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“I’m not wearing the outfit,” I added. I watched with keen interest as he removed his shirt. I told myself it was because I was checking the bandage I had placed on his stomach. Not because I liked the way his hard muscles pulled and contracted when he stretched.
This time, he pivoted so he was fully facing me, the shirt balled up in his hands. He quirked an eyebrow at me, unsure.
“The skirt and the bodysuit. I’m not wearing it.”
“No one said you had to.” He took two steps closer, his knees bumping into the bed. He stared at me hard, his lips curling even more around his tusks as his smirk grew wicked. “Actually, no one told you that you had to wear anything at all. If it were up to me, I’d have you wearing no clothes.” He shrugged. “But then I wouldn’t be a good host, would I?”
My jaw opened. All the wind had been knocked out of my sails, and all I could do in response was blush. My body tightened from his low and dark words, making me hot and itchy and desperate to get out of these clothes. It took me a moment to recover. I licked my lips, looking in a different direction—any direction—that didn’t have a green muscular chest staring back at me. That was a tall order, especially considering how much room his body took up.
“Are you going to tell me who Gregor is?” I asked. I could still see Ansel from the corner of my eye. “I keep hearing his name a lot. He’s that dangerous orc you mentioned earlier, isn’t he?”
His expression soured as soon as I said the name. He tipped his chin once in acknowledgment, looking away. “When it comes to Gregor,” he said, almost under his breath, like it actually hurt him to say his name out loud, “the less you know, the better.”
“I kind of disagree,” I started. But Ansel wasn’t in the mood for a debate tonight; he shifted on his heels and headed into the bathroom to shower. “If I’m supposed to trust you, I’m gonna need more than a vague answer!”
Just before he shut the door, he added, “When you’re ready to tell me why you were in the alley that night, then I’ll think about giving you more than a vague answer.”
“I’m not changing your bandage tonight, so don’t even ask!” I screamed at him through the door. His only response was turning on the shower and drowning me out with the sound of running water.
I fell into a semblance of a routine for the next few days. As someone who thrived with a regimented schedule and hated change with a passion, it was comforting in a way. About as comfortable as I could be trapped in Ansel’s room like a patient in a psych ward with only four blank walls and a window to keep her company.
Ansel left early in the morning, always before I woke up, and returned late at night, exhausted and covered with blood. I really didn’t want to know if it was his or someone else’s.
Liam brought my meals at the same time every day, offering me nothing more than a grunt or a scowl, and I worked on the window between those times. It had only been two days, but I had successfully removed one screw and had started working on the next one. The work was still slower than I wanted, but at least I was getting somewhere.
Late one evening, as I was crushing my head and shoulder against the bars to work on the second screw, standing on my tippy toes to reach it; I heard the sound of approaching footsteps. What was Liam doing? I still had a couple hours before he brought me dinner, and it was still too early for Ansel to return from doing whatever the hell he does all day. Annoyed, I snapped the curtains shut and rushed to the bed, shoving my screwdriver under the closest pillow.
I opened the magazine lying next to me and leaned back, looking relaxed, and hoping my cheeks didn’t look as red as they felt.
Liam pushed open the door without even knocking. His cold eyes locked with mine for a brief second, his lips curled downward into his usual frown. He tossed a plastic bag in front of me on the bed. “Get dressed. We’re going somewhere.”
My pulse hammered as I stared at the bag. Where was Ansel? He may have been the one who kidnapped me, but I trusted him a lot more than the elf who needed an attitude adjustment. “Where are we going?” I asked as I reached for the bag. I made sure to keep my voice as calm as possible.
I opened the bag and retrieved the clothes inside. I held it out in front of me and gasped. It was worse than the slutty outfit Ansel had bought me the other day. Much, much worse. It was one step above lingerie. I let the lacy nightgown drop between my fingers and gave Liam an accusatory look. “I’m not wearing that.”
“Yeah, the thing is, you don’t really have a choice.”
A mixture of fear and anger bubbled up in my chest. “I’m not going to be your-your-sex slave!” I sputtered, my neck flushing red.
He let out an exasperated sigh, running his hand through his short blond hair. “It’s not what you’re thinking, Skye.” He took a step closer to the bed. I winced, my back pressing against the wall like an animal that had been backed into a corner. Any closer and I was going to bite. Claw. Scratch his eyes out. Whatever I needed to get him out of this room. “Can you let me explain first, please?” he asked, his annoyed tone canceling out any politeness intended with the word please. When I didn’t say anything, he continued, “I need you to do something for us. It’s very easy. You’re gonna put on that outfit and pretend to be a waitress at a club. Smile and pour drinks. That’s it.”
The club, of course. They needed someone inside who was not easily recognized. I felt a little stupid for not picking up on it earlier. I narrowed my eyes at him. “What does Ansel think of this plan? I thought the whole reason I was locked in his room was to protect me from the enemy. Now you’re wanting to put me in a skimpy outfit and sacrifice me to the wolves?”
Liam started to tap his foot. He was jittery. Nervous. “Ansel doesn’t know, and we’re going to keep it that way, alright? You’ll be safe. No one is allowed to harm a woman in there, orc mafia or not. We’ll drop you off and have you home, tucked into bed, before Ansel gets back.”
“What if they recognize me?” I asked. According to Ansel, it was the whole reason I was here, because I had the misfortunate of being seen with Ansel by one of Gregor’s men. I studied Liam’s face, looking for any tells that Ansel might be lying. When the elf didn’t give me any, I added, “If they’re as dangerous as Ansel says they are, I don’t think they’ll care about following club rules.”
“By the time we drop you off, Gregor’s men will be so drunk, there is no chance of recognizing you, let alone seeing straight. But just as an extra precaution, I got you this.” He reached into the bag, retrieving a blonde wig. He lobbed it to me across the bed and it landed on my lap. I picked it up and grimaced. The straw-colored synthetic fibers of the wig were so fake, it was making my skin itch by even looking at it. Liam couldn’t be serious.
“The club is dark inside,” Liam insisted, probably after reading the panicked look on my face. “Nightshade is the last place they are expecting you. You’ll be safe.” He paused, blowing out a long breath. “But I do understand the risk, so I wanted to offer a deal.” His eyes darted to the door, as if he was expecting Ansel to walk in at any moment. He returned his gaze to me, giving me a steady look. “If you do this for us, get us the information we need, then I will break you out of here.”
Chapter ten
Demiewaswaitingforus in the driver’s seat of the idling van. I struggled to cover my chest as I slid into the backseat. I had never had big breasts, but whoever had sewn this dress had made a deal with a demon because the built-in bodice pushed my itty-bitty A-cups almost to my chin. It catfished my breasts to look three sizes bigger than they actually were.
Demie didn’t seem to care that you could see my underwear or ass cheeks through the dress. He patted his wet forehead with a handkerchief until Liam slid in next to me and ordered Demie to drive.
Did breaking Ansel’s rule really make him that nervous? I had seen Demie slice off a chunk of someone’s arm, and now he looked ready to assume the fetal position while holding a barf bag to his face.
