Dangerous Master (24 page)

Authors: Tawny Taylor

Tags: #General, #Fiction

BOOK: Dangerous Master

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Success. At last.

She checked the basket of dirty laundry sitting in front of the washer. It was full of black clothes. She’d been wearing black that night. She bent over and grabbed a piece of clothing.

“Amanda?”

Zane.

She whirled around. “I was looking for my clothes. The ones I wore the night of the attack.”

“That’s not what you’re holding.”

“Oh.” Mandy glanced at the garment. “Ohhhh.” Men’s boxer-briefs. Cotton. Black. She let them slip from her fingertips. They landed back in the basket. “Do you know where my clothes are?”

He moved closer. His eyes glimmered in the semidarkness. Like a cat’s. “They’re in the dryer.”

Mandy clamped her arms around herself. “I don’t suppose you checked the pockets before you put them in the wash?”

“I did. They were empty.” He loomed over her.

“Dammit.” She stepped to one side, thinking he might want to get to the washing machine.

He didn’t move that way. He moved closer to her instead. “What’s wrong?”

She shifted positions again, this time stepping toward the dryer. “I had taken some pictures with a pen camera. The camera was in my pocket when I was attacked. It must’ve fallen out.”

Once again, he followed her. “You need to consider a career change.”

“I know.”

Awkward silence.

“The job I told you about is still available.”

Mandy nodded. “I’ll think about it.” Despite the fact that she believed Zane, she still visually searched the laundry room for her camera. Better to look at a washing machine and dryer than into those dark eyes.

“Amanda.” He crowded her.

She backed against the wall. Trapped. “What?”

His expression darkened. He caged her head between his outstretched arms. “You
are
afraid of me.”

“Not afraid.” She sounded petrified, even to her own ears. “Uneasy.”

“Why?”

“Because.” She shivered. Her gaze locked onto his. Those eyes. They were so dark right now. She could hardly make out the pupils. Her heart started bouncing against her breastbone.

Zane tipped his head down and audibly inhaled. “I can smell your fear.”

“Dammit, you bit a man. His blood was all over your face. It was a gruesome, shocking sight. What do you expect me to feel?” She sniffled. A fat tear dropped off her lashes, plopping onto her cheek.

“Would you like me to make you forget?” His teeth grazed her neck.

Ohmygod, is he going to bite me?
She stiffened. “No.”

“I could.” He did it again, scraped his teeth against her neck.

This time, she lifted her shoulder and tipped her head to fend him off. “I have no doubt about that.”

“Have you forgotten how I make you feel?” Undeterred, Zane turned his attention to the other side of her neck. “You used to beg me to touch you, to kiss you, to fuck you.”

“I remember.” A prickly cold swept through her body, immediately followed by a wave of sensual heat. Whoa boy, did she remember. Her nerve endings started sizzling, even as a ripple of fear coursed up her spine.

Zane curled his fingers around a fistful of hair and tugged gently to the side. Her head tipped, exposing her neck to him. A wave of dread swept through her, making her tremble.

“Please, Zane.”

“Please what, Amanda?” He flicked his tongue up and down her neck.

“Please let me go.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” He gave up teasing her and suckled her earlobe instead.

Dammit, he knew what that did to her.

She practically melted. Her body softened beneath his. Her breathing grew shallow, ragged. She gripped his steel-hard upper arms in her hands and fought against the carnal need building inside her. “Zane ...”

How could she feel so freaking turned on with this man? After what she’d seen? After watching him practically tear another man to pieces? He was a monster. A freakish being she didn’t understand. She tried to push him away, but he didn’t budge.

He forced his knee between her legs, angling his thigh so it rubbed against her burning pussy. “Isn’t this what you crave? The thrill of the unknown. Erotic hunger blended with genuine fear. It makes your blood pump hard and hot through your body.” He pressed his thigh against her pussy. “Makes your pussy warm and wet.” He dragged a hand up her side, his fingers trailing little wakes of pleasure up, up, up.

He was right. Maybe.

“You could never be content with your average Joe. He’d be safe. Boring. Dull.” Zane moved the wandering hand to more sensitive territory. His palm warmed her breast. Her nipple hardened. Tingled. She felt her spine stretching, her body arching into him. “I could never be dull. I’m a mystery. Full of terrible secrets. That’s what draws you to me, those shadows you see in my eyes.”

He had her there.

