Page 79 of Auctioned Surrender

I’m quiet, too many things running through my mind at the very same time, but when I see the Prestian emblem on the skyrise ahead, I realize where he’s taking me. “I don’t know why we’re going back to your condo. I need the information Bernatelli has to find my sister. Where is Trent taking him, and why aren’t we going there too?”

“I’m taking you back to the condo so I can punish you for lying to me, and then we’re going to sit down and have a conversation about how we’re going to proceed with the plan that I had to work on alone since you ducked out to do your own thing instead of helping me develop it.”

What he says both excites and overwhelms me. He has to be tired of all my baggage. “Aren’t you tired of all the drama?Scared I’ll run again? I’ve tried to tell you. This thi.ng with my sister is not something I’m going to let go. I need to find her, Dereck. I’m not going to give up looking for her. She means everything to me.”

“Relax, Princess. We’ll find your sister,” Dereck says, pulling into the parking area outside of The Prestian Towers.

Ramon doesn’t recognize the car and saunters over, but the minute he sees Dereck and me, he grins from ear to ear and jolts over to Dereck’s open window. “Hey there! Glad you found her,” he says, gesturing to me with a nod of his head.

I lean in toward Dereck and look up at Ramon through the open window. “The name’s Layla.”

Ramon grins. “Glad the boss found you.”

“Something I’m missing?” I ask, looking from him to Dereck, who’s trying to disguise a smile.

“Ramon does some work for the team and me every once in a while,” he tells me.

“I see. Were you looking for me, Ramon?” I ask, smiling at the exuberant young man.

“Just watching for you to show up here. No major recon yet. I’m still waiting for my first assignment,” Ramon says, still grinning.

“Well, rest easy. The boss has found me,” I assure him.

“We won’t be needing the car any further tonight, but do you want to bring it around about nine a.m.? Layla and I need to be at the martial arts center for a little precompetition sparring at ten,” Dereck tells Ramon.

Dereck doesn’t look at me to see if I’m game or not. He just hands Ramon his keys through the window, gets out, and walks around to my side of the vehicle.

“Come on, princess,” he says, opening my door and taking my hand to assist me.

I glance over to Ramon, who’s heard the exchange. “The name’s Layla to everyone but him,” I say, gesturing to the boss who’s looking down at me with amusement as he guides me to the door, greeting the bellman who holds the door for us as we walk into the skyrise and head to the private elevators.

The doors close, and I give him my most intimidating look. “Everyone seems to think you’re such a nice guy. Do they know you run around kidnapping women and spank them when they don’t do what you want?”

“Princess, that’s hardly a fair assessment. I recall you shivering in my arms and letting me pick you up quite willingly. As far as the spanking goes, you’ll ask me for that before we begin,” he says as the doors open to the penthouse.

I laugh out loud at the audacity while my center wets with need. “I don’t think so, papi. I want to know about Bernatelli,” I tell him.

Dereck gives me a wink. “Make yourself comfortable. We’ll get to him, but first things first,” he says, gesturing me to the barstool before going to the refrigerator. He pulls out a bottle of water and lays it on the counter, opens the cupboard overhead to get two glasses, pours them both three-quarters of the way full, and places one in front of me.

I glance from it to him. “On duty tonight?” I ask because a glass of wine would be a welcomed choice right about now.

“No wine until after we’ve finished,” Dereck says.

“With what?” I ask, but the tingling between my thighs and thrum of my blood tells me precisely what he’s planning, without him saying a word.

“I told you before, the use of the word fine said with an attitude will always land you over the top of my thighs, whether you belong to me or not.”

“I haven’t agreed to submit. I recall a deal-breaker involved. We both know I’m more than interested, but I can’t agree to allof your rules, Dereck. I was honest when I told you that not being able to dance at the club is a deal-breaker for me. I have to find my sister.”

Dereck takes a drink of his water while watching me. “It’s because you haven’t learned to trust me yet. I haven’t earned it yet, Princess, but I will. There was no reason for you to have had to get on that stage tonight if you had trusted me and we’d developed a plan together. I’m not planning to wait to give you what I promised, though, because you were completely aware of the consequences when you said it.”

“What if I say I’m sorry?”

“I told you, mine or not, what would happen,” Dereck says, walking into the bedroom, coming back with a wrapped-up towel, placing it on the end table by the couch before stalking back to my side.

I lower my eyes from his gaze, looking into the clearness of the water.

“I want to see your eyes when we’re talking,” Dereck tells me, soaking in my emotions with those deep grey steely eyes that seem to see right through me and all of my rebuttal. He knows how much I want this and sees right through my denial and performance.

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