Page 131 of Delicious Surrender

“I’ll wait until I see you naked, before I decide.”

She ignored him and tried to pay attention to her surroundings, so if she got the chance, she could find her way out. They entered an elevator and descended two floors. One of his crew was holding open the door to a cabin. The suite was over the top, like everything else she’d seen. This room boasted a king-size bed with a zebra-patterned headboard, matching the black-and-gold color scheme. He put her down and pushed her back until her legs hit the base of the bed.

“You are lucky I cannot stay, as Gage awaits. I trust my crew with my life, but many of them haven’t had a woman in months. So, I must put you in the cage.”

“What?” She looked around frantically and saw the large cage on the other side of the bed. “No, please,” she begged.

“It is for your own safety. They will bring you food and water and I will be back by tonight.”

Brynne struggled and fought, but it was no use. He easily forced her into the metal enclosure, using his massive body to pin her down. The humiliation wasn’t over. He buckled a collar around her neck, which he padlocked. “This will help you understand you are my pet now.”

She kicked and fought until he roughly drew her cuffed hands over her head with one hand and squeezed her chin painfully with the other. “Stop fighting me. It is futile and will only cause me to hurt you.”

Tears spilled from her eyes, and she sagged against the bars of the cage. “I hate you.”

He backed out of the cage and slammed the door. “You were supposed to be mine weeks ago, but you managed to eludemy people. Imagine my disgust when I learned where you were all this time.”

He took a blanket off the bed and passed it through the bars. “I suggest you rest. When I come back, we will begin our life together.”

Gage was getting angrier by the minute. It was going on an hour past the time of their meeting. He had gone to the bank and withdrawn half a million pounds. John had suggested they mark the bills, with Interpol’s help, so they could keep tabs on Dimitri after he left London. With billions at his disposal, there was a chance he wouldn’t touch it, but they would track him if he did. Multiple investigations of extortion and money laundering were underway, but he had a complex set of numbered companies that couldn’t be traced back to him. John confirmed the Range Rover that followed Jared belonged to a Russian who had been in the UK for three months. They were struggling to prove he was linked to Dimitri. One thing was clear, the man was a master at covering his tracks.

He had tried Brynne twice, but she was not answering. She was distant last night after going to her place, so he gave her the space she seemed to want.

As he paced up and down the library, an email arrived from his investigator. He had a lead on someone who worked at theMirrorwith her. The woman recently took a leave of absence—after telling her co-workers that she inherited a large sum of money and was going on a cruise. He was tracing the source of the funds and her whereabouts and would advise as soon as hehad news.

It was time to tell Garrick about the arrangement he’d made with Tink. He found him in his office and when he explained, his friend just shook his head and laughed.

Gage scowled. “What’s so bloody funny?”

“I knew you liked her more than you were willing to admit.”

“So what? How can I trust her?”

“It’s easy. You just do. She’s nothing like Sierra, and if you would open your eyes, you would see that.”

Gage rubbed his forehead. “She only agreed to the month with me because she needs the money and the kinky sex to finish her book.”

“You keep believing she has some nefarious agenda to part you with your money. What if you’re wrong?”

Gage scowled but didn’t reply.

“How do you feel about her?”

“She makes me crazy. She makes me laugh. And she makes me hard. All the time.”

“Hmm. Sounds terminal.”

Miles rang to announce Dimitri’s arrival.

“Let’s get this shit over with. I need to get back to Skye.”

“You mean back to your girl?”

“Aye.”

Gage met him in the boardroom on the first floor and Garrick remained close by. Dimitri reluctantly agreed to leave his bodyguards outside.

“I apologize for keeping you waiting. Traffic in the city is terrible.”