Silver Tongue (a PowerUp! story)

by Marie Harte

  “As much as we can. Stirs my appetite,” Dane replied with a grin.

  Linda’s eyes widened; then she laughed with him. “Oh yes. I’ve heard about your time in the military. You were a real brawler, weren’t you?”

  “Occasionally.” He grinned, and his eyes looked like polished amber.

  Kitty swallowed hard, wishing she didn’t find him so attractive all the time.

  He winked at Kitty. “I’m a big man with a big hunger. And I’m all about second helpings.”

  Kitty felt herself blush, more so when Linda joined in the laughter.

  Conversation continued about technique and art and Linda’s myriad artists. Yet none of the talk gave Kitty any more insight into the woman, and she had a bad feeling about being there.

  Far from being left out of the conversation, Kitty was now continually included by Linda. For all that the woman seemed to have practically fallen all over herself to have Dane near, she no longer seemed as if she wanted him as her personal boy toy, which simultaneously put Kitty’s mind at ease and her back up. What the hell did Linda want with Dane? Another artist to hang off her arm, or something more?

  There seemed to be no danger here, just a woman who’d managed to get her hands on something that didn’t belong to her. Kitty would convince her to give it back at dinner in a few hours. Then she and Dane would leave the next day, and everything would look perfectly normal. Linda would even believe she’d readily offered the figurine to Kitty for a nice amount, and she’d be happy she’d done so. Just as soon as Kitty worked her mind magic.

  So why were Kitty’s instincts screaming at her to pay attention and prepare to face a dangerous threat?

  Linda glanced at her watch. “My. It’s nearly three. I’ve talked your ear off. Why don’t I show you around? Then you can rest before dinner while I see to a few things.”

  “Thank you, Linda. This is so nice of you.” Kitty pushed enthusiasm and gratitude toward the woman, and Linda seemed to respond.

  She flushed at the praise, whereas the woman had been fairly difficult to read up to this point. “I’m just pleased you convinced this stubborn fellow to take me up on my offer of a visit. It’s not every day I’m face-to-face with a man I admire.”

  Kitty smiled. “Easy, Linda, or you’ll give him a bigger head than he already has.”

  Dane frowned at her, but Linda and Kitty shared a grin. Linda took them out of the formal sitting area for a tour of the house.

  “Henry has already taken your things to your room. I put you out in the guest suite overlooking the pool.” The entire house was incredible. Hardwood floors that gleamed, a plethora of art in different styles and from different eras spread out over ten thousand square feet. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw a missing Van Gogh.

  Linda noted her looking at it. “A Wind-Beaten Tree. Amazing, isn’t it? Stolen back in 1997 and recovered just last year.”

  The painting’s recovery had made national news. If this woman had purchased it, she had serious cash. Kitty felt another frisson of awareness penetrate, and she studied Linda out of the corner of her eye. Waves of longing, love, and possession floated around her as she stared at the painting. But when she glanced back at Dane, the woman’s emotions shifted from love to lust, yet her possessive feeling remained.

  “You’re an amazing collector,” Kitty murmured. She ignored Dane’s narrowed gaze and followed Linda through the downstairs, noting the media room, library, study, and main bedroom suites positioned down the wide hall.

  “That’s my room down there.” Linda pointed to the large set of double doors at the end of the hallway. For all that the place had a fortune in art, plenty of windows let the light in.

  Kitty wondered what the interior security was like. Ian had said the place was guarded like Fort Knox, and she could well believe it. Motion sensors, dogs, live guards, and more surrounded Linda’s home. Getting in had been easy. Getting out would present much more of a problem if she couldn’t convince Linda to give her the statue. Kitty and Dane had walked right through the front door. She intended for them to leave the same way.

  Linda walked them outside, where the weather notched in at a warm sixty-eight degrees. Not quite warm enough for the pool, but it made a skirt and short-sleeved shirt comfortable.

  The guest suite looked larger than Kitty’s entire house. A Spanish stucco exterior framed a picturesque spot surrounded by palm trees and gorgeous red and yellow blooms. Dane walked ahead to meet the majordomo coming out of the suite, and Linda pulled Kitty aside.

