fury?
He deserved it, though. Heâd been so confident of his success. And heâd failed. I had the chance to show him up, to beat him. I laughed again. How fun this was going to be.
Iâm not sure how many seconds passed before Lucius stormed inside the observation room. Beside me, Ren froze in place. Luciusâs gaze locked on mine. He braced his legs apart and fisted his hands at his sides.
I didnât even try to hide my amusement. âYou lost,â I said.
His eyes narrowed. âThat doesnât mean youâll win.â
âBut it means you lost.â
He popped his jaw, but didnât respond.
âIâm going to enjoy this,â I said. âA lot.â I unbuttoned the first three buttons of my shirt, causing the material to gape and reveal the lacy edges of my bra. Both men watched me, Ren with fascinationâit didnât take much to douse his fear, did it?âand Lucius with fire. Lusty fire or black, angry fire? I wondered, as I pulled out my ponytail and combed my fingers through my hair. I licked my lips.
âIâll be back in five minutes,â I said.
His eyes narrowed further, mere slits that completely blocked the color of his irises. âThat confident?â
âOh, yes. If youâll excuse me, Ren. Agent Luscious, â I said, nodding to Lucius before I sauntered past him and out of the room. Had I forgotten to mention that Sahara Rose didnât like men? Oopsie. She might be EenLiâs lover, but she found men sexually repulsive. Little Miss Sahara Rose liked her phallus strapped on and plastic. The more delicate and sexy the woman, the more susceptible Sahara Rose became.
Did I feel guilty or ashamed or even less of an agent for using my femininity as a weapon? Hell, no. Look at everything Lucius had tried. Look how sublimely he failed. A good agent uses whatever means necessary to win. Men could scoff at my methods if they so desired, but letâs be honest. Theyâd do the same thing if they could. Men never hesitate to use their strengths, so why should women?
Two armed guards stood posted at Sahara Roseâs door, which was adjacent to the room Iâd been in. Their gazes seemed to devour me. I knew it wasnât my appeal as a woman that so entranced them. Iâd learned long ago that humans were simply susceptible to anything gold.
I arched a brow insolently, and one of the men quickly punched the code that opened the door. I swept inside without a word. There were two chairs. No bed. No table. A large, black screen comprised the far wall; that was it. This wasnât a room meant for comfort, but for intimidation. Michael hoped that the more uncomfortable the room, the less time the suspect would want to spend inside it.
I crouched beside the unconscious Sahara Rose, growing angry with Lucius. He hadnât even attempted to catch her. I sighed. Her body was splayed across the floor in the exact position sheâd landed in her faint. Sheâd fallen backward, but at least she hadnât cracked open her skull.
She was a young girl with too-pale skin and pretty, light-colored hair. Beautiful, yes, but her looks were already fading and showing signs of wear. Stress could do that to humansâage them before their time.
Cradling her head in my hand, I gently brushed aside wisps of hair sticking to her temples. âSahara Rose,â I said softly. âWake up for me, baby.â
She moaned and murmured something unintelligible.
âCome on, sweetheart. Wake up.â
Her eyelids fluttered open. When she realized where she was, absolute panic flooded her blue eyes. She struggled against my hold, but I held firm, keeping her in place. I might appear dainty because of my gold coloring and small bones, but my intense workouts kept me strong.
âIâm not going to hurt you,â I whispered against her ear, letting my breath caress her cheek.
The moment I spoke, she stilled completely. Her
Kathleen Brooks
Alyssa Ezra
Josephine Hart
Clara Benson
Christine Wenger
Lynne Barron
Dakota Lake
Rainer Maria Rilke
Alta Hensley
Nikki Godwin