The Men with the Golden Cuffs (Masters and Mercenaries #2)(69)

But she damn sure wanted to see that tape.

“Fine. Go change.”

She wasn’t about to let him tell her what to do ever again. She might not have ever been in a real D/s relationship before, but she knew one thing. She didn’t owe the Doms anything now. They had broken the connection and quite brutally. They hadn’t taken care of her, and that had been promised. They hadn’t communicated with her, and that had been promised, too. She’d given them her submission and her body, and it seemed to her they valued neither.

“I don’t think so. I’ll see whatever this evidence is you have against me, and then I’ll change and be out of your life. I take it you have my phone? Did you steal it after I fell asleep? You could have just asked. I would have given it to you.” She would have given him anything. She had given him everything.

She was a moron who never learned, but they might just be the men who could finally teach her the lesson.

For the first time, he seemed a bit unsure, his eyes narrowing and his mouth becoming a flat line. “Jake asked for it after he figured out what was on that tape.”

“Well, of course.” His first loyalty would always be to Jake. She was just a girl they’d screwed around with. Deep down, she really did understand that. She’d just thought that they had let her into their tight circle.

But she would always be on the outside. Something was broken inside them, and she wasn’t the woman who would be able to fix it. It had been foolish to even try.

“I can’t get you to change?” His eyes were on the V of her shirt for a moment and then they slid away.

So, he wasn’t completely unaffected. Not that it mattered. He liked breasts. He’d made that plain the night before. He liked her body, just not enough to treat her with the kindness she’d asked for.

“I thought you were in a hurry to get this over with so you didn’t have to look at me anymore.”

“I changed my mind. I think this can be more civilized if you’re properly dressed.” The words came out of his mouth in a harsh grind.

But she was done taking their shit. A cold place opened inside of her. She should have remembered that all she had were her friends. Bridget and Chris and Lara. They were the ones who would stick by her. She should have been happy with that and remembered that a vibrator couldn’t break her heart.

But she could learn. “Well, it’s obvious to me that none of this is going to be civilized and you change your mind an awful lot, Mr. Miles. So lead on. Let’s get this scene over with.”

She waited for him to move, but he seemed held in place, as though he couldn’t quite figure out what he wanted to do or how to handle her.

She gave up and walked on by herself. She’d always been alone. They had just been a fantasy. The reality was that she was alone, and it was so much easier that way. She marched into the living room with her head held high.





Jake paced. He’d been pacing all night. Lack of sleep and the horrible gaping wound in his gut were taking their toll. When would he learn? If something looked like it was too good to be true, it usually was.

Serena Brooks had gotten under his skin with her sweet smile and soft body and even softer heart.

The heart part had all been a lie. The tapes and her phone proved that beyond a reasonable doubt.

Once again, dumbass Jake had gotten played by a pretty woman. At least this one wouldn’t cost him his career. It just cost him another chunk of his heart and a whole lot of pride.

Serena walked in the room wearing nothing but Adam’s dress shirt. It hung down to her knees, and she’d left the top couple of buttons open so a creamy expanse of skin could be seen along with a tantalizing view of the round curve of her breasts. He f*cking loved her tits. They were real, and they were so damn soft. He couldn’t forget the little sound she made when he’d flicked at her nipples. She loved that.

Or had that been a lie, too? After all, she was very good at crafting fiction.

“I’d like to see the tape, please.” She was so polite, but he could see that she’d been crying. And she held her right wrist up.

Had Adam hurt her? Fuck. He couldn’t have meant to. “What’s wrong with your wrist?”

“It doesn’t matter. I’d like to see the tape.”

Did she think she was going to get to control this? “Serena, I asked you a question. What happened to your wrist?”

Adam followed her into the room, a hollow look on his face. “I held it too tight, and she tried to get away. She fell down, and it sort of twisted. I’ll get some ice.”

He stalked off toward the kitchen.

“I can take care of it later. It’s not that bad. If you need me to sign some sort of form stating I won’t sue you for abuse of my person, I’ll certainly sign it. I just want to get this over with so I can find another set of bodyguards.”

God, she was going to play it out until the end. “I suppose the bodyguards make great window dressing, don’t they?”

She simply stood there, waiting, not taking the bait. Her face cleared of all expression. There was simply a blank stare on her face as though he meant nothing to her. He was just something she had to get through so she could move on with her life. He hated her a little in that moment.

“Maybe you’ll f*ck the new guards, too.”

Nothing. Not a response. Not even a blink. He wanted so much more. He wanted her to hurt the way he was hurting, but for that to happen, she would have to care about him just a little, and he knew for damn sure she didn’t. Still, a little kernel of rage was stoking him on.