by Nikki Rose
The music switched to another beautiful instrumental piece and Drew held his hand out to me. “Dance with me.”
I was still unsure about what to feel about him. I hadn't liked the man I found him to be all those years ago when he cheated on me and I didn’t like him most of the time still. He was a total asshole when around Mikhail, but there were moments when he looked at me, and it was like looking back in time to before everything had fallen apart.
On top of all that, I was still angry and hurt over what had happened to Conrad. A part of me knew what Drew said was true, he was trying to protect us both and the mission, but there had to have been some way to protect Conrad too. I didn’t want to dance with him and I would have told him just that, had Mikhail not been standing right there watching us.
I timidly placed my hand in his and he led me out onto the dance floor. Once he found our spot, he gave my hand a short yank pulling my body against his. He cradled my hand in his while slipping his other around to rest on the small of my back.
“Do you have to hold me so close?” I said irritably.
“No.” The word was said so matter-of-factly but his arm tightened around me until my breasts were squashed against his hard chest.
Before I could say more, he swirled me around the dance floor as though we were floating. The sheer Chiffon of my dress swirled around my legs, dancing on its own accord.
“When did you learn to dance like this?” I asked just before Drew spun me out, his arm fully extending and he drew me back into his arms.
“I’ve learned a great deal since we dated.”
“Clearly.”
He pulled me closer, his breath on my ear as he whispered softly, “You look absolutely stunning this evening.”
I pulled back so that I could look at him with hard eyes.
“No one can hear you out here. You don't have to lay it on so thick.”
He raised a brow, “I was being genuine.”
“Oh.”
“You take a compliment worse than any woman I’ve ever met. You know that?”
“Well, I—”
“Just say thank you.” He smirked at me and pulled me tight against him.
I scowled at him and pursed my lips. “Thank you,” the words left a bitter taste in my mouth.
“You're welcome.”
“I’m still mad at you, you know.”
“I know. And, I really am sorry about your friend. The doctors said he’s going to be okay, though.”
“He’s married now.”
“That guy?”
“Conrad, yeah.”
“You used to date?”
“We used to hook-up. Like I told you, I don’t date.”
“You don’t get that upset over someone you hooked up with a few times.” He looked down at me skeptically.
“We saw each other pretty regularly for a while.”
“So, you dated,” he said flatly.
I shrugged. “I guess — maybe.”
“What happened?”
“He wanted more.”
“More than hooking up regularly?”
“Yeah, more than hooking up regularly.”
“So, he ended it?”
“No, I did. He wanted to keep hooking up if that was all he could have. He said he’d rather have me however he could than not at all. I knew he wouldn’t be happy with that so I ended it.”
“Do you regret breaking things off with him?”
“No. I wasn’t the one for him. He was looking for love, the possibility of marriage. After we broke things off, he met the woman he’s now married to.”
“So, you never want to get married or just not to him?”
“Marriage, love, and all that stuff isn’t in the cards for me.”
“Why not?”
“It just isn’t.”
“Hailey, what happened?”
“You happened.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I thought you and I were the real deal. I thought we were —” Tears pricked my eyes. I couldn’t do this here surrounded by these people.
“You thought we were...?” Drew looked at me expectantly.
“I thought — it’s stupid. I was stupid.”
“Hailey, what are you trying to say?” Drew was losing his patience but I had no desire to rehash all my stupidity now or ever.
“May I cut in?” Mikhail interrupted.
Drew looked hesitant but then moved aside, allowing Mikhail to take his place.
I hated being in his arms. He held me close as Drew had done but with him, the sensation made me sick. I couldn’t believe I’d actually hit on this guy the first time I met him in his club.
“You look positively stunning this evening,” he said as his hand slid down, boarding between the small of my back and my ass.
“Thank you.” I fought the urge to knee him right where it counts. “Where’s Lacy?”
“She is entertaining some of my important guests.”
I didn’t like the sound of that, knowing how this man worked. I was concerned for Lacy and I found myself looking around the room for her.
“It is rude not to give your dance partner your full attention.” Mikhail chastised.
“I’m sorry.” I looked down at his chest but his finger lifted my chin to look up at him.
“Looking for your owner like a good loyal girl?”
“My owner?” I couldn't help the bite in my tone.
“Andrew. He owns you, does he not?”
“No, he doesn't own me.”
“He paid a lot of money to some dangerous men for you, did he not?”
“Well, yes. I mean he—”
“And now you are his to do with as he pleases. He owns you.”
“I don't like the word own.”
“Like it or not, it is what it is. You are new to all this so let me give you a tip. When he loans you to someone else for dancing or anything else — it's best to focus on that person fully and work extra hard to be found pleasing. If you insult them, it is insulting him and no real man will put up with that.”
“Loan me?” I looked up at him confused.
“Right now Andrew is caught up in the newness of having you to himself but it is not uncommon for my men to share their girls among themselves or with me and believe me, there is already a mile-long line of my men who would jump at the chance for a night with you. I’m still trying to convince Andrew to place you in the drawing for this evening.” I stiffened in his arms and temporarily forgot how to breathe.
