Master of Secrets Read online

  She clutched my head and cried out, “Oh God.”

  Her desire soaked my face and I couldn’t help but revel in her taste.

  I pushed her addictive essence toward her rosebud.

  “God. I’m going to come if you do that.”

  Instead of responding, I pushed my thumb through the tight puckered opening. She detonated, crying out and biting her fist, while the other gripped my hair.

  “It’s too much. It’s too much. Don’t stop. Don’t stop.”

  I worked her until the last of her orgasm ebbed its way out of her.

  As her grip loosened, I climbed over her body, caging her head with my arms. My cock bobbed between us, hard again from seeing her come.

  We stared at each other, feeling the intensity of the situation we had no choice but to participate in.

  Leaning down, I kissed her, not caring that I could taste myself. This was my woman and once this fucked ordeal was over, I was marrying her again. Consequences be damned.

  Ana grabbed my erection, positioned it at her entrance, and lifted up to impale herself on my length.

  I arched forward and rubbed my pelvis against her clit. Her pussy quivered and flooded with another wave of need.

  “Fuck me hard. Like no man could ever fuck me and make me want more.”

  That one statement had me losing any semblance of control or rational thought. I began to fuck her, rut into her, pound the cunt that had only ever known my cock.

  “More. Harder.” Her demands were almost inaudible as she thrashed and clawed at my back.

  I obliged, and we were taken away by mutual need.

  When we came, it was raw, unfiltered, and filled with so much more emotion than a place like this should ever bring forth.

  Chapter Eleven

  Anaya

  * * *

  I released a deep breath as Adrian lifted his head from my shoulder and stared down at me.

  We were both reeling from the intensity of our orgasms and the unsaid things between us.

  This was our assignment, something that went into action without our control, but it was also us. The couple who loved so hard that it had made no sense when it had ended.

  “We need to clean up. They will be here soon.” He pulled out of me, making me gasp from the sudden emptiness.

  Almost as if on cue, a knock came at the door.

  “Go into the bathroom and wait until I come get you.”

  I nodded and rose to my feet. I knew my emotions were on my face. With anyone else I had no trouble masking them, pretending I felt nothing. But Adrian saw right through me. To the point where he had this crazy way of knowing what I was feeling and thinking.

  I went into the bathroom, leaving the door open as Adrian straightened his clothes and answered the door.

  He spoke to a messenger, but I couldn’t clearly make out what was said. All I heard was the bidding was over.

  The door closed and I walked back into the room.

  “Do you know who won the auction?”

  “Why can’t you ever do a damn thing I say?” Adrian snapped.

  He strode toward me, grabbing my hand, and pulled me into the bathroom. Closing the door, he shoved me back against the nearest wall, pressing his body to mine.

  “You will not leave this suite unless Ele or I come to get you. I will not risk anything happening to you.”

  “I’m not weak.”

  “I know this, but they don’t.” He dropped his forehead to mine. “Ana, please, don’t fight me on this.”

  I understood what he was saying. It was so hard for me to remember I wasn’t Anaya with Adrian and I couldn’t react to him as I normally would.

  I blew out a sigh and nodded.

  “Thank you.” He gave me a deep kiss that I felt all the way to my toes and stepped back. “When we get to my bungalow tonight, we have some things to discuss.”

  Before I could respond, he opened the door and strode out.

  An hour later, I was still waiting for news.

  Pacing hadn’t helped with the uneasiness I felt, so I walked out onto the balcony and leaned against the railing. Along the shore, workers busied themselves with removing seaweed that had washed up onto the sand to keep the beaches pristine. A couple walked near the cliffs. From the color of the gown, I recognized the woman as the one who couldn’t keep her eyes off me in the lounge. She was holding hands with Silas Finn.

  They looked like a happy couple on vacation taking a leisurely stroll. They made a striking pair. Maybe Silas would get to take her away from this place. The gentle way he touched her made me believe he’d take care of her for the rest of her life.

