Bound to Serve (Dangerous Liaisons #1)

by Julie Castle

  They all laughed.

  Lola walked in and shot Bridget her glare from across the room.

  “Quiet, it’s the dragon lady,” Jasmine hissed and the others subsided into giggles.

  “We’ll talk later,” Bridget said quietly, and sat back to watch as Lola took the Pilates instructor’s place on the stage.

  “Ladies, your attention.”

  Ramón, the swarthy valet, and a smiling bar waitress came onto the stage and stood beside her.

  “Now ladies,” Lola said. “Ramón and Midge are going to demonstrate some oral pleasure techniques that should excite our members. We all know we must enhance our skills to keep our Doms interested.”

  That statement caught Bridget’s interest as Candy and Jasmine giggled beside her. It never hurt to brush up on your skills, and she had the perfect subject to try them out on. Would Condor be interested in her outside the mission? She watched, appalled, as Midge kissed Ramón and then sank to her knees before him. He was grinning, his toothy gaze sweeping around the room, focusing on Bridget for a minute, and he winked. She froze, glad that she was dressed in the caftan, and looked at Midge. The woman, in profile to her, opened Ramón’s pants with her teeth and tugged them down that way. Ramón’s penis sprang out, hard, red, and bobbing up and down. He had nothing on Condor. Not just in size. She’d never felt a cock was pretty, but everything about Condor’s was magnificent.

  Nevertheless, Bridget watched as Midge sighed, flicked out her tongue, and swirled it around the purple head. He fisted his hands in her hair, hard, making her wince. Moaning, she opened her mouth and took him deep inside. Ramón let out a hiss like a steam engine. She let him go and sucked on his balls, making his eyes rolling back in his head.

  Bridget stared at his reaction, fascinated. Who knew that was so effective? Maybe she’d try it on Condor.

  A glance around the room told her the others were staring with rapt attention, even Lola. Good. With everyone’s eyes locked on those two, she’d never get a better opportunity to search the bitch’s office and hack into her computer.

  She edged out of sight and hurried down the hall to Lola’s office. The door was closed, the lights off. She let herself inside and rushed to the computer. She slipped into the desk chair, booted up the PC, and to no surprise found it to be password protected. Most competent business owners routinely changed them, but she knew how to get around that.

  She hacked in through the admin back door, careful to leave no breadcrumbs that might tip Lola off. Although looking at the file names, she knew she wasn’t dealing with the Red Dawn top brass here…Special Preferences, Guest Video, and Threats.

  Can we say blackmail, anyone?

  She opened the video file and caught the pool scene from last night. Appalled, she watched the action when Kahn grabbed her, trying to cop a feel. Then her eyes widened when she saw Condor’s telling reaction, he’d jerked forward, practically jumping out of his chair. So he was feeling just as territorial about her. Then in a moment she reacted and kicked Kahn into the pool and Condor was coming her way, a worried look in his eyes. She watched it again, stunned. It helped explain Condor’s sudden reversal of the non-fraternization rule.

  He really cared. He really wanted her. At least he had last night.

  There was another layer of files—all encrypted. What gems of information might they hold? The Retreat’s connection to Perez? There was no time to try breaking the code. Instead, she sent the files to Delta Star, and then took a moment to cover her tracks. Lola would be none the wiser.

  She was just shutting down the computer when footsteps outside the door caught her attention.

  Lola.

  She shut down, ducked into Lola’s private bathroom, and pulled the door almost shut behind her, leaving only a crack of light showing through. The office door opened, and Lola entered and flipped on the light switch. Bridget tracked her movements, watched her walk over to the desk, look at the computer, and frown while touching the warm, still lit screen.

  Damn, it hadn’t automatically shut down. She braced herself for the possibility of discovery. The phone rang. Lola shrugged and answered it, and Bridget let out a breath.

  “Yes? Mr. Kahn, how was your fishing charter? He what?” she said with a screech. “No, of course I didn’t give Jason Welch permission to rent a boat and intrude on your charter. The marina was supposed to be closed. I’m not that stupid. Did Wetzel come through? And did our special guest arrive?” After a pause, she said, “Good, at least that went as planned. Don’t worry about Jason Welch. I’ll deal with him tonight.”

