Which was a damn pity, because negotiations weresupposedto be fun. Nerve-wracking, sure, like a first date, but they were meant to be an exploration, a chance to glimpse another person in a new way.
Instead, this would be uncomfortable and clinical.
The pad of her footsteps was so soft he nearly didn’t catch it. It was her scent that came down first, something soft and sweeter than he’d have figured for a woman as tough as she was.
She wore the same outfit. Pants rolled up to just below her mid-calf and a loose black shirt paired with black sneakers. Her hair still held those curls, and her full lips gave her that youthful look that was so deceiving.
Alison brought her gaze up, meeting Trent’s.Shit. Caught staring not five seconds in. Great job, idiot.He tore his eyes away, as if that would undo it. He didn’t blame himself for his reaction—if anyone understood basic biological reactions, if was him—but he tried not to unnerve her any more than he had to.
A chair scraped against the tile floor, and he turned back to find that she’d taken a seat at the table as far away from the other two seated alphas as she could.
Kyle spoke first. “How’s your room?”
“Fine.” Her short, sharp response didn’t bode well for a nice friendly chat.
Kyle leaned back as if giving up.
Daniel took over. “Look, we’re not trying to make you uncomfortable here. We have to figure out how this will work. For undercover work, people typically have a lot of training before trying it. The last thing Iwant is to end up upsetting you or making you feel uncomfortable.”
Alison crossed her arms and set her elbows on the table. “Let’s get one thing straight, all right? I spoke with Tiffany—I know you all handle this slavery ring taskforce and that before then, you focused on other large-scale omega crimes. I amnotsome broken damsel who needs you to walk carefully around me. I’m not one of your charity cases.”
“No one thinks you’re weak,” Daniel went on. “If we did, we’d never have agreed to this. There have been former slaves who have offered to help, to play the part you’re going to play, but we turned them down because it wouldn’t have been right to put them in that position. Trust me, if we thought you were broken, you wouldn’t be here.”
Her eyes narrowed, but Alison didn’t say anything back. Did she believe them or did she think they were bullshitting her?
The desire to figure her out, to learn her tells, ate at Trent and he filed it all away for later. Even if this were all make-believe, he still needed to deal with her, and the more he learned about her, the more he realized he’d need his best game to do so.
“Even if you’re totally solid,” Kyle added in, “that doesn’t change that we need to agree on what’s expected. Going into this blind isn’t going to help anyone.”
“I’ve spent six months on this job. I’m not going anywhere blind. We’ll have someone from the association come and do two visits to ensure you do have a slave for sale and to take down all information in order for accurate pricing and pairing. The actual auction is set for just under two months away, but thelocation won’t be told until the day of. During the auction, you’ll be allowed to stay with me until payment had been remitted from a buyer. There are usually about thirty omegas in an auction. How am I doing on understanding?” She spoke quickly, as if rushing out all the information.
Trent rubbed his thumb across his jaw. He’d bet that usually worked. She’d toss out facts rapidly, unsettling those around her, making herself sound arrogant enough that no one challenged her.
Too bad it was a ploy. He saw the uncertainty in her pretty green eyes. Shewastough and committed, but that didn’t erase her worries.
A crease appeared in Daniel’s cheek. “Yeah, you’ve got the basics. None of that addresses that we’ll have to go through those meetings, that you’ll have to play a part, that weallwill have to play one. That means we’ve got to be clear about how that’ll go and what limits there are.”
“Limits.” She huffed a mocking sound out. “Slaves don’t get limits.”
“You aren’t a slave, though, and the last thing I want is to risk stumbling over some trigger you have. We might not actually be your Doms, but we’re going to be stepping into that role for a while. That means honesty.”
And there is was, the widening of her eyes, the quickening of her breath.So, she’s not a fan of honesty, huh?
Kyle went next. “I promise that we won’t lie to you, Alison. We won’t do anything you tell us is off limits.”
His reassurance should have helped, but her body only seemed to grow more tense. “I don’t need kidgloves. We have a job to do and anything we need to do to find the fucking auction is fine with me.”
Kyle pressed his lips together.
Which meant it was Trent’s turn. He pulled a chair out directly next to her, one that made her lean away slightly when he sat. “Have you ever been in any consensual power exchange situation?”
She shook her head.
“Do you have a history of abuse or sexual assault? Anything we should know about that could cause you to freeze or panic?”
Again, she shook her head.
The fact that she answered surprised no one more than Trent, but he’d guess that using her own no-nonsense tone had helped. He didn’t play the ‘I’m so worried about you’ card, but rather spoke as if filling out forms at a doctor’s office. Being seen as weak seemed to be a hot button for Alison.
