Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Tru

D ressed in my bright red long skirt with a slit up to my hip and my black leather corset that doubled as a bulletproof vest, I heard the swoosh of the email come in from headquarters. I couldn’t wait to get out of this tiny ass smelly van. Ronin and Hal were serious slobs, and I didn’t know how Charlie stood it. She was our driver and aggressively organized. In fact, I would say it was beyond obsessive. I mean, the woman alphabetized the stuff in her glove box.

I wonder what the closets in her house look like.

“You almost ready?” Hal said to me as he adjusted the camera on one of Ronin’s buttons.

“Yep.” As I opened the email. “Just…one more second.”

“She’s ready.” Ronin’s hand slid over my shoulder. “We’ve practiced being comfortable with each other’s touch all week.” He trickled his fingertips up the side of my cheek. Feeling his breath close to my ear, he said, “What’s your safe word?”

Okay, that was way too sexy for my liking.

“Oh shut up, you perv. You just liked our ‘spanking practice play’ a bit more than you’re willing to admit, Ro.” I glared up at him. Dammit. He needed to be out of my personal space…like right now.

“Hah! I think it’s the other way around.” Ronin nudged my shin with the tip of his boot, and his smile was a bit too knowing.

Thankfully, the computer dinged, and I pulled out of my staring match with him. The fingerprint from the glass I’d taken from Ari’s kitchen showed up as a match. The man on my screen was Corbin, but his name was Mark Whitman, and ‘Mark’ had a rap sheet a mile long.

“Look at this,” I said, tapping the screen. “Here are the cartel ties we were looking for from our last case.”

Ronin and Hal leaned in to peer at the line I was pointing at in the email.

“Damn…” Hal whistled between his teeth.

“You were right, Tru.” Ronin nodded his head. “So let’s go get the bastard.”

“I’m ready when you two are,” Charlie said, still looking forward out of the front window.

I swear everyone who passed her when we walked on the street or down the hall at the office gave her a wide berth. It wasn’t because she was a large woman. She was barely over five feet tall, with this perfect petite frame and long blonde hair. Charlie simply exuded this ‘don’t fuck with me’ energy, or it was the way she dressed. She had been mistaken for a secret service agent and a mafia boss, but she seemed to revel in the comparisons.

“I’m ready,” I said, standing, my skirt falling to the floor.

Ronin’s eyes raked over my body, and the grin that spread across Hal’s face said all I needed to know. I was going to fit in just fine at the kink club.

“I have your masks required for the event,” Charlie said, peering back at us in the rearview mirror. “Tru, I must say that dress is killer.”

Instant warmth spread across my face, especially around my cheeks. “Thank you.”

She responded with a single nod and glanced away, but I caught a small smile on her perfect pout. Charlie was ridiculously gorgeous, so much so that she made me blush.

Ronin pushed open the back van door, jumping down. I had to admit his ass looked great in the black leather pants he wore. His leather boots hit the ground, and he quickly spun around, reaching his hand up for me to grasp.

Dammit, he was too handsome. The man drove me crazy at times, and he was a great partner. But I’d never given myself the freedom to take him in as a man. He was gorgeous with his black hair and bright green eyes. His six-foot frame was fit and would make any navy seal jealous. He was all male. The man even smelled good—woodsy with a hint of something dark and dangerous.

Okay, I might be in a bit of trouble.

Glancing down at my three-inch heels, I knew there was no way I was going to be able to jump out of the van.

“I gotcha, Skydancer,” Ronin said, reaching up and wrapping his hands around my waist.

He lifted me as if I weighed nothing and set me down on the ground like I was a jewel to be cherished. A knowing grin crossed his face, and I smiled back.

“Huh?” Hal said, and we both glanced up at him.

“What?” Ronin countered.

“Nothin’ man. Just never thought of you two…you know…”

“Us two…what?” I turned, feeling defiant even though I knew exactly what Hal meant, and this shit needed to stop. Now.

Purposefully, I moved quickly across the street to the black Mercedes waiting for us. The sound of the driver’s side van door opening and shutting hit my ears, with Charlie’s footsteps following quickly after me.

She stopped before me, pulling the shades she wore, night or day, off her face. Opening a white box that could fit a fancy hat, she pulled out a beautiful red Venetian-style mask that would cover my eyes and wrap around the right side of my face in a lovely swirl. The top part sparkled, and it wasn’t from glitter.

“Geez-us, are those real diamonds?”

“Yes, I believe so.” Charlie’s tone was softer than usual. “May I?”

She held the mask toward me, and I nodded, leaning forward.

Her hands, which were her most lethal weapon, looked delicate at this moment. After some minor adjustments, she smiled at me, her whole face lighting up.

“Very nice,” she said, leaning back just enough to peer up at me.

“Really?”

“Yes. Look for yourself,” she said, tapping the side mirror on the driver’s side of the car. Bending over, I found my mask.

Oh wow.

Charlie was right. It was more than nice. I was sexy, felt sexy…and it had been a hot minute since I’d felt this way.

“My god…” The sound of Ronin’s voice caught me off guard. “Tru, I, uh…you’re stunning.”

I rolled my eyes as if to check him, but really, I was checking myself. Clearing my throat, I felt the blush begin to creep up again. “Thank you.”

Charlie walked around the car and opened the back door behind the driver’s seat. Stepping past Ronin, I slid my body slowly into the back seat.

I was in so much trouble.

Five minutes later, we pulled up in front of the play space. It was an old Victorian house that had been converted into “Le Petit Espace,” which was an ironic name for the place because the house was anything but small inside.

As we stepped into the entrance, I was shocked to see how every nook and cranny had been turned into a space for some hedonistic, kinky endeavor. Out of all of Corbin’s awful qualities as a human, he had one thing going for him—he had good taste. There were candelabras everywhere, lush, purple, and red velvet wallpaper, vaulted ceilings, and dark jewel-toned plush furniture sprinkled around the space to observe the play scenes.

A large whip crashed to my right, making me jump. A naked woman let out a husky, sexy moan as the ends of a leather flogger now whipped across her back. She was facing away from us but was chained by her wrists and ankles.

There was not a mark on her skin as the leather strips continued their work in a figure-eight pattern all over her back and bottom. God help me…I wanted to try that Saint Andrew’s Cross and flogger.

“You like that, don’t you?” Ronin’s mask tickled my ear, which made me giggle. Covering my mouth, I peeked over at him.

His eyes were fueled with a lust I did not expect, so I nodded slowly ‘yes’ to answer his question. He wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me to him. He tipped up my chin with his other hand and pressed his lips to mine.

We’d practiced a few kisses yesterday, but this one held heat, and his lips were soft and warm. Our tongues gently met, but the kiss quickly melded into something much hotter than I’d ever felt from him. He turned his head, deepening it—drawing out the heat of it into this wave of passion threatening to topple me over like a damn tidal wave.

Shivers slid down my body all the way into my core. As he abruptly ended the connection, I locked eyes with Ronin, and my heart rate kicked up a few notches.

Fuck! I was not ready for this evening’s events.