While he kneaded one breast through her clothes, he used the free one to slowly drag her shirt up until her breasts were bare. Shifting back, he cupped a breast, lifting it, and pulled the nipple into the sweet, warm depth of his mouth.

She heard herself sigh. Her pussy clenched.

God help her, she wanted him. Maybe not for forever. She was too hazy-headed to think that far down the road. But she wanted him for now. She wanted to feel his weight resting on her, his hips wedged between her spread legs. His cock stroking in and out of her slick heat.

“Zane ... ,” she said on a sigh as she arched her spine more, pushing her breast into his face.

He nipped, sending a blade of pleasure-pain slicing through her. A gush of liquid heat followed, flowing to her core. “Say the words, Amanda.”

“Take me. Please. My master. My king.”

He carefully undressed her before gently cradling her in his arms. With an arm looped around his neck, she let him carry her into the home theater. He set her on one of the reclining chairs, then angled over her to kiss her.

This kiss wasn’t like any they’d shared before. It was full of raw emotion, not only hunger and need, but also something else, something she couldn’t name. His tongue stroked hers until she was seeing stars, breathless and squirming beneath him. Blindly, she reached out, found his zipper, and yanked it down. Her hand found hard cock covered in cotton. She rubbed up and down while he plunged his tongue in and out of her mouth.

When he growled, a quiver of excitement raced through her. He backed up slightly and jerked his shirt over his head. She traced the lines of his abs with a fingertip while he yanked down his pants. In a heartbeat, he was standing before her, nude, glorious. Hard. The look in his eye was feral, dangerous. Utterly devastating.

She leaned back, sliding her bottom to the edge of the seat. He lifted her knees, draping them over the chair’s arms, then angled over her, using his arms to hold his weight.

“Say it, Amanda. Tell me you need me. Tell me ... you love me.”

She couldn’t say those words, could she? What the hell did he want to hear her say that for?

Tears seeped from her eyes. “What are you trying to do, Zane? You want me to love you and yet you don’t. What the fuck? Sometimes I think I hate you.”

Zane’s cock thrust forward, filling her. She closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and clung to him as he fucked her hard and fast. This was no gentle coupling. No sweet lovemaking. It was fierce. It was a possession. It was unrestrained. And it brought her to a quick, soul-shattering climax.

T
en minutes later, Mandy was still caged in Zane’s arms, her body wedged beneath his, her pussy full of his cock. She still hadn’t caught her breath. That had been one hell of a quickie.

Her rib cage ached a little. She didn’t care.

“Are you all right?” Zane asked, nuzzling her neck. His hand was splayed over her broken ribs, his fingers prodding gently.

“It hurts a little. Not much at all.”

“Hmmm. Do you still hate me?”

“I do.”

“Good. You should. I’ve been an ass.”

She couldn’t help smiling. “Glad to hear you say that.”

“I’m not the kind to deny my own failings. Never have been.” He kissed her. “Will you forgive me?”

“If you ask nice.” She kissed him back.

“Please.” He pinched her nipple.

She sighed. “Forgiven.”

He sat upright and stared down into her eyes. “It can’t be that easy.”

“Sure it can. If you’re genuinely sorry. You are, aren’t you? Sorry that you’ve led me on, messed with my head, and then continued to keep me at arm’s length. Tell me you’re finally going to let me in, let me know who you really are, and you will be forgiven. Wholeheartedly.”

Zane hesitated.

This was it, the moment she’d been waiting so long for. Either they would move forward or it would be the end. She couldn’t breathe. “Why is it so hard for you?”

He looked away. His jaw clenched. “You’ve seen what I am.”

She traced the line of that jaw with an index finger. “A very passionate man. A very sensual man. And very protective, generous—”

“Violent,” he added, his gaze snapping to hers again. His mouth was tight as he said, “I can just as easily rip out another man’s throat.”

“A man who is hurting someone you
love,
” Mandy said. She held her breath. Would he admit it?

“Yes, someone I love.” Zane rammed his fingers through his hair. “That’s why this is so hard. I’m ... I can’t lose you.”

“The only way you’ll lose me is if you keep pushing me away.”

He motioned toward the laundry room. “You were afraid. You can’t deny it.”

“No, you’re right. I was afraid of you after seeing what you did to the attacker. But he had his hands around my neck. He almost killed me. And he would have killed both of us if you hadn’t killed him first.” She reached for him, slid her hand over his. “Tell me the truth—have you killed more people? Children? Defenseless women?”

