Page 3

“What?” Is he serious? He wants me to fuck a waiter?

“The blond.”

I see who he means immediately. Truth be told, I clocked the man when we walked in, the same way I clock anyone who catches my eye. There are half a dozen people in this room who got a second look, but he’s the only one wearing the same white shirt and black pants as the rest of the staff.

He’s old-world movie-star handsome. The chiseled jaw, the easy smile, the big body that is athletic without being over-the-top muscled. Young, too. Not just in age, though if he’s older than twenty-five, I’ll be surprised. No, this guy is almost…

I jerk when I recognize it.

He’s an innocent. There’s something shiny and new about him that will make people like Hades want to tarnish it. I used to be the same way, once upon a time. Now, I’m the one who does the tarnishing. “I don’t play with babies, Hades.”

“Come now, Meg.” He nips my earlobe. “Look at how eager he is to please. He’ll probably come in his pants the second he tastes your pussy. All that enthusiasm in such a fetching package. You should thank me for giving him to you.”

I shouldn’t.

I really shouldn’t.

Whoever this man is, I know better than to take this at face value. Hades didn’t pick him randomly. He has a plan, has some manipulation going on. If I agree to this, I’m playing a part, and I don’t get to cry foul later when it all comes to light. I lick my lips. “Thank you, Sir.”

“Anything for you, love.”

I have to laugh a little. Trust his gift to have more strings than Pinocchio. “You’re hardly giving him to me. I’m assuming I’ll have to seduce him?”

Hades’s chuckle in my ear makes my nipples peak. “Give yourself a little credit. Crook your finger, and he’ll be eating out of the palm of your hand.”

There’s a catch. There must be.

I close my eyes and force myself to relax. “You don’t usually send me after the vanilla. In fact, you never send me after anyone unless we’re in the club.” The club where there are safety measures in place. Cameras in every room, a full staff of security to dissuade anyone from stepping out of line, and Hades himself who rules with an iron fist.

Not that I think I can’t handle this guy, but I’ve been surprised before.

“Meg,” Hades murmurs. “You’re mine, are you not?”

It takes me a few seconds to form my reply. It hurts. It hurts so much to speak these words that mean a mere shadow of what they used to. “Yes, of course.”

“Do you trust me?”

“Most of the time.”

The amusement dissipates from his voice. “Do you trust me?”

I lick my lips. “Yes, Sir.”

“Good girl.” He releases me and gives me a little nudge. “There’s a private room at the top of the stairs that belongs to the owners. The door is unlocked. Take him there.” He touches me with a single finger beneath my chin and raises my face to press a devastatingly gentle kiss on my lips. Bargains are sealed with less, and I can’t help feeling like I’ve sold my soul yet again for his pleasure. “You’ll be safe. I’ll ensure it.” He waits until I scoot to the edge of the booth to say, “Don’t disappoint me, love.”

I work up a little bratty glare, but I know better than to argue with that tone. “I wouldn’t dream of disappointing you, Sir.” I grab my purse from under the table and stalk away from him.

It takes three steps for reality to catch up with me. If I were a better person, I would use my safe word to get out of this little game. One little word and Hades calls a stop to everything. My very own emergency brake, though I’m too stubborn and too into everything we do together to use it often. That’s the crux of the matter. If I were a better person, the thought of seducing this bright-eyed waiter wouldn’t heat my blood. It wouldn’t send a downright delicious curl of desire through me. I want him, and I never would have taken him if left to my own devices.

Hades knows.

Hades always knows.

In this moment, it doesn’t matter that he undoubtedly has ulterior motives. He’s given me a new toy to play with, and the thrill is all I can think of as I slide up to the bar and order a whiskey straight. I can feel Hades’s attention on me. A languid weight at the back of my neck. If he’s got a room already picked out, then there will be measures in place to ensure it all goes according to plan. He’ll remain close by.

He always did like to watch me work.

I turn and survey the restaurant. People have started to clear out as the clock winds later. I frown. Where did my waiter go? Several minutes tick by before the truth settles over me. “Shit.”