Destroy Me (2 page)

In the light of day, she failed to understand why she had seen him so devastatingly attractive in such awful circumstances, yet the visions of him in the night had been so real it was like he had been touching her physically; a strange carnal craving for a dangerous man.

Starving hungry having not eaten any dinner last night, she showered and dressed, resolving to go to the cafe a couple of blocks away for a good breakfast.

It wasn’t until she sat down in the cafe, that she realised she didn’t have enough money to buy the breakfast. Humiliated, she quickly left before ordering and walked slowly back home, cursing Mike for the hundredth time in the last few days.

She knew she would have to return to London soon if he didn’t return. She had no legal right to work in this Country, and so couldn’t get a job to support herself, and she couldn’t survive much longer without an income.

She slammed the front door of her apartment shut and paced the lounge.

Damian spent the day in back to back meetings, from the morning until the early part of the evening. Although it was good for business, they often bored him; he yearned for action, missing the adrenaline of his former times.

As the sun started to set, an hour or so early to meet her, he drove through the Capitol to the Club.

Inside, he greeted a couple of other members as he entered, engaging in brief conversations with them. He knew most of the members here, since he had been coming for the last few years, and many of them had served with him at one time or another in the Military, but he opted to sit alone and wait for her, choosing the same table from the night before.

As he sat there, he realised how long it had been since he had sat waiting to meet a woman, not that this was a date of course, but it did make him think about it, given the appeal she held. Though quite plain in her style of dress, her figure average even, up close her features were astonishing. The deepest blue eyes he’d ever seen, capable of luring a man in whilst holding dark and dangerous secrets that he was sure would remain undisclosed. He had been a long time without a woman. He had been alone a long time. For good reason, he reminded himself. The closest thing he had to loyalty, family, was here in this Club and at his office. 

He picked up the newspaper to read, killing time. Occasionally, he looked out of the window to see if he would spot her coming. He found himself staring more out of the window than reading.

In the shadows outside he thought he could see her approaching; just her pale face visible, framed by her long dark hair.

His eyes turned to the entrance of the bar to watch her enter. Dressed in a simple short woollen grey dress down to her knees, he noticed that she was dressed modestly again, and he like the subtlety.

She stood at the threshold of the bar, looking around for him and saw him seated at the same table as the night before. She took that as an ominous sign; like a replay of the previous nights unpleasantness waiting for her.

As she approached him he stood.
“What can I get you to drink?”

“I’m fine, thank you.”
“No, really, I insist; business is always better settled over a drink. Same as last night I presume?”
“Thank you.”

Within moments he returned carrying the drinks.

“So Miss Bailey, what information do you have for me?”
“Mr Lawson, I don’t have any information; as I told you last night. I am merely repeating myself.”
“Stand up.”

“Pardon?”

“I said get up.”

“Why?”

“Stand or I will drag you up, in front of everyone.” His voice was low, but the menace in it was unmistakable.
“Don’t be absurd.”

He was up out of his seat quicker than she would have thought possible. He grabbed hold of her upper arms and pulled her out of the chair.

“Don’t make a sound” he whispered into her ear, “don’t make a scene. It’ll do you no good. We’re just going somewhere a little quieter to have a talk.”

He dragged her bodily out of the bar. She wondered why no–one sought to intervene, but she was in his club, where everyone knew one another; she was the outcast. 

As he pulled her along, she complied with him, walking at his pace, too embarrassed to refuse but furious to be treated as such in so public a way.  At the same time, she was reasoning to herself that this man was a well known figure in Washington and not some common criminal kidnapping her, there was only so far he would go, surely?

He led her by the arm into the lobby, his grip never loosening. He took her up the stairs to the next floor, where on either side were a series of doors.

“You’re hurting me.”

“Nearly there.”

He maintained his grip and his pace. With his free hand he fished into his pocket and retrieved a key. He took her to the farthest door on the left, opened it and pulled her inside. 

She tugged her arm free. “You can get off me now.”

