Page 37 of Crushed
CHAPTER 11
Scarlett
It had been a while since I had come on too strong like that. My first target had said I was too aggressive, and it had taken another week before he was willing to be in the same room with me. I had figured it would be the same way with Cormac. I might have done exactly what he wanted, but sometimes, being faced with what we want opens us up to the possibility that what we want, might not be enough.
But Cormac surprised me. He was at the Dahlia District the next day. I wasn’t on schedule, but he texted me from the main floor.
Come see me, he sent.
I’m not on the schedule tonight, I replied.
I don’t care.
My stomach clenched with anticipation. I couldn’t let myself get close to him, but the danger and excitement drew me in. What trained killer lets their target tie them up? What assassin willingly lets her target beat her with fire and canes? Any position of vulnerability was the exact opposite of what I should have been doing, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the way Cormac looked at me. Those threatening green eyes seeing what I wouldn’t show anyone. Not even to the only person I trusted.
I knew what I had to do. I had to obey him, so that I could kill him later.
I reached for the black lace set Iris had let me borrow, but remembered what Cormac had instructed me to do. I pulled a navy blue sports bra and matching booty shorts from the bottom dresser drawer and brushed my hair into a ponytail. It was the little things, like paying attention to what he said to do, that would make my submission more believable.
But the fact was that I wanted this. I liked being told how to dress. It made me ache with desire. It made me feel like a possession.Hispossession. Like he wanted me exactly like this. In fact, he needed it.
The faint marks of the permanent marker were still visible, but in the shadows of the club, they would disappear. I briefly wondered if I should rewrite his name before going out. But seeing as how it had ended last time, I opted not to. He had never said to make sure that his name was always on me. If I was wrong, he would correct me.
When I found Cormac, he was sitting in the lounge in one of the tall, private black booths. I sat beside him.
He waved down one of the waitresses. “What do you want?” he asked.
“A glass of red wine,” I said. He exchanged eye contact with the waitress, and she returned with two glasses and an expensive-looking bottle. Once she was done performing the tasting ritual and poured our glasses, I leaned into Cormac. “We never got to talk about my audition for the party.” He sipped his wine and kept his eyes forward.
“Why?”
I startled, staring at him. What did he mean,why? “Excuse me?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“I just—” I looked around, unsure of what to say. Teagen was on stage, playing the violin, and the sound was mournful throughout the club, not exactly a vibe that would induce lust. Or maybe it was just me, interpreting the mood as too pensive. “I’m curious, I guess.”
“You guess, or you know?”
“I just want to know why you’re so drawn to this party.”
He sucked in a breath and threw a brief glance at me, eyeing the way the sports bra fit over my breasts. He tilted his head, thinking thoughtfully for a moment, then shrugged. “I have business to discuss with one of the attendees,” he said. “Scott Warden. Heard of him?”
I shook my head, lying about what I knew. The less he realized I knew, the better to keep my secret.
“I have an active interest in his company.”
“An active interest?” I asked. He didn’t answer. “What company?”
“Are you a spy, Scarlett?”
A hot wave flushed through my system, but I stayed still. Counted to ten. Raised a playful eyebrow.
“A spy? Like in the movies?”
“You’re right. A spy would handle this interaction better.”
Shit. How much did he know? Was he onto me?
