“Dammit,” she growled, shaking her head in annoyance. “Get out of my head, Mercer!”
Straightening her shoulders, Addison stomped around the kitchen island toward her washroom and ran the taps for a shower. She didn’t sing this time when she washed herself, irritated as she was at herself. Her movements were short and utilitarian as she gathered her long hair on top of her head so it wouldn’t get wet. She washed the long, thick mass only once every few days. It took too long to dry and it frizzed if she washed it too often.
She finished her shower and dried off before covering her curves in an enveloping robe. She’d had it for so long it was ratty and threadbare in places and there were holes in the pockets. She loved it too much to replace it though. She brushed her teeth and applied her favourite hemp lotion to her face and hands, breathing in its scent of tropical flowers.
Feeling somewhat more normal, Addison opened her laptop on the kitchen island and checked her emails while chopping up a bowl of fruit for breakfast. She half listened as an electronic programmer read them to her one at a time while she munched on a selection of strawberries, cantaloupe and honeydew melon. She reached over and hit the delete key on an email shopping promotion.
She rolled her eyes and huffed in annoyance at the next one. Somehow Erica’s voice came across as annoying even through the neutral, electronic voice of her email reader. The younger woman wanted Addison’s opinion on wardrobe for the spring performance, which so wasn’t Addison’s responsibility.
“Plus I’m freaking blind!” she snapped, deleting the email.
Feeling immediately guilty, she sent Erica a quick email suggesting a few colours and styles the other woman could consider. Addison also mentioned the name of a flutist she knew was very much into fashion and constantly complained about wardrobe. She knew the two were unlikely to make a match of it, but maybe Erica would take the hint.
The next few emails were from Maestro, running suggestions by his First Chair. Addison wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and gave the emails her complete focus for the next hour and a half. She was just as invested as the Maestro in making the orchestra the best it could be. They made a good pair, equally investing in the music, the administration and the politics. Addison smirked as she hit ‘return’ on the last email. If only she was a little more willing to show up and pimp herself out to the investors, she would make the Maestro a perfect work wife.
Addison arched her back on the stool where she sat, working the kinks out of her muscles. She had one email left to to check. She stood up to clean her breakfast as she listened to her electronic reader. She froze in place stomach plummeting as the subject line was read: YOUR BIGGEST FAN.
She knew she should stop the reader from continuing, but her feet remained frozen to the floor, her limbs too stiff to carry her the few feet to the laptop where she could snap it closed. The normally cheerful electronic voice, now eerie and unpleasant, filled her kitchen.
I WANT YOUR FINGERS TO WRAP AROUND ME
LIKE YOUR MUSIC WINDS AROUND ME
ADDISON, YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL,
SO FULL OF LIFE, SO PERFECT,
SO BREAKABLE.
I WANT YOU, ADDISON.
IF I CAN’T HAVE YOU
NO ONE CAN.
***
Daniel’s eyes traced over Claudia’s face with cool, professional interest. She was attempting to keep the bruised left side away from King’s vision and tilt her head in a way that would swing her blond hair forward to cover the swelling. She sat curled up on the couch, enveloped in a thick blanket where she had clearly been tucked for safe keeping. Her billionaire boyfriend was currently pacing around her like a caged tiger in need of fresh prey.
Each darkening bruise brought a fresh wave of rage crashing over the giant man. The juxtaposition between the two men was not lost on Daniel. Daniel Mercer was not controlled by rage and fire, but ruled himself with rigid control and icy deliberation. It was part of the reason they made such an effective team. Tyson built his empire with cunning and power, while Daniel protected their assets with icy, ruthless skill. He never failed.
Until yesterday. When Claudia had nearly been lost. If Tyson King had lost his queen, the empire would have crumbled under his rage and despair. Mercer had failed.
“You have my resignation,” Daniel said quietly.
