Page 365 of Dangerous as Sin

“Miss Preston,” I enunciated her name, knowing it wasn’t her real name. She narrowed her eyes at me and dared me to call her by her other name.

“Let’s start again. This time give me your given name.” She continued trying to look unphased.

“Let’s start with your name,” I played the game she had devised. She looked annoyed and sat in silence waiting for me to answer her. “The name is Karma. You should know how I got it; you were there.” I sneered as I put the pen in my mouth and smiled a Cheshire grin. “I saved you that day, so the least you can do is use the name I earned.”

“You call that saving me? You did this to me,” she nearly screamed as she stood up, knocking her chair over, and lifting her button-down shirt. She showed me an ivy tattoo that covered a scar that went from an area just above her pelvic bone to her hip. I took in her freshly tanned skin on her stomach I once laid my head on and read to her when the rain would fall, and we couldn’t ride.

“Mia, I didn’t do that to you.” I shook my head as I used my tongue to move the pen from one side of my mouth to the other.

“You told me I would be fine. You told me nothing bad would happen,” her lips trembled. “You promised.”

“What about what you promised me?” I challenged as her eyes started to redden. “I broke my promise and you broke yours, but I didn’t hurt you, Mia. I would’ve never hurt you.” I softly spoke and wondered how the hell I went from wanting to toy with her to feeling guilty. This entire interrogation was a reminder that I was never her Superman. I will never be the fucking hero she wants, but I can be the devil she needs.

I walked in the room wanting to tease her but hearing her speak in that clipped tone I realized nothing had changed. All these years and she was still holding onto that night like a cloak.

“What do you want from me?” I questioned her without my usual sarcasm, and it threw her off. She was expecting a fight, but I just wanted to see Mad Dog.

“For starters, I want you to apologize to me and then state your name for the record,” the words tumbled out of her mouth as she sat her chair back up and I shook my head. I stood up and walked around the silver table as she stood completely still. I watched her watch me in the mirror. I let her take in a good long look before I stepped up behind her, letting her feel me against her. Then I leaned over her shoulder, letting her rose scented perfume invade my senses, and pulled her chestnut hair back. She closed her sky colored eyes and fought against her body’s pull to mine as I whispered in her ear.

“Go fuck yourself.”

Her mouth fell open and her eyes narrowed at me. I pulled her pen from my mouth with a smirk and tossed it onto the table. She turned from her position in front of the chair as if her little five-foot body could take on my six plus feet. Then she stepped toward me, but this game of her being the predator didn’t work. I let her follow me for a minute and then I stopped abruptly, and she faltered crashing against my chest. I took her hips and turned us both until she had to walk backwards from me. She quickly learned there was no escape, she was cornered in a small, darkened corner of the room.

“Are you okay, Agent Preston?” Men questioned in repetition as they burst into the room. I didn’t move. There was nowhere for her to go, and she knew it. Her back was up against cinder blocks with me at her front. I extended my arms on either side of her so that the only place she could go was to me. I stared into her blue eyes and dared her to scream for help. I heard her breath hitch as I moved my lips just above hers.

“Tell them you’re fine,” I whisper-demanded as she licked her lips. She stayed silent for a moment letting me watch as her breasts rose and fell with each rushed breath she took. Her skin blushed and told me she was turned on.

“We’re good here,” she explained as something crossed over her face and then she smirked. “Mr. Waters here thinks I’m scared of him,” she scoffed and pushed my arm off the wall. “Why don’t you tell these gentlemen what happened five years ago, maybe then they will fear you, but I won’t.”

“You mean the day I saved your life?”

“You don’t save lives, you destroy them,” she growled, and I have to admit that if I gave a damn that might have hurt, but there was no way I was letting her back under my skin. “You came here on your own free will, but you’re not leaving a free man.”

“You have it all wrong,” I retorted with a smirk as I turned and saw a man with a red tie [EY3] along with two other men with trigger-happy fingers. “What happened that day is not why I’m back here in this room. You don’t want me in prison, and you sure as hell don’t want me telling the whole story.”

“Tell me this story, tell me why you and your boys calling card is all over a man who was found burned to death strapped to a clothesline,” she demanded as she pulled a photo from the stack and showed what was left of Rose’s house, the man we burned, and the ashes that were once a garage.

“I don’t know anything about that.” I lied.

“You’re telling me that if I strip you of your shirt, I won’t find a match or fireball in your tattoo?” She had remembered. It had been her idea to put the hourglass there. A place to put all the bad I did, so that the rest of me would stay good for her. “Should I get a warrant to strip you?”

“That’s not why I’m here.” I smirked and gave her a wink.

“Then tell me why you think you are in here?”

“I think you want to fuck me,” I announced as another suited-up officer, with a silver tie, [EY4] came into the room. This one commanded the others it seemed as he crossed his arms and looked at me like he wanted to take my head off. It was the perfect audience. “You want to strip me of my shirt now, how long till it’s my jeans?”

“I can - can assure you…” She stumbled on her words, so I cut her off.

“I’ll let you sexually harass me, but it’ll cost you,” I winked at her as the suit with the silver tie glared even harder. If he narrowed his eyes any further, he would close them.

“I can get a warrant and let another officer strip you down and take photos of your tattoo if you would rather. Then my partner can take over this interview. I can’t very well harass you if I’m not here, can I?”

These fools in monkey suits nodded as she spoke. They listened to her and her version of whatever bullshit story she was selling, but every story has two sides. They were about to hear a new version, mine.

“You used to let me do the dirtiest things to you. The sweet little moans you made would make any man plead for salvation.”

Her cheeks turned a particular shade of scarlet as the men looked at her in question. I couldn’t help myself, I continued.

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