Page 9 of Play With Me

The deep, throaty cadence slides along my spine like an ice cube on a hot summer day, making my nipples pucker instantly as I recall all the things the owner of the voice whispered to me the night before. Mick turns to greet the newcomer while I freeze, taken by surprise, unsure of how to react. Mick can’t know about Anders, and how the hell is Anders going to react when he finds out I’m the woman he was brought here for?

“I heard you specialized in cases like this, which is why I wanted you specifically,” Mick is telling him as I slowly turn around.

Anders looks at me, stunned, as he takes in my wide-eyed appearance. As discreetly as I can, I shake my head, attempting to communicate that he can’t let on that we know each other.

“This is my…business partner, Carmela. Mellie, this is Anderson Brooks.” Mick’s hand reaches for my back again, and Anders’ eyes immediately dart to where he touches me before moving to the ring on Mick’s hand and back to my face.

Sticking out my hand, I plaster a tight smile on my lips. “Nice to meet you.”

Anders takes it and shakes it slowly, the heat from his palm searing my skin. “I was under the impression I was brought out for a murder investigation,” he says slowly, confused by my presence.

“It’s a little more complicated than that, Brooks. Why don’t you have a seat, and we can fill you in on the need for all the secrecy,” Paul tells him.

Anders lets go of my hand as we all sit around the table. Mick sits next to me with Anders across from us, as Paul launches into the reason he’s here. “You weren’t just chosen because of your reputation, Brooks. You were chosen primarily for your ability to be discreet. I’m not sure how things run in California, but here, we like to work with our citizens to ensure a smooth operation for the city.”

“I’m not following.” Anders’ hazel orbs bounce from Paul to Mick and me, then back to the Chief again. The sleeves of his black polo are pushed up to his elbows, his tattoos fully on display. I try not to let my eyes linger on the way his muscles ripple through the shirt, my mouth practically salivating at the memory of the way they felt wrapped around my naked body.

His dark brown hair is short on the sides and finger swept on top, looking effortlessly styled, though I know he uses something to set the long strands in place. He’s clean-shaven, but I prefer the neatly trimmed beard he had yesterday. Pressing my legs together, I shift in my seat. Mick looks down atmy lap, mistaking my squirming as a reaction to him, and discreetly sets his hand on top of my thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze before turning his attention back to the Chief.

“Miss Lane here runs an underground adult club. Senator Charles is a silent owner of the business. A few weeks ago, Miss Lane got a death threat.” Captain Krowder tosses a file folder on the table and slides it over to Anders, suddenly ready to talk business. “There’s been two more since the first, along with two murders—not inside the club, but the men that were killed were both members. It may be a coincidence, but we think it’s not.”

Anders doesn’t even look at the folder. Instead, his hazel gaze settles on me. “Adult club?”

I instantly feel judged by the tone of his voice. “Désirer is a place where people can explore their sexual desires safely,withoutjudgment.”

I can see the cogs working in his brain as he mulls over what he just learned, linking it to what we did last night. Disdain drips from his voice as he asks, “So it’s a sex club? You’re telling me you’re a prostitute?”

“Watch it, kid,” Mick snaps in warning.

Anders doesn’t pay him any attention. His lip curls in disgust as he stares at me, and for the first time in a long time, I feel ashamed. Then I feel angry. “We don’t like to use that term. There’s nothing wrong with sex, Detective Brooks. I happen to offer aplace where individuals can have it any way they want with like-minded people.”

You crawled into my cab for a random fuck, and you want to sit there and judge me?

My silent question is displayed on my features, plain as day. He angrily swings his head to look at Paul. “I’m sorry, you’re telling me you condone this shit?”

“Easy, Brooks. Miss Lane pays her taxes and is on time with them, too, which is more than I can say for half the businesses in this city. She makes numerous donations to shelters around the city, and the senator here makes a sizable donation to the department every year. Like I said before, we like to work together.Discreetly,” Paul emphasizes.

“Which, by the way, before you leave this room, you’ll be signing an iron-clad non-disclosure agreement,” Mick cuts in.

“What if I say no?” Anders asks, finally grabbing the folder to thumb through the notes I’ve received and the photos of the men who were found murdered in their homes.

“With a disabled mother at home, and a grandmother who requires round-the-clock care, you won’t,” Mick states matter-of-factly.

There’s a pinch in my heart at the mention of his family, and Anders raises his eyes, the amber flecks in them glowing brightly as he glares at Mick. “Why not hire someone who’s from here? Why me?”

Captain Krowder clears his throat. “Just like we work with Miss Lane, we also work withless desirablecitizens. We want to keep this operation small, and we know we got guys on the inside who will jump at the chance to sell information to people like Vinny Morroni.”

“Who’s Vinny Morroni?” Anders asks, but everyone ignores him and keeps talking like they didn’t hear him.

“Your Lieutenant said you’re good at what you do, Brooks. You get in, you get out, you stay quiet about it,” Paul adds.

“I want this guy caught quickly, Detective Brooks.” Mick looks at me, his gaze softening. “And I want Carmela kept safe. For obvious reasons, I can’t be there all the time. I want to know she’s in good hands.”

“And who exactly is she to you, Senator? Besides yourbusiness partner?” The temperature in the room drops drastically as everyone freezes. Mick’s head swivels slowly to look at Anders while the other men suddenly find their phones more interesting than this shit show.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Anders is trying to gauge Mick’s and my relationship out of pure personal interest in maintaining our sexual one. But his following words put the final nail in the coffin of any sort of intimate situation we could possibly have moving forward.

“I’ll be honest, Miss Lane. I don’t respect women who sell themselves for money.” Anders looks from me to Mick. “And I despise cheaters. My advice? Shut down your little club. Hire a bodyguard. It’s probably some overzealous wife sending the letters who found out her husband is fucking someone on the side at yourestablishment. As for the murders, the evidence isn’t enough to convince me it has anything to do with your club.” He sits back and crosses his arms over his chest as he glares at everyone.

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