teasing grin, “Besides, if you slice off my cock and balls, it would make the rest of the evening–when we return to our suite—much less interesting.”

  Holding up his hand to stifle her protest, he said, “Let me explain, and now I will be serious. I didn’t want to go into this with Noah and Peter, but my sources tell me that John Walker is a client of Club 69. In case you’ve never heard of the company, they are a very high end call girl outfit that only the most elite and discreet of the wealthy can afford. Besides being outrageously expensive—the lowest rate for a single evening is $5,000 plus, Club 69 is extremely selective. Their clients are men who can’t afford to be ‘outed.’ Either because of their position or the money they are willing to pay for privacy. Usually both. If my information is correct, and I am certain that it is, John Walker has hooked up with a Club 69 call girl.”

  Diamond shook her head and took a long swallow of whiskey.

  “I knew it.” She glanced up at Ian with a fierce frown. “It makes me sick, Ian. For Noah, for Francis Walker, and frankly, for John. I like him. But those e-mails were telling. Whoever is writing them knows that John is having an affair.” She groaned, “And now you tell me with a prostitute no less.”

  Ian agreed. “Yes, Diamond, and the problem is that the Brunson campaign either suspects his affair, or more likely has evidence of it.”

  “Do you think they’re trying to blackmail him to leave the race?”

  “That’s my assumption, Tiger. Certainly, if those emails are ever released to the public and there is hard evidence that they are true, John would have to exit the race. Might have to leave politics for years, if not permanently, given his age. My sense is that at this point, whoever holds the cards is trying to get him to resign and might not make the charges public if he does that voluntarily.”

  “God, Ian, I can’t see John doing that.”

  Ian nodded with a sigh. “Yeah. Yeah, I can’t either. He’s a proud man and a fierce fighter. My concern is what he might do instead.”

  Diamond shuddered. “To the call girl if she is blackmailing him or to Brunson if he somehow has the information?”

  Ian shrugged again. “Or to both of them. Our challenge is to figure out who knows of the affair. If it is only the girl, then we have a shot at buying her off.”

  Diamond had a flash if understanding. She rose to her feet and began pacing across the floor.

  “May I presume that the Club 69 women are usually at affairs like the one tonight?”

  “You can be sure of that. Elite events like the we’re attending is where they do their best trolling.”

  Diamond met Ian’s gaze and held it. “Is that why you want me to wear that dress. To play the part of your whore?”

  Ian winced. “Is there any way, Riley, you might refer to yourself as a call girl? I like the sound of that better.”

  Diamond barked a harsh laugh. “Sorry, Ian, I’ve never been one to rely on niceties. Just so I am clear. My job tonight is to convince these very important people that I am a ‘call girl’ and most important convince the Club 69 regulars that I am one of them.”

  Ian nodded. “Not to boast, but if the Club 69 regulars believe that you are a member of their profession and that you have ‘captured’ me, they will be more than interested in recruiting you to their ranks.”

  Diamond returned his nod. “Where I will be able to ingratiate myself and see if I can learn who has her stilettos buried in John Walker’s gut.”

  “Yup. Or an even more vulnerable body part.”

  Diamond sniffed and decided her personal background had been probed enough. It was time for Ian to answer a few of her questions.

  “You seem to be quite familiar with the workings of Club 69, Col. Ross. Or is your expertise more general—high level prostitutes of all stripes?”

  Ian met her gaze and arched an ironic brow. “Let me put it this way, Diamond. I have never found it necessary to pay for sex. However, I have sampled the wares of some of the best in the business and I can attest to the fact that they are worth every G note they charge their paying customers.”

  Chapter 16

  Standing next to her in the doorway to the glittering ballroom, Ian put his arm around Diamond. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Have I told you, Diamond, that you are the most stunning woman I have ever seen?”

  “Don’t you mean most stunning whore you’ve ever seen?”

  Ian chuckled, “That too.

  “Damn. Incoming. On your 10 o’clock, darling.”

  At Ian’s low warning, Diamond looked up to see a bright-eyed brunette heading toward them from across the room. A predatory smile lit the woman’s perfect face as she gazed at Ian.

  Ian nodded at the woman approaching them and gave a slight cough. “Umm, I…forgot to mention that the hostess of this extravaganza is Marjorie Chapman. Marjorie is one of the wealthiest political donors in the country and pretty much rules the Washington social scene.”

