Unnatural Relations (Lust and Lies Series, Book 1) (27 page)

He looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about. She told me a few of the sick little tricks you played on her. And I'm warning you, if you do one thing that scares her now, the game is over. The only way you stand a chance with her is if you can convince her that you're completely cured of all your mental hang-ups and are really a nice guy whose first priority is caring for that boy."

"I'm not an idiot. I fooled her before. I can do it again."

Tammy wasn't reassured, but she let it go. "We may have to speed up the timetable, though. She's met a man, Kyle Trent. He seems to be moving in on her pretty fast. I tried throwing a pass at him myself to see if I could redirect his attentions, but he's only got eyes for her."

Russ rubbed his jaw. "What's this guy look like?"

"Sex on a stick—tall, dark and handsome, with just a hint of preppy, in his mid-thirties."

The description made Russ's mouth twitch. "Yeah. I saw him with them yesterday, at the zoo. Don't worry. If he gets in the way, I'll take care of him."

That
impressed her, as any suggestion of raw violence did. He watched the expression in her eyes change from business to lust as she imagined how he might carry out his promise.

"Considering how long that woman's been without a man, it shouldn't be that hard to seduce her into doing anything you want. Just remember what I told you, though...." She slid her hand up his inner thigh, under the towel and firmly twisted the soft flesh she found there.
"This
belongs to me. I don't care what else you do with her. You don't put this in anybody's body but mine."

He clenched his teeth against the discomfort between his legs, but he didn't make her stop, for this was also part of what excited him about her. "You don't know what you're asking—" He gasped as her fingers caught a pubic hair and yanked it out.

"Wrong. I know
exactly
what I'm asking. Your mistake with her before was that you were in too much of a hurry to fuck her. The only way you'll get the jackpot on this one is by being extremely patient. I told you how it works. You give them just enough to get them breathless, then you pull away." Her fingers soothed the hurt they'd caused. "Then you come back and give them another dose, but you never give them everything. In no time at all, you'll have complete control because she'll do absolutely anything to finally get your dick inside her."

He felt himself hardening and growing within her hand despite his earlier disinterest and for the first time he resented the fact that she had even this small power over him. "Speaking of mindless control," he asked while he was still able to think, "have you checked in with Decker yet?"

"I plan to surprise him this afternoon. He thinks I'm hibernating at my parents', trying to decide what to do about him. I seriously doubt if he could ever convince Barbara to give up her kid, but I figure I better continue to keep tabs on his progress anyway."

As she went to work on him in earnest, he tried to prolong the semi-vicious foreplay by thinking his way through the maze this was turning into.

A little over a year ago, while he was still camped out in Dayton, he'd become friendly with a guy who visited the same bar he did after work. One night his new friend told him about a support group for sex addicts, how he first went to pick up chicks who couldn't get enough and ended up solving a few of his own problems. Russ accepted his invitation to go to a meeting with him mainly out of curiosity. He'd always wanted to meet a real live nymphomaniac.

His wish came true in the form of Tammy Garrett. The first night they'd spent together, she almost killed him. In the next month, she taught him more about sex than he'd picked up in his entire life. Most important, she showed him how to increase the pleasure by delaying the climax with pain and how to use torture and bondage to spice up the routine. She occasionally allowed him to spank her, or play the rape game, but more often it was she who bound and punished him and treated him like a sex slave. He hated her abuse and loved the explosive release that always followed.

It wasn't long before he had confessed all his secrets to her and from that moment on, she badgered him about tapping into the Hamilton fortune. It had been her idea for them to move back to Boston and for her to get close to the Hamilton attorney to see what she could learn about the Hamiltons' private affairs while she and Russ waited for Barbara to resurface or for Pop to die.

Although he repeatedly assured Tammy she had erased every trace of lust he'd had for Barbara, he had known all along what a lie that was. But as long as he had no idea where Barbara was, Tammy did keep him from aching for her. And she was smart. Smart enough to help him set a trap that would hold his little runaway for good this time.

They had figured on Decker and the Hamiltons trying to get to the boy, but Russ was confident that once he told Barbara all the shit they had pulled to break up her and Howard, she'd never give in to them. He, on the other hand, would be a hero for being honest with her about the past and protecting her from their evil clutches.

What Tammy didn't know was that he wasn't nearly as stupid as she thought he was. Once Barbara was hooked, it wasn't her he'd be getting rid of. It would be Tammy.

Which is why he didn't tell Tammy what Kyle Trent's real name was or reveal the true reason he was moving in on Barbara so fast. Not only had he gotten in on the game at warp speed, he thought he could push Russ out of it with a death threat.

Russ bit down on his lower lip as Tammy snapped a clamp onto his nipple. As always, her teasing began to rob his concentration. What to do? What to do?

The last time he saw his old pal was in a bar where he had started a fight with eight bikers and almost won. Even though the man seemed fairly sane last night, Russ knew he could carry out his soft-spoken threat to kill him if he went near Barbara or Matt again.

And yet, wasn't the final reward worth any risk? He simply had to get to Barbara at a place and time when "Kyle" wouldn't see them together. He had to unmask him for her before she fell for his lies. A rush of pleasure zipped through him as he thought of how grateful she would be for his rescuing her. After that, she'd accept his protection on a permanent basis without another moment of hesitation.