“Drew wouldn’t do that.”
“You've only just met him. How do you know what he would or would not do?” Before I could come up with an answer, Mikhail continued. “If I set my mind to it, I’m sure I could convince him. I might even take you out of the drawing to make sure I’m the one to get you. I haven’t forgotten the night we first met.”
I couldn’t breathe. I knew Drew wouldn’t agree to that no matter what Mikhail said or did. Didn’t I? Then again, I never thought Drew would be the type to stand by while three men beat up an innocent man either.
“Please excuse me.” I tried to pull out of his arms but he held me tight enough that it hurt.
His words were soft and quiet but they still managed to come across as a threat. “I will have you before this is done. Make no mistake about it.”
I couldn’t speak, I pushed against his chest and he released me. I hurried off the dance floor, looking for Drew as Mikhail’s sickening laugh faded off in the distance.
I searched everywhere but couldn’t find him. Why would he have left me here without a word?
I spotted one of Mikhail’s men standing by the door. At the club, he’d seemed less threatening than the rest — the way a cottonmouth might seem less threatening than a cobra.
“Where’s Drew? Have you seen him?”
The man smirked, and looked me up and down silently for a long moment before finally speaking. “He said he had to take care of something. He wanted you to
meet him back in your room as soon as you were done with the dance.”
“Thank you,” I said, rushing from the ballroom to find Drew. He wouldn’t have just left me like that. He wanted to meet back in the room? Had something happened? Was something wrong? I needed to get to him.
It was everything I could do to not run down the corridor but that would bring more attention to myself. Instead, I walked as quickly as I could without looking too suspicious.
I found our room and slowly opened the door as to not startle him. If something was wrong, I was sure he would be on guard.
“Drew?” I called out quietly as I crept through the dark room. “Drew?” I lifted my voice slightly in case he couldn’t hear me.
I couldn’t see him anywhere. Maybe he’s in the bathroom? I glanced into the closet just to be sure before going to the bathroom. I flipped on the light but there was no one. I turned around just as I heard the front door click shut.
“Drew? Is everything okay?” I walked out but it wasn’t Drew. It was Mikhail.
I stumbled to a stop just outside the bathroom door. Something in his eyes had changed. They looked darker. “I— I’m looking for Drew. I was told he would be here.”
“He’s not.” Mikhail said casually as he looked around. “Perhaps you got your message wrong. Perhaps he was sent away to handle some business far on the other side of my estate. Urgent business that couldn’t wait.”
He prowled toward me. The lion stalking his prey. I knew then what the antelope felt like just before the pounce. I stepped back, but there was nowhere to go. There was only one way out of the room and he was successfully blocking it.
Mikhail must have seen me eyeing the doorway because he responded accordingly. “Two of my men are just outside that door. They have been instructed that no one enter and no one exit. It’d be best to accept what is going to happen here.”
He continued to stalk toward me. I glanced around for anything I might be able to use as a weapon but there was nothing. My eyes fell onto the lamp on the nightstand. I lunged for it but Mikhail was too quick. He grabbed me and threw me onto the bed. I landed on my stomach and pushed up but he pushed me back down, pinning my shoulders with his forearm.
His other hand fought with the flowing fabric as he bunched it in his hand, pushing it up my legs. I kicked and screamed, squirming under him to escape. I heard the sound of his zipper and screamed again as adrenaline gave me the strength to push up against his arm just enough for him to slam me back down again.
I heard a loud slamming sound from the entryway followed by Drew’s voice. “Get off her. I told you I don’t share.”
Mikhail’s weight lifted off of me and I turned over on the bed to see Drew pinning him to the wall by his throat.
“You son of a bitch. You don’t touch her.”
“Why not? She’s just another whore like all the rest.”
Drew’s fist came inches from Mikhail’s face as he punched the wall. “I told you. I don’t share.”
Mikhail’s men came storming in. They grabbed Drew and pulled him off Mikhail who was laughing like a mad man.
“You still see her as a person. She’s nothing. These women -- they are nothing but things to be possessed but I do like your spirit, my boy. You’ll learn. It will take some time but you will learn. Teach him a lesson.”
Mikhail walked out of the room and the two large men threw Drew to the ground and began punching and kicking him.
“No. Stop it,” I screamed. “Leave him alone.”
I lunged at the men but the larger of the two slung me across the room as if I weighed nothing. I slid across the hardwood floor and into the side of the small wooden desk. Stunned, I barely saw the men dole out two more kicks before they stopped, leaving Drew barely conscious, groaning on the floor.
Chapter 12
I crawled over to him as fast as my arms and legs would carry me. Hovering above him, I rolled him over to see his face.
“Drew. Are you okay? Of course, you're not okay. How bad are you hurt?”
“I’ll be alright.” He tried to force a smile but I could see the pain in his expression.
“No, you’re not. Should I call an ambulance or maybe Ja—?” I turned to look for a phone but he reached his hand out and grabbed me.
