What the fuck was wrong with him? He wasn’t into slaves—especially when he suspected they weren’t here of their own free will. Still, Cole couldn’t drag his gaze off her perfect little body. He needed to see her face, needed to feed the hunger insidehim.
The girl didn’t move. She stayed in a perfect kneeling position, her petite feet tucked underneath her rounded bottom, her bowed head facing the stranger. She was the picture of perfect submission, and damn his sick mind, Cole couldn’t help but picture her kneeling in front of him the same way. He scrubbed a calloused hand over his eyes and down his face, attempting to rub some of the thoughts out of his mind. There was no way this girl was herewillingly.
Which meant that any fantasy he had about her was sick.Sadistic.
Still, a tiny part of him couldn’t help but hold on to the rush of desire and want just a little bitmore.
Cole leaned forward, thankful he’d positioned himself behind Chaplinsky and Adam, so they couldn’t see the desire on his face. If she would just move a little bit, maybe tuck her hair behind herear.
But the girl didn’t move—he could barely tell her ribs were moving from breathing—and a sinking sensation inside told him shewouldn’t.
Her owner shifted forward in his throne, looking for all the world like Satan himself in his dark suit and equally dark seat. The torches along the walls cast harsh shadows across his narrow face. One tanned hand reached out for the girl, tipping her face up gently. Cole froze, his breath locked in his lungs with anticipation. Her luminescent blonde hair fell back, revealing her delicate features in a slowcascade.
His finger crooked under her chin, forcing her to look up into his eyes. And then he turned her head to the left and Cole stopped breathingaltogether.
“Tomi.” His heart stopped. His vision tunneled like he was in one of those end of the world movies when you know your life is about to changeforever.
Adam cast him a quizzical glance over his shoulder, but Cole couldn’t tear his gaze away from the kneelinggirl.
He couldn’t wrap his mind around the scenario. Never in a thousand years he would’ve expected to see her here. He hadn’t expected to ever see her again,period.
He was halfway off the chair when Chaplinsky’s voice broke into the fog of surprise and shock. “Looks like your man has found the slave he wants. Wonder if Luis will be willing to part with such abeauty?”
Like a load of C-4 had exploded across his chest, Cole fell back into the chair, using every ounce of willpower he had to school his features into a look of disinterest and boredom. A look that would’ve worked so much better if he’d possessed the strength to stop staring atTomi.
What the hell was she doing at that monster’sfeet?
Adam tried to help play it off, chuckling and nudging Cole a little too hard with his elbow. Silently telling him to get his shit together. “Told you he likesblondes.”
He liked blondes all right—petite, curvy blondes with perfect upturned noses and poutylips.
His insides were such a jumble of emotion he didn’t know what to do. Rage at the thought she was here willingly, subjugating herself to such a monster. Anger at the idea she was here against her will, that the monster had forced her. And rage at himself for caring one way oranother.
Adam said, “Who’sLuis?”
“Another host for El Oscuro. He doesn’t make many personal appearances either, but tonight is special,” Chaplinskysaid.
My God. If he’d had any hopes that she’d changed with age, put on weight, or lost her luster, one glimpse in the auditorium had been enough to demolishthem.
Luis’s lips moved and Cole knew he was talking to her. What he wouldn’t give to hear the man’s words. She didn’t move; she didn’t even flinch. She sat there, pliant and silent, as if she were enjoying hisattention.
Cole shoved to his feet, forcing his fingers to stay straight when he longed to clench them into fists and smash the table in front of him to bits. “Need to take a piss.” He turned and stalked away from their curtained quarters before Adam could say anything. No doubt his buddy thought he’d turned into amadman.
Cole turned right, walking down the plush carpeted aisle behind their row of booths, headed in the direction of Tomi. He needed to get closer, needed to see her. His mind could just be playing some sadistic, fucked-uptrick.
A massive guard, dwarfing Cole by a good six inches, stepped into his path. His features were twisted up into the look of a clenched fist. “May I helpyou?”
Cole had to fight not to growl at him like a chained-up yard dog. “Looking for therestroom.”
The guard’s squinty eyes scanned him from head to toe. Cole didn’t need to ask to guess what the man was thinking. He wasn’t rich enough to be in thisroom.
Fuck, if he didn’t get his act together, he’d get kicked out of this place before the damn auction even started. “I’m with Chaplinsky. Personal bodyguard. Run the name, but hurry the fuck up before I piss mypants.”
The guard immediately lifted a wrist to his mouth and spoke into a hidden microphone there, conveying Chaplinsky’s name over the system. It wasn’t a second later that the guard nodded, having apparently received confirmation through his earpiece. “Restrooms up the stairs on theright.”
Cole nodded to the man in acknowledgment and stepped past him, keeping his face angled straight ahead but twisting his eyes to get a better look at Tomi. Luis had let go of her chin and her hair had once again cascaded over her features. Cole couldn’t see any better from here than he had from across the room. Cursing, he stomped up the stairs, keeping up the pretense of needing to use the restroom. Once inside, he grabbed the sink and stared at himself in the mirror, fighting to get the stark look of shock off his face. If Tomi was here willingly and she saw him, their entire mission would be blown. Hell, their cover might be blown anyway, because seeing Tomi had been murder on his pokerface.
Shit. Cole shoved a hand over his head, scraping across his short black hair. His eyes glinted back at him in the reflection of the mirror. Tomi had destroyed him, but he’d never been able to get her out of his dreams. His reckless and rebellious mind still flitted back to her when he was asleep. The way she used to smile up at him like he was her hero. The way she would grab his hand and scoot closer to him in the truck. The passion on her face when she clutched his ass while they were makinglove.
