Chapter 14 – Markos
“You’ve got to be joking.” Serena glared at the janitorial jumpsuit.
I watched her strain to decide if she would push back or relent. Did I miscalculate her heart? No...no, it wasn’t that. There was an eagerness under the surface that made me wonder if I was the first person to encourage her natural inclination for espionage.
“I’m not actually asking you to clean,” I smirked. “But it gets you back access.”
My pretty little prisoner, obedient and silent, kept glancing with nervous eyes between the janitorial cart and the door.
She feigned confidence, but her hands shook slightly at the prospect of what lay ahead.
The car trip down to Tampa had been covered in complete silence.
Not a word, not a whisper from Serena, who sat next to me with arms folded and mind clearly racing, everything about her demeanor betraying her trepidation.
Now, in front of the doors of the back hall, I greatly anticipated this stunt—imagined her cool and collected as she made her way to the corner office before completing the task.
“You trust me enough to have me plant this?” she dared me, holding up the USB drive.
I nodded. “You said you liked snooping.”
That was a skill I could easily put to use. But first, this test.
There was no conceivable way this went wrong.
Well...very wrong.
Serena set her shoulders and reached for the jumpsuit. “If I’m caught—”
“You won’t be.” The pretty birds were gone for the evening. Serena would be in and out before the boss caught wind of my stunt. He would definitely fume, but the chance at pulling one over on him was too delectable to resist.
“Don’t worry, prinkípissa, I’ll be right here, ready to save you,” I promised.
That lit a fire in her deep brown eyes. “The day I need a man to save me is the day hell freezes over.”
I fought to keep the smile off my face. She was primed and ready for the adventure.
“If you feel like stealing one of the apples on his conference table, I would be eternally in your debt,” I murmured, opening the door for her.
If she wondered how I had access to the building, she didn’t ask. Chin tipped high, she ventured into the belly of the beast. Turning on my heel, I strode to the security desk out front.
“Carter,” I greeted the nightguard. “Care for a bear claw?”
I held the bag of pastries and watched the guard’s gaze glaze over at the promise of sticky sweets.
“Whatcha doing here, Mr. Demetriou?” he asked, eagerly taking the bag.
“Mr. Drakos said he’d swing by later.” My explanation seemed to satisfy the guard. He perched on the desk, facing me, while I had an unobstructed view of the monitors as he began to gorge.
Upstairs, Serena emerged from the elevator and looked both ways before journeying down the corridor. So far, everything was unfolding smoothly.
“So, how are your Bucs looking this season?” I tempted the guard into a conversation about America’s favorite weekend pastime. Football—the true football—to my people was sacred, and I refused to call throwing the pigskin that. But for the sake of this mission, I chatted up the guard about the NFL.
Serena approached Atlas’s office. She paused, looked over her shoulder, and then pushed inside.
I knew it.
She was perfect.
This opportunity was one she could use to her advantage. Any sane person would call for help, explain the kidnapping, and find help. Not my little guest. She was heart and soul devoted to the mission. The need to prove herself ran deep.
And it raised several questions, but the most prominent was who the hell was stupid enough not to use her dark side? She would be dynamite in a corporate setting. The perfect tool for taking down businesses. To a crime syndicate like ours, she was pure gold.
On the monitor, I watched as Serena bent and inserted the USB in the boss’s computer. The look of triumph carried through the grainy footage. I wanted to grasp the screen, study her features.
We would be idiots to let her leave—and not because she might betray our organization.
As she hurried from the room, she paused by the conference table.
That’s it, princess. Take one.
As she deftly plucked an apple from the tree, a jolt of pride surged through me, like a bolt of lightning traveling down my spine.
Her confident smile and the way her fingers curled around the fruit ignited a longing within me—to reach out, to feel the warmth of her skin, to make her mine.
I shifted my stance, acutely aware of the heat surging in my veins and the unmistakable tightness in my jeans as my blood pulsed insistently, making my desire all too evident.
Crap. That was not the reaction I should feel toward her. But how did I deny this attraction? It went against my every inclination. Rubbing my jaw, I waited for Serena to slip into the elevator before I bid the guard goodnight.
I hurried through the empty lobby to the employee only area.
