Free Her Secret Pleasure by Jordan Bell Page A

now.”
    “Of course. Anything you want.” His tux smelled like wine and perfume that wasn’t mine but I let him pull me into his body and kiss my face without regard to the ache in my cheek and jaw. He held open the door and helped me in before going around to the other side.
    When I thought it was safe I turned and glanced out the back window to the corner of the street where I’d left him. A part of me wanted him to have vanished like he had six years ago.
    A part of me needed to know he hadn’t.
    Sean stepped out of the shadows to stand on the street corner, hands folded into his pockets. He watched us and I watched him until the car pulled us out of sight.
     
     
     
    8
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    Marcus paced his bedroom and I watched him until it made me nauseous. I rolled onto my back and stared at the inset ceiling panels pressed with nearly invisible satin fleur de lis. I was lying on the finest organic cotton sheets money could buy, surrounded by pillowy down and a glass of wine that cost more than I made in a month. Marcus had drawn me a bath and washed my skin free of paint and the dark smears on my hands and knees from the station floor. I’d told him about the restaurant and the painting and conveniently left out all references to Sean. His hands had been magic, rubbing and drawing the tension from them, and his kisses had been full and here, not shared with anyone. Not dreaming of anyone else.
    And despite all that I selfishly couldn’t relax, couldn’t feel safe, couldn’t bring myself to want to be here.
    I barely heard him talking to me, going over the attack, his inability to help me. Instead it was white noise and I closed my eyes and tried to block him out.
    All I could think about was that I should have kissed him when I had the chance.
    I was such a fraud.
    “You’re moving in with me until we can find you a different place closer to mine. That’s the end of it. And you’ll have a driver.”
    My thoughts startled like a record scratch and I immediately sat up, alarm flooding my exhausted body. “What? No. I don’t want to move in with you and I don’t want a driver.”
    “Don’t argue with me, Kara. What happened to you tonight is unacceptable. He hit you. What if he’d wanted more than your money? What would you have done if you couldn’t hit the distress alarm? He could have taken anything he wanted and you’d have been powerless to stop him. I want you safe. I can’t worry about you like this.” Marcus set his hands on his hips, his chest still shiny wet from the shower. Normally I would have loved to have watched him like this. I would have pressed my mouth to catch the lonely water drops from his chest. Now all I wanted to do was grab my things and leave.
    “I wasn’t alone, Marcus.”
    His brows furrowed and I felt the air close in around us as suspicion filled his eyes. “You didn’t say that before.”
    “I didn’t want to upset you.” I sighed and rubbed my palms across my face. “I was with Sean. The restaurant? It belongs to him and his older brother. His brother asked me to do the mural for them.”
    “Sean,” Marcus repeated. “ The Sean?”
    “Yes. The Sean.”
    He lowered himself to the edge of the bed and leaned forward on his knees. I noticed the tension cross through his shoulders as the silence stretched between us.
    “You seeing him,” he said quietly. “That’s not acceptable.”
    I expected him to react poorly, but his tone threw me off entirely. I startled and sat back away from him.
    “Excuse me?”
    Marcus turned to meet my wide eyes head on. “I know our relationship is a little unconventional, but Kara, I know how you feel about this guy. I have heard you scream his name while I fucked you as if it were him inside you and not me. I am grateful he was there but it is unacceptable for you to be alone with this man. I can’t accept that.”
    I stared gob-smacked, unable to process his strange, overbearing attitude that only came out when