He sighs heavily. “It’s possible. Still not ruling it out. I have no evidence though.”
“And you don’t think this might affect my ability to submit to him tonight?” I’m angry, trying to keep my voice low, but probably failing.
“Eve… I don’t have anything on Owen. Everyone is a suspect right now.”
“But you want me to go on with my plans with him as if nothing is out of the ordinary while you watch to make sure he doesn’t intend to kidnap me?”
“Eve, baby, calm down. It’s not like that. I’m suspicious, yes, but I’m suspicious of every damn person who glances at you.”
“I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I’m hanging up.” My hands are shaking and I’m close to screaming.
His voice firms. “Eve, don’t hang up. Please. You either talk to me or I’m coming to your office to meet you face-to-face. Your choice.”
I lean back in my chair and rub my temples. “You’re not playing fair.”
“And I’ll never play fair when it comes to you. You’re not like any other woman I’ve been tasked with protecting before, Eve. Not even close. I’m out of my mind worrying about you. I should have removed myself from this case the moment I met you and had the captain put someone else on it. I’m not impartial. I’m a fool for not calling my boss right now and telling him to assign someone else.”
I gasp. “Don’t you dare.”
He sighs. “I won’t, but for all the wrong reasons. I can’t stand the idea of another man protecting you, so it’s not going to happen, but you need to listen to me, baby. This is not a game. It’s fucking serious shit. Yes, Owen is on my radar because you’ve known him only a few weeks and you’ve been seeing him both in and out of the club. That’s all. I have nothing else on Owen. He’s obviously not the man stalking you out front. But I am concerned about the possibility that someone inside the club might have their eye on you. So I’d like to be able to set my sights on every damn person who belongs to Surrender, and the best way to do that is to go tonight and keep a close eye on who pays attention to you.”
I’m deflating. “Okay.”
“Do I need to come over there and convince you face-to-face?”
“No.”
“Pardon?”
My heart is racing and I’m trembling all over as I glance at my closed office door. “No, Sir,” I murmur.
“Good girl. Now get back to work. Stop panicking about something that may or may not be true. I’ll see you at six.”
“Yes, Sir,” I whisper. How does he do this to me? How does he manage to turn my anger and frustration into total submission?
I squirm in my seat as we end the call. My thong is soaked and I’m so aroused I can’t possibly concentrate for a while. Thank God nothing urgent needs my attention today and I don’t have any client meetings.
Chapter 17
Colton
I’m marginally concerned about arriving at Surrender with Eve. I don’t want anyone at the club to suspect we know each other or have ever met, but I’m also not willing for her to arrive on her own.
To help dispel this idea, I’ve arranged to arrive at the same time as Davis and Britney. That way we can all walk in together. It will appear that I have come as Davis’s guest and Eve has coincidentally arrived at the same time.
I park in the shadows. We’ve beaten Davis and Britney. After I turn off the SUV, I unfasten my seatbelt and turn to face Eve. I’m damn nervous, but I don’t want her to know it.
I reach for her hand. She’s been incredibly quiet since I picked her up from work. She’s also remained in her adult persona all evening. When she changed, she put on jeans and a sweater, telling me she would take a bag to the club. She doesn’t come and go from the club in little attire. Makes sense.
We ordered Chinese takeout and ate in near silence. I know she has a lot on her mind, but I’m worried about her and I don’t want to go inside with tension between the two of us. It’s going to be stressful enough without adding to it.
I stroke her knuckles. “Talk to me.”
She shrugs. “Nothing to say.”
“I beg to differ. Are you mad about our conversation earlier?”
She shakes her head. “No. You’re right. I’m nervous and a little scared.” She meets my gaze. “You really think a member of the club might be planning to sell me?”
“I have no idea, Eve. I just don’t want to rule anything out. I’m going to watch every damn person in there to see if they’re paying too close attention to you.”
She offers me a strange coy smile, tipping her head to one side. “You know, it’s possible someone might pay attention to me because they think I’m cute and they want to do a scene with me.”
I chuckle, glad the mood has lightened. “In which case, I’ll knock them out with my fist and drag their limp body out back.”
She giggles. “How chivalrous.”
“That’s me.”
“Or possessive.”
“That’s probably me too.” I’m grinning at her.
“You do realize you can’t interrupt my scenes here, right? It’s against the rules. So, suck in your misplaced jealousy and hold your tongue and your fists.”
I sigh. “I’ve read the rules. I know. I won’t interfere. Promise. But, it’s going to be very strange watching another man dominate you.”
“Think of it as a learning experience. In the fetish community, it’s not uncommon for even married couples to go different ways inside the club and scene with other people. It’s not even odd for their partner to watch. He or she might want to learn or maybe even gets off on watching. Anything is possible in the club scene.”
“Really?” I’m kind of surprised. I have a long way to go before I’m going to grasp the dynamic. “A lot
