Bound (Forbidden Series - Book 1) (12 page)

             
Dammit, Jewell, quit being difficult. Do you want this to end? I’m more than willing to go and find a woman who is more cooperative.

             
That one made her stomach clench, but she couldn’t show that to him, couldn’t give him such power. He thought she was nothing more than a slut, and she had to agree with him there, but she couldn’t fully let go of her pride. Still, she needed to make him happy.

             
Is that little striptease for me? You’re redeeming yourself.

             
Turn off your phone now, Jewell, and enjoy your bath. I’ll be watching…

             
Watch away, Mr. Knight.

             
With that message sent, she clicked off her phone and walked to the tub. If he wanted a show, he was soon going to find that her earlier performance had merely been a teaser for the main event.

              Blake loosened his tie. He knew he should turn off the monitors and stop watching. He knew exactly what Jewell was doing. She was trying to gain back some of the control that she felt he was taking away. Okay, the control that he was definitely taking away.

             
Instead of being frustrated with her, instead of wanting to punish her, to send her away, he was more excited than he’d been when he first met her. If she were refusing his orders outright, he wouldn’t be able to tolerate it, but she wasn’t pushing it that far.

             
No. She was pushing him just enough to turn him on, to make him want to leave work and rush home so he could show her who was in charge. He would take great pleasure in doing just that.

             
He had to force himself to stay seated. He refused to rush home, because that
was
giving her too much power and he wasn’t willing to do that. No, this exciting battle of wills would continue, and he was going to sit right where he was.

             
And as much as he told himself he ought to focus on anything other than Jewell and the clear water in the tub, he found himself fixated on her. And the show she was putting on was making his office feel a whole hell of a lot hotter.

             
When Jewell slipped down into the water, the sway of her breasts mesmerized him. She grabbed a bottle from the side of the tub and squirted a good amount of soap into her hands, then rubbed them together before starting at her neck and then brushing her hands down the sweet curve of her breasts.

             
When she began massaging her nipples with her thumb and forefinger, letting her head lean back against the rim of the tub, he felt his arousal pulse. This video feed lacked sound, and he was almost grateful for that fact, because when he saw her mouth open, he had no doubt a soft moan was escaping her sweet red lips, and the actual sound would probably hit him with cardiac arrest.

             
He could focus only on her as her hands next traveled down the luscious line of her stomach before her legs spread out in the large tub, and then she was rubbing along her hot, sleek folds and her mouth opened in a big
O
.

             
That was it.

             
So the hell what if she had more power? He would certainly take it back. He darted up from his chair, flicked off the monitor, and walked from his office. No one on that floor said a word as he marched off to his private elevator.

             
Blake jumped into his car and peeled out of the parking garage with squealing tires before entering the busy roads and rushing to the freeway. He wanted to get home, and he wanted to get there fast. When he made it to his apartment complex, he was amazed he managed to park the car straight.

             
Jumping out, he dashed to his elevator and, once he got inside, tapped his foot impatiently while the stupid box took an obscene amount of time to reach his penthouse apartment.

             
He only slowed down when he was finally inside the apartment. That’s where he took a deep breath and told himself that he was in control, that he could turn around and walk back out if he chose to. Yeah, right. If that were the case, why did his feet keep moving forward, and why was he now bounding up the stairs?

             
His bathroom door was cracked open, and he heard a sigh that made his already hard body throb painfully. After stripping naked, he took another breath, then flung the damned door open.

             
It banged against the wall, and his reward was seeing Jewell’s eyes widen.

             
She sat up in shock. “What are you doing here?”

             
“You were putting on such a great show, I wanted to see it in person,” he said as he strode forward, his arousal jutting out proudly.

             
“I…uh…”

             
“Don’t know what to say now that I’m standing here, Jewell? Did you really think you could play games with me and not see them through?”

             
He stepped down into the tub before she could answer, and he pulled her onto his lap, his body thanking him when her skin came into contact with his.

             
“I just hate the cameras,” she said before gasping as his mouth took a nipple and sucked it hard.

             
“Well, I happen to love them,” he told her before switching sides, and making a low moan tumble from her throat. “And I’m taking you now.”

             
He drew her up onto his erection, and then pulled her down, giving a rumble of pleasure as he filled her tight heat.