  Bridget froze as Lola hung up the phone and stood up. Condor was in deep trouble, and so was she if she got caught hiding in her bathroom. Lola turned and cast a questioning look around the room. Bridget stood still in the shadows, fearing exposure as Lola’s gaze swept past her—

  A tap on the door saved her.

  Lola turned to the door and barked out, “Who is it?”

  “Marci,” a light female voice said. “Miz Lola, the manager would like to see you.”

  “Thanks, Marci,” Lola said, giving her computer screen a slow considering look, and then switched it off. “See to it that my office is swept clean. You know what I mean.”

  “Yes ma’am,” Marci said, bowing her head.

  Lola smiled and gave Marci’s bare breast a tweak before she left the room. “Tonight. My quarters at midnight, he’ll be there.”

  Who was the “he” she planned to entertain? She waited a moment after Lola walked away to make sure the coast was clear before exiting the powder room. She had to warn Condor.

  Chapter Nine

  Condor was walking away from the dock when he saw Bridget rushing toward their bungalow. He looked at his diver’s watch. She was half an hour early by Lola’s master schedule. Judging by the high color on her cheeks, something disastrous had happened. Had she run into James? It would explain her agitation. He changed direction and headed down the flagstone path to intercept her. She let out a gasp when she caught sight of him.

  “There’s trouble,” she said with a frown.

  “I know it,” he said in a clipped voice, silencing her with a look. He didn’t want anyone overhearing this. His hand clamped around her upper arm as he force-marched her to the beach.

  “But,” she said, with a gasp. “We don’t have time for a swim. This is important…”

  “Not another word,” he said in a low tone. “You’re early, Star. Either you’re Mistress Lola’s prize pupil let out early for good behavior, or you’re playing hooky.” He didn’t miss her guilty blush. Damn it, what was she up to now?

  “I don’t need Blowjob 101,” she snapped back. “I’m a big girl, I know where it goes and what to do with it, wouldn’t you say?”

  He went hard when he recalled her lips closing over him in the shower. She definitely didn’t need lessons, but that wasn’t the point. Keeping Lola mollified so he could do his job was. “Need I remind you that we both have a role to play?” he said as they set foot on the white sand beach. He looked out at the blue waters, feeling his serenity restored, and took a deep breath. “At any rate, you’re just in time for a skinny dip.”

  “We really don’t have time for this,” she said, dragging her feet. “Aren’t you worried about sharks?”

  “Yeah,” he said, casting a wary glance around the mostly deserted, white sand beach. A few other couples lay on blankets and played in the surf. They were probably harmless. “Speaking of sharks, I met a few today. But I think I can hold my own with the predators of the deep.”

  Her gaze sharpened as she focused on him. “That bad, huh? Well it’s about to get worse. Lola is on to you.”

  Condor’s eyes narrowed. He’d expected the shit to hit the fan, just not this soon. Oh, well, it couldn’t be avoided. He pulled Bridget’s caftan off and dropped the golden garment in the sand. She let out a little shriek of annoyance that made him smile. She still had the power to amuse him.

  “Strip me,” he sa
id. “Now.”

  Bridget scowled, but she closed the distance between them and started unbuttoning his Hawaiian shirt. “You’re taking this role too far.”

  “You don’t say,” he said, seeing her excitement. He stood still as she tugged his shirt off—and then he saw Lola standing by the pool, watching them. “Don’t look now, but we’ve got an audience.”

  Bridget frowned. “Let me demonstrate what I learned in class,” she said loudly, and she dropped to her knees in the sand. She smiled and used her teeth to unsnap and unzip his shorts.

  He groaned when he saw the sultry look in her eyes. They had gone way past playacting. For both of them, this was real. She tugged his shorts down, and he sprang out, hot and heavy before her.

  A look told him Lola was satisfied and heading back to the spa. “She’s gone,” he said.

