by Lexi Blake
About a dozen people followed him, men in suits, and one or two carrying laptops. Three women immediately found the luxurious couches or chairs and dropped into them, posing artfully, as though the king required fashion models around him at all times.
Ten stepped up and shook Kash Kamdar’s hand. “Thank you so much for the work, Your Highness. McKay-Taggart considers you a valued client and you should know we’re here to help with your every security need.”
It had been agreed on that the rest of Kamdar’s team wouldn’t know the Agency was involved, so Ten was playing the corporate lead.
“I’m always happy to have my friends with me. Please tell Mr. Taggart I missed seeing him and his lovely wife. Such a smart woman. I owe her a yacht, you know. My beautiful boat was almost blown up, but the lovely Charlotte saved it.” His head turned and Phoebe was almost blinded by his smile. “Although you seem to have brought me another beauty. Hello, pretty girl. What’s your job? I think you should be my personal guard. You can take good care of me.”
Simon stepped up. “Your Highness, do you remember when I told you about my friend? I explained that he sometimes loses a bit of control when he’s angry?”
“Yes, you describe this man like the Hulk. He smashes things. I like the Hulk.”
“You’re touching his girl,” Simon said with a smooth smile. “He also bites, from what I understand.”
Kamdar slowly backed away. “I was only looking. Did I touch? This was a misunderstanding, my friend.”
Ten shook his head, but Jesse moved in, threading their fingers together.
“I don’t blame you for looking, Your Highness. She’s a gorgeous woman. She’s also quite good at her job, so I think I’ll let her handle you.” Jesse winked down at her. He’d taken off the sunglasses and she could see the amusement in his eyes.
Without losing a beat, Kamdar turned to Erin. “And you. Hello, lovely lady.”
Erin went a little red and stared for a moment like she’d never seen a man before. “Hi.”
“She’s working,” Theo said, stepping in front of her. “You can stop drooling now.”
Erin slapped him across the shoulder. “You are not the boss of me. And I wasn’t drooling.”
They continued bickering, but Kamdar turned back to his team. He waved his hand. “You may go. Chapal, please stay so we may talk to our friends. The rest of you, find your rooms and try to stay out of trouble.” He pointed to the three women who sullenly got up. “Except for you three. I expect much trouble from you. Go out and flirt and bring me back information I can use. A new wardrobe to the girl who brings me the best dirt.”
That seemed to make them move a little faster. Their stilettos picked up and clattered as they moved across the marbled floors. Finally, the doors closed.
Kamdar frowned. “Are we being listened to?”
Ten shook his head. “Theo did an early walk-through. We’re clean for now, but we’ll do a check twice a day from here on out.”
Kamdar stepped up and held out a massive hand toward Jesse. “You, my friend, are a very brave man. It is my honor to aid you in this operation.”
Jesse nodded and shook the royal’s hand. “I thank you for making this possible. It would have been hard for us to get into this place without an insider taking us with him. I know this was supposed to be a security detail. We’ll make sure you’re protected, but I appreciate the chance to get this job done.”
“The United States government thanks you as well,” Ten said.
Kamdar bowed his head as humbly as a man who owned a country could. “Excellent. I put through the changes as you requested. No one will question my detail. Your security badges and conference packages are in your bedrooms. I decided to bring Mr. Murdoch and Ms. Grant in as my marketing and finance leads. I fear if I left them on the security team, they would be on the sidelines for many of these meetings.”
“We thought it was a perfect idea,” Simon replied. “Ms. Grant has a business degree and Jesse and I have gone over enough that he should be able to make it work. He’s going to be the shy, quiet type.”
“Damn straight,” Jesse added. He groaned a little. “Wait. Does this mean I have to wear a suit?”
Simon slapped him on the shoulders. “I picked it out myself.”
“Damn it.”
“My cousin has some questions. His name is Chapal Kamdar.” Kamdar gestured the thin young man with the laptop forward. “He is the suspicious type. Always questioning things. I would fire him, but his mother and my mother talk, and dear god, the hell I would get if he has to work for a living.”
Dark eyes rolled. “As if you could go two days without my help, you overgrown bag of hormones. Who managed to get your last sex tape off the Internet?”
Kamdar shrugged. “I performed beautifully on that tape and with three women. All of them were well serviced. I didn’t see the issue.”
“One of them was married to a member of a European royal family, you walking penis. You could have started a war.”
“She was a lovely girl and so very polite.” Kamdar sighed. “Anyway, apparently there is a Washington politician who is a last-minute entry to our little conference.”
Little conference? It was only a place where the world’s wealthiest men met to collude and set the prices of the energy the rest of the world ran on. Just a little conference, though.
“Who is it?” Ten asked with a frown. “I should have been apprised of any VIPs going to this thing. The Agency likes to know where our country’s politicians are.”
“He’s not on the list. I wouldn’t have known about him attending if I hadn’t picked up some chatter about the conference. I like to keep my ear to the ground, so to speak,” Chapal explained. “He is a senator from Texas. Hank McDonald.”
