Double the Price (SeXlection #2) (15 page)

“We’re going to need more security for tomorrow,” Craig mumbled as he handed me yet another stack of them he’d swiped from the guards at the front door. “They’re so focused on keeping people not on the guest list out that they’re barely getting a chance to watch the ocelots.”

“How many fake IDs can seriously be left in all of the Hamptons?” I bitched, feeling a migraine coming on. “I mean, I have a huge box locked up in the safe already! And tomorrow you would think there would be more adults here down from the city that would make their teenagers not want to risk trying to get in.” I gestured around the party. “Because I might not go to a lot of parties out here, but come
on
, this is a hit.”

“Yeah, it’s a hit,” he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head as he watched Mario dancing with three women by the pool, loving the attention. People were swimming, drinking, dancing, playing at other activities inside—
all
having a good time. And more importantly, no one had really left since arriving so that was the sign of a good party. “Which is why we need more security. We don’t know what else tomorrow could bring. I heard lots of people saying their spouses were coming or they invited friends.”

“I didn’t tell anyone they could
invite
or
bring
people,” I snarled quietly.

“Welcome to the Hamptons.” Craig shrugged and grabbed us a few fancy shooters as Darcio walked by with a tray of them.

Fuck!
We tossed them back and hustled to our next tasks. Nice that I would get to even enjoy my own party that was costing me an arm and a leg—that would probably end up with me arrested for severe fire code violations. Great, just great.

8 Cecil

Friday night had been almost a test run for Saturday, and while it had been a lot harder than what we’d planned for, it had also showed us where we needed to work on things so it was one of those blessings in disguise. But honestly, after Friday, I just wanted to take the rest of the weekend off.

“You okay?” Neil asked me Saturday morning as I tried to make him coffee with my eyes still closed.

“I will be if you promise we get to come away for an extended weekend and
actually
enjoy this awesome house this summer,” I muttered before yawning.

“I second that sentiment,” Anatoliy grumbled as he plopped down at the counter. “I thought Russians could party, but you Americans keep up with us and are crazy. If I caught one more teenager trying to sneak over a fence, I was going to call some friends at the FSB to fly in and help.”

“Might not have been a bad idea,” Craig chuckled, clapping the man on the back. “They were persistent little shits. Too bad we couldn’t have them all arrested.”

“Yeah, that would have made me
really
popular,” Neil quipped. Maybe it would have been the right thing to do, but he did plan on having conversations with all the parents of the kids whose IDs he’d snagged. We’d gotten their real names, threatening to call the police instead of telling their parents later if they didn’t fess up, cross checking that they lived in the Hamptons and the whole nine yards.

I agreed with him on letting their parents deal with that shit.

“I know, I know, but one kid came back
three times
. Where did he get all those IDs? Someone’s gotta be printing them here.”

“Bring that up with the local DA when he shows up tonight and score some points there,” Neil suggested as I poured us all coffee when it was ready. Then I handed out mugs. “And yes, I promise, next month, we’ll have a blowout just for our regular group and have some real fun, not this craziness.”

That seemed to give everyone another round of energy reserves from somewhere. By the time the festivities started up again at noon for brunch by the pool, we were ready, and good thing Neil had called in extra security and food because there were
way
more people there than invited.

Way
more. Like twice as many. The plus one of a spouse or lover turned into a few friends and Neil would look like a jerk if he turned them away at the door. He did outline certain rules that he was firm on no matter who was the guest and everyone agreed to them before he allowed them in.

But I found out after nightfall that teenagers weren’t the only people trying to sneak into the party and some had found a way. I was walking back to Neil’s room to clean up after
entertaining
a couple while my master had watched from across the pool. I shivered as I thought back to the heat in his eyes. Damn he’d been so into it that I could only picture the fun we were going to have that night.

“So you’re Neil’s little slave whore,” a man greeted as he stepped out of the shadows at the end of the hallway when I was midway down it.

“Also known as Cecil,” I drawled. I realized my mistake when I saw he had two friends and the man’s eyes flared with anger at the way I talked to him, so I tried to quickly cover it up. “Would you like to speak to my master, sir? He’s by the pool.”

“No, I would not,” he chuckled as he moved closer fast. “I think I’d like to talk to you first.” He grabbed me around the waist and dragged me against his body. “So this is what Neil can afford with his new life, huh? Hot little pieces of ass like you?”

“Sir, my master prefers sharing me with his friends in front of him.”

“I’m sure he does.” He tried to kiss me but I started struggling. “A whore that doesn’t listen?”

“I’m an ocelot. There are things I can only do with my master! I have orders to only please others in front of him.”

“He’s not here, cat. You do as
I
say.” He tried to kiss me again but I bit him. “Ow! You fucking slut.” He backhanded me, and I tasted blood in my mouth as it felt almost as if my eye was popping out of its socket. “I was going to be nice with you but now I’m not. Neil and I are old friends and we share everything.”

“Not me,” I insisted as I tried to pull away, careful to keep within the rules of the law so none of this could fall back on Neil. “Not like this.”

He turned me around and pulled off the towel I’d tucked around my waist as I felt him undo his fly. I wanted to curse for not having yanked back on my swim shorts. It wouldn’t have been much protection but something would have been better right then.

“Help! Neil!”
I screamed when it sank in this was really going to happen.

“Shove your cock in his mouth and shut him up,” the guy snarled as he clapped his hand over my lips harder than needed. “You bite
him
and I will snap this pretty little neck, you understand?” I gave the barest of nods. “Good, cat.”

