On Her Master's Secret Service (Masters and Mercenaries #4)(47)

He didn’t like looking at himself through the filter of Sean’s eyes. “I wouldn’t have brought Grace into this. Never.”

Sean’s eyes rolled. “Grace isn’t a trained agent so no, of course, you wouldn’t have brought my wife here. It’s a completely different scenario. I’m going to give you a piece of advice and you can take it or leave it. This is your last shot with her. If you bungle it, I think she’s going to leave permanently, and there is no way you recover from that. You can think that the last few years have been bad, but nothing is going to be worse than not being able to watch over her. She’s here because she loves you whether she can say it or not. So make sure she can say it. She placed herself in your hands, in your complete control.”

Alex huffed at the very idea. He knew exactly how this would go. He had been playing this game for five years with her. “Eve thinks she can play the role at the club and then do what she likes outside of it. It’s the way she’s worked ever since the divorce.”

“This isn’t Sanctum, man.” Sean reached out and gave his arm a brotherly smack. “This is an op. What’s the first thing Ian taught all of us?”

“Live the op so the op can’t die.” Don’t break cover. Live and breathe the cover. It was the only way to survive. Eve’s cover was to be Master A’s sub.

His submissive.

“Are you two going to stand around holding the door open forever or do you want to come see my party pad?” Kristen asked. Eve simply stood by the elevator, a wary look on her face.

He kind of liked that look. She was always so sure of him, so sure she could handle him. It was good to know he had her off-kilter for once. “We’re coming.”

He crowded her, forcing her to the back of the elevator.

“Do you have to stand so close?” Eve asked, her eyes turning up.

It was time to start laying out some ground rules. “You’re my sub. There’s no such thing as personal space for you. Not when it comes to me. You act like this out in the field and you’re going to give us away.”

“We’re not in the field. We’re in the elevator.” She didn’t sound quite so calm now. She spoke in a breathy, slightly shaky voice, the one that let him know she was off her game. She stared at a place just below his chin, as though she couldn’t quite look him in the eyes.

He forced her chin up, bringing those chocolate brown eyes to meet his own. Thank god she hadn’t covered up her eye color. “We’re always in the field, pet. I’m going to call you pet most of the time because I just can’t bring myself to call you Mandy. It doesn’t fit. Pet is so much better. It’s more descriptive of just what role you’re going to play.”

Her jaw firmed and those perfectly waxed eyebrows climbed up in a stubborn expression. “If you’re trying to scare me off, it won’t work.”

“I can’t scare you off, pet. You took that choice away from both of us. If I do that then I have to leave the whole operation behind, and I’m not going to run home with my tail between my legs. Sean seems to think you’re competent. Tomorrow you can prove it. You’re back on training sessions.”

Her eyes flared. “I don’t need training sessions, Alex. I’ve been your sub for a long damn time. I think I can handle myself at the club.”

He let a little smirk cross his mouth as he pressed her further against the wood panels of the elevator cab. “Not that kind of training. Self-defense. Exercise. If you want to be in the field with me, you’ll be trained by me.”

“This place comes equipped with a full workout room. It’s really nice,” Kristen added helpfully as the elevator dinged and opened, the doors revealing some sort of private entry hall.

Eve frowned up at him. “I don’t know that training sessions are necessary.”

“Well, then it’s good you’re not in charge, isn’t it? I’m in charge of this operation and you’re going to follow my command or we can have a very quick breakup and I can find another sub.” He felt marginally better having taken control. Or maybe it was the Asian waterfall that greeted him. The small entry hall was decorated in dark reds, the focal piece a lovely stone water fountain that ran from the ceiling to the floor and gave the whole space a serene feeling.

And let Alex know that Kristen had serious cash.

Maybe Sean had a point. He needed to stop thinking about Eve for two seconds and get his head in the op.

Eve followed after him, those hooker heels she was wearing clicking along the marbled floors. The skirt she was wearing hugged her ass and made his mouth water. He’d had that woman a thousand different ways and he still couldn’t wait to do it again, couldn’t stop counting every second between now and when he could be inside her again.

The minute Kristen opened the door, Eve strode right by him, not bothering to look back. She brushed by Adam, who was waiting for them, and Alex heard her asking Kristen which room was theirs. At least she wasn’t going to fight him on that. Kristen followed her, leaving the men to themselves.

“Dude, she is pissed. Tell me the op isn’t off,” Adam said, turning to watch Eve as she talked to Kristen in what seemed to be the dining room.

“I believe she’s pissed because the op is still on,” Alex replied. “Either that or she’s not looking forward to our daily workouts. So let’s get on with it. What do you have for me, Adam?”