Hunted (7 page)

But then, he’d guessed as much in the produce section.

* * *

Damon was wicked.

He was talented.

He was going to drive her insane.

In fact, he was determined to drive her insane and was way too good at it. Shara’s first night at The Phoenix resort seemed like the longest night of her life. She was teased and tormented endlessly. She was kept captive and bound. He used her repeatedly for his own pleasure, but even when she capitulated and sucked him off as he wanted, he refused to give her release.

The strange thing was how much Shara loved it.

He opened the drapes eventually and she saw that the sun was coming up. He spread more of that cream on her puss, clearly delighting in ensuring that she had the wettest snatch on the planet, then shook out her dress.

“You’ll miss your flight,” he said as he removed her gag. He removed the nipple clamps and the rest of her bonds, helping her to her feet and into her dress as if he were a chauffeur handing him out of a limo, then ushered her to the door.

“I’ll wash it all off,” she said, halfway wanting to provoke him.

He smiled. “None of it washes off.” He surveyed her again, amusement in his eyes. “Maybe you’ll be the one hunting for me.” Their gazes held for an intense moment, as Shara considered the appeal of that, then he pointed out the window. “We’re right opposite your room. If you turn right, you can walk all the way around the mezzanine to your room.” He tugged the room key out of the little pocket in the dress. “Better hurry. You don’t want to miss your flight.”

“Are you going to miss yours?”

“No. But I get to have to have a few hours’ sleep first.” He touched a finger to the tip of her nose. “No such luck for you.”

“You planned that, too.”

His smile was quick and wicked. “Of course.”

“The others might beat you,” Shara had to say.

Damon shrugged. “I don’t care if I have to steal you.” The determination in his expression told her it was true, and it gave her a little thrill of pleasure.

“Maybe none of you will catch me.”

“I think that would disappoint everyone involved.” He caught her face in his hands then, trapping her head in his grip, then kissed her slowly and thoroughly. Shara was dizzy at the possessive power of his kiss and a little bit unsteady on her feet when he released her. She liked that his breath was coming quickly, too. She would have hated to have been the only one so turned on by their game.

“Don’t miss your flight,” Damon said, his voice rough, and Shara hurried away, afraid she might do just that.

Actually, if Damon hadn’t been one of the hunters she’d chosen, she might have been tempted to miss her flight on purpose, just to stay at the resort with him.

That thought had to be the result of a lack of sleep. She wanted this fantasy. She’d paid for it.

And it was going to be incredible.

* * *

The silence was ominous, to Amy’s thinking.

She’d sent the picture of Rex to his partner, Michelle, on impulse and in anger. She’d immediately known nothing good would come of it and she’d probably regret what she’d done.

She’d expected trouble immediately.

It hadn’t come.

Rex hadn’t said anything.

She’d gone to Windswept, sure the shit would have hit the fan by the time her assignment was done. But everything seemed perfectly routine on her routine.

Was it possible that Michelle didn’t care?

Amy had to think that a photo of Rex, the master of control, bound helpless, with jizz on his belly after his own unwilling orgasm would challenge the view of anyone who found him hot. That she’d been able to do it to him had seriously messed with her own view of him as the greatest Master of all.

Not to mention how it had confused her view of herself. Did she really have the makings of a dominatrix like Athena? She wanted to believe she did, but had never expected to feel so conflicted about what she’d done to Rex.

She’d thought she’d be proud of herself.

Instead, she felt like she’d trashed something really important.

And she could lose everything. She didn’t want to get fired from The Phoenix. She wanted to move in forever. But with one click of her thumb, she’d put everything at risk. In a real sense, she wanted Rex to retaliate, to remind her of her place.

But she came back from Windswept to learn Rex had gone to the Caribbean resort of The Phoenix. Amy had been sure of a reckoning, then. He’d be going home to Michelle. They had to talk about it. She watched her phone nervously, waiting for trouble to erupt.

Again, there was only silence.

Amy was sure there was a storm brewing. She was so distracted she actually told Steele she wasn’t going anywhere on her days off.

That, she realized later, had been her mistake.

She had locked the door of her room in Athena’s townhouse, turned on the shower and peeled off her clothes before she realized she wasn’t alone. A man dressed all in black stepped up behind her at the mirror, like a shadow. He seized her quickly, his grip strong, gagged her and shoved her into a constrictive black tube. Amy was bound helpless and silenced, though she rolled across the floor in a futile effort to free herself. The assailant laid his hand upon her, then she heard his whisper.

“Time to share a little information, Amy,” he said and she recognized the low thrum of Steele’s voice. “Turns out you’re taking your vacation in one of The Phoenix’s dungeons. Everyone is out, so this is the moment for you to move in.”

Amy almost laughed. No one could use the dungeons without Athena’s knowledge. There were cameras hidden all over this place. Steele might want to play a game, but he wouldn’t get away with it for long.

Steele tapped her with a heavy finger. “And don’t go imagining that anyone is going to save you. I’ve over-ridden all the cameras, so it looks like the dungeon we’ll use is empty. You know they’re all soundproofed, too. You’re mine for two days and nights, Amy, although I wonder if it will take that long to convince you to share what you know.”

Steele was doing this without Athena’s approval?

Amy froze in fear. She felt herself lifted and hefted over his shoulder. The door opened, and he paused, as if peering down the hall, then hastened out of her room.

It was when she felt the chill of the basement in the house, where the three dungeons were located, that Amy realized the truth. Rex wasn’t going to dirty his hands in teaching her a lesson.

He was letting Steele to do it.

And the special forces cop who was undercover at The Phoenix wouldn’t necessarily play by the house rules.

