Devotion (The Seductors Series Book 3) (18 page)

“Yeah, they’re a little confusing.” Oliver seemed thoughtful for a few short moments. “Are we heading to bed, then?” I asked, snapping him from his daydream.

“Yes,” he purred. “But I think we should start our new rule tonight. You know, since we plan to stay together.” What the hell was he talking about? “Sleeping naked in bed. Have you forgotten already?” Oh,
that
rule.    

“Sure.” I stood up seductively, starting to undo the buttons on my shirt. Oliver licked his lips and stalked toward me. “I thought you wanted to sleep?”

“I’ll sleep on the plane.” Within seconds, he’d thrown me over his shoulder. I loved Neanderthal Oliver.  

“You didn’t have to give me a ride back to my apartment. I could have called a cab.” Oliver ran his hands through my hair as we stood on the sidewalk outside my door.

“It gives me a few more minutes with you.” Softly, he pressed his lips against mine.

“You should come in. It’s not safe. Someone might see us,” I stressed, looking around quickly. It was three in the morning, but I didn’t want to chance it.

Oliver followed me inside, and I felt a little embarrassed. The apartment was a dive compared to the ones I’d had when he’d been my target.

“Umm…yeah, it’s not quite what you're used to. Sorry,” I winced as he looked around.

“I take it this is all to add to the fake persona of the Jade you’re playing for Mr. Stone?” Damn, why was he so smart!?

“Yes, I’m just a washed out waitress who moved from St. Petersburg to get away from her drug dealing ex.”

“I see,” he mused, taking in a few of my belongings. “But there are parts of you in the characters you play. You really are a rock chick, huh?” He picked up my Guns and Roses T-shirt that was hanging over a chair.

“I love art, too. I’ve never played a character more myself than when I was with you.”

“I’m starting to see that.” He looked down at his watch. I knew he would need to leave soon. “I have to go, Beautiful.” The smile dropped from my face. I was scared for both of us. What if his plan didn’t work? “I’ll be back really soon, I promise, and then we can start fresh.”

“I’m scared that you might not come back. Oliver, please be careful. You have no idea how cunning they can be.”

“Hush.” He pulled me into his arms, stroking my back softly. “Trust me. I’ll figure this out.”   

“I love you. I can’t lose you. It will kill me.” I clung to him, unashamed that I was admitting just how much I needed him.

“I’m not going anywhere. I
will
set you free, Jade, just give me a little time.”

“I don’t deserve you.”

“I know why you kept fighting your feelings for me. You don’t think you’re a good enough person to be worthy of me, but Jade, you’re wrong. You’re the most selfless woman I’ve ever known. What you did for me…how you put your life on the line to do what was right? You’re amazing.”

“I did it all for you. That doesn’t make me amazing.”

“It does to me.” He lifted my chin, making me look at him. “I want you, Jade, for the rest of my life. You are
it
for me.”  Whoa! He was that sure of me?

“Then go and set me free. I want that, too,” I whispered, my voice breaking with emotion. Oliver leaned down kissing me deeply, pouring all his love into it as our tongues began a gentle caress.

“Don’t sleep with Mr. Stone again. I can’t bare the thought of him touching you while I’m gone,” he pleaded against my lips.

“I haven’t slept with him. Oliver, I haven’t slept with any targets since my first trip to New York to see you.” His eyes widened and I wasn’t sure if he believed me. “I couldn’t stand the thought of another man touching me after you.” At my declaration, his lips were hard against mine again.

“No man will ever touch you again. You are mine!” he snarled, pulling me flush against his body. “Jesus, Jade…what you do to me.” Oliver was breathless as we both broke free.

“Go catch your flight before you miss it. The sooner you go, the sooner I’ll be back by your side.”

“I love you, Beautiful.”

“I love you, too.” I beamed as he pecked my lips one last time and made his way toward my door. “Please be careful!” I stressed, my heart racing. Was it a good idea to let him do this?
Jade, what other choice do you have?

“I promise.” He took one more glance at me and then left.

“Mr. Stone wants to see you in his office,” Penny called while I was wiping down a few tables. Oliver had only been gone four days and it was driving me crazy with worry. Luckily, Adam had been out of town so I didn’t have him to contend with too.

“Okay, I’ll just finishing clearing this table.”

