Flames (A Special Agent Novel Book 3)

by C. P. Mandara

  “I told her she’d more than earned the privilege. I should also have added that I haven’t met her equal, yet.”

  Lois squealed and then hugged him. I wanted to push my fist through his face.

  “So you can be nice when it suits you, huh?” Lois planted a kiss on his cheek and then slowly wiped off the smear of burgundy lipstick she’d left upon him. I felt insanely jealous, although I had no right to be.

  “You haven’t seen anything yet.” He then waggled his eyebrows at her, and I’d had enough.

  “Right, children. Time to get in the car. You’ll have plenty of time to cosy up at Adamantines.

  Less than five minutes later, we’d managed to stuff all of Lois’s extremely voluptuous dress into the back of the rental car where there was just about enough space for Lois as well, which meant Adie and I sat in the front. I took the wheel. This was because that way, I got to stare at Lois through the rear-view mirror. Adie was going to have to crane his neck if he wanted a peek, and I hoped the bastard pulled a muscle doing so.

  When we arrived at Les Catacombs Adamantines, there was virtually no one around. This had been our plan. We’d wanted to get there early, pick a good room, get the necessary bits together for our scene, and have a leisurely chat before show time. That way I’d also have a bit of time to ask a few casual questions at the bar beforehand. I didn’t expect it would unearth anything of much interest, but it was worth a try.

  It soon became evident that Lois was doing exactly what we'd brought her here for. Every man who got caught in her path stared at her stupidly for several seconds before blinking and somehow managing to put their jaw back where it belonged. The woman looked like a goddess and the sweeping, tousled up-do she'd given her hair literally screamed ‘fuck me.' I could barely think straight around her, and I generally prided myself on my cool head and self-control.

  Telling her to drum up business by parading herself around beforehand, I figured we'd attract a lot of attention, so that when our fun began we'd have plenty of watchers. Although it sounded like an easy task, when you took into account the fact that she almost had to carry the dress through doors and around corners, it wasn't quite as straightforward as it seemed. She'd cope. Now it was time to see if Adie would.

  Turning towards him, I said, “Do you want a Viagra before we begin?” I held up the little blue tablet questioningly. It was sure to put his back up, but I couldn’t do this alone if he suddenly froze out there.

  Adie looked at me, disbelievingly. "Are you asking me whether I'll need help to get it up for Lois? Are you fucking mad?" I wasn't, but I had no idea whether he could perform well under lots of pressure with hundreds of additional pairs of eyes watching him.

  "I don't think that part will be a problem," I said dryly, "but you're going to have to perform twice, without much of a break. It will be quite an intense workout this evening, and it's better to be prepared. I'm not going to mention it to Lois if that's what you're worried about."

  “Are you taking one?” No. I had the opposite problem these days. I couldn’t keep the damn thing down.

  "I don't need to. I'm only up once." This did not appease Adie.

  “If you’re not taking one, I’m not taking one.”

  "If it makes you feel better, I'll take one," I said exasperatedly. "I just don't want there to be any hitches out there tonight. Want me to take one?" I hoped he didn't. This shit would keep me up all night, and things were bad enough as it was.

  “Fuck off. I don’t want one, and I won’t need one.” Adie glared at me. I hoped the bastard was telling me the truth. If he crashed and burned out there, all this planning would be for nothing.

  “Fine. Suit yourself, but if you mess up, I’ll never let you hear the end of it,” I said darkly.

  “Wouldn’t expect anything less,” came his parting shot.

  Changing the subject, I told Adie to start gathering up everything we would need for this evening - restraints, whips, rope, leather benches, floggers, and such. We both had to know exactly where everything was so we could grab it at a moment's notice. There's nothing worse than performing a scene to perfection only to have a mad moment where you've forgotten something important. It kills the mood. Yes, you can send a runner, but then you've got to improvise, and that doesn't always go to plan. I was the kind of guy who always liked to be prepared.