King’s head snapped up. Confusion clouded his eyes for a split second before he understood. His eyes drilled into Daniel’s until Daniel understood without words that King bore him no ill will. It still pissed Daniel off to no end that someone got past his supposedly impenetrable defences.
“I was the one that insisted the building have a way in for emergencies. You argued against it,” King said gruffly. “We couldn’t’ve known they would get to Spencer’s family.”
Daniel nodded shortly. King was referring to Oscar Spencer, the now deceased concierge of King Tower. He had been carefully vetted by Daniel and had come with impeccable references. The man had been untouchable. Except for his family. All of which were now dead at the hands of Dante Marquez with the backing of Franco Delgado and his men. Oscar had gotten Dante onto the penthouse floor where Claudia’s Cuban ex-boyfriend had been able to confront her without her usual armed escort.
“If you don’t intend to accept my resignation then I’ve outlined several new security measures that will prevent future leaks in the system,” Daniel said.
King nodded his agreement. “You have my go ahead for all of them except Claudia’s personal detail. She wants to choose her own personal bodyguard and would prefer a woman, if possible.”
Daniel’s eyes went to Claudia, searching out the bruises on her pale skin. She ducked her head and crossed her arms over her chest protectively. Daniel shook his head. “No, I hire all security and I don’t want any women.”
Claudia’s head snapped up and a sound of protest passed her lips. King placed a large, gentle hand on her shoulder soothingly. She glared at Daniel but he ignored her. It was her spoiled pain in the ass that got him shot at anyway. He really didn’t care what she wanted.
King considered his words before he spoke in a deep firm voice. “Claudia needs someone she can trust. This might come as a surprise to you Mercer, but after yesterday she trusts you.”
Daniel was surprised. He had no idea Claudia was that stupid, with such a poorly honed sense of self preservation. He nodded slightly.
Claudia looked up at King and touched his hand before speaking to Daniel directly. Her voice was hoarse from either crying or strangulation, or both. King tensed in anger at the sound. “Daniel, I appreciate what you did for me yesterday. I know you did it for Tyson, but you saved my life. I think if you could follow me around forever I would feel utterly safe for the rest of my life.”
Daniel continued to stare at her without changing expression.
She seemed to be waiting for some kind of response from him. When she didn’t receive anything she continued, her voice hesitant. “I know you can’t babysit me every second of the day, not when your main job is to secure Tyson and his holdings. It would be far easier on you and his peace of mind if I had my own bodyguard.”
Daniel nodded. “I don’t have a problem with you having your own security personnel, Ms. Cantore.”
Claudia rolled her eyes. “Just with my bodyguard being a woman.”
Daniel didn’t say anything.
Claudia made a sound through her nose halfway between a snort and a huff if he had to guess. He hoped it hurt. “This is the twenty-first century, Daniel. Women are capable of doing anything a man can do.”
Daniel looked her in the eye and said in his deadly quiet voice, “Never met a woman capable of taking me down.”
Claudia shivered and something like terror flashed through her eyes. Daniel tried to feel bad that he made her feel fear so closely after her terrible ordeal, but he needed her to step away from his space. Security was his area of expertise and he was good at what he did. He was sure she was good at sucking cock. He did
n't need her using her skills to push King into making a bad decision.
“Okaaay,” she said. Beyond her obvious beauty, Daniel wondered what his boss saw in the woman. If he were forced to put up with her in his bed, he would likely end up murdering her. “Do you know of any men that are capable of taking you down?”
She had a point there. Daniel had yet to meet the person, man or woman, that could take him down in hand-to-hand combat. He simply looked at Claudia and waited for her to eventually make a point.
Her jaw was set in a mutinous line that Daniel was certain didn’t bode well for King’s future happiness. “What if I need my bodyguard to go pick up some tampons?” she snapped.
“Then he’ll be a professional and pick up tampons,” Daniel said without missing a beat.