  “Thank you again so much for convincing him to come.” Their cover as to why Kitty had accompanied him—Kitty’s supposed visit to Phoenix. “I’ve been trying for a long time to meet the great Dane Hanson, but he’s stubborn.”

  “Oh, you have no idea.”

  Linda sighed, and Kitty sensed predatory interest. Greed. Finally, a real peek into the woman. “I’m hoping to commission a piece from him. Something to go with my collection surrounding The Little Death.”

  The woman seemed poised, waiting for Kitty to confirm or deny something.

  “The Little Death?” Kitty frowned, then pretended surprise. “Oh my gosh. You have that thing? It’s made of meteorite, isn’t it? They just did a special on TV about unexplained mysteries, and that statue was on it. How exciting!”

  Kitty felt the woman’s disappointment that she didn’t know more. “Yes. It’s a treasure, for sure.” Linda took Kitty’s arm and walked toward the guest house. “The intercom is right inside the door, and there’s one in the bedroom as well. If you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to ask. Clothing, food, candles, wine.” Linda winked. “I want you two to enjoy your stay. Anything that makes Dane happy makes me happy. That man’s genius is a thing of beauty. He’ll be the next Rodin, mark my words.”

  They joined Dane, who stood inside the house and whistled.

  “Man, Linda. You live right.”

  “And so do you for the next few days.”

  Days? Linda had invited them for an overnight stay.

  “I’m so very glad you’re here,” Linda continued. “Now, take your time and freshen up. We’ll have dinner in two hours. Anything you need, just ring.” She nodded toward the buzzer by the door.

  Then she left them alone, her house manager following behind her.

  Dane tugged Kitty close and kissed her. “This place is great, baby.” He pulled her inside and shut the door. Then he nuzzled her neck and whispered, “Wonder if this place is bugged. You got that fancy phone of yours?”

  She hugged him back, something a real girlfriend would do. Then she pulled out her cell phone. “I’m just going to text my brother and let him know we’re here safely.” She activated her phone and instead of texting used the function Ian had added—a surveillance indicator that could generate interference if need be. Ian loved the thing because he said it made him feel like James Bond. Kitty had to admit, she felt pretty cool herself.

  After a few minutes of her fiddling with the buttons to mimic texting, she had an immediate picture of the room. She moved while she “texted” and found two bugs on the ground floor of the guest house. The place consisted of a large kitchen and an open dining/living area with views of the pool. The downstairs had a bedroom off a side hallway adjoined to the living room. The stairs she climbed, with Dane right behind her, led to a huge open loft, complete with a king-size bed that would easily fit a man Dane’s size.

  A sweep through the master showed not only a listening device but a camera as well. Creepy, and just one more reason why they shouldn’t trust Linda Cavendish.

  “Is your brother good?” Dane asked.

  She grimaced. “Just what I expected.”

  He reached for her arm and glanced at the phone. His jaw tightened, but he said nothing and tossed the phone to the bed. “We have two whole hours before dinner. I think we should relax. Get comfy, maybe naked. How about it?”

  Had the man not understood what she’d just told him?
<
br />   He kissed the breath out of her before she could ask him, then whispered, “In the bedroom, you belong to me. Remember?”

  “But—”

  “Let’s add a little realism to being a couple.” He nipped her ear. “Have I mentioned I like the thought of someone else watching me tame my little sub?”

  She moaned, not having realized how much she’d like the idea of being watched.

  “Let’s put on a little show. Nothing too extreme.”

  “Man, you’ll do anything for a feel,” she rasped and glared. Trust Dane to take advantage.

  “Really, kitten? This comes as a shock to you?” The glitter of excitement in his eyes thrilled her, and she wondered when exactly she’d changed her type and gone for the bad boy.

  She put her finger over his lips before he could kiss her again. Mastery, exhibitionism, some roughness while playing. The man had a penchant for the very things Kitty had always tried to deny herself. “I should probably ask. Is there anything you don’t like?”