  Damn Adrian and his sexual prowess. He’d fucked the brain cells right out of my head.

  If I was this messed up now, what would I be like after two weeks of this?

  An image of Adrian and me back in Vegas flashed in my mind, of him dominating and worshiping me at the same time.

  My core clenched.

  Stop thinking about sex, Anaya!

  At that moment, my nerves fired, and I knew someone was in the room. The door hadn't clicked to alert me, but I’d felt it.

  This was the exact sensation I’d always gotten when I knew I was in danger.

  I inhaled deep and waited, keeping my gaze trained in front of me. Adrian or Ele would have announced themselves.

  “Hello, Anastasia. It’s a wonder you’re able to stand after the way Bonaparte fucked you on the floor earlier.”

  I turned to find Mica Chance leaning against the balcony doorframe.

  “It looks like you enjoy it hard and rough. Good thing I like it the same way.”

  “You aren’t supposed to be in here.”

  “I do what I want. Neither Trevolo nor Bonaparte can say anything. Your master owes me for this.” He pointed to the bruising around his throat. “Turn around. A taste of his Aphrodite will suffice as payment.”

  The bastard was going to get a lot more than he bargained for.

  I shook my head, and he clicked open a folding switchblade.

  I was going to jam that knife in his face.

  I gripped the railing behind me and watched Mica approach.

  “I said, turn around, and if you make a sound, I will destroy this face that seems to make the men on the island spend so much money.”

  “P-please don’t.” I added a tremor to my voice. “Master Julian will be here soon.”

  “You should worry about me.” With a quick flick of the knife, he tore the straps of my sleeveless gown, exposing my breasts.

  “No.” I covered my chest with my arms.

  He gripped my side, digging his fingers deep, making me cry out.

  “This is only the beginning.” He roughly turned me, forcing me to face the water while he ground his erection against my ass.

  “No,” I whimpered and let tears stream down my cheeks. “Don’t do this.”

  “I like it when they cry.” He nicked my neck, drawing blood. “I like blood too.”

  This motherfucker was going down.

  He began to lift my dress and before he moved past my thighs, I used the back of my head and smashed it into his face and then made a swift shift and kicked him in the chest.

  He fell back, dropping the blade and covering his nose, blood oozing through his fingers.

  Rage filled his gaze as he looked up. “Now I’m going to make you beg for me to kill you.”

  He charged in my direction, and with a quick kick of my left foot, my toes lifted the knife. Grabbing the blade with my right hand, I stabbed it into Mica’s chest a second before he reached me.

  He wailed, but it seemed to do nothing to keep him from punching me on the side of my head.

  Stars burst behind my eyes and I wobbled, nearly losing balance against the balcony railing. Mica lifted his fist to hit me again, but I pulled out the knife and jabbed the blade in his face.

  He stumbled backward, making a gurgling sound and falling to the ground.

  I gasp
ed in air, shaking for real this time. My head hurt like nothing I’d felt before. I slid to the floor, feeling too weak to do anything else.

  Dear God. I’d just killed a man.

  Though the bastard deserved it for trying to rape me and who knew how many he’d succeeded with before me.

  This wasn’t my first kill, but there was a huge difference between taking care of someone through the scope of my sniper rifle and with my hand, up close.

  I dropped my head back against the railing and winced. A throbbing had started, and I had no doubt I had some type of concussion.

  I had to stay awake, but my eyelids felt so heavy. God, I was so tired.

  Where the hell was Adrian?

  I lifted my hands to cover my head, but blood dripped from my fingers. Glancing at where Mica’s sprawled dead body lay, a sense of dread washed over me.

  How was I going to explain any of this? Would there be some consequences? Had I just compromised the whole operation?

  Dizziness began to overwhelm me, as did nausea.

  Fuck. Where is Adrian? Stay awake, Anaya, stay awake.

