Red Handed(46)
“Do you want to play with Gracie?” She pressed her lips together and held back a laugh. Thanks to Gracie’s kiss, she knew same-sex scenes were not for her.
“Do you want to play with Master Cole?” Her body instantly heated. The few days with Cole had already trained her body to respond to the thought of how easily he could bring it pleasure. But her body needed to catch up with her brain. It didn’t matter how he’d made her body come alive. Because all of it meant nothing. She was just another slave to him. And once she seduced him and drugged him to get access to the account information, he’d likely hate her.
“Danielle, do you want to play with me?” Her gaze dropped to his lips. They were definitely kissable. In fact, there wasn’t a single part of him she found unattractive. But no, she didn’t want to scene with him. At least not without Cole.
“I think we have the answer.” He kept her hand in his but removed his thumb from her wrist making her suspect he’d used her pulse to derive his conclusions. “Regardless of what brought you here, you’ve got feelings for Master Cole, and from what I can tell, he’s got feelings for you as well.”
She huffed. “You’re wrong. He doesn’t feel anything more for me than any of his other trainees. We don’t have a future.”
“You can’t know that. The future’s irrelevant if you don’t live in the present.”
“Attorney, software designer, and philosopher, huh?”
He laughed. “I’m well-rounded, what can I say?” He squeezed her hand, then released it, standing. “If you decide Cole doesn’t do it for you, come find me. I’d love to see you in my ropes.” He winked at her before he picked up his rope off the floor and trekked toward the back rooms.
A larger crowd had congregated by the stairs, a mix of trainees and members. Curious, she went over and cut through the gathering to tap Sedona on the back of her shoulder. “Sedona, what’s going on?”
Sedona twirled around, her eyes wide. “Apparently, Master Cole has decided to redecorate the gallery with a baseball bat.”
Chapter Seventeen
DANIELLE ELBOWED HER way through the cluster of people, not caring whom she had to mow down to get to Cole. From the corner of her eye, she caught Cassandra with Anthony Rinaldi. She ran up the stairs to the main floor, and as she neared the gallery, she heard crashing and the shattering of glass.
What would’ve caused Cole to lose his control? Had the woman broken up with him? Had he loved her? Her chest burned at the thought of Cole in a rage over the loss of another woman.
Several members stood outside the door, watching the commotion. Cole would hate that. She made her way through the group to the inside of the gallery and shut the door behind her, cutting off their ringside view of Cole’s breakdown.
Master Michael and Gracie each had a hand on Cole’s arm, obviously attempting to stop him from creating further damage. With eyes as black as the night without the moon, a struggling Cole clutched a baseball bat in one hand and a photograph in the other.
“Let me go,” he demanded in a voice similar to the one he used on his slaves, only laced with desperation. “If I want to destroy my artwork, it’s my right.”
“Well as your friend,” Gracie said, “I forbid you.”
Cole raised a brow. “How are you going to stop me?”
“Like this.” In a blur, Gracie swept out her leg, hooking it around Cole’s ankle and knocking him off his feet on to his back. Then, before he had the opportunity to recover, she jumped on his chest, seized the bat out of his hands, and threw it to the side.
Michael swore under his breath and rubbed his hand over his face. “How the hell do you know how to do that?”
“Oh, did I forget to mention I’m a third-degree black belt in karate?” Gracie asked nonchalantly.
Cole’s eyes were closed, and his breathing was slow, but Danielle still sensed his distress. It hurt her too, unshed tears clogging her throat and stinging her eyes.
She kneeled beside him and caressed his cheek. “Gracie. Master Michael. I’d like to be alone with Master Cole.”
Master Michael’s jaw twitched. Gracie slapped her hands together, lifted herself off Cole, and turned to Michael. “Come on. Let’s go do some damage control out in the club. I’m sure the gossip has already made its rounds.”
Master Michael rocked on his heels as he considered the situation. “If you’d like me to stay, Cole, just say the word.”
Sitting up, Cole shook his head. “No. Go with Gracie. Danielle will be safe with me. I promise my theatrics are over.” As Gracie and Master Michael headed toward the door, Cole called out, “Make sure you lock it.”