Matías froze. That was not how he’d wanted to handle this. He wasn’t sure what he’d do, but Lillian deserved some respect. He straightened and caught a glimpse of Lillian walking away and around a corner, down a hall.
“Do we know when Victor is arriving?” Matías asked Damien.
“He and his crew took a commercial flight out of Panama City. They’ve got a layover in Dallas, and will be here this afternoon. We’ve got time to set up and practice, but you guys probably want a nap first.”
“You have no idea,” Raven replied. Though she’d tried to play it easy for his sake, he had the impression she didn’t like flying in the early hours with almost no sleep under her belt. It wasn’t a good idea, but there’d been no other option.
“Right, let’s go this way. Poppy, babe, coming with us?” Damien held his hand out toward the blonde and she stepped quickly to his side, taking his hand and smiling at him.
Matías knelt and picked up Níłch’i to keep from staring, either at the other couple or Raven. He was in love with a woman he barely knew. She was his Dulcinea. Sure, she had feelings for him, but if he had to guess, he was far more attached to her than she was to him. It was not a good place to be, especially when he knew he could not trust her.
And he had to.
chapter Thirteen
The four of them crammed into a small, cage-like elevator, and rode it up to the third floor. If he weren’t so tired, Matías would have preferred the stairs. The elevator was more like a pretty toy that served little function.
Damien opened the gate on the third floor and led them to a familiar suite Matías had the pleasure of staying in when he’d visited. There was a front room, which could be a living room or play room, depending on how it was used. Nearly everything in House Surrender was outfitted for kinky purposes in some way. From the sofas having hooks and rings to allow for creative bondage, to the hard points hanging from the ceiling, there was no denying the intent of the space was for all manner of BDSM use.
He’d found himself again in these rooms. For a while, he’d played with a steady stream of women, reacquainting himself with who he was within these walls. But none had held his heart. Not like Raven.
Poppy led Raven through the suite. Already, the two women were putting their heads together and talking in low whispers as they entered the bedroom. What mischief would those two get into?
“You don’t look happy,” Damien said.
“I didn’t even think about Lillian still being here,” he said quietly.
“She’s a big girl.”
“I would have liked to handle this differently.” He shrugged.
“Talk to her later. We’ve got a lot of shit to get straight before tonight, and she knows the score. Do you need some coffee? Something to eat before we get started with the run through?” They’d already schemed and planned for this set-up on the phone so there wasn’t much left to do besides practice.
“Wouldn’t be a bad idea.” Matías sank onto the couch and scrubbed a hand over his face.
“So. Raven. You’re a thing?” Damien sat on the coffee table, facing him.
“Yeah. Victor saw her and…” Matías blew out a breath. Every other woman he’d tried to save while undercover had wound up dead, their screams stuck in his skull. “It was the only way I could think of to keep her safe.”
“We could move you into another suite with two beds.”
“Don’t be dumb, man. It doesn’t suit you.” Matías laughed.
He knew how he looked at Raven. It had to be obvious to everyone else.
“Okay, okay, so tell me how you not only got this guy to trust you, but made a fake girlfriend real in—oh—three days?”
Three days? It felt like three years.
“I don’t know. It just fell into my lap.” He shrugged.
“Be straight with me. What exactly is going on with this girl?” Damien knew his history of trying to save women. Matías had shared a few of his failed attempts on late nights when he should have kept his mouth shut.
“She’s my pilot. We had to fake being together, and when Victor uncovered my kinks, I had to tell her.”
“And she wasn’t freaked out?”
“Oh, she was, but that passed quickly.”
“So…what?”
“She’s submissive. And I’m in love with her.”
Damien blinked at him. If the situation weren’t so dire, Matías might laugh at the slack-jawed stare.
“Uh, you sure it isn’t just a hero complex?” Damien asked.
“That is when you want to be the hero and create situations to solve. I think I’ve got enough of those. You’re thinking Dulcinea Effect.”
“What’s the Dulcinea Effect?”
“Ever seen Don Quixote?”
“In high school.”
“Dulcinea was the woman Don Quixote fell in love with. She barely knew him. Barely acknowledged him. And he did everything he could for her.”
“You sure this is the right time to fall for someone?”
“Was it the right time to fall for Poppy?”
“Hell, no.” Damien shook his head.
“There you go. We can’t control who or when. I don’t even like admitting it, but you need to know if I…do anything strange.”
“Strange as in?”
Matías shrugged. “I have no idea.”
Love could make a man do crazy things. Things he wouldn’t otherwise do.
The door to the suite opened and Lillian stepped in, followed by a man pushing a luggage cart. The man kept his head down, and wore a thick, black collar around his neck. To a one, each individual who worked in the house also identified somewhere on the kink spectrum. The majority of them were slaves or submissives, who also did pickup play on their off hours with House guests.
Matías stood, opened his mouth and closed it. He owed Lillian a big, fat apology, but he couldn’t speak around the knot of guilt.
“Why don’t I show you where to put that stuff?” Damien stood and gestured to the man with the cart to follow him into the bedroom, leaving Matías alone with Lillian.
