by Lexi Blake
His hands squeezed hers. “No, but it’s all right. You can make it up to me later.” Adam yelped a little as Ian’s hand came out and swatted him on the head.
“Forgive my employees, officers,” Ian said. “They’re the best in the business, but they can be a little unprofessional at times.”
Adam frowned back at Ian. “Hey, I very professionally shot that snake.”
“He did. He didn’t girly scream or anything.” Jake shot him a smug grin.
Adam’s middle finger came up, pointing directly at Jake. “As if.”
Jake shrugged. “I can still hear the screaming you did on that op in South America.”
“I got caught by a twenty-nine-foot anaconda. Fucker broke two ribs and I still managed to finish the mission.”
“And you still screamed like a girl.”
“Shut up, both of you,” Ian said.
Jake stood up. “I don’t see why, boss. It’s obvious they aren’t going to help. They’ve made up their minds.”
Chitwood stood as well. “That’s not at all true, but we do have to look at all the angles. This isn’t cut and dried. Usually in stalker cases, the stalker lets the victim know who he is. He wants the victim to fear him in particular. This is different. This person seems to have a point to make. He seems to want Ms. Brooks to understand that what she’s doing is wrong. His words, of course. Now, I understand you’re looking at the CCTV footage? Do you have anything on it yet? We couldn’t find any matches.”
“I’m playing around with the software, trying to refine it,” Adam explained. “I should know if it works in the morning.”
“If you get anything, we expect you to share it with us,” Hernadez stood and stretched. “I know you guys are professionals, but it’s obvious that you’re personally involved. I don’t want any vigilante justice.”
“It might be the only justice we get,” Adam said, earning him another slap on the head. “Damn it, Ian. Stop it.”
“I will when you stop saying dumb shit in front of the cops.” Ian walked to the door and opened it. “Officers, I thank you for your time. I assure you, the press has been dealt with. The news vans are gone. The only story that will run tonight will feature one of my employees and her encounter with a snake. It will be explained away as she and her boyfriend must have picked it up when they went fishing. If the station runs the story at all, it will be nothing but a minor, humorous story.”
“You’re very good at manipulating people, aren’t you, Mr. Taggart?” Chitwood frowned at him.
“Remember that.” Ian closed the door behind them. He turned back. “Those two are useless. They think she’s working the system, and nothing is going to change their minds. Adam, how close are you to being comfortable with the CCTV shit?”
Serena took a deep breath. “You still believe me?”
Ian shrugged. “Serena, you’re the client. I’m asking you right now. Are you playing some sort of game that’s gone wrong? Did you start this and someone else is finishing it? Tell me right fucking now because it’s the only way I can protect you.”
It was the first time anyone had just asked her flat out. She really appreciated it. “I didn’t have anything to do with it. I don’t know what’s happening. I’m really scared.”
Ian Taggart’s face softened slightly. “All right, then. Don’t worry about the cops. This is our op. We’ll take care of you.” His eyes narrowed as he looked at the men in the room. “Besides, I get the feeling you’re part of the family now. You fuck her, Jacob?”
Jake sat back in his chair, a little smile on his face. “Yep.”
Adam frowned. “I haven’t yet.”
“Dear god, Serena, fuck Adam. He’ll sulk until you do.” Ian opened the door. “And keep me up to date. Liam’s on his way with a new car. You two take her back to your place. Whoever this asswipe is, he knows where she lives, and he’s getting more dangerous by the second. I’m having cameras installed around the parking lot. I’m sure the guests will love that, but it looks like someone cut the power to our lights. I don’t like any of this.”
“I can’t go home?” Serena asked. Her laptop was at home. Her notes were at home. Her dog was at home.
“Give Alex your keys and the code to your alarm. He’ll go and pick up a few things for you. You have a dog, right? Is it dangerous?” Ian asked.
“Not unless Alex is worried about having his leg humped,” Jake shot back. “Tell him not to forget her laptop.”