Her eyes blazed at him, rubbing at her arm where he had held her. “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

He backed her hard against the wall, his body pressed against hers, her heart hammering in her chest. He placed his palm directly against her heart, just below her left breast and felt it pumping feverishly.

She could feel his hand hot through her dress. His face so close to hers, she could smell his scent; rich, evocative, raw.

With his other hand, he lifted her hair out of her eyes, with remarkable gentleness.

“I need you to tell me what’s going on.” He voice was almost a whisper. In another situation it would have sounded like an endearment.

“I don’t know.”

His eyes left her face and he stared at the wall for a moment for two, all the while holding her still.

“I don’t think you understand how badly I want to know.”
He looked back at her and now she feared him, yet there was defiance in her eyes, he could see it.

“You’re not going to tell me?”
“I’ve told you.” Her chin had risen and she squared her face to him. “Just do what you want.”
His arm went around the back of her neck and he propelled her forward, directly to the king sized bed.
“Sit down,” he barked at her.

She shouted back at him as she fell on the bed. “I came to you to find him!”
“Listen to me. He has five million dollars of mine. And frankly I’m not very happy about it. He knows I will hunt him down and that he couldn’t take you until the coast is clear.  Does he really think I would be fooled by some innocent looking woman, throwing me a sob story to get me off his scent? Did you help him out with the plan? Did you come up with it together? You used to work in a security company over in London. That’s where you met him. Did you come up with it over there?”

“I was an administrator! That’s all.”

Tara genuinely had no idea what he was talking about.

“Five million?” She said more to herself than him. “My God!”

The silence between them lasted a few moments, Damien glaring at her relentlessly, his hands gripped in fists at his sides, trying to keep his temper in check.

Her mind was whirling. “Hold on. Have you stopped to think his accomplice just might be someone closer to home? He didn’t work alone; you employ security contractors; it could be any one of them.”

The thought had occurred to him, and he had of late engaged in some rather strong armed tactics questioning those who he thought could have done it. He wasn’t popular back at the office anymore. The guys didn’t know who he was going to turn on next. All around him he was looking for the one who had betrayed him. In his mind, he was surrounded by deceit, and it was a lonely place to be. He knew she had a valid point. It only increased the pain he felt, and he knew he wanted to lash out.

“Answer me, Mr Lawson, or I’m walking out of here.”

She wasn’t joking; he could tell by the look on her face. She genuinely didn’t seem to know about the money; or she was the best actress he’d ever seen.

She rose from the bed, but in one stride he was over her, spinning her around and bending her over the bed.

“Get your hands off me!”

She bucked against him, but he just held her down more firmly.

“I don’t think so. You’re brave; I’ll give you that.”

“I’m going to scream for help if you don’t get the hell off.”

“Go ahead, we’re amongst my friends in this place; I don’t think they’re going to come running to help you.”

“You bastard.”

She used her feet to kick back at him. Her teeth found one of his hands and she bit into him, enraged at his treatment of her. He managed to pull his hand away; the urge to belt her around the head so strong that he literally had to count to ten in his head. At number eight he seemed to have made an instinctive but unconscious decision; he raised his right hand and brought it down on her. He spanked her buttocks without restraint; thoroughly, repeatedly. Not viciously, but all the same he found a satisfaction in it. More than a satisfaction, it triggered a sudden overwhelming desire in him to pound her in a different way; to take her hard from behind, between her luscious thighs; the sight of her soft buttocks wobbling under his hand invitingly. He transcended to a need to punish her with his body, abuse her, take her as his; his groin straining hard now, throbbing, desperate to fuck her. He pulled her panties down roughly, pushed her legs open wide, looked down at her exposed and helpless, staring at the red marks on her buttocks, the red lips of her pussy, provoking him in the extreme.

His hand went between her legs, taking hold of her there. Raising his hand he bought it down on her again, this time between her legs, spanking her on her clitoris, repeatedly.

His mind clouding in confusion, he stopped suddenly, shocked at himself. Going into the bathroom quickly, he ran the cold water, scooping it up and throwing it over his face, running his hand through his hair, buying time.

