“I need to use the restroom,” I say, cursing myself for not using it when I was in there a moment ago.
Saint looks down at me and steps to the side. His silent way of telling me I can go without supervision. That’s nice of him. I have no cell and no money. They’re not worried about me running away. What would I even tell the cops when they ask why I have a harness locked to my chest? Yeah, well, it’s to keep me from removing the spiked bra I have on underneath. Yeah, they’d lock me right up.
“Hurry back,” he orders before turning away from me to speak to Haidyn. Kashton no longer stands with us, but I don’t know where he went.
Pushing off the wall, I walk off down the hallway through the crowd of people and make my way to the restroom that I know we passed earlier.
I turn the corner to find myself at the end of another hallway. A sign for the women’s and men’s restrooms is on the opposite wall. A man stands with his back facing me below the signs. He’s got both hands on the wall on either side of his head and he’s looking down.
Dropping my eyes, I see a pair of black peep toes high heels. He’s blocking my view of her. But I know exactly who he is.
It’s Kashton. The dark ink on his knuckles against the pristine white wall gives him away. His sleeves to the black button-up are rolled up, and I can make out the bottom half of his nun tattoo. He steps back, giving the woman he’s got cornered some space, and she goes to enter the bathroom, but he reaches out, grabs her arm, and pushes her into the wall next to the women’s restroom.
Pushing into her once again, he drops his face to the right side of her neck. I have a profile view of both of them now but still can’t see her face.
His hand drops to her leg, and he lifts it to wrap around his hip as his hand slides along her toned and tanned thigh before disappearing into her dress. Her soft moan travels to where I stand.
Her hands are in his hair, red nails scratching his scalp while he sucks on her neck. She arches her back off the wall as her breath hitches. Her hips push into him. It’s not hard to figure out that he’s fingering her, and I’m a jealous bitch.
I was ashamed to tell Saint I was turned on by what I saw. And too embarrassed to tell him I’d like to try it. I know Saint would never judge me, but it’s more of the fact that if I try it, what if we have to stop because I can’t take it? I hate feeling weak.
He moves his head, trailing his lips across her throat to the other side, causing her head to fall toward me. I gasp, my hands coming up to cover my mouth when her eyes open and land on mine.
She lets out a scream, shoving him off her.
“What the fuck—?”
“Oh my God,” she shouts, cutting him off, and runs toward me.
I stand, my heels cemented to the floor as she throws her body into mine. Her arms come up and wrap around my shoulders and squeeze. The action makes the spikes dig into my breasts, and the pain and pleasure it brings takes my breath away.
If she notices, she ignores it. Grabbing my shoulders, she pulls back but keeps ahold of me. “Girl. Where the fuck have you been? I’ve been calling you. Texting you. I even went to your house and broke the sliding glass door. The neighbors called the cops.” She rolls her pretty eyes dramatically. “I got out of being arrested but filed a missing person’s report on you. Of course, the broken glass on the living room floor helped my case. James wasn’t there. Motherfucker. I thought he killed you. God…” She sighs as a wide smile spreads across her face. Her eyes fill with tears of relief, and mine start to sting as well. I’ve never had someone care this much about me. “It’s so good to see you. What the fuck are you doing in New York City?”
I don’t answer, unable to form a sentence. What’s she doing here? Kissing Kashton? How is my friend connected to the Lords? I have a thought and get a sickening feeling in my stomach. Did she tell them where to find me? Did she tell Hooke about me? Surely not. I didn’t know they were connected.
No. She’s too excited to see me. And she didn’t know about my past. But I just watched Kash finger her.
“Fuck, I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you.” She yanks me in for another hug. My arms stay down to my sides, and she squeezes me once more, the spikes making my pussy clench.
I look over her shoulder to see Kashton still standing against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, and his hard blue eyes on mine. He’s mad at me. What the fuck did I do?
“Time to go.”
I stiffen at the sound of Saint’s voice behind me.
“Who the fuck are you?” Jasmine barks, pulling away and taking my hand. She spins me around to face Saint and Haidyn.
He reaches out for me, and she wraps her arm around my shoulders. “She’s not going anywhere with you.”
Saint steps forward, and Kashton speaks. “Jasmine—”
But he stops the moment someone joins us. Dark blue eyes find mine. “Brothers.” The man acknowledges them. Then nods to me. “Ashtyn.”
“Her name is Brittany, Bones. Gah, she worked for you, for Christ’s sake. You think you’d know her name.” Jasmine sighs, grabs my shoulder, and turns me to face her. She rubs my exposed arms, giving me that warm smile as if she’ll fix whatever the problem is. “Let’s get you home.”
“She’s going home with us,” Saint announces.
Jasmine straightens her back, glaring at him. “I’m not leaving here without her,” she states.
Saint’s eyes lift over her head to Kashton. His silent order to take care of the woman he was just finger-fucking in this hallway.