  “Who cares?” she said as her tongue flicked. Her mouth opened, and she took him inside, suckling him.

  Condor groaned at the damp heat of her mouth. But he couldn’t let her divert him. He had the mission to think of…things he had to say. She sucked his balls and he groaned, bracing his legs.

  She smiled up at him, a sultry smile. “By golly, it works.”

  He growled and pulled her off the sand and into his arms.

  “Wrap your legs around me.” He scooped her up and waded into the surf with her.

  She let out a cry of surprise, then closed her mouth as he brought her underwater.

  When they came to the surface, she sputtered, “Not funny, Con—”

  He stifled her words with a kiss. After he’d kissed her thoroughly, he swam a little farther out with her. She clung to him, nervously.

  “Don’t tell me you can’t swim,” he said.

  “I passed the water safety course at Delta Star.”

  “Which means you can tread water fully-dressed for five minutes.” His arms tightened around her as he easily held her afloat, and he was pleased to feel her relax. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”

  He looked at her, worried. Did she know about James? He didn’t see any evasion in her eyes, just concern. “Tell me what happened.”

  “Lola knows that you crashed Kahn’s charter. He called her, furious. She’s pissed and suspicious.”

  “Is that all?”

  “No, that’s not all,” she said. “Lola has dossiers on all the guests, right down to sexual kinks, blackmail info, and what kind of cereal they like. Yours, I’m afraid, is pretty far-fetched. You’re a yachter, own a string of seedy costal hotels, and your favorite kink is anal sex.”

  “All true, and they’re retro, not seedy.” He flexed his hands and squeezed her ass. “The favorite kink is kind of true. I like anal sex if it suits my partner. I find blending reality with my cover stories lends them a ring of reality. ”

  She moaned when his strong hands squeezed her ass, forgetting all about the chest high surf. Condor was seriously rocking her world. “Then why haven’t you taken me that way?”

  “Do you want me to?” he asked, nibbling her nape.

  She whimpered, saying, “You know that I do.”

  “Stop that,” he scolded. “How do you know all this, sugar? Have you been snooping again?”

  “No. I’ve been doing my job. Just like you,” she said, remembering the call Lola had taken about his activities. “I hacked Lola’s files while they were teaching us Blowjob 101. I sent them to Delta Star’s database in Langley.”

  “You broke into her office! I ordered you not to do anything that reckless.”

  She nipped his earlobe in retribution, making him growl. “Ordered me? You’re starting to believe that you’re my master, and that has to stop. I’m still an agent, even if I’m only your pretend sex toy.”

  Condor stiffened his muscles, going rock hard at the reminder that she wasn’t really his. Hearing it put into words hit him hard and low. Hell, after learning that her ex was alive and breathing, she wouldn’t be smiling. It would break her heart, possibly divide her loyalties, and he didn’t want to tell her. James had to be working for the enemy. Which side would she come down on?

  “You could have been caught, woman.”

  She bit her lip. “I almost was.”

  “What?” He braced himself, rigidly shaken when she delivered the news.

  “Lola came along unexpectedly, and I had to hide in the bathroom. I overheard the phone call about you. It set off warning bells with whomever she reports to.”

  This got more convoluted by the minute, and the idea of Bridget hiding in the bathroom, in danger, scared the hell out of him. “You’re not to do any more investigating, you hear?”

  “I hear perfectly well, and I’ll use my own judgment.” She glared up at him and gasped as her breasts brushed against his chest. “I was just doing my job.”

  “No, you weren’t.” He frowned at her, her breasts pressing against him, tempting him. “I’m team leader, and I told you to stay out of it.”

  “Like hell I will!” She wiggled in his arms and succeeded in thrusting their groins together.

  Condor groaned as their bodies collided and his throbbing manhood nestled against her hot body. He held her still so that she’d stop tantalizing him. “There’s something you should know.”

  “What?”

  He didn’t want to tell her. But he had to see her reaction. Had to know if he could still trust her. Either way, she deserved to know.

  “I saw James. He was on the yacht.”

