Page 71 of High Roller

“Shit, mate. It’s part of the city’s fleet of government vehicles. That particular unit has been assigned to the mayor’s security team.”

God damn it.

“I’m keeping Zara here until we know the place isn’t being watched.”

“Where is Gracie?”

Zara gives me a funny look, and I pull the phone away from my ear. “What is it?”

“She wants to be called Grace. You should respect that.”

I scowl at Zara. “Now isn’t the time.”

To owe Owen, I say, “Grace is on her way into work. She’s closing tonight.”

“Let her come in and then keep her there until we figure out if it’s safe or not.”

Zara stands. “Can I call Luke and let him know I’m not coming home right away?”

I give her the thumbs up. “Send Grace back here if you see her.”

Zara agrees, and I return to the call with Owen.

A few minutes later, Grace steps into my office.

“What’s going on? Zara says you want to see me.”

“Sit down, Grace.”

She lowers herself into the chair Zara just vacated and looks at me expectantly.

“How are you?” I ask, shoving my phone aside.

“Victor, now isn’t the time to dissect what is happening between us. Tell me what’s going on. Zara says I can’t leave and neither can she.”

“Just for a little while. Hopefully, by the end of your shift you’ll be free to go.”

I explain about the mysterious car, and about Zara having a conversation with Lili.

“How did that go?”

“Not as well as I’d hoped, but Zara got some names that might help us.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about your plan?”

I sigh. “Because I was trying not to involve you just as you’ve requested. I’m sorry you keep getting dragged into this, butterfly.”

She crosses her arms and stares at me, unfazed by my use of her nickname. “It’s fine. I’m in it now. So, you might as well tell me everything.”

Her exasperated tone is not one I’m used to, and I lean forward, hoping to show her how serious I am.

“Let’s agree that I’ve fucked that up, and I’ll be honest from this point on.”

“That’s all I can ask.” Her shoulders relax, and she drops her arms to lace her fingers in her lap. It’s a start.

“Now tell me how you are after yesterday. I shouldn’t have spanked you like that. It fell outside the bounds of our negotiated agreement. And then I made it worse by abandoning you.”

Grace shifts uncomfortably in her seat. “I’m not sure. It’s not like you’ve never spanked me before. And we’ve done other kinky things. We fooled around in high school. But we’ve always just been friends, and you’ve been pretty clear we can’t have a serious relationship because of family expectations.”

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