My eyes go to Bones, and he’s already staring at me. My heart begins to race as my mind starts connecting the dots. “You set me up.” I manage to find my voice.
“What? Who?” Jasmine demands.
Bones sighs.
“You set me up.” I repeat. How do the Kings know the Lords? I don’t know why I’m surprised. The Lords aren’t the only secret society that hides in plain sight. But I’m sure all of them communicate. Scratch each other’s backs sort of thing.
“What the fuck did you do, Bones? What is Brittany talking about?” Jasmine snaps at him.
“Her name is Ashtyn.” Kashton finally speaks.
She turns to face him. “You know her?”
A laugh bubbles up. Know me? I always liked Jasmine. If she knew what me and Kashton have done, would she hate me?
“Yes,” he says tightly. “And as Saint already stated, she’s leaving with us.”
“No. She’s fucking not,” she shouts, pointing at Saint. “I don’t know who the fuck…”
“Jasmine…” Kashton growls, stepping into her. “Don’t make a scene.”
It just pisses her off more. Her eyes narrow up at him, and she goes to slap him, but he catches her wrist midair and yanks her back. She falls off the side of her high heel, and he pulls her back to his front, places a hand over her mouth as she goes to scream, and carries her off to the women’s bathroom. The sound of the door locking behind them fills the hallway.
Bones goes to step forward, but Haidyn steps in front of him. “I warned you—”
“He’s not going to hurt her.” Saint interrupts Bones before he can finish his sentence.
The door to the women’s bathroom opens behind us, and I spin around, my hair slapping me in the face to see Kashton exit alone. His button-down shirt ripped open, and he’s got a cut on his face that is bleeding. He comes over to us, and Haidyn steps back from Bones.
“She’s waiting for you.” Kashton growls at Bones, then storms out of the glass doors.
“Let me give you a little piece of advice,” Haidyn says to Bones. “You have no clue just how far the Lords are willing to go.” Then he looks back at the women’s bathroom door before he too follows Kashton.
Saint grabs my upper arm and yanks me forward and out the door as well. Our limo waits in the valet circle. Saint opens the back door for me before he shoves me inside. Haidyn is already there, but there’s no Kash.
“Where is he?” Saint questions after noticing.
“Took a cab. Said he’d meet us there,” Haidyn answers. His hard eyes are on mine like I did something wrong.
Saint huffs. I can feel the air shift from comfortable to hot. Both of them are mad. I don’t know what I just saw, but I know I wasn’t supposed to see it. What do they expect me to do about it? Who the fuck am I going to tell?
At least I know now that Bones was the one who gave me up. I’ve been racking my brain for weeks about how they found me. Of course, a King was the answer.
“What does this mean for Jasmine?” I ask softly, breaking the silence.
“What about her?” Haidyn asks carelessly.
I lift my eyes to look at him, and he’s typing away on his cell. I’m guessing to Kashton. “You mentioned the Lords…is she in trouble?”
Haidyn snorts but doesn’t answer, so I look over at Saint. He’s already looking at me when he answers. “Don’t worry about her.”
I wish someone would have worried about me at one point. Then maybe things would be different.
SAINT
We waited for an hour for Kashton to board our private jet before we took off. I refused to leave him, and his cell was turned off. Haidyn spent the entire time in the back room, and Kash didn’t speak one word when he finally boarded. It was a long ride home, considering Ashtyn didn’t say anything to anyone either.
I didn’t think about Bones being at the show tonight. We know Hooke, and he owns Kink—an exclusive BDSM club in New York. He puts on the art show once a year. It’s a way to bring in big clients, many of whom are Lords. Kashton promised us that Jasmine wouldn’t be there. Obviously, she changed her mind since he spoke to her last.
We landed, and Haidyn jumped in his car and left. He didn’t bother telling us where he was going.
Once we enter the building, Kashton goes straight to his room, and I follow Ashtyn to hers. She tries to slam the door in my face, but I stop it with my foot and storm in behind her. “I don’t take kindly to the silent treatment, sweetheart.”
She stops and turns to face me, and I step into her. My hands cup her face, and her heavy eyes meet mine, and they’re dilated. Like they were the night I fucked her in Glass. I frown, looking her face over. “Did you take something?” I demand.
Her lips curve at the corners. “Maybe.”
“Ashtyn,” I growl. My hand grips her cheeks, and a whimper escapes her parted lips. “What the fuck did you take?”
“I don’t know,” she says, her cheeks smashed into her teeth.
I release her and grip her neck instead. She moans. “What the fuck do you mean you don’t know what you took? Who the fuck gave you something?” I demand. She was never out of my sight. Even the bathroom…she had stormed out of the show, and I found her up against the wall. Where had she been when I couldn’t find her? “What was it?” I ask again. I know she knows. She’s done enough drugs in her life to know what they look like. “Did you snort it or swallow it?” It could have been anything. From powder to a pill to liquid.
