“I’m here to discuss a deal with you,” she said. “One that could be mutually beneficial.”
“The only deal I’m willing to make is the one that lets me fuck your brains out right here on this desk, you bitch,” the fat guy snarled. “How dare you invade my personal space like this without an invitation?”
Hunter started to respond, but Alex yanked hard on his leash, choking him and causing him to stumble, off balance as he coughed and hacked, Hunter crashed to his knees near her stiletto booted feet. Mortified, he caught his breath as all eyes in the room landed on him.
Good thing the other guys weren’t here. He’d never hear the end of this shit.
Alex stared down at him with a harsh glare. “So hard to find good slaves these days.”
He wanted to tell her exactly where she could shove her comment, but the mission was too important to risk. Hunter kept quiet through sheer force of will, staring up at her with warning in his eyes. When they got out of here, there was going to be hell to pay.
“Which is what I wanted to talk to you about, sir,” Alex said, continuing. She perched on the se
at of a leather wing chair in front of the desk and tightened her grip on Hunter’s leash, keeping him on his knees. “I crave fresh blood.”
“And I crave my face buried between your thighs,” the guy said.
Just like that, Alex cracked her whip hard across the desk, the tail snapping through the air with precision, flicking the end of the guy’s nose. Seconds later a trickle of red blossomed on his ruddy skin. Wherever the hell she’d learned to do that, even Hunter had to admit it was pretty fucking impressive.
The guards went to pull their weapons and Alex used her whip again, this time to disarm them and leave them gaping at her, astonished. The fat man blustered in his seat, dabbing the end of his nose with a tissue. “What the fuck is wrong with you? What do you want?”
“Slaves.” One of the guards moved to grab his weapon from the floor where it had fallen and Alex stretched her whip tight between her hands with deadly promise. “Try it and you’ll regret it.”
Hunter reconsidered his opinion that she needed his bodyguard skills. Honestly, any woman who could wield a whip like that could take care of herself and any problems that came her way. Despite the situation, he felt his body responding to her confident authority again. Damn. He’d always been a sucker for strong women.
“What the fuck makes you think I know where to get you slaves?” the club manager asked, his words somewhat muffled behind the tissue blotting his nose.
“I’ve been hanging out at Club Xcite a long time. Let’s not play these games, eh?” Alex flashed him a sinister, cold smile. “I’m well aware of the activities you partake in behind closed doors. The girls that are run like chattel through here. Now, I’m in need of new sex slaves for my pleasure and you can procure them for me. Tell me when and where and I’ll pay you handsomely for your time and services.”
“How do I know you ain’t no cop?”
“You’ve seen me in the club. You know me. Have I ever reported anything I’ve seen in here?”
The manager sat back, tossing his bloody tissue in the trash as he appeared to consider her deal. “What’s wrong with your boy toy there? Can’t get it up anymore?”
Hunter tensed under the lies, but kept his gaze steadfast on the floor. Let this stupid fucker think whatever he wanted. In the end, they were all going down.
“He gets it up just fine, but won’t listen worth a damn. I’ve tried repeatedly to beat it out of him but he requires a stronger hand then mine to break him.” She gave Hunter a side glance, her pink mouth turning up into a half smile. “I’ll be sending him to a friend of mine back east to train him properly. Until I get him back, however, I need replacements. That’s where you come in.”
The guy sat silently, staring at Alex so long that Hunter thought perhaps he hadn’t heard her. Hunter ran through his head what he’d do if things went to shit. There was a gun on the floor about three feet to his right. If he dove fast, he might get to it before the guard and could shoot their way out of what was fast becoming a claustrophobic space. If not, then he’d tug Alex onto the floor with him and try to shield her body with his as best he could while they made for the door. Chances were good either way they wouldn’t make it.
Fuck.
Finally, the manager sat forward and clasped his hands atop his desk, his black gaze narrowed. Hunter’s thudding heart felt lodged in his throat, and his breath seized in his lungs, ready for action. “You’re right, mistress. You’ve proven yourself trustworthy.” He rubbed the end of his raw nose. “Present actions excepted.” He took a deep breath and smiled. “I have a new shipment coming in tomorrow night. Find an adequate safe house to keep them in and you can have first pick.”
Hunter exhaled slowly, his mind racing. This was good. Totally unexpected, but good. And Norse Security had safe houses all over the country. Surely they’d have one here in the L.A. area. He’d call the team’s resident tech guru and all-around information god, Camden, and ask him once he and Alex were safely out of here.
“Perfect.” Alex stood and tugged on the leash again, waiting until Hunter stumbled to his feet before heading for the door. “As a member of the club, you’ve got my cell number on file. Call me when the shipment arrives and I’ll give you the location.”
6
Alex managed to hide her trembling until they were safely back in the limo, but then she couldn’t stop her shivering. God, talk about an adrenaline rush. Sure she was used to playing a dominatrix in the club, but she’d never had so much riding on it before, nor had she had a slave at her feet. Speaking of her slave…
She winced as she looked over at Hunter, who was taking off his collar and rubbing the bruised flesh underneath. “Sorry about that. Guess I got carried away a bit with my role. But I was afraid if I told you too much before we went in, you’d never agree to it.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Hunter said absently, pulling out his phone to dial. He’d shifted back into the cool remote guy who couldn’t seem to care less whether she existed or not. Normally, Alex wouldn’t mind. She wasn’t in the habit of chasing men who obviously weren’t interested, but damn if she hadn’t liked having the powerful Hunter crouched at her feet. Maybe more than she cared to admit.
As they left the industrial warehouses behind and headed back toward downtown L.A. Alex pulled off her wig and glasses, doing her best to pick up tidbits of information from Hunter’s one-sided conversation. So far, she’d learned he was talking to someone named Camden and they seemed to work together at the security agency.