  He added with an uncomfortable shrug, “The other part: I’ve been told that she has a ‘thing’ for me. And that, at least in her mind, she’s certain that I return her affections.”

  “Daahling! I’ve been wondering where you were. The party is well underway. You are so rarely late, Ian—at least when you are meeting me.”

  Slicing across Diamond’s already frayed nerves, the stunning woman’s grating voice sounded like ice cubes in a high speed blender. Even worse was the simpering smile she showered on Ian. It only took Diamond a few seconds to see that the woman gazing adoringly at Ian was literally perfect. At least as perfect as money could make someone. And Marjorie Chapman radiated money. Diamond recognized the fashion designer who created Marjorie’s extraordinary dress. No doubt it was a one-of-a-kind concoction created specifically to showcase the wearer’s best assets. With the addition of sparkling jewelry that featured the real thing, incredible shoes, a sophisticated hair style and makeup, and a wonderfully toned body, Diamond estimated that it likely cost Marjorie in the six figures to look like the essence of elegant perfection—as she admittedly did tonight.

  With hardly a line marring her lovely face it was difficult to tell Marjorie’s age. Diamond couldn’t help but be impressed. The society doyenne obviously had a masterful plastic surgeon. It wasn’t only her flawless face that had Diamond squirming with envy. If she was correct, Marjorie’s ‘youth-maker’ had also helped to enhance Marjorie’s creamy breasts that swelled over the top of her couture evening gown. No telling what other imperfections his talented scalpel had erased.

  Reaching up, Marjorie ran her fingers over the lapel of Ian’s dinner jacket. The intimate gesture allowed her to tug him closer to her. She assumed a frown followed by a little girl pout as she chided him for being late.

  “Really, Ian, you know how impatient I get when we are preparing to see one another. It’s naughty of you to keep me waiting.”

  At that moment it was as if Marjorie saw Diamond for the first time. Glancing at Ian’s hand on Diamond’s arm, Marjorie looked truly surprised. Diamond thought with a sniff that it was the first genuine expression she’d seen on the woman’s face.

  Staring from one of them to the other, Marjorie stammered, “Oh…I…I didn’t….”

  Ian smoothly interrupted her with a pleasant smile.

  “Sorry we’re late, Mar
jorie. My last appointment ended later than I’d assumed it would. But then, these affairs don’t really have a starting and an ending time, do they?”

  He gripped Diamond’s arm more firmly and nodded from her to their hostess, who was looking confused and more than a little chagrined.

  “Diamond, this is Marjorie Chapman, the impresario of this extravaganza tonight. Marjorie is behind virtually every important social event in Washington. You know it is a Marjorie Chapman-inspired event when everything is perfect.”

  Ignoring the storm cloud gathering on Marjorie’s once smiling face, Ian put his arm around Diamond’s waist, pulling her closer to him.

  “Marjorie, this is Riley Davis, a friend of mine. She goes by the name Diamond. Riley is a neophyte when it comes to political fundraisers. I’ve warned her they are a breed unto themselves. It’s auspicious that her introduction to the hoopla will be at an event managed by you.”

  Marjorie stepped back, her expression tightening further as she gazed at Diamond. The decided chill in her voice undercut her polite response.

  “I…I see. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Riley.”

  Diamond put out her hand and smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Marjorie. But please, call me Diamond. All of my friends do.”

  The fire flaring in Marjorie’s eyes fought with the ice edging her response.

  “But, of course…Diamond. What an interesting name.” Her tone implied that not only was the name “interesting,” it was suspect, likely the name of a prostitute. Marjorie’s eyes widened as she raked her gaze over Diamond’s dress. She didn’t bother to couch her response as she took in the totality of the outfit.

  “I must say, Diamond, that is a most unusual dress. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen anything quite like it. She added, not hiding her distaste. “Certainly not at a major political fundraiser.”

  Diamond smiled sweetly at the witch. “Why thank you, Marjorie. What a nice compliment. I like wearing ‘different’ clothes. I can’t think of anything worse than having a dress that looks like every other woman’s dress – except maybe a little more expensive. After all who wants to be a cookie cutter, rather than a trendsetter?”