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The walls are painted a deep gray, the lighting soft. Drawers of toys line the wall under the window: vibrators, anal plugs, warming lube. Items for bondage, cuffs, ribbons, ropes, blindfolds, feathers, and whips and paddles hang from the walls.
Everything and anything I could need or want to pleasure a woman.
Or punish her.
I cup her face in my hand. “When I say don’t run from me, I don’t say it to control you or feed my ego. I say it to keep you safe.”
“Okay.” So enraptured by the room, she’s barely able to make eye contact with me.
“So, stay here. Stay put while I go make some calls.”
She turns her head to look at me, her eyes filled with a mix of fear and longing. “Please, don’t do anything rash. There’s no telling who’s behind this,” she says.
I lean down and kiss her gently, my hands running over her body as I whisper, “I promise I’ll keep everyone involved safe. I just need to know who’s trying to hurt you.”
She nods, her eyes filled with gratitude and concern. “I trust you,” she says, her voice barely audible, but the trust in her tone gives me even more cause to start investigations right now.
Her attention turns back to the toys. I leave her in the office, wide-eyed and virginal as I softly close the door. As much as I want to explore her beautiful body, make her moan with pleasure and a touch of pain, I want her safety ensured more.
I step into the living room where I can have privacy to talk to the security team without her hearing me. I don’t want her more worried than she already is. The thought of her shaking in my office chair, clearly terrified of that black sedan outside her window tugs at my chest.
I call Eli, current head of security in the Village. He picks up on the first ring. “Chief. What’s the word?”
“I need immediate surveillance for a woman named Lily Watkins. Age twenty-two.” I give her address as well as the first and last name of her ex-boyfriend. “There’s been a black sedan, dark windows, casing her apartment. The car is most likely linked to the ex who took off, taking her money with him. She could be in danger.”
Eli immediately gets to work. “Alright. I’ll get a team on it right away. Surveillance on the street, the stairs as well as the hall outside her apartment. I’ll get those plates as soon as possible while I’m having someone do a background on the ex. If anything good pops up, I’ll let you know right away.”
“Thanks, Eli.” Relief fills me, as well as the constant waves of gratitude for my chosen family.
“No problem, brother. I know you’d do the same if it was Charlotte.”
Charlotte is Eli’s wife.
“It’s not like that,” I say. “She’s just an employee I’m looking out for.”
“My apologies, Chief.” Eli sounds like he’s holding back a laugh. “Thought I heard a level of panic in your voice that didn’t match concern for an employee. My mistake. I’ll get my team on it right away.”
“Thanks—”
“But if she’s not someone you’re interested in,” he interrupts, his tone serious, “you’re taking a big risk, bringing someone like her into this family. We’ve had a few issues with your other charity cases. Need I remind you about Dolly, the one with the massive-you-know-whats that started stealing credit card numbers?—”
“I remember,” I reply, interrupting him back. “But Lily isn’t one of them… she’s different.”
I can practically hear Eli raising his brow to me. “Different how?”
“She’s not like the others,” I say finally. “She’s strong. Independent. She might need me like the others, yes, but she has this fire in her, something that draws me to her.”
Eli’s quiet for a moment. Eventually he says, “Well, it seems like you have quite the challenge on your hands then,” he said, his tone teasing.
I smile into the phone. “Challenge accepted.”
Damn Eli and his incredible ability to read people. Makes him great at his job. And a pain in the ass if you want to keep anything personal to yourself. But, God, I’m grateful for him right now. Life is more livable when you know someone has your back.
And I have an entire brotherhood behind me, supporting me.
I return to the office, momentarily stunned by how beautiful, how at home she looks in this room. It was created with someone else in mind. But it’s obvious to me now, this room was meant for her.
Something she mentioned earlier resonates with me; maybe the universe has a plan for us after all.