“No. No calls.” He cut me off. “Just help me up.”
“I don’t think you should move.”
“Help me up and take me into the bathroom to check my wounds.” He gave me a determined look. “Help me to the bathroom,” he said again.
The bathroom. No audio, only a camera in there.
“Okay, if you say so.” I struggled to help him up, realizing just how much larger he was than me. After finally getting him upright, his arm around my shoulders helped support him as he limped.
I closed the toilet lid and helped him sit. Seeing him in the bright lights made every cut and bruise look worse. There was already a nasty bruise forming on his cheek. I could only imagine what the rest of him would look like.
“Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?”
“Move over in front of me a little more.”
“Okay.” I looked at him, confused.
“Good, now our mouths should be blocked from the camera so we can talk openly. Just don’t forget they’re watching. Can you help me out of these?” He reached for the buttons on his suit jacket and cringed.
“Of course. Let me.” I knelt down in front of him and unbuttoned each button before peeling his jacket from his shoulders carefully. I repeated the steps with his dress shirt, exposing his rippling, chiseled chest and abs that were already turning blue and purple.
I gasped, gently running my fingers over the angry bruises. I looked up into his face with tears in my eyes. “You saved me.”
“I swore to you that I’d protect you.”
I stood, wet a washcloth in the sink, and took my place once more kneeling in front of him as I carefully washed the cuts and scrapes. “I guess your cover is blown now.” I frowned as I worked, not looking him in the face, thinking of Lacy’s story and so many other girls who probably had similar ones.
I wanted to get the girls away from those horrible men even more now. Those other girls didn’t have a Drew to rush in to save them. I thought of what almost happened and began to tremble as tears ran down my cheeks.
Drew took the washcloth from me and set it on the counter, carefully wrapping me in his arms and holding me against his chest. “My cover hasn’t been blown. Men in this business get in fights all the time. Mikhail will see the beating as my punishment for going against him.
Tomorrow he’ll act as if nothing ever happened. It’s how he is — the psychotic motherf—.”
“Wait, you mean you plan on staying?” I gasped and pulled away to gape up at him.
“Of course. The mission isn’t over yet, but I will have to find a way to get you out without raising suspicions.”
“You can’t be serious. You can’t stay with these men.”
“Hailey, this is nothing. These men have killed. They are dangerous. I already told you that.”
“Yeah but —.”
“I’ll find a way to get you out of this.”
“Won’t that raise more suspicions since I’m supposed to be indebted to you?”
“Let me worry about that.”
“They could end up killing you.”
“It won’t get that far but this has gone far enough with you. You need to get out.”
“No,” I stated firmly.
Drew's forehead creases and he looks at me as though I'd lost my mind. “What?”
“I’m not leaving.”
“Hailey, Mikhail tried something before. I’m not going to have you anywhere near him.”
“So, don't. We’ll make sure I’m never alone with anyone but you from now on. They wouldn’t blame you for that after everything. But I’m not leaving you here like that. I said I’d help. Besides. I talked to Lacy tonight — her story is horrible a
nd I can’t imagine how many others there are. I want to help them.”
“God, you’re incredible.” Drew looked at me with such admiration. Before I knew it, his hand reached out and cupped the back of my head, pulling me towards him as his lips crashed onto mine.
I leaned into the kiss. My lips parted as his tongue demanded entrance. It wasn’t the kiss I’d remembered from him when we dated. This was more confident — more demanding. This was the kiss of a man who knew what he wanted and took it. Not the kiss from the timid boy he used to be.
He ran his tongue along my lips. He nipped at my lower lip, pulling it into his mouth and letting it slowly slide free before he kissed my lips again. He tangled his fingers into my hair and held me firmly in place. His other arm slipped around me, pulling me against him.
He hissed through his teeth as my body pressed against his bruised torso. I pulled back but he stopped me. He kissed me again, feverishly, desperately. My body heated and desire pooled between my thighs. After what Mikhail had tried, I shouldn’t want any man anywhere near me but all I could think of was wanting Drew's touch, craving his kisses, needing him to wash away all the thoughts of what almost happened to me.
Drew gently ran his hands down my spine and I shivered. God, I wanted him. I’d wanted him since I walked away from him all those years ago. All those years ago when he cheated on you. My mind reminded me.
Maybe he wasn’t the same man he used to be. He certainly kissed differently. Once a cheater, always a cheater. Damn my mind.
I pulled away, breaking the kiss, panting with need but refusing to give in. Not that anything could happen anyways in his condition. He had just been beaten for Christ's sake.
“I should see about getting you some ice for your ribs.”
“Hailey, don’t do this.” Drew knew me too well. He knew my mind had gotten in the way.
“You need ice.” I stood, deciding on a course of action.
“Don’t go. Don’t talk yourself out of this. It feels right to you too or you wouldn’t have kissed me back. You know I’m right.”
“Where can I get ice? I assume you’d prefer me not going around on my own looking for it so it's better to tell me now.”