Before I can make good on that foolish desire, Stonehart leans back, breaking me from the trance. He smiles.
“It looks good on you, Lilly-flower,” he says softly.
“Thank you, Jeremy,” I answer, my words coming out a touch breathless.
“You’re welcome,” he says. He lifts a finger. “Now, rule number one. You are to keep the brooch on at all times during our trip.”
Alarm ripples down my back. I knew there was a trap here somewhere. He wouldn’t make such a rule if it didn’t hold meaning.
“Why?” I ask, even though I do not want to know the answer.
“Because,” Stonehart smiles, “located inside is a small positioning chip. It transmits a signal to your collar,” He takes out his phone, swipes at the screen, and then leans back in apparent satisfaction. “Which is active as of this moment. So long as the brooch remains within three feet of you, you’re free to go wherever you please. But the moment you step out of range…?” he trails off. “I don’t think I need to finish for you to understand.”
Anger and frustration build inside me. I take a series of deep, steadying breaths to quell those feelings.
Really Lilly, I tell myself. This isn’t so bad. Did you really expect Stonehart to just let you roam around Portland with no restrictions?
I force a smile that I hope he takes as genuine. I am his prisoner once more. Then again—that never really changed.
“Okay,” I say. “The brooch stays on. What else?”
Stonehart’s eyebrows come up. “That’s it? No protest? No indignation?”
I shrug as casually as I can. “Nope.”
He gives a little smirk. “Good. I’m glad we’ve progressed past that. Though, I fear you might be a little more opposed to the bit of information that comes next.”
I look right at him with my back straight. “Shoot.”
“The reason you need to keep the brooch on, sweet Lilly, is because there is a microphone embedded inside. It’s been recording everything that’s been said since the moment you opened the box. Every word you say on this trip… everything you hear…” he taps his earpiece, “I do, too.” He pauses to gauge my reaction and then continues.
“It’s just a precaution, you see. I am granting you unparalleled freedom, and I simply do not want you tempted into making some very, very dangerous decisions.” His eyes bore into me as his voice becomes dark. “Do you understand the things I am talking about, Lilly?”
I shift a little under that stare. I understand all too well. He wouldn’t want me going to the cops or calling for help.
“Remember that, ultimately, I control your collar,” he says. “If the wrong words come from those pretty red lips of yours, all it takes is one press of a button…” He holds up his phone to show me. “…and you’re writhing on the floor.”
Bile builds in my throat at the casual way he can speak of electrocuting me.
His voice softens a fraction. “But I don’t want you worried about that during this trip. I want you to enjoy yourself. Just use your common sense, Lilly, and we’ll avoid any accidents.
“Now, obviously, I don’t have the time nor the inclination to listen in on your every word today, or tomorrow, or any other day this trip. That’s why the task has been relegated to Rose.” His eyes move up to meet mine. “I assure you,” he says softly, “you do not want to test her loyalty to me. If you do…” He pauses. “The result will be very unpleasant. For both of you.”
I clear my throat and look out the window. Rose will be the one spying on me? Well, things could certainly be worse.
Although, I guess that in a way, that limits what I can do, knowing Rose will bear the brunt of the blame if anything goes wrong is a stronger deterrent than the collar itself.
I turn back to him. “I understand, Jeremy. Thank you for informing me of your—” I stall. “—Precautions.”
“Of course,” he says. “You must know the parameters governing your behavior for this trip if you are expected to remain within them.” He reaches out to take my hand. I stop myself from recoiling just as his fingers brush over mine. “Don’t do anything that would displease me, and this trip can be quite prosperous for both of us.”
With that, he opens the door, and steps out onto the busy downtown street in front of a spiraling steel and glass tower.
“You’ll be brought to the hotel, where you will remain until evening. If you prefer, I’ve given permission to the driver to chauffer you around the city. You’re not to leave the car, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do some sightseeing from the back.”
Chapter Seven
The thrill of being in a new city is somewhat diminished by the fact that I can experience it only from the back of a vehicle.
