Necessary Risk

by Sidney Bristol

  It was opulent.

  The floor was thickly carpeted. A U-shaped sofa was at the far end of the cabin with the men sitting around it lounging without a care. Each of them had a flute of bubbling liquid.

  Matilda had perched herself on the wide armchair of Jabir’s seat. The other woman, Anya, stood back and scowled while Jabir focused on London. He had one hand outstretched toward her as she did a slow turn, her gauzy dress wrapping around her legs making her look like some sort of painting come to life. She’d turned on the charm, too, smiling at him in a teasing manner.

  “Beautiful,” Jabir said in a reverent voice. He patted the other arm of his chair. “Come here. Sit.”

  London inclined her head, graciously accepting the invitation before planting her ass on the arm rest. She glanced in Ivy’s direction and for a split second their gazes met.

  Fake it.

  Do what you had to.

  Ivy swallowed.

  Jabir laughed and draped his arms around the women. “Gentlemen, take your pick.”

  A hand, Yousef’s, pushed her forward past the large table that was currently empty and into the fray.

  Her vision hazed as her heart raced.

  Oh, God.

  Not this.

  She’d hoped to get her feet under her before she had to fake it with the friends.

  Fingers hooked in hers.

  She froze, feeling like the proverbial deer in the headlights. She couldn’t make herself look left, at the man who’d grabbed her. It was beyond her.

  A hard tug and a slight bump in turbulence knocked her off-balance in her sky-high heels. She ungracefully plopped down in the lap of a man. A man she did not know.

  What the hell had she been thinking?

  She couldn’t do this.

  There was no way she’d pull this off.

  They’d figure out she wasn’t really here, not the same way the other women were.

  She tensed all over.

  “Relax,” Killam whispered.

  She sucked down a breath.

  He pushed his hand into her hair, lifting it off her shoulder, and his breath warmed her neck.

  She shivered and tried to peal her tongue off the roof of her mouth.

  Killam whispered, “You’ve got to put on a show, act like you’re having fun. Where’s the girl from yesterday, hm?”

  Yes.

  That girl.

  Ivy drew in a deep breath and glanced at Killam. His face was so very near her own.

  Where did a man like him get off having thick, luxurious lashes? She’d had to pay someone to glue lashes on her that she hoped would last a week and he just woke up like this.

  It wasn’t fair that he got to be ruggedly handsome and have those lashes.

  A girl across the cabin giggled loudly.

  Ivy glanced at one of the thin brunettes, then wished she hadn’t. She’d known to expect this. It was what she’d discussed with Zora. But the reality of seeing what was expected of her rather than talking about it was very different.

  Killam didn’t seem bothered, but then again he was a man and had all the power here.

  She was at his mercy. It was something she hadn’t felt in ages. Only she wasn’t drowning in helplessness. She had someone to catch her.

  Someone who had caught her.

  Killam was a lone wolf, but yet again he was there for her. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as she’d thought.

  She swallowed, acutely aware of his stare. He’d looked at her like that yesterday, and then again last night.

  Heat rose from her chest, beginning around her collarbone and inching upward.

  Killam’s smile widened a tiny bit. He drew a finger across her chest. “You’re cute when you blush.”

  “Fuck you,” she muttered and shifted to hide her involuntary shudder.

  His smile widened. “That’s the spirit.”

  She’d gotten her hands on him last night. He was a big, strong man. With her height and build it wasn’t just any man who could make her feel protected, and yet, sheltered in his lap, that was how she felt.

  Safe.

  She narrowed her gaze. “You’re enjoying this.”

  “Maybe a tiny bit. I told you this would demand a lot from you.” He wrapped a bit of her hair around his finger, the thin curtain of hair shielding their faces from the others. He tugged just enough to make her lean in a fraction of an inch.

  That tug pulled at something inside of her. It felt as though her blush were burrowing deep, warming her insides.

  “I’d have preferred it if you hadn’t shown up this morning,” he said for her ears alone.

  Her cheeks burned.

  Was this a game to him? Was that all he could say to her?

  The jet engines were good for masking their voices. Too bad they didn’t help her smother this uncomfortable awareness that had been awakened.

  The hard lines of his face and the rough appearance of the stubble contrasted with those lashes and full lips, creating a contradiction of features that was rather fascinating.

  Was the stubble a fashion choice or was this just how he looked?

  Infuriating man. He would not distract her with his luscious lashes.

  Ivy planted one hand on the back of the chair and shifted, finding a more comfortable position on his lap. She didn’t miss the slight wince of pain as she settled on his thigh. The chairs were large and very comfortable. She effectively curled up on his lap, her shoes falling to the floor forgotten, and her arms around his neck.

  Two could play this game.

  Killam’s eyes widened only a tiny bit. It was the only indication she had that he might be affected by her.

  She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. He wasn’t the only one who could toy with someone. She traced the exposed V of skin at his neck, smiling to herself.

  “Who are these other people?” she asked, deciding to focus on something useful. If she didn’t she might lose herself in this odd, push and pull sensation going on.

  “Hm? Oh. Jabir’s friends,” he said simply. “Stay away from the cousins.”

  “Why?”