  But it was no use. I had to close my eyes.

  Adrian

  * * *

  “Ana, baby wake up,” I said in a whisper to a sleeping Anaya, for the millionth time since I’d found her covered in blood and passed out two days ago.

  My heart had all but died seeing her so lifeless.

  I should have stayed with her or brought her with me and none of this would have happened. No matter how strong she thought she was, Anaya was no competition for a man with at least a hundred pounds on her and no qualms with fighting dirty.

  She killed him, asshole—she was strong enough.

  I gripped the base of my neck.

  The bruises on her face and the cut on her neck had begun to heal, and according to the doctors brought in by Trevolo, she had a concussion but no brain bleeds or permanent trauma. Sleep was the best medicine for her.

  I couldn’t trust the motives of any doctor on Trevolo’s payroll, but I had no choice but to wait. There was no way to bring in a second opinion without compromising the investigation.

  I hated waiting like this.

  If the bastard Trevolo hadn’t dragged out the announcement with a cocktail hour, I’d have gotten back to the room in time. He’d done it on purpose to fuck with me.

  I was well aware of the procedures in an auction like the one for Ana. The men who were interested in the auction had instructions to write down the highest possible bid for a night as my third and seal it in an envelope.

  All the fucker had to do was read out each cap bid and go from there.

  When I noticed Chase missing, I knew something was wrong. The beady-eyed fucker hadn’t kept his eyes off Ana from the moment he’d tried to touch her in her cell.

  Thank God it was part of Trevolo’s rules to only read the winner in the presence of the bidders—it gave me an excuse to leave.

  What I hadn’t expected was a frantic Ele running into the lounge to say Chase was dead.

  I knew instantly it was in my suite. Finding Ana’s limp body had all but destroyed me. It had taken five men to hold me off the guards who’d left their posts for a smoke. I wanted them to suffer the same fate Chase had, and I had wanted to do it by throwing them from the third-story balcony.

  The only consolation was that Trevolo had done the task for me.

  The door to my bungalow opened, and I immediately knew who it was. There was only one person with the know-how to circumvent my security. Sebastian.

  He appeared a few seconds later. “How is she doing?”

  “Get lost, Weber.”

  “Trevolo wants you at the house.”

  “Tell him to fuck off too.”

  “Stop being a dick. You’re lucky he let you hole up in here with her.”

  “I don’t give a shit.” I was not going to leave Ana’s side until she was awake and trying to punch me again. “Why are you here, Weber?”

  “As I said. To relay Trevolo’s messages.” He paused. “And to bring you some food.”

  “No, I mean, why the fuck are you on this island? Your showing up complicated things.”

  Sebastian and I had received invitations to the auction at the same time but our higher-ups had decided I would be the one to go in because I had the deepest infiltration into Trevolo’s world.

  “No. My showing up kept Anaya’s team from changing their minds and storming the island to take out everyone on it. They received word a shipment is arriving on the island in a few days, which means a special auction is imminent.”

  “Wouldn’t that mean it is more important than ever to find out who the buyers are? What aren’t you saying?”

  “Ana’s handler wants her off the island as soon as possible. She suspects Trevolo is going to steal Ana from you and sell her to another bidder.”

  That made no sense, but then again Trevolo tended to make deals and then double-cross for a side benefit.

  Sebastian continued, “We’re lucky they even contacted us. They put their operation on hold for ours. Her handler is one piece of work. She threatens to chop both our dicks off if we don’t get her out of here before any shit goes down.”

  I had no doubt Briana would do it. Compared to Briana, Ana was tame. It may have to do with being in the business longer or it could just be her sunny disposition.

  “Did they give a time frame for how long they’ll sit back?”

  “One week. Afterward, the North American director is stepping in. She makes our directors look like teddy bears.”

  “Who the fuck is their North American director? A female version of Rambo?”

