The Mount Series Boxset

by K D Grace

  ‘And there was me thinking you worked for me because of my studliness,’ he said.

  Lou-Ann’s laugh tinkled over the phone. ‘Studly you may be, Nicky dear, but your sex appeal doesn’t pay my mortgage, does it?’

  When Nick hung up he tried to call Elsa again, but there was still no answer, so he turned his attention to the laptop to find out what he could about Mount Vegas.

  For the first time since he’d encountered the whole crazy team, he wondered why he hadn’t thought to do a search at the beginning. Had Elsa really dazzled him that much?

  The search for Mount Vegas wasn’t difficult. The home page was a picture of Las Vegas at night, taken from the upper floors of one of the exclusive hotels, Nick would guess. In bold san serif lettering, beneath the Mount Vegas logo, were the words Where there’s always a room with a view. The “about us” page simply read Exclusive entertainment for imaginative people.

  ‘You got that right,’ Nick said out loud. Beyond that, everything was password protected except for the “contact us” email address. That was it. There was no way beyond the initial pages without a password. Nick had grown up in the Vegas area and knew it intimately from driving limos. He knew that, even though prostitution was illegal in the city, the sex entertainment industry was a staple in Vegas. There was something for people of all tastes and kinks. And yet, until Nick met Tanya Povic, he’d never heard of Mount Vegas.

  He Googled Elsa Crane and came up with nothing. He frowned at the screen and scratched his stubbled chin. The nature of their business meant that Mount Vegas had to be discreet, but still, very few people didn’t have at least some kind of electronic footprint these days. Yet there was no Elsa Crane on Facebook, Twitter, G+, LinkedIn – at least, not the right Elsa Crane. Perhaps she went online under a different name. Lots of people did, but there was no way of knowing without asking her.

  He Googled Tanya Povic and quickly found her on Facebook and Twitter. With a little shiver he realised that other than Tanya, Elsa was the only person from Mount Vegas whose last name he knew. He couldn’t Google anyone else, and Tanya’s profile was hardly helpful. There was a mention of some modelling she had done, but in Vegas, modelling could mean almost anything. There was no mention of her working for Mount Vegas.

  On a hunch, he Googled Mount London and, after wading through dozens of useless hits, he came across an exclusive club in London simply called The Mount. It appeared to be legendary for both discretion and gossip – one feeding off the other. There were claims that it was everything from a secret sex cult to a hub of white slavery to a place where clients paid a fortune to eat exotic animals. All that was really certain was that it was an exclusive restaurant and dance club for which it was next to impossible to get reservations, and equally impossible for normal folks to afford.

  A little more searching brought him to a magazine called Talkabout. The magazine faced bankruptcy after its editor had given the OK to a false story about The Mount being a sex cult, then had laid the blame for the article at the feet of Rita Martelli, who had been working for the mag under an alias.

  Nick released a low whistle. He remembered the papers being full of stories and speculation about the disappearance of the Martelli heiress. That had been several years ago now. In fact, he remembered a news story about her resurfacing out of the blue. She’d just stepped out of a limo one night in front of an exclusive London club and waltzed right on in with the paparazzi going crazy all around her. He Googled the story and, sure enough, the sudden reappearance of Rita Holly Martelli was at The Mount.

  Nick wasn’t sure if the Talkabout magazine story was linked to the heiress’ return or not, but with threats of lawsuits from both the Martelli matriarch and The Mount itself, the magazine had no choice but to sell or close. The result was a buy-out by Holly Enterprises, created by Coraline Martelli, head of the perfume giant, and the magazine was now owned and run by Rita Holly Martelli herself.

  Rita Holly Martelli? Where’d he heard that name before? Hadn’t she been the one who had watched, long distance, his first performance with Deb for Mrs Bromley? Didn’t Pike call her Rita Holly? But why would she have any rights to watch at all? Or was she one of the big clients? Certainly if she were the heiress to Martelli Fragrance she could afford the services of Mount Vegas. He would see Pike in just a little while, and Pike never seemed quite as tight-lipped as Elsa. Maybe he could find out a little more.

  ‘Yup.’ Pike led the way down a stone staircase that, if Nick hadn’t known better, could have easily been in a medieval castle in England somewhere. ‘Same Rita. Really stupid exposé written by her former boss before he learned the hard way who she was and that her mother owns half the world.’