“The head of the subcommittee on Energy. I guess that makes sense, though if he were here in an official capacity I would think I should have been informed.” Ten pulled out his cell. “I’ll make some calls, but he really is in charge of a committee that oversees energy and new forms of energy in the US.”
“He also travels to the Middle East often,” Chapal said.
“Again, he would likely do so for his job, but I’ll put my people on it,” Ten promised.
Chapal shrugged. “I will continue to look into it myself. I have a radar for these things. Something is off about this. If I find anything, I will share with you.”
“I appreciate that.” Ten started for the door. “I’m going to find my room and make some calls. We have the opening dinner tonight. Everyone get some rest so we’ll be ready this evening.”
Kamdar pointed around the room. “There are three suites off this living area. I have the whole floor, but this is your wing. If you go to the suite down the hall, I have a bar staff on call twenty-four hours a day.”
Chapal shook his head as he followed his cousin back out into the hallway. “Perhaps I will go and work for intelligence in the US. Then where will you be, cousin?”
“You have to have some intelligence to work for them. Besides, Auntie will barely allow you to leave the country. You should kiss my feet. Without me, you would spend your life playing silly games and having online relationships with women who turn out to be hairy American men.”
“There was only the one. Why do you always have to bring that up?”
Thankfully, the door closed behind them.
“We’ve got three hours. Phoebe and Jesse, take the private suite to the left. Ten is taking a room in the center closer to Kamdar. He’ll share with Hutch when he gets here. Theo and I will share the larger of the two rooms left, and Erin can have a private room,” Simon explained. “The luggage has already been delivered so you should have everything you need. Since Hutch is still in the air, I need to call my wife and get her started on a profile of the senator. I’ll have Adam look into him, too. I don’t care what Ten says. US senators don’t routinely travel to the Middle East.”
“Come on,” Jesse said with a slow smile. “We have time for a sho
wer.”
“I don’t think Erin should be left alone,” Theo complained. “That dude was looking at her.”
“And what’s wrong with that?” Erin’s eyes narrowed. “Are you saying it’s so weird that a man as hot as Kamdar might find me attractive?”
“No, I’m saying he’s a king…” Theo began.
“And I can’t possibly be a queen? You know Grace Kelly wasn’t royal to begin with.”
Theo turned a nice shade of red. “I wasn’t saying that. I was just trying to watch out for you.”
“Watch this, asshole.” She turned and stalked off to her room.
Theo watched her, his eyes right on her ass. “I really would feel better if she wasn’t alone here. Phoebe?”
It would be the perfect excuse. If she was bunking with Erin, Jesse would have less of a chance to get her in bed.
“No,” Jesse said in that tone that let her know he wouldn’t be swayed. “You watch out for your chick and I’ll do the same for mine.”
“She’s not…damn it.” Theo disappeared, following Erin into the west wing of the massive suite.
And she was left alone with Jesse.
Days. She only had days left with him. It would be the right thing to break it off now. She wasn’t even sure she should hold his hand, but she couldn’t seem to stop.
“Come here.” He pulled her close and his head dipped down, covering her mouth with slow, drugging kisses. “Let me take care of you. Come on. I’ll show you how I treat my queen.”
So sweet. He was so perfect and she’d caused him nothing but pain. Still, when he pulled her along, she didn’t stop, but went willingly with him.
Just a few days of paradise. That was all she had left.
* * * *
Jesse checked the temperature of the shower. Perfect. It was nice and steamy. Just what he wanted. He grabbed the items he’d prepped for this private scene and placed them on the handy shower ledge. It was time to start preparing his princess for what he wanted.
Which would run completely counter to what she thought she wanted. He stepped back out into the lavish suite they would share while they were here. He wasn’t a complete idiot. He knew what was going on in her head. She thought she would be free to walk away as soon as this operation was over, but he intended to make that impossible.
He stopped. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands in her lap, her eyes on the wall in front of her, obviously lost in thought. He took a second to study her. She really was an interesting mix of the woman he’d first met and the contemplative, distant woman she’d become. The real Phoebe was under all that guilt and he intended to bring her out. She was a sensual, affectionate, passionate thing who loved with her whole heart.
He was going to make her love him. He wanted it more than he’d ever wanted anything, more than he’d even wanted out of the prison he’d been in. That had been about surviving. It was a primitive thing, an instinct any animal had. Loving Phoebe was about living, and he was sure at this point that he was the only man walking the face of the earth who could properly love her. Only Jesse.
He knew damn well there was only Phoebe for him.
“Come here, baby.”
She turned, looking over at him. “Jesse, maybe we should get some sleep.”
Coward. Luckily, he’d figured out how to work her. “Take your clothes off and come here, Phoebe. We’re going to get this over with and then we’ll take a nice nap. I promise to have you ready for work, but this is my time.”
She stood and her hands went to the buttons on her blouse. “This wouldn’t work all the time, you know.”
But it was working now. She shed her blouse and pants as she followed him into the bathroom.
“Why can’t it work?” It felt so right to be alone with her. All the faking-his-own-death shit had kept them apart for days. He’d been worried the time would push her further from him, but he’d brazened through and before she’d known what was happening, he’d had her on his lap.
The key, he’d discovered, was simply overwhelming her with what she needed so desperately—love and affection.
