“Perfectly.” Rosie wrenched her arm from Lee-Anne’s grasp. “Now if you’ll excuse me…” Without waiting for a response, she fled through the crowds to the ladies’ washroom. Once inside she closed the door to the stall and leaned against it. By the sinks, two women chattered and laughed, their lives normal, solid, while hidden in her stall, the floor tilted and heaved beneath Rosie’s feet.
Dear God, what a fool she’d been. This whole time Sam had been playing her, lulling her into a sense of security and now…now she was seeing the true side of him.
When he’d murmured how she’d be the only one, she’d believed him. Of course she had, she’d trusted him. But how long would it be before he’d expect her to stand back while he “fulfilled his duties as a founding member” by fucking other women. As bile burned the back of her throat, Rosie pressed her hand to her belly and felt the leather harness he’d strapped around her. Felt the butt plug he’d convinced her was a harmless toy.
Damn him. Damn her for letting down her guard.
She waited until the other women left the bathroom then fled her sanctuary and grabbed a handful of paper towels. A minute later, both the butt plug and the harness found a home in the garbage.
A fitting place, considering they probably landed on top of her career.
*
Sam leaned against the limo door as Rosie stared out the window. He couldn’t fail to notice how curt her answers to him had been when he’d finally found her once the meeting had broken up. Or how rigid she’d been when she’d stalked in front of him on their way to the limo. Nor could he miss how she refused to look at him now.
It didn’t take her hauling off and kicking him in the nuts to know she was pissed. And not just about being kept out of his meeting. Something else had set her off.
Sam pulled a cigar from the inner pocket of his jacket and struck a match to it. He pulled on it until the end glowed red before blowing a ring of smoke into the air. “If you grind your teeth any harder, you’re gonna be gummin’ your next meal.”
Rapid fire Spanish insults hurtled toward him. He managed to catch her calling him aloco pervertido. “So you mind tellin’ me what’s…” Hmm, shoved the stick up her butt wasn’t exactly the analogy to use considering what he’d done to her earlier. Although he would lay dollars to donuts that his little toy was no longer filling that particular orifice. He amended his statement. “You mind explainin’ why you’re as ornery as a she-cat with a thorn in its paw? I’m guessin’ it’s not a general mad you’re workin’ on, but one aimed specifically at me?” He deliberately thickened his drawl and stretched his arm across the back of the seat as he sprawled out.
“Do you know, there are days when I think you’re actually from Minnesota and the Deep South good ol’ boy routine is all one big act?”
“Born and raised in Georgia. Want to see my birth certificate?” Not many people had ever noticed that he used his accent as a device to get people to let down their guard. Figured that she’d pick up on it.
Damn, she was hot when she was angry. Now how should he play this? If he wound her up some more, the sex tonight would probably be hotter than burning magnesium. When she folded her arms across her chest, he could have sworn he saw a hint of nipple peeking out from her gown. Get your eyes back on her face, son, and wipe the drool off your chin. ’Cause oglin’ her breasts was definitely not a way to defuse this particular firecracker, whatever had sparked the fuse.
“I just had a very interesting discussion with Lee-Anne Bennett,” she said. “Just how long were you planning to wait before telling me you’re the founding member of a sex club?”
Well, fu-uck. As soon as he got to a phone, that big-mouthed trust fund baby would find herself blackballed for breaking the secrecy pact she’d signed upon her initiation. And then he’d track her down and deliver the good news himself, demand the five million dollars the contract quoted as penalty. She’d choke handing that much of her grandaddy’s hard-earned cash over, and he’d enjoy watching every freakin’ moment.
“You know what’s worst of all? You lied to me.”
What the fuck had Lee-Anne told her? “I didn’t li-”
“Okay, you omitted to tell me the truth about the club. That’s the same as lying, Sam. You’re my principal, remember?” She barreled over him. “Why didn’t you tell me you were planning on attending the club this weekend instead of telling me you’d cancelled? At least you could have told the truth so I could arrange for your detail to protect you.”
His teeth ground together. “As I’ve already told you, I declined the invitation-and told ’em again tonight not to expect me.” And taken a great deal of ribbing for it.
She reverted to a stream of Spanish invectives before losing steam and ending with, “But you went to tonight’s meeting, didn’t you? Which was about the plans for the initiation Gala? If you didn’t plan on going, you wouldn’t have gone tonight.”
“Why the fuck are you believing her over me? And I attended tonight because the club requires a full quorum to vote upon the applicants. If I hadn’t attended, they wouldn’t have been able to have a vote and the Gala would have to be cancelled. That’s worth five million bucks in initiation fees. I wasn’t about to let the entire club down.”
“Oh, excuse me. Heaven forbid that Sam Watson would disappoint his friends.” Her tone couldn’t have been more sour if she’d bitten into a crateful of lemons. “Oh, and by the way, one of your friends wouldn’t happen to drive a blue 1964 Shelby Cobra, would they?”
“So that’s what this is about. And yes, Jocelyne drives a Cobra. You’ll be happy to know she wasn’t following us so much as taking the same route, since she lives in the building across the road. Is that why you’re pissed off with me? Because Andy came to me and not you?”
That was a matter she’d have to take up with Andy. “Partly. I can’t make good judgments to keep you safe if I’m not in the loop. But I need to know that if I tell you something isn’t safe, you’re going to listen to me and follow my recommendations. And tonight, you didn’t listen to my recommendations about the meeting.”
“Because there wasn’t any credible threat.”
“That was for me to decide. I can’t do my job if you’re overriding my decisions about your safety, or telling my people to ignore what could be an obvious lead.” She closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. When she opened them again, he knew she’d just sealed his fate. And it wasn’t a thumbs up. “I can’t do this, Sam. This-us-” she circled her finger between them, “-it won’t work. You obviously don’t respect me as your lead operative.”
“You’re gonna walk away? Just like that?” Damn it, the car was pulling into the underground garage already.
“I should never have agreed to this affair in the first place. So I’m going to go back to the way it was before-if that’s possible. And if it’s not…” her teeth tugged on her lower lip as the car rolled to a stop, “…if it’s not, then I guess I’ll be asking for a transfer to Miami or somewhere. I’d appreciate it if you respect my decision.”
Andy opened the limo door. “Home sweet home.”
Sam slumped back as he waited for Rosie to get out. Since Kris had already called the elevator and was holding the doors, they didn’t have to wait. He didn’t take his eyes off Rosie, but he could see in the reflection of the elevator doors that she was studiously avoiding looking at him.
As he was considering just how to gain and keep her attention, she quickly scotched his plans for any further conversation when she said, “Andy, you’re going to be staying in Sam’s place tonight.”
Andy stared at her for a moment then raised a brow at Sam who scowled in return. “You two have a fight or something? Because I don’t want to-”
“It’s all right, Andy,” Sam interrupted, seeing a possibility arise and not wanting to let it slip through his fingers. “Stay at my place tonight.”
Because he wasn’t going to be there anyway. One way or another he was going to be in 1202. With Miss Rosalinda Ramos. Because damned sure he was not letting her get away until she’d listened to him. And listen she would. If he had to tie her up and ball gag her.
Shooting a hesitant glance at Rosie, Andy nodded. “Okay, sure, boss. I guess I’ll be your bunky for the night.”
Maybe it was the fluorescent light that flickered overhead, but Sam could have sworn he saw a look of disappointment in Andy’s expression. Kris, however, looked anything but disappointed-his lips pressed together and his knuckles turned white over the hand bar ringing the elevator.
Aw, crap. Looked like his gonads were taking their own trip to the zoo tomorrow.