             
“Damn, you feel good,” he groaned as he began lifting her up and down on him.

             
He didn’t let her speak as he kept up the primitive rhythm. He just grabbed the back of her neck and his lips claimed hers. The sweet taste of her mouth and the feel of her inner walls gripping him tightly were quickly making him lose any vestige of control.

             
Finally, with a growl, he forced his hips up almost violently while pulling her down upon him, and then he exploded inside her. Her cries echoed off the bathroom walls as she found her own pleasure simultaneously.

             
It was several moments later when he realized he hadn’t even thought about protection, and, overcome with panic, he pulled her off him and moved a little away.

             
“What’s wrong?” She scooted back farther, lifting her arms up in a protective gesture.

             
“I didn’t use a condom,” he said, his voice hoarse. The last thing he needed or wanted was a child.

             
“I’m…uh…I’m on protection. It was the first thing they did at the…um…employment agency,” she stuttered, and relief washed through him.

             
In his panic he’d forgotten what McKenzie had told him — the girls were both protected from pregnancy and tested for disease each time they returned from a client. Still, he didn’t trust birth control. He always made sure he was protected — without fail.

             
“It won’t happen again.” He stood up and stepped from the tub, his desire sated, and the scare of an unplanned pregnancy eliminating, for now at least, the need to take her back to his bed for another bout. “I’m going back to work.”

             
He walked from the bathroom; his emotions were turbulent as he got dressed and left his bedroom. He was grateful she waited to emerge until he was finished. This woman had made him leave work in the middle of the day, had made him forget condoms, had made him want and do things he never did.

             
Maybe he
should
send her back after all — job paid in full. That would be much safer for his sanity. But even as he rode back down to the parking garage, he knew that wasn’t going to happen.

             
He wasn’t nearly finished with Jewell Weston. Just a few more days would do the trick, though. Ignoring the pang that idea caused, he focused now on anything but her. Instead of driving back to his offices, he decided to head to the work site of a large mall his company was building.

             
What he needed right now was a hammer and nails so he could pound out his frustration on inanimate objects. He sure as hell hoped he didn’t run into either of his brothers, because there was no way he could explain his black mood or the chaos now ruling his thoughts.

              Jewell had known she was innocent about the way the world worked, and even about human nature — but downright stupid, too? Why had she felt the need to put on that show for Blake? How could she not have realized there would be consequences? She should just be his perfect little servant for the next few days, and then go back to her place of “employment” and forget all about the man.

             
Apparently she really
had
needed more training. Until now, she hadn’t understood why Ms. Beaumont normally had the girls train for so long. But Jewell couldn’t believe it would have worked in her case. You had to have your soul broken and rebuilt with their so-called training. And she couldn’t imagine never being able to think for herself. But unlike most of the girls there, she had no intention of staying for long, despite the outrageous sums of money involved.

             
She knew her own worth, which wasn’t in cold cash, and knew that an escort service wasn’t where she belonged. So if she did just roll over and become the submissive little woman that Blake wanted, wouldn’t that forever change her? Wouldn’t that make her less of a person? Right now, she was a mass of confusion.

             
No matter how much she thought about it, the answers wouldn’t come to her. She had to get dressed and get out of his apartment for a while. She just needed a walk — that was all. A breath of fresh air, so to speak. It was past time for Jewell to get the heck out of the apartment. She couldn’t stand the stuffy place for even one second longer.

             
As she opened the front door, she was stopped short by a giant of a man who was holding a key out, about to insert it into the lock.

             
“You must be Jewell,” the man said, and she drew back a step, then her eyes narrowed and she took a good look at his face.

             
She knew that face. She’d seen it a dozen times as she’d passed by the picture on Blake’s wall. It was one of his brothers. And though Blake was a tall man, his brother had a few inches on him. She didn’t know which one he was.

             
“Tyler Knight,” he said, holding out his hand when she still said nothing, leaving an awkward silence between them.

             
She finally found her voice and accepted the hand that was hanging in midair, waiting for her decision. “Jewell Weston.” What would be the point in lying about her name? He already knew who she was.

             
“So you’re the girl scrambling my brother’s brain this week,” he said with a laugh after releasing her hand.

