Page 36 of Indiscreet

CHAPTER NINE

My fury and anguish combined with the glass of wine I had after Stuart left had me too frazzled to risk driving, so I sent for one of our pre-paid hired cars. The rain over the fresh snow made the journey slow. I was determined to go to Mercer Island and confront Dane, but my calls to his phone had gone straight to voicemail. What I had to say wasn’t suited for a voicemail; I needed to see him face to face, to look in his eyes and find the cruelty I had missed. I needed to understand how I had been blindsided by his seduction, his command of my body, and how good it felt when he came deep inside of me. All that time he knew he was stripping away Perfetto. I had been a mere amusement for him and his friend to toy with. It wasn’t enough to take my company; he had to fuck me too.

The bottom line mattered much more than people; that was what my father had said when I wanted to go into business. Dane was obviously no different, but he would find I wasn’t going to make his takeover easy. I’d sacrificed everything for my company, and I damn well wasn’t going to lose it without a fight.

My arrival at his gate turned out just as fruitless. It was locked, and his mansion was dark. He wasn’t home. I deflated and opened my mouth to request that the driver take me home, but then I saw the path to the side of the gate was lit. When I lowered the window, there was a faint sound of music on the wind.

Another Agency mixer? My stomach muscles twisted at the thought of Dane celebrating in the middle of my ruin. Bringing flowers as if that would make up for taking over my company? No way I’d let that happen. My work and success were mine. I had sacrificed so much to build it. I didn’t even know what or who I’d be without it now.

My jaw tensed. There was no way I was going to let him or anyone dance on my demise.

Ignoring the protests of the driver about leaving me on the side of the road, I exited the car and closed the top button on my pea coat then pulled my black hat down over my ears to deflect the below-freezing wind chill that blew down the path. Two small flights of stairs and I could see the wooden deck ahead. The boathouse was closed for the winter, but the party was in the tempered glass and stone pavilion near the shore. The music I could now make out was classical and grew louder with every step. When my boots hit the flagstone and sand bottom, I could see the entrance, and I hesitated. Anger and adrenaline were still propelling me to move forward, but my mind was now warning me that crashing the party would undoubtedly cause a scene. Then again, causing a scene didn’t matter anymore. I’d lost, and now I was too far gone to leave.

Squaring my shoulders, I moved toward the open archway. What I hadn’t heard were the footsteps behind me. Suddenly, a heavy hand gripped my shoulder, making me stumble backward. I pushed out to rebalance and turn. That was when I eyed the gun holstered on the belt of the bulky man standing over me. The thought crossed my mind as to why a matchmaking party would need armed security, but then his hand clutched my face and lifted it up high enough to pinch my neck. The jagged scar running from his temple to his chin was raised above his pocked skin. “What the fuck are you doing out here? Why aren’t you with the other girls?”

I swallowed down the fear that rose in my throat and clawed at his fingers to twist my head out of his grasp. “Don’t touch me. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m here to see Dane Westbrook.”

He ignored my protests and reclaimed my arm. This time his grip was as tight as a vice, and his cracked lips quirked up on the side. “Let me set you straight, chickee,” he said through gritted teeth. “None of the men here want you for anything more than sex. That’s all you do with them and their friends.”

I took a deep breath to fight back my anger. I didn’t need his speech. I just wanted to go, but he wasn’t letting me.

“Please listen,” I said, trying to reason with him. “I’m not…” I sucked in air. A prostitute, escort, or whatever. “I’m a client of Dane’s and came to speak with him about a business deal.”

It was a lie, but right away I realized that wasn’t my only problem. The coldness in his eyes silenced me, and the hair on the back of my neck rose. My answer was the wrong one. He wasn’t going to let me go.

“How did you get back here?” He dragged me toward the pavilion and stopped at the entrance, pausing to press on his headset. “We’ve got a situation.”

My heart hammered in my chest as the thought crossed my mind that he might harm me, or worse. I squirmed and kicked in his hold. All I could think was that whatever he was up to, it wouldn’t be good for me to go away with him.

“Stop fighting,” he hissed as he grabbed my neck.

“Take your hands off her.” Dane’s baritone voice cut through the night air. He had on a tuxedo and held a golden mask in his right hand.

The man reluctantly complied with his demand, though he stayed within reach so I would be easily accessible should he choose to take me again.

Dane tensed, clearly alarmed by his presence. He took my hand and moved me close to him. I went willingly, if only to be away from the guard.

I could not stop myself from being drawn to look at Dane, no matter how hard I tried. His face was chiseled stone, cut with rage. However, when our eyes met, there was a softness there that I knew was for me. I didn’t know what to make of him or this situation. My mind flooded with disturbed thoughts and waves of apprehension swept through me. I began to shake.

“You must speak to me now,” I stuttered to Dane.

Dane moved us away from the guard and wrapped me in his strong arms. A ripple of awareness danced across my skin at our exchange. There was a sensory retention that clung between us. Our intimate encounter had had an effect, and it wasn’t easily erased. Even after all he’d done, I wanted his comfort right then, and I hated myself for it.

I stiffened, but he held fast to me. Leaning close to my ear, he whispered, “Don’t respond to what I say to you. You can’t leave. You must follow what I tell you to do if you want your company back.”

“You bastard,” I muttered, careful not to speak too loud, thinking there must be a reason he was speaking low enough that only I could hear.

“I am, but I’m also too close to what I’m after to risk losing it,” he continued cryptically. “I’ll do my best for you tonight, but if you don’t follow everything I tell you to do, you will be hurt.”

I trembled, and he hugged me closer. “I’m scared.”

“I know, but I can’t take you out now that they know you’re here,” he said. “This mixer’s theme is pain or pleasure. You must be certain which one you are. I’m booked as pleasure.”

“What do you mean? I’m not having sex with you again,” I whispered harshly.

“You choose pain and you will get pain,” he said. “And when I mean pain, I’m speaking of what you saw on my back.” His words came out calm, but the memory of the brokenness had fear gripping my chest, taking away the anger I felt. The last thing I wanted was to be vulnerable in his arms again, but I didn’t want to be hurt or maimed. I glanced back at the guard with the gun. It appeared I had no choice.

“I choose pleasure, but I’d rather not,” I told him. “I will follow your lead as long as you promise to tell me everything.”

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