That one look, that little show of emotion, is enough to remind me that she isn’t who she said she is. I know most girls are that way when they come here, but there’s something about her . . . something that tickles a memory, and it leaves me a little uneasy.
I don’t like the feeling.
Chapter Nine
Charlotte Mitchell
Idon’t know what kind of car this is, but it has to be expensive. There is only enough room for two people: the driver and the passenger. And I can tell just by the purr of the engine that it’s built for speed.
It’s the middle of the night, and the clouds have rolled in to cover the moon. I wasn’t able to see the true color of the car, but it looked some shade of gray. We had strode out of the condo like I hadn’t just gotten myself off in front of a stranger, walking outside in absolute silence. Once I realized what car we were getting into, he stepped in front of me, reached for the handle, and helped me get inside. It’s a low car, and it made my dress ride up, but it would have been worse if I had gotten in alone.
As we drive through East Harlem, I can’t stand the silence of the car though, so instead of letting it suffocate me, I spin to face him slightly. His eyes are focused on the road, and his jaw is clenched so tight I can see the musclesstraining along it. He is, however, as beautiful in the dark as he is in the light.
While I was on the bed, pleasuring myself, I had snuck looks at him, fantasized that he was the one doing all those things to me. It had worked better than it should have, considering I don’t know this man from Adam. The purple hue of the room had played against the carved outline of his face and made his eyes sparkle in such a different light that I couldn’t help but soak them in. There was lust there, and because of that, I’d never felt more beautiful than I had in that moment, naked before him, moaning and stripped bare of any dignity that I had. I hadn’t cared, to be honest, because even though I know it won’t be … that someone else will view this video – in that moment, it was just me and him.
But now, as I focus on him and study his tight expression, I wonder what he’s thinking; in that room, his expression wasn’t tight. Not like this.
“I could have walked,” I whisper. It would have been quite a distance, but I could have.
He clutches the steering wheel a little tighter as he turns a corner. I had told him where to take me. It’s not where I live, but it’s close by. Over my dead body will someone in this business know where I sleep at night, even if I fantasized about him twenty minutes ago.
“A woman shouldn’t be out in East Harlem once the sun goes down.”God, that voice. It goes straight to my clit more than the vibrations of the car.
I glance at my lap and twist my lips to the side. “I can take care of myself.”
He spares me a quick look. “I don’t think you know what lurks at night around here.”
I fight a sigh because, as a cop, I know exactly what prowls in the night. “Well, thank you for taking me home.”
“It’s my job,” he says tightly.
“Oh really?” I grumble sarcastically because I can tell he doesn’t like it. “Do you take all the new girls home? Because I have to say that you don’t seem the type.”
His brows pinch together, but he keeps his eyes on the road. “I prefer to take care of things myself. Do I take them all home? No. But –” His frown deepens.
“But what?” I press and then chuckle without humor. “Am I different or something?”
“Or something,” he repeats before turning another corner. I grab the edges of my leather seat because he takes it a little too fast.
“Okay,” I eventually say, drawing out the word. “Well, thank you anyway.”
His nod is my only answer. That frown is still on his face, and I’m sure he can’t think past whatever put it there in the first place.
“How many girls are under your employment?” I ask as I glance out the window and watch the streetlamps go by.
“More than enough.”
“Do I have competition to worry about?”
He doesn’t answer me at first, so I look back at him. Eventually, he says, “Yes, if you get the job.”
“When will I know if I get the job?” I squeeze the leather a little tighter, hoping for a positive answer. I need this, and honestly, I can look past the fact that it’ll strip me bare in more ways than one. Not only do I have to prove to Visser, and to myself, that I’m not my father and that I’m capable of more than basic arrests, but I also want to save the women being trafficked from their horrible, unthinkable fate. I may have only gotten a taste today, but I can tell there are so many layers. I plan to strip them all away untilI find out who is in charge of all this then make the arrest myself.
I’m a little shocked when I see a smirk tilt his lips. “A little desperate?”
“I need the job.” It’s only a half-lie. I want to see him again too. Even though he’s a criminal, and probably the worst of the worst, I find myself completely drawn to him. It’s entirely unhealthy. “Or is it Andre that I need to –”
His mood switches with a snap of two fingers. “You won’t be talking to Andre,” he nearly growls.
