Jake
I scanned the horizon from my driver’s seat. Nothing but grassy paddocks and a few lines of trees. Exactly what my team wanted from their rental property. No neighbors. No witnesses to their movements except some birds flying to the creek that trickled a few hundred yards behind the brown brick ranch house. We’d left any kind of main road thirty minutes ago. It was all back country lanes here, including the two mile private road I drove over as we approached the large ranch house.
Getting the right location to base ourselves during this mission hadn’t been hard. With enough money and the right connections, a person could obtain whatever they wanted, no questions asked.
The reminder of any lack of questions had me glancing to my right. The little waitress had been quiet. Too quiet. Her gaze was fixed out the window. Was she trying to memorize every part of the journey to make her escape? Any attempt would be in vain, but it was the stiff line of her shoulders and the way she leaned away from me in her seat that made me clench my jaw.
Fear. She feared me.
Fuck. I should be happy. Fear would encourage her to obey me and not try something stupid.
But the protective side of me wanted to reassure her like some fucking knight in shining armor. Back at her piss-weak cousin’s house, I’d stated I wouldn’t hurt her. Christ, what a joke. In her shoes, I wouldn’t believe me either.
The SUV shuddered as I drove over the cow grate between the private road and the driveway. Charlotte adjusted herself in her seat, her arms still cuffed behind her.
Seeing her there, cuffed, had blood rushing to my cock. Bondage and domination were my kinks. I liked a woman tied for my—and her—pleasure. The way Charlotte had earlier kept testing the hold of the cuffs and twisting in the passenger seat made me want to burn the miles, get her home, and teach the sweet-looking woman all the filthy things I’d do to make her beg for my cock.
Maintaining the discipline needed for me to get the mission done and also secure her to me in all the ways I wanted would be a fine balancing act. But first priority was keeping her safe.
Part of achieving that was establishing who was in charge. That lesson, although begun earlier, was due for reinforcement now.
I parked the SUV in front of the ranch house and a couple of minutes later had Charlotte sitting on a chair in the kitchen. The wooden spindles that formed the back of the chair suited my plan nicely.
I turned on the house AC as my guest glanced around the room, likely noting the seventies décor of burnt orange cabinetry and old appliances, plus the wooden table and chairs. The bare bones needed to feed people and store food. What she couldn’t see was the alarm system we’d rigged up, nor the locks attached to each of the windows. The latter had been done in the two hours after my team and I had rushed home from the diner to put my updated plans for Charlotte into action.
I moved behind Charlotte to one of the kitchen drawers that held handcuffs, tape, rope and other items I might need at any time. Call it all those years as a SEAL, but I liked being prepared no matter what part of the house I was in. Besides, if in an emergency I needed to secure the little waitress more stringently, wasting precious time to run back to the bedroom for supplies wasn’t an option.
“Look, uh, Jake…” Charlotte began, glancing back over her shoulder at me. “Can we set some ground rules?”
“You read my thoughts, sweetness.” I pulled out a spare set of cuffs from the drawer, noting the widening of her eyes as I walked over. Without pausing, I attached one cuff around a wooden spindle on the chair’s back and then locked the other metal ring around chain at the middle of her cuffs, making it impossible for the little waitress to get up out of the chair if I left the room.
I sat down and pulled a stunned Charlotte close, chair and all, so she was between my legs. Leaning in, I spread my hands over her thighs, reinforcing both her helplessness and purposely crowding her space.
Touching her, feeling the warmth of her skin was a nice side benefit. I tightened my grip, noting her slight shiver. From fear? No, her gaze was more wary, her slight frown indicating confusion more than anything else.
“The house is wired with an alarm, plus there’s hidden cameras in some places.”
Her gaze darted to the high corners of the room. In truth, only the living room and the outside had cameras, which were monitored by my team. But she didn’t need to know that.
Nor did she need to know that, this afternoon, the guys had moved out of here and into the bunk-house located a hundred yards to the west of the house.
I squeezed her thighs, immediately reclaiming her attention.
“There is nowhere you can hide, Charlotte.”
She swallowed, the full enormity of her lack of power hitting her. “You don’t need to use handcuffs.”
“I know.” Slowly, I let my fingertips trail over her thighs to her knees as I leaned back in my chair. “But I want to, and this week is all about what I want and you obeying me.”
There. Right there. That quick intake of breath. The way her eyes widened.
Now she fully understood.
“I…” She licked her lips. “I didn’t… You said you wouldn’t hurt me. But I didn’t agree to”—she tugged on the cuffs—“this!”
With a fingertip, I drew tiny circles over the soft skin above her knee. “You’re not here against your will. Say the word and you can leave any time.”
Her jaw dropped. “How can I? You’ll hurt Wyatt.”
Time for some honesty. “And? You owe him nothing. You could have walked away back at his house and left that piece of shit to his fate.” I let the words sink in for a second. “But you chose to come with me. Maybe there’s a part of you that wanted to be here even if the idea scares you.” Rising from the chair, I gently pushed back a wave of hair that had now fallen over her face. The blonde strands were silky to my touch. Twisting them in my hand, I tugged hard, forcing her head back. She caught her breath, but the kicker was the way her pupils dilated at my rough hold. Fucking gorgeous. “I’ll let you think on that while I get your bags and fix us some dinner.”
Why not add something extra to her deliberations?
I bent down and captured her mouth with mine, hard enough to force her lips apart and push my tongue inside. It wasn’t a polite kiss. I was branding her in a way that went deeper than marking her skin.
Right when I felt her relax into the kiss I lifted my head.