“Or her notebooks. Or her schedule. I haven’t switched her over to a PDA yet. She’s still writing shit down. And she needs her IPod with the purple ear buds. The white ones don’t fit right, and she gets frustrated with them,” Adam said.
He’d noticed that?
“And socks,” Jake continued. “She likes her fuzzy socks. Her feet get cold.”
Ian’s brows climbed up his head. “Is there anything else Princess Serena needs? Would you like to pick out her panties for her?”
Jake and Adam managed to answer that one at the same time. “She’s not allowed to wear panties.”
Ian closed his eyes as if gathering the reins of his patience. When he opened them again, he sighed in obvious defeat. “Well at least I taught you something. Adam, I expect a call as soon as you figure anything out.”
He walked out the door.
“Does everyone have to know about the panties?” Serena asked.
Adam shrugged. “I don’t want Alex to waste time packing something you’re not going to need. Panties are a privilege, not a right.” He reached out and pulled her into his lap.
She didn’t hesitate. She wrapped her arms around him, feeling safer than she had in an hour. Adam surrounded her.
“I can’t go home.” She knew she sounded forlorn, but she couldn’t help it. It had seemed real before, but now it was super-HD-3D-Technicolor real. She couldn’t go home. She had two men whose job it was to make sure she stayed alive. This was her life.
“It’s all right, baby,” Jake said, his hand in her hair. “We’re not going anywhere.”
She clung to Adam and prayed Jake was telling the truth.
* * * *
Adam took the bag from Alex’s hand and stepped aside as Mojo trotted in. Alex had brought everything they needed, including the laptop he’d left at the club. It was still on and still running its program. Adam quickly went and plugged it in, unwilling to lose the data.
“That dog is useless,” Alex said, a glimmer of a smile on his face as the big mutt wagged his tail. “He barked once when I walked in. I told him to stop it in a slightly deeper than normal voice, and then he followed me around with his tail between his legs. He’s a sub dog. How did she find a sub dog?”
“I think like attracts like in this case,” Adam murmured, petting the dog.
“Is she okay?” Alex asked.
Adam nodded. “Sort of. I think she’s still in shock. Having her laptop will help. I really appreciate it, man.”
“No problem.” Alex stopped. “You’re serious about this girl, right? Because Eve actually thinks she’s a little fragile.”
“She’s not fragile. She’s been through a lot.” She was strong.
“I think Eve’s worried about you hurting her.”
“Why the hell would I hurt her? I’m trying to protect her.” He defended himself, but he’d already hurt her once tonight.
“You throw yourself into these things without really thinking it through, and Jake can be like a cactus sometimes. I’m a little worried about what happens to her if this thing doesn’t work out. This is her fantasy. She’s been dreaming about this, writing about it. I’m just worried about what happens when the bubble bursts.”
“It won’t.” Adam was getting a little sick of everyone warning him. He wasn’t a kid. He was thirty freaking years old, and he knew what he wanted. He wanted Serena. He intended to have her.
Alex held up his hands in mock surrender. “Just make sure you let her down easy if the time comes. That’s all I’m say
Alex turned and walked out the door.
“No one believes this can work.” Jake stood in the kitchen archway, a glass of wine in his hand. It had to be for Serena. Jake didn’t drink wine. He was a beer and whiskey kind of guy.
“Well, we know differently.” Adam didn’t like the hollow look in Jake’s eyes. “I fucked up. You fucked up. Look at us. We’re still fine. She’s still here. It’s going to be okay.”
He had to believe that. He’d given up way too much to think that they couldn’t make it work in the end.
Jake nodded. “She’s still real quiet. I told her to take a shower. You need to go to her. You need to fix her. She gets in that head of hers and she won’t come out.”
She’d been silent on the way home, looking back out the window as her car disappeared. That car was going to be towed again, and she might not feel safe in it. It had been a symbol of what she’d accomplished, and now it was a reminder of how much life could suck. She couldn’t go home. She was alone and vulnerable and probably wondering what else could go wrong. She needed to be reminded of what could go right. Gentle, sweet cajoling probably wasn’t going to work.
