“I can’t tell Bl—John much, either, but I’ll try. He’s hardheaded to a fault.” Jesus, she’d nearly blown it! For all that Nicole seemed nice and Emma liked her, this woman could be her enemy. The thought that they might find out about her and Blaze had her breaking into a cold sweat.
“A regular alpha male, huh?”
“Down to his DNA. But he’s got a mushy heart, too. It’s in the little things he does, like his concern for others, how he helps everyone he can. How he always shows me how much he loves me, not just telling me.”
“You’ve got it bad, like me.” Nicole grinned. “A toast to good men who happen to be hot.”
They toasted, and Emma started to giggle, completely unaware that they had company until fingers grazed the back of her neck and she started, ready to defend herself against some fool who wanted to get frisky. Instead, she saw with relief that Blaze and Lan were standing behind their stools, looking amused.
“You two are getting pretty chummy over here,” Lan teased. “Is this a hen party, or can the roosters play, too?”
“Hmm. Depends on how the
cock
is willing to play,” Nicole quipped. “Naughty or nice?”
The men laughed, and Blaze elbowed Lan. “I think our ladies have had too much time on their hands, sitting over here drinking and getting full of themselves. What do you think?”
“I believe you’re right, my new friend. I think it’s time to remind our beauties who their masters are, employ a bit of discipline. What do you think?”
“The best idea I’ve heard all day,” Blaze said, leering at Emma like a hungry wolf. “Do you want to get rooms in the back?”
Emma’s nipples perked under his attention, knowing she was in for it tonight.
“I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t you both come with us to my house, join us for a nightcap?” Lan suggested. “Then we can go from there.”
“We’d love to, thank you,” Blaze said, accepting for them both. He appeared excited by the prospect, and not simply because it was a good idea to get inside one of the investors’ homes and look for clues.
No, she had a feeling his reasons were far more carnal in nature and would involve getting naked as soon as possible. She had to admit the prospect of playing with the gorgeous couple revved her libido into overdrive.
“Follow us, then. It’s not too far from here.” With a wink, Lan helped Nicole from her stool and laid an arm protectively about her shoulders, leading her toward the exit.
Blaze took Emma’s hand and tugged her along, outside and to the car. Once safely buckled in and on the road, Emma turned to him.
“Kosta! What a chauvinist pig, sending us off with a pat on our heads while the ‘big men’ discussed business. Boy, that tweaks my titties!”
He snorted. “I’ll be the judge of that.” At her murderous glare, he relented. “Sorry, baby. He’s an arrogant prick, I agree. But remember, we’re in his camp, so we play by his rules. For now.”
“I know. Give me the rundown. Your impressions?” The recap was as much for Ozzie and Willis, who were listening as always.
“He and Meyer were talking up their plan to start an arena football team, which is going to require millions. Strangely enough, I’m leaning toward that one being on the level.” He entered the freeway behind Lan as he continued. “The other is investing in coffee and soybeans. After the glamorous lure of being a team owner, I think the boring product investment is a clever scam.”
“That would make sense. When the coffee beans and soybeans don’t pan out and the football team does, their mark will be so dazzled he won’t care. Hell, if he has that much money, he won’t miss it and might even make some off the team eventually.”
“In which case they hit him up to invest in something else. After all, they’ve gained his confidence, and he’ll be willing to shell out more. They get to keep the symbiotic relationship going without the mark getting suspicious for years, if ever.”
“And meanwhile, they’re funneling the mark’s ‘bad investment’ into the Liberation terrorists’ fund. Damn, they’re good.”
“Yes, they are.”
“I think Lan is innocent, Blaze,” she said earnestly. “Every instinct is screaming that this man is a mark, not their partner, and has no idea about the Liberation group.”
“I agree.” He fell silent for a moment. “What about Nicole? Where do you believe she fits in?”
“I’m not sure, but unless she’s a really good actress, she loathes Kosta and Meyer by her own admission and doesn’t want Lan having anything to do with them. But she claims she can’t stop him from doing what he wants.”
“Well, she can’t really, if his mind is made up.”
“Yes, but there’s more—I feel it. There’s more to her than meets the eye, but I don’t get the sense that she’s dirty. She loves Lan to distraction . . . the way I love you.”
He shot her a smile and squeezed her hand. “You hear that, boys? Weep into your beer. She’s mine.”
Good grief, she couldn’t get used to having an audience and looked forward to the day they could ditch the minicams. On that day, she planned to run naked through the house and drive Blaze wild.
Moments later, they left the freeway and took the same exit as the one they used to return to the house they’d moved into temporarily.
“Hey, their neighborhood is close to ours,” he observed.
The words gave her a tiny thrill. Would there ever be a real neighborhood that was theirs, together? When this was over, would he ask her to move in with him, or vice versa?
God, she longed to share her life with him completely. Without barriers.
But that was another issue for another day.
At the moment, they had inroads to forge.
And pleasures to explore.
Fourteen
“W
e have a new
investor
, Mr. Dietz,”Kosta informed him. “A man named John Chase, self-made. Not quite as wealthy as some marks, but he’ll fatten the Liberation’s coffers nicely.”
Dietz’s fingers gripped the phone as he imagined it was Kosta’s throat. “You’re getting careless, Augustine, speaking too freely of details over the phone.”