  ‘So what does she have to do with Mount Vegas? I mean, is The Mount a franchise or something?’

  Pike laughed. ‘I suppose that’s one way of looking at it. There’s a connection, yes, and Mount Vegas is a relatively new branch of The Mount.’

  ‘And this Rita Holly Martelli is coming to Vegas? Why?’

  ‘Oh, she and Elsa have some business to conduct,’ Pike said. ‘And you have a dungeon to explore,’ he added, changing the subject. ‘So pay attention or I’ll rack you.’

  Business to conduct. That could mean anything, Nick told himself. It certainly didn’t mean drugs and organised crime shit. As far as he knew, the Martellis weren’t involved in anything but perfume. Not that he would know one way or another. Coraline Martelli had a reputation for being a ruthless businesswoman, but then ruthlessness didn’t equal criminal.

  Nick was strapped, still fully clothed, to the St Andrew’s cross when his BlackBerry rang. Giving him a wicked smile, Pike pulled the device out of his front pocket, with a little more groping than Nick felt was absolutely necessary, and looked at the display. ‘It’s Elsa,’ he said, holding it up to Nick’s ear.

  ‘Nick, I need to see you in my office as soon as Pike’s done with you.’ No greeting, no how are you, no last night was really good. God, Nick would never understand the woman.

  ‘I’m sort of tied up right now,’ Nick said, glancing nervously at Pike, who ran a vicious-looking crop up the inside of his leg. He’d always considered himself to be pretty comfortable with his sexuality, or at least he thought he was, but as Pike moved the crop up to his crotch and trailed it over the tell-tale bulge in the front of Nick’s jeans, he wasn’t so sure.

  ‘Then tell him to untie you and send you up. He can play with you some other time.’ She hung up.

  ‘She wants me in her office,’ Nick said without growling.

  ‘If I didn’t know Elsa, I’d say you were trying to get away from me.’ Pike shoved the BlackBerry back in Nick’s pocket, once again lingering just a little longer than necessary.

  ‘I’d probably be safer with you in the dungeon.’ Nick watched as Pike hung the crop back in place and began to unbuckle the cuffs.

  ‘I’d like to say that her bark is worse than her bite, but I wouldn’t want to lie.’

  ‘Jesus –’ Nick ran a hand through his hair when Pike released his wrist ‘– I’d at least like to know what I did. I mean, one minute we’re enjoying an intimate breakfast together in the hotel suite and the next she’s making sure the door doesn’t hit her in the ass on the way out.’

  ‘You make her nervous, that’s all.’ Nick could feel Pike’s hot breath against his crotch as he knelt to undo the ankle cuffs. ‘Elsa doesn’t like it when she’s not in control, and she wasn’t last night.’

  ‘Is there something going on between her and Fenton?’

  ‘Fenton would like there to be, but Elsa’s not interested. There, you’re free to go –’ Pike held him in an uncomfortable gaze ‘– at least for the moment.’

  This time Nick did growl, but as he turned to go, Pike stopped him with a palm on the flat of his chest. ‘Don’t hurt her. I get really, really mean when anyone hurts her.’

  Nick didn’t reply. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what to think. He couldn’t i
magine there could be much worry about him hurting Elsa. He couldn’t even get her to stick around long enough for breakfast and a cup of coffee.

  Chapter Fourteen

  From the inside of Victor’s Lexus, Tanya looked out over the deserted gravel pit. All of its silent earth-moving equipment looked like sleeping dinosaurs in the darkness. She shivered, but not from the cold of the desert at night. ‘Victor, why have you brought me to this place?’

  ‘I need to fuck, Tanya, and this place gets me hard as a petrified brick bat. How about it, hon? A little sex al fresco?’ Victor got out of the car and nodded her to do the same.

  ‘Is not a very pretty place for sex al fresco,’ Tanya observed.

  ‘What is it they say? Beauty’s in the eye of the beholder. I wonder, has the Mount Vegas team ever done an act in a gravel pit?’ he asked.

  ‘Not that I know of, they haven’t.’ She rubbed her arms for the warmth she really needed at the moment. ‘Most of the people like the city with all of its big windows and bright lights for their fantasies. And if they do it outside, they want nice location, you know, gardens, grass, trees.’

