Page 11 of Indecent Proposal

“I also got you this. I let it download at the internet café while I did the shopping.” Vaughn handed me a flash drive. “There’s a few hundred movies and TV shows on there, so you won’t be bored. There’s a television downstairs in the security room, but there should also be an old laptop down there you can plug the flash drive into if you want to curl up on the couch or bed instead.”

That… that surprised me. It was unexpectedly thoughtful, especially from the man who had been rolling his eyes at me a few hours ago. I took the flash drive. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” Vaughn gestured at the bag of clothes. “Get dressed.”

Now that we were in a safehouse, he didn’t get to just order me around, and I bristled, ready to fight back—but the alternative was staying in his shirt and underwear. I wasn’t sure I could do that, either. I hadn’t even thought about it as inappropriate when I put the clothes on, and in a way it wasn’t, but now that I’d seen the hungry, almost predatory way Vaughn had looked at me…

It didn’t make me uncomfortable. Quite the opposite. I was hyperaware of the fabric against my thighs, of how the shirt didn’t really cover my legs, of how easy it would be to pop the buttons, and how thin the fabric really was. How baggy it was on me—and how much bigger Vaughn was, that he wore these.

A memory shot through my brain, unbidden, of a time I’d asked Richard to toss me onto the bed. He’d been slightly bigger than I was, and I’d fantasized about being manhandled a little. He’d refused, uncomfortable, and I’d felt bad for asking, like there was something wrong with me for making such a request.

Vaughn could pick me up and toss me, if he wanted. Would he, though? Would he want to?

Christ, Claire, you’re technically his client. Stop that.I wasn’t even paying the man—yet—and I was having inappropriate thoughts about him. That was crossing several lines. I couldn’t do it.

I grabbed the bag. “Don’t order me around,” I snapped, more to release my own frustration, and I headed for the bathroom.

The moment I was inside, I felt bad for snapping. It wasn’t really Vaughn’s fault that I was attracted to him. I was just mad at myself because I thought he was hot after how damn annoying and rude he’d been earlier.

The clothes he’d picked were surprisingly nice. Not expensive or anything—I was pretty sure he’d gotten them from a Target or somewhere similar—but they weren’t drab or annoyingly big or small. They were roughly the right size, and I noticed they were both practical and comfortable. There was a pair of sweats, a couple oversized sleep shirts, some ribbed tank tops and regular t-shirts, a pair of shorts for hiking or working out, some tennis shoes and sturdy hiking boots, and a pair of jeans.

Basically, clothes that would be useful for hanging out inside a cabin all day or going for hikes in the woods.

I wondered why he’d given me hiking appropriate clothing when he’d said I couldn’t leave the cabin.In case you need to flee on foot,a voice in the back of my head whispered.

I shivered. This might seem like a safe place, and I knew Vaughn would do anything to keep it that way, but I already knew that things went wrong. Things went sideways. I probably had to be ready to run, and if I wasn’t in the right shoes, if I was cold or got blisters, that would only make it harder to escape.

That won’t happen,I reassured myself. This was a safehouse for a reason.

I quickly dressed in the sweats and one of the tank tops, then exited. “The clothes fit,” I said, throwing his shirt and briefs at him, just to be a brat. “Thanks.”

Vaughn caught the clothes like they were on fire. “Great.” I noticed he’d put away all of the groceries. It was a little thing, but it was considerate of him, and it didn’t fit with his initial smug attitude.

Then he turned to face me. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. A couple of days, I’m thinking. I need to investigate Richard’s life—speak to the police, to his coworkers, anyone who might know what happened or what’s going on. While I’m gone, I need you to keep this place armed at all times. The security system should never be off. Don’t go outside. Keep the windows covered and closed, wear headphones to watch something, and try to keep light after dark to a minimum.”

I almost felt like saluting him, just to be a smart ass, but refrained as he continued.

“If you hear anything or anyone approaching the cabin besides me or the Jeep, turn off all the lights and go down into the security room.” Vaughn pulled back the rug and I saw the outline of an entrance in the floor. “This is the fake entrance that any intruder will most likely go for. This…”

He walked over to the fireplace and pointed at one of the metal hooks that extended from the side. “…was used by people to hang meat like rotisserie across the fire to cook it.”

He turned the metal hook, and the brick section in front of the fireplace sunk down and shifted to the side, revealing a ladder down into darkness.

“This is the real entrance,” Vaughn explained. “You’ll want to go down here. The entrance will close up after you when you press a button in the wall at the bottom of the ladder. Understand?”

I nodded. The rules were pretty straightforward.

“Repeat all that back to me.”

How stupid did he think I was? I repeated all the rules back to him, and I think I managed to keep my annoyance mostly to myself.

Vaughn gave me an unimpressed glare, so I supposed I didn’t really succeed. “Make sure you obey those orders.”

“Fine,” I huffed.

Vaughn did a final sweep of the place, then gave me a curt nod and walked out the front door.

“Goodbye to you, too,” I muttered. “Dick.”

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