“Yes. I did. One woman. Many years ago. But not intentionally. It was because of her that I’ve been afraid to love you.”

Silence.

“Will you tell me about it?” Mandy asked.

“I loved her.” The love he still felt shone in his eyes. “She was my world. My light. My everything. But that kind of love takes on a life of its own. I smothered her. Not physically. Emotionally. Mentally. She couldn’t take it. And as I watched, she withered. I tightened my grasp, too overcome with fear to realize what I was doing to her.” He curled his hands into fists. “She hung herself. I found her.” He scrubbed his face with his palms and curled his fingers into his hair and pulled. “And I cannot ever erase the image of her face from my memory. It’s burned in, branded into my soul.”

He’d driven a woman to suicide. That was one hell of a story. Warning lights blinked. Clearly he was the kind of man who controlled his woman’s every move.

“I’m so sorry, Zane.”

He didn’t speak.

“Would you be that way with me? Is that what you’re afraid of?”

“I am. I would be. I can see the signs.”

She set a hand on his shoulder. “We can work on this together, if you’ll let me. If you’ll try. I want to try.”

A single tear slipped from his eye. “I’ve been pushing people away for so long I don’t know how to be any other way.”

“You took a step today. That’s all we have to do—take one step at a time, together.”

He enfolded her in his arms. He kissed her eyelids, her cheeks, her hair, and finally her mouth. Against her lips, he whispered, “I want to give you the love you deserve, a kind, gentle, sweet love.”

“But that doesn’t mean we can’t have dirty, naughty sex, right? Because I kinda like that part.”

His laughter reverberated through her body, finding its way to her soul. She felt so happy, so overwhelmingly joyful. And hopeful.

But then he said, “Now, about your job ...”

She slanted her mouth over his, grabbed a handful of hair, and shoved her tongue into his mouth.

That’ll shut him up for a while.

“This time we’re gonna get him,” Sarah whispered the next evening. Decked out head to toe in black, Sarah looked like a ninja. Very fitting, in more than one way. They were sitting in Sarah’s car—they’d both agreed it was wise to avoid using Mandy’s car after the last stakeout—outside of Clark’s mistress’s kung fu studio. Turned out JoAnn Hackner wasn’t a paranormal creature with superhuman strength. She was merely a human being with a black belt in at least three different forms of martial arts.

Mandy wasn’t particularly happy to be messing with this woman. And Zane wasn’t happy about it either. But he hadn’t stopped Mandy.

She had a sneaking suspicion he wasn’t far away—keeping a close eye on her. The thought made her feel safe.

“There she goes,” Sarah said excitedly, bouncing in her seat. “I am
so
ready to take that bitch down.”

“We’re not ‘taking’ anyone down. We’re going to hopefully get some pictures and call this case closed.”

“Yeah, yeah. Party pooper.” Sarah stuck out her fat lower lip.

Mandy laughed. She grabbed her ribs, grimacing. “I’m wondering if I wasn’t better off doing this on my own. You’re looking to pick a fight, aren’t you?”

“Hey, she picked a fight with us when she clocked you. Besides, you’re in no condition to be doing much of anything on your own yet.”

“Fine. Just do me a favor.”

“What?” Sarah dug into her bag while Mandy started the car.

Mandy shifted the vehicle into drive and began following Hackner’s car at a distance. “Forget about getting revenge. She’ll get what’s coming to her sooner or later.”

“You take all the fun out of this job.”

“Whatever.” Mandy took a corner. Hackner’s white SUV was an easy vehicle to tail. Not too many people drove snow-white SUVs. It took a meandering path to an apartment complex, then parked in a lot in front of a town house. Hacker entered the building.

“I bet you’re right. Loverboy
is
renting this place so they have somewhere safe to meet,” Sarah said. “It’s smarter than hiding out in the pool house.”

“It is. But I’m not convinced. Yet.”

“What’s to doubt? You were the one who found out about the lease.”

“Actually, it was his wife who told me,” Mandy corrected.

Hackner exited the building, walked to her truck, and opened the back. She pulled out a large cardboard box.

“Then again ... maybe ... ,” Mandy said.

They waited an hour. No movement. Outside, that was. Inside the car, Sarah had done plenty of moving. And griping. And eating. She even took a quick cat nap. “Let’s go peek in some windows.” Not waiting for Mandy, Sarah opened the door.

Mandy watched Sarah dash around the side of the building and disappear into the heavy shadows. She decided to hold off. Someone needed to keep an eye out for Clark.

