Page 13 of With this Ring

In it, she’d claimed to be a submissive named Petal.

Stupid, stupid.

After all,he’dcalled her that.

Gregorio.

Her crush.

Her potential savior.

The only man she trusted to help her.

And the current caretaker at the Den, if her research was accurate. Which she prayed it was. After all, seeing him was the reason for this elaborate ruse. She had to get to him somehow. Since he was no longer an employee of Hawkeye, she’d had to use all her resources to track him this far.

She would never have tracked him down if she didn’t need him.

Squaring her shoulders, she dropped her robe to the floor, pulled on a thong, then squirmed her way into the tight skirt. Noway would she be able to take her usual big strides. The material acted more like mummification than clothing.

Somehow she managed to pull the top over her head. Then she began to tug the tiny piece into place.

The faux leather had cap sleeves and laced up the front. Horrifyingly, the garment was so short her midriff was left bare.

Precariously balancing, she slipped into four-inch platform sandals. At least those weren’t as dangerous as some of the stilettos she’d eyed.

Being methodical steadied her nerves and had saved her life.

After a breath, Sasha ran through her pre-mission checklist, unzipping her oversize duffel bag to confirm its contents. Running shoes. Leggings and a sweatshirt. Panties that covered far more than the butt-floss confection currently buried between her ass cheeks.

In case she might have her bag searched on the way in, she’d added a bottled water and the crop she’d been talked into purchasing.

Her ops bag also had a secret compartment that hid her burner phone, first-aid kit, extra chargers, and her firearm. The burner wasn’t active yet, but she had it prepped with encrypted apps and prepaid minutes. If anyonewastracking her, they’d have to work harder than this.

Sasha debated bringing her main phone at all. But if she ghosted, clients would panic, and she couldn’t afford to look flaky. Ultimately, she tucked it deep into the hidden compartment—just in case she needed to prove she hadn’t disappeared off the face of the earth.

Additionally, she also had a small purse with her real phone, an ID, room keycard, a few dollars, and a credit card.

Once all that was done, she walked across the room to fetch her coat from a peg on the wall.

The sight of her reflection in a full-length mirror stunned her.

Who the hell am I?

In this BDSM-friendly getup, legs and abs bare, and wearing tons of makeup and mascara to exaggeratedly highlight her eyes, this was her best disguise ever. Sasha barely recognized herself.

Maybe Gregorio won’t, either.

All she needed, though, was to capture his attention. And hopefully he’d listen to her, for at least a few minutes.

One of the final things he’d said to her echoed through her memory.

“You’ve always needed a protector.”

She’d hated the patronizing tone in his deep, rich voice, and she’d despised his smug certainty. But right this moment, she resented the hell out of the fact she was going to prove him right.

Squaring her chin, she shrugged into her coat.

The email she’d received from the Den yesterday said all people at the gathering had to be dressed suitably while in the hotel public spaces.Don’t scare the ’nillas, they’d warned.

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