             
“I wouldn’t say I’m scrambling his brain. He’s a tough egg to crack,” she said, being careful not to say too much. This was Blake’s brother, after all.

             
“Ah, Jewell, you are most certainly scrambling his brain,” Tyler told her before pulling her out the door and firmly shutting it behind him. “Where are you off to? I didn’t think my brother would let you leave the apartment.”

             
She wasn’t sure whether he was serious or not, but he was more right than he knew. Blake would probably be furious that she was leaving, but she had to get out of there for a while. She’d just have to deal with the consequences.

             
“I’m free to do what I want.” She wasn’t, but there was no way she was telling that to another living soul.

             
“Good. We’ll go have lunch. I’m starving,” he said, placing her arm through his.

             
That made her more than a little uncomfortable. “I was just going to go for a quick stroll. I don’t want to be gone too long.” Blake would be home by six and she couldn’t be gone when he arrived.

             
“Nonsense. Everyone needs to eat, and I refuse to eat alone. You can fill me in on what you’re doing to my brother.” He didn’t give her an out; she had to come with him.

             
When they reached the outside of the building, Tyler was still holding on to her and pulling her along with him. Once again, her options were limited — she had the choice of following him or falling on her face if she stopped and he didn’t.

             
“Are all three of you bossy and used to getting your way?”

             
Tyler kept on walking, but he laughed and threw her a nice smile. “Pretty much. What would you like to eat?”

             
“I’m easy,” she said before wincing. Yeah, she was pretty damn easy. At least now she was. Talk about a depressing thought.

             
“All righty. Then sushi it is,” he said as he approached a shiny black sports car — did all three brothers go for the same type of ride? — and held the passenger door open.

             
“Perfect.” Raw fish didn’t exactly float her boat, but maybe some company wouldn’t be so bad.

             
Once Jewell had settled into her seat, Tyler rushed over to the driver’s side and hopped in, then revved the engine and pulled out into traffic.

             
“So, is Blake treating you well?”

             
She didn’t know how to answer that question. Had Blake sent his brother to quiz her? Was Tyler going to report all her answers? She had to be very careful.

             
“I can’t complain. You know this isn’t a relationship, right?”

             
“Any time a man and woman are together, it’s a relationship, babe. Don’t fool yourself.” He turned and winked at her, nearly giving her a heart attack when the car swerved a bit across the centerline.

             
“Well, I’ll only be with him a few more days.” She wasn’t going to say he’d picked her up at an escort service, but she didn’t want Tyler to think that they were going to bond and she was going to be around for a while.

             
“I’m not so sure about that,” he said with a secret smile that seemed to say he knew a lot more than she did. She wished he would fill her in on what he did know.

             
When they drove up to a small restaurant, she jumped when her door opened unexpectedly. An attendant in uniform held out a hand to assist her. Then Tyler came around, took her arm again after tipping the attendant, and led her inside.

             
“I’ve been craving some fresh crab rolls,” he said as he led her to the sushi bar and held out a seat for her before seating himself.

             
Jewell soon found herself relaxing as they were served, and Tyler began filling her in on old stories from the workplace, from a time when both he and Blake were more hands-on in their business.

             
“Yeah, I totally thought I was badass. Our electrician was nowhere to be found, and the lights were off, so I thought, how hard could it be to hook two wires together? We needed some light. I was up on the lift and, thinking the power was cut, grabbed the wrong wire. It sent me right down on my ass and scared the hell out of me. I don’t frighten easily, but I walked from the building and went and lay down in the back of my truck for the next hour, thanking anyone up above who was listening that the electric jolt hadn’t just stopped my heart.”

             
“That is horrible,” Jewell gasped. “Why didn’t you go in to the doctor?”

             
“Because I didn’t get hurt. Yeah, my heart was beating erratically for a while, but I was fine. You can’t run to the doctor for every little thing.” He shrugged and popped a roll into his mouth.

             
“When it comes to electricity, I wouldn’t mess around.”

             
“Ha! Blake has done even worse. He was on the job site and his finger got caught in the door. Blood was pouring out, and all of a sudden he went all white, passed out, and smacked his head. Then, when he came to, he just wrapped his finger in tape and finished the day. It was two days later when the finger wouldn’t stop throbbing that he finally agreed to go to the doctor. Not only was it infected, but he’d broken it in two places and had to have surgery because it had already begun to heal wrong.”

