Guard (The Underground Book 3) (20 page)

The look on his face made it so worth it. If he wanted to spank her again, bring it on. She’d never been hornier than while he’d swatted her ass.

A slow smile curved up his lips. “Fine. Brat. But don’t be surprised if I tie you to the chair like that and tease the hell out of your nipples and pussy for hours for insubordination.”

She gasped. He would do that.

He turned around to tend to the sandwiches again, lifting them onto plates as he continued speaking. “Spanking will never be an effective way to punish you, sweet girl. But trust me when I say I can tease you to the edge of sanity for so long you’ll shed tears, begging me to let you come.”

Dammit. Had she gone too far? Would it backfire on her?

She intended to give as good as she got, but maybe her plan was a bad one.

As he turned around with plates in hand, she sat up straighter. Just as she was about to swing one leg over the chair and sit in it normally, he stopped her. “Nope. You’re good. Stay like this.” He lifted the entire seat and spun it around with her in it until she faced the plate of food. The back of the chair rested against the table.

What were his intentions?

He wouldn’t really tie her to the chair now, would he?

He lowered his hand down her back and pressed above her ass. “Scoot forward more. Spread your legs wider.”

She did as he instructed, knowing the tables were turning. This was his gig now, not hers.

He pointed at the sandwich and apple wedges. “Eat.”

Even considering how hungry she was, she didn’t think she could swallow. Her hand shook as she reached for a slice of apple.

Mikhail lowered into the chair next to her and took a huge bite out of one of the two sandwiches on his plate. “If you want a shower before Belinda gets here this evening, I suggest you eat now.”

The sun was high in the sky. It wasn’t as though she couldn’t manage to eat and shower, no matter how long it took her.

He wiped his mouth with a napkin and shot her a look.

She gulped and reached for the bottle of water, lowering her gaze. How did he humble her so quickly?

“You’re gonna keep my cock hard all day every day, aren’t you?”

His cock? What about her pussy?

“I’m trying to figure out exactly what you need.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, not lifting her gaze.

“You’re so submissive. I knew it from the start, but I didn’t realize you would be
this
submissive. You’re testing me, trying to see what I’ll do if you’re disobedient. It’s hot as hell.” He adjusted his cock inside his briefs. He was totally erect, and she licked her lips.

“I’m not testing you.”

“Really?”

Well, maybe he was right. “Okay, a little.”

“Uh-huh. A lot.” He smirked and leaned forward. “Keep it up. It’s fun watching you falter when I call your bluff.”

She reached for her sandwich, determined to fake like he wasn’t making her pussy leak onto the chair. She was spread so wide, all modesty was out the door.

Mikhail finished his food first, kissed her forehead as he stood, and headed for the dishwasher.

She stuffed the rest of her sandwich and apples in her mouth, tasting nothing, and then eased off the chair. Her thighs hurt from being spread so wide. It unnerved her that she’d been in a submissive role for so long. Hours. A day. It felt weird. “I’m gonna shower,” she muttered, inching toward the hallway.

“’K.” Mikhail grabbed her plate from the table.

She paused to watch him, thinking how ironic it was he was handling all the domestic duties while she was submitting to him.

He lifted his face. “Hey, shave. Everything. I know I said you could leave a strip, but I changed my mind. I want to see you bare.”

She couldn’t move. Everything? That would leave her feeling extremely naked.

He smirked and shook his head. “It’s just hair. It’ll grow back fast. If I change my mind, you’ll have a strip back in days.”

If
he
changes his mind…

She shuddered as she left the kitchen. It had nothing to do with the hair or lack thereof. Her concern revolved entirely around the way she let him control her. What would he do if she didn’t follow his orders?

She stepped into the bathroom on silent feet, shut the door, and flipped on the water. As she waited for it to heat up, she stared at herself in the mirror. Who was this woman facing her?

Her cheeks were flushed. Her hair was a messy disaster on top of her head. Her breasts were high and tight, her nipples puckered. She was horny and confused and distracted.

And she was about to shave her pussy clean for the man in the other room.

