Mastered (The Enforcers 1)

She reined in her crazy, hysterical thoughts before she got too carried away and forced herself back to the matter at hand.

“I am sorry that you were frightened,” he said gently. “That was never mine or Drake’s intention. Drake . . .” He paused a moment as if to say exactly the words that wouldn’t further petrify her. “Drake is a law unto himself and he is well used to compliance. He built an entire empire and amassed his fortune by hard work and never backing down. No one gave him anything. He was on his own at a very young age and learned the hard way that life is what you make it, and if you stand around waiting for a handout or for someone to give you anything, then you’ll never get anywhere.”

He paused, grimacing, as if what he was telling her was top secret, classified military information and that if Drake knew all he was telling her, Drake would probably have his balls.

“He is a very private man,” he continued, confirming Evangeline’s suspicion that Maddox divulging anything remotely personal was a cardinal sin. “He didn’t get to where he is by being soft or tolerating insubordination.”

Evangeline’s eyes narrowed and she held up a hand to stop Maddox, something he was likely unused to judging by his narrowed eyes, but at the moment, she didn’t care.

“That’s all well and fine when it comes to his business and his employees,” she said acidly. “How he conducts his business is of no concern of mine, and if his employees are willing to tolerate working for a dictator, that is their business. But I am not his employee. I do not work for him. I am nothing to him, and as such, I find his actions—his arrogant assumption that I have to fall in line and obey him or acquiesce to his demands—quite frankly absurd. It’s the height of arrogance. He can play God in his little corner of the universe all he wants, but I am not part of that universe and he is completely crossing the line with his actions.”

Maddox sighed and looked like he wanted nothing more than to stop the car and toss her out. No doubt any number of women Drake had sent him to “summon” had flattened Maddox to get to Drake as fast as they could. But she’d also learned, in their very brief acquaintance, that Drake’s employees were obviously very well trained and loyal to a fault, so no matter how much of a pain in the ass Evangeline was for Maddox, he wasn’t going to show up and face his boss empty-handed. Which meant she had to resign herself to her fate and hope to hell Maddox was telling the truth when he said no one would harm her.

Evangeline made a turtle look like a speed demon as she navigated the hallway to the now-closed club where her apparent meeting with Drake was to take place. Maddox simmered with impatience, but he reined it in and walked with her, one hand at the small of her back, the other stretched across his midsection to grasp her trembling arm. He likely thought if he didn’t have a firm grasp on her, she’d face-plant, and, well, he wasn’t wrong.

When they’d pulled into a reserved parking space at the rear of the club she’d sat rigid in her seat like a statue, her jaw clenched tight to prevent her teeth from clattering. The club? Really? At this hour? Had he been waiting for her here all night only growing more annoyed when she didn’t make an appearance? Or did he simply work late and tend to business matters while his employees announced last call and cleared the place so cleanup could commence?

Maddox had walked around to her side and opened the door and then stood there several long minutes before sighing and looking very much like he wanted to throttle her. Finally, he’d taken matters into his own hands and simply reached in, slid one arm beneath her thighs and the other around her back and plucked her from the seat and up against his chest as effortlessly as if she were an infant.

That had put a stop to her stillness and refusal to move. She smacked and shoved at his chest, demanding he put her down. She’d be damned if he had to carry her into the club like an unwilling captive. Even if that was precisely what she was.

Only when they’d gotten just inside the doorway had Maddox relinquished his hold on her and carefully set her back on her feet, both hands grasping her shoulders until she was steady enough to walk.

More than once during the interminable walk to the elevator she heard him mutter something about “damn shoes” and “you’re going to break your damn neck.”