Emerging from the bathroom, he saw her standing by the bed facing him, her hands shaking. Unnerved and frightened though she was, she felt an arousal so strong, from what he had done to her; the most intensely erotic act she’d ever experienced.

The tension between them was thick and tight; his body primed for an action they both knew was wrong, the storm of intent evident in his eyes.

“You’d better leave now. While you still can.”

She didn’t argue. Unremittinglydrawn to him yet threatened by him, she knew she had to go.

Passing members in the lobby, she fled into the cool night air.

What the hell was he thinking? Why had he done that to her? He knew how to interrogate people; he had years of experience doing it, but that wasn’t a method he had used before. In fact, he had never behaved in that kind of way at all, in interrogation or otherwise. But there was something in those eyes of hers that he had never seen before, something he needed but didn’t understand; a stranger that pulled him to her, despite or perhaps because of her treachery. He wanted to keep her there in that room, hold her hostage, lock her in and fuck her senseless.

Chapter Three

Early the next morning, he called his team into his office.
“Eight days have now passed. I don’t need to remind you that heads are going to roll in this place, and I mean that literally, if I don’t get some answers soon.  Mike didn’t do this on his own.”

He thinks he sees betrayal all around him, and yet he knows it does not lie with those in this room.

“I know you are all fully aware of the repercussions.”

Of course they were; they had served in the Special Forces alongside him. They knew him. But he needed to let them know, the situation wasn’t going to go away; it was only going to get worse.

He was close to losing any semblance of calm. He looked over at Todd, a long time comrade who had an even temperament despite being six foot four and built like a house.
“Stay behind will you? The rest of you can go.”

Once the room had cleared, Damien gestured for Todd to take a seat.

“I talked to Mike’s fiancé last night.”

“And?”
“I don’t know...I don’t think she had anything to do with it, but I’m not sure.  At this stage, we need to keep an eye on her still. I’m not ruling her out just yet.  How are the background checks on her in London going?”
“Nothing suspicious has come up at all; still looking.”
“Ok, stay on it will you?”

“Will do.”
“Thanks Todd, I appreciate it.”

“No problem.”

He got up and left the room.

Alone now Damien sat at his desk. He had plainly seen the genuine look of surprise on her face when he had mentioned the money. He knew he didn’t think she had anything to do with it, deep down; he wasn’t one hundred percent certain but pretty close. His mind though was confused by her; his objectivity becoming lost. He wanted her to be guilty, he needed it. He needed to punish her; he needed her physically. He wanted to be deep inside of her, driving her hard until he found the release he had needed for so long. She beguiled him, so composed and beautiful in the heightened chaos of the drama surrounding her and yet so fiery at the same time.

He picked up his cell phone.

“We need to talk. I apologise that things got a little out of hand last night. Meet me at the Club this afternoon, 3pm. There’ll be a lot of people around; there’s a reunion event going on. You will be perfectly safe this time.”

He knew he had much deeper, darker motives but he couldn’t stop himself.

“Ok,” was all he heard her say, her tone of voice unreadable.

He got on with his work, refusing to think about the repercussions of meeting her later.

Hanging up, Tara sat in contemplation. The previous night had been shocking, brutal; yet a forbidden pleasure had arisen from it that she could never have imagined. A strange sensation of attraction to a dark need inside of her she hadn’t known was there. She needed to be in his presence again; she needed his roughness, his command; his touch. Her skin grew hot at the thought of him; of his hands on her, of his body on hers. A powerful compulsion was enthralling her, forcing her to relinquish any logical thought.

Later, as 3pm approached, she walked up the steps of the Club in a short black shift dress, a cardigan over her shoulders. She had a range of emotions inside of her. He would be waiting for her; the force of him unleashed again frightened her, yet she was drawn to him like a willing victim. Besides this, she knew that if she did not show up, he would only track her down. He seemed a man fully capable of getting exactly what he wanted, and as owner of a security company, he had all the resources he needed. She would not escape him.