The Job (3 page)

Chapter Four

That
voice had lost none of
its
nasally twang. If anything
the years had made that upper crust plum in mouth accent even more noticeable.
Alex wanted the ground to swallow her up. This is why she’d kept away, hadn’t
even attended Nathanial’s mother’s funeral. She had sent flowers and a
condolence card instead, even though she had desperately wanted to show her
respects in person.

That
would have run the risk of meeting Nat, and far worse, his cousin, the very man
who now smirked at her. The years had not been kind on Godfrey Stanley the
third. Whereas Nat had filled out into a muscular hunk, his cousin had expanded
in other ways, which meant he resembled an overstuffed sausage. The thought
should have been amusing, but Alex was too aware of the nasty smile kicking up
his podgy lips. It made her want to run away and hide, as unbidden thoughts of
that night invaded her brain.

God,
not now, in front of Nat
. He had a low
enough opinion of her as it was. Considering what he thought her profession
was, he would never believe her version of events. They hadn’t then, after all.
Her mother had, but had also told her to keep quiet about it. It would have
been her word against his. Who’d have believed a sixteen-year-old girl?

Who
would believe her now? Best to forget about it. Besides she’d learnt to never
put herself into that situation again.

How
ironic that all these years later, she had somehow managed to do just that. She
was as much at Nathanial’s mercy now, as she had been at Godfrey’s ten years
ago. She’d almost forgotten that with his attentiveness toward her, not to
mention the fact that she actually wanted Nat. Had he continued his onslaught
on her senses, she wasn’t at all sure she wouldn’t have let him fuck her right
here against the wall, where anyone could have happened upon them. Had, in fact
found them. Bile rose in her throat. She swallowed hard, as adrenaline swamped
her. The urge to run, scream, scratch the other guy’s out was so strong, she
could barely breathe, but she couldn’t do any of those things.

Alex
renewed her efforts to tug Nathanial back into the relative safety of the
crowded ballroom. Surely neither he nor this Angela bird, who clearly had some
sort of connection to Nat, would dare make a scene in there. After all,
appearances were everything with their sort. It might well be the only thing
that saved her tonight.

However,
Nathanial seemed rooted to the spot. He completely ignored her attempts to move
him. She might as well have tried to move a mountain and, heavens above, waves
of barely suppressed anger rolled off his tense frame. Why was he so angry?
Surely that wasn’t on her behalf, was it? The thought that it might be soothed
the rising panic that threatened to engulf her a little.

“Watch
what you’re saying in front of Alex, Godfrey.” Nat’s voice had dropped an
octave, taking on a menacing chill. A fact that really shouldn’t sent her
wayward libido into hyperdrive again, but did so nonetheless. She was a
hopeless case where Nathanial Longton was concerned.

His
cousin, however, threw his head back and laughed, as though Nat had uttered the
funniest joke ever. Dread crawled up her spine at what the odious man might say
next. Every instinct screamed at her to run, but her limbs simply wouldn’t
cooperate, as darkness crept around the edges of her vision. All of her
concentration was taken up with the simple act of carrying on pulling breaths
into her constricted lungs.

“Why
should I?” Godfrey snorted in amusement like the pig he resembled. “She’s
nothing. She wasn’t back then and she’s certainly not now. I know you only
bring escorts to these things, so…” Bile rose in Alex’s throat as he slowly
undressed her with his eyes. “How much does she charge to spread her legs I
wonder? At least back then she did it for free. Not that she was any good at
it, and …
umph
.”

The
rest of whatever hateful words that nasty man was going to say were stopped by
Nat, as he swung his fist into his cousin’s face with a muttered curse. The
sickening crunch of Godfrey’s nose breaking sounded far too loud in the tense
silence that followed, before the man howled in pain. Not that Nat was finished
yet. Grabbing the other man by the labels of his tux, he hauled him up against
the wall, getting right in his face.

“I
told you to watch your fucking mouth around Alex, you worthless piece of scum.”

Dimly
aware of Angela’s screeching like a Banshee act, Alex desperately tried to
move, but she was frozen in place, watching in horror, as Nat hit his cousin
again. This time he split the man’s lip open. Godfrey’s head made a dull thud
as it connected with the wall from the force of the impact. At least it stopped
the man’s howling, as he feebly tried to push the taller Nathanial away from
him. Blood dripped over his face. It stained the white shirt he wore under his tuxedo.
Seeing Godfrey struggling for breath, Alex finally got the words out past the
huge lump of terror in her throat.