Tears burned in my eyes as the other guy unzipped his jeans in front of me as the first’s dick rubbed against my naked ass. Never had I felt like this in my whole life—used, helpless. I might have been a slave, but I liked sex too and the fun of the dance, the flirting, the pleasing, this was just—violence.

“What the
fuck
is going on here?” Neil growled from behind the guy about to stuff his dick in my mouth. “Get away from Cecil or I will cut off whatever you stick in him.” The guy in front of me stepped aside and zipped up his pants, backing his leader. Neil’s eyes went wide with recognition. “What are you doing here, Tommy? When did you get out?”

“A while back. I must have missed the cookies and letters you sent me,” Tommy taunted as he rubbed his hand over my ass, ignoring the growing crowd. “I’ll just take my fun out on your whore here as a sign you missed me.”

“I didn’t. Get your hands off Cecil.” Neil’s gaze darted to me as if wondering something. I didn’t know what he was telling me… But I guess Craig did.

“The law prevents him from hurting a human without his master’s permission,” Craig muttered under his breath so Tommy couldn’t hear.

But I could.

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Neil growled. “Cecil, in front of all these witnesses, I give you whatever goddamn permission needed to protect yourself from this asshole and get away—”

That was all I needed. I threw my head back in his face as I kicked my heel into his intimate parts. He immediately dropped me and I launched myself into Neil’s waiting arms.

“You crazy law-abiding fool,” he whispered against my hair before pushing me behind him. “Tommy, leave now. You were never my friend and you sure as fuck aren’t welcome here now.”

Tommy was still cursing as he fixed his pants and then I heard the clicking of the gun before the humans could have when he reached behind him. I knew what to do though because I also had a better sense of smell. I reached into Neil’s pocket and took out the remote for the shifters collars. I hit the button to deactivate them and looked at Mario and Lev.

“Do it,” I ordered them, showing them I had the remote. They both nodded and turned into
massive
tigers. Then I slid the remote in Neil’s hands as if he’d been the one to make the move, letting him see it in my eyes what I’d just done. “Trust them.”

“I trust you,” he muttered before focusing on Tommy. “Don’t do something stupid. I’ve been better to these cats than most humans all their lives. They’ll protect my guests. Leave and take your goons, Tommy.”

As if to prove Neil’s point, Mario snarled loudly and took position in front of us along with Lev—as other cats did as well, figuring out their collars were off.

And one was a lion. A
huge fucking lion
. Wow.

“You were always so
stupid
, Neil,” Tommy hissed, taking a step back from the cats. He raised the gun at Neil and the lion roared loud enough that I was sure everyone’s ears in the house hurt. He lowered the gun, but didn’t release the hammer or put the safety back on. “All you had to do was watch the corner. That was all you were supposed to do.”

“I
did
! Until I found out it was because you were
stealing cars
, you jackass,” Neil bellowed. “We were kids, Tommy. You kept me safe in high school so bullies like you didn’t beat me up for being a dork who got good grades. That didn’t mean I was going to help you commit
crimes
! You told me you were hooking up with girls and to watch out for their parents. That’s what friends do. Not watch out for the cops while you steal
cars
.”

“So you roll on me when you find out. What a pussy!”

Neil slammed his fist into the wall, startling some of his guests and then pointing at Tommy. “I had a scholarship to fucking
Harvard
on the line. You weren’t worth that. We both came from nothing, Tommy. I worked my ass off to change that. You
stole
and got caught. That’s no one’s fault but your own. I sleep just fine with the choices I’ve made and I don’t regret turning you in. You shouldn’t have lied to me! I would never have gotten involved and you
knew
that or you wouldn’t have lied to me.”

“I’m sure you sleep just fine with a bought
slave
,” he threw back, sneering as he glanced between us. “How much did it cost to
sleep
so well?”

“He rejected you so you know it’s not all about money,” Neil chuckled. “Cecil’s my
mate
and we live inside the law but that doesn’t change that I
love him
and he loves me.”

My head snapped up to look at Neil so fast I almost fell over.

“You love a
slave
. Wow, your parents really did a number on you, Neil.”

“They did, but I got over it and learned to accept someone’s love anyway. You should get over your own parent’s scars left on you. Turning into your father has worked out so well for you? How’s the coke business?”

“So you
did
know I was out.” He took a step forward, but Mario growled and so did the lion, pushing the human back. “It’s good. Better than what you’re making I’m sure. I could afford a hundred of these slaves like you have.”

“I don’t own these ones,” Neil chuckled, gesturing to the shifted animals. “They’re here working the party. I arranged that so they’re not slaves for a weekend. That’s why they’re protecting me and my guests. We see them as
people
. They’d never respect you like that.” I heard his heart rate pick up and worried what he was going to do next. “Then again, I guess you could bring in some better stock on your boat. That’s how you move your drugs, right?”

“They do have some really excellent shifters down in Mexico,” Tommy agreed, nodding slightly. “They could probably fit in the smuggling chamber with the drugs if they don’t die off the fumes.”

“Is that enough District Attorney?” Neil muttered, glancing over his shoulder.

“Oh yeah,” the man chuckled. “Nicely done, Mr. Morgan. Let’s give the police some room.”

“Please call off your cats, Mr. Morgan,” one Hamptons policeman muttered as he moved up by us. Tommy went pale and went raise his arm again, but Mario snapped at him and Tommy dropped the weapon. Then he moved back slightly so the police could do their thing.

“You always were so
stupid
,” Neil hissed to Tommy as they dragged away the man and his two cohorts.