Everything with The Seductors seemed normal. I’d given Sonia a progress report yesterday and emailed about my fitness tests next month. She had even asked if I could help on a few sideline missions in a couple of weeks. Had Oliver’s plan worked? Or was he in trouble? Oh, God! What if they’d killed him!?
Jade, relax. He said to give him a week. It’s been four days.

I made my way down the hallway to Adam’s office. How was I going to keep this creep’s hands off me?

“Penny said you wanted to see me?” I called, entering his office. Adam looked up from his computer.

“Close the door, Jade.” If this guy thought he was taking me on his desk, he was sorely mistaken! “I’m sorry about the other night.”

“It’s okay. You have businesses to run. I get that.” I went to open the door, thinking he only wanted to apologize.

“I want you to come over to my place when you finish your shift tonight. We can finish what we started.”

“Adam, I’m really tired and I’ve had a migraine all day. Can I take a rain check?”

“You’re saying no?” he seethed.

“No, I’m just saying not tonight.” I moved to open the door.

“What…did your ex-boss tire you out the other night?” I froze with my hand on the door handle. “I don’t like being played, Jade!” His voice was deadly and close behind me.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Tim saw you with him.” What!? When? I turned to look at him and felt a sharp sting across my face. The bastard had just hit me. “I forbid you to ever see him again!”

“You’re not my keeper!” I yelled, pushing his chest hard. “And how
dare
you fucking hit me!”

Adam tried to reach for me, but I darted out the way, grabbing his arm in the death grip Drew had shown me. “Touch me again and I’ll press charges. You don’t frighten me, Mr. Stone.”

“You should be afraid, and get your fucking hands off me!” He tried to struggle out of my hold, but I put more pressure on his arm.

“Do you really think you can bully me?”

“Get the fuck off me!” He still couldn’t move as I held him down.

“How bad would it look if everyone knew you were beat down by a woman?”

“Okay, okay. I get it. I don’t own you.”

“You’re fucking right you don’t.”

“Jade, it hurts. I can’t feel my fucking arm.”

“I told you I’m not like your other women, so don’t treat me like them.” I pushed him away from me and opened his door. “I suggest you leave me alone for a few days while I calm down if you ever want to take me to dinner again.” Adam didn’t say anything; I think he was still in shock that he’d just had his ass handed to him by a woman. “I’m going home now! You can clear it with Gabby!” With that, I stormed off.

I collapsed onto my bed exhausted. My mind was racing, still worrying about Oliver. I must have fallen asleep because my phone woke me up. It wasn’t an alert I was used to hearing. I bolted out of bed, quickly reading the message.

CODE4

Every Seductor is to report to headquarters IMMEDIATELY!

Code4—that was a system breach.
Holy shit!
Had they discovered what Oliver had done? Or had his plan worked? I felt sick to my stomach. I couldn’t think about him not succeeding. He was a smart man, deep down I trusted his judgment, but he didn’t know The Seductors like I did. Should I have made him take me with him to Washington? I needed to get a flight to St. Petersburg and find out!

I walked into Seductors headquarters after a long flight. Butterflies were invading my stomach. I had no idea what I was walking into.

Some Seductors seemed to be congregating in the large meeting room in the center of the mansion. I scanned the room, looking to see if Drew, Georgie, or Molly were there yet.

“Jelly Bean!” I heard Drew’s voice from behind me.

“Drew, do you have any idea what’s going on?” I asked as he hugged me.

“No. Sonia is still waiting for the last of us to arrive. She’s hoping to make an announcement later this evening. What happened to your cheek?” he gasped, tilting my face toward him.

“My target caught me off guard and hit me. Don’t worry, I used the death grip on him. He won’t do it again.”

“Son of
a bitch.”

“It’s okay, Drew. Do we know who breached our system?”

“Sonia isn’t giving anything away.” He looked at me skeptically. “You look really worried. Is there something on your mind other than your target hitting you?”

“Are Georgie and Molly here yet?”

“Molly is taking a shower and Georgie is about an hour away. Are you sure they are all you’re worried about?”

“I’m just tired from my flight and my face hurts.”

“You should put some ice on it. I’ll go and get some for you. I’ll meet you in your room.”

Molly was drying her hair when I walked in.