The sound of voices in the next room was difficult to shut out, especially when Raven’s husky laugh cut through the sounds and Níłch’i barked.
Lillian stared at him, eyes large and hands clasped in front of her.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hello.” He licked his lips. “About earlier, I—”
“You don’t have to explain.” Lillian shook her head. Her smile dimmed. “I’m just happy to see you looking better. You are, aren’t you? Better?”
That was Lillian. Caring. Nurturing. She’d put her enemy before herself. She’d seen him at some pretty low points, and stayed with him.
“Yeah. I am.”
“I’m glad.” She tilted her head to the side. “And she—is it…?”
Is it what?
“It’s new but…” He shrugged. How did he describe it? Were there words?
“But she makes you happy.” Lillian held her head up, a little of the sparkle back in her eye.
“Yeah.”
“That’s good. You deserve to be happy.”
It felt as if a door had closed he hadn’t known was open. And he didn’t miss the draft.
Lillian’s gaze went over his shoulder and her smile spread. He turned in time to see the others enter the living room. He turned, gazing out of the window, feeling like the kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. It wasn’t a crime to talk to an old friend, was it? Except Lillian had hardly been a friend and Raven might not understand.
“We’ll have some food brought up. If you need anything, just ring downstairs,” Lillian said as her companion pushed the luggage cart out of the doors.
He could practically hear the unspoken questions, feel the gazes of Poppy and Damien. The four of them had gone out together, like normal people, to meals and a movie. Almost date-like.
He waited until the door closed before glancing at his friends.
Well, answers would have to wait. They had an op to plan.
Victor paced the length of the darkened room. His every fiber strained to hear something, someone—but silence surrounded him.
He’d pulled it off, by some miracle. His bosses were now dead. It was way ahead of schedule, but he’d done it. In a few hours, the house the Jiménez family had rented would be discovered empty, no sign of the family. Once more, they would vanish into the wind, except this time they would never return.
The cell phone on the lone table in the room vibrated.
“Yes?” Victor said as he answered.
“It is done,” a man answered.
“All of them?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Even the little girl?”
“All of them.”
“Good. Pick a few of the people in charge at the factory to replace and let’s make this move final. I’ll be back in two days. I want the headquarters swept clean. I want no trace of the Jiménez family anywhere. Understand? This takeover must be total. Complete.”
“I understand, sir.”
Victor hung up the call and blew out a breath. Soon, the world would be within his grasp.
Raven woke up to an obnoxious beeping and someone pounding on the door. She sat up, glancing around a luxuriously appointed room and tried to remember which country she was in. Scratch that. What continent was she on?
She peered at the stationary on the nightstand.
Chicago.
The kinky house.
She glanced at the clock. Almost six.
“Shit,” she muttered and tossed the covers back. She grabbed a throw blanket and wrapped herself in it while she shuffled to the door to the suite. The crate was empty. Níłch’i was gone, so she could only imagine that Matías had taken him.
She opened the door and the petite blonde woman from earlier stood on the other side. She wore a pretty, dark-blue dress and heels. Simple, classy, and sexy without going over the top.
What was her name again?
Flower something.
Poppy.
“Hi, sorry, did I wake you?” Poppy cringed, but even that expression was pretty.
“My alarm just went off.” Raven ran her fingers through her hair, still slightly damp from her shower earlier.
“Want me to come back later?”
“Nah, come on in.” Raven stood back and let Poppy into the suite. “So, what can I expect tonight?” She’d listened to Matías and Damien talk, but it might as well have been another language. Her eyes had begun to cross, and she’d almost fallen asleep before the other couple left. She’d held it together long enough for a shower before she crawled into bed with Matías and Níłch’i, but that was it.
“Well, the Columbians got here about half an hour ago. The staff is getting them settled, and in a little while they’ll serve dinner. We don’t have to be there. Dom Yamamaoto is putting on a show for them, lots of mostly-nude slave girls and body sushi.” Poppy wrinkled her nose.
“This is a thing we’re doing?”
“Not us, just the pretend buyers, Matías and the Columbians.”
“And they’re going to be served by naked women?” Raven’s knee-jerk reaction was to march downstairs and drag Matías back upstairs.
Poppy paused on their stroll through the living room. “I’m sorry. This isn’t exactly normal for you.”
“No, it isn’t.” He hadn’t even asked her.
“They aren’t completely naked, if that helps.”
“Not really. You’re okay with this?”
Poppy shrugged. “They’re boobs. I don’t have a problem with Damien looking at a pair of other women’s breasts. He just can’t touch.”
“I’ll get over it. I have to.” Raven stalked into the bedroom and glanced around for the suitcases. They were tucked into a wardrobe, along with another large bag she had no memory of packing.
“Can I do anything to help you?”
“I want clothes.” She wrestled the suitcase out of the wardrobe and hefted it onto the bed. “Do I need to show up at all?”
How was she supposed to dress? Was there something else going on tonight she needed to be ready for? She couldn’t remember very well.
