Maybe Sam, but that was about it. I sighed, long and hard. “It's an order, Dulcie, let me handle this.”
I inhaled deeply. One, breathe out. Two, breathe in. Three… I so missed Quillan's mode of management. Knight was more a dictator than a boss.
I pulled into Payne's parking lot and turned off the car, refusing to even glance at Knight. I opened the door and dropped to my feet. My five inch hooker heels clicked against the asphalt, sounding like someone chewing gum with a broken jaw.
Knight grabbed my arms and made me face him. I couldn't help the gasp that lodged in my throat. I forced my eyes to hold his which were roiling with excitement. So, Knight enjoyed his work? I guess the same could be said for me. Though, I wasn't exactly climaxing to have to share the spotlight with him.
“Trust me, Dulcie, I don't want to see you hurt.”
I just nodded, repressing the urge to battle him. His hands lingered on my arms a bit longer than necessary before I shrugged out of his embrace and started for the back door. Who the hell did he think he was? I could take care of myself.
I buzzed the speaker box.
“He's in room one,” the voice announced, and the door opened.
Knight grabbed my hand and stepped in front of me, guiding me down the dark hallway. I swallowed a protest and steeled myself for the fact that I'd be taking orders tonight. Even if Knight was my boss' boss, I couldn't say it softened the fact.
Knight dropped my hand and weaved through the intricate passageways of Payne like he had a demon- locating compass. When we reached the first door, Knight hesitated, his hand clenching the doorknob. “Are you ready?” he whispered.
I nodded, and he opened the door. It was darker inside the room than it was in the hallway, and the smell of smoke trailed through the air, splashed by the scent of vanilla candle.
A moan interrupted the quiet, and Knight closed the door behind us.
“Ah, our guests have arrived,” Dagan said, his voice coming from the farthest corner of the room.
There was a soft swoosh, and a flame appeared, brilliant in the dark. The orb of light cast shadows across Dagan’s face, causing his usual scary looks to appear all the more menacing. With an eerie grin, he held the candle high.
“Dulcie, how good of you to come.” He glanced at Knight. “And I see you've brought your bodyguard.”
I inhaled, reminding myself I needed to be a good actress. “Dagan, sorry we're late.”
He rested the candle in a silver holder and held a match up to it, the match igniting as soon as it kissed the flame. He brought the burning match to a candelabra, and lit the four remaining candles. Walking the candelabra closer to us, like a butler escorting us through a haunted house, he set it on a shelf next to me. It lit the entire room in a yellow glow that danced against the walls, like a myriad of undulating ghosts.
My eyes fell past Dagan and landed on the creature that lay sprawled against a velvet covered sofa, the candle wax cooling and hardening on her torso. She was completely naked except for a pair of high heels. Wiggling against the sofa, she acted as though the wax were tickling rather than burning her. Sensing my attention, she glanced up and smiled at me. Then she stood, and her exaggerated heels made her as tall as Knight.
The green-eyed monster known as Jealousy sunk its fangs into my otherwise sensible constitution, and I wanted to kick myself. She was beautiful. Her breasts were heavy and her waist tiny, flaring into broad hips with long, graceful legs. She looked like she'd just walked off a Victoria's Secret catwalk. I had to remind myself she'd eaten Fabian, Guy and Tad without a second thought.
Only inches from me, she paused and ran a long fingernail against my cheek as I shuddered internally. “You've brought the beautiful fairy for me to play with,” she whispered to Dagan. He just laughed, the bastard. The creature turned from me and let her gaze run down Knight's incredible body. “Your lady is very,” she glanced at me again. “Sexy.” Knight's voice was low and controlled. “I know.” “Will you share her?” the creature asked, like I was a bag of M amp;Ms.
My eyes immediately found Knight's, and in their steel depths, they promised protection. I had to trust him. Much as I didn't want to, I had to.
“Will Dagan share you?” he asked, and my heart deflated as if it'd been stuck with a needle.
He's acting, Dulcie! I reprimanded myself. It's all an act, you moron!
The woman laughed a high and harmonious sound. My hands fisted. The incredible desire to arrest her right there nearly defeated my more sensible inclinations. If we were to arrest her, it would destroy any chance we had of finding her keeper. Whoever had called her from the Netherworld still owned her. Even if that meant death, she wouldn't reveal who her master was anytime soon. We'd have to do it the old fashioned way and follow her. Which meant I was probably going to be here for a very long time.
So, exactly how much acting would I need to do? And how far would it go? If this creature intended to bed one or both of us, could I go through with it? Could Knight? How much did I want to apprehend her master?
Dagan came up behind her. “Shall we give them a show?” he asked with a sibilant hiss.
She nodded, a slow, mysterious smile spreading over her face. I almost gasped when I felt Knight take my arm and pull me into the hard length of his chest. He grabbed my hair and shifted it over one side of my neck, his finger accidentally grazing my breast. My heart caught in my throat, and I swallowed hard. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me against him, as if to remind me that I wasn't in this alone, that he was there with me.
Dagan pushed the creature back onto the sofa. With a leer, he turned to the corner of the room, opening what looked like a cupboard. Inside were paddles, whips, chains and other things I couldn't begin to categorize.
My heart started up again.
He approached her with a long piece of chain with clamps at both ends. The creature's breath caught, as she arched her back in excitement. Dagan ran the chain across her throat and over each of her breasts as she moaned. Then he pinched her nipples until they stood at attention. With a low chuckle, he clamped them.
Dagan eyed me over his shoulder and smiled. It was then that I realized he'd saved all of this for me. He could've easily done what he'd wanted with her and then called us. But no, he wanted me to suffer through it. He was probably enjoying my misery more than anything else. The fiery breath of anger cascaded over my skin, but I refused to grant it power.
Damn Dagan to Hades.
He jerked on the clamp chain, and the creature stumbled to her feet. Then he walked her to the cabinet and pulled out a paddle. He ran the paddle down her stomach. Grabbing her hair roughly, he yanked her head back and ran his tongue down her neck. With a vicious shove, he pushed her over the sofa, forcing her head into the pillows.
Then he turned to face me, and I wished he'd just finish his show. The creature moaned out as if to say she agreed with me.
“Shut up,” Dagan growled, and a tremor of fear wound itself in my gut. His eyes were on me.
I leaned up against Knight, but I was already so close to him, I couldn't possibly get any closer. Dagan dropped the paddle on the sofa next to the creature and turned toward me. His eyes burned with delight.
“Dulcie, Dulcie,” he whispered and caressed my jaw line with his finger, leaving my skin stinging in his wake. Knight grabbed my waist and tightened his grip as if to remind me I needed to trust him and more so, that I better not blow our cover.
Dagan only stopped advancing when his nose was millimeters from mine. His lower body pressed into me like we were Siamese twins. He brought both hands to my shoulders and never took his eyes from mine as he reached for my breasts. He plied them with his fingertips as I gritted my teeth to keep from throwing him off me.
He chuckled and brought one hand lower still, trailing from one side of my stomach to the other like a driver on a winding road. When it looked like he was going to push his fingers between my thighs, Knight's hand blocked his before I had the chance.
Dagan dropped his hand with a grin and returned to the creature who was impatiently awaiting him. He grabbed the paddle and whacked her four times. When he pulled the paddle away, her ass bore the red marks, but she was sighing as if he were pampering her, not beating her.
Bile filled my throat. I didn't know how much more of this I could take. But, it appeared the night was young. There still hadn't been any sex. Hades be damned.