“One of us needs to keep watch. I think she needs you more than me,” Adam conceded. She needed a Dom. She needed someone who wouldn’t take no for an answer when it came to her happiness.
Jake shook his head. “I had my time with her. Now you show her what we want. We want to share. Well, it’s your turn, brother. Top her if she gives you trouble. It’s what she wants. You can do it. She doesn’t need a spanking. She just needs a firm push in the right direction to get her mind off all this shit and back where it should be. Me and Mojo will keep watch. Well, I’ll watch, Mojo will likely lick his own ass. A lot.”
Jake shoved the wine glass in his hand and practically pushed him toward the master bedroom. The house had five bedrooms. He and Jake each had their own. There was a large master they had set up for a relationship that hadn’t occurred. He’d settled Serena into it and thought about how perfect she looked there. He would unpack her clothes in the morning and store them in the center dresser. There were three in the room, each one empty. But not after tomorrow.
For tonight, she didn’t need clothes.
He could hear the shower running in the bathroom. He tried the door and found it locked, an irritating state that he wouldn’t put up with. It was a simple turn lock, something to let a person know the room was occupied, nothing more. He fished a nickel out of his pocket, and with a quick turn, had the door open.
He’d gutted the bathroom when he’d bought the house. Gutted and enlarged it until it was a decadent paradise, and up until now he’d had no real reason to use it. He’d spent time on this space. A large Jacuzzi tub dominated the room, but Serena was in the glass-encased shower. Steam coated the shower and misted the whole bathroom in a haze. Through the fog, he could see her figure, her head against the tile, shoulders bent over. She let the water beat on her. Though he couldn’t hear her, he would bet everything that she was crying.
Jake was right. She needed something else to focus on. He couldn’t think of anything else he’d rather have her focus on than him. He pulled his shirt over his head and then went to work on his jeans. He tossed them to the side and walked to the shower. Very quietly, he opened the door. Serena turned, her eyes heavy.
“Adam. I locked the door.”
“And I unlocked it.”
She seemed to realize that she was naked. Her hands went to cover her breasts, but he caught them, stepping under the hot spray from the showerhead. The shower was large, built to fit three people engaged in more activities than merely getting clean.
“Adam, this isn’t a good idea.”
There was a weariness stamped on her face, but Adam couldn’t give in. “Give me one reason.”
“Because it won’t work. Adam, if we don’t catch this person, I might have to leave. I might have to change my name and run.”
There was no way in hell he was letting her leave. “I’ll catch him, Serena. You have to trust me. I’ll catch him. I won’t let anything happen to you, sweetheart. Jake and I will take very good care of you.”
Her hair was wet, hanging down past her shoulders. He let go of her hands, but didn’t move out of her space. He had zero intention of allowing her space for the next several hours. He let his eyes roam across her body. Round, firm breasts tipped with perky pink nipples had his cock jumping. He ran a hand from her shoulder to cup one deliciously decadent mound.
“Adam,” she moaned his name. Her eyes half closed as she looked down his body. She wasn’t thinking about the snake or the books or the fact that there was an asshole out there trying to hurt her. She was thinking about him. Jake was right. She needed this. Adam needed it, too. He needed it so badly. He needed her.
“Serena, this is my time. Jake had his time. This is about me and you.”
“Is this how you want it?” Her eyes came up. She sucked that bottom lip between her teeth. “I don’t know how it works. I’ve written a relationship like this a dozen times, but I don’t know how it works in the real world.”
He knew how he wanted it to work. “We don’t really have to have any rules. Not that way. We won’t be taking turns most of the time. We’ll take you together. We’ll lay you out like a feast fit for two men.”
He wanted to feast on her right now. She was so sweet. He ran his hands down her body, discovering her curves. Her skin was soft and warm from the water. His cock nuzzled her belly. Yes, this was exactly where he wanted to be.