∙
•
∙

Mikhail loaded the dishwasher and turned it on. He wiped down the counter and the table next, still steady as a cucumber.

But the second he heard the shower door open and close, indicating she’d entered, he lowered himself onto the couch and leaned back to stare at the ceiling.

Holy mother. Haley Sullivan was like a dream come true.

He couldn’t stop smiling. It was difficult to keep a straight face while she was in the room, but he didn’t attempt it now that she was gone. Watching her sass him, even though she did so mostly with her actions, amazed him.

And it shocked her too.

But she kept at it.

As a submissive, she was going to be a handful. She most certainly did not leave it in the bedroom. Not that he wanted her to, but he was surprised how easily she slipped into the role and hadn’t really left it for a single minute since he’d first set her sweet ass on the kitchen table last night.

He ran his hands over the top of his spiked hair and took a deep breath. He needed to keep his head on straight or one or both of them was going to get killed. Trapped in the apartment, they were undoubtedly safe, but if they left to go somewhere and she teased him like she had all day…

Shit.

And her girlfriend was coming over. The place wasn’t large enough for him to truly hide and give them space. He’d heard Haley speaking to Belinda. She never once mentioned to her friend she was seeing someone, let alone that he would be present all evening, lurking in the corner somewhere.

His phone rang. He pushed off the couch and headed for the kitchen counter where it sat.

Taylor Brown
. The FBI agent.

“Hey.”

“You haven’t left the apartment today,” Taylor pointed out.

“I’m aware of that.” Mikhail chuckled.

“You in for the night?”

“Yeah. Haley has a friend coming over.” He wandered back to the couch and plopped down.

“Okay. I’m gonna let the detail on you two know. One woman coming over. No one else should be coming or going.”

“Correct.”

“Her friend is a woman, right?”

“Yes. Belinda something.”

“Got it.” There was a hesitation. “You and Haley, are you in a relationship with each other?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes.”

“Totally my business, Dudko. I need to know the stakes. Every time one of you guys is supposed to be watching a woman, you end up in her bed. It’s important I know how firmly your head is in the game and how important the subject is to you.”

“My head is totally on straight, and Haley is the highest priority. If anything happens to her…” He closed his eyes, swallowing the fear.

“Okay. Stay in touch. Let me know what’s on the docket for tomorrow.”

“Will do.” He ended the call and set the phone on the coffee table.

The shower was no longer running.

»»•««

Anton stepped up next to Jorge where he sat in the middle of the lab leaning over a microscope.

After a few seconds, he lifted his face and smiled. “Hey, boss.”

“Number Seventeen is still alive?”

“Yep. His blood work looks just like Number Thirteen’s, the woman.”

“So you don’t think it has anything to do with her being a woman?”

“Nope. Not likely.” Jorge pushed away from the desk and faced Anton more fully. “Though I sure would like to get my hands on that woman to see if there have been any changes and run some more tests.”

“I’m working on it.”

“Did you find a way to test our theory and move her into the next phase without her knowledge?”

“Yep.” Anton rarely smiled, but he did now. “It’s not as good as having her here on the premises, but it’s a fair alternative in the meantime.”

Jorge lifted an eyebrow. “You think you can get her back?”

“Oh, I know I can. It’s just a matter of time. The government can’t possibly allocate the resources to guard her forever. As soon as the FBI gets lax, she’s mine.”

“What about the Russian guy staying with her? Has he left yet?”

“No. But that’s only a matter of time too. No two people can remain attached at the hip forever.”

Jorge smiled. “You have some huge
cojones
, man.”

“Yeah, well, I’d like to bring in those fighters too.” Fuck those bastards for thinking they could simply walk away, move to Chicago, and get another agent. Anton taught them everything they knew. He practically raised them. Even though they’d been adults when he brought them over, they had no life experiences, no skills. No money. He’d like nothing more than to show them who’s boss.

Jorge shook his head. “You don’t need them.” He pointed at his computer. “I have everything I need right here. Enough data it would take years to go through it all. There haven’t been any changes over the years. Every sample is the same.”

