“You’ll give me the answers I want,” he insisted.
I shook my head again, feeling stronger when I didn’t look him in the eye. Or more cowardly.
“Listen, little agent. This isn’t the first time the law’s been after me and it won’t be the last. You’re obviously following me for some mission from whatever alphabet agency you work for, and I’m clearly the dangerous assassin the world should want behind bars.”
I whipped my head up to gaze at him.
“We can cut through the bullshit of those simple details and get right to your telling mewhyyou’re interested in me.”
“I’m not—” I caught myself from that lie.
He smiled. “Not like that. You’ve proven yourself plenty there.”
You’re an asshole.
“I only need to know why you’re so interested in following me.” He shrugged. “It could be due to any number of the hits I’ve completed in my career. But it is becoming tedious to play that cat-and-mouse game, isn’t it?”
“I’m not playing any?—”
Silence struck. The absence of the distinctive hum that meant the AC units were running depressed me.
“Hmm. Looks like things will be heating up here,” he quipped. “You were saying?”
“I’m not playing any games.” I only ever wanted to do my job. To get the bad guys and make the world safer. There was no time for games and jokes like what he was implying. This wasn’t a freaking vacation for me.
“Tell yourself whatever makes you feel better.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “But I’ve got another idea.”
Negotiating wasn’t out of the ordinary. I didn’t feel ready to do so with him yet. Not so soon after he threw me off with that orgasm.
“The sooner you tell me why you were sent to try to arrest me, the sooner we can fuck.” He sat back with that matter-of-fact offer. “Then I can consider letting you go. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
I rolled my eyes and didn’t answer.
I didn’t speak, either.
He waited me out, like he always did, but this time, when he left, he didn’t tie my hands back to the chair. I couldn’t escape with my ankles still tied in such a way that I couldn’t lean over and free myself.
But I wasn’t so eager to.
He was clearly interested inme.
A couple more days passed without his releasing me.
Two more days of no air conditioning, when we were both sweating heavily.
Forty-eight hours of hisstillrefusing to let me go.
I had to wonder if he was driven more because he wanted me than anything else. And just in case I was right and I could use that against him, I anted up the challenge.
“Morning,” Emil said as he entered the room with water the next day.
“Is it?” I asked grumpily as I unbuttoned my shirt.
He stood still, watching me.
“What? It’s hot.” I let my lightweight blouse hang open over my chest, giving him the minimal peek of my breasts in my bra.
“It is,” he agreed, sighing as he stared at my chest.
