“Of
course. I was taking you to him when you decided to wage a useless battle of wills against me.”
“Are
you always this annoying?”
His
eyes flashed with amusement. “Annoying? No one has ever had the balls to call me annoying. I guess they’re afraid of getting ripped to shreds for their insolence.” He smiled sardonically. “Shall we go now?” He gently pushed me forward.
Finally,
we were back to more comfortable ground, business. I sighed. My body relaxed until I felt his hand slide to my lower back, guiding me forward smoothly. I was totally distracted by the heat of his palm. It was nothing inappropriate like a grope, but it did make me embarrassingly warm. Shit, was I so sex starved that the slightest touch was making me want to curl around him like a freaking needy cat?
“Your
family has had a contract with Credence O. for centuries. So I'm surprised that it's being used to provide an escort for your friend,” I stated as we flowed through the party.
“My
friend serves a very important purpose. So I want to keep him very happy,” Ryker whispered in my ear.
My
eyes narrowed. “Uh-huh. Okay, do you care to elaborate?”
He
shrugged his wide shoulders. “He and I have very eclectic taste in women. But the companionship of a she-wolf has totally eluded him. Hence, my gift to him.” He pressed his palm to the center of my back, guiding me. Jeezus, this man was raw hotness. I was actually chanting in my head over and over that I don't date wolf-shifters when I felt the oppressive weight of a hard stare that seemed to follow my steps. Casually, I glanced around, trying to act cool when my breath caught in my throat. I stumbled forward. Ryker caught me before I splattered onto the floor.
My
eyes locked with the one man that I never wanted to see ever again. The man who was now walking through the party with a beautiful waif-thin woman clinging to his arm, looking at him like he walked on water. Superstar Knox Gunner. What the hell were the odds of seeing him again?
My
throat was parched as I looked around in sheer panic before calming my nerves.
Relax
. I took a deep breath and pasted a smile on my face. Hopefully, I could bypass him without a scene. Biting my lower lip, I fought all the emotions that came flooding back like it was yesterday. Fighting the urge to hyperventilate as he stood there, all six-foot-three, gorgeous, and obviously still angry with me even after all these years, I tried to look anywhere but at him.
Of
its own violation, his name escaped softly before I could call it back. “Knox,” I croaked. I swallowed over the lump in my throat, pinching back the tears.
His
sea-green eyes were hard as flint. “Stormy.” His voice held more than a hint of ice. He looked over at the woman still clinging to his arm. “Later.”
She
looked from me to him before smiling coldly and sauntering off.
Inside
, I was a fucking mess as I pulled on my neutral mask. A mask I've used so many times to hide the hurt and the loneliness that was like a sharp ache that never seemed to go away. An ache that only grew stronger with our reunion.
Ryker
smiled. “Great! You know each other. We can commence with the business at hand, your selection of an escort.”
“I
don't understand what's going on. Knox is your friend?” I blinked in shock, looking at them. What the hell was wrong with him? He knew the rules. My eyes locked with Ryker's. “He's not the type of client we do business with, Ryker.” Humans were off the menu—period.
Ryker
leveled me with a cool stare, crossing his muscular arms. “Our contract states that an escort will be provided at my request. This is my gift to my friend. And you will fulfill my request.” He smiled, but it sure as hell didn't reach his eyes.
My
heart fluttered nervously. This couldn't be fucking happening. No one could have this much bad luck. Ryker had to be out of his damn mind to think that I would provide a she-wolf to a human. Shifters were wicked and wild in bed. And with a human, things would get too dangerous. My escorts would have to try to be careful in bed with him, while at the same time, not revealing what they were—Other.
My
eyes were frosty. “Do you know what you're asking me to do? I get freaky, but this surpasses that. I'm sorry, but I have to decline your request for
obvious
reasons.” He was the leader of the Other Council and helped enforce the most important rule… Others did not reveal their existence to humans. His request was straight-up bananas.
Knox
crossed his arms with an irritated look on his face. “What? I'm not rich enough? I guarantee I'm wealthy enough even by your standards, Storm,” he interjected smoothly.
Ryker's
eyes gleamed with interest, enjoying the power play.
I
refused to have a war of words with Knox. It wouldn't be productive. Popping my hands on my hips, I locked eyes with Ryker. “I'm not doing this. If anything happens to him… you know what the ramifications are.” I tilted my head slightly to look at both of them. “This is a freaky gift even for rock star extraordinaire Knox Gunner.”
Knox's
jaw tensed. I pulled down the protective walls of my mind to see if I could sense anything—no emotions, just pulsing power so pregnant with unleashed fury that I scrambled to get back into my mental cocoon. I pursed my lips. Ryker was playing with fire and he was dragging me straight into the flames with him.
“He
can handle himself with your escort, Stormy. Like I said, we both have very eclectic taste when it comes to women. Knox can deal with your escort, believe me.”
Knox
just stared at me like I was a bug under a microscope. “What’s the problem? I know what your business provides.” He looked at me with utter disdain. “A slut for the duration of my stay.”
I
flinched as if he physically slapped me. “It seems that Mr. Gunner can’t get past some old issues between us. And since I refuse to stand here and be insulted while he throws a fucking tantrum over shit that can’t be undone, my apologies, Ryker, but the contract between us is dissolved.”
Knox's
eyes narrowed. “Let’s be perfectly clear, Storm. The contract is dissolved when I say it is.”
I
sputtered, pointing in his face. “Oh, to hell with you, Knox. I don't know who the hell you think you're talking to, but I’m not your minion.”
Ryker
widened his stance. “There will be no dissolving of anything until I fully understand what’s going on between you two.”