“I’m careful,” the man replied coolly. “I’ve never failed you before.”
“As evidenced by the fact that you’re still alive. No one fails me a second time.” A pause ensued on the other end, and Dietz snapped, “What is it?”
“This man, Chase ...”
“Yes? What of him, dammit?”
“He checks out, but his appearance is almost too neat. Still, I approached him, not the other way around,” he added thoughtfully.
“Then dig further.” God, he was surrounded by imbeciles today. “Do I have to come there and wipe your ass as well?”
Kosta’s answer was low and pissed. “Of course not. I’ll look into it more, and if I come up with anything you’ll be the first to know.”
“Good. Now, go do your job.”
He hung up on Kosta, wondering if the man had almost outlived his usefulness. He was ruthless but also a bit impulsive. He wasn’t quite as emotionless as his partner, Meyer.
Yes, perhaps when the timing was right, Meyer would deserve a promotion. His first task would be to see that Ross was put in his grave once and for all—if Ross survived his wounds.
Until then, he had a forest fire to put out in his dealings with some very angry and impatient foreign terrorists whose leader didn’t understand that one didn’t just haul a weapon of mass destruction down the highway like a load of chickens.
Plans must be firmed up for moving it swiftly. Smuggling it out of the country would be the real challenge.
And if they failed, every one of them, to a man, would be executed for treason.
Off the record and unbeknownst to the American people, sheep to their own government, the wolf.
There was an irony in there somewhere for one who cared to search.
With a deep sigh, he picked up the phone.
Emma’s eyes bugged as Blaze turned into Lan’s driveway. “Holy shit! Does this guy rob banks for a living? This mansion is three of the one we’re staying in!”
Blaze barked a short laugh. “No kidding. And it’s just him and Nicole living here, from what I’ve gathered. They must need walkietalkies or cell phones if they need to talk when they’re across the house from each other.”
“I’ll bet it has an intercom system.”
“Probably.” Parking, he shut off the ignition. “Ready? We don’t have to socialize if you don’t want. I can make our excuses and we can go.”
“Is that what you want? To leave?” Lord, she hoped not.
“No, but only if you want to stay. You’re what’s most important. Don’t forget that.”
“You’re too sweet.” She gave him a quick kiss. “But I want to stay. I’ll confess I’m so hot and bothered I could combust just thinking about the juicy possibilities tonight.”
Groaning, he moved her hand to cover the hard rod pulsing in his leathers. “You’re not the only one. I think if you’d refused my prick would’ve died of strangulation.”
“Not happening. Besides, you would’ve jumped me as soon as we got home, anyway.”
“I still might.”
They got out of the car and met the other couple on the wide porch. Lan stepped to the massive door, unlocked it, and let them in, then trotted off, supposedly to turn off the alarm. In a moment the high-pitched whistle was silenced.
While they waited Nicole ushered them into the spacious living room. “Come, sit down. Something from the wet bar, perhaps?”
“I wouldn’t mind a glass of white wine, since I didn’t get to finish mine before our men dragged us away.” She returned the other woman’s smile.
“Coming up. I believe I’ll replace that whiskey I was enjoying.”
“Same for me,” Blaze said. “On the rocks.”
Lan returned holding a brown bottle. “I’ve got beer.” He stopped and nuzzled Nicole’s neck. “Thanks for taking care of our guests, sweetheart.”
“My pleasure.”
Lan helped his lady pass out the drinks, and then they sat close on one end of a sofa while Emma and Blaze took a seat on a smaller matching sofa, facing them. The seconds ticked, and she worried things were about to get awkward. Fortunately, Blaze spurred the conversation.
“How long have you two been into the lifestyle?”
Lan dove into what was obviously a favorite subject. “I’ve been a Dom for years, but Nicole is new to the scene. We’ve been together for a few months, and she recently moved in with me, making us official, I guess you could say. I’m the luckiest man on earth.” He beamed at her, and she returned the happiness.
But not before Emma caught a flash of something in her brown eyes. Guilt? Maybe she’d imagined it.
“Brandi is new, too,” Blaze said, hugging her shoulders. He wove a tale, mingling fact with fiction. “We had a falling-out when she found out I was into D/s, but we reconciled, and she decided to give it a try. We married a month ago, and I’ve done my best to make her happy.”
“You have and you do,” she assured him. “Being a sub is nothing like people think. I’ve discovered that the stigma attached to D/s is highly unfair and inaccurate.”
“Sad, but true,” Lan put in. “And most people are unwilling to give it a chance and to change their thinking. I’m glad you found your way.”
“Me, too.”
Lan pinned Blaze with those lovely turquoise eyes. “I have to ask this, and please don’t get offended, but . . . do you enjoy ménage? Do you share your subs?”
Emma gave her lover’s lap a covert glance to find that he was harder than ever. The answer was plain for all to see, but he spoke all the same. She knew her master would want the rules clarified, leaving nothing to chance, and she was right.
“I enjoy ménage, and in the past I’ve allowed another master to top my sub. However, with my wife I have a slightly revised, simple ground rule—I’m the only one who breaches her with my cock. Should we trade subs, you, for example, may pleasure her or have her pleasure you in any way you see fit except that. You can’t fuck her.”