  “They’re bad news.”

  “What do they do?”

  “They’re rich. That is what they do.”

  “Okay, but how did they get rich?”

  “They were born.” He flattened his palm over hers, then leaned in even closer. “Be careful.”

  Was that a warning to stay away from the friends? Or to stop toying with him?

  The friends didn’t really fit into the scope of her directions. They were a necessary part of what she had to do, but not the objective. Jabir was.

  “I’m always careful,” she purred back at him.

  Killam narrowed his gaze at her, then downed the contents of his glass. No sooner had he lowered the drinkware than an attendant swooped in to take it from him.

  “You know what I mean.” His whisper was more of a growl.

  She propped her elbow on the back of the chair and smiled sweetly at him while hooking her finger around the topmost button of his shirt. “I’m afraid I don’t.”

  He wrapped his hand around her finger and lowered their clasped hands to his thigh. “You were always a problem kid, weren’t you?”

  She chuckled. “Me? A problem? Rarely.”

  “I don’t believe it.”

  “Believe what you want.” She lifted a shoulder. “I was more the color inside the lines, do what you’re told, kind of girl growing up.” It was one of the reasons why the Army had appealed to her.

  He lifted his brows. “And now?”

  She smiled down at him. “I guess you’ll have to find out.”

  Killam’s hand on her back stroked a lazy line up and down.

  The man was infuriating, but he had let something slip. He wouldn’t care if she toyed with him if she didn’t affect him in some way. Any way at all. And right now she’d like to get back at him just a tiny bit.

  Ivy arched her back a bit.

  His gaze
dropped to her mouth.

  There was a little bit of the devil in her. She always kept a tight lid on it, but every now and then she’d give in. Have too many shots. Say yes to some mad scheme. Buy the stupid shoes. Say yes to the crazy plan.

  That was the only explanation spiraling around in the back of her head as she leaned in and kissed Killam.

  He was a self-important lone wolf who didn’t think she belonged here. Well, she was going to show him how well she could do this job. Not him. Her.

  And that job meant making the most of this situation, using every moment and person to strengthen the role she was here to play.

  Ivy dipped her head before Killam could look away from her mouth and kissed him. This close, he couldn’t hide the reflexive way his body tensed at the contact. The hand at her side tightened and he gripped her hand in his. A thrill of feminine victory shot through her.

  She might not have gotten her legs under her, so to speak, when she’d walked in here, but she did now.

  For all of a moment.

  How long it actually was, she couldn’t quite say, but just as quickly as she’d begun the kiss, Killam took over.

  He let go of her hand and shoved his fingers into her hair. He titled her head, opened his mouth and it wasn’t her kissing him any longer.

  The certain ground she’d been on cracked and she felt herself sliding down a slippery slope with nothing but Killam to hold on to.

  He thrust his tongue into her mouth and she sucked, falling back on what felt right. He made a sound like a growl. Her nipples hardened and she grew lightheaded.

  A small voice whispered that she’d just made a grave mistake.

  4.

  Saturday. Private Plane.

  Killam tasted cherries. She smelled like cherries, too.

  Ivy rocked into him, trapping his dick between their bodies. It was torture of the best kind. He had his hand in her hair now and his other gripping the outside of her knee. Her skin was so damn smooth.

  Someone did an ear-splitting wolf whistle and reality came crashing back all around him.

  The plane.

  Jabby.

  Why they were here.

  Fuck.

  Killam used his anchoring hold on Ivy’s hair to pull her back a bit. Her eyes were shut, lips parted, chest heaving. For a moment they stared at each other, lust wrapped around them, creating a cocoon.

  He still saw Jabby out of the corner of his eye wagging a finger at them, a wide grin spread across his face. “Breaking in my new toy?”

  Killam tamped down on his anger before it could flare. Women really were just another possession for Jabby. It made Killam sick. Ivy was more than a toy. She’d shown him that.

  He had to say something. Glaring at the man, wishing he’d get sucked out the side of the plane, or something worse wasn’t going to make the situation better.

  In the end, he managed to look away from Ivy and muster a smirk. “Can you blame me for wanting a little test drive?”

  Ivy tensed, but only for a moment. She knew the game they were playing.

  He slid his hand up and down her back again in the hopes of soothing her, but didn’t take his eyes off Jabby.

  The man was watching Ivy with new interest.

  Shit.

  It was only a matter of time.

  Jabby had a hard-on for leggy blondes, especially with that sweet southern charm Ivy could lay on. Unconsciously, Killam’s grip on her tightened.

  There was coming a time, in the very near future, when Jabby would want Ivy. It was a fact of the role she was playing. It was likely why Zora had picked Ivy for the job over someone with more experience or even a badge. She looked the part of one of Jabby’s women.

  The idea of that toad touching her made Killam’s skin crawl.

  Most of the time, he could ignore the sick sensation by reminding himself that these women were just doing their job. They knew, in explicit detail, what they were getting into. And if it turned out to be too much, they could always leave. Jabby was not the man who kept women against their will. At least not on the surface. But Killam would be a fool if he didn’t acknowledge that money was another kind of prison.

  Matilda was possibly one of those who had been with the prince the longest. Four, five years?