  "Do you think we've got enough stuff yet?" Adie dragged yet another armful of goodies into our room and began placing them by the door as I'd instructed. That way, the viewers wouldn't see what we were going to pick up beforehand. I wanted to keep them on their toes. Lois, of course, would get an eyeful of everything, although after her Carte Blanche experience it was unlikely to scare her overmuch. It didn't matter. Her acting skills were second to none, so the crowd would believe whatever she wanted them to.

  "I think we're just about there, yes. How about you go and get a beer, and start mingling? Why don't you let loose all of that delightful Dumortier charm upon the ladies and see if you can't outdo Lois? I know it'll be a challenge, but I think you have a fair shot at it." Truth be told, Adie was a very attractive man, and he could have any woman he wanted just by clicking his fingers. Unfortunately, the bastard also knew this.

  "Oh, please, bitch. I can do that with one arm tied around my back." Adie gave me a feral grin and straightened his bow tie. I looked heavenward and shook my head. The ego on that man was priceless.

  Just before he sauntered out of the door, I asked, “Are you nervous about tonight? Any concerns before we begin?”

  “Am I nervous about fucking a beautiful woman?” Adie looked at me as if I was criminally insane.

  “Are you nervous about fucking a beautiful woman with another man, with loads of people watching?” I knew Adie enjoyed threesomes, but not necessarily with two men.

  “Ahh, that. Are you nervous, James?” He spun the conversation back to me, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was evading the question.

  “No. I’ve slept with men, as well as women. It’s part of the job. I know you’re new to the game, though. You’ve only been doing this a few years. If this is your first time, I’ll take it easy on you.”

  “Very generous of you, old boy, but I promise you won’t have to worry about me. I’ll be just fine. I’m not sure you’ll fare as well, though. Something tells me you’re out of your comfort zone.” He pursed his lips together and gave me a cryptic look. I narrowed my eyes.

  "In my spare time, I'm in charge of a BDSM ‘fucking shop,' as Lois calls it. Nothing is happening here tonight that I haven't seen before." My voice might have had an edge to it.

  Adie shook his head. “That’s not what I meant James, and you know it.” His taunting words and smile stayed with me long after I watched his retreating back leave the room. I cursed the man for being far more observant than I gave him credit for. He might have only been in the game a few years, but it appeared he learnt fast.

  Midnight was the designated time for us to begin our little charade. Meanwhile, Adie and Lois had been working tirelessly to entertain the crowd, and they seemed to be doing a grand job of it. Adamantines was now filling up nicely, and judging by the hordes of admirers that seemed to hang off the pair’s every word, we would be in for a fun evening.

  Finally satisfied that my preparations were complete, I stepped out into the darkened corridor and looked back through the long rectangular viewing window, the one in which everyone would see us perform. The lighting was perfect, as was the location of the spanking bench and St Andrew's cross. None of the restraints or whips could be seen from this vantage point, so everything was just as it should be. Perfect. It was now time to round up the troops, in a matter of speaking. Heading back towards the bar, I took in my surroundings slowly. An interior designer had gone to war on this place. The rich scarlet drapes that hung in regular intervals around the room highlighted numerous gilt-framed works of art, none of which were particularly expensive, but an untrained eye wouldn't know that. The floor beneath
my feet was made up of sparkling, black marble tiles, and it had been polished to a shine so brilliant that even the recessed lighting and candles managed to reflect upon it. The bar was set back to the left of the room by way of three sunken steps and carefully lit to give patrons just enough light to see by. The tables in the room were all circular couches upholstered in red velvet, with black marble tables in the centre. Taller tables, for decoration, were set along the edge of the room, with large black vases overflowing with red roses, ranunculi, and greenery. Candles exploded everywhere around me. They were on the bar, the walls, the tables, as well as being set in lanterns around the floor. It gave the room a very ‘intimate' feel, which I guess was the idea.

  At the moment, Lois and Adie were propped up on the bar together, surrounded by their admirers, and they appeared to be working them hard. I'd bet money on the fact that Lois hadn't had to buy a drink this evening, and Adie was currently being fed champagne by a woman who was probably twice his age but dripping with diamonds in all the right places. It was definitely time to stir things up a bit.

