Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 73515 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73515 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
“But-but how did you?” she sputtered.
“Kitten, you have a lot to learn about me, but one thing you should know”—I turned her to face me and crowded her against the car, locking our eyes—“I’m very thorough.”
Then I gently moved her to the side, opened the door, and helped her into her seat.
The drive to my house was silent, though I was pleased to notice that Audrey’s fear seemed to be dissipating. She’d replaced it with attitude, which was adorable and hot at the same time. My little sex kitten.
Shortly after my first few jobs with Ruthless Corp, I took the money I’d earned and bought a warehouse in the hills just outside the city. The building had already been designed to be a fortress to protect its contents, so it hadn’t taken much to make the warehouse impenetrable. I’d gutted the inside and built it as if it were a luxury home. This way, from the outside, no one would think twice about the place. And on the inside, it was a large, comfortable living space.
I pulled up to the gate and punched in a code on the freestanding keypad. The door to the high, electrified fence slowly glided open.
I pointed at a warning sign posted and told Audrey, “Those aren’t just for show.” I didn’t want her thinking they were a decoy and hurting herself.
Apparently, she misunderstood my point because she crossed her arms in a huff and muttered, “I get it. Stay in my cage.” As she glanced at the building, she grimaced. “And what a lovely cage it is.”
I decided to leave her to her assumptions because her reaction would be a lot more fun once she entered the house. There was an area at the back of the building that I’d converted into a garage, so I hit a button to raise the door and pulled the car in. Then I repeated the action to close it before shutting off the engine.
“Welcome to your new home, kitten,” I said. My voice was naturally low and raspy, so it came out sounding a little more ominous than I’d intended.
She swallowed hard and continued to stay in her seat. “My new home? Just how long are you expecting me to be here?”
Instead of answering right away, I exited the car and jogged around to open her door. She still didn’t move, so I bent and unlatched her seat belt before scooping her into my arms. “Was I not clear enough earlier, Audrey?” I murmured as I headed to the door leading into the back of the house. “I can’t let you go. You’re mine now.”
“But I promised not to say anything,” she cried. I was a little surprised—and pleased—that despite her distress, she was no longer fighting me.
“I can’t take that chance,” I explained with a shrug. “And even if I could, I wouldn’t.”
“Why would…?” Her voice trailed off as I walked through a security room and into a large, open kitchen. I might have been a killer for hire, but I still had hobbies like any normal person. And one of mine happened to be cooking. So, I’d spared no expense.
“This is amazing,” she breathed, thoroughly distracted.
“I’m glad you like it.” I continued into a massive living area separated from the kitchen by a large island that could seat at least twelve. “I’ll give you the full tour later,” I promised as I kept moving toward the stairs by the front door. “There’s an indoor pool and gym on the lower level. A theater room, game room, a couple of bedrooms, and my office on this floor.” I took the stairs two at a time, and at the top of the landing, I hesitated for a split second before changing the direction I had intended to go.
“You’re welcome to use anything and everything you see. The only place that isn’t open to you is my office.” Even if she knew what I really did for a living, too much sensitive information could be found in there for me to give her free rein like I had over the rest of the house.
“What’s in your office?” she asked immediately.
“Nothing you need to worry about,” I answered vaguely.
“That’s such a...wow…” Again, her comment was cut short when we entered the master bedroom. The entire back wall was glass. Since we were high up in the hills, the window looked out over the city, but the lights weren’t disruptive from this far away.
“You’ll be in this room,” I told her as I lowered her onto her feet.
She tore her gaze from the view and surveyed her surroundings. When she next met my eyes, hers were narrowed with suspicion. “Is this your room?”
She’d obviously seen the few items I’d left scattered about before leaving for New York.
“Yes,” I said unapologetically.
Huffing, Audrey put her hands on her hips and glared at me. “You better be planning on sleeping in a guest room far, far away if you expect me to sleep in here.”