“Yes. After dinner they’re bringing in more people for a cocktail hour, after which we’ll all go to the dungeon. The idea is to let the Columbians drink, and then apologize and tell them there’s a no playing or touching after drinking rule.”
“Sneaky.”
“Pretty much. After that, there will be some play.”
Raven remembered a discussion that they were hoping the Columbians would set a date for Matías to see their factory tonight after being impressed with the quality of the buyers.
“What do I need to do? Can you just tell me?” She sat down on the bed, still foggy headed and tired.
“Wear a pretty dress. Smile. Look nice.” Poppy sat down on the other side of the bed and curled her legs under her.
Raven chewed her lip.
“Do you have any other questions?”
“Probably, but I’m not awake enough to have any.” Raven sighed and dragged her fingers through her hair.”
“Damien said you were kind of thrown into all of this.”
“This as in the undercover thing? Or this as in the BDSM thing?” Raven studied the other woman.
“Both?” Poppy chuckled. “Was Matías your first?” Poppy slapped her hand over her mouth. “You do not have to answer that.”
“I’m guessing you mean first kinky experience?” Raven laughed.
“Yes, sorry.” Poppy blushed.
“Yeah, he popped my BDSM cherry.”
“I want to ask you so many questions.” Poppy pressed her hands to the sides of her face.
“Why?”
“Because I can’t even begin to imagine what all of this must be like. You’re on a…I feel silly calling it a mission, but that’s what it is. And then you get roped into all of this. Was there rope involved? Rope is good. You should try rope.” She waggled her finger at Raven.
“Try…rope?”
“Yes. I hadn’t until Damien, but I really like it.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Poppy blinked at her. “You totally got tossed into the deep end.”
“Uh, yeah.”
“And you don’t have any questions?” Poppy drew her legs up under her, practically bouncing on the bed.
“Oh my God, okay, okay. What should I wear tonight?” Raven turned her suitcase on its side, dumping out the small fortune in clothing she’d bought while in Panama City.
“Do you think you’ll play tonight? Or just hang out?” Poppy began sorting through the clothes, dividing them into piles that had no rhyme or reason to Raven.
“Well, I’d like to play. Do we have to do it in the dungeons?”
“No. That’s just where some people like to do it.”
“Will you?”
“Probably.” Poppy shrugged as if it were no big thing.
“Really? It’s not like…weird? To have people watching you, I mean.”
Poppy stopped and seemed to ponder the question for a moment.
“It was in the beginning, but now it’s normal.”
“Do you have sex in front of people?”
“Oh, no. I mean…” Poppy’s cheeks began to grow rosy and pink. “I have orgasmed in public, but we haven’t had sex in front of people. Not that there’s anything wrong with doing that, it’s just not for me. But if you want to—”
“Not my thing.” Raven slashed her hand through the air. She didn’t even have to think about that one.
“Whew. Okay, then. Extracting foot from mouth. How about something hot on the outside, and sexy on the inside?”
“Who was the woman earlier?”
>
“Woman? What other woman?” Poppy’s answer was too nonchalant.
“The woman in the black dress. The one Matías was talking to.”
“Uh…Oh, her!”
“You’re doing a crappy job of covering for him.” Raven crossed her arms.
“Look, if you ever decide to get out into the BDSM community, you’ll learn it’s small.” Poppy dropped her hands into her lap and sighed. “People date, have relationships and hook up. Inevitably you’re going to run into someone your partner has been with. After a point, you get used to it.”
“So she was his—what? Girlfriend? Play partner—that’s what you call it?”
“I think you should talk to Matías about it.” Poppy cringed.
Did she have any right to? What were they to each other? They’d fucked, they’d played and last night…that was more, but did it make them anything to each other? She blew out a breath, running her hands through her hair yet again.
“Relationships are hard,” Raven said.
“They are. I vote red bra with the black over lace, and matching panties. This silk slip. And this burgundy dress. Not a bad wardrobe for picking it up on the road.”
Raven accepted the bundle of clothing. Did she change here, or the bathroom? Well, in a matter of hours, clothing would be a thing of the past. She dropped the blanket, leaving herself clothed in one of Matías’ T-shirts and began dressing.
“How did you get involved in all of this? This as in the mission.” Poppy grinned.
“My grandfather usually flies for Matías, but he wasn’t feeling well, so I came instead. Lucky me, huh?” Raven pulled the T-shirt off and snatched the slip up.
“Wow.” Poppy’s eyes grew round.
“What?” Raven tugged the slip on over her head.
“I do fifty crunches a day and my stomach does not look like that.”
“Yeah, well, my boobs don’t look like yours, either.”
“Want to trade? Because I’d so take your stomach and ass over my boobs.”
“You sure your boyfriend would be okay with that?”
“Oh, hell no, he’d hate it, but he’s not the one who has to find clothes to fit these things.”
Raven tossed her head back and laughed. How was it women could always nitpick themselves to pieces? When she looked at Poppy, she saw a woman with the ideal body type. And yet, Poppy was envious of her. It was kind of weird, but nice. Raven’s nerves settled a bit.
Entrusted: A Drug of Desire Novel Page 19