The Scotch Queen (Scotch 2)

He stared me down for a few more seconds before he pulled his phone out of his pocket and pulled up the number on his screen. He walked to the desk and set it on the surface. “Ten minutes. Dimitri will check on you.”

All the guilt disappeared instantly when I heard those words. I had a chaperone to make sure I did what I was told, that I got off the phone with my brother within the ten-minute time frame. The second I asked for a little freedom, he shot it down with an insult.

I forced myself not to speak my mind and stir the pot. He was giving me what I wanted, so there was no point in sabotaging myself. My chance would come. I would get what I deserved all in due time. “Thank you.” I had to force myself to spit out the words even though they felt like acid up my throat.

Crewe snaked his hand up my arm until he reached my shoulder. He looked down at me with his handsome face before he pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth. “I’ll be back in an hour. I want you naked on my desk when I come back.”

Within the snap of a finger, I was back to being infatuated all over again. Excitement ran through my body in waves, and a tingling sensation formed in my fingertips. I wanted to be naked on that desk right this instant. “Yes, sir.”

His eyes narrowed in satisfaction before he walked away. He moved to the door on the other side of the room, ruling me and the entire castle in his silence. With broad shoulders and a powerful physique, he could command anyone that crossed his path. His power was innate and true, stemming from the invisible crown on his head.

When he was finally gone, I grabbed the phone and hit the call button.

It only rang once before Joseph answered. “Yes?” He spoke with his guard up, unsure if it was me or Crewe.

“It’s me.” I sat in the leather armchair and wondered what it was like for Crewe to sit there every single day. His hard body had pressed against the leather cushions for years, but there still wasn’t an outline from his weight. His desk was perfectly organized, and the wood lacked even a speck of dust. It looked too clean ever to have been used.

He didn’t sound happy to speak to me. “If you’d just left with me, I wouldn’t have had to wait for your call every single day.”

“And if I had left with you, you’d be dead right now.”

“I’m not so sure,” he said coldly. “How are you?”

“Things have been good.” I could never go into the details about anything unless I wanted his head to explode.

“Made any progress?”

I eyed the door again even though I was certain I was alone. I brought my voice to a whisper just in case. “One of his men told me the transmitter in your skull is fake.”

“Fake?”

“As in, it’s not wired to anything.”

Joseph paused as he let my words sink in. “What makes you think this guy is being honest?”

“Because he hates me and wants me to leave.”

“Hmm…”

“I think he’s telling the truth. I don’t think Crewe would do something like that.”

“Why does this guy hate you?”

“Because I got him demoted since we didn’t get along. Now he works outside all night, and I’ve put a wedge between him and Crewe.”

“Good job, sis. Then maybe he is being honest.”

“I think so. I don’t see what incentive he has to lie.”

“Yeah, I don’t either. That’s good news. I can just ambush him and take you.”

“Ambush him?” I asked incredulously.

“Take all of my men and burn that castle to the ground,” he said coldly. “They’ll never know we’re coming.”

Joseph had a violent way of solving problems. Crewe would deserve what was coming to him, but I didn’t want that for him. He was a good person despite the evil things he did. All I wanted was to leave peacefully, not get anyone hurt. “We don’t need to do that.”

“You’ve got a better idea?”

“Actually, yes. He told me he loved me yesterday.”

Joseph paused again. “You’re being serious?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow. Crewe is a bigger dumbass than I thought.”

I felt offended when I shouldn’t. “He’s not a dumbass. I made it happen.”

“He’s still an idiot. What are you going to do now?”

There was only one solution, but I didn’t know how well Crewe would take it. “I’m gonna talk to him and ask him to let me go.”

I could hear Joseph roll his eyes through the phone. “That’s not gonna work.”

“I think it might.”

“No, it won’t. You’re just gonna spill your secret, and he’s gonna keep a tighter leash on you. Shit, he might even kill you. He’s got a lot of pride.”