Jorge didn’t get it. And Anton wasn’t about to explain it to him.

Jorge continued, “The reason this process is taking so long is because I have to weed through all this information. Eventually I’ll find something that stands out. Answers.”

“It’s not about their usefulness to the project at this point. It’s about teaching them a lesson.”

Jorge smiled and then shrugged. “Suit yourself. But don’t bring them in on my account. The girl, yes. The men, I don’t need.”

Anton stared into space for a moment. Maybe he couldn’t easily get Number Thirteen back in his grasp, but he hoped to accomplish the same results without ever getting near her. There was no reason she needed to be brought to his lab. He intended to test the bitch from inside her apartment without her knowing. At least initiate phase two. He wasn’t giving up on the idea of getting her back, but time was of the essence.

He smiled.

“Boss?”

“Yeah?”

“You were lost for a second.”

“Yeah. Thinking.” Anton turned around without another word. He needed to check on the other side of his operation.

He crossed the room until he came to a door on the far side past the lab and the patient rooms.

As soon as he opened it, the smell of rotten eggs and cat piss forced him to cover his nose. He angled for the foreman of this end of operations, hoping to check in and get the hell out of there before his clothes started to stink.

Rocky was a tall, skinny, balding man who had been down on his luck when Anton met him three months ago. He had a master’s degree in chemistry but no job.

He was perfect for what Anton needed.

“How’s it going?” Anton asked him as he approached.

“Excellent. You’ll be pleased.”

“You still running the same smuggling line?”

“So far. It hasn’t been compromised, so why fix what isn’t broken?” Rocky glanced down at the clipboard he held. “Got two shipments going out tonight and one tomorrow.”

“And you’re sure no one can trace anything back to this location?”

“Not a chance. We’re clean.”

“Good. Give me an update after the trucks leave later.”

“Will do.”

There was a ton of money to be made from meth. A shit ton. And Anton raked it in in droves, but that business wasn’t his main concern. It was simply a side gig to keep him in the cash flow he needed to run the other side of this lab.

Haley was a nervous wreck as seven o’clock approached. She couldn’t imagine spending an evening with Belinda while Mikhail was also in her space. Why had she agreed to this plan?

Oh, right. Because she’d spoken to Belinda before she started sleeping with Mikhail. It had seemed rather harmless yesterday.

This evening she was not so sure.

And the words she’d heard Mikhail speak into the phone kept repeating themselves in her head, over and over. “Haley is the highest priority. If anything happens to her…”

At least she didn’t have to worry about how he felt about her, but she did have to worry about who he’d been speaking to and what sort of threat the person had inferred.

Mikhail came up to her where she stood at the living room window staring out at nothing. He wrapped his arms around her middle and kissed her neck. “You’ve been awfully quiet this afternoon.”

“Thinking.”
Worrying
.

“About what?”

“Everything.”

“You freaked out about us and how fast we moved forward?”

She shook her head and leaned it against him, hoping to reassure him it had nothing to do with him. Maybe it should. But it didn’t. “No. I probably should be, but I’m not.”

“You’re safe in here, you know.”

“Do I?”

He held her closer. “I want you to feel safe with me.”

“I feel as safe as reasonably possible.”

“We need to talk about us. You’ve kinda shut me out.”

“What about us?” She stiffened. She did
not
need a relationship status discussion right now.

“I don’t want you to feel like you have to submit to me all the time. It’s not like that. I know I said I can be pretty dominant, even outside the bedroom, but it’s not a twenty-four-seven thing. I’m taking my clues from you.”

She exhaled slowly and closed her eyes, leaning into his embrace. “I don’t know what’s happening to me.”

“Relax. Take a step back. Breathe. Belinda will be here any minute. I’ll hide out in your bedroom and give you some space.”

“No. That’s crazy. You don’t have to do that. Besides, Belinda’s going to love you. She’ll be too curious to let you leave the room. She’ll have a million questions. And shit. How will we answer them?” She twisted her neck to look up at him.