Page 37 of Indiscreet

His chest expanded against me. “Good.” He nodded once then faced us toward the guard, who was eyeing us suspiciously. Dane clasped his hand at the back of my neck. “I ordered this one specially for me earlier. She was procured by Mr. Carmichael.”

I blinked at him. Procured? Was Elliott some type of pimp? I wanted to get away, but a second armed guard joined us at the entrance. The first guard hadn’t blinked when Dane said Elliott had procured me. Dane had a part of my company, and he had known me before I came to The Agency mixer. Had I been acquired? Had Liz? I had been a terrible friend, ignoring her warnings. At the time, I’d been too busy thinking about my own pleasure to stay away. Had she known this would happen? What was going on with her?

“But she said she wasn’t here for the party. She said she was here for business,” the first guard said.

They stared at me, and I could feel Dane’s will compelling me to follow his lead. “I was told to ask to speak only to Dane Westbrook,” I explained.

The guard dismissed me and talked directly to Dane. “That’s not following the rules.”

“The host gets to set the exceptions,” Dane replied in a sharp tone. “She belongs to me.”

I furrowed my brows. I do? I looked at Dane, but he stared straight ahead.

“Now, I’ve decided to send her to my house to await my return,” Dane said before stepping toward the guard. “In the future, if someone asks for me, you get me. I don’t care who you work for. This is still my place.” The glimmer of hope that I could leave was quickly extinguished.

“When she is cleared by Mr. Santiago,” the second guard said. “He’s an Agency elite member, and I have my orders. I apologize for the disrespect that has been shown to your guest, but I will have to get his approval before she leaves.”

“Of course you do,” Dane intoned, but what that meant hadn’t escaped my awareness. Dane had little power at his own house. There was someone else running the show.

My stomach pitched at the implication. If Dane had no control, would he be able to save me? Was there a way I could save myself?

My immense regret for showing up and disturbed thoughts filled the moments as the guard kept us standing there while he made calls. What I knew right away was that a negative mindset wasn’t going to help me get through this. Dane wanted something, something he was willing to risk me to get. He promised me answers—and pleasure. I’d avoid any more intimacy with Dane as much as I could…if I could leave. The possibility was elusive.

An older man in a tuxedo approached us, and Dane quickly placed his mask over my face. “Hold it there.”

“What is this I hear about you bringing along another woman to our special party?” His smile contrasted with his eyes, which were dark cavernous pits staring out of his mask. He studied me with an intensity that had me instantly folding into Dane, who placed his arm around my body.

“I was just about to send her home,” Dane answered.

“Well I think you should bring her along,” he said as he took my wrist, moving my coat aside. “She’s doesn’t have a tag, I see. I can take her off your hands right now—”

“I have her band with me,” Dane replied, moving me closer to his body. “She’s mine. I never said I didn’t want her, I just wasn’t sure about bringing her along.”

The old man came closer to my masked face and his rough hand brushed against my chin. The breath he let out smelled of liquor. “Is she for your pleasure? If not, she can go with the group heading to Antigua.”

“No,” Dane answered. “She’s pleasure.”

“Then why not bring her? Or are you going to stay home too?” the old man said with a dry laugh. Dane stiffening next to me let me know he, like me, didn’t find it funny.

“No,” Dane said. He placed his hand on my shoulder. “I’m already set to go. I’ll bring her along.”

“If things don’t work out, there is the trade show,” the man replied. “Of course, there is a matter of price for bringing her in as a late entry.”

My gaze shot to Dane, who went very still.

“I will pay whatever you request,” he told him.

I scoffed. He has to pay this creep because I showed up?

“I don’t like surprises, but I’m interested,” the old man said. “She comes along.” The guards flanked him, and he walked up a short path over to a few limousines that were idling nearby. “Let’s talk, Dane.”

Dane turned his head and spoke in a loud whisper. “Elliott, please get her out of here, now.”

Discovering Elliott had appeared didn’t put me at ease. “Quiet.” He picked me up like I weighed nothing and put me over his shoulder. “Don’t you say another fucking word, or you’ll make the situation worse.”

Once we were farther away from the group, I wiggled in his grasp. “What are you going to do with me? Just let me leave.”

Elliott didn’t respond, just kept carrying me up the path toward where more limousines were parked. When he placed me down, I noticed a few men and women filing out of the building. A driver came forward and opened one of the doors for us, and with guards all around, I had no choice but to get in with Elliott.

“Can you just get the driver to drop me somewhere?” I asked once the limo cleared the gate.

“You shouldn’t have come, Gia,” he said. “You’re ruining everything.”

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