Page 37 of Vicious Seduction

Her eyes locked with mine again. I thought I might actually get an answer, but she slowly shook her head instead. “You got your answer, plus one. It’s my turn.”

I motioned for her to ask away.

She thought for all of five seconds, then asked, “Why did you join the Olympus Club?”

I had given her cart blanche to ask anything she wanted of me, and that was what she chose? Why the hell did she care about my reasons for joining? She could have asked why I’d forced the fake engagement or how I’d figured out her real address or whether I planned to hold up my end of our arrangement. She could have askedanything. Why the club?

I was already planning on being honest, but it felt even more imperative, considering the importance she must have put on the answer. “To get close to Lawrence Wellington.”

She stared unmoving except for a single blink as though my reply left her speechless. I didn’t think it was all that outrageous, but she’d apparently been expecting something else.

“Why do you want to get close to Lawrence?”

I smiled wryly. “The Q&A is over.”

Lina frowned, and it was disturbingly adorable. I wantedto bite that pouting bottom lip, then soothe the burn with my tongue. “I gave you one extra.”

“Lucky me,” I mused.

“Hey, Oran,” a voice called over, interrupting our moment. One of the younger cousins in training approached with a broad grin. “Got your captain for you. Name’s Willis.”

Fucking Christ. He was bringing up my plans for Wellington’s shipping empire demise right here in front of Lina. He was so goddamn eager to impress me that he hadn’t paid one bit of attention to his surroundings. It wasn’t the end of the world in this situation, but it was a mistake he couldn’t afford to repeat.

I shot to my feet and had my hand around his throat so fast he didn’t have a chance to flinch. The kid might have been loose-lipped, but at least he knew better than to fight me. Both his hands clasped my wrist while his eyes bulged with a need for air.

“Don’t you ever talk about family business again without being absolutely sure of your surroundings. Do youfuckingunderstand me?”

I didn’t give a fuck that the entire room watched. This dumbass had to learn a lesson.

His eyes cut to Lina, then bulged even more. He nodded as best he could, gasping and patting my arm like we were playing a game and he was tapping out. Wrong. In our world, following the rules was a matter of life and death. There was no mercy rule.

I kept my grip tight until he went limp from passing out, then eased his body to the floor.

When I turned my attention back to Lina, she stared at me as if seeing me for the first time.

Good.

I hoped it gave her something to think about when she was tempted to go back to Wellington.

“Time for us to go.” I held out my hand and thanked Christ when she placed hers in mine without hesitation. Fear could have motivated her, but I didn’t care. I was just relieved to have her comply without question for once. More than relieved. Her submission was a shot of adrenaline straight into my bloodstream—a high I could easily begin to crave.

Feisty Lina was enticing. Captivating.

The more pliant, yielding side of her could bring a man to his knees.

I hoped I never saw it again.

CHAPTER 18

LINA

Was Oran telling the truth?Had he really joined Olympus just to get close to Lawrence?

As we drove back to my place, I watched the buildings pass by, but nothing I saw registered. I was too confounded by the fact that all my instincts told me Oran had been honest. I hadn’t necessarily expected him to tell me outright that he was looking to join the Society, but I thought he might hint at something more nefarious.

Maybe the answer he’d given was only part of the truth. Getting close to Lawrence could be his method for gaining membership to the Society. Maybe he saw themas one and the same.

But if that were the case, stealing me away from Lawrence would hardly help his cause.

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