“Nat,
let him go, please.” The words came out as a croaked whisper. Alex cleared her
throat and tried again. “He’s not worth it. Nathanial,
please,
don’t.”

Taking
another swing, he connected with the man’s solar plexus this time. Nat finally
stepped away, glanced at her and frowned, before Angela’s shrill cries for help
made him change direction. He advanced on her. The murderous look on his face,
bloody fists raised finally got through to the panic filled haze that was
Alex’s brain. She rushed to step between them.

“Stop,
for the love of god, please, stop this now.” Her voice had none of its usual
cadence but she seemed to get through to him anyway, as he stopped. Nat looked
at her. She flinched at the fury reflected on his face, and offered him a wobbly
smile.

“Please,
let’s just go.”

 
His features softened slightly when she
reached out a tentative hand to touch his face, while Angela made gagging
noises behind them.

“Oh,
spare me the display.” Raising her voice to an even shriller screech, she hollered,
“Help. Help. He’s gone mad. Help.”

Nathanial
swore, pulling Alex behind him and out of the way. Alexandra couldn’t believe
her eyes, when Angela ripped the strap of her dress. With an evil smirk up at
Nathanial, she threw herself on the floor seconds before several liveried staff
came running out of the ballroom, and all hell broke loose.

Everything
turned into a blur after that, as the nightmare of her past came crashing down
around her ears. This could not be happening, not after all this time. All of
her concentration was taken up with just breathing. With Nathanial’s hand in
hers, his comforting presence surrounded her, became an anchor in the topsy-turvy
world she suddenly found herself in, as accusations were being slung this way and
that. To top it all, flashes went off in her face.

This
was all they needed, to be tomorrow’s gossip fodder. Blood rushed in her ears,
the room spun, and she couldn’t breathe, until the world tilted and Nathanial’s
deep voice registered.

“I’ve
got you. It’s okay, baby. Breathe… In and out, that’s it. Let’s get you out of
here.” Her feet left the ground. She made a blind grab for his shoulders, as he
started to move. Away from the light, the heat, the excited murmur of hushed
voices.

“I
don’t care. You can ask me all the questions you want tomorrow. Yes, I’m
staying at the hotel.
 
No, I didn’t touch
my ex-wife… Speak to my fucking lawyer. No comment.”

Out
of all that jumble it was the ex-wife that registered. It made her stomach
churn anew. Nat was married, or rather had been married? Did that mean the vile
Angela was his ex? It took all of her concentration to keep on swallowing so as
not to give into the sudden instinct to throw up.

She
hadn’t exactly eaten a lot before she came to the hotel, too nervous about this
job she had agreed to do for Marissa and what that would entail. With no food,
too much champagne in her system, and the shock, her stomach rebelled. A door
banged shut behind them. Judging by the rhythmic bouncing, which did nothing to
help her hold onto the contents of her stomach, Nat had chosen to take the
stairs back to their room.

After
what seemed like ages, Nathanial cursed as he slid her down to the floor.

“Just
give me a second to open this door, then you can do what you need to.”

She
was dimly aware of his fumbling with the key card, before the door flung open, and
Alex lost the fight with her gag reflex.

“Fuck,
here,
lemme
help.” The room tilted again as Nathanial
shoved a paper bin under her nose just in time for her to throw up. Clutching
the thing like her life depended on it, Alex emptied the contents of her
stomach on top of the expensive looking note paper in the bottom of the bin
while she slid to the floor in an undignified heap.

The
door shut and then Nathanial was there pulling her back into his hard chest,
supporting her as she puked her guts up, while murmuring nonsense into her
sweat dampened neck. When at long last the gut wrenching heaving stopped, Alex
screwed her eyes shut, mortally embarrassed at Nathanial being witness to her
breakdown, especially when he grasped her chin to tilt her head up and dropped
a kiss on her nose. His scruff tickled, and she wanted the ground to swallow
her up anew at his murmured demand.

“Look
at me, girl.”

Alex
wanted to do anything but. She tried to shake her head, but his hold on her
chin grew painful.

“I
said,
look
at me, Alexandra. I’ve had a trying evening so far. You
really don’t want to push me. You won’t like me putting you over my knee right
now, but so help me, if that’s what it takes to get some fucking answers,
that’s exactly what I’ll do.”

His
voice held that edge she was utterly unable to resist. When she opened her eyes
she lost herself in the heated intensity of his amber gaze. He looked frazzled and
above all concerned. That soothed the left over cramps in her stomach
considerably.