  “Sharing,” he said bluntly. “Stop playing hard to get. You know you want me.”

  “Your ego knows no bounds. Don’t let Linda’s hospitality go to your head.”

  He smirked. “She obviously knows a good thing when she sees it.” He looked down at himself and chuckled.

  She glanced at his arousal, not surprised to see him packing behind his jeans. “Got a monster in your pocket, eh?”

  “You could call it that.”

  Kitty liked his sense of humor. For all that he’d initially come across as an ogre, Dane had a fun, kinky side to him she could appreciate.

  “So you going to pet him or what?”

  She groaned. “You’re tenacious, I’ll give you that.”

  “You’ll give me more than that,” he murmured and stepped closer, his gaze lowered to her chest.

  “What do I get if I agree to be your sex toy?”

  Dane’s gaze shot to her face.

  “What do you get?” He kissed her again, his lips driving her to distraction. “You get to come all over my cock.” He nipped her earlobe and fondled her breasts, pinching and plucking her nipples until she was squirming in his hold.

  “You’re killing me.” He really was. In a lower voice, she added, “But we’re on the job.”

  “Never said we weren’t.” He nipped her lower lip.

  The kiss melted her resolve to stay apart, in control. He pushed and prodded, and before she knew it, he’d taken off her shirt and bra.

  “Good girl. That’s it. Let me kiss those tits.”

  He sucked her nipples into hard peaks in seconds, plumping one while he licked and teased the other. “I love your breasts. So perfect for my hands.”

  He continued to play with her until she turned into a mass of writhing need in his arms.

  “You wet, kitten?”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes, what?” He bit her nipple harder than he had before, and she felt the pain like a kiss of ownership.

  She shook in his arms and whispered back, “Yes, Sir.”

  “Much better.” He pushed her breasts together and sucked and kissed her nipples. “Now get on your knees and nuzzle me there. Yeah. Against the denim. Put that mouth over my cock.”

  She did as ordered, loving his groans and clear desire. The man had a huge erection beneath his jeans. He couldn’t fake that kind of response. He gripped her hair and pulled her back.

  “That’s enough. On your feet.” He waited until she stood on shaky legs. Then he marched her back against the wall. “Are your panties wet?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Take them off,” he said in a thick voice.

  “Dane…”

  He glared at her. “What the fuck did you just call me?”

  She thought she might hyperventilate. He held to his standards, and he wouldn’t let her get away with anything. She felt practically in love. “Master.”

  He gripped her throat and held her firm. “I said take them off.”

  She shivered as she eased her sodden panties down her legs and kicked them away. Wearing only heels and a skirt that hit her midthigh without panties felt decadent, naughty, and so good when he ran his hands up her thighs.

  He bit her nipple again, then laved the pain with his tongue. “You’re begging to be punished, aren’t you, kitten?”

  “Yes, Sir.” She closed her eyes, caught in the moment. In Dane, her master.

  He controlled her with little effort, and that part of her that should have been ashamed remained absent. Kitty let herself go and reveled in Dane’s touch. He continued to hold her throat while his other hand eased her skirt up, exposing her flank. She didn’t know if he blocked the camera’s view or not, and the thought of anyone else watching Dane take her aroused her to no end.

  He eased his hand between her legs. “Fuck me. You’re hot.” He slid his fingers over her clit, gliding through the cream that continued to flow for him. “I love how wet you are. Let me see if I can make you come, hmm? You want that, baby? Tell me.”

  He squeezed her neck tighter, and she moaned, perilously close to coming right now. “Please, Sir.”

  “Answer the fucking question. Do you want to come?”

  “Yes,” she hissed and went limp as he kissed her and plunged two fingers deep. He touched her clit in the perfect place to spark an orgasm.

  “You don’t come until I tell you to. Understand?”

  She nodded, miserable and half out of her mind with need. “Yes, Sir.”

  He fucked her hard with his fingers while he commanded her mouth with his tongue. But just as she readied to come—screw his permission—he pulled his hand away.