Russ did not allow himself to think about Barbara being with his old pal all weekend. If he did, if he pictured them together, the way he wanted to be with her, he was afraid he'd end up killing them both.

And that would really fuck up everything.

With the image of that bastard groping his woman's naked body, he took the control away from Tammy and used her the way she hated most, just to remind her who was really in charge.

Chapter 13

"Tammy?"
Simon was stunned to see her instead of room service when he opened the door. He poked his head out and glanced up and down the walkway outside his room to make sure no one was nearby, then hustled her inside. She was almost completely covered by the full-length silver fox coat he'd given her for Christmas, her gorgeous hair was tucked up inside the matching hat, and her hands were inside the muff, but he still didn't want to take any chances. "I thought we agreed not to be seen together while we were here."

"Something happened," she said, pulling off the hat and shaking her long hair loose. She carelessly tossed the hat and muff on the bed. "I thought you should know—" A knock at the door prevented her from saying more.

"I ordered room service for dinner. It's not much. I didn't know you were coming."

"For God's sake, Simon, I didn't come here to eat."

"Of course not." He hated it when he said the wrong thing to her. "I only meant—"

"Just get your dinner and send the waiter away. I'll be in the bathroom."

Simon's hand was trembling as he signed the room service bill. He'd been dying to see her again, even knowing that every time they were together was another kind of death. Whatever happened, she could have told him about it over the phone or sent him a note, as she had for the past week. Could it be that she'd finally had enough of her waiting game, that their separation had convinced her to give up her virginal status?

He was glad now that he had sprung for a whole carafe of wine with his dinner. "You can come out now," he called to Tammy as he filled the wineglass and the water goblet from the carafe. When she reappeared, he handed her the goblet, then realized she was still wearing the coat. "I'm sorry. Let me help you out of this." His fingers grasped the collar from behind her, but she held it tightly around her.

"I'm chilled. I'll take it off later."

Her icy tone warned him that her patience was growing thin. He picked up the smaller glass and prepared to make a toast. "To us?"

"To our future," she said, finally giving him the smile he'd been nervously awaiting.

"Shall we sit?" he asked, gesturing toward the bed.

She purposely walked over and sat in one of the two chairs by the table instead. Following her lead, as he usually did, he took the other one.

"Barbara found out that I don't work in her building."

Simon choked on the wine in his mouth, and it took him a moment to be able to speak. "What did you tell her?"

"I had a story already made up in case that happened. It was bound to sooner or later. She bought it. But I'm afraid my playing her best friend and spending time with the kid isn't getting us anywhere."

"I told you, if the boy considers you his friend and knows that you'll be living near the Hamiltons, the move should go much more smoothly. Besides, the more time you spend with the boy, the more likely the mother will trust you. With trust comes sharing secrets and listening to advice. She still hasn't confided in you? About anything?"

"Oh, I know all sorts of things about her childhood, but whenever I open the subject of that boy's father, she gives me fairy tales."

"This plan worked on her once. It will work again. It just may take more time than it did then."

"Tell me again how you handled her before. Maybe there's something we've missed."

He took a long swallow of his wine and set down the empty glass. "It was very simple. While she was at the estate, she showed some
affection
for young Latham. He was a greedy, foul-tempered bastard, but he still managed to fu—excuse me, convince every girl within fifty miles to let him have his way with her. The Hamiltons couldn't get rid of him because young Howard considered him his best friend and they didn't want to risk upsetting Russ's father either. They considered him irreplaceable. For a moderate amount of cash, Russ left the estate and moved in with Barbara."

"Wait a minute. Exactly how did he con her into letting him move in with her?"

"I suspect she was somewhat attracted to him to begin with, but from what he told me, he played on her sympathies. She was a sucker for the underdog and I'm sure Howard's unexpected departure made her vulnerable to Russ's persuasion. Within a few weeks, he'd convinced her to forget about Howard and sign the agreement."

Tammy stood up and paced back and forth. "I sure can't convince her to give up her kid, if she hasn't even admitted that he's the Hamiltons' grandson." She stopped and turned to him. "All right, she was a sucker for the underdog and she had her heart broken, big time. What if I go to her with a sob story about my boyfriend leaving me instead of marrying me like he promised? Maybe that would make her want to tell me how the same thing happened to her."

"Do you think you could be convincingly heartbroken?" He regretted doubting her abilities the moment he said it.

She let out a disgusted sigh. "If I can play the ditziest blonde of the century, why would I have a problem crying over being dumped? It's just another role."

"Of course you can do it. I don't know what I was thinking. It's worth a try, but I still think it's a matter of trust. Even if you can't talk her into turning her son over to the Hamiltons, as long as she admits to you that Howard was the father, you can serve as a witness in case we end up in court after all."

"I thought you said Latham could do that much."

Simon made a face. "He could, although his record makes him less credible than you would be. That reminds me, he returned from that errand I gave him to keep him occupied while I took another shot at Barbara. Surprisingly, he came through, so I think I'll give him another task."