She
grimaced when she caught sight of the bin she’d used so effectively mere
moments ago.

“Trying?
Is that we call it now?” Alex winced at the hoarseness of her voice and the
foul taste in her mouth.

Nathanial
gave a short humorless laugh. He grimaced when, he, too looked toward the bin.

“Yes,
well, let me get rid of that. Up you come.”

Shifting
himself upward, he held out his hand. When she took it, he pulled her up. The
world spun at the sudden movement. Nathanial swooped her up, and deposited her
on the huge bed dominating the middle of the room, before she could even blink.

Had
she not felt so wretched, Alex would have marveled at his strength.
 
She was no lightweight, yet he didn’t even
seem out of breath, as he pushed her down, fluffed up the pillows behind her
back, and ordered her to
stay
with a grim smile.

Picking
up the bin, he disappeared into the en suite. She heard the toilet flush. There
was the sound of running water seconds before he reappeared with a glass of
water and a washcloth. The bed dipped as he sat down next to her, put the glass
on the nightstand, and then proceeded to wash her neck with the warm cloth.
Heat rose in her cheeks and she made a grab for the cloth.

“I
can do that myself,” she said, releasing his hold on the material. He sat back and
let her do it. Awareness of him seeped through every fiber of her being as she
made hasty work of wiping her face and hands. He handed her the glass of water
in exchange for the used cloth. She murmured her thanks, and took some hasty
sips of the cool fluid. It helped a little to dispel the foul taste in her
mouth. Her throat went dry, as Nathanial chose that moment to shrug out of his
jacket. He flung it over the bottom end of the bed. His tie and cufflinks
followed. When he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, Alex bit her lip to stop
herself from moaning.

He
noticed of course and gave her a wry grin as he undid the top few buttons of
his shirt. The action exposed the strong column of his neck. Alex’s fingers
itched to trace the dark swirls of chest hair that peeped out from the gap in
his now half unbuttoned shirt.

Her
gaze snared on the bruised knuckles of his right hand, and she scooted forward
to grasp hold of it.

“You’re
hurt.”

Nathanial
looked at his hand, as though it was the first time he’d noticed it. He
shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s
nothing.”

 
Alex rolled her eyes. “That is not
nothing
.
You need to put ice on it. It’s already swelling.”

Nathanial
pulled his hand away from hers and flexed his fingers.

“I’ve
had worse. Besides that fucker deserved it for speaking to you like that.” She
wanted to find a mouse hole to crawl into it, when he grasped her chin with his
uninjured hand, and studied her.

“That
doesn’t explain your reaction though. I’m clearly missing something here.” He
paused when she pulled in a sharp breath. Alex tried to shake her head, and Nat
frowned. “Yes, I am. It’s not a feeling I like. What are you not telling me,
girl. The truth now.”

Breathing
was once again proving difficult. Alexandra hated the tears pricking the back
of her eyes.

“Baby,
come on, I beat the guy to a pulp for you. The least you can do is fill me on
what he’s done to you.”

Chapter Five

Alex
wrenched out of his grasp and brought her knees up to her chin.
 
The action was such a defensive move that
Nathanial had to resist the urge to go back in that ballroom to beat that
asshole all over again.

He’d
long suspected that more had gone on all those years ago than he’d been told.
After all, Godfrey had shown his true colors far too many times since then. If
the fucker wasn’t family he’d have cut him out of his life a long time ago. To
all intents and purposes he had done so. Even Nat’s father didn’t welcome
Godfrey to the family home anymore. That was saying something.

Nathanial
inwardly groaned at what Dad would make of the news reports in the morning.
There was no chance of covering this up. Johnson, the family lawyer, would try
his best to do damage control. He really needed to ring him, give his version
of the events, so that the man could come up with a plan, but he needed to
clear the air with Alex first.

If
only she’d drop the walls she’d erected around herself and talk to him.

Instead
of opening up to him, she pulled back into herself. Her voice, while wobbly,
held a certain amount of disdain.

“Well,
I didn’t ask you to do that.” She glanced up at him when he grunted in answer. The
way she worried her bottom lip, made him grow hard again. A completely
inappropriate response considering the circumstances, but his cock always had
had a mind of its own around this woman. With her knees drawn up her dress had
ridden up to such a degree that Nat had an unhindered view of her lace covered
pussy. It said a lot about her state of mind that she didn’t seem to notice the
free peep show she was giving him. He groaned under his breath, still tasting
her sweet musk on his tongue, before the evening had taken such a disastrous
turn. The crotch of her lacy thong was darkened with the evidence of her
earlier arousal—for him. It was a heavy aphrodisiac indeed, the knowledge that
despite her protestations to the contrary she wanted him as much as he wanted
her.