Leaving her wanting more was key to forcing Charlotte to question whether she really wanted to leave.
As I walked down the hallway to the front door, I heard the clink of the cuffs. No doubt the little blonde was testing her bonds. Good. She’d have even more chance to get used to restraints over the next seven days.
Once Charlotte’s gear was stored in the main bedroom, I rustled up turkey and cheese sandwiches and glasses of iced tea for both of us. Not the fanciest of dinners, but one that would do for tonight. Setting the meals down on the table, I released her from her cuffs, noting the way she rubbed her wrists.
I silently cursed at the faint red marks that ringed her wrists. But metal cuffs worked when a guy was in a hurry. In the future, I’d have time to plan the stages where I would introduce her to my brand of kink.
Right now, I wanted to get to know Charlotte. After a phone call to my boss, Lance, I’d received an email detailing all the updated intel on my target. But I wanted to hear the story from her lips.
“Why were you living with your cousin? Your accent says you’re not from Texas.” I picked up one half of my sandwich and took a bite.
Charlotte stared at me a second before reaching for her glass of iced tea. A delaying tactic. No problem. I could be patient.
When it suited me.
“I’m from Chicago. I moved here after…” She glanced to the side. More avoidance. “…the lease was up on my apartment. Seemed a time for a change.”
I nodded, hiding the fact I knew she was lying. No mention of the death of her mother? Too personal to share with me, a man she probably saw as a threat? Or would it reveal too much pain? “How long have you been here?”
“Three weeks.”
I took another bite of my sandwich, and she reached for her own.
Good, she was letting down her guard, even if she wasn’t aware.
“What about you?” she asked.
I lifted a brow in silent question.
“Your accent isn’t Texan either.”
“I’m from Philadelphia.” That much was true. I didn’t want to give her the standard cover story I used when on a mission. Hell, I wanted to claim her fully and then see her sitting across from me at breakfast long into the future.
Starting off with lies, even small ones, wasn’t ideal. But until the guys and I finished this job, the safety of all us outweighed my urge to share all about me.
The finer details of my life would remain hidden for now, but there was plenty I could divulge. Anything I did share would be used to gain more of her trust.
“Big change, Chicago to a small town in Texas. I’d have thought there were more interesting places to try than Longreach.” I sipped my iced tea, before adding, “I guess having family here was the deciding factor.” The only family she now had according to the information Lance had emailed.
Her laugh was without any humor. “Look how that turned out.” She tossed her half eaten sandwich on her plate. “I would have been better staying in Chicago.” Reaching again for her iced tea, she asked, “Do you have family?”
“My parents died when I was in my late teens.” Hell, if you could call them parents. Hank and Brenda Carter. Most of the time they were drunk or arguing during the rare times they were both sober. “Car accident. Hit a tree while speeding.” And drunk. Thankfully, nobody else had been killed along with them. “I didn’t have any siblings.”
Not until I joined the military. Then I found the brothers I’d always wished for.
Charlotte sat back in her chair, her gaze watchful. “Do you play poker professionally? Is that how you support yourself?”
She wanted to know more about me? I’d take this as a good sign.
“No, I just enjoy the game.” Winning at cards was the one skill my deadbeat dad had taught me, making me the natural choice to hook Wyatt. Getting up from the table, I took my empty plate and her discarded sandwich to the sink and cleaned up. “I have a property portfolio that pays the bills.”
Also in part the truth. Living on base and not having any dependents had meant more disposable income for many on the team. Ryder’s dad was a financial guru, and he’d helped us invest our money with spectacular results.
I leaned back against the kitchen counter and studied Charlotte. The emotional and stressful end to her day showed in the slump of her shoulders and the lack of spark in her gaze. “How about a shower and some sleep?”
“I…” She blinked. “You’re going to let me sleep?” Once the words were out, she closed her eyes and cursed. “I mean, I didn’t expect—”
“You thought I’d attack you as soon as you walked into a bedroom?”
Her assumption was fair enough considering I purposely hadn’t spelled out what would happen on our first night, or any of the next seven for that matter.
“I’m not going to force you, Charlotte. But I’m no fucking Boy Scout either.”
Which left her up in the air and that suited me fine. I wrapped my hand around her arm, pulled her up from her chair and led her down the wide hallway to the master bedroom.
“You’ll sleep in here.” I nodded toward the California king sized bed. The house came furnished in a mix of country style designs. This room was outfitted with pine nightstands and a matching large dresser. A large built-in wardrobe was empty. All my clothes took up one drawer of the dresser. Besides the Sig Sauer strapped to my ankle, there were various other weapons hidden around the house.
Items that killed the enemy were my idea of essential packing.
“I’m guessing you’d like a shower. Your duffel’s in there.” I waved at the door of the master bathroom on our left. “Locks are on the windows, and like I said earlier, the place is wired, so any attempt to sneak out would end in tears.”
“But I’m your guest, remember?” Her saccharine sweet smile wouldn’t fool a blind man. Not with that sarcastic tone.
My hand itched to warm her backside, but no doubt she’d earn a punishment soon enough. “You can leave anytime you want, Charlotte.”
“Then why the warning?”
“You’re miles from any passing traffic. Attempting to get that far would be dangerous. There’s wild boar roaming this land. I don’t want you taking stupid risks with your safety.” I glanced toward the bathroom. “Go have your shower.”
With no valid argument against being gouged by a wild boar, she hustled into the bathroom.
As the door closed, I was certain of one thing. Charlotte would be thinking all kinds of ways she could fix everything for her cousin and still get her cute little ass out of this house.
And I am just as determined to keep her here.