Chapter 8
Chapter eight
Barrett
“Ichose well.” I rake my eyes over Sage standing on the other side of the open door.
The morning after our last call, I had a dress sent to her house.
Satin reaches all the way up to her neck and straight down to the floor with only the tips of her toes peeking out.
The green of the fabric shines no matter what the lighting conditions are.
“I could have bought my own.” Her cheeks tinge a light pink beneath the soft makeup contouring her face.
I ignore her stubborn statement. “Turn.” I step into her house, forcing her back and shutting the door behind me. Sage stares back at me. Dropping my chin, I repeat, “Turn.”
Her next breath quivers, but she obeys. I grin as I take in the reason I chose this dress.
While the front covers her all the way to the little hollow at the front of her neck, the back dips down to her lower back where her hips begin to flare with fine straps crisscrossing in a pattern to connect the fabric on either side.
“Perfect,” I murmur, but when she rotates to face me, her face doesn’t agree.
Her lips are tight and her shoulders lift as if trying to hold the dress in place, and the blush in her cheeks darkens.
Closing the distance, I use the tips of my fingers to stroke along her jaw and down the side of her neck.
“What are you doing?” Her eyes drop to follow my hand.
“You need to relax.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not. Drop your shoulders.” Surprisingly, she listens.
“Better.” I push her hair over her shoulder.
She’s kept it down and in thick, luscious waves.
I’m positive it’s a barrier. A body like hers in a dress like this deserves to have every inch displayed.
But she isn’t any less stunning with her hair down.
“We should go.” She clears her throat.
“Not just yet. You can’t tense every time I touch you.” I plan to keep my hands on her throughout the evening whenever I can.
“I didn’t tense.” She frowns as she stiffens.
“I haven’t really touched you.” Not in the way I want, to bring her to her knees. She’s stunning and I’m having difficulty remembering she attempted to blackmail me. I let my hand drop for now.
“We aren’t trying to come across as a couple.”
“What makes you so sure? I haven’t told you what this evening entails.” She’s right. I’m only using her as a way in, but things can change. And she’s under my protection while working for me. Despite being what I am, I won’t allow anything to happen to her.
“Almost all of my coworkers will be there. They know I’m not seeing anyone.”
“And why is that?” I return my hand to her face and neck, raising my brow at her sharp inhale.
“None of your business.”
“Fine. But not seeing someone doesn’t mean you can’t have a date.
And as your date, I’m touching you.” I slide my hand over her shoulder to her back, following the pattern of satin strings until I reach the two little dimples just below the surface of the dress.
Her back bows like a kitten with pleasure.
“I suppose this will do.” She reacts. It’s enough.
“Good. Let’s get this over with.” Sage steps back, attempting to get out of my reach, but I follow her, keeping my hand at the small of her back.
“There are rules.” I set my other hand on her hip, continuing the forced contact.
“What rules?”
“You don’t leave my side unless I tell you to, and you do as I say without argument.” This rule is for my own personal preferences. I’m possessive, even with a date I’m using to get what I need.
“That’s a stretch.”
“It’s not, considering you don’t know what we’re doing there.” Nothing more than setting eyes on certain people, but I’ve already admitted I’m possessive.
“You could enlighten me.”
“If you intend to walk away from me after this deal is done, then you don’t want to know.”
She blinks and her lips part. Her chest moves rapidly as her eyes search mine and I can see the dilemma dancing back and forth on her features.
“You don’t need to know, pet.” I brush my thumb over her bottom lip before stepping back to usher her toward the door.
A heartbeat passes before her heels click on the hardwood floor, pausing as she locks her door.
The air is balmy and warm. We’re having an unusual spurt of humidity that makes for pleasant evenings.
Perfect for something like this, allowing her to go out without covering her back.
“That’s your car?” Sage stops three steps from the door, staring at my metallic blue 1987 Porsche 911 parked at the end of the walkway. “We’re arriving in that?”
I honestly can’t tell if she’s impressed or disgusted. “Yes.”
She pushes a breath out of the O of her lips and walks to the car. I reach the passenger door before her and open it while holding out a hand. She hesitates for barely a second before taking the offered help.
I waited until we drove for a few minutes and stopped at a red light to speak. “Can I trust you tonight to stay beside me and do as you’re told?” When I glance over, she’s studying the interior of the car. The dash, the console, and her seat. “Sage?”
“What?” Her head snaps up.
“Can I trust you tonight to stay beside me and do as you’re told?”
“I don’t seem to have much choice.” A smirk lights her face as she murmurs the same phrase we’ve thrown back and forth at each other since she approached me.
“Put it this way, if you don’t, then the job doesn’t count.”
Sage narrows her eyes. “Fine. Yes, you can trust me.”
“Good answer.” The light turns green.
“Is there anything else about tonight I should know?”
“Not at the moment.”
She sighs, staring out the window.
“That bothers you?”
“Yes. I want to know what I’m getting into.”
“I’ll think about it.” This isn’t a simple job with an easy target. The blowout from this assassination will be massive. I don’t intend to include Sage much further than tonight in this job. All of the others that will be part of her deal won’t carry as much danger or spotlight.
“Thank you.”
When we arrive, I park the car myself rather than idle in the string of cars waiting for parking attendants. I want to know exactly where my car is and ensure we can get to it in time if needed.
Sage reaches for the door handle.
“Stop.” I get out and slowly make my way around to her side, surveying the parking lot as I do. Opening her door, I help her out with an outstretched hand.
“That wasn’t necessary.”
“Why not?” I set her hand on my arm and shut her door, locking the car with my free hand.
“We don’t need to put on a show out here.”
“I’m not putting on a show, pet. When you’re with me, I open your door.”
“Oh.” Her gaze turns away and she chews on the inside of her lip.
“You said you aren’t seeing anyone. Do you date?”
“Sometimes.” She frowns, appearing offended, and I stop to lift her face to mine.
“Just because you are capable of opening your own door doesn’t mean you should.”