  She smiled and shook her head. “Boy, the paranoia is catching. I can’t believe you saw that lookalike too.”

  “Saw him too? Then you’ve seen him. You knew he was here.”

  “It’s not him, Condor. The voice is ragged. Too low. And he moves different. I noticed the copycat yesterday after I um…took down Wetzel. Shook me up for a minute until I realized I was just projecting my guilty feelings on him.”

  “What have you got to feel guilty about, sugar?” Her troubled gaze rocked him almost as much as her denial. She hadn’t meant to blurt that out.

  “You,” she admitted.

  He stood there, stunned to hear her say the words, but he couldn’t afford the luxury of believing them. “Baby, you have nothing to feel guilty about.”

  “There’s more,” she looked away.

  He froze, knowing what was coming next was bad, at least in her mind. “What? Tell me, and I’ll fix it.”

  “I got him killed,” she confessed, blinking back tears.

  He held her as she cried, stunned. “I can’t believe that.”

  “It’s true. We had a huge fight because he cheated on me. I pushed him away from me. I hurt him in return.”

  “He deserved it. The bastard cheated on you.”

  “But I made him careless. Don’t you see? I wanted him hurt. But instead, I got him killed.” She shook her head. “It’s my fault.”

  Good lord. No wonder she was so intent on finding Perez. She didn’t just want justice. She wanted redemption.

  “I read his file,” Condor said. “James was a double agent. He was about to get taken down when he allegedly died in that bombing. They never found the body.”

  “Not true. They suspected him, but the agency suspects everyone. We always do.”

  A flash of guilt went through him. She wasn’t wrong. Hadn’t he wondered if her loyalty would remain with the agency if her ex was alive? Hadn’t he wondered if her loyalty to Delta Star was already broken?

  But there was more than paranoia about her ex. And she needed to hear it before they continued.

  “Honey, I’ve seen his file. The director had suspicions. More than suspicions, he had reason to believe he was a double agent.”

  “That’s nonsense. Then why didn’t he talk to me? The one person close enough to James to see if he really had betrayed us?”

  “Frost knew how much you cared about James. That’s why he didn’t talk to you.”

  She shook her head. “What are you saying?”

  “He didn’t trust
you to see what was right in front of you. And then when James disappeared, when it seemed he was dead…you went off the deep end.”

  “I was upset. Of course I was upset. I felt responsible.”

  “I know.” Condor touched her shoulders. He had to maintain his emotional distance, but the pain in her eyes was too much for him to restrain the protective gesture. “But he’s alive.”

  “He can’t be. It means he’s…”

  “Turned rogue.”

  “I can’t believe that.” She looked away. “It would mean that I wasted six years grieving over a liar.”

  “They weren’t a waste. They’ve turned you into what you’ve become.”

  “What’s that, a computer with regulation one-inch high heels and a business suit, pretending to be an agent? I don’t fit in either place anymore, and you know it. That’s why you didn’t want to bring me.”

  “Not true. Bridget, you’re a hell of an agent, better than most. Because you come at it from a different viewpoint.” He added with heat, “I didn’t want to bring you because I knew this would happen.”

  She sniffed. “What? That I’d fuck up and go all emotional on you?”

  “No, this.” He rubbed his cock against her. “I knew damned well I couldn’t resist you. You’ve got me so tied up in knots I don’t know whether to paddle you or fuck you half the time,” he said, looking deep into her defiant green eyes. They softened and heated up at his words.

  “Why don’t you do both?” she said with a smile.

  He groaned when she positioned herself over him, and he surged into her, knowing he was lost, putty in her sexy hands. He gripped her ass and drove himself into her again and again, knowing it might be his last time. He pushed hard into her to the root, and she came, screaming, and he came hard with her.

  They held each other for a moment, breathing hard, overwhelmed as the waves crashed around them. Finally, he lifted her off of him and set her back on the ground.

  He swallowed. “Given your conflict of interest, I’ll contact Frost, and tell him we’ve been had. Get an extraction team in early. We can claim we broke up. Lola will like that.”