A half hour later, Cole and Nancy reentered the meeting room. Mia closed down the computer program she’d entertained herself with while they were gone. She didn’t need to turn around to know Cole’s eyes were on her, she felt the heat from his gaze, and it flamed as he closed the distance between them. Cole’s fingers tapped the desk as he stood next to her. Taking a deep breath, she trailed her eyes up, following the masculine vein in his hand. It wrapped around his forearm and disappeared by his elbow. The contour of his bicep was just as pleasing. In fact, it was perfect in size and firmness. Her eyes sliced to his chest and her tongue darted out to wet her suddenly dry lips. Mia could feel him. With a slight tilt of her head, she drank in his jawline next, then over to his chin and up to his lips. He had the most kissable lips she’d ever seen. They were full, inviting, and one couldn’t help but stare at them. Everything about Cole was masculine, and the structure of his face gave off an essence of power. When she met his eyes, the air left her lungs. She found her special black speck by his left pupil and mentally smiled. God she loved the depth of his deep brown eyes.
Mia swallowed hard. “You look full and clean.” He wore a fresh shirt and his color had returned. Her mind painted pictures of who he may have sucked on to look so tan. To make it worse, Velvet’s images slid into the mix, and Cole was having more fun in her head than she’d ever had with him in reality.
“Mia—”
Holding her hand up, she sighed. “I know. We’ll talk about it later. It’s always later.” Mia pushed her chair back and stood. “I hope she tasted good.” Jealousy sat in the pit of her stomach, and there wasn’t a thing she could do about the feeling. All the understanding in the world wouldn’t keep the envious feelings from taunting her. Reminding herself she was at work, Mia joined John and Nancy in the center of the room.
“Congratulations, Barnett!” Russo walked in, tugging a young woman behind him. “I hear it’s a boy.” He pulled her to the center of the room. “While Barnett was becoming a new daddy, I found this one strapped to a whipping post in the dungeon room at the club. Looks like BDSM is still going strong over there, but no one could confirm if Velvet still has a partnership in the club.”
The clothes the girl wore barely covered her. Thick black waves of hair flowed to the middle of her back. She kept her head lowered, but if her body was any indication of her looks, it guaranteed she’d be gorgeous. Once Russo reached the group, the girl raised her head. Gorgeous was an understatement. Her green eyes settled on each one of them, lingering on Cole. The girl gasped. Her eyes widened, and she dropped to her knees so fast, Mia thought she heard bones crack.
“Master Cole.” Her words tumbled out on a quivering breath, and she swept her hair from her shoulder exposing her neck to him.
“Oh you have got to be kidding…” Mia rolled her eyes. How was she supposed to compete with that?
“Agent Starr. Inside voice.” John cleared his throat and eyed her.
Yeah, yeah... at work isn’t the place for her insecurities to rise. Mia knew this but did John not see the sex slave kneeling at her man’s feet? Professionalism had left the building. “I don’t have an inside voice.” She clamped her jaw down and bit her cheek to stop more words from rushing to her lips. Cole crooked his finger, placed it under the girl’s chin, and tilted her head back. His hand stayed, and his thumb stroked the girl’s cheek.
“Ashley. It’s been a long time. When did you become a vampire?”
“It’s been fifteen years, sir.”
“Willingly?”
“No.” Her jagged word was barely audible. Pink filled her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.
Cole was still touching Ashley. And why was Nancy staring at her instead of the girl on her knees? Mia just stood there, keeping her mouth shut while her man had an intimate moment with a witness.
“Shh… you’re safe.” Cole’s tone was gentle. “What is the mark on your arm?”
“It’s an owl.”
“What does it signify?”
“I.” She looked around the room and started to shake. When her fangs snapped out, Cole tilted Ashley’s head until her gaze locked with his.
“Retract your fangs.” Cole’s stare had hardened. Ashley tried to look away, but he wouldn’t allow it. When her fangs had disappeared, Cole asked again, “What does it mean?”
“He’s going to kill me.” She sobbed, darker colored tears rolled in streams wetting Cole’s hand. “I’m a messenger now.”
“For what?”
“Drugs mostly. I don’t know where they go, just the next pick up and drop off.” She yanked on her chin, freeing herself from Cole’s hold, and lowered her eyes.
“Who marked you?”
“No one knows his real name. We just call him Master Rock.” Ashley stole a glance at Cole, then returned her gaze to the floor. “He’s…”
“You can tell me.” Cole cupped her face, thumbing her cheek again.
“You’ve always been a kind Master. Not like him. He’s more than a sadist.” She grabbed Cole’s hand, and with pleading eyes, she stared at him. “Please… come back to the club. You’d have pick over him, and you can take me back.”
Take her back? Mia felt a tingle in her fingers, and her eye twitched as she fought to suppress her emotions. Ashley had confirmed Cole had been with her, and Mia was staring at him being gentle and soothing to her. It was almost intimate, not to mention how she cowed to him when he hardened himself to her and commanded her to retract her fangs. Did he like this kind of thing? What did he do with Ashley at the club? Mia couldn’t stop her mind racing toward a finish line of Cole’s sexcapades, and she did not want to see his fangy ‘O’ face with another woman, again. She had to leave. The tension in her body was as taut as a stretched rubber band. No way could she compete with this club scene. She’d never worn a skirt above her knee let alone a small leathery thing like Ashley was wearing. You could see her nipples!
Russo could definitely see her nipples because that is where his gaze fixated as he licked his fangs. Nancy on the other hand, was still staring at her.
Mia clinched her fist at her side. Suppress… Suppress… She couldn’t allow this to affect her. Her nails dug into her palms as she tightened her jaw. Electricity pulsed through her body and hummed an empowering tune. Her ears buzzed, and everything sounded funny.
“Mia.” John’s tone held concern, and she peeled her gaze from Cole and Ashley to focus on his muffled words. “Are you okay?”
Why was everyone staring at her?
“Holy shit. Look at her eyes,” Russo said. If her eyes were more interesting than Ashley’s nipples, then there was a problem.
Mia took a deep breath and looked behind her where John pointed. The chair levitated four feet off the ground. She opened her hands and took a calming breath. Wrapping her mind around the chair, she lowered it to the floor. When she returned her attention to the group, Cole’s gaze bored into hers with an unreadable expression. Of course, he’d want to talk about it later, but he could take his later and shove it.
“I have to go.” With quick strides, she walked toward the exit, not even stopping when the chair flew across the floor as if it had wheels. She needed air and time to think. She needed her own space back.