Page 99 of Master of My Heart

Within the hour, Aiden strode into Martin’s office. Chase and Ethan leaned along the side wall and watched impassively as the actor settled into the chair across from the ballet director. Aiden looked both men up and down without interest, then turned back to Martin. “What’s going on?”

Martin leaned back in his chair casually and tented his fingers. “I understand that you and Sabrina are seeing each other.”

Aiden’s eyebrows twitched before his face smoothed into an expression of bored curiosity. “Did she tell you that?”

“No.” Martin kept his face polite, but let the silence stretch on until Aiden spoke again.

The actor rolled his eyes. “The first night we met, she approached me and I agreed to have dinner with her.” He shrugged. “One thing led to another... I told her I wasn’t interested in a relationship and she seemed okay with it. We’ve gone out a few times, but that’s it. If she thinks this is some sort of long-term thing, I’m not sure where she got that idea. I’ve been honest from the start.”

Chase felt his blood pressure increase at his words, but kept his demeanor and expression blank. Men like this usually walked into their own traps. It was just a matter of guiding them toward the hole.

“So, she approached you?” Martin asked.

Aiden nodded.

“You didn’t offer her a ride home after rehearsal?”

Aiden looked thoughtful. “Maybe I did. I don’t really remember.”

Martin frowned. “Do you know why she’s been so tired this week?”

Aiden laughed. “How would I know that?”

“She wasn’t with you?”

He shrugged. “Maybe a night or two.”

Ethan tensed slightly. Chase could tell his friend detested the guy as much as he did. It really was too bad he was an actor. It would be a delight to rid him of the arrogance displayed all over his face. But he couldn’t risk the exposure.

“Who are these guys?” Aiden asked in a quiet voice, nodding toward where Chase and Ethan stood.

Martin tilted his head. “They came to me with an interesting story about you and Sabrina. I just wanted to find out the truth.”

“What did you hear?” Aiden asked, lifting his chin in utter arrogance.

Chase looked at Martin for approval before speaking. “That you had entered into some sort of ‘arrangement’ of sexual slavery with her. In return, you’d stay away from the other dancers.”

Aiden’s face paled slightly before he found his composure. “Hey, I can’t help it if she likes the kinky stuff.”

Chase straightened to his full height and glowered at the other man. “So you’re saying this was all her idea?”

Aiden’s face paled a bit more. His fear made Chase smile internally. “Well, no... I mean, she offered—”

“Did you intimidate her into it?”

“Why? What did she tell you?”

Martin reached for his cell phone and looked apologetic. “I’m sorry. I have to take this.” He stood an exited the room. Aiden turned his head and watched him leave, his mouth hanging open. When the door closed, he turned back to Chase and Ethan, blinking and swallowing.

Chase smiled, but not kindly. “It doesn’t matter what she told me. It only matters what you tell me.” He clenched his fists and stepped forward. Ethan straightened from his casual stance against the wall, changing instantly from laid-back Ethan to I’ll-kill-you Ethan. It was quite dramatic.

Chase circled around him and sat on the edge of the chair next to him. “Tell you what. If you tell me the truth, I’ll consider going easy on you.”

Aiden’s face was as pale as milk, showing light-brown freckles that normally remained hidden. Then he began talking. It was mostly what Chase had learned from Sabrina, though Aiden watered it down somewhat, probably out of self-preservation.

“I didn’t want to,” Aiden choked at the end. “I had to.”

Chase stared at the man. “What?” he asked sharply.

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