Page 45 of Under Her Skin

Toys?Oh…shit.

He lifted the silver platter covers to reveal a plethora of sex toys, lube, condoms…rope. “We can have a good time tonight, Hero. And just think of it…when I tell Arturo that I fucked his beautiful ex and the things she allowed me to do to her…you’ll enjoy his pain, nodoubt.”

Hero tried to smile through the nausea. “Let me just go … freshenup.”

“Of course. Don’t be toolong.”

Hero played along, sliding her finger under his tie and letting it slip across her hand. “Oh, I won’t.”It’ll only take a second to padlock my chastity belt.Her nerves were making her want to giggle, and she fled to the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She snagged the burner phone from beneath the cabinet. “Gaudio…thirty-secondwarning.”

“You gotit.”

Hero stuck the phone back and flushed the toilet, running the shower. She had put on sexy, but not transparent underwear, just in case things needed to get that far, but she couldn’t bring herself to strip. She sucked in a deep breath…and went back out to see George, already shirtless, waiting for her. He held out his hand. “Mydear…”

They both jumped as the fire alarm went off, screeching through the hotel. A look of pure frustration crossed George’s face, and he reached for her again. “It’s probably just adrill—”

Hero was already running toward the door. “I’m not taking thatrisk!”

Gaudio, I damn well loveyou.

She ran out, followed by a cursing George, tugging his shirt on. She made eye contact with Gaudio, who was helping people down the stairs and nodded, a tiny movement of her head. He winked ather.

Downstairs, the guests of the hotel were milling around in the evening air. It was cooler now, but Hero’s adrenaline was racing. George wasn’t letting her out of his sight. Once the alarm was found to be false, and they were allowed back into the hotel, he’d want her back to join him in his sordid littlegame.

Hero was quite aware of what he was doing. He wanted to brag to Arturo that he’d done things with Hero that Arturo never had—wait.Hero began to smile to herself. There was her answer right there.Go big or gohome.

As she expected, they let them back in. Gaudio looked at Hero, but she shook her head, mouthed, “It’s okay. I got this fromhere.”

Back in the suite,Hero trailed her fingers over the dildos, riding crops, the paddles. She picked one up and studied it. George’s eyes were alive with excitement. “Shallwe?”

Hero put her best bored look on her face. “Is thisit?”

That stumped him. “Sorry?”

She threw the paddle back on the trolley and looked up at him. “It’s a little…tame for mytastes.”

George rocked back a little. “Tame?”

Hero laughed. “Paddles, George? Riding crops? I outgrew them when I was fifteen.” She sighed a bored, irritated sound and sat down. “What else yougot?”

She had him. He had to save face in front of her. Hero prayed he wouldn’t get nasty; she still had to be one hundred percent convinced he didn’t know where Melly was, but as the minutes ticked by, she looked at the man in front of her and saw only a petty little toddler. George was no more a killer than shewas.

George nodded. “I understand. I was testing your…taste for things. I thought, if I really told you what I like, you would getscared.”

“What do you like,George?”

He smiled. “Maybe we should save this conversation for another night. The fire alarm killed themood.”

“It has.” She stood and went to him, placing her hand flat against his chest. “Thank you for a lovely supper, George, but I think, for now I just want to focus on getting my sister back. After she’s safe,well…”

George nodded. He pressed his lips to hers briefly. Hero broke away but smiled to soften the blow. “Goodnight,George.”

“Good night,bellaHero.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

She waited a good ten minutes after he’d gone to call Arturo. “Hey,gorgeous.”

“Hey,cara mia. Listen, do me a favor. Double lock your hotel room door for me rightnow.”