“What if I’m not enough?” Her voice shook a little as she asked the question.
“Oh, baby, that is the last thing you need to worry about.” He groaned a little because he couldn’t do what he wanted to do. He wanted to shove her against the side of the shower, spread her legs and let his cock slide deep inside her. But he needed to show her how much they both wanted her. He turned her around so he held her backside to his front. The hot water cascaded down her body. He put his mouth right to her ear, his voice low. “Do you want me to tell you all the ways I want you? I have to warn you, the water might go cold. The list is long.”
He could see her lips tug up at the corners. “Why don’t you give the highlights?”
“I want your breasts. God, Serena, do you have any idea what your breasts do to me? It makes me fucking crazy that you cover them up, but then I’m happy about it because I don’t think anyone else should look at them.” He plucked at her nipples again. “I want to suck on these. When Jake and I get you in bed, we’ll each take a breast and suck on them until you can’t stand it anymore.”
She wriggled against him.
He let his hands drift up to trace the line of her lips. “I want this mouth, too. You say such bratty things sometimes that I feel the need to shove something in here.”
Her tongue came out, playfully licking his fingers. “You’re going to shove your fingers in my mouth?”
“See, bratty.” He let her feel his cock along the seam of her ass. “You’re going to get something way bigger than my fingers.”
She sucked at his fingers a little. “I thought Jake was the Dom. You’re not exactly talking like a vanilla boy.”
He nipped at her neck. “I might not be the Dom Jake is, but don’t you think for an instant that I can’t top you. And there is nothing vanilla about me, baby. I’ll fuck your mouth and your pussy and your sweet, sweet ass. Hell, I’ll lube up those tits, press them together and fuck you like that. There won’t be any part of you that I don’t cover with me.”
He ran his hands down to her pussy. She’d shaved as he’d asked her to. There was nothing there but hot, plump flesh. And she seemed to like it when he talked dirty.
“And what about Jake?”
He chuckled. “Jake will be filling you up, too. Tell me something, sweetheart, before Jake jumped the gun, how long had it been?”
“A couple of years, if you don’t count vibrators.” Her voice was breathless, catching as he explored her pussy. “I kind of do. I named mine. Though I admit that some nights I took Sam out and then got caught up in a TV show, and we just watched. So I might suck at sex since I couldn’t even interest my vibrator.”
God, she made him laugh. “I think your luck is changing, sweetheart. I don’t think Jake had the same problem. He wasn’t interested in anything but you. And I watched him at the end of it. I don’t think there’s any question at all that you’re good at sex. Tell me something, did you enjoy your time with Jake?”
He started to gently rub her clit.
“It was amazing.” Her head fell back, her body arching.
“Tell me or I’ll stop rubbing.”
She moaned a little but started talking. “I liked it. It was the best sex I’ve ever had.”
He bit at her ear. “Serena, you’re a writer. I expect a little more than ‘I liked it.’ Tell me how his cock felt. Tell me what he did. Did he spank you?”
“Yes. I disobeyed. I wore underwear.”
Jake had been hard on her. “He didn’t like the pretty little thong I left? I’m surprised. I told him what I was doing. He was just looking for a reason to spank this pretty ass.”
There was something about the way she hesitated that made him think he was missing something. “You did look good in the thong I bought you, didn’t you, sweetheart?”
“I didn’t put it on.”
He stopped and withdrew his hands.
She turned, putting her hands on his chest. “Jake already spanked me.”
She’d been through a lot, but he had to make a statement. “You didn’t wear what I told you to wear.”
She bit that bottom lip, obviously going for broke. It was cute, but it wouldn’t work on him.
“Turn and face the wall, hands on the tile, legs spread wide.”
Tears welled. “Adam, I’m sorry. I know it was wrong. Jake already spanked me. I’m still sore.”
“I’m not spanking you. I’m doing something I planned on doing tomorrow, but now, because you openly defied me in the club with all our friends watching, you’ll get it tonight.”
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