Page 40 of Honey, Honey
The reason for that was because I could be trusted to do a job, any job, keep my cool and keep my mouth shut about it. It had all been for the greater cause of getting my freedom and getting the fuck out of the life. Babysitting had been low stress, even with the biggest of tantrums thrown by my charge, or whatever fuckwits had thought they could make a name for themselves by coming after what was mine. My fingers tightened on the cool glass of my whiskey and I glared at the stupid painting in front of me. A woman half bathed in light, beautiful face half obscured by the dark. She wore a deep green dress that flared out behind her as if caught by a gust of wind, the skirt of it melted into the shadows giving the appearance that she was running. She had to be running, or in motion of some kind with the figure that was behind her. Only an arm was visible against the verdant green of her skirts, the fingers seeking but missing her as she ran forward. I’d been good at my job because I thought of who I was paid to protect as mine. They weren’t just a job, or a payday, they were mine.
No one fucked with what was mine.
Connie knew that. And she was using that knowledge now to her and this VIP’s advantage. She and the almighty pain in my ass Zeus were asking me to think of the submissive as mine for the night. If I took this on, tonight would not be about relaxing or finding release, but about protecting what was mine. My fingers twitched and I swirled the whiskey in my glass around, staring into the amber depths of it.
“You don’t have to do this,” I told myself. I hadn’t taken a job in years. This wouldn't be the same as it had been when I was working to go legitimate. I knew that. But a job was still a job, and that’s what this was. I tossed back half the contents of my whiskey glass and lifted the lid on the platter to see a dish of pasta with red sauce, a steak sat on another plate alongside fresh bread and a side dish of salad, and I hummed in approval. At least I wouldn’t be going hungry if I stayed.
“You can leave,” I said, even as I already knew what I was going to do. I closed my eyes briefly and tossed back the rest of the contents of my glass before I rolled the cart towards the dining room. The familiar adrenaline that had always accompanied a job that I took was already surging through me, the high of it reminding me that even if I had talked myself into accepting boardroom conferences and multi-million dollar deals as substitutes, there was nothing like this.
This reminded me I was alive. The unknown, the thrill of that had my heart thudding in my chest, blood pumping through my veins like a damn freight train. Connie had played her hand right.
I was taking the job.
Whatever Zeus was willing to offer me had better fucking be worth it.
Chapter Fourteen
HONEY
The fruit had been delicious even if I’d stained my jeans by way of an errant pomegranate seed that had fallen between me and the chaise lounge cushion I’d been laying on. It had stained the damn pristine cushion as well. Fuck.
I’d flipped the cushion and made a hasty exit from the balcony, content to pretend that I hadn’t been the culprit even though the suite and every single thing in it was perfectly kept. There really wouldn’t be any hiding that I’d been the one to make a mess, but I figured a pomegranate stain was small potatoes to Connie and Zeus.
“She has to be Zeus,” I whispered even though there was no one else in the room. Until I saw the both of them together, Connie and Zeus, I wasn’t going to think any differently on the matter. It would make sense that Connie was Zeus—she’d been the one to personally tell Christian to fuck off, after all. She wouldn’t like knowing her order had been defied. But her concern went deeper than that, or at least I thought so.
Connie was formidable but I’d seen how she treated club members she had no invested interest in. Impersonal. Detached. Polite? Of course. Civil and professional? Always. But with no more personality than if they were getting checked in for a dentist appointment.
I set the platter down in the sink, rinsing it and drying it, my thoughts wandering. I remembered the heat of Connie’s skin against my hand. The low sound of her chuckle, the way she’d practically had me begging her to touch me.
Connie liked me.
I wouldn’t be in this room if she didn’t.
The almost...the almost, I frowned, walking from the kitchen and into the bedroom. What the fuck had that even been in the hall? The almost seduction? The unspoken offer from Connie to be the one I chose tonight.
I flushed and licked my lips. I hadn’t thought she’d noticed me like that, but now that I knew I couldn't shake the knowledge. It was a heady thing to be wanted by a person like Connie. She was a switch, but her tastes leaned far more towards Dominant. I’d seen her with her ex-lover, an idiot model that had somehow charmed her. But the relationship had been fleeting, coming and going as quickly as an early morning frost. Connie was highly selective in her partners. To be chosen by her was a mark of pride among the submissives and I only knew one or two that had enjoyed the privilege of it. There was no mistaking the fondness in their eyes when the woman entered the room, face impassive until it landed on one of them and she smiled. When Connie smiled it had the power to warm the entire room, the focus of her expression transforming into the personification of joy and desire.
On the nights that Connie smiled at a submissive was the night they became the most sought after partner in the club. Everyone wanted to know what it was that had pulled Connie towards them, everyone wanted a taste of it, even if it was second hand. I was flattered she’d shown interest in me, even if it made me nervous. Even if I knew better than to play around with a woman like that.
Christian is here tonight.
I sucked in a deep breath and held it tight. I counted to ten and then slowly let it out before doing it again. I’d picked up breathing exercises to keep myself calm after Christian had stalked me. The anxiety of those months had grown until nothing it seemed could bring me back down. Nothing really had, not until Connie had interfered and Christian had disappeared altogether.
And now he was here and I was fucking doing breathing exercises like I was practicing for Lamaze.
I let out my last breath and balled my hands into fists by my sides. “I’m not going to let him ruin this for me. You’ll be protected,” I reminded myself. “Connie said so,” I added, hoping it would give me the confidence I needed. The truth was I was shaking like a leaf, even if I had the protection of the club to make sure I was safe tonight. I held out my hand and grimaced, seeing my fingers trembling. It was going to take me seeing Christian for this to wear off. Otherwise I would be jittery and anxious in the lead up to it.
“Find him first thing,” I ordered myself, crossing the room to the closet where I had stored my things. “Rip the bandaid off as fast as you can. And when you see he’s nothing to be scared of, you’ll relax.”
Maybe it was all in my head. Maybe I had made Christian out to be worse than he was, I tried to reason with myself while I got ready, shaking out the curls I had made earlier and brushing them into something softer. Maybe Christian wouldn’t even take notice of me if he was there with someone else. I couldn’t imagine he would set foot in the club otherwise. He wouldn't risk the embarrassment after the last time. I dressed in the gown I had packed and smiled, feeling it’s silky fabric swishing around my legs as I walked into the bathroom to apply my makeup.
I would go with drama. Tons of drama. Smoky eyes, false eyelashes, thick eyeliner, contouring to accentuate my already high cheekbones. A bold red lip that would say ‘fuck you’ to any and all that glanced my way. Not that I needed to say it to many people, just one in particular. Just one asshole I wished had never been a part of my life.
Maybe tonight will be good.Maybe, maybe, maybe...
I rolled my eyes at my reflection and focused on my makeup. I knew all the maybe’s in the world were really just wishful thinking.
Your boundaries will be enforced.