  Grabbing a glass of whisky that Adie had left for me on a table close to the door, I took a decent gulp, and let the resulting burn work its way through my body. Slowly approaching the bar, I waited for Adie to catch sight of me. When he did, he gave me a wink, and that was all the indication I needed that we were ready to begin.

  As per his instructions, Adie then walked over to Lois and placed his hand around her waist. Spinning her around to feast his lips upon her neck, he looked up at me the whole time he was doing it, and gradually the other patrons in the bar began to do the same. When I growled and moved forward, my gaze darkening, I attracted a bit more attention. This was all going nicely to plan. When Lois's lips moved to Adie's mouth, she sank into the kiss, going limp against him, and he used the excuse to pick her up in his arms. Adie had quite the flair for this shit. She squealed in shock as she was yanked off her feet, but then, as his lips moved down to the top of her breasts, her hands buried themselves in his hair, and she pulled him in closer. Her cheeks were already flushed pink, and her eyes were glazed with a feverish kind of lust. My frown deepened. It seemed her acting skills were a little too good for my tastes.

  Gliding forwards, silent and deadly as a panther, I continued on my path until I was standing right before them. Clearing my throat loudly, I waited for the happy couple to acknowledge my arrival.

  Lois was the first to do so. “Fuck,” she spat. Springing away from Adie, she brought her hand up to her mouth as if to wipe away all evidence of their kiss. That immediately drew my gaze up to her face, where I focused on her delightfully swollen, red lips. Slowly, very, very slowly, my eyes reached hers.

  "Hello, darling," I purred.

  “You’re supposed to be in Paris,” she whispered shakily, his fingers twisting nervously around her throat. Damn, Lois was good at this.

  "My board meeting for tomorrow was cancelled, so I got to come home a day early. Lucky me," I drawled. My eyes switched to Adie, who was now backing away from me in order to make his escape. I curled my finger forward, beckoning him towards me, to let him know that wouldn't be an option.

  “Have you met my wife, Lois?” I asked the question pleasantly enough, but for those that cared to listen, there was an undercurrent of menace in my tone.

  “I didn’t know she was married,” barked a now very uncomfortable Adie.

  All eyes in the room now circled us like greedy vultures, watching and waiting for the first casualty. People were so predictable.

  “That is generally what a wedding band is for, isn’t it?” I asked, holding Lois’s hand aloft in the air, to demonstrate that she was indeed wearing my ring, one that I’d given her only a couple of hours ago, as it happened.

  Adie swallowed tightly. His eyes nervously fluttered upon the glinting gold on Lois’s finger. I hadn’t been sure whether Adie could play a decent submissive male before we began, and had almost decided to swap our roles before I’d seen Lois’s face when she’d returned from her shopping trip. Then I’d seen red, and there was no question that anyone but I would be playing the dominant. Yet another slip from me, but thankfully, it appeared my worries had been for naught. He was doing admirably well, so far.

  “I didn’t look,” he stammered.

  “I can see that. Perhaps next time you’re in the same position, you’ll make a point of doing so,” I suggested, to which he nodded heavily. Of course, he wasn’t going to get off that easily.

  “Meanwhile, I need to figure out what to do with you and my wife. Clearly, you both need to be taught a lesson.”

  “What’s your excuse by the way?” I said, turning towards the beautiful temptress that was now looking a little green around the gills. “Did you forget that you were married? Is this a temporary spell of amnesia that I should be worried about?”

  She began backing away from me, too. “I think we should go home,” she said eventually, inching closer towards the door.

  “Do you think you’ll be able to explain it better there?” I said it quietly, but by this time there wasn’t a sound to be heard in the room bar our little disaster unfolding.

  "I want to go home," she said, tears now forming in her eyes. Fuck that woman was dangerous. She could cry to order, too.

  I was ready for her, though. "If you want to remain married me to me, you'll take your punishment like a good little whore and beg for forgiveness. It's your choice. Either you stay, or you run so fast I'll never be able to catch up with you."