  ‘Pity,’ Victor said as he motioned her around to his side of the car where he sat down on a large, flat-topped rock and patted the place for her to sit next to him. ‘I’ve done a few acts in gravel pits,’ he said as she moved cautiously to join him. ‘’Course my gravel pit performances aren’t very glamorous, and they can get rather … messy, but I am a cop, after all, not someone who fucks for a living. Still –’ he wound a strand of her hair around his finger and toyed with it ‘– I could very easily imagine you and Nick Chase together here, after hours, doing a little private act just for me. What do you think?’

  This time he fisted her hair and pulled her into a tight kiss while she struggled to push aside fear that rose like a bitter taste at back of her throat. Just when she was certain his kiss would suffocate her, he pulled away and sighed happily. ‘Your Mr Chase and I are like two sides of the same coin, Tanya. Mr Chase digs up ancient bodies –’ he leant in very close to her ear ‘– and I bury not so ancient ones.’

  Tanya swallowed back the cry that threatened and tried to control the way her heart pounded like drum.

  ‘Your Mr Chase might discover all kinds of things buried in places like this, don’t you think, Tanya? If he knew where to look, that is. And assuming he was in any condition to look.’

  ‘Victor, please. I promise, I will convince him to help us.’ No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t keep her lip from quivering. The flood of terror that she felt was thick and nauseating and she struggled to control herself.

  ‘Oh, don’t look so distressed, Tanya –’ He ran a thumb over her lip, and she flinched as he groped at her breasts through the thin tank top that she wore. ‘Your Mr Chase is a law-abiding citizen. You said it yourself: he’s a conservative sort, not wanting to rock anybody’s boat. When push comes to shove, he’ll come down on the side of the law and hand Mount Vegas and Elsa Crane over to me on a silver platter. All you have to do is ease him in that direction, Tanya. Can you do that?’

  She was afraid that her heart would leap out of her mouth when she spoke. ‘I will do. You know that I will, Victor. I will see that he does what it is you ask.’

  ‘Good.’ He straightened his jacket and looked out over the deserted gravel pit. ‘Yes, this would be a very good place for an act. It’s just so isolated and private, isn’t it?’ He lifted her until she was sitting on his lap. Then he shifted so that she sat on one knee, giving him room to unzip his trousers. ‘My cock gets stiff just thinking about all the fun I could have at night out here with you and Nick Chase. Does it make that little cunt of yours wet? Hell why am I asking? Your cunt’s always wet, you little slut.’

  He pushed her skirt up and dragged the crotch of her panties to one side. Then, with her still seated on his lap, he lifted her enough so that he could slide his cock up inside her. She tried not to cry out. He was thick and heavy and didn’t bother with the foreplay. She spat on her hand and pushed her fingers in for a quick stroke of him to ease his way into her straining pussy. But in spite of her efforts to control herself, a cry escaped her throat when he grabbed her tank top by the hem and tore it all the way up her back so he could shove it off her shoulders, leaving her topless with her breasts bouncing each time he thrust. He cupped and kneaded her in his large hands, and his gropes became harder and more painful the closer he got to his orgasm.

  This time, Tanya didn’t even pretend to come. With cold fear prickling her skin, she bounced up and down on his lap with his hot breath against her bare back until he grunted and cursed, and she knew that he had come. He pushed her off his lap and used her torn shirt to wipe his wet cock, and then he threw it back at her.

  And once he had caught his breath, he said to her, ‘I’m a patient man, Tanya, but my patience has limits, and I’d advise you not to push those limits. Convince Nick Chase that Elsa Crane’s a notorious criminal and her organisation needs to be brought down.’ Then he took her chin in his hand and kissed her hard. ‘Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’ll do what I can to help you make sure Mr Chase remains a law-abiding citizen. In the meantime, you can use that wet little pussy of yours to influence his decision. We men – well, we’re always pushovers where wet little pussies are concerned.’

  He gave her another hard kiss, then he made her ride home topless and shivering in the air conditioned Lexus.

  Kandi was in the reception area of Elsa’s office when Nick arrived. She was dressed in a black power suit and her hair was done up in a chignon. She looked like she could be the CEO of a big company. ‘Elsa’s expecting you. Just go on in. And Nick –’ she flashed a bright smile ‘– it was really hot last night.’

