Page 69 of Villainous Intent

Her tongue darted out, a quick, nervous swipe to wet her lower lip and I went perfectly still. My eyes locked onto that brief flash of pink. The biological response was instantaneous. Blood rushed south and I wanted nothing more than to drag her out of her chair.

I forced my gaze up to her eyes, masking the feral hunger behind a wall of arrogance. “I’m not distracting you, Bishop. I’m assisting you. You should feel grateful for the help. My consulting fees are astronomical. Entire governments couldn’t afford the time I’m offering you.”

Annie turned her head just enough to glare at me, her blue eyes flashing. “You’re not assisting,” she countered, her tone biting. “You’re bothering me because you’re physically incapable of not being the center of attention in any given room.”

Fuck, I loved her smart mouth.

The League was infested with sycophants and bootlickers. They walked on eggshells, desperate to avoid the wrath of any of the Supers they served. But Annie sat right here, deep in the belly of my lair, at my mercy, calling me an attention whore to my face.

She was magnificent. I shifted my hips, trying to ease the pressure in my groin.

“Narcissism is a prerequisite for the League, Bishop,” I murmured.

She turned her head away, staring dead ahead at the monitor. But she wasn’t quite fast enough. The corner of her mouth had twitched upward, the beginnings of a smile breaking through.

I hated that she turned away and hid that expression from me, but a dark satisfaction settled over me. I had elicited that response. I had cracked the armor.

“You told me I could have access to your files,” she said, her voice dropping some of its bite, though she kept her eyes glued to the screen. “You should let me look in peace.”

I leaned in closer.

“I told you I would give you access, Bishop. I never said a single word about giving you peace.”

She began typing something and ignored me.

I cocked my head. “You were remarkably chatty with Number Twelve,” I observed. “Smiles. Banter. A regular fucking ray of sunshine. Yet I, the man currently handing you the keys to highly classified Syndicate intelligence, get the silent treatment.”

Annie didn’t even blink. “Twelve was being kind. He fixed my head, and he didn’t have any ulterior motives for doing it.”

“Twelve wasn’t being kind, Bishop. He was doing his job. He knows exactly what I would do to him if he left a scar on your pretty face. It was self-preservation, nothing more.” I leaned a fraction of an inch closer. “Why do you automatically assume I have an ulterior motive for helping you?”

That finally got her attention and she stopped typing. She turned her head slowly, fixing me with a flat, unimpressed look. “Because you’re Cipher. You don’t do anything just to be helpful. Every move you make is a calculation. I just haven’t figured out what you want from me yet.”

She turned back to the screen, dismissing me.

The audacity of it made a dark, predatory thrill spike through my blood.

She froze when I reached out to trace the edge of the cuff locked around her wrist. “You could just ask me.”

Her eyes were dark and guarded as she glanced at me. “Fine. What do you want with me?”

“I want you.”

She blinked. “Excuse me?”

“We’re already stuck in this charade for the Syndicate and the Aegis. To maintain your cover, we have to make the world believe I’ve claimed you as my plaything. We have to sell the illusion that I own you.”

She frowned. “I know what the assignment⁠—”

“I don’t give a fuck about the assignment,” I interrupted, shifting my weight so my knees bracketed her, trapping her against the console. “I want to extend the arrangement. Behind closed doors. Just the two of us.”

“The world gets the performance,” I said softly. “But in private, we make it real. A transactional exchange. You give me exactly what I want, and I give you what you want.”

She swallowed hard. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t want anything from you.”

“Don’t play coy, Annie. It doesn’t suit you. I’ve seen your browser history. I know what you read. I know what you search for when you’re alone.”

A flush of deep crimson stained her cheeks, creeping down her neck. “That is a violation of privacy.”