Page 3 of Master Vidar & Vali

Lost in thought, I must have been staring at my computer for too long because I didn’t hear anyone approaching before a hand gripped my shoulder. I was wound so tight that I let out a yelp before I spun around and snarled, “Don’t touch me.”

I was ready to lay into whoever thought they could get handsy with me but my vicious words were cut short at the sight of a very concerned Colin.

“I didn’t mean to startle you, Zara, but I called your name several times.” He held up his hands as if to show he wasn’t going to hurt me.

“I’m sorry. I’ve got a lot on my mind.” Understatement of the year.

His concerned expression relaxed something inside me. It was silly. I had no reason to trust a man I’d just met. Probably just the effect of being able to speak comfortably with a person who spoke English after weeks of being surrounded by people I could barely communicate with.

“You seemed upset earlier. Is there anything I can help you with?”

The temptation to dump all my problems on him was strong. It was cliche but the idea of letting the strong, handsome manrescue me from my own stupidity was appealing. With my luck, he’d turn out to be one of Mihal’s friends and I’d end up worse off than I already was. Still… he was a magnetic force that pulled at me. A pull that was hard to resist.

“No, thank you, Mr. Kinnaird, I’m fine.”

“Call me Colin. Why don’t you let me take you out to dinner?”

I would have thought he was hitting on me if it wasn’t for the worry etched into his eyes. Honestly, if he’d been asking me for a date, I would’ve been tempted to take him up on the offer. I couldn’t think of a more enjoyable way to spend an evening. The man was the very definition of sexy.

I could certainly use an evening of mindless fun to blow off steam. Playing the role of the untouchable virgin was useful in keeping handsy businessmen away, but it was taking its toll on me. A night of passionate sex with a skilled attractive partner would help me relax, but if Mihal found out I wasn’t untouchable like I’d been pretending to be… well, I didn’t want to finish that thought.

“Thank you for the offer, but I already have plans.” Ones I planned on canceling. I wasn’t going to keep playing arm candy for my boss with everything I now knew. If he wouldn’t give me back my passport, I would find a way to get it back myself. Colin studied me as if he could see the thoughts racing through my mind.

“If you’re sure.” He pulled his wallet out of his suit pocket and grabbed a business card and offered it to me. “I’m flying home tomorrow, but don’t hesitate to call if you ever need anything.”

I offered him one of my own cards from the holder on my desk as I took his to be polite. “Thank you.”

“Mr. Aziz wants to see you in his office.”

The voice of Mihal’s bodyguard surprised me. He didn’t usually come into the office and a sense of dread pulled atmy belly, my cortisol spiking with anxiety. I kept my shoulders squared and gritted my teeth.

“Of course. It was nice meeting you, Colin, have a good flight home.” He looked like he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

“It was good to meet you.” The scowl on his face as he walked away was confusing.

I studied the card he’d given me and was surprised that it didn’t have his company or name on it. What looked like a rune of some sort and an address in Philadelphia was all it contained. The U.S. address surprised me because of his accent. I shrugged and slipped it into my pocket. Maybe I would look him up once I was back in the States.

I looked at the guard whose name I didn’t know and gave him my best clueless smile. “I’ll head over to his office now.”

Dreams of potentially hooking up with a hot guy when I got myself out of this hellhole would have to wait. I had much more important things to think about. I clung to the thought that all it would take for Mihal to let me go was some reasoning.

Fingers crossed. Maybe Mihal wasn’t the monster I had started to suspect he was.

Chapter Two

Lincoln

“Skal!”

The cheer penetrated the air as the private elevator doors opened into Erik’s luxury penthouse.

“Looks like they started without us.” Jared and I shared a grin as we stepped out.

I was a lucky man to have friends like these. We’d all met in college and after over ten years and a lot of shit later, we were still close. It wasn’t just that we owned several BDSM clubs together, we were family.

“Is it really a party before we show up?” Jared smirked.

Everyone but Gabriel had arrived and was seated at the dining room table, except Colin, who was standing at the railing of the massive deck. Ever since his return from his last job, he had been distracted and standoffish. When he was like that, it was a good idea to give him space.

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