"How's this tough decision for you, bitch?"
She closed her eyes for a moment and groaned. Those were her words. Not the bitch part, but the tough decision line was one she'd spouted just this morning when she'd been forced to justify the choice of a room full of executives who were far more concerned with bottom lines than human lives.
Fuck.
In the months she'd been receiving hate mail she'd never believed any of the cowards hiding behind computer screens would actually take their abuse into the real world. She'd been convinced Frank had taken the opportunity as just another device to control her with.
She'd been wrong.
"How much do you think they'll give us to get her back, a million?"
They hauled her towards the truck.
"At least two," the voice directly at her back said, then gave her a shake. "Then we'll see who's livelihood is "an unavoidable cost of tough economic times"."
Dammit. Looked like every word she'd said was coming back to bite her.
"Yeah, maybe your kids can go without presents this Christmas."
They stumbled closer to the truck.
"She doesn't have kids, Jimmy."
They paused. "Good, no poor kid should have to suffer her as a mother."
She rolled her eyes. Somewhere from her boot to the truck her fear dissipated all together. These weren't ruthless thugs. They were desperate, possibly incompetent, angry men.
Worst case, they'd get their ransom and let her go. If they just released her mouth there was a good chance she'd be able to talk them out of everything.
Talking people around was her job, the part she was great at. There were surprisingly few people who could stay obstinate in the face of both logical reason and niceness.
A little subtle manipulation never hurt either.
She may also, maybe, have a knack for knowing how best to flatter a person. Or indirectly bribe them. Both worked.
She embraced a whatever-it-takes attitude about the same time Frank threw her in the deep end of her presidency.
The hand holding her mouth vanished. She fell forward. Crushed rock grazed her knees. She rolled onto her backside.
Connor stood next to the van. His featured curled in a menacing twist. He held the two men by the collars of their shirts. The thinner man's feet dangled, and the larger man was raised onto his toes. They grasped at the collars choking them.
She rose to her feet, not so easy with hands tied.
"Still think you don't need a bodyguard?" His voice was a low throb.
Charlie wet her lips. Holy-moly. She'd stopped being afraid of her attempted abductors. Her so called bodyguard was another matter entirely.
She didn't answer.
He clanged their heads together. Of course he did-Conan-the-freaking-barbarian. They crumpled to the ground.
She jerked forward. "Why'd you do that?"
His scowl intensified. He bent and collected a clear bag that had fallen to the ground beside the two limp bodies, then scoffed. Cable ties. Like the tie still clamping her wrists together. He rolled them over and bound their hands.
"What are you doing? I could've reasoned with them?"
Connor glanced up. "They appeared very reasonable while they were abducting you."
He picked them up, one at a time by the waist bands of their jeans and shirt collars, tossing them into the back of the truck as if they were sacks of flour. He shut the door.
She looked at the truck. "You just going to leave them there?"
"I'll have a friend take care of it."
Her gazed flew to him. Take care of it? Oh, shit. "Don't hurt them."
His entire forehead wrinkled in a way that was both irresistible and archaic. "My friend's a cop."
"Oh." Well thank God for small, tiny mercies-now if she could provide one more in the form of getting rid of Conan.
He took out his cell phone and typed a message, then tucked it away. Then his attention, in full furious intensity, returned to her.
"Charlie?" He came towards her.
"Yeah?" She licked her lips. Barbarians being angry wasn't supposed to be this hot was it? Surly calm barbarians should be more attractive …
They're not.
"What did I tell you?" He advanced.
She backed against the passenger side of her car. "What?"
"The last discussion we had, what did I warn you about?"
Her pulse whooshed in her veins.
"The consequences of resistance will be on you."
"I can't remember, you were being a total, unreasonable Neanderthal."
His gaze washed over her. "You're sassy for a bound person who was almost abducted."
"Do I look frightened to you?" She raised her brow.
He stared at her one long moment, then flipped her around. "Not frightened enough."
Her belly pressed into the car door. He pinched her fingertip, then slid a finger between the cable tie and her wrists.
She exhaled. He was going to free her.
He left her there, and went to the trunk. She turned around. The trunk slammed closed. He approached with her keys and handbag, then took her elbow and slid her sideways.
He opened the passenger door.
"Aren't you going to cut me loose?" She frowned.
Connor just placed his other hand on top of her head, and eased her into the passenger seat, hands still caught in the small of her back.
She swung her feet into the car.
He took the seatbelt, and leaned across her, buckling it into place. "First you can take a moment to reflect on what happens when you don't heed my warnings."
The door slammed shut in her face.
What the hell?
Connor rounded the car and entered the driver's side.
"You can't just tie up clients-this is … it's just. You're fired. Even Frank won't accept this."
His mouth evened. "I did not tie you up."
He started the engine, then backed out of the parking lot.
She stared at him. "You're enjoying this … ."
He spun the wheel, his lips turning up the slightest bit.
"You're freaking basking in the glow of being right."
He shot her one arrogant look. "Kitten, I don't need to bask, I'm always right."
Kitten. She snorted. Of course he'd call her some condescending pet name. He was right in the middle of attempting to assert his dominance. Well he could go ahead and attempt all he wanted. He wouldn't gain it over her. "What does that make me?"
Just try telling me, wrong.
He stared out the windshield, which did nothing to conceal his smirk. "Learning."
She tugged her wrists. "If my hands weren't tied..."
"But they are." His smirk turned to a grin.
Bastard was loving this.
Her heart fluttered. Evil bastard had an amazing smile.
***
Twenty minutes later, Connor opened the door to Charlie's townhome. Polite would be freeing her and returning her keys, but well-screw that.
He'd given her every chance to do this the easy way. But she'd gone and been sneaky. She almost fooled him too.
Now he'd enjoy every moment of teaching her that he was in charge now.
If he hadn't noticed the same guy walk down the same hall, the same direction, twice, he'd have missed the security screens being on a loop.
Miraculously, he had as he'd been concentrating on a second screen with footage of the morning's protest.
Fury pounded through his veins. She'd almost been taken. From now on she could forget privacy. She'd forgone that luxury when she'd played him.
He switched on the lights and walked into her kitchen.
"You can untie me now." Her footsteps clicked behind him.
He faced her. "Are you finished reflecting?"
"Yes." Her gold eyes sparked.
He took off his jacket, and lay it over her counter. "And what have you learned?"
"That you are a ridiculous, cantankerous, possibly crazy, barbarian."
"And yet you bait me?"
Her cheeks pinkened. "This is so unprofessional. Are you even a real body guard?"
Professional. Oh, it was too late for that. He'd veered off that course the moment he'd seen her picture and insisted on taking her on personally. He'd gone off script altogether when he went from "surveillance" to watching.
There'd been no going back the moment she'd clapped eyes on him in the bar and looked at him like that. As though she might've experienced in that instant what he'd built over a month-a kind of fascinated obsession.
Obsession being the operative word.
"I'm definitely real, Charlie." He couldn't help sliding towards her. Couldn't help how much he enjoyed having her with her hands tied behind her back, her chest pushed out.
Blood rushed to his cock.
"And I'd say we moved past professional when you asked me to kiss you."
"I didn't know who you were."
"Would you have cared?" He didn't touch her. That wouldn't be fair just yet. "You said you needed me."
She wet her lips. All he could do was stare at that mouth of hers. He'd thought about that mouth a lot, but now he knew how fucking soft it was on his.
"Why, Charlie?" He placed his hand on the bench behind her, blocking her in, holding himself back. "Why'd you need me?"
"I … " Whatever smart answer she may have had got lost in the saddest frown.