He knew they’d have questions for him soon enough, because it was so rare he brought a woman home for so long. And his staff—though they weren’t around very much—were good people, so he would answer them as honestly as he could. She’s a thief and I’ve paid two hundred grand to keep her here and fuck for as long as I want. Why? Oh well that would be because I’ve gone ever so slightly mad. Lost my mind in between her legs somewhere. Well, no, maybe not honestly.
He wolfed down a significant portion of the starters before they brought in the main and was pleased to see Penny match him course for course. Her eyes widened with each new treat and she scooped up forkful after forkful.
He found himself wondering if she was so trim because of lack of money. Did she have enough food to eat? Where did she live? Who did she live with? The questions piled up as he made his way through the grilled chicken. By the time dessert was finished, Penny eating all of hers and looking longingly at his, the questions would no longer be ignored. He was simply not the sort of man who could ignore them.
“What will it take to get you to be honest with me?” he asked, taking a long swig of water and passing his chocolate cake her way.
Penny licked her lip as she scooped a thumb full of icing into her mouth, causing his cock to bounce to attention. “About?”
He imagined licking that chocolate off her belly and thighs and had to grip the table to control himself from doing just that right now. Good God how much more did he need? He’d come three times, was practically drained. “Everything.”
“And you want me to do this because?”
He loosened his grip on the table and drank some more water. “Because I just do.”
“Right….”
“So what will it take?”
“More than you’re likely to give.”
He considered that, wondering what she might ask for and decided to throw caution to the wind. “Ask and we’ll see.”
Chapter Fifteen
The man was practically handing her a way to get to the auction. Handing it to her! So why the hell did she feel so guilty? Penny toyed with her spoon, moving the lumps of chocolately goodness back and forth, trying to understand the feelings running through her, but she was honestly at a loss.
Sebastian was nothing like she had expected. Nothing. She’d imagined what? A cold hearted billionaire. Ruthless. Hard. Implacable. And though she had seen that side of him when he’d subdued her, she saw something else too. He was sexy, funny, flirty, and God damn dynamite in the sack. None of it made any sense. Probably because she was exhausted, she conceded, and not just a work-an-eighteen-hour-day exhaustion. A bone deep, sated, weak-kneeded tiredness. She needed to sleep.
Lyra. Rachel. Lyra. Rachel. She said the names over in her head, trying to get her focus. This was too good an opportunity to pass by. It was now or never. Hadn’t she wondered all afternoon how she was going to get to the auction, to secure The Point—in between being fucked senseless of course?
“I’ll tell you whatever you want to know if you agree to do one thing for me.”
Sebastian nodded slowly, a hand on his chin. Penny was struck anew by the immense attractiveness of him. “Tell me.”
“I need you to drive me somewhere.”
“Where?”
“It’s just across London.”
“Why?”
So many questions. “I have to do something.”
“What?”
She sighed. “Does it matter?”
“It does if you want me to do the driving. Though I think I can guess. The money right?” he asked. “You have to take the money somewhere.”
“Good guess.”
“Well it’s either that or the dizzying array of criminal devices I found tucked into your waist bag. That tablet alone is probably worth a fortune.”
Her tablet. She hadn’t even had a chance to check it for damage. “Talking of which, where are they?”
He laughed. “Your tools?”
“Yeah.”
“Somewhere safe. Suffice as to say you don’t need them right now, not if as I assume you are dropping your spoils off somewhere.”
“You’re right, but those tools are mine, they stay with me.”
“The tools of your criminal enterprise,” he mused and Penny frowned.
“Exactly.”
“So where and why are we dropping off the money. I thought you said you needed it. Why would you be giving it to someone else?”
“You don’t really need to know the details.”
“Ah ah.” He shook his head. “All questions answered remember.”
She sighed. Trapped by the rules she was agreeing to. “Because that money is for a very specific purpose and if I don’t do what needs to be done it will mess up plans for…other people.”