“How exciting is this?” she beamed. “It’s like a movie. Who do you think hacked the system?”

“Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?”

“What’s the worst that could happen?”   

“We could all get arrested. What we do is wrong, Molly.” The smile dropped from her face. “Let’s just hope it’s a false alarm.”

“Here’s your ice, Jelly Bean. Go and lie down,” Drew called.

“Drew! You could knock. I might have been naked!” Molly yelled.

“I’ve seen it all before, M&M,” he winked, handing me the ice pack.

“No you haven’t!” she pouted. “Don’t be an asshole! What happened to your face, Jade?”

“My target. It’s nothing.” I brushed her comment off. I had bigger things to worry about than the bruise on my face.

“Sonia has announced the meeting will be tonight after ten. Everyone should be back by then. I can’t find Miles, though. I don’t think he’s in the building.”

“This is all crazy,” I muttered. “Why isn’t Miles here? Surely if there’s been a system breach he needs to be here!”

“Unless he’s double crossed us,” Drew suggested.

“Miles would never do that!” Molly gasped. “He protects us!”

“I’m going to do a few laps in the pool. When Georgie gets back can you tell her where I am?” I nodded at him. “See you girls in a bit.”

“You don’t think he’s right, do you, Jade?” Molly asked.

“I have no idea. We won’t know anything until later this evening.” I looked at the time. We’d have to wait for seven hours before the meeting. That was too damn long!

I only rested for a few hours. I couldn’t stand the waiting after a while and decided to do a few laps in the pool—anything to stop my mind from racing. Drew must have finished his laps because the pool was deserted. I dove into the cool, refreshing water, having already changed into my swimsuit in my room. It didn’t matter how fast I swam, though, I couldn’t push the panic to the back of my mind. My fear for Oliver was too great. What if his plan had backfired? What if he’d gotten himself killed? I gasped, trying to catch my breath as I came to the surface again, clutching the side of the pool.

“Oh, maybe taking a swim wasn't such a good idea,” I heard Alicia sneer. I looked up to see her and Mario standing near the doorway.

“If you two are coming to contaminate the pool again, I’m leaving.”

“Stay, Jade. I’m in the mood for a threesome.” Mario always managed to make me want to throw up in my mouth a little.

“No, I’ll pass, thanks,” I snorted, lifting myself out of the pool.

“Do you have any idea what’s going on?” Alicia asked while I stood there drying myself.

“Not a clue, but it seems pretty serious for every Seductor to be called back here.”

“You wouldn’t tell us even if you did know anything,” she spat back.

“Well, you
are
a backstabbing bitch, and Mario is a man that has to use his massive ego to make up for the fact that he has a tiny cock. You’re not the best couple to really tell anything to, are you?”

“You fucking
bitch
.” Alicia lunged at me but Mario held her back.

“Sonia said no trouble. Cool it. She’s doing it to get a rise out of you.” I gave Alicia a smug smile as I walked past them, still towel drying my hair.
  

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t be trying to get a rise from you, Mario. I’ll leave that to Alicia. You two are perfect for each other.”

“I’m glad I did what I did with your last target. I knew he meant something to you, Jade. Try and deny it all you’d like, but I saw the way you looked at each other. You fell for him hard!”

“I’m not listening to this shit. It’s in the past.”

“Just admit it!”

“Jade falling for target…I can’t see that happening,” Mario snorted. “Deep down, I know she’s saving herself for me.” I had no idea if Mario actually believed that or not. How could this guy be a trained assassin?

“Whatever,” I sighed, walking off. I was too stressed to deal with them today.

Zara was sitting near the outdoor pool as I stormed past her. “Hey, what’s eating you up?” she called, grabbing my arm and stopping me in my tracks. “Do you know what’s going on?”

“No, I just had another run in with Alicia.”

“You two never stop bitching at each other, do you?”

“Nope,” I sighed, taking a seat next to her.

“Do you think we’re in trouble?”

“I don’t know, Zara.”

“It’s just my luck that I start to really enjoy this job, then something goes wrong.”

“It could be nothing, don’t worry.”

“I had high hopes of being just like you in the future.”

“Me?” I was flattered, but I wasn’t good enough to be anyone's role model.

“Sonia holds you in such high esteem. Every Seductor here wishes they were you, Jade.”