At
least her body responded to him, even if her mind rebelled at the idea. Too bad
he didn’t just want her body. He wanted it all, dammit. That sudden insight
made his reply come out much harsher than he intended it.

“What
else could I do, though I reckon I should ask for a refund from the agency for—
”

“No,
you can’t. I mean…” As quickly as she’d interrupted him, she seemed to think
better of it. When he quirked his eyebrow at her she paled. Alex dropped her
gaze, finding the study of the bedcovers most interesting all of a sudden.

“I
can’t what? Afraid you won’t get your cut, and lose this precious job of
yours?” She visibly flinched at his words. He knew he wasn’t being entirely
fair, but, dammit, he wanted the fucking truth from her. A heavy silence fell
between them, and disappointment gnawed a hole in his gut.

“Guess
that asshole was right about one thing at least. It was only ever about the
money with you.”

That
brought her head up at last, but, instead of the anger he expected to see,
fresh tears clung to her eyelashes as she shook her head.

“It
wasn’t, but I knew you’d never believe me, so what’s the point.” She swung her
legs off the bed, and made to rise, but he grasped her wrist pulling her back
down again. Alex fell back on his lap. When she tried to get back up, he
wrapped his hand in her hair, anchoring her to him.

“Please.
Just let me go. I shouldn’t be here.” He almost didn’t hear her whispered
protest. Nat tugged her head up, until she had no choice but to look at him.
The abject misery that shone out of her expression made his gut churn, and he
shook his head at her.

“Oh
no, you don’t. We’re sorting this out now. What wouldn’t I believe? Give me the
truth now, or so help me, I will put you over my knee. Trust me, that won’t be
an erotic spanking, but pure punishment. Are we clear here, girl?”

A
brief flash of defiance showed in her expressive eyes, before the fight went
out of her. Dropping her gaze to his collarbone, she murmured her reply.

“Yes,
Sir, crystal.”

All
the breath left his lungs at her whispered response. He gentled his hold on her
hair, and smiled at her.

“Good
girl, now that wasn’t so bad now, was it?” A lone tear slid down her face in
answer. Nat took a deep breath in to calm the myriad of emotions that battered
against his soul right now.

“I
have big shoulders, pet, so let me take the burden of whatever is bothering
you, and
look
at me.”

Alex
tensed momentarily. When he tapped her nose with his index finger she finally
looked up at him again.

“That’s
better. I want to be able to see your expression. Now tell me what’s going on
in that head of yours. Don’t ever presume I won’t believe you. That’s rude and
will just earn you a punishment.”

Her
eyes widened in response. He smiled as her breathing sped up. Her eyes grew
slightly unfocused as she slipped into her submissive head space and whispered
her answer.

“Sorry,
Sir. I don’t mean to be rude, but why would you want to take this for me. I’ve
brought you nothing but trouble so far. You should just let me go. I’m not your
responsibility.”

Nathanial
cocked his head to one side, as he pondered his answer. To be honest with her
would mean opening himself up to a world of hurt, but then again, this would
never work between them if he wasn’t honest. He could hardly expect her to open
up about what clearly had been a painful past for her, if he didn’t do the
same. Besides, open communication was the very basis of this lifestyle. By
calling him Sir, she had accepted his dominance over her, and he owed her the
truth.

“You
became my responsibility the minute I paid for your company, girl.”

Alex
flinched and bit her lip. The act shouldn’t be erotic, but he barely swallowed a
groan anyway. Nat pulled the soft flesh she was abusing away from danger.

“Don’t
do that. I didn’t mean what I said in a negative way. I don’t think any less of
you, because you chose to be an escort. Let’s get that out of the way straight
away. I was surprised to see it was you, I give you that. I don’t think you
should lie to your mother about your profession, but I guess I can understand
why you would.”

Alex
tensed up again. She opened her mouth as though to say something, but then
slumped her shoulders, and sighed.

“Words,
pet. I’m pretty good at reading body language, but I’m not a mind reader.
What’s going in that head of yours?”

“I’m
not lying.”

He
quirked an eyebrow at her, and tightened his hold on her hair.

“Really?
Then what are you doing here? Did I or did I not pay for your escort services
tonight?” When she didn’t reply, he held up one finger.

“That’s
one swat to that gorgeous ass added to your tally.” A gasp escaped her and he
grinned at her response. “I suggest you start talking or I’ll make it two.”