  ‘Did you keep the Aston Martin?’ he asked.

  She nodded. ‘I don’t know what the hell I’m gonna do with it. I’m more a Corvette sort of girl.’ She offered Nick a wink. ‘Just my bad luck, isn’t it? Elsa gets the sexy guy and I’m stuck with some prissy-assed car.’

  ‘I feel your pain,’ Nick said as she nodded him toward Elsa’s office.

  Inside, Elsa sat behind her desk tapping away on her laptop. ‘Did you bring the limo?’ she asked without so much as looking up. Jesus! She acted as though nothing had happened between them. How could she be so damned cold?

  ‘I did,’ he said, trying to keep his voice neutral. ‘Pike says the installation of the cameras shouldn’t take long.’

  ‘Good. He told you we’ll need it tomorrow night?’ She gave a few more quick keystrokes, then palmed the laptop shut. She moved to sit on the arm of the sofa next to him, looking way too good in a curve-hugging minidress in a floral print that caressed her body. Why did she always have to look so good when he was angry at her? ‘I need you to drive for that act tomorrow night, Nick.’

  ‘I know, Pike told me. That’s fine. That’s easy enough.’ When she squirmed and then eased down onto the sofa next to him, he asked, ‘What are you not telling me?’

  ‘You’ll be driving Pike and me.’

  ‘I’ve had lots of people fucking in the back of my limo, Elsa. You’re just two more.’

  ‘Good. That’s good, then.’ He was disappointed that she ignored his little dig, even more disappointed at the possibility that she might not have even noticed it. She continued. ‘It’s a frequently requested fantasy, but …’

  ‘But what?’

  ‘Well, this time the chauffeur’ll be doing more than driving.’

  Nick folded his arms across his chest. ‘Such as?’

  ‘Well, at first he’ll just be watching, doing a bit of choking the chicken. Then he’ll drive the couple to an area of the parking garage we’ve got cordoned off over at the Tropicana, and there, he’ll join the party.’

  ‘OK, so I drive the two of you around Vegas while you go at it in the back of my limo, and I watch and play with my junk. Then Pike and I both do you in the parking garage. Got it.’

  She shifted on the sofa and ran
a finger down his arm. ‘We can do it that way, and we will if we have to. But that’s not exactly the fantasy. You’re elected because I’ve got no one else who can drive a limo. Pagan’s our chauffeur when we have limo fantasies, but he’s been specifically requested in a bodybuilding fantasy in one of the hotel gyms. Kandi didn’t see the logistics problem until it was too late.’

  ‘So?’ Nick could feel the nerves in his stomach tingle. ‘What exactly is the fantasy, then?’

  She held his gaze. ‘Mr Pickford wants to see Pike and me do the limo driver together.’

  Nick’s pulse did a drum roll, and he grabbed onto the sofa as though he feared it would eject him. ‘Then Pike is going to …’

  She nodded. ‘While you fuck me. If you’re OK with that.’ Then she added, ‘Don’t worry about any damage to the upholstery or the carpets. We’ll have your limo fully detailed for you afterwards.’

  ‘Oh, I’m so relieved to hear that,’ he said, rolling his eyes. For a moment he was sure neither of them was breathing, and he really didn’t see much point in saying he’d never done it with a man before. Surely she knew that. And of course he wasn’t OK with it! How could he be OK with it? He was scared shitless. Someone would watch him taking it up the arse – his virgin run, no less! And Tanya might not even get her bonus! And he didn’t know what the truth was about Mount Vegas! And the cops were after Elsa and what the fuck was he still doing here?

  ‘Nick?’ Her voice was little more than a whisper. Her deep blue eyes locked on him. ‘Are you all right? Because you don’t have to go through with it if –’

  ‘You said guys doing guys turns you on?’

  She blinked, then offered a cautious smile. ‘I did. Yes. It does. And you and Pike together – well, it would be amazing.’ Her pulse fluttered against her throat and her chest rose and fell as though it were struggling to escape the sundress. ‘If you can’t … if you’re unable to let Pike do it when the time comes, then you can both just fuck me and we’ll give Mr Picket a discount and it’ll be OK. Honest.’