Chapter Three

They were dropping Shara off first, just as Neil had expected.

He was at the helipad when she came down for her flight, waiting. The paved circle was surrounded by a garden of flowering cacti, that wouldn’t be damaged by the wind stirred up by the rotors. It was a small craft, designed for short jaunts and light loads. He wondered why they didn’t use speedboats, but then, the people who ran The Phoenix never spared any expense.

It was a lot flashier to be delivered to the island this way, and Neil supposed it would encourage people to think the helicopter was the only way off the island.

Shara was dressed like a commando. She wore fatigues in a color that would help her blend into the jungle greenery, and lace-up boots. He had no doubt the pockets of her cargo pants were filled with many useful items—or items she believed would be useful—and she carried a small backpack. She noticed him immediately, though he wasn’t front-and-center, which was a hint she was observant.

That was good. He didn’t like easy victories.

Just inevitable ones.

“Don’t forget your sunscreen,” he drawled when she was alongside him.

She smiled. “Don’t forget your condoms,” she replied and Neil smiled back. He stood up and walked her side, letting her look him up and down. She was tall but shorter than him, her hair now cut short, and some marks on her face probably supposed to disguise her.

“You picked a favorite?” he asked, standing close enough to smell her skin. There were faint shadows under her eyes, as if she hadn’t slept well. Anticipation maybe. It would be to her disadvantage, though, and he felt his own excitement rise.

“May the best man win,” she said, her eyes dancing, then gestured to the pilot. “They’re waiting on me.”

He stepped back and let his voice drop low. “You can hide, Shara, but there’s nowhere to run.”

“I know,” she said, undaunted. “That’s the whole point.”

He watched the swing of her ass as she strode to the waiting helicopter and smiled as he reviewed all of his plans—both for his competition, and for the prize herself.

* * *

The island looked pitifully small. Shara peered out the side of the helicopter, surveying the deep green vegetation below. From overhead, she could see there was only a thin sliver of beach on its outward side, and the rest of the coast was rocky. Probably a boat couldn’t land easily. The vegetation on the island was so dense that all she could see was the tops of the trees.

Although, it might have been a network of vines.

“No wildlife on the island,” the pilot said, raising his voice over the sound of the rotors. “Even the snakes have been cleared off. There are insects so possibly a few birds have returned. They’re all harmless, though.”

“That’s good to know.”

“A water reservoir has been delivered with more than enough water for all of you for the weekend. I suggest you make use of your time alone to find it, maybe to stash some water.”

“Right.” It would be too easy for the hunters to stake out the reservoir. Shara had brought inflatable canteens for exactly this reason. She patted her back pack. “I’m ready.”

“Whatever you do, don’t try to swim away,” the pilot continued. “The water’s really cold on the outward side because it’s deep, and the current is stronger than you think.”

“I’m a good swimmer.”

He gave her a look. “No one’s that good. I hate looking for bodies, so don’t be an idiot.”

She flashed him a smile. “Lecture over?”

“Lecture over,” he agreed amiably. “Good luck.”

“Thanks!”

Shara kicked the rope ladder out the door, having been told in advance this was how she’d be delivered. There wasn’t a place big enough for the helicopter to land. The pilot lowered the craft so the rope ladder slipped through the trees and a chime sounded when the bottom rung touched the ground. Shara looked at the tangle of growth and was glad he’d told her about the snakes being gone. She gripped the edge of the door and looked down, taking a deep breath before she swung herself out onto the ladder. It was a good thing she’d spent every possible moment at the gym since booking this trip.

“Oh, and hey, Shara!” the pilot called when her chest was level with the floor of the vehicle.

“Yeah?”

His smile flashed and he gave her a thumbs up. “Happy birthday!”

Shara laughed. “Thanks!” It was the reminder she needed to enjoy every moment. She held on to the rope and stepped down to the next rung, her heart racing. It was weird to descend through the canopy of vegetation, the leaves brushing against her body. The air was cooler in the shade and the air was humid. She reached the last rung and jumped to the ground, then touched the sensor at the end to let the pilot know she was down.

The rope ladder rose through the trees as the helicopter ascended, and she watched until the last rung had disappeared.

Before the sound of the helicopter had faded, she was on the move.

She had three hours to find the reservoirs and make preparations for the hunters’ arrival.

* * *

Jared couldn’t believe he’d thought this vacation would help him decide anything.

He liked sex, he knew that well enough. He liked slow consensual sex, the kind of sex that went on and on. Holiday weekend sex. Riding the wave back to the shore after a long day of surfing sex. Good, sweet, slow sex.

Beyond that, it was complicated. Or it was simple. He couldn’t decide that either. Because Jared didn’t care about the gender of his partner. Or even partners. The person is question had to be gorgeous, had to be complicit, had to be as enamored of the deed as Jared. Beyond that, there was beauty everywhere.

The world, though, seemed to expect men to be straight or gay. Not both. So he was determined to choose.

The Phoenix had seemed like the perfect place to do so. Jared had thought the clients at famous resort would be so consistently beautiful he’d be able to make a final choice based on gender alone. That hadn’t proven to be the case. First there’d been Lisa, an athletic Asian woman so tiny he thought he could pick her up in one hand. She had a tongue stud, which surprised him, but not as much as the dimension that added to the blow job she’d given him.

There was Nadine, with her witchy green eyes and blonde hair that hung to her butt, her tight swimmer’s physique and her musical laughter. Mm hmm, Nadine. There was Shara, the whole reason he was part of the hunt, with those lush lips that would look so good wrapped around his cock.