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Maybe. Yes. That was exactly what she needed to believe, even as her fingers interlinked at the back of his neck to guide him closer.
“What is wrong with me?” she whispered, closing her eyes as the dizziness of endorphins loosened her muscles.
His breath stole hers, right there, his lips on the threshold of her mouth. “It tastes good.”
Yes, it did, too good. “I’ll never be able to trust you.”
“I haven’t lied to you yet.”
Her eyes opened to meet his again. “You didn’t tell me you were filming us having sex.”
“That was an omission, not a lie.” And for a man who ate immorality for breakfast, that was an important distinction. “Ask me a question and I will tell you the truth.”
Fighting her primal urges wasn’t easy; she’d never been so overcome. Still, certainty was important.
“Is that a promise?” she asked, still wary, and got a nod. “Are there any cameras or audio equipment recording here or upstairs right now?”
“No.”
“Then how did you—”
“Upstairs are motion activated,” he said. “No one’s up there.”
But if they went up, those cameras would turn on. “I won’t have sex with you wherever there are cameras.”
Why give him more evidence?
“I’ll turn them off,” he said, descending to almost meet her lips again. “If you ask nicely.”
Nicely? She wanted to punch him in the eye.
Biting her tongue, she pushed him back, searching for sincerity. “I don’t want to be filmed or recorded in any way. Can you promise that won’t happen?”
“Not only can I promise it, but I can swear to obliterate any man who tries it.” Tough talk. Shit, she stopped breathing when he leaned in. “McDades have power. We have reach. Being with me comes with benefits, Sersha.” And he didn’t mean in the bedroom. “Do your job right and I might let you take advantage of that. This is real. To anyone outside my circle, we’re legit.” Because he was using her to widen his net of legitimate contacts, she was no fool. “Understand?”
Was that a threat? What did being with a man like him mean? Smiling at him in front of others? Laughing at his jokes… if he made jokes.
“No advantage will save me from your bed, will it?” she asked. “You’ll still expect me to lie on my back for you.”
“I expect a helluva lot more than that.”
“And I’m just supposed to accept your word? How can I accept your word you’re not filming every second we spend together?”
“I’ve got you on the hook. Squirm, baby, makes no difference. I have no reason to lie. The cameras are off ‘cause that’s what I want. If I wanted them on, they’d be on. Ask and I’ll tell you the truth. But I have all the footage I need to tighten your chain.”
“And if you decide you want to record us again?”
“Then I will.”
“And what?”
“When we’re done, you walk away with anything intimate or incriminating.”
“I can’t trust you.”
“Okay,” he said, pulling her arms away to step back. “Daly will take you home.”
Which meant her family’s pain. Plenty of journalists went deep for the right story. Was the risk worth it? As he said, he already had enough to pull the trigger. Even if he recorded every other encounter, all it would mean was more embarrassment for her. The damage would be the same. Her words, she’d be careful with those, but the physical? The horse had already bolted on that one.
