Chapter 9Monroe
9
Monroe
I blink a few times, caught by surprise. Did he really just tell me to undress?
“You have blood all over you. For one, that’s a biohazard, and two, I don’t want DNA evidence following you around. I have a robe in the bathroom that you can wear until we get you something new,” he explains.
“Oh,” I say, my cheeks still flushing red despite realizing he’s not trying to get me to expose myself to him.
I step toward the bathroom to change, but he holds up a hand to stop me. “Remove the clothing first, darling. I need to make sure you’re not carrying any weapons with you.”
“Seriously?” I ask with a scoff.
He gives me a dry smile as he sits down behind his desk. The leather chair creaks under his heavy body. “I’m completely serious. If you’re capable of stabbing Maksim, you’re capable of taking a stab at me. Remove your clothing.”
I glare at him as I peel off my shirt and pants, but I can’t maintain eye contact with him as I unclasp my bra and drop it on the ground. I know he’s getting off to this. He loves how vulnerable I am and how much power he has over me.
I’m trying not to feel so conflicted about this, but there’s a buzz in my lower belly that’s getting increasingly difficult to ignore. I hate Zane for what he’s doing to me, but I can’t ignore the excitement that it brings to my life. My nipples are so hard they ache, and there’s a moisture between my thighs that I would rather Zane not know about.
As I drop my panties on the floor, Zane exhales loudly through his nose. “Do you have a boyfriend?” he asks.
“Um, no,” I reply, speaking toward my feet.
“Your pussy is shaved,” he notes.
“I… I just prefer it that way.”
“Well, it’s very pretty. You have a beautiful body,” he says, rising from his chair and moving around the desk.
My body stiffens as he approaches me, and goosebumps rise on my arms and legs. The slightest movement of the air against my skin is enough to send waves of prickling arousal throughout my body. If he moves any closer, I might even faint.
“Do you mind if I touch you?” He asks, his voice low and grumbly in his chest.
My breath catches in my throat. I don’t know how to answer him, and I don’t know why it’s so hard for me to say no. I should push him away and run to the bathroom, but I’m frozen to the plush carpet, captured by his intoxicating masculine energy.
It buzzes within me, drowning out my senses with relentless noise.
“So soft,” Zane mutters, placing the back of his hand on my shoulder and running it down my arm.
I stare out ahead of me, at his empty desk and the map of the world behind it, but I can barely see anything. My brain refuses to concentrate on the scene in front of me. I’m drawn to his touch, to the back of his hand, like it’s wrapped around my entire body. One touch, but it has become my entire universe.
“You shaved this morning?” he asks, running his hand down my side.
A chill runs through me, and I nod. “Yes.”
“You’re so soft,” he says, his voice dangerously close to my ear. I can feel the heat of his breath on my sensitive skin, the promise of what could happen if I let him continue.
I pull away before his hand can travel down any further. I know where he’s going, but I can’t let him touch me like that. This isn’t at all appropriate, especially not in light of what has happened. Have I lost my mind?
Not yet, clearly. Pulling away was the right choice, and the responsible thing to do. I turn from him, walking away to the bathroom to get the robe. My dignity is hanging by a thread as it is. I can’t let things go further.
“Your ass is incredible,” he mutters as I walk away.
“Not an ass you’ll ever get,” I reply, but my voice wavers. I want to sound confident, but instead, I sound like I doubt myself.
He chuckles, but doesn’t respond. It’s humiliating that he knows I can’t resist him already. His power is nothing like I’ve ever experienced, and the way his voice makes my toes curl is damn near impossible to ignore.
I feel so small as I wrap his giant cotton robe around my small shoulders. I’m grateful to be protected by such a large cocoon of fabric, but it also reminds me of how powerless I am in Zane’s domain.
The bathroom is luxurious, with a massive marble counter and a giant shower. A bathtub takes up half the room, and I could easily swim laps in it.
The sink has several bottles and cans lined up along the edge, shaving creams and colognes. It's almost like he lives up here in his office, but he mentioned having a house. A mansion. That was what he called it.
I wonder if that's where I'll be going after this.
When I come out of the bathroom, Zane is sitting back at his desk, scribbling on a sheet of paper.
"Come over here," he commands.
I do, reluctantly, and he points at the ground. "Sit."
"Right here?" I ask.
"Yes, right here. In front of me."
