Close Cover (Masters and Mercenaries #16)(11)

“I’m an excellent student, Mr. Guidry. I like to do well, and sometimes that means compromising on what I want to get that A. It’s something about me.”

“It’s Remy, Lisa.” His words were low and deep, honey dripping from that sensual as sin mouth of his. “We’re not in the club. You don’t have to show me respect.”

“But isn’t it nice to simply respect everyone?” she replied. “Even people we don’t particularly have much in common with. It makes life much more pleasant.”

“Respect is something that should be earned,” Remy said, but kind of waved the point away. “And you went to the club far more than a few times. You were a regular for over a year. You played every Thursday night. Was that because your brother didn’t want you playing at the same time as him and his wife? Because Thursday isn’t as fun as Saturday. I like to call it suspension Saturday. Now, I will suspend a sub on another night, but doesn’t Saturday feel like the right time to get trussed up and suspended in a pretty cage of rope?”

Yep. It sounded awesome. But again, he wasn’t interested. “I was never into suspension.”

“That’s funny, because I remember distinctly that you used to be in the crowd whenever Kai suspended Kori,” Remy remarked.

She felt herself flush and hoped he didn’t notice. It hadn’t only been Kai and Kori’s scenes she’d watched, but luckily he didn’t seem to have noticed her watching all of his scenes. “I was curious at the time.”

“But you aren’t now?”

“No. I am not. You know, that’s why we call it exploring. We try new things and realize they’re not for us.” Abruptly she remembered his reputation as a ladies’ man. More like unrepentant manwhore. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment. Like I said before, welcome to the building. Please remember we have a policy of quiet time after eleven at night. You might remind all your…dates. See you around.”

She could have sworn his eyes had been narrowing as she’d turned, but she didn’t look back. Nope. No way. No how. She walked on, her shoulders squared.

You have to be better than this trailer park if you’re ever going to get anywhere.

From out of nowhere, the memory rose. She was eight and sitting on her bed, Lila brushing out her hair for school because their momma was in jail again and Will was left holding everything together.

But why? Standing up straight hurts after a while. Young Lisa hadn’t understood.

It had been Lila’s job to train her. Proper posture is ladylike and proves you’ve been raised well. Then the social workers don’t look at us so much. Then they buy the story that Aunt Elaine is here and just went off to the grocery store. If the trailer is neat and clean and we’re all polite and proper, no one believes we’re on our own. We have to be perfect or they’ll come and take us apart, Lis. So be still and let me brush your hair.

She’d washed it even after the water heater had gone out. For months they’d all taken cold showers and saved coins to use at the laundromat, all so no one would suspect they were four kids on their own.

She’d learned to pretend to be something she wasn’t a long time before. And god, she’d learned not to ever fuck up. A smile on the face. That was how to get through life. The one time she’d failed… Well, she preferred not to think about that at all. Stupid Vallon had made her think about it and she wasn’t going to let it ruin her again.

She never let life see her down because life had no problem showing her exactly how much further she had to fall.

She strode out into the late afternoon light and walked toward the train station, trying not to think about the gorgeous man she’d left behind. And wishing she’d changed her shoes.





“You want to tell me what the hell that was about?” Remy felt weird as he picked up the end of the couch and barely managed to fit it through the door to his new home. Temporary home. He wasn’t staying here for long.

It was awfully nice though. Probably the nicest place he’d ever lived, but then that wasn’t so surprising since this was where the Daleys stashed their youngest sibling. Lisa was the only one of the Daleys who wasn’t attached, and apparently she was very independent. The building had good security, a whole round of amenities like a dog park and jogging trails. Hell, anywhere he’d lived before Dallas, if he wanted to jog, he did it while trying not to be eaten by gators.

He couldn’t stay for long because the paperwork was already in the works. He had done all the paperwork for the loan and in a few short weeks the marina and everything in it would be back where it belonged. In his hands.

Lisa Daley was nothing more than one last job. It didn’t matter that he wanted her. It didn’t matter that she was the most tempting thing he’d seen in forever. He wasn’t getting involved with another woman who would need more than he could give her. He’d married one and that had led straight to the situation he’d been in for years. He wasn’t about to lose his family and his inheritance over a spoiled rich girl again.

So why the hell was he feeling like a bear riled out of hibernation way too early? She’d looked utterly horrified at seeing him. Oh, he’d told her something different and he could see she’d been trying to appear normal and happy, but pure terror had been behind that smile. He had the feeling she’d wanted nothing more than to run as fast as she could.