Jess
Gabi tossed a bag towards me when she entered the hotel room. “Here,” she said. “I picked up a new outfit for you to wear when you and Thorn go to the national headquarters.”
I blinked down at the bag, looking back and forth between it and her. “Why?” I asked.
She rolled her eyes a little. “Because you still want to look sexy, of course, but you also don't want to look like a whore. You need to look like someone that Thorn would be interested in...”
“Good point.” I bent down and grabbed the bag, moving with it into the bathroom to get changed.
“How did the package delivery go yesterday?” Thorn asked as I retreated.
I flicked on the bathroom fan so I wouldn't have to hear the rest of that conversation. The less I knew about the package delivery, the better, I figured. I pulled on the gauzy, button-down white shirt and the skimpy black skirt and stared at myself in the mirror. Even without the hair and makeup, I was practically unrecognizable. But I looked good. I was actually pretty happy with the way I looked in my reflection, and it made me think that maybe when I got back home, it would be time for a bit of a makeover. Maybe that would introduce a little spontaneity into my life, without it being so much spontaneity that my life was in danger like it was now.
“Give me one last run-down of the plan so I can make sure we're on the same page,” Thorn demanded as I walked out of the bathroom. I felt a little disappointed at his lack of reaction to my clothes, but I dutifully opened my mouth to recite the plan for the umpteenth time.
“We're going to watch the place until we see Silas and Rian, and then you and I are going to walk in together. Once we get past all the security mechanisms, we'll split up—you'll leave me in the lounge while you go looking around. Silas will leave Rian in one of the lounges while he goes into one of the other lounges to talk with his guys. I'll find him there and ask to talk to him in private. I'll keep him distracted while you find Rian and get her out of there. She'll go with Gabi in Gabi's car. I'll break off my meeting with Silas and meet you back in the second room from the entrance. We'll get on your bike, and off we'll go.”
Thorn nodded approvingly. “Just make sure that when you're talking to Silas–”
“Thorn,” I interrupted, giving him a look, “I know. You have to trust me when I say I know.”
Thorn smiled a little sheepishly at me. “I know you know,” he said. “I just want to make sure that–”
“I know,” I interrupted again, shaking my head. I sat down on the edge of the bed. “Well, Gabi? You going to do my makeup or what?”
It was all false bravado, though. This had kind of been my plan — the whole idea of distracting Silas with his sexuality and all of that. But that didn't mean it wasn't nerve-wracking to put the plan into action.
As we walked into the national headquarters — which honestly looked just like any other office building, just with more security measures at the entrance — my grip on Thorn's arm was tight, and not just because Gabi had put me in spiky heeled shoes for this excursion. I swallowed and looked around.
“Relax,” Thorn muttered under his breath. “You look suspicious, turning your head left and right like that.”
I blushed a little and obediently calmed down my gaze a little bit. Thorn greeted a few people, clearly having met them the previous day when he'd come to do reconnaissance. When we reached the lounge where we would split up, he leaned in and kissed me, his lips lingering against my skin.
“I'll meet you soon,” he murmured. I watched him leave the room, walking casually as though he had every right to be there. Which I supposed he did; I was the only non-biker here.
I rocked back and forth on my toes and heels a few times, counting to ten in my head so that Thorn would have ample time to get away from there. Then, I started off down the hall, peeking into room after room in an attempt to spot Silas's dark head.
Finally, I found him in a heated conversation with two other people. I took a deep breath and then strode into the room, trying to emulate Thorn's careless nonchalance.
All three of them turned to stare at me as I walked in. I feigned embarrassment and back towards the door again. “I'm sorry,” I said, putting a hand over my mouth. “I didn't mean to interrupt.”
“Yes, you did,” Silas said, grinning dangerously at me. He came towards me, eyeing me from head to toe. “But you're a pretty little thing, so I guess I can forgive you. What can I help you with?”
I blushed and ducked my head when he called me 'pretty', doing my best to act the naïve and demure female. It wasn't too difficult since it was basically how I normally acted. “I was looking for you, actually. You're Silas, right?” I slid my eyes over to the others, as though I didn't want to be overheard by them. I bit my lower lip.
“Gentlemen, would you leave us alone for a minute?” Silas asked his lackeys. The others exchanged a glance, but they were grinning, and they didn't seem to think this behavior was abnormal.
After a moment, it was just Silas and I alone in there. I boldly walked closer to him, making sure to sway my hips a little as I went. “I've heard things,” I told him. “I've heard that you're absolutely ... domineering in bed. And I need someone who's going to take charge of me, someone who can discipline me. I'm a very naughty girl.”
Silas raised an eyebrow at me, but I could tell that I had piqued his interest. Indeed, he grabbed me and pulled me close to him, a hand coming around to squeeze my ass. I fought down an indignant squeak and reminded myself that this was what I wanted from him right now.
“I work down on Sierra Street sometimes,” I lied. “The girls down there said that you sometimes go down there looking for companionship—but no one's seen you lately.”
“I've been busy,” Silas said, shrugging a little. His eyes narrowed. “I haven't seen you down there before. And how did you manage to get in here?”
“I've got a friend with the Sigma Saints,” I said, shrugging a little. “And I was just so desperate to meet you, to let you have me...” The words were sickening as they fell from my mouth, but I could tell he was buying every line of it, and I was grateful for that.
Or at least, his hands were still roaming interestedly over my skin, grabbing and pinching at will.
The thing was, I could tell that his hands were talented, and as the callused fingers smoothed across my bare skin, I couldn't help shuddering a little. He certainly wasn't an unpleasant man to have to try to seduce. He was definitely easy on the eyes…
“I want you to take me right here,” I whispered boldly, leaning in to say the words against the skin of his jawline. “I'm so wet for you, I'm so—”
“Uh, sir?” a man said at the doorway.
Silas pulled away from me with a growl, fixing an angry look on the man. “What?” he snapped.
The man cleared his throat. “Rian—”
“What has that dumb girl done now?”
“Well, she's… She's gone, sir. Someone has broken into your personal harem and...”
Silas's face began to purple. He looked positively livid, and it was lucky for me that looks couldn't kill. Otherwise, I would have been dead on the floor already. I watched him with bated breath, hoping beyond hope that he would just decide he needed to look into this and leave me there on my own. I could only hope that I had bought Thorn and Rian enough time that they had managed to get themselves out of there. Maybe I should stall longer…?
I put a hand on Silas's chest, pouting a little. “Baby, I've waited so long to meet you, and—”
Silas pushed my hands off him, giving me a withering look. “I have more important things to do right now,” he said. “I—” But then suddenly, something in his look changed, and he grabbed my hair, pulling my face in close to his. “Did you have something to do with this?” he growled. “It seems too perfect for you to arrive here and come to distract me just when someone else is breaking into my harem and stealing one of my women...”
“I don't know what you're talking about,” I lied, but I knew that my erratic breathing was probably giving it all away.
Silas scowled down at me, tightening his grip on my hair. “Oh really?” he asked.
I swallowed hard, feeling tears prick the corners of my eyes. I was beginning to get the sinking feeling that I probably would not be meeting Thorn at our arranged meeting point on time. And I had no idea what I was supposed to do then.