I slowly sink to my knees in front of him, not understanding why I'm doing it. He's not forcing me, but I obey anyway, knowing that it's the best thing I can do for myself in this situation.
"Good girl," he says. "You listen well. I'm glad to see that. It's good to know that I can trust you. Now, the only way this is going to work is if you and I can establish some kind of trust. Do you agree?"
"I don't think I have a choice," I reply.
"No, you don't. So, let's make this work. I need to know everything about that flash drive, but I'm not going to be able to force it out of you. So, you have a choice."
I wait with bated breath. What is it? Torture, or worse?
"I can take you to my estate, but I know there are some things you'd like to get from your house first. Personal belongings, clothes, maybe some important documents. Am I right?"
I nod.
"So, I will take you to my estate, we will stay there tonight, and in the morning we will go back to your house and collect your things. We're doing this to build trust. I will protect you and provide what you need."
I raise an eyebrow. "And the other option?"
He smirks. "You leave my office, you take the elevator to the ground floor, and you exit through the front lobby. Three seconds later, the sniper that Maksim has perched on the room of the opposite building puts a bullet in the back of your head."
I recoil in shock. "What sniper? What are you talking about?"
"I've already gotten word that there's someone on the roof of the building across from us with a gun. You go out there, and you're dead. If I go out there, I'm also dead. That's why we're leaving in my armored car, and Kiro is going to have a couple of our men take care of the threat," he explains. "Thankfully, there are no windows in this office, or we'd probably both be dead already."
I shudder at the thought.
"You're safe as long as you stay here with me. Once you leave, you're fair game."
"That doesn't seem like a choice," I mumble.
Zane smiles. "It's not. So, you'd better be on your best behavior and earn my trust."
"Or what?"
"Or you die," he says flatly. "That's the way this game is played. I know you don't want to give me the information on the flash drive because we lack trust between us. My job is to convince you to trust me."
"How will you do that?"
"By doing what you asked me to do. Take you home and gather your belongings tomorrow morning. I'm not going to torture you. That's not the type of man I am," he says, flipping over the sheet of paper on his desk and scribbling something on the back.
"What are you writing?" I ask, trying to peer over the top of the desk. From my position on the floor, it's difficult to see. Maybe that's why he put me there.
"A shopping list," he replies. "Some nice lingerie, maybe a bikini or two. I have a pool that you'd probably enjoy, and a hot tub if you're into that sort of thing."
I crinkle my nose at his suggestion. "How about some jeans and a t-shirt?"
He shrugs. "I'll add those to the list. I assumed you already had them at your house."
"Yes, but I also have underwear."
He gives me a doubtful look. "A woman like you deserves something that accentuates her pretty figure. Those cheap cotton panties you had on weren't doing you any favors."
"Rude," I mutter, crossing my arms.
"I'm being honest. Don't take it personally. It's a gift, and I think you'll be happy when you see yourself wearing something that accentuates your curves," he says. "You'll be staying with me for a while. We're going to be seeing a lot of each other."
I blush, and I can't figure out why. The thought of wearing lingerie and bikinis around him makes me feel embarrassed, but also strangely excited.
I'm not attracted to him, am I?
He's an attractive man, and his muscles are insanely hot, but that doesn't mean I should be swooning over him. He's my captor. There's nothing else between us, and there never will be.
He standing up, handing the sheet of paper to me along with the pen. "Just write your size on here, and I'll hand it off to one of my assistants. What's your favorite color?"
"Blue," I reply.
He nods. "Write blue."
I sigh, adding the color and my sizes for the various clothing items. My eyes move over the paper, trying to see everything he wrote. I almost laugh when I see the word thong underlined twice. He's really adamant about dressing me up like his arm candy.
"Here you go," I say, handing him the sheet of paper once I'm finished. "Can I stand up now, or do you want me on my knees like this forever?"
He takes the paper from me, glancing down at it before meeting my eyes again. His are such a beautiful blue that I get lost in them for a moment. They're so deep and expressive, and the emotion that's swimming around in them is almost too much to handle.
"I don't mind keeping you down there," he says, a grin creeping onto his face.
I shake my head and rise to my feet. "You're insufferable."
"Yet you're the one who's suffering. Not me," he teases, heading to the door. "Come, let's get you to the house. Clearly, Maksim knows where my office is, so it's going to be safer to spend most of our time elsewhere."