Still, I have little reason to complain. Stonehart went over the rules without being overtly unpleasant. Even if I don’t like them very much, I understand the need to establish boundaries beforehand. Initial parameters are essential to ensure compliance of both parties in the agreement.
Jesus. I stop short. I’m starting to sound like Stonehart!
Focus, Lilly. Think! I tell myself. You’re out of the mansion. Look for an escape!
But is escape even possible now? The collar is still around my neck. The brooch has a GPS chip so that Stonehart can track me wherever I go. I look at the door handle. Undoubtedly, it’s locked. I can’t just plunge out of the car into city traffic.
And even if I could… what would I do then? The collar would send me thrashing to the ground in moments. It would cause a scene in public. For any onlooker it would look like I’m having a seizure. I’d pass out. Somebody would probably call the paramedics. Then I’d wake up in a hospital wing somewhere, safe and far away…
No. Not safe. Not far away. Stonehart would find me. He would be furious. I’ve seen the extent of his anger.
I sigh and settle back. I cannot run yet. I need to bide my time and wait for the perfect opportunity. I cannot do it blind.
Besides, I want more than to simply escape. I want to get back at Stonehart for everything he’s done to me. I need to get back at Stonehart for everything he’s done to me. To have the opportunity, I need to stay close to him.
I spend the next hour or so directing the driver through the streets. Portland is quite small for a major city. It has a certain antiquity that I imagine would be quite charming… if I could experience it from outside the car.
In time, I get bored of sitting in the back. I want to stretch my legs. I ask the driver to bring me to the hotel.
It takes ten minutes to get there. My mind wanders to the conversation Stonehart and I had last night. It was the most honest I’ve ever seen him.
Or maybe not. It’s difficult to tell when the man is being honest. He sounded sincere, sure, but maybe the entire thing was another attempt at manipulation.
We arrive at the hotel. It’s an upscale place—obviously. In the garage, the driver takes my bags and leads me to a private elevator sheltered behind a locked gate.
He enters with me without a word. He hits the topmost button on the panel after inserting a small key. The elevator shoots up.
The doors open to a magnificent penthouse suite. The driver places my bags over the threshold and tips his cap. “Enjoy your stay, Miss Ryder,” he says, and then vanishes behind the closing doors.
I wait without moving for a count of sixty. Then I turn around and try to call the lift up by myself.
No such luck. The light remains off. The elevator is the only way in or out of the suite. It looks like I’m to remain here until Stonehart arrives.
I turn back and look at the new space. The décor is a departure from what I’ve gotten used to in Stonehart’s mansion. Instead of sleek minimalism, it’s more elaborate and showy. Expensive paintings hang on the walls. The light fixtures above me are gilded. The cold, tile floor is covered by expensive Persian rugs.
I walk through the suite to get a sense of its size. It’s massive. Immense. It doesn’t just take
up the entire story of the hotel. It takes up two. An open floor plan on the second level allows me to see the bedrooms from the living room floor.
I yawn as I pass one luxurious-looking bed. I glance at the clock on the wall. It shows a few minutes after four. Stonehart is bound to be working for a few more hours, yet. And I didn’t get a complete night’s sleep.
I lower myself onto the bed and sigh in relief as my body hits the soft mattress. I check on the brooch to make sure it’s in no danger of falling off. Next, I pick up one corner of the blanket, fling it over me, and close my eyes, drifting off into a peaceful sleep.
***
Something vague and uncertain tugs me from sleep. I open my eyes, and find Stonehart leaning against the doorway in the bedroom.
My breath hitches in alarm. I remember what happened last time he found me like this. I start to scramble up, but Stonehart stops me with a calming gesture.
“Lie still,” he says. “Relax. I only just got here. You’re in no danger of displeasing me.”
He walks toward the bed and sits by my legs. His crisp suit accents his body shape and makes him look stunning.
He places a hand above my knee, on my inner thigh. Even through the fabric I can feel the warmth of his touch.
