Chapter Seven

Teegan unzipped yet another dress and tossed it on top of the pile of clothes on the bed. Why did she care what he thought anyway? She was certain he wasn’t obsessing over what to wear. When you looked like you belonged on the cover of GQ, you didn’t have to care what anyone thought of you. She was sure he had no problem drawing women like bees to honey.

She finally decided on a white shirt with snug jeans and heels. It was her ‘go to’ outfit when she didn’t know what to wear. She applied a light lip gloss and mascara, and then set out to meet the man that might just hold her future in his hands. She had broken the law by trying to stalk him via his computer. If she pissed him off, there was nothing stopping him from getting that information into the wrong hands. She just wanted to live a quiet life; she didn’t want any trouble.

She took one last look around her kitchen before she left. She was obsessive when it came to the place being clean. The last thing she wanted to do was come home to a mess or a sink full of dirty dishes. After confirming that all was well, she shut the door and turned the deadbolt. As she strode to her car, she reminded herself that she really needed to get an alarm company to come out and install a security system for her.

She pushed the button on her key fob and unlocked the door to her white SUV. It was her pride and joy. As soon as she put the vehicle in gear the doors automatically locked, securing her from the outside world.

Fifteen minutes later she was downtown and pulling up to the hip little coffee shop that catered to Louisville’s college students, yuppies, and businesspeople alike. Free Wi-Fi and the best lattes in town drew in the masses. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

She felt him before she saw him. Going purely on instinct, she slowly turned her gaze to the right and was greeted by cold blue eyes. He let his insolent gaze travel the length of her, taking his time as he lingered shamelessly on the soft curves that intrigued him the most.

“I took the liberty of ordering for you.” He stood and remained standing until she had lowered herself into the seat across from him. Great, a serial killer with manners.

She looked down, slack-jawed, at the frothy chocolaty concoction and the double fudge chocolate chip muffin. How the hell did he know her favorite items on the menu?

“Okaaay…I see you know more about me than I do you.” She forced herself to meet his gaze, knowing instinctively not to show him any hint of fear.

“Not from a lack of trying, eh, Miss Crugar? Your curiosity is endearing, to say the least. Quite the risktaker, I see. I wonder, how far would you go if someone really tested your limits? Do your abilities extend only to your computer stunts, or do you have other, more intriguing skills?” He raised a sardonic brow. “You do realize it’s against the law to attempt attaching spyware to someone’s computer. I could press charges against you for attempting to gather information about my family business.”

“We both know that’s not what I was trying to do!” Her oversized coffee cup rattled in the saucer. She released her grip and placed her hands flat on the table.

The smirk on his face was infuriating and she wanted nothing more than to smack it off. He was dressed simply in a button-down striped shirt, blue jeans, and Italian leather shoes that probably cost more than she made in a month.

He leaned in. The look in his eyes sent chills up her spine as he growled, “Let me tell you something, little girl. I don’t know what your game is, but you work for me now.”

“Excuse me!?”

“You heard me. I’ll put your ass under the jail if you don’t do exactly what I tell you to.”

“Let me get this straight. You’ve been up to God only knows what in this town, and you’re blackmailing me?” she asked, horrified at the thought and wishing she had stayed home.

“You’re damn straight, I am. You wanted me? You got me. You fucked with the wrong guy when you came after me with your spyware and your ridiculous attempt to be my pen pal. I’ve got money and connections you could only dream of, and I won’t tolerate anyone trying to control me.”

“Yet, that’s what you’re trying to do to me.”

“I’m not trying to do anything. It’s done.”

“You’re doing what?”

“Anything. I. Want. You really don’t get it, do you?” he asked as he leaned back in his chair. “You belong to me now. Every inch of you.”

A battle of wills ensued and she looked away first, gulping audibly as she scowled and tried to think her way out of the situation. Okay, maybe she needed to go about this differently. She took a sip of her coffee, leaving a trace of froth on her upper lip. He leaned over and wiped it off with his thumb, then licked it off his finger with a flick of his tongue. His gaze shifted down to her breasts and he drawled, “I’ve got all kinds of things planned for you, little girl.”

When a blast of heat shot down between her legs, his nostrils flared and his gaze drifted lower as if he somehow knew. He ran his bottom lip between his teeth and spoke his next words so softly she almost didn’t hear him. “You might find you like me more than you think if you give me a chance.”