She snorted. “Fine. Then what if I need an escort into a women’s washroom when I’m out shopping? It would be safer to have an actual woman with me. I heard a story from my friend Anya about her friend Shania who took off on her male bodyguard by using the women’s washroom.”
Daniel had not heard about about that piece of gossip. Next time he saw Asher Bowles, he would have to give him a hard time about how the supposedly sweet and submissive Shania Mahdavi got the drop on him.
Claudia continued. “What about when I’m changing in a change room? Again, a female bodyguard could be a lot closer to my actual body for the guarding part. Not to mention it would look a lot less conspicuous for me to be out and about with another woman than being trailed about all day by some guy who looked bored out of his mind.”
Claudia actually had some valid points that Daniel hadn’t considered. He’d never been responsible for the care of a woman before and it did make sense to have a woman on staff for her convenience, now that she was outlining some of the more delicate variables. He could have done without her customary attitude while she made her argument though.
Daniel’s mind went to Addison and the ways in which he would punish her if she dared to use her sharp mind and tongue against him the way Claudia used hers. He almost hoped the lovely brunette would try. The sadist in him revelled in the chance to bring his new toy to heel.
He nodded shortly. “I’ll consider it.”
He didn’t bother looking to King for acknowledgment – he would bow to Daniel’s expertise. Daniel had always had free run of the King’s security. Occasionally, there would be requests, but he rarely strayed into Daniel’s territory. It was an unspoken rule than neither man crossed. Probably because King knew he would lose the best head of security money could buy if he ever started making decisions for himself.
Daniel turned to leave. He would check in with his men and then go seek out Addison Sterling. He’d received a text earlier letting him know she’d left the security floor alone. It was time to clip his bird’s wings.
CHAPTER NINE
Addison snapped the lid to the laptop shut, but the electronic voice still echoed in her head. She didn’t know how long she stood in her kitchen with one hand covering her mouth while the other clutched the two halves of her robe together at the neck. Her sightless eyes stared into the shadows of her apartment where she rarely turned on a light.
She didn’t hear the deadbolt slide back, nor did she hear the door open, but all at once she felt warmth at her back and the subtle yet familiar scent of soap and hard male. She shivered in response, both fear and arousal coursing through her veins. Not for the first time, she wished she could see in the presence of such a predatory man. She turned around to face him and turned her eyes up at him boldly, knowing he liked it when she did that.
“As a security expert, you should know breaking and entering is against the law,” she said softly, hoping her voice came out sounding stronger than it did in her head.
He reached out and took hold of her jaw, flexing his fingers against her tender skin. He dragged her forward until she was standing in his space. She had no idea how tall he was but sensed he was closer to 6’ than her 5’5”. He slapped the hand that was clutching the lapels of the bathrobe. She let go with a gasp, dropping her hand to her side, and let the material gape at her breasts.
“Good girl,” he growled.
She frowned and shivered. Her pussy creamed with moisture in reaction to the slap and deep growl of his praise. What was wrong with her? It had been an automatic response to drop her hand when he smacked her. She didn’t have to like it, for the love of god! She really needed to get control of herself. The last thing Addison wanted right now was to respond so readily to this sociopathic, stalkery, threatening, non-musical jerk.
“What were you upset about when I came in?” he asked quietly.
She shrugged. “It’s nothing, just work stuff.” Feeling too vulnerable, Addison reached to cover her chest and neck where the robe gaped open. He slapped her hand again.
She gasped. “Stop doing that!”
“You like it,” he said.
“I do not!” she snapped angrily.
He reached out, nudged the robe open and flicked her bare nipple. Addison gasped again and would have jumped back, but he caught her arm in a steely grip. She felt a flush cover her pale skin from neck to nipples, which were pebbled and begging for attention. He snatched her close, his hand sliding from her arm up to her hair and gripping hard. He used the grip on her hair to press her hips against his.
“You do like it,” he growled, his mouth inches from hers, his warm breath rushing over her lips. “Can feel your heat. I would bet every last dollar that your cunt is dripping for me. Don’t lie to me.”