“I’m not so sure about that. I’ve made my fair share of mistakes while learning the ropes around here.”

“You were a natural. Sonia told me all about you the day I started.”

“Zara, you only need to be yourself in this line of work. I’ve seen how good you are. In a few years, I have no doubt that you’ll be leading all the top missions.”

“Do you really think that?” she beamed. I nodded before hearing my name being called. Turning, I saw that Georgie had finally arrived.
About time, too!

“Have you heard anything about what’s going on?” she stressed, following me back to our room.

“No. Just that Sonia called a meeting later, once everyone is back.”

“This is crazy. We’ve never had a system breach before.”

“I know,” I mumbled numbly, trying to keep my feelings hidden.

“Okay, spill,” Georgie glared a while later when Molly left our room to get a drink. I knew she could read me like a book.

“What?”

“You’re hiding something! Tell me, Jade. Don’t make me beat it out of you. You’ve been way too quiet since I got back.”

“Oliver found me,” I whispered.

“WHAT!? When? How? I knew it! Jesus, is this him? What the fuck has he done?”

“I don’t know, G. He wouldn’t tell me what his plan was, only that he was going to set me free from my contract.”

“When did this all happen?”
 

“Four days ago.”

“Fucking hell!”

“He loves me, even after what I did to him. He wants to be with me, but I’m afraid he’s gotten himself killed. I…I can’t…” I couldn’t stop my tears.

“Hey!” Georgie flung her arms around me. “Don’t think that way. If they had killed him, do you really think they’d call a system breach and have us all on lock down here? I’d say if this
is
Oliver, his plan might just have worked.” She had a point, but I was still petrified at the thought of losing him. “Let’s wait and see what happens at the meeting. Don’t fear the worst…not yet.”

“I love him so much. I never expected anyone to do what he’s doing for me. I don’t deserve him.”

“You can stop that shit right now! I’m glad someone finally opened your eyes and made you realize how wonderful you are. I just hope it works out. I want you to be happy, Jelly Bean.”

“Oliver is the only one who can give me that. Oh, Georgie, he makes my heart swell in my chest. When he touches me…I come to life.”

“Plus, he’s a total hottie. I get it.”

“What if he’s in trouble?”

“Don’t think the worst. If he can hack The Seductors’ system, I think he stands a chance at somehow setting you free. Maybe he’s bargained for your release?"

“I don’t know. Like I said, he wouldn’t tell me anything.”

“Just be careful. At least until you know what is going on.”

“Everyone’s here. Sonia is starting the meeting now!” Molly rushed in like a whirlwind. “Come on! Drew saved us seats near the front.” Great!

“It’ll be fine,” Georgie whispered, taking my hand to pull me up from the bed. I hoped she was right.

The room was deadly quiet as Sonia walked in. I scanned the room for Miles, but Drew was right—he wasn’t there. That was really odd. Surely Miles needed to be present for the meeting.

“I’m sorry for the delay, everyone, but I needed to make sure you were all here.” Sonia was obviously stressed. It was written all over her face. “Firstly, I want to assure you that none of us are in danger, but we have been found out.” There were gasps from the crowd. “I’d like to introduce General Johnson from Military Intelligence.” All eyes were on a uniformed gentleman as he walked into the room. Oh. My. God. Oliver had gone right to the top! He’d told the President about the Seductors! I was sure of it. “We have struck up a deal to keep our name hidden as long as we are monitored by the federal government.” My mouth fell to the floor as the general took center stage.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I won’t keep you long. Please don’t be alarmed. The U.S. Government has been asked to monitor you by the rest of the world. A meeting was held with all the world leaders a few days ago when your organization was brought to our attention, and we’ve been given the task to ensure you aren’t a threat. As you must all be aware, you are a deadly tool and have advanced far more than we could have ever dreamed when the company was founded after the second World War. We had no idea you were still functioning. Intelligence within this company has now been moved for security purposes.” That explained why Miles wasn’t here. “Everything else will function as normal, but all missions will be assessed by the U.S. Government before they are accepted.” General Johnson continued to talk about the new alliance we had gained with the federal government. It seemed that we
might even get to work with the Secret Service if it was needed. As he went on, I began to lose interest. This was all great. The Seductors had become greedy, so the changes were needed, but none of that explained how would I become free of my contract? What was I still doing here?