Page 139 of Smart Ass

“What was that?” Ben asked.

“What?” Oliver asked.

“I heard a shriek. Can you see anything over there?”

“I don’t see anything.”

Weird.

Ben kept walking. Probably a harmless animal. If Oliver wasn’t worried, he wouldn’t be either.

An inhuman hiss came from behind him, but off to the right.

Now his heart was picking up speed. “Oliver?” he asked. “Did you hear that?”

“I didn’t hear anything.”

“Look again.” Ben walked just a tiny bit faster.

Big cats were wicked cool, but he didn’t want to come across an angry one in the dark.

“I don’t see anything.”

He walked a little further. But now he heard a shuffling sort of pacing sound behind him.

Was it his imagination? Wind in the trees?

The whistle and rush of the wind seemed to have picked up, though he couldn’t feel it through his light jacket.

“Oliver, I really think there’s something out there.”

Suddenly, the lights went out along the drive. Not just one, but all of them, even the ones along the external brick wall. The glinting windows of the house looked disturbingly far away.

“Oliver?” Ben asked, hoping his voice didn’t sound too panicked.

Something brushed his sleeve. He was sure of it.

“Oliver? Where are you?” It was a stupid question. Oliver was everywhere. Right?

Maybe there was a power break.

Even so, Oliver should still be able to reach him on his phone. He was pretty sure Oliver had charged it for him, so it couldn’t have cut out at the same time, could it? He dug into his pockets with both hands.

That was when two strong arms came around him. He was pressed against a hard, muscular chest. Even more disturbing was an obvious bulge a little lower down.

“Oliver!” he shouted. He was outright panicked now. He kicked back and tried to get his hands out of his pockets, but the arms were like bands of metal.

A wide hand covered his mouth, and a deep voice whispered in his ear. “Better run, little human. While you still can.”

Oh fuck. That was Oliver’s voice, husky and menacing. Ben giggled in nervous relief, his fear turning to arousal in an instant. If his cock could get hard on its own, it would be pounding through his jeans right now. Oliver knew all of his fantasies so well.

The sexbot—because that’s what it had to be—let him go, and Ben took off running.

The first thing he did was drop his bag and unclip his harness, letting the expensive cameras drop to the grass. They were reinforced, so he hoped they wouldn’t break. If he was to have any chance of escape, he couldn’t have Oliver watching his every move.

His heart was galloping a thousand miles per hour. The adrenaline raced through him, making him fast and frantic.

Should he go into the house? Run away from it?