Page 16 of The Fixer

“Lie to yourself if it allows you to sleep better at night, Elle. But if you truly didn’t want this thing between us, your pupils wouldn’t be fully dilated. Your exquisite ass wouldn’t be arched enough to curve this spine,” he purred like honeyed bourbon as his fingertips slid over the arch, circling the twin divots at the base of my spine. “These gorgeous, full breasts wouldn’t be beseeching me to suck, tease, or bite their solid, strawberry-hued tips.” His other palm cupped one breast, and his thumb rubbed the nipple, moving in a circular motion. “Your cunt wouldn’t be engorged or wet. It’s both. Isn’t it?” Raithe’s fingertips danced over the flesh of the insides of my thighs. “I can easily find out if it is.” Lips wandered against my ear, teasing the sensitive flesh beneath my it with feverish breath. His palms settled on my thighs, driving them apart as he growled, which shot arousal to my pussy. “It’s sopping wet for me. Isn’t it, darling? Tell me the truth or I’ll make your pussy ache without letting it orgasm until you’ve fucking earned it.” His comments were a violent, guttural threat that grated over my aching, sensitive skin.

“Yes,” I allowed in a breath of sound that came out more sex than anything else. A single finger pressed past the delicate thong covering my sex and swept through the glistening, slippery turmoil his filthy mouth produced. “Raithe. Oh my God. Fuck.”

“Are you a filthy slut or a good girl, Miss Reed?” he hummed against my throat. “Answer the question. It’s necessary to recognize which you are because it will decide how I’ll be fucking this narrow,”— he forced a single finger to his knuckle into my cunt— “messy cunt of yours.” I moaned as a rumble resonated from his parted lips. “He sure as shit did little to stretch this tight haven of yours. Your pussy is ravenous to be filled and abused until it aches and you plead for mercy.” As another finger pushed deep into my center, I whimpered a gasp of air from the exquisite stretch he created. “Did he even muffle the beast within your soul that shouts to be dominated every moment of every fucking day? I see it in those magnificent, brilliant eyes the moment you start to surrender your hold on the tightly reigned control you need to manage to remain upright every day, Elle. I’m man enough to take it from you and defend you until I give it back to you. You’re drained from maintaining your shields, and wearing your armor to cover your fractured soul from those who’d use it against you. Aren’t you?” A third finger produced an intense, needy moan to slip through my trembling lips. “Answer me.”

“I’m your filthy slut, Raithe,” I blurted through the heaviness of lust coating my words. Why I’d responded tothatquestion of all the ones asked, I wasn’t certain, but he looked pleased.

His touch had silenced the monster within that screamed I was weak, wanton, and never good enough to be loved. It silenced the world around me, leaving only my carnal hunger and need to be subdued, whispering promises of a mental and emotional reprieve from always carrying the weight of guilt, self-loathing, and blame.

“Good girl,” he proclaimed as his fingers pushed deeper into the ignored, neglected pussy he pillaged. “They’ve determined whether or not they’ll support you, darling. I’m of a mind to continue fingering your wet cunt until you moan my name as you come all over my fingers like an indecent, wanton whore. What do you think about that? I bet your little boy toy would understand the difference between an adolescent playing with you and a man. Think he’d admit he wasn’t man enough to get this poor, needy pussy of yours, off?”

“Stop,” I hissed through chattering teeth as he kept me balanced on the edge of release. “Raithe, stop.” He withdrew, but he drew his hand up, showing me how my arousal coating the three fingers he’d fucked me with glistened in the light. My core clenched as he shoved each finger between his full, kissable lips and sucked them clean.

“You taste heavenly,” he rasped with a raw, gravelly timbre.

Rory cleared her throat as she approached where we stood. Raithe’s dark head tilted, continuing to lick my arousal from his fingers as he held Einri’s gaze. Pushing my thighs together to quell the aching throb of my clit, I blushed to my roots.

“We’ve made a decision,” Rory announced with an edge to her soft, English accent. “You’ve never questioned a case when we’ve asked you to take it, Chevy.” The others echoed her agreement, nodding as I scanned their faces. “I’ve have remained beside you through pretty much anything. You know that,” she whispered with tears swimming in her eyes.

My heart wrenched with fear as my stomach dropped to my feet. Nausea churned through my belly and pushed up my throat while I mentally prepared for her to reject this job.

“I’m not about to change that now, and neither is anyone else. We’re in,” she stated firmly.

Lifting my head, I peered into the eyes of the one friend I’d managed to keep since childhood. Rory was my ride-or-die, and is the one who’d protected my scrawny ass throughout high school. I’d lied to her once before, and it had ended in me lying on a filthy floor with blood covering my tiny, battered, broken body. Rory had sat beside me as I’d bawled and raged internally, and when I’d peeled myself off that floor, it had been her who held me up and patched my shattered, no-longer-innocent soul back together.

She was also the madam for escorts who worked the financial district in the greater D.C. area, and catered to the elites. It helped fund clients we wouldn’t have otherwise been able to take on for free and bought the toys we used to take down the bad guys. Politicians and elite assholes loved to call ahead to procure so-called “dates” for their time away from their wives. We used that against them as blackmail and to sway votes to whatever we needed. No one enjoyed making the 5’clock news with video footage of their sordid, naughty desires being played out for the world to see. Of course, I was her silent partner with no paper trail to lead back to me or the firm. Her girls weren’t opposed to a good time and a little espionage in the process. The pay was good and we took care of our girls. Most had come from either shitty lives, or been highly trained by other countries to murder powerful men in their beds. We’d bought their contracts from their handlers in order to offer them power over their own lives. Once they’d been freed, we merely offered them a job employing their unique skill-set. Sex wasn’t what we sold, but they could if they chose to do so, which most had. Girls enjoyed sex as much as any man did, but it also didn’t hurt to have dirt on those who preyed on the weaker sex, either.