  Killam knew she was using Jabby’s money to pay off her sister’s ever-increasing medical bills. And she likely wasn’t the only one with a story like that. Though for every altruistic girl there were at least two in it for the money and clothes.

  Ivy shifted in his lap and turned her attention on the room.

  Killam glanced at her, taking in the elegant profile she cut. Her gaze swept over the room. She was more composed now. She’d acclimated. Just like that. But he’d felt her reaction, knew neither of them were untouched by the kiss.

  If she really had been a Combat Engineer she was used to running headlong into danger.

  Ivy turned to him and cupped his face. While her touch was tender, her expression was stern.

  “I need to try to get Jabir’s phone. Do you know where it is?” she whispered.

  “Hm.” He studied the stern set of her mouth. What a kiss. He couldn’t let her know she’d affected him that much. “It’s usually on him.”

  Unless it was charging, in which case Yousef would have it. Ivy would likely have a better chance lifting the device off Jabby. Yousef took his job seriously. In fact, Killam wouldn’t be surprised if it was Yousef running everything right under Jabir’s nose.

  “Let’s turn on a movie,” one of the other men suggested. Killam thought it was perhaps Zak Samaan.

  There was some general agreement.

  Using the big screen meant a dimmed cabin. Sure enough, Zak led one of the girls off to a somewhat sheltered corner. The rest of them would pretend to not notice what was going on.

  Killam released the lever on the side of his armchair, then turned them around to face the screen.

  Ivy’s nails gently stroked his scalp. If they were anywhere else, the sensation might lull him to sleep.

  “We need to make a plan. How are we going to get the phone?” she whispered.

  “Not here. Not now,” he replied, his voice just as low as hers.

  “But—”

  He looked at her, diving into the blues and greens of her color-shifting hazel eyes. They were vibrant this close. Beautiful.

  “There are three cabins. This one. Jabir’s. And where you were. There is one area for the plane staff. Four tiny bathrooms. Where do you think you’d run off with it?”

  She glared at him.

  This was not what she was trained to do. She was in over her head and she didn’t know it yet.

  What the hell was Zora thinking?

  “Wait,” he whispered.

  “But—”

  “Wait.” He put a bit more force into his voice. “There will be an opening.”

  Killam would make one if he had to. Jabby always wanted to take joyrides. Maybe Killam could get the phone then and keep Ivy out of this altogether. At least he had to hope he could manage that.

  Jabby laughed, drowning out the opening credits of whatever movie had been selected.

  Ivy peered sideways, watching as Matilda and London accompany Jabir into his private room.

  Killam didn’t miss the slight grimace. She was trying to not let her feelings show, but this was a different kind of world than what she’d been trained for.

  “You can’t let them see you aren’t enjoying yourself.” He lifted a hand, drawing lines up her arm.

  “I’m fine,” she said far too quickly.

  “If I see it, chances are someone else might, too.” Killam was especially worried about Yousef. At least he’d been preoccupied with Zak so far. Small blessings.

  A struggle played out on Ivy’s face.

  She wanted to tell him he was wrong.

  They both knew he was right.

  She sighed and kicked a foot.

  “I’ll work on that. This all happened so
fast...”

  “Yeah.” Killam snorted.

  Fast.

  That was an understatement.

  “Can you tell me what happened to get him to fire half the harem?” Ivy asked.

  “Half?” Killam’s brows rose.

  “There are fourteen new girls.”

  “Damn,” he muttered. “No idea. Jabir doesn’t pay attention to the in-fighting. If it does get his attention, he cuts people. Maybe not the right people, but he makes fast decisions.”

  “Great,” she mumbled.

  A moan drifted toward them.

  Ivy glanced over his shoulder, and this time her eyes only widened a tiny bit.

  What was he going to do with her?

  Nothing, hopefully.

  “The cousins?” she whispered, her face close to him now.

  “Miran and Zak Samaan. They escaped the conflict in Syria. I take it they used to be some kind of rich playboy types. Now they do their best to live at the expense of their very wealthy friends. They don’t know the meaning of the word no. Stay away from them.”

  “Why would I do that? They sound like such charming people,” she muttered.

  “Watch the movie,” he said.

  “I feel like that would make us stick out,” she mumbled.

  “I don’t...play in public,” he said slowly.

  To date, the kiss he’d shared with Ivy was the hottest thing he’d done with any of Jabby’s women, and Killam could not think about that. Not with her sweet ass still nestled against his dick and her body draped over him.

  He was going to have to forget she was a woman or risk his cover.

  Damn Zora and her mad scheme. Why couldn’t he have said no?

  SATURDAY. PHONE REPAIR Shop. New York City, New York.

  Nasar carefully replaced the screen on the phone while his customer looked on. There was a calming, meditative element to this work that satisfied him. This might be the only time he found peace anymore.

  Used to, he’d return home to find peace. His wife and children gave him the greatest joy.

  But they were gone now, leaving behind a gaping hole that nothing would fill.

  Nasar finished the repairs to the phone, then wiped the screen down.

  It was as good as new, maybe even better now.

  “There you go.” Nasar smiled and pushed the device across the counter.