His eyes trail up my body. His thumb moves back and forth against my leg. He meets my eyes. I see what must be one of his rare genuine smiles.
“Hi,” he says softly. “How are you?”
“I’m…good,” I say after a moment, my mind still a little fuzzy from sleep.
“I have a question for you,” Stonehart says. He takes my hand. “And it is my most genuine hope that you say yes.”
A shudder runs through me as he brings my hand to his lips and kisses my palm. He lets go, but I keep my hand there, brushing the short stubble on his jaw.
Is this a dream? I wonder. Am I still sleeping?
“What is it?” My words come soft, matching his. The melody of our voices lends an ethereal aura to the bedroom.
“Would you be interested,” he begins, a small glimmer showing in his eyes, “In accompanying me to dinner tonight?”
“Where?” I ask.
Stonehart smiles. “Not here, obviously. Outside. In public. At a magnificent restaurant overlooking the Columbia River.
I push myself up and look at him. “You’re actually serious?”
He gives me a lazy smile. “Of course I am, sweet Lily.” He rubs my leg in a slow, unhurried way. “The reservation is set. All that’s required is your approval.”
“Then yes,” I say, hardly believing this conversation. “Yes! I’d love to go to dinner with you tonight, Jeremy.”
He nods. “Good,” he says. He looks like he’s on the verge of saying more, but then he gives a miniscule shake of his head and stands. “I’ll give you an hour to get ready. Is that enough time?”
“Too much,” I say. “I don’t need an hour. Just let me fix my hair and I’ll be ready in—”
“Lilly.” Stonehart holds up one hand and stops me short. His voice is firm but gentle. “I told you there’s no rush. Take the hour. Have a shower. You don’t need to be on edge with me. Not tonight.”
He turns back and starts out of the room.
“Wait,” I call after him. “Are there going to be… rules?”
He misses a step. When he speaks, he doesn’t look at me, instead staring straight ahead. “ ‘Rules,’” he quotes. “Yes, Lilly, there are going to be rules. I was hoping to inform you of them on the drive there.”
He glances over his shoulder. “I don’t want such things troubling you yet.”
“I think now would be—”
“No, Lilly!” This time he snaps the command. “I said I’ll tell you of them later, and that’s what I intend to do. Don’t question me on such things.”
“Okay,” I whisper. I don’t want to provoke him, not when I can tell he’s trying so hard to stay in control. “Um, Jeremy? When I shower, the brooch…?”
“It was deactivated the minute you stepped into this suite. Along with the collar. When you’re in here, you don’t need to worry about holding your tongue. It’s not like there’s anybody you can talk to.” He turns and faces me. “For future reference: any residences you visit with me, that are mine, will work with the brooch and collar the same way.”
“You mean…” I narrow my eyes slightly, half from disbelief, “…that you intend to bring me to other places?”
“Provided your behavior outside my San Jose mansion continues to be exemplary,” he pauses. “Then yes. There’s a whole world out there that I have built to my image. It would be a dastardly shame to be unable to share it with you. I want you at my side, Lilly-flower, and I want to show you the wonders that Stonehart Industries has granted me. I own property worldwide: Resorts, other mansions, beautiful villas. They have seen infrequent use. I’ve been waiting for something… someone… to share that with.”
“Me?” I say, almost certain that this is another jest, just like the Dextran job.
“Yes, my dear. You.” He chuckles. “You mustn’t look so surprised. You didn’t truly think I’d keep you locked away forever. How could I? You’re so beautiful, so precious. Your radiance demands to be shared with the world. I’ve attended galas and events with dozens of stunning women. Yet none of them have ever held a candle to you.” He touches his chest. “Not in my heart.”
With that, he turns away again. “An hour, Lilly. Starting right now. But please,” he takes a deep, controlled breath. “Don’t be late.”
***
Forty minutes later, I’m fresh out the shower and dressed in a magnificent, black silk dress. The neckline is embedded with tiny, clear, precious stones. I suspect they’re diamonds. I mean, why wouldn’t they be? But I have no experience with such things to be sure.
