What the fuck, Aubrey! You were seriously just about to thank him?
He gazed at me in silence, the corners of his eyes crinkling.
“What are you going to do now?” I asked quietly, driving away the self-reproach at what I’d almost done.
“Well, I need to finish putting this together”—he indicated the cell in his hand before slipping it into his pocket—“so my bosses can pass it along to their client. But as far as we’re concerned here…”
He picked up the gun where he’d laid it on the end table while he’d fucked me.
“There’s really not much else left to do.”
Sonja cried out. “Oh, god, no. Please, no!” She curled up tighter into her corner of the couch, pulling as far away from him as she could. “We did what you asked! Please don’t kill her!”
The man stiffened. “What do you mean, kill her?”
Sonja didn’t answer, her gaze fixed on the weapon he held.
He followed where she was looking down to his hand. “Ms. Delgado,” he said wearily, “I’ve little doubt you don’t hold me in the highest regard, but let me assure you, I’m a man of my word. I told you I wouldn’t hurt either of you once we were finished, and I have no intention of going back on that now.”
“I… you…” she replied in confusion.
“Killing Ms. Taryn would be incredibly wasteful, and I’m not a wasteful man,” he said firmly. With a smooth motion he slipped the gun into his waistband, then picked up his sport coat, shrugging it on. “Ms. Taryn?”
“Yes?” I answered softly.
“I’m afraid I ruined your swimsuit.” He gestured to the piece I still held. “My apologies. Can I assume you have other clothes available somewhere?”
“Yes.” I nodded.
“Good. In a moment, I’m going to need you to go change, okay?”
I nodded quickly, not sure why he was concerned about my appearance, considering what we’d just done.
Sonja must have had the same thought, because she blurted out, “Why do you need her to change? You said you were done here…”
He looked back at her. “And I am done here, but as I said, I’m not a wasteful man. My employers have left it up to me on how to handle the final details of our transaction, and leaving Ms. Taryn here would be no less wasteful than eliminating her. Therefore, I have another option I’m going to exercise.”
Bewilderment made me narrow my eyes. “I don’t understand,” I said quietly. “What… what are you going to do?”
He turned back to face me, his warm smile turning up the corners of his mouth. “Well, first I’m going to ask you to go get dressed, as we just discussed.”
“And then?” I whispered.
“And then I’m going to take you, Ms. Taryn,” he answered calmly.
“With me.”
Chapter Seven
Derrick
“Ms. Delgado, as lovely as your breasts are…”
A few minutes before I’d cut the ties binding each girl’s wrists because I was confident neither represented a threat to me after what I’d just done. Now Sonja brought her arms up reflexively to cover her chest as the sudden realization she was still topless smeared her face with a mixture of horror and shame.
“You might want to think of joining Ms. Taryn and changing into some clothing, too.”
She scrambled up off the couch and disappeared deeper into the house where Aubrey had gone a few moments earlier. I followed as far as the entrance to the hallway leading back, then stood leaning against the edge of the opening, waiting patiently.