  Sebastian laughed and slapped me on the back. “The first lady. In a technical sense, she’s your new mother-in-law.”

  “Say that again.”

  “You heard me. The wife of the leader of the free world is the head of operations for Solon North America. She views all her people as family. And since Anaya was on loan for an operation in Europe, she is taking this personally.”

  I sat there processing. Tara Zain Kumar, the pint-sized former human-rights attorney, was a Solon agent. She had to be one of the best to earn her role, but damn.

  The president was married to a spy?

  I bet that went over well when he found out. Ashur Kumar was a stickler for rules and using the law to make change, and he was married to a woman who helped circumvent the law.

  I just developed a newfound respect for the guy.

  “Any way you can convince them to extend the time?”

  “We’re lucky we got what we have.”

  I glanced at Ana. Her color was coming back. At least that was something.

  “Dammit, I wasn’t there to protect her. How am I going to explain this to her family?”

  “You won’t. From what I get, no one knows she is anything more than a marketing, social media, and design consultant for the fashion industry.” Sebastian handed me a bottle. “Drink this, and there’s food in the front room. Let’s talk more in there.”

  I took the water, twisting the cap and taking a long gulp. “I’ll eat later.”

  “She’s not going anywhere.” He gestured with his head. “Eat while I fill you in on some other interesting information I learned as Trevolo’s guest.”

  “Fine.” I got up, giving Ana another scan and then pushing past Sebastian. I moved into the open area encompassing the living room and kitchen. Covered dishes sat on two oversized trays on the coffee table. Was he planning on feeding me for a week?

  The bungalow was small but as secure as possible. I would know the second anyone even thought to activate a listening device or camera.

  Trevolo had installed many devices over the years but regretted it when I’d relocated each one to the toilet of his guards’ quarters. The man had no idea I’d been hacking since I was a child and worked with the best to learn my skills.

  I sat on the couch, pulled the first tray toward me, and opened the lids on the
plates. The aroma of spiced chicken wafted into the air and my stomach growled.

  Guess I was hungry after all.

  I took a few bites and then said, “Talk. You’ll need to be out of here soon.”

  Sebastian rolled his eyes. “For someone who just said to tell Trevolo to fuck off, you seem worried about him.”

  I shot him a glare. “Stop stalling, asshole.”

  “He knows Ana isn’t Anastasia Ashton.”

  I looked up from my plate. “How?”

  “He suspected it, ever since his bitch wife had a meltdown at a fitting and wanted him to keep an eye on Ana. He thinks she’s Nora, the runaway daughter of Sharibin Shah.”

  Sharibin Shah was an Indian industrialist who ran his organization and family with an iron hand. He was also a well-known drug and arms trafficker. There were rumors Shah had muscled Trevolo out of a lucrative deal a time or two.

  “That’s a stretch. Ana doesn’t have anything to do with that family.”

  “It’s the eyes. How many people do you know that have the same amber, tiger-like color? She also looks eerily similar to the daughter that ran away from a supposed arranged marriage.”

  I digested this. “So not only was she taken because of my interest in her, but because she resembled a rival’s daughter?”

  “Yes and no. Catarina Trevolo’s jealousy was the cause of Ana being noticed in the first place. The fact she resembled the type of Indian women you gravitated toward in the harem gave him a business opportunity and a reason to justify his taking her. The rival’s-daughter thing just turned out to be a bonus.”

  I waited, knowing I wasn’t going to like what he was about to add.

  “Take a good look at the last known picture of Nora Shah.”

  Sebastian set his phone on the table next to the tray. There was no doubt in my mind that Nora Shah was Anaya Anthony. The hair color and style of clothing were nearly the same as Ana’s real-life persona.

  I clenched my teeth. “I swear as soon as she wakes up, I’m going to paddle her ass.”

  “You’re not the only one with multiple fake lives. According to Ana’s handler, she is one of the best at blending into her roles, though most of the time she hides her eyes with contacts.”