And no small amount of dominance.
She frowned even as she worked her bra free. “Because real life would come into play and you can’t just order me around all day.”
Her breasts were really lovely. She was beautiful and feminine, and damn but he was already hard. “I don’t intend on ordering you around every day. I intend on being your partner. You’re smart. I’ll listen to everything you have to say and when you know more than I do, I’ll happily follow your lead. Off with those panties. They offend me.”
“They’re perfectly nice panties.” She shoved them off her hips. “They match the bra and everything.”
“But your pussy matches your breasts even better. God, you’re beautiful, Phoebe.” He shoved out of his jeans and boxers. He wanted to spend as much time naked with her as he could. A certain peace fell over him the minute he touched her, as though something fell blissfully into place and he was finally complete.
Her eyes went right to his cock. Even though he knew she wanted to deny him, she wasn’t going to. There was something deep inside Phoebe that couldn’t refuse his claim. “You’re a pervert.”
She could try to fight it all she liked, but she belonged to him now. “I’m your pervert. Come here.”
She hesitated for a moment but walked into his arms.
He guided her into the shower. “Relax and let me take care of you.”
She leaned back against him, letting the water caress her breasts while he picked up the soap and made long, slow circles with his hands. He soaped her breasts slowly, not wanting to miss an inch. His thumbs flicked over her hard nipples. She couldn’t hide her response to him.
But they had things to talk about. “I know you’re scared.”
She was silent, only the slight tension in her shoulders proof that his words bothered her.
He wasn’t going to shy away. She didn’t need him to respect some distance that served neither one of them. She needed his strength. “What happened at Sanctum scared you.”
“I’m fine, Jesse,” she murmured. “I’m a fully trained operative. I’ve been in bad situations before.”
She was going to fight him every inch of the way. “You weren’t scared for yourself. You were scared for me, baby.”
The tension in her body was no longer slight. She went totally stiff and started to move away from him. “I don’t want to talk about this.”
“Then just listen.” He knew she wasn’t ready to admit anything and that was all right. “I didn’t die. I’m not going to. I’m here and alive, and I’m going to take care of you. I know you don’t believe me, but I’ll prove it.”
She shook her head. “When this is over, I’m leaving. I have a life to get back to.”
“Your life is with me now. If you still want to walk away in a week, then I’ll accept it.” He was pretty sure that was a lie, but it was one she needed right now. “But for now, I won’t pretend I’m not planning a life with you at the center of it. You’re the sun in my sky.”
“I can’t be.”
“You already are. There’s nothing for you to do.” He pushed her hair to the side and let his lips find the soft skin of her neck. This was where he’d wanted to be for days. He’d needed to be here with her, even if she was crying and afraid. She would be that without him. She would be that way for the rest of her life if he didn’t fight for her. He couldn’t stand the thought of her being alone.
Oddly, he could be alone because he would think of her. He would allow himself to dream about her, to share her with the man she’d loved. But if he didn’t break through, she would utterly pine away.
“Reach over and lean on the bench in front of you.” She only cried the once and then during discipline. She needed to cry and he could give that to her.
Her immediate obedience was proof to him that he was doing the right thing. It was the first move she’d made that was e
ager. Her ass was in the air almost before he finished the command. She wanted this. Needed this.
“You disobeyed me in a dangerous situation.”
“I also helped you.” Her ass wiggled a little, an invitation to play.
He thought about how fast Ace had moved, his gun in hand. He’d turned toward her, ready to shoot, and Jesse had known he could lose her.
Maybe she wasn’t the only one who had bad dreams about that day. “He could have killed you. My number one job in life is protecting you. You made me fail and I demand satisfaction. It’s a count of thirty.”
She groaned and he watched as she straightened her spine, preparing for his hand.
He gave her a moment, a moment where warm water caressed her and the possibility of what was to come hung over her. One moment where she held her breath to see if he could handle her. A Dom’s job wasn’t simply about punishment. It was about making that punishment a moment of bliss.
His hand arced, making contact with her soft flesh and crashing through the shower with an audible smack.
Her whole body shook, but she held her position. He gave her four more slaps in rapid-fire succession. “That’s five. You stay still or it will be more.”
“I thought I had thirty,” she complained.
He smacked her again, loving how she groaned. “You’ll get them all, but when and how I say. Now stay still.”
He grabbed the lube and was deeply grateful they weren’t doing this in his tiny shower. He’d never spent much money on his place. It was small, clean, and in a good part of town, but Phoebe would need more. She would need a house and a yard and a place to call a home.
A real home. One where he belonged, where he was wanted. One where she was.
And it would have to have a nice-sized shower because he liked how her skin turned a pretty pink between the hot water and the smacks. He definitely liked how her ass looked.
Her legs were spread perfectly, her back flat so he could see her asshole. It was a pretty pink, too. He dribbled lube right on it, watching as a shiver went up her spine. “What are you doing, Jesse?”
“What I’ve wanted to do for a really long time. I told you I would get inside you any way I could.” He rimmed her petite hole, already thinking about just how tight and hot she would be when he finally shoved his cock up her ass.