“Thank you,” I whispered past the swelling in my throat.

“I’m not the leaving kind,” she muttered, using the same words she’d said when she refused to leave me after the assault.

“The loyal ones never are.” I moved to her and pulled her into a hug. “One day, we’re going to be best friends.”

“Someday, maybe, Chevy? You already are my best friend, asshole.” Pulling away, she smirked as unshed tears shimmed in her eyes. “When do we start, boss?”

“In the morning, once we’re all rested. I’d like the normal round-table talk. We need to know what may be coming and what they’ll use against Raithe Dravyn’s campaign. I don’t want to end up blindsided. Not on this one. We’re late to the game, so let’s not be the last on the field.” I stated firmly, while glancing from one team member to the next, all wearing their game faces. “This will be the same as any other contract. Each of you will have a job to do and focus on. I know this is new territory, but together we’re unstoppable. Felix, find the rabbit hole which leads to the candidate both sides favor, and then go down it until you figure out every exit and entrance. Get us a map for what we’ll need to lead the assault. Einri do what you do and get me a list of surveillance equipment you’ll need, and once we know our targets, you’ll plant them. Colt, you’re Green-Eyed Devil lead on this one. You’ll be my eyes, ears, and muscle to get shit done. Rory, get your girls working over potential candidates. I want them out pushing on the Capital District hard. Ana, hack the networks and see if you can find chatter. Maybe it will give us a place to begin. Penelope, ask your contacts who they think is a good bet for the presidency. Make it seem like we’re preparing our biannual political bets for Las Vegas, and our benefactors are wealthy, influential men who could owe them a favor should windfall land in their laps. No names. I don’t want even a hint of who we’re working for leaving fingertips, lips, or your asshole. Understand?” At their nods, I turned and eyed Raithe. “I need to know everything about you. If you’ve been in a fender bender, I need to know. If you’ve ever fucked a married woman or man? I need to know before they bring it to the campaign trail. If you’ve done something as simple as sneezing on a civilian or diplomat—”

“You need to know,” he stated smoothly. “I’m not a good man, Elle. I do very bad things, but I also do them very well. I’ll have refreshments sent to our chambers, and we can pour over them with whiskey,” he offered with a devilish smirk tugging on his full lips.

“That won’t be necessary. You can write them down and slip them through the locked door,” I retorted icily.

“Chevy,” Einri interrupted, which forced me to twirl toward him. Raising my brow in silent question, he sucked his lip between his teeth before releasing it. “After this job, I’m out. I quit. You don’t get to keep me after this shit.”

“Keep you?” I countered carefully.

“I lost my marriage because of you. You ruined everything, and now you pull this shit?”

“Iruined your marriage? A marriage I didn’t even know you were in when you fucked me? You ruined your marriage and brought me into it without warning me you were merely separated. You don’t get to put that blame on me, asshole. You also cheated on me, remember? Had I known you were married, there wouldn’t have been an ‘us’ to begin with.” At his lifted brows, I snorted. “Of course, I know about her, Einri. I’m damn good at my job. My only mistake was thinking you were a man of worth and assuming you were honorable. You weren’t. Not to any of the three women you brought into your messy life. I’m the only one who was willing to overlook your faults and let you remain in my life. Grow the fuck up and take some responsibility for your actions. This isn’t the sandbox where shit happens and gets left behind when you go home. This is the real world, and I’m not the bitch to blame when you can’t keep your ‘little devil’ in your pants. The rules are simple in this firm. Be honest, take accountability when you fuck up, and don’t come at me when shit gets hard. Here’s some honesty if you’d like it, though. Becky was the best thing to ever happen to you. She was faithful through every deployment and kept the home front handled so you didn’t have anything but your mission to worry about. I apologized for what you drew me into and the pain I unknowingly caused her. She deserved better from you, but you seem to have left your balls back in the sandbox. She’s still in love with you,” I admitted with ice chilling my words. “Lord knows why, but she is. You at least owe her an apology and an explanation for what you did to her. Once we’re back in the States, I’ll cut you your final check and you can consider your resignation accepted. Good night, everyone.”

Chapter Nine

Aloudcrashjerkedme from dreamless slumber, forcing my exhausted, sleep-deprived body from the softest bed I’d ever slept in. I grabbed the sheer, obsidian robe from beside the nightstand and tied the lace belt around my waist. The too thin nightgown, if you could even call the sheer fabric that, ended just below my rounded cheeks.

Another loud, rumble of thunder echoed through the castle, forcing me toward the balcony doors. I tried to recall if I’d locked them before slipping into bed, but gave up as I stepped onto the veranda, peering at the storm outside with wondrous amazement as violet bolts of lightning forked through the velvety shadows of night.

Wispy, white tendril of silk seemed to dance through the gardens. The fabric was strikingly contrasted against the dark, obscure night, and as I squinted to make out what exactly it was, I could make out what appeared to be a child following the tendrils through the maze. Another thunderous clang tore through the skies above, causing her scream to follow behind it. Her small, pitiful sobs met my ears, yanking at my heartstrings. Scanning the area around her for any sign of someone to assist her or bring her in from the storm, I exhaled a shuddered breath spinning on my heel, exiting the balcony.

It took moments to rush through the dimly lit hallways and exit the palace into the gardens. Rain pelted the robe, forcing it to stick against my flesh as I entered the maze. Wet strands of my hair clung to my cheeks, and I brushed them back as I scanned the area for the child.

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