The crackle of excitement made my skin prickle as I raced to the maintenance room.
The thrill of Serena’s success coursed through me like a drug.
The added bonus was knowing Atlas would turn on his computer and see the mischief I caused tomorrow.
The flash drive, programmed to burst across his screen, held a slide show of provocative memes.
The perfect trick to play, harmless and hilarious in equal measures.
My spy stripped out of the jumpsuit, disgust written on her face.
Her chin reflected the same defiance as when she’d started, but now there was a heat about it, a flame stoked by accomplishment. Her eyes, fierce and blazing, latched onto me the moment she sensed my presence.
Theos, she was beautiful.
“This smells like chili fries,” she said, dropping the uniform to the floor.
Triumphantly, she reached for her prize from the conference table, but I plucked the apple off the janitorial cart before she could. My little thief wouldn’t let it go that easy; I should have known.
“Hey! That’s mine,” she protested and took a step forward.
I held it high above her head, unsurprised by her desire to keep the spoils of the night. “Come and get it.”
At my dare, she launched herself at me. We collided, her small body crashing into my much larger one. I barely budged, but I felt the impact of her everywhere. This was fire, and I was the fool playing with it. Her hands scrambled for purchase, grabbing at my arm as she tried to reach the apple.
I laughed, deep and throaty, as I watched her struggle. The determination in her eyes was breathtaking. She wasn’t afraid to touch me, to breach the invisible barrier between captor and captive. Her fingertips pressed into my bicep, and I felt myself flexing beneath her touch.
“Damn it, Markos,” she hissed, her voice low and dangerous. “Give me what I earned.”
“Ah, so you want to keep the evidence of your crimes?” I taunted, raising the apple even higher.
“You’re insufferable,” she hissed, lunging again.
This time, when she jumped, I caught her with my free arm, her momentum bringing us both against the wall. Her breath hitched as I steadied her, my hand splayed across the small of her back. The warmth of her seeping through the thin fabric of her shirt sent electricity crackling across my skin.
“Let. Go.” Each word was punctuated with barely restrained fury.
For the first time, a woman looked at my hideous visage without fear or disgust. Her reaction to me was intoxicating.
“Make me,” I whispered.
A tense second passed, and then she lifted her knee. I moved just a fraction so it collided with my thigh.
You’re a fighter, little one. The perfect woman to thrive in the criminal underbelly.
I pushed that thought away, not wanting to think about the possessive implications.
No, when a woman took my last name, it would be a purely pragmatic action.
Love would never be part of the equation.
Lust and children, if I was lucky, but what we gave each other in terms of power was far more important an exchange.
“I suppose you earned it.” I couldn’t help it, I inched my fingers up her spine, tangling them in the lengths of her dark gold hair. I wanted nothing more than to free it from the braid.
Her breath hitched. “Damn right, I did.”
Slowly, I brought the prize between us. Her fingers curled around it, brushing against mine. We stood there, breathing hard and staring off.
Only the knowledge that the guard might be suspicious if Atlas didn’t show had me breaking the moment. I took a step back, putting some much-needed distance between us.
“How about we grab a bite to eat before heading back to the village?”
Serena nodded, seeming at a loss for words at my innocent suggestion.
We snuck out the back, the night air swallowing us as we headed straight for my jeep. Tampa’s cool evening did nothing to quench the fire blazing inside me.
I was a rotten bastard, enjoying this fierce woman’s company while knowing full well that I would try to marry another. Sliding behind the wheel, I drove us down the street to a shopping complex and a chain burger joint.
“Don’t try anything funny,” I warned.
Serena scowled. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
The fluorescent lights flickered overhead as we approached the counter.
The smell of grease and salt settled around us, a sharp contrast to the tension crackling between us.
We placed our order, our voices barely rising above the din of the bustling restaurant.
When we moved to find a seat, Serena’s eyes held a challenge, daring me to acknowledge the fraught electricity we tried to ignore.
Trays in hand, we weaved through plastic tables until we reached a booth in the corner.
She slid in, her eyes watchful and wary, full of a burning intensity.
I sat across from her, the heat of her presence scorching, and wondered again how I would ever keep my distance.
I was playing a dangerous game, and Serena was the spark that could destroy everything.