Page 25 of Forbidden Desire

“Which may be why you have to blackmail them into sticking around.”

As he’d done before, he tipped his head toward the door without unlocking their gazes. “Walk out,” he said. “You’re no one’s prisoner.”

“If I do that, everyone I care about loses everything.”

“And that’s a reason to sacrifice your freewill?” he asked, skimming his hands onto her waist, boosting her up to sit on his desk.

Her knees parted as he scooped her to the edge. Damn, how did they always end up…? Maybe her signals were the problem. She couldn’t stop stroking him, her hands going higher and higher until they threatened to push his jacket off.

“You gave me no other choice.”

“Is that what you need to believe?”

Maybe. Yes. That was exactly what she needed to believe, even as her fingers interlinked at the back of his neck to guide him closer.

“What is wrong with me?” she whispered, closing her eyes as the dizziness of endorphins loosened her muscles.

His breath stole hers, right there, his lips on the threshold of her mouth. “It tastes good.”

Yes, it did, too good. “I’ll never be able to trust you.”

“I haven’t lied to you yet.”

Her eyes opened to meet his again. “You didn’t tell me you were filming us having sex.”

“That was an omission, not a lie.” And for a man who ate immorality for breakfast, that was an important distinction. “Ask me a question and I will tell you the truth.”

Fighting her primal urges wasn’t easy; she’d never been so overcome. Still, certainty was important.

“Is that a promise?” she asked, still wary, and got a nod. “Are there any cameras or audio equipment recording here or upstairs right now?”

“No.”

“Then how did you—”

“Upstairs are motion activated,” he said. “No one’s up there.”

But if they went up, those cameras would turn on. “I won’t have sex with you wherever there are cameras.”

Why give him more evidence?

“I’ll turn them off,” he said, descending to almost meet her lips again. “If you ask nicely.”

Nicely? She wanted to punch him in the eye.

Biting her tongue, she pushed him back, searching for sincerity. “I don’t want to be filmed or recorded in any way. Can you promise that won’t happen?”

“Not only can I promise it, but I can swear to obliterate any man who tries it.” Tough talk. Shit, she stopped breathing when he leaned in. “McDades have power. We have reach. Being with me comes with benefits, Sersha.” And he didn’t mean in the bedroom. “Do your job right and I might let you take advantage of that. This is real. To anyone outside my circle, we’re legit.” Because he was using her to widen his net of legitimate contacts, she was no fool. “Understand?”

Was that a threat? What did being with a man like him mean? Smiling at him in front of others? Laughing at his jokes… if he made jokes.

“No advantage will save me from your bed, will it?” she asked. “You’ll still expect me to lie on my back for you.”

“I expect a helluva lot more than that.”

“And I’m just supposed to accept your word? How can I accept your word you’re not filming every second we spend together?”

“I’ve got you on the hook. Squirm, baby, makes no difference. I have no reason to lie. The cameras are off ‘cause that’s what I want. If I wanted them on, they’d be on. Ask and I’ll tell you the truth. But I have all the footage I need to tighten your chain.”

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