Lap of Luxury (Love Don't Cost a Thing)

I reach for the sandwich and bite into it hungrily. It’s good, and I eat quickly, swallowing mouthfuls between sips of the coffee.

After I finish, there’s nothing to do but lie there and wonder what the hell Damir has planned for me. I suppose I’m a toy for him to amuse himself with in between raging at his brother and Ciara. At the very mention of their names he seemed to barely control his temper.

That gives me an idea. I stare at the ceiling for a while, thinking.

Sometime later I hear the door being unlocked. I scoot up the bed, and I see I’m right to be wary when the door swings open to reveal Damir.

He glances at my prone form and the empty plate and cup, and closes the door behind him. When he turns back to me, he’s smiling. “You ate all your food. Pridna puncka.”

My left arm, the one that’s still handcuffed, feels numb, and I try and arrange myself so that I’m not pulling on it so much. The pain is distracting, and I need to concentrate. “You’ve said that to me before. What does it mean?”

Damir comes and stands over me. “Didn’t you look it up, or ask Mikhail?”

I shake my head, and a dull flush comes to my cheeks at the thought of asking my boss—my former boss—what the phrase means. I instinctively feel it’s something intimate.

“It means good girl.”

Yeah, I would have died if Mr. Ravnikar had told me that. Come to think of it, he probably would have as well.

Damir takes a key out of the inside of his jacket pocket. “We can dispense with these for now. I’ll keep them handy for later.” I watch him unlock the handcuffs. When he releases my left hand I almost gasp from relief, and massage the red marks on my wrist.

“Please don’t cuff me again.”

“But I enjoy it so much.” The pitch of his voice is low and sultry.

I hold out my wrist to show him the red marks. “I don’t.”

Damir makes a sympathetic noise, and takes my wrist gently in his big hands. Then he leans down and presses his lips gently against my raw flesh. “All right. If you’re good.” He looks up at me, his silver eyes dazzling. “You’ll find I’m a reasonable man, Bethany. If you behave, you’ll have all sorts of privileges. There’s so much I want to give you, but remember, I can take it all away again, just like that.” He snaps his fingers close to my ear, and I jump.

Leisurely, he sits down on the bed beside me, and without the handcuffs I could almost be fooled into thinking we’re just two people having a chat.

“What sort of privileges?” I ask, hating the whiff of hopefulness in my voice.

He glances around the cabin. “Taking you up on deck, for instance.”

I glanc

e at the window, wondering if there are any coastlines or nearby ships. I dearly want to know where we are and whether I can expect help. “Can you take me up now?” I ask, trying to sound casual. “I’d love some fresh air.”

Damir reaches out and strokes my cheek. His touch is warm and gentle, and despite everything I feel a perverse desire to angle my face against his hand, like a cat seeking attention.

“Not today. Soon, if you keep on behaving yourself.”

I want to shove past him and lunge for the door, but I clench my hands on the sheets instead. Patience. Earn his trust and then make a break for it at the right time.

“What about what you said in your office before we left London?”

“That I like girls like you the best?”

“No, that it’s all over, and they’re coming for you. Who’s they? If it’s all over, why are we here?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. That the past is done with, and our new lives are only just beginning.”

Damir leans in closer, as if he’s going to kiss me, but I dodge away.

“What are you going to do to Mikhail if you find him?”

As I expected, the mere mention of his brother’s name is enough to make him pull back. I’ve just poured icy water all over his ardor. Take that, you bastard.