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“And what brings you to Cerberus, Anabella?”
She looked up at him with startlingly clear green eyes. As the doors on the elevator closed, Anabella took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “I know this is going to sound crazy, but I think someone may be trying, or at least planning, to kill me.”
And with that, his day officially went to hell.
CHAPTER2
ANABELLA
Anabella shook her head internally. Why had she been such a bitch? Granted, the guy had knocked her down, but hadn’t she done the same to him? And why had his lying on top of her felt so right? Why, in the midst of everything that was going on, had the thought of what it might feel like to be lying naked beneath him flashed through her brain?
The two men were a study in contrasts. The one man—the larger, more muscular of the two whose cock had felt so right nestled between her thighs, made her think of Adonis, but only if Adonis was ten times sexier than the Greek god of fertility and beauty. If the hard length that had been pressed between her thighs was any indication, she could easily imagine him as some god of the old legends. But like many things of great beauty, there was a flaw—his eyes. His eyes were cold and calculating, as if nothing could be taken at face value and he was always looking for the lie behind whatever was being said.
The other man looked as if he’d stepped off the pages of a fitness magazine or was the contestant on one of those insipid dating shows about some guy who seemed to have it all—good looks, money and a pseudo personality—but had to go on reality television to find someone to marry. She doubted the man with the sparkling eyes and radiant smile had ever had to do more than crook his finger to have some woman running to sit at his feet and gaze up adoringly at him. Wasn’t that what the guys who indulged in this sort of lifestyle wanted—some simpering female who fawned over them, waited on their every need, and then spread her legs on demand?
Adonis had introduced himself as Cooper something or other. The other guy he called Seth with a last name that started with, she thought, an N. And then the woman, whom Anabella had only had a glimpse of, was Alicia. She seemed nice enough and hadn’t seemed to mind that Adonis, or rather Cooper, hadn’t bothered to give her a last name.
When she’d finally made it up off the floor, Cooper had taken her hand and hooked it through his arm. She’d wanted to pull away but gave in to his gentle insistence that she acquiesce. Even brushing against him, not to mention having him lie on top of her, had ensured she knew the man was a solid slab of muscle. The hard planes of his torso had contrasted and complimented the rippling muscles evident through his clothing.
He’d guided her to the vintage elevator. Anabella told herself it was because of the promise of the fifty year old Macallan. She hoped he believed that, because she knew better. When he’d looked into her eyes and seen her fear, his own eyes had softened, and she’d felt a little bit safer than she had since this whole nightmare started. At that moment, she would have followed him anywhere, including into that kink club.
Who the hell put a top tier black ops security company in a kink club, anyway? Her research indicated that Cerberus had done just that: both with Baker Street in London and Club Southside here in Chicago.
Never in a million years had she thought she’d one day be looking for some kind of bodyguard protection. People like her didn’t need that. Private security was for celebrities and rich people. Anabella was neither. She thought the police were supposed to help regular people like her, but when she called to see if she needed an appointment, not only had the desk sergeant not helped, he’d all but laughed at her. But Anabella knew she wasn’t wrong, and none of this was a joke.
Adonis—No,Cooper. His name is Cooper—led her into the elevator and punched a button for the third floor.
“And what brings you to Cerberus, Anabella?”
She looked up at him, trying to comprehend that he was speaking to her. She licked her lips, trying to read his face and wondering what she was going to do when he laughed at her. As the elevator doors closed, Anabella took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “I know this is going to sound crazy, but I think someone may be trying, or at least planning, to kill me.”
“I see. Why don’t you tell me why it is you think someone is trying to hurt you?”
He didn’t believe her, but at least he hadn’t laughed. “Not hurt me, kill me.”
“That’s unfortunate. It’s a good thing you came to see us. Was someone chasing you when you came through the door? Was that the gunshots we heard?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so, but maybe?”
The elevator doors opened and Cooper—thank God she got his name right—led her out into an elegantly appointed office space. There appeared to be two private offices, a kind of open bullpen, and both a large and a small conference room.
“Let’s get you that drink, and you can tell me all about it.”
“You believe me?” she asked, incredulously.
“Is there any reason for me not to? I know we haven’t known each other long, but I rather suspect you don’t normally come barging into an office building dressed incognito.”
“Not normally, but I couldn’t even get the cops to listen to what I had to say.”
Cooper shrugged. “I find that in general cops tend to be more reactive than proactive. I’ll have Seth put in a few calls to see if we can find out what was going on earlier.”
He took her into the conference room and pulled out a chair. Ignoring the beautiful heavy-cut crystal decanter set, he reached into the credenza, pulled out a bottle of the whiskey, and poured her a healthy dram. Setting it down in front of her, he took a seat and leaned back, his body posture open and inviting.
“So, tell me Anabella, why is it you think someone is trying to kill you. Do you have any idea who it might be?”
She didn’t get the feeling that he was shining her on. He seemed to believe her and to be genuinely interested. The other man, Seth, joined them. He ended a call on his cell phone as he sat down.
“Anabella believes someone is trying to kill her and is a little worried that the gunshots might have been meant for her,” said Cooper.
