Page 15 of Lord of Debauchery

Sighing, I grabbed a wooden spoon, stirring the sauce. When the oven beeped for the temperature, I placed the bread inside before pulling out some plates. “I was a stockbroker in New York. I did very well for myself.”

“No wonder you’ve a very savvy young woman.”

“Oh, I’m experienced alright. I couldn’t take it any longer. The rat race. The anger. The pushy, entitled people. Everything was terribly expensive, and I paid a fortune for a tiny apartment that could fill one third of the downstairs here. That’s not life. But you have money. I can easily tell that. I’m certain you have a huge house in the Hamptons with maybe a condo in Paris.”

He laughed again. “You think you have me pegged.”

“I know your type.”

“Go on.”

“Rich boy with rich boy toys and a family who sent him to boarding school, maybe Harvard.”

“Wow. I didn’t realize I was that transparent. I guess I’ll need to make a few changes.”

“Well, I’ll give the resident bad boy in you a suggestion. Our enemies use our behavior against us. They turn what you believed to be strengths into weaknesses that they in turn twist into ugliness. Often you don’t see the knife coming since it’s behind your back. Mix up your methods of doing business and you’ll confuse whoever is trying to hurt you. And I assure you when you do, you’ll discover their greatest weaknesses you can in turn use against them.”

“Spoken like a very wise woman.”

I grabbed the pasta from the bag, tearing it open and adding the angel hair to the water. “Said by a woman who knows what she’s talking about.”

“You are a very intriguing girl, Ms. Markham. I’m glad I stumbled onto your bed and breakfast for respite.”

“Forgive me for saying so, but sadly, I don’t share the same sentiment.”

He laughed and gave me a slight nod. “Duly noted. But that doesn’t mean I won’t thoroughly enjoy our evening together.”

Together. If he thought he could touch me, the bastard had another think coming.

“I’m not sleeping with you. You’re nuts,” I told Beckham as he escorted me to one of the rooms upstairs.

“Not in the biblical sense, my beautiful chef. However, I need to get some sleep and I can’t risk you attempting to run away from me. That wouldn’t bode well for having a nice time together tonight.”

He nodded toward the bed, waiting with a fucking rope in his hand. “What is that for?”

“Well, given I also need to take a shower, it would be prudent of me to tie you to the bed while I do that. Of course, unless you’d enjoy taking a shower with me.”

“Over my dead body.”

“Then lie down and I’ll try to be quick.”

“No, you won’t.”

While I’d like to say the evening had been arduous, it hadn’t been. Although all four men had remained on edge, someone checking the perimeter several times, they’d been full of laughter, which had shocked the hell out of me. “I can’t go anywhere, Beckham. You have two goons outside.”

“No, I have one. They’ll go in shifts so they can also get some rest. I’m sorry to say I don’t trust you.”

I’d been surprised my purse hadn’t been checked. Now at least I knew what I was up against. “And I don’t trust you.”

His smile was as constant as ever. “Don’t fight me. You know better.”

I did know better. I moved toward the bed, forced to brush by him. I shuddered from the hit of electricity sweeping into every cell and muscle. I’d become more excited over the last three hours, which was something else that didn’t make any sense. After fighting the desire, I yanked down the covers. “You’re leaving first thing in the morning? Just like you said?”

“As soon as we can catch a ride. And while I’m aware of your sweet ride in the storage shed-like garage, I won’t place your life in danger by asking you to take us anywhere. I do honor my promises.”

“How kind of you. Your promise of getting the hell out of my life?” I eased onto the bed, placing my legs on it stiffly.

He gently took my arm into his, immediately placing the twisted rope around my wrist. “The one to keep you safe.” I watched him as he expertly tied the rope. What he didn’t know was that I had training in rope skills. Weaponry as well, but that was my little secret for now. Back in the little house where I lived, I had my old weapons from my former life. As well as a brand new one more suited to killing any possible intruders. I’d thought the location safe, or I would have brought at least one to the B & B. Lesson learned.

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