  Turning on her heel, Lois tried to do precisely that. This wasn't part of the sketch, unfortunately, and I had a feeling that either Adie had put her up to it, or she wanted to test me. It was one or the other. In any event, she didn't get to the door before I caught up with her. While her dress wasn't figure hugging and allowed her freedom of movement, her heels didn't, and she didn't have time to kick them off. Throwing her over my shoulder, I marched straight back up to Adie and got right in his face.

  “You want to fuck my wife so badly, be my guest,” I said darkly. “We’re in room 303.” Holding my hand tightly over Lois’s ass, as she was now kicking and screaming like mad, I waited patiently for his reply.

  “Ah, I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” said Adie, looking furtively towards the door. Shakespeare eat your heart out, I thought.

  “Oh, it wasn’t a request,” I informed him silkily. “My name’s Jules Renaud. I own one of the largest fashion houses in France. If you take a step outside this establishment without my permission, I’ll have you arrested, and find another way to have my fun with you. Believe me when I say you won’t like that much.”

  “And I’ll like this way?” Adie sounded unconvinced as well he might.

  “You’ll like some of it,” I said, shrugging my shoulders before I walked straight past him.

  Chapter Nineteen - James

  Lois didn’t stop kicking or screaming the whole way back to our room. My ears were bleeding by the time I slammed her down on the spanking bench, and there was such a thing as overacting.

  Pulling a ball gag out of my pocket, I held it up in front of her. “Do you want me to use this now? If you don’t stop screaming, I will.” I knew that Lois didn’t like gags. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t wear one this evening, but if she wanted to avoid one for a little while longer, she’d better do as she was told.

  Shaking her head, she looked at me miserably and whispered no. Perfect. Looking towards the door, I waited for Adie to make his entrance. He came, escorted by two bouncers that I’d paid off to do my dirty work. They’d also make sure we had no uninvited guests in our room later, which could sometimes be a problem if some of the members had spent too much time at the bar.

  The bouncer on his right gave him a cuff around the ear and shoved him forward into the room before they both retreated quietly into the distance.

  "Look, man, I don't want to fuck your wife," said Adie, looking around nervously, while putting his hands up in the air.
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  “I’m pretty sure you did just five minutes ago. What’s changed?” Walking to my special hiding place at the back of the room, I picked up a pair of extremely sharp scissors. Adie took a step backwards.

  "Honestly, I didn't realise she was married. Didn't even think to look for a ring." Adie sounded convincing enough in protesting his innocence. I wasn't about to take it easy on him, though. Our audio was being carried out into the corridor for the amusement of our 'watchers,' and I figured we'd give them a good show.

  “Yes, so you told me. Your powers of observation are quite remiss.” I handed Adie the scissors. “Why don’t you start cutting that dress off my wife? If you’re going to fuck her, you’re probably going to want to see what’s on underneath it,” I remarked casually.

  Adie stared the scissors in his hands, horrified. “I can’t do this,” he whispered.

  “Why?” I asked. “Perhaps you suddenly find her unattractive?”

  "Yes," he stammered, but when he got a look at my face, which was now dark as thunder, he quickly corrected himself. "No. She's a very attractive woman, and you're a very lucky man."

  "Yes," I said slowly, "I'm very lucky to go away on a business trip and find my wife locking lips with a complete stranger on my return. You have no idea how lucky I feel right now." I raised my voice just enough to drum my point home and put the fear of God into my adversary. Although we had a script for parts of this scene, a lot of it would be improvised as we went along, and so far, all was going exactly according to plan.

  “I can’t do this, Sir.” Adie dropped the scissors and began edging his way to the door.

  “You can’t go out there, either,” I said. “Those two bouncers who helped you in here earlier are waiting outside, making sure that no one leaves until I am ready. Either you get those scissors and begin to strip my wife, or you pull your jeans down and stand with your nose pressed into that St Andrews cross. It’s your choice. I’m more than happy to whip the shit out of you if you can’t be bothered to fuck my wife.” To emphasise my point, I picked up a single tail whip and let it fly in the air, enjoying the sharp crack it delivered. His eyes went round, like big white saucers, and he decided that playing my game might be the better bet of the two evils facing him.