Page 9 of Used

I level a cool gaze on her. “This isn’t a date. You tried to drug me in a room full of men who want me dead.”

She shakes her head.

“We both know you did. I’ll punish you for that. And when I break down your resistance, you’ll tell me who sent you to set me up.”

“I didn’t know you’d be there.”

“Bullshit.”

“Honestly.” She sounds sincere, which is interesting. I don’t allow my expression to change. Instead, I wave for her to keep talking.

“I can’t say anything else.”

“You can, and you will.”

“Please don’t do this.”

“Tell me the truth. All of it. And we’ll work out another punishment.”

Anger flashes in her eyes. “Who do you think you are? To force a woman to strip and then inflict corporal punishment? Are we back in the Dark Ages?”

“For some of us, it’s not a question of going back. Dark ages are all we know.” My mouth quirks into a wry smile as I decide maybe I’m channeling Anvil, or his emo sweetheart Rachel.

“If bad things happened to you, I’m sorry. But you don’t have to continue on this path.”

The corner of my mouth rises farther. “Are you going to be the one to save me from myself, Saint Laurelyn?”

“I can’t go along with this.”

“If you’d said that to whoever sent you to drug me, we wouldn’t be here.”

She swallows. “I didn’t actually do anything to you. You’re fine. And I swear if you let me go with a warning, I’ll never let myself be put in a position to hurt you again.”

“I’m only safe if I let you go with a warning? Otherwise, what? You’ll be strutting around in skintight dresses at all my poker games? If so, I’ve got a tip. You should put the drug in your lipstick and kiss me. That’ll work. No question.”

“Sure.” Her voice is laced with skepticism. “When I first arrived, you didn’t even want to talk to me. You wouldn’t look at me.”

“I wouldn’t look at youbecauseI wanted to talk to you. I’m letting you stall me right now because I want to talk to you.”

“All right, let’s talk.” Tucking her dark hair behind her ear, she glances at me.

“Tell me who sent you to drug me and why.”

She rubs her temples. “I made a mistake tonight. But I’m not lying when I say it wasn’t supposed to be you. If I’d known you’d be there, I wouldn’t have come.”

“Who was it supposed to be?”

She shakes her head. “I can’t.” Her eyes close, and her grimace tells me she’s struggling against something. “I can’t tell you. So either let me go or do what you’re going to do.”

“Laurel, listen to me.” My voice is hard because I want her to cave quickly.

Her lids rise, and that pale emerald gaze locks with mine.

“This is not an either-or situation for you. Understand? In the end, you won’t get to keep the secret. You can either tell me now. Or you can be punisheduntilyou tell me. Make the smart choice.”

“I think you’re bluffing. I hope you are.” Her voice is whisper-soft and imploring. “I think I meant something to you once, the way you meant something to me. I don’t think you’ll hurt me.”

My resolve almost wavers. “You’re really good. If the feds trained you, they did a hell of a job.”