On Her Master's Secret Service (Masters and Mercenaries #4)(58)

Maybe they’d both lost themselves somewhere along the way. He’d had five days of getting to know her again. Five days of holding her. Five days of completely withholding his cock.

That had to change.

“Although you could have told me in the car,” she whispered, her whole face turning stubborn and resentful.

And so cute. She was adorable when she thought he was a dumbass. He leaned over and kissed her. She didn’t flinch anymore. She was beginning to openly accept his affection even when they were in private. “I wasn’t sure he’d made it in. I found out about this investor meeting thing yesterday afternoon. Chazz mentioned he was going out to party. I wanted to see just how reckless he is. I sent Jake in to party with him. I hadn’t heard anything since. Apparently it went pretty well because he hasn’t changed his clothes.”

It proved that Chazz was a bit reckless. Jake had partied with him the night before. This was supposed to be a serious, rather secretive business meeting and Chazz had invited a virtual stranger in. Now, Jake had been playing a high roller, throwing money around, so Chazz might honestly think he was going to get something out of it, but there was no way the man had vetted Jake.

And it was also the perfect time to bug the little f*cker’s car. Jake ran a hand through his hair and blinked twice. To the casual observer, he would simply look like a man who was a little tired, a little unkempt, but to Alex those two gestures meant the world. Jake had completed two of his three objectives. He’d bugged the car and Chazz’s private residence. Jake sniffed and gave him a little shake of his head. It was a no go on the keys to the office.

Damn it.

He was going to have to find another way in. Every day that went by put them in danger.

“He’s going to be obnoxious, isn’t he?” Eve asked, proving she knew how these things went.

And that was another reason he’d asked Jake to play a small role. If he needed to learn something about Chazz, then Alex wanted Chazz to learn something very specific about him. “Oh, yes. He’s going to prove a couple of points about me as well as getting his hands on some financials for us. But I can’t keep him in the game for long.”

Eve cuddled close, keeping her voice low. “Because Serena needs him and we need Adam.”

He ran his hands through her hair, fisting it gently and forcing her to look up at him. He damn straight liked the new hair. Even the color looked good on her, making her skin glow. She’d been a cool blonde for so long that he’d forgotten how the more natural brown shade brought out a flush in her cheeks. He’d made her leave off most of her makeup, allowing only a little mascara and some gloss. She’d been bitterly angry about that. Apparently, she didn’t find the dusting of freckles across her nose and cheekbones as sweet as he did. And someone was walking up behind them. He hardened his voice. “Be a good girl. I need to plant a GPS on one of the f*ckers we’re meeting with. I would really like to know where some of the strongholds are. If I get a chance, I’m going to try to slip it into a pocket.”

The tiny GPS locators were one of Adam’s new playthings. He was a tech guru who very likely could have made millions off some of his little toys, but luckily, Adam was damn loyal. The tiny locator was black and would stick to a piece of clothing or a briefcase. He just had to find the right time to tag one of the bastards.

The blank doll face was back. “Yes, Master. I am always a good girl. Not that it does me any good.”

He felt a grin slide across his face and quickly quashed it though he couldn’t dampen the joy he felt. Withholding sex had been hell on earth, but he had a point to prove. She wanted to start over? He could do that, but it would be his way this time, and part of his way was proving he was boss in the bedroom. He slept with her in his arms every night and then showered with her in the morning, washing every inch of her himself. At first she’d stood stiffly in his arms as though it was something to endure. Slowly but surely, she’d softened, allowing him to touch her and comfort her. Somewhere around day three, she’d started rubbing against him. And this morning she’d been damn sullen about the fact that he wouldn’t take her.

His plan was working perfectly. At least the plan with Eve was working. The operation was another story.

“Gentlemen, these are the two I was telling you about. This is Master A and his slave. What should I call her?” Chazz asked.

Mine. He felt a growl start in the back of his throat because the slimy f*cker was practically looking down Eve’s shirt. “Slave will be fine in a dungeon setting or one in which we’re working in high protocol, like today. In a more casual setting, you can call her Amanda. For the purposes of today, I thought we would be formal.”

Chazz nodded. “Absolutely. Everyone is very curious. I’ve seated you at the head of the table and your slave next to you.”

Alex shook his head. That simply wouldn’t do. “She doesn’t need a chair. She sits in my lap or at my feet. And I’ll feed her from my plate. She takes only what I give her.”

She would look very nonthreatening and she would be able to make a careful study of every man in the room. Still, her nails slightly dug into the flesh of his hand even though her expression never changed. She kept her head lowered submissively, but she got her point across. He would pay for it later. Or he would spank her ass for brattiness. Either way, he was looking forward to it.