             
“I don’t think that’s brave, Tyler. I think it’s foolish.”

             
He laughed again. “I dare you to tell him that.”

             
“You have an infectious laugh,” she said, and joined him. “And there’s no way I’m telling him.”

             
“You’re just all talk, aren’t you?” he said with a hint of sarcasm.

             
It soon became time to go and he led her back out to the car.

             
“Thank you for a great lunch, Tyler. I’ve enjoyed visiting with you. I really should get back, though.” She’d begun to worry that Blake might be checking on her. She hadn’t brought her cell phone, so he’d be furious if he’d been trying to get ahold of her.

             
“You are a buzzkill, Jewell, but I suppose I’ll take you back now, so my brother doesn’t think I’m trying to steal his woman.” Tyler said, and threw the car into gear.

             
She didn’t correct him. Why bother to repeat that she wasn’t really his brother’s woman? Whatever she was, it would be over in a few days.

             
A speaker in the car started ringing. She looked over to see what Tyler had done, but then she heard Blake’s voice.

             
“I need you to get over to Bill’s house,” Blake told Tyler. “The stubborn fool sent our crew away, said he wouldn’t take charity.”

             
“What do you mean? I thought it was all taken care of,” Tyler replied with a frown.

             
“Yeah. So did I. But when the roofing crew showed up, Bill came out and threatened to have the cops haul them off for trespassing. Tim called me and asked what to do. I told him to head out, that I would come talk to Bill. I got here thirty minutes ago and he said there was no way he would allow me to pay for him to get a new roof.” Blake’s frustrated sigh came through loud and clear over the speakers.

             
“Damned old man. There’s no way that roof can last another winter. What are we gonna do?” Tyler asked as he turned on the freeway.

             
Jewell wasn’t very familiar with the area, but it seemed to her they weren’t moving toward Blake’s apartment. Had Tyler forgotten she was in the car? She didn’t want to say something and have Blake hear her, so she just fidgeted in her seat.

             
“It looks like we’re roofing the place. He won’t let us pay for it, but he sure as hell will let us climb up there and do it ourselves,” Blake said, a smile clearly in his tone.

             
“Yeah, I can see that. What I can’t see is you up there with your pristine white shirt, holding a hammer,” Tyler joked.

             
“Whatever. I don’t see you up on any roofs anymore either,” Blake fired back.

             
“Point taken. Let’s see if we still know how. I’m ten minutes out. See ya in a few.” Tyler pushed a button and the call was disconnected.

             
Jewell sat there in silence a moment longer just to make sure Blake really was gone before she spoke. “Um, Tyler, I think you took a wrong turn,” she finally said.

             
“Nope. Change of plans. We have to go roof a house.” He turned off the freeway and headed down a city street.

             
“I…um…can’t roof a building. Maybe you should just drop me off first,” she said, growing more and more nervous as he continued in the same direction.

             
“No can do. We’ve already lost over half the day.”

             
“I can’t go there!” She was more insistent this time.

             
“Look, Jewell. Bill was my grandfather’s best friend and has always been good to my brothers and me, and he’s also the most stubborn old coot I’ve ever met in my life. He won’t let us pay for anything for him, won’t accept what he deems charity, but his roof needs fixing. The only way we’re going to get it done is by doing it ourselves. And it’s supposed to rain in a few days, so we have to haul ass. You’ll be fine. You can visit with Bill while we work.”

             
Tyler’s tone seemed so reasonable, but she knew that Blake was going to flip out when he saw her pull up with his brother. He might be so furious that she’d gone to lunch with Tyler that he would call his driver and have her removed from his life right away.

             
And even though she would lose her job, the more time she spent with Blake, the more she realized that she most likely wouldn’t be able to jump into this sort of thing again with another man. She just wasn’t the sort of person who could keep selling her body. She’d just take her check, bank it, and then find any job at all. She wouldn’t sleep until she’d turned up another opportunity. And really, there was no point in arguing with Tyler any further. The Knight men obviously didn’t take no for an answer.