“That’s
not fair. I am talking. You won’t believe me, you…” She squeaked when he held
up two more fingers and slammed her mouth shut. The sparks flying out of her
green eyes, however, showed him exactly what she thought of his edict. Seeing
her sass return tenfold, made him grow hard as nails. That was better. Besides
he liked his subs with spunk.

He
knew the minute she realized about the rock in his groin, because she gave a
little wriggle on his lap. The most delightful blush spread over her features.
It was replaced by a scowl when he held up another finger.

“You’re
not being fair, Sir.” Alex gasped when another two fingers went up.

“Keep
going as you are, pet, and your ass will be a lovely red color by the time I
fuck it tonight. Trust me I
will
claim you, just as soon as we’ve sorted
this misunderstanding between us.”

A
short laugh was his answer this time.

“At
the risk of incurring yet more fingers thrust into the air, tell me, Sir. Is
this what you hire escorts for? To get your kick without real responsibility?”

****

Nathanial’s
growl in answer was the sexiest sound ever. Dark, menacing, yet oddly
comforting. While she half expected him to lose his temper and throw her over
his lap to administer that punishment he had promised her, she knew deep down
he wouldn’t.

Nat
was very much in control here. With that knowledge came the fierce need for her
to let go. It had been way too long since Alex had truly allowed herself to let
go. A scene was never quite the same, when you didn’t have an emotional
connection to your Dom. Like it or not the connection between Nat and her
shimmered between them like a living, breathing entity. It had the power to
destroy her or give her the ultimate pleasure. She wasn’t entirely sure what
scared her the most out of those two options.

She
almost wished he would just put her over his knee, spank her, fuck her, and
they could both go on their merry way. Nat wouldn’t though. Right now he oozed
dominance from every pore of his large frame. Alex realized that she could not
coerce him into anything.

Understanding
that, the last of her misgivings fled. A weight lifted off her shoulders. No
doubt he would want nothing more to do with her when she had told him the
truth, but it would finally unburden the ghost of her past if she told him. She
would be free.

“I
have already told you, you became my responsibility from the moment I hired you
… well someone from the agency, and no, this is not the way I get my
kicks.
”

His
mouth set in a grim line as he said that. Alex felt the full force of his
disapproval like a crushing weight on her chest. It made breathing difficult, and
she blinked away fresh away tears.

“I’m
sorry, Sir. I don’t mean to make assumptions.” At his curt nod in answer, she
went on. “It’s just … I don’t understand why you would hire escorts in the
first place. I mean you must have women queuing round the corner to want to go
out with you, so why all this?”

She
glanced round the opulent suite, cringing when he didn’t answer her straight
away.

“Women
who can’t wait to get their claws into my money, yes, sure there’s plenty of
them, but not women I can trust.”

He
let that statement sit between them, and smiled when she frowned at him.

“I
prefer to deal with professionals. The agency supplies me with that. The ladies
know what’s expected of them. They help me be seen with the right arm candy, as
you so aptly pointed out earlier on this evening. When we part in the morning
there are no hard feelings or expectations for anything more, and yes, I prefer
my escorts with experience in the lifestyle, but it’s not necessary. After all
nothing happens unless they consent.”

“I
see. I bet consent is never a problem.” Alex couldn’t quite keep her annoyance
out of her reply, but, at least now she knew why Marissa had been so adamant
that she would be perfect for this job. It had far less to do with her ability
to hobnob with the rich and famous than it had with her being submissive, which
meant she would be able to keep the client with his
very precise
requirements
happy.

Some
of her conflicting emotions must have shown on her face because Nathanial’s
grin turned positively sinful as he studied her.

“Careful
there, pet, I’m not sure I like that tone of voice or the thoughts I can guess
are crossing your mind right now.”

“With
all due respect, Sir, my thoughts are my own.”

She
resisted the impish urge to stick her tongue out at him when he threw his head
back and laughed.

“Touché,
pet. Now that I have told you why I use escorts, please do me the courtesy of
explaining why you are one.”

Alexandra’s
stomach dropped at the quietly issued enquiry. She couldn’t bring herself to
look at him when she murmured a question in response.

“What
does it matter?”

All
the breath left her body, when he released the hold on her hair he still had. Framing
her face with his hands instead, he got so close to her their noses touched.
Their breaths mingled. Alex inhaled sharply, taking in his clean woodsy cologne
and the scent that was pure, unadulterated Nathanial.

“It
matters to me, Alex.”