Instead, she just lifts her chin. Her heavy eyes look unfocused, and her breathing has accelerated. She’s so horny, and I was going to fuck her tonight but not now. I’d be too rough with her. I’d squeeze her fragile neck and not let go until her eyes rolled back into her head. But even I know that’s not safe if she’s on something.
I let go and run my knuckles down her throat, feeling her swallow against my tatted skin. “Turn around.”
She does so, and I reach up to unbuckle the leather harness I put her in to keep her shirt and spiked bra on. I had plans tonight but they have changed. I remove the harness and grip the bottom of her shirt lifting it up and over her head. Then I unfasten the bra and push it off her shoulders.
A whine comes from her parted lips, and I smile, turning her to face me once more. “Good night, sweetheart.”
“You’re not going to punish me?” she asks softly.
I pull the sheets back, then undo her shorts and remove her underwear. Once she’s naked, she crawls into bed, and I pull the covers up over her body. “Oh, you’ll be punished, Ash. But I want you to remember it.” Her heavy eyes close, and I sit down next to her.
I won’t leave her here all night fucked up by herself. I’ll stay with her to make sure she’s okay. Then tomorrow, I’ll make her regret ever knowing me.
I stand on the balcony, watching the sun rise over the tall trees while sipping on my coffee, when I hear her moan and start to move around in bed. Turning, I step through the open doors and into her bedroom. She rolls over, lifting herself onto her hands. Her hair falls to cover her face, and she groans, “Fuuucckk.”
“Rough night?” I ask, taking another sip of my coffee.
She sits up and turns to face me, glaring. She’s still pissed. Good, I’m ready for a fight. It’s time to get some shit figured out, and I wanted to wait until she was coherent.
“Do you have any idea what I could do to you?” I ask.
She snorts, her heavy eyes closing and then opening. The harsh sunlight hurts her sensitive eyes. “Just do it already and get it over with.”
“Over with?” I laugh. “Sweetheart, it’s a lifetime punishment, not a spanking.”
She throws off the covers and stumbles out of bed. My eyes fall to her naked body. Fuck, I’m so hard for her right now. Have been since I brought her back to me.
Her pretty blue eyes meet mine, and she holds her arms out wide. “Why the fuck am I even here, Saint?” I don’t answer. I don’t have to. The simple answer is because this is where I want her. She’s mine. She snorts at my silence. “Move on…I did.” With that, she goes to walk toward the bathroom.
I drop my coffee cup and grab her hair. Spinning her around, I shove her into the wall by the bathroom door and wrap my hand around her fragile neck. Her nostrils flare, and eyes narrow up at me, but she doesn’t fight me when I place my face in hers. “We took vows…”
“Like that ever mattered,” she snaps. “You married a dead woman, Saint. No one knew I existed.” Her voice rises.
“I did,” I shout in her face. “You’re my wife—”
She gives a rough laugh that makes the hairs on the back of my neck rise. She truly doesn’t give a fuck. “A Lord doesn’t marry for love, Saint.”
I release her neck and step back from her, needing a second to collect my thoughts. I thought there was a reason why she shot me and ran. Could it have just been that she wanted me dead and she knew that a divorce wouldn’t happen? “You truly believe that bullshit? That I don’t love you?”
Her bottom lip trembles, and her breathing picks up. “You proved that…” She pushes off the wall. “I asked you to save me, and you refused.”
I frown. “Save you…” I trail off, remembering that day like it was just moments ago. They say that people tend to block out the bad things that happen to them, but I’ll never forget the day she left me. “You asked me to kill you,” I say through gritted teeth. “That’s not proving love.”
“And you couldn’t do it.” She pushes off the wall and shoves me, but I don’t move. “Huh? Which one of us was the coward?” Her small hands hit my chest once again. “You son of a bitch. I never asked you for anything. I just wanted you to do one thing, and you couldn’t fucking do it.”
“I wasn’t going to kill you!” I scream, my heart racing with how fucking worked up she’s gotten me.
She takes in a deep breath, trying to control herself, and her pretty blue eyes fill with unshed tears. “I would have done anything for you, Saint. Anything.” The first tear falls from her bottom lashes to land on her cheek. “I was trying to save you, but you wouldn’t do the same for me. If you would have just let me go…” Her voice breaks, and she swallows.
I reach out to cup her face, and she goes to pull away, but I grab her face in both of my hands to force her to look up at me. “What do you mean, save me?”
Her watery eyes search mine before she whispers, “It doesn’t matter, Saint. It’s over. You won.”
“Ashtyn—”
She pulls herself free from me and turns, walking into the bathroom door. She slams it shut, and I hear it lock. I go to ram my shoulder into it when her bedroom door opens behind me. “Saint?”
“What?” I snap, turning to see it’s Kashton.
“We’ve got a delivery.”
Letting out a breath, I decide to let her cool off while I go and rip some brand off a Lord’s chest. Poor unlucky bastard will have to endure my bad mood.
