Page 4 of Gambler's Conceit
“Anything you want, I believe you said?” Caleb smirks at me. “All right, let’s get him settled, Vortex.”
The two guards stand aside and Caleb unlocks the penthouse suite door. It opens up to a large, open living room, with decor that probably cost a fortune.
My stomach twists, and I fight to swallow back the memories threatening to rise up.
Vortex’s hold on me remains tight even after the door closes behind us. Caleb walks to the kitchen counter and sets my bag down on it, then he takes Nacho out.
Nacho meows as Caleb lifts him up.
I instantly try to take a step forward, but Vortex’s grip doesn’t waver. “Wait!” I say.
Caleb looks in my direction. “Hmm?” He puts Nacho against his chest and opens one of the kitchen drawers.
I watch, stunned, as he pulls out… a pet food dish?
“We’ll put him in the spare bedroom. Miss K rarely uses the litter box in there anyway.” Caleb sets the food bowl on the counter and gets a can of cat food out from another cabinet. He sets it inside the bowl and picks it up, never once letting go of Nacho.
“He has fleas,” I blurt out. “And I bite. You don’t want the two of us in here anyway.”
I feel like a desperate little boy all over again, trying to get out of the inevitable while a monster smiles indulgently at me—before taking everything away all over again.
“All the more reason to keep him isolated in one room until we can give him a bath and have him treated for worms and fleas.” Caleb walks down a hallway and into a room.
I try to pull away from Vortex, feeling more desperate than ever to escape, but he digs his fingers into the back of my neck. “Stay still,” he mutters.
But I don’t want to stay still. I want to get my cat and run.
As soon as Caleb emerges from the room and closes the door, Nacho immediately starts meowing and scratching at the door, only making that urge to flee more immediate.
A big, fluffy cat suddenly dashes past me and stops in front of the door. It stares for a few seconds before bending down to bat at the crack between the door and the floor.
Caleb bends down to scratch the cat behind its ears. “Hello to you too, Miss K.”
Miss K.
Little orange paws dart out from beneath the door, the meows getting louder, until Miss K lets out a low growl. Then they retreat, and Nacho’s meowing becomes more pitiful.
My heart breaks a little, and I want to yell and scream and fight.
That’s not going to help, though. It never fucking does.
I know what will, though.
I turn a seductive smile on Caleb. I just have to get through this, and if that means pretending to be into it, that’s what I’ll do. “She’s beautiful,” I say, and this time when I try to wriggle free of Vortex’s grasp, he lets me go.
I can feel his gaze on me, though, and I half-expect him to make another grab for me. He doesn’t, though, letting me advance on Caleb. I tilt my head as I study him.
He’s a handsome man, at least, and he looks clean. His cat looks like she’s healthy and happy, too—or she would be if another cat hadn’t just invaded her home.
“So.” I lick my lips in invitation. “You’ve got me where you want me. Now what, Mr. Spade?”
Caleb steps past the cat and closes in on me. He stops in front of me, and I realize he’s only a few inches taller than I am—unlike Vortex, who is bigger than both of us and has tree trunks for arms.
“I would like…” Caleb trails his thumb over my lower lip, making me shiver. “To see you take a shower. How long were you out there?”
I kiss his thumb. “Long enough to be pretty sweaty, and not for the fun reasons,” I tell him with a pout. I’ll have to get through this somehow, and that’ll start with me pretending to go along with this until I have a chance to get out.
Even if the two goons at the door have been ordered not to let me out.