Addison whimpered and brought her hands up, but wasn’t sure where to put them. Daniel was so overwhelming, so dominating. From one moment to the next Addison wasn’t even sure what was happening to her. Did she want to pull him closer or push him away?
“Please…”
“Please what?” he demanded. “What do you want?”
She swallowed, moisture flooding her core. She didn’t understand it. She was always in control when it came to sex. Yet her attraction to Daniel was undeniable. She wanted him so badly she could barely remain standing. In fact, she was fairly certain she would have collapsed by now if he weren’t holding her so tightly.
She let her hands settle very lightly against his biceps and said breathlessly. “Alright. I do want you. But… but I have some rules if I’m going to let you make love to me.”
She felt him tense. But she fully intended to stand her ground. She didn’t plan on just giving up her body for use to some ex-mercenary who had pretty much proven himself to be a terrifying kidnapper psycho. She planned on setting some ground rules.
When he didn’t say anything, she continued. “We do this how and where I say. You stop if I tell you to stop and you don’t do anything I don’t like if I tell you I don’t like it, you understand? Oh, and this is a one-time deal. If I like where it goes, then maybe we can talk about future liaisons.”
Addison knew she had made a mistake in speaking to Daniel that way pretty much before the first words had left her mouth, but she was used to setting ground rules with her lovers. She was not used to sleeping with men like Daniel Mercer.
He pulled the loosely knotted belt of her robe using his free hand and with a jerk yanked it off her body. Before she knew what was happening he had the robe off of her body and pooled at her feet and Addison facing away from him.
“Wait!” she said desperately.
With quick, precise movements he bent her against the island and used the belt of her robe to tie her hands behind her back. Addison’s heart thundered in her chest and she squeaked in protest. She attempted to struggle, throwing an elbow back so he couldn’t tie her wrists together, but Daniel’s hard hands seemed to be everywhere at once.
He kicked her legs apart, causing her upper body to press hard into the countertop, making struggle all but impossible unless she wanted to bruise her ribs. He pressed his hips hard against her lower back, immobilizing her. She felt the hardness of his erection pressing into her and the
idiot part of brain that responded to him leapt for joy.
“Oh god,” she moaned. “Oh! Oh!”
He leaned over her back, his jeans scraping against her vulnerable thighs. One of his hands pressed against the small of her back next to her bound wrists while the other one knotted in her hair and turned her head to the side. He nipped her ear, causing her to jerk against him, then he thrust his tongue in her ear. Addison groaned and pushed her hips against the counter wondering if she could possibly be any wetter. What the heck was wrong with her?!
“Is this how and where you say?” he asked, amusement lacing his voice for the first time since she met him.
“Untie me right fucking now, Daniel!” she demanded.
She felt him shift his hips to the side, but was unable to see what he was doing. She wasn’t prepared for the hit when his hand came down heavily on her bare ass. He slapped her hard enough to make the generous flesh of her cheek jump and heat with the sting. Addison yelped in pain.
“Watch your language.” His voice no longer held amusement, but tightly leashed control. She felt the vibration of lust in his voice as it passed through his chest. An answering response leapt through her and made her thrust her ass out.
He responded by heating her ass cheeks with several more sharp slaps, alternating between cheeks. She screamed in protest while simultaneously pushing her ass into his palm, silently begging him for more. His grunt of aroused approval rushed through her.
When he finished administering the spanking he spun her around and close to his chiseled body with an arm wrapped tightly around her waist and a hand knotted in her hair. “That your first spanking, baby?” he asked in a thick growl, his faint accent stronger.
Addison refused to answer, staring sightlessly up at him, forgetting to drop her eyes. Her jaw was set in a stubborn line. He shook her and tilted her head back bringing his lips down to caress her jaw, his beard whispering erotically against her soft skin.
Fear in Her Eyes (Fire & Vice Book 5) Page 7