A half hour later, Sarah came back. “She’s cooking dinner. The table’s set for two. Why didn’t you come with me?” She pulled open the passenger side door.

“Wanted to watch for Clark.”

“Good idea. Not here yet?” Sarah flung herself onto the seat.

“Nope.”

Sarah jerked the door closed. “He’ll come.”

“I hope you’re right. I’m so ready to be done with this case. This work just isn’t giving me the same sense of satisfaction it once did. I think I’m getting burned out.”

“Which is why you’re going to make me a full-time PI. I’ll do the dirty work. You’ll just get the credit. You can do all the computer stuff. The background checks. Internet research. I’m bored with it.”

Mandy checked the road behind them. “Zane would be happy to hear I wasn’t going out in the field anymore.”

“Yeah, I bet he would. I don’t have a man to answer to. Another reason why I should be doing this stuff.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Sarah nudged Mandy’s arm. “Isn’t that Clark’s car?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Oh, yeah. We’re going to get him. I have a good feeling about this.”

They waited for Clark to go inside before they tiptoed around the back of the building. A wide set of sliding glass doors opened into the living room. The shades were closed, but there were some convenient gaps between the vertical blinds. Mandy and Sarah huddled on the back porch watching the two eat dinner. A half hour later, they moved to the living room. Mandy snapped a few shots of them cuddling on the couch. Then a few more of them kissing. And a few of them petting. Clark was the first to undress.

“Look at that man’s abs. Wow,” Sarah said, echoing Mandy’s thoughts. Mandy had seen those abs before. “And his butt is so round and cute and firm.” Mandy had seen that butt, too.

JoAnn pulled off her top.

“Fake boobs,” Sarah murmured.

JoAnn pulled off her jeans.

“What the hell is that lump in her panties?” Sarah whispered.

“I think I can answer that,” Mandy whispered back.

JoAnn pulled down her panties, and sure enough, her—his—thick seven-incher sprang free.

“Holy shit!” Sarah said.

Mandy clapped her hand over Sarah’s mouth and shushed her.

Sarah nodded.

Mandy snapped some more photos while JoAnn gave Clark a blow job, then fucked him in the ass. After getting roughly fifty shots, she motioned to Sarah, who was watching in silence.

When they got back in the car, Sarah laughed. “JoAnn is a dude. I so did
not
see that coming.”

“At least I have the evidence we need now. This case is officially closed.”

They did a fist-bump.

Sarah pumped her hands in the air. “Let’s go celebrate.”

Mandy checked the camera. “After I get these to Mrs. Clark. I don’t want to take any chances that something will happen to them.”

“Fine.”

Mandy drove them back to the office. They went inside, locking themselves in and setting the alarm. Mandy went to her office, hooked up her camera, and waited for the pictures to download. Meanwhile, Sarah slumped into one of the chairs and stared at the ceiling.

“I want to get laid,” Sarah announced. “Watching those two made me horny. I don’t have a man. And you aren’t going to become a lesbian now that you’ve worked things out with Zane. What am I supposed to do?”

“I’m sorry, hon.”

“Let’s go to Twilight.”

“There’s no penetration. You can’t get laid there.”

“In the main dungeon. Anything goes in the private suites.” Sarah waggled her eyebrows. “I’m thinking a couple of hot young submissives might take my mind off of Whatshisname.”

“A couple, eh?” Mandy maneuvered her mouse, clicking on one of the shots to check the resolution.

“Yeah. Two’s better than one. Most definitely.”

“Why’s that?” Mandy asked, scrutinizing the picture.

“You don’t know what full is until you’ve been double penetrated. Let me tell you, it’s divine.”

Mandy wasn’t sure
divine
was the right adjective.

The disk drive stopped. A little notification popped up on her screen.

She hit the button, and the disk she’d burned the pictures onto slid out. She checked the clock. It was after ten
P.M.
Probably too late to go to the Clarks’. “I need to put this somewhere for safekeeping until tomorrow morning. Bank’s closed.”

“You can lock it up in my apartment. We can run over there and change before we head to Twilight. I need something sexier. You can borrow something, too.”

“I don’t know ...”

“Hey.” Sarah grabbed Mandy’s left hand, lifting it. “Do I see a ring on this finger?”

“No, but—”

“Has he said anything about a commitment yet?”

“No.”

“You’re a free woman. Have some fun. Besides, if you stick with the main dungeon, there isn’t any penetration. You said so yourself.”