The brooch is fastened on my left shoulder strap. It adds a splash of color that complements my appearance quite nicely. If it wasn’t for what it represents…
No. I stop myself from going down that path of thoughts. I wanted to get close to Stonehart. This trip—this dinner—will be my first real chance to do so in weeks.
Can I pretend my last stint in the dark never occurred? No. Of course not. What Stonehart did to me there… the horrible way he made me feel… none of it can ever be forgotten. But I cannot show that I bear him any ill will. This trip to Portland, the dinner tonight—in public!—is the first tangible step I’ve made with him probably ever. This is real progress.
And yet… I can’t stop feeling that something is not right. It’s almost like Stonehart is trying to lure me into a false sense of security just before pulling the rug out from under my feet.
I suppress a shudder. I desperately hope that’s not the case. And I know that worrying about it will lead me nowhere. I need to stay on my guard, remain cautious… and not do anything to provoke another punishment from Stonehart.
I enter the foyer and find him reclining in a grand armchair, looking out at the darkening city skyline. He’d changed into a pristine black tuxedo while I was showering.
I stop, and for a second or two simply look at the man. He hasn’t noticed me yet. I think this might be the first time that I have been able to look at Stonehart without him knowing I’m there.
He looks… damn good. One of his hands is idly tugging at a cufflink on his other wrist. His facial profile is so prefect it would make a sculptor weep. Everything from the angular jaw, to the prominent nose, to the deep-set yet beautiful eyes, makes him an image of utter male splendor.
And right now, he’s unguarded. This is a rare glimpse of Stonehart when he thinks he’s alone.
Somehow, that makes all the things he’s responsible for secondary to his sheer presence. There’s no pretense with him right now. No masks. I don’t have to dissemble who he is or what he wants. What I see is what I get: Jeremy Stonehart, raw and unadulterated.
“Are you going to stare at me forever,” he says without moving his gaze from the window, “Or are yo
u going to give some indication that you’re there?”
He turns his head, then, and his eyes bore into me. There’s a heated intensity contained there.
Panic rises within me. That type of look has only meant one thing in the past: That I’ve done something wrong.
Before I can move or say a word, Stonehart is out of the chair and looming before me. I brace myself for something—what, I don’t know—but what I get instead surpasses every expectation.
Stonehart puts one hand above my hip, tugs me into him, and kisses me fiercely.
The kiss is a mixture of molten lava and smoldering passion. He hasn’t ever kissed me like this. No one has.
Heat flows into me and the blood drains from my head as my body responds to him in the most natural way possible. Stonehart’s kiss consumes me. I let it do so entirely.
When he finally lets go, my legs are shaky. My lips are swollen from the assault. And I can feel heat—palpable, scorching heat—radiating from my cheeks and neck and chest.
I’d mistaken the look in his eyes. It wasn’t displeasure. It was desire.
How I am able to prompt such passion in him, I will never know.
Or why my body still responds to him this way, after all that he’s put me through.
“I’ve been wanting to do that for a very long time,” he growls. His voice is low and husky. “And when I saw you walk out, I couldn’t wait any longer.”
He touches the side of my face. His thumb leaves a scorching line down my cheek as it wonders to the corner of my lips. “Forgive my… impropriety.”
“It’s forgiven,” I say, breathless and still reeling.
This is the same man who starved you! A tiny voice screams at me. This is the same man who—
I shut it up ruthlessly. I know who Stonehart is. I know what he’s done to me, and all that he’s responsible for. Those are not things one can forget. But when he kisses me like this… when he makes me feel so deliciously turned on, against all logic and reason and sense… well, why shouldn’t I enjoy it?
I don’t need to give myself constant reminders of the past. After his confession last night, Stonehart seems ready to turn a new leaf. Who knows where that will bring us? All I know is that it will be infinitely better than anything we’ve had before.
Uncovering You: The Complete Series (Mega Box Set) Page 34