“I hate you right now!” she hissed, glancing over her shoulder to see if anyone noticed.

“Good, you’re a hellcat, I can tell. I do love a good fight.” His eyes narrowed as a slow smile tilted his lips. “Ah, even better. From where I’m sitting, you have a secret yearning to be taken. You crave a show of strength. You are desperate to be conquered.”

“I am not desperate, and I have no intention of having anything to do with you physically,” she sputtered with another look over her shoulder.

“You don’t have a choice. Really, what part of blackmail don’t you understand, sweetheart?”

“How. Dare. You.” This guy couldn’t be serious.

He leaned in once again speaking so low she had to really listen. “Here’s the thing, Miss Crugar. I don’t have the time or the patience for dating and since you’ve made yourself so readily available by wanting an up-close-and-personal look into my lifestyle, I’m going to give it to you. All good things come at a cost, of course. You’re going to work for me, play with me, and do any damn thing I demand of you.”

He tossed a business card onto the table. “I expect you to be at this address by six o’clock tonight. Alone. You will be dressed formally for dinner. You would do well not to disappoint me or underestimate me.”

She watched in disbelief as he stood and stepped around the table toward her. He lifted a strand of her glossy black hair between his fingers and admired how it caught the light. That slow smile reappeared, and in the next instant he leaned down and grabbed a handful of her hair, flicking his wrist twice to tightly wrap the strands around his hand. With a hard yank, he tugged her head back as far as it would go, ignoring her gasp of fear. As he leaned over her, a bystander could have been forgiven for assuming he was about to kiss her goodbye, but that wasn’t his plan at all. He brushed the side of his nose along her jaw, then laved the delicate column of her neck with his tongue as a low purr of approval escaped his lips. “Your neck is so soft and delicate. It would surely break with no effort at all.”

Unexpectedly, he bit down on the side of her neck, hard enough to leave a pink impression of his teeth. Teegan groaned low even as she squeezed her thighs together, desperate to not cry out at the confusing sensations that flooded her core. He stood but still didn’t release her hair, instead using it to tug her head to the side so he could admire his handiwork. Another lazy smile, then, “Have a good day, Teegan.”

She raised her hand to her neck as she watched him walk away, too shocked to say a word. As her fingertips traced the faint impressions of his teeth along her skin, she couldn’t help but notice that every other woman was equally enthralled with the sight of him as he stepped onto the sidewalk before the door closed behind him.

He couldn’t be serious. He’d done everything but come right out and tell her he was going to use her sexually and bend her to his will in whatever way struck his sick fancy. No…that couldn’t be what he meant. Surely not. He could have any woman he wanted. He would have no need to blackmail someone for sex. What if he was some weirdo that got off on shit like that?

Maybe he was just angry because she tried to spy on him and he was just trying to scare her. That had to be it. No biggie. She could handle him. She’d just go over there and apologize and make sure he understood this was all a big mistake on her part. She’d stay for dinner and cleverly ask him questions about his unconventional lifestyle, he’d forgive her, and then she’d go home. Simple. Nothing she couldn’t handle. She’d just need to swallow her pride, that was all.

How in the hell had he known she’d attempted to install spyware on his computer in the first place?! Perhaps he had some firewall or some cutting-edge digital scanning software that had alerted him someone was attempting to hack into his computer. When she’d persuaded one of her geeky college friends to do it, he’d used her computer and it had led Thomas Wentworth right back to her. Damn it.

She could understand him being angry. She just needed to admit she was wrong and try to explain to him why she did it. Surely he’d understand. She’d do just about anything for the sake of research for her writing. Maybe he’d just see her as an overzealous writer and they could just put this nightmare behind them and get on with their individual lives. She wouldn’t go to the police with her suspicions about who he was. They’d just think she was crazy anyway.

But what did he want from her? She laughed at herself and rolled her eyes as she sipped at her tepid coffee. What he wanted was to have her under his control. Why was beyond her. Maybe he just felt the need to keep an eye on her.

He sure didn’t look like a serial killer. If he was it must be easy for him to lure prey to his evil lair with his good looks. She laughed at that image in her head, then abruptly sobered. Was she really going to the house of a murderer tonight? Was she going on some kind of crazy date with a serial killer? The thought scared her and thrilled her at the same time.

She pushed the coffee cup and saucer aside. What the hell was wrong with her? She had gone well out of her way to play with fire and now it was too late to undo her own undoing.