Page 21 of Dagger in the Sea

I’d ignored it at the time; that tug deep inside as I thrust the knife into her tormentor’s neck that afternoon. It had been sharp, that tug. Made me blink, take a breath. Satisfaction. Justice. Full circle. Definitely a good deed.

I had his body trashed in the dumpster at the motel because I wanted the animal’s ugly demise heralded on the news—I wantedherto know. Serena had left Chicago behind, but wherever she was, I wanted her to know that I’d done this for her. To know that beyond a doubt she was finally safe.

“What would you like me to do for you tonight?” my fake Serena whispered from the bed, snapping me back to reality.

Serena certainly hadn’t said that to me that night on the floor. She’d been angry, angry in her pleasure, cold, distant, but I hadn’t cared one damned bit. I was getting what I wanted, wasn’t I?

I yanked on the zipper of the bag the girl had brought, yanking away those memories. “Get on your knees.”

She folded herself into position immediately, and I found what I wanted in the bag.

“Is that for me?” she asked, plucking at her nipples.

What a quick learner.

She bit her lip, one hand slowly stroking the inside of a thigh. My cock stiffened at her words, at that soft pliant voice delighted for my direction, those eyes inviting more of whatever the fuck I wanted, those strokes preparing the way for me.

Sell the fantasy. Sell, I’m buying.

I tapped the side of her cheek with the leather crop, and her lips parted.

“Tonight, I want to break that fucking headboard.” I swatted the side of her tit with the crop, and she let out a small gasp. I swatted her nipple. Again. Harder. I slid the crop between her legs. Back and forth, back and forth. She lifted her hips, planting her hands behind her on the mattress. Her breath shorted as her eyes followed the crop trailing up her torso, fluttering around her tits, skimming up her throat, across her lips. She took it in her mouth.

“Yeah.”

We broke the fucking headboard.

7

Turo

“Excuse me. Hey.”

Something tapped on my shoulder. I forced one eye open, blinking up at her.

The girl had settled on the edge of the bed. “Are we finished now?”

“What?” My eyes were bleary from sleep, my limbs aching from the alcohol and so much feral activity. “You have a date or something?” I said, turning over on my back, rubbing my face.

“Actually, yeah I do. With my boyfriend. I need to go home, clean up and get ready.”

Everyone was in a relationship, for fuck’s sake.

“I don’t mean any disrespect by asking,” she said, a finger rubbing the edges of her very swollen lips.

“None taken.”

“I wasn’t scheduled for tonight, but I’m glad it worked out.”

Twisting over on the bed, I opened my night stand drawer and tossed her a tight, crisp roll of five one hundred dollar bills. “Here.”

“Gosh, thank you, but Tricia’s paying me for this. She said—”

“This is from me. You did well. Keep it up.”

Her face brightened. “Okay, great. Thanks.” She scooted off the mattress. “Have a good rest of your evening.”

She dressed quickly in the living room where she’d taken off her clothes. Naked, I saw her to the door, pulling it open for her. Another figure stood in my private hallway, filling the shadows with his aroma of cigar smoke and anger.

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