  With a raspy breath, he ordered her to her knees.

  She slid to the floor and stared up at him, wanting nothing more than to obey. The rational side of her knew this was bad, that with every encounter, she drew deeper under his spell. Yet she couldn’t help herself.

  “Take me out. I want you to suck me.”

  She pulled his enormous cock out of his pants and took him to the back of her throat with a little gagging. She breathed through her nose and did her best to accept his rough thrusts.

  “Master wants to come down your throat. But you’re hot for it, aren’t you, kitten?” he growled. “You want Master to come in that cunt. Fill you up and let you squeeze the seed right out of me, don’t you?”

  She nodded.

  He withdrew from her mouth. Without pause, he pulled her up into his arms, her back against the wall, and positioned her legs around his waist. Then he lowered her over him, fiddling until his rock-hard cock angled between her folds.

  “Oh yeah. This is gonna be hard and fast. I can’t wait any longer.” Dane stared into her eyes as he pushed into her while at the same time letting her weight bear down.

  She sucked in a breath, caught in extreme lust as he fucked her against the wall. Her breasts bounced and brushed his chest, hidden behind soft cotton. Yet she felt him through the material.

  “Fuck. So good. That’s it, kitten. Hold me tight.” He ground against her, shoving harder and deeper until she couldn’t stop crying out, needing to come.

  “Come around me. Do it now.” He shoved again, and Kitty came, unable to stop herself.

  Dane gave her the ride of her life before he shuddered and filled her up. The mission and everything she’d known paled beside the feel of this man inside her. The big jerk had bulldozed past all her emotional barriers as well.

  When the hell had she ever had sex while in the middle of a mission?

  And why couldn’t she care more that she had? Instead, the slut that she’d become wanted to do it again.

  “Tell me what you’re thinking,” he said in a low voice.

  “That I’m a slut,” she whispered, and her eyes filled with tears.

  Dane remained inside her and didn’t budge as he stared into her face. “Why are you a slut?” he whispered back.

  “Because I liked that. A lot. I want to do it again,
and I’m in the middle of work.”

  Dane brushed a kiss against her lips. So tender, so at odds with the hard man effortlessly keeping her off the ground, the man who’d fucked her against the wall of a stranger’s house. While others possibly watched through a camera.

  “First of all, you’re working. This is my agreement, and we’re in the bedroom. And second, slut or not, you’re mine. Who gives a fuck what anyone thinks? You need to care about pleasing me and only me.”

  Oddly enough, his words helped. If Dane didn’t mind what they’d done, why should she?

  “Okay. At least until it’s done.”

  “I hate to break it to you, sweetness.” The mean Dane had returned. He gripped her chin hard. “We’re not done until I say we’re done.” He searched her face, for what, she couldn’t say. But then he stroked her face and kissed her again. “Now hold still while I get the rest of this out. You make me so hard all the fucking time.”

  Dane thrust in and out of her again, his big body owning hers while he sought his pleasure once more. She couldn’t believe he had the stamina, because she felt worn out. But as he grew closer to climax, her arousal returned. Before she could reach another exhausting climax, he came calling her name.

  And she felt satisfaction all the way to her toes. Her firm resolve to keep her distance receded another bit.

  “You wrung me dry, kitten. Shit. Be right back.” Dane pulled out, set her on the floor, and left her for the adjoining bathroom.

  Kitty tilted her head back against the wall. I just had an orgasm for Linda Cavendish. I came around Dane twice for anyone behind the camera. And I don’t care.

  She kept trying to find her dignity, her embarrassment, her purpose. But Kitty only felt lingering remnants of desire mixed with affection. How the heck had a promise of being his submissive for a few days turned into true feelings for the man?

  Suddenly aware of her half-naked state and the mess running down her legs, she stifled a groan. After putting her bra and shirt back on, she hurried to the bathroom.

  She reached the bathroom door just as it opened. Dane smiled down at her, and her knees went weak. So much for the powerful secret agent in charge. The man reduced her to a whimpering mess with little effort. So not cool.