Some
of the nearby partiers stopped to look at us curiously. Shit, now we were making a scene. I looked at Knox coolly before giving Ryker my best polite smile. “Can we talk somewhere private? I don’t think that this is a discussion for the middle of a party.”
“Sure,
let’s go to my office,” Ryker responded before walking away hotly, leaving me to follow contritely.
“
This is bullshit,” Knox mumbled before following Ryker irritably.
I
grabbed his arm, letting it slide off when he looked at it pointedly like it was a poisonous snake. “This is business between Ryker and me.”
“No
, Ms. Credence. It’s business between the three of us.” Knox stalked off, leaving me standing there stunned.
“
Yep, this keeps getting better and better,” I mumbled under my breath, walking through the crowd like it was my slow march to execution. This much I was sure of: Knox and Ryker had no intention of letting me break the contract. In fact, I was betting that Knox was going to make my life a living hell. A fact confirmed as soon as I stepped into the luxurious office and found two belligerent men chomping at the bit to lay into me. Refusing to be intimidated, I just stared at them with hands on my hips.
“What
the hell is going on, Stormy?” Ryker asked. “Are you trying to piss me the fuck off by insulting me?”
I
cocked my hip. “Let's be very frank, Ryker. My business provides refined escorts for companionship at social events. The type of woman Knox needs is not in my employment. Now, as you know, this is not meant to be an insult to you or our long-standing business arrangement.” I smiled coldly. “Now, if Mr. Gunner is looking for a no-strings-attached sexual liaison, then I'm sure he won't have any issues getting that elsewhere.”
Knox's
face was grim when he responded. “Let’s cut the shit, Stormy! You know this isn’t about sex.”
Ryker
looked from me to Knox impatiently. “I don’t know what's going on between you two, but I do know my contract specifically states an escort will be provided for Knox starting tonight.” He arched a brow at Knox. “Now, if Knox says that he isn’t interested, then I’ll dissolve the agreement right now.” He smiled at me charmingly. “If not, then you better provide an escort by the end of this party, Ms. Credence. Now, do we understand each other?”
Shit
—shit—shit. My lips wobbled into a half smile. “Unfortunately, the type of escort that you requested is currently unavailable.”
Ryker
crossed his arms. “Don't make me destroy your company, Stormy. One call and all of the legacy contracts that make your family filthy rich will be dissolved.”
My
heart was pumping erratically. This could not be happening. That one call would destroy our business. He knew this. But I couldn't do what he asked. It was a damned if I do and damned if I don't situation. My tone was cool as I said, “As I just stated, it’s not possible.” I sat down on the leather sofa with more calm than I felt as I pulled out my tablet.
Knox
flicked a look at Ryker before saying, “Isn’t that called breach of contract?”
Ryker's
smile dimmed. “Indeed it is.” He looked at me sharply. “I advise you to come up with a reasonable solution to this problem, Stormy.” He nodded at Knox before walking out of the office.
I
bit back a smart retort when Knox deliberately sat across from me, leaning back with his long legs splayed. He was trying to ruffle my feathers. No, he was succeeding in ruffling my feathers. Crossing my legs slowly with a self-assured smile, I swiped my finger through the photos of a bevy of gorgeous shifters on our roster, stalling while I tried to find a solution to this human problem. “What type of woman are you looking for, Mr. Gunner?”
With
a dangerous smile, he responded, “I want a woman who will be completely at my mercy.” His voice was low and sensuous as his gaze flitted over me, kissing my skin like scorching flames. “Someone to play with.”
My
fingers froze as a strange heat centered at my sex.
He
rolled up the sleeves of his crisp, white tailored shirt, displaying tattoos on his muscled forearms. “Do you want to play with me, Storm?” His voice was low and sensuous.
My
stomach muscles tightened as I asked, “Are you serious?” I could tell by the hard glint in his eyes that he was very serious. Then it all went to hell when my body took that moment to betray me. The pit of my stomach got all fluttery as I pressed my thighs together, shifting in my seat. I was trying so hard not to embarrass myself, but it was fucking impossible. “Does that line really work with women?”
He
inhaled sharply like he could actually smell the desire flowing through me like dark, rich honey. “I think you know.” He raised a brow. “Do you want me to help you relieve that burning need?”
I
bit my tongue. Shit, this was big trouble. I closed my eyes, calming my nerves as my blood curdled with rage. “We at Credence O. do not advocate sexual interaction with clients.”
He
arched a brow.
I
wanted to smack the sarcastic smirk off his face. “But we are realistic about the sexual appetites of our clients. So what our escorts do with clients must be consensual and will be discussed at the first meeting with your escort.”
He
clucked his tongue with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Come on, Storm. Why play games? It's obvious the attraction between us is still there.”
I
arched a brow. I was not going down that road with him. I extended my tablet to him. “Show me what type of woman you want.”
He
grabbed the tablet, making sure his thick, long fingers stroked mine. He tried to tighten it, but I pulled back, jumping up to walk over to the side bar filled with an assortment of expensive-looking bottles of liquor. I started pouring a much-needed glass of champagne as he said, “The woman I want must be a slut and be willing to be my fuck toy for the entire time I'm here.”
My
back straightened. My fingers trembled as I brought the cold glass to my lips, swallowing hard.
“You
’ll be that woman. My slut. My perfect little submissive until I tire of you.” The command in his voice was obvious.
Ripples
of arousal went through my body before panic set in. Oh, hell no! I refused to let him turn me into some simpering submissive. I turned on my heels and leveled a glare that made most men curl up and wither away. But of course, Knox was not most men.