The Sinner's Bargain (Contracts & Deceptions #2) Read online

  “Colin,” Amara moaned when his tongue circled around the hollow of her throat.

  “Shh,” he murmured against her. His hands found hers behind her back and he began to walk them toward the bed. His sole focus concentrated on making love to Amara’s neck, her shoulders, her lips.

  When they reached the bed, he switched positions with her, sitting and pulling her to stand in front of him. Colin’s hands reached to pull off her top, which hung between her bound hands. Amara’s entire body shivered as his lips closed over her nipples while he pulled the tiny skirt and panties she wore down to the floor. His mouth moved along the valley between her breasts, licking and teasing. She felt powerless and very naked in front of him, but it was erotic. Amara’s legs felt like jelly and the heat between them magnified with each movement his mouth made against hers.

  Colin pushed her back suddenly and moved to stand behind her. She closed her eyes at the feel of his breath on her neck, loving the feel of his teeth grazing over her shoulder blades. He pushed the backs of her knees with his own so that she was forced forward onto the edge of the bed. Colin splayed his large hand on her back, pushing her down. She was completely exposed to him, forced to lean on the side of her face with her ass completely in the air. Colin gripped the backs of her thighs and spread her open, making a guttural noise as he kneeled behind her. Inhaling sharply, she shut her eyes as his hands ran along the inside of her thighs, the tips just grazing the lips of her throbbing core.

  Amara felt the bed shift beneath her and gasped loudly when she felt his breath between her legs, his tongue brushing against her clit. Colin opened her up further, his hands digging into her ass as his tongue continued to devour her, licking her, sucking her, nipping her. She could only exhale and gasp again as his tongue circled her center, plunging inside of her and lapping over and over in rapid motion as he feasted on her wetness. Colin replaced his mouth with his hands, slipping three fingers inside her as his thumb massaged over her sensitive clit in slow circles.

  “This is what you want, Mara?” he asked in a lusty rasp beside her ear. “This is what you like? Being at someone else’s mercy? Letting people fuck you while others watch?” Amara’s legs began to shake, the need built between them so great that the orgasm ripped through her. She heard him groan as she moaned out his name, unable to hold it back. When Amara regained her breath, Colin’s hands were no longer between her legs. She shrieked when she was suddenly pulled by the handcuffs and forced to kneel upright on the bed. Colin’s legs were now devoid of clothing. He nudged her legs wider and, with no warning, he thrust into her fully, so strong and hard it knocked the breath out of her. With each thrust there was an equally hard pull on the cuffs, making the sensitive skin on her wrists burn.

  “The handcuffs,” she said, her voice on the edge between pleasure and pain.

  “The handcuffs stay,” he growled pushing in deeper.

  “They hurt,” she whimpered.

  Colin paused for a moment, taking a long breath and pushed into her hard one more time before letting go of her hands, causing her to fall forward on her face. He pulled out, his rapid exit making Amara flinch. She heard him shift around behind her and finally unclip the cuffs. There were tears in her eyes as she let out a relieved breath and rubbed her wrists. She rolled to her side and Colin pushed her legs into a scissor position, guiding himself once more between the swollen lips of her pussy. She could feel him throbbing between her folds as he pushed in slowly, savoring this time. His hands gripped her slim shoulders and she twisted her body to face him, her exposed breasts craving his attention. His mouth lowered onto hers and captured her lips in his, the tip of his tongue meeting hers before it began to explore the inside of her mouth. His cock plunged deeper into her as she spread her knees, bringing one to the other side so he was completely between her thighs. She could see his anger fading as he brought his face down to hers.

  “This is what I want,” she whispered against his lips.

  Colin’s eyes snapped open. He cupped both sides of her face as he continued to languidly move inside of her. “Is it?”

  Amara nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck as she arched her back. He gripped her hips and lifted her up to straddle him as he sat on the bed. She sat, impaled, adjusting to his size before circling her hips slowly against him.

  He grabbed her hips to still her movements and shook his head. “I don’t want that. I don’t want slow. I want you to fuck me, Amara. Ride me like you want me,” he growled, lifting her up to the tip of his cock and bringing her back down forcefully. She screamed out at the impact it made. “Keep going, lift your ass up and keep fucking going.” He was speaking through clenched teeth, his voice demanding as his fingers continued to dig into her. “Fuck, yes, just like that,” he groaned as she continued to ride him hard, the way he wanted her to, the way she needed to.

  Amara’s nails dug into his shoulders as her insides began to clench around him. She knew he was close as well by the way he threw his head back and breathed deeply. “Just like that, baby. Keep going, just like that. Keep going, Amara,” he said in a husky chant as he growled through his orgasm.

  He fell onto his back, spent, pulling her against his chest and holding her tightly to him as if he wanted to preserve that moment for a while. When he noticed her rubbing her wrists again, he sat up, propped her on his lap and grabbed her arms. His sad eyes said it all when he met her gaze, yet he didn’t apologize for his roughness.

  “I’ll see if I can get you something for this,” he whispered, kissing the red marks on her skin.

  Amara tried to shimmy out of his hold, but he held her close. “I have to go to the bathroom,” she said softly, daring to run a hand through the dark waves of his hair.

  He let her go, but followed her to the bathroom, watching as she used the toilet then washed her hands. She found a hairbrush, toothbrushes, and a bottle of aloe gel, all unused. Her eyes met Colin’s in the mirror and she pointed at the toiletries. He nodded in acknowledgement, but continued to watch her. Amara tried to avert her eyes, but couldn’t, they drifted down the length of his body, the waves of his muscled arms, the dent of lines on his chest, the tiny dark hairs that trailed down the center. She could look at him forever and never tire. When her eyes made their way back up to his, he was still watching her, his face serious.

  “Turn around,” he ordered. She swiveled on her heels to face him.

  Colin lifted her arms and picked up the bottle of aloe, squirting some over each wrist. Colin slowly massaged her forearms and carefully rubbed the gel over her wrists. He took his time, but gentled his movements further when she flinched.

  “It’ll probably hurt for a couple of days,” he whispered, dragging his eyes from hers to her wrists. She nodded, her eyes filling with tears, overwhelmed.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  “You’re sorry?” he asked, his hands stilling on her wrists.

  “Yes,” she said quietly, nodding slowly. “I wish I could be less complicated for you. I wish I could just… leave this for you.”

  He smiled and chuckled darkly in disbelief. “But you can’t.”

  “It’s not a game, Colin. I’m not here because I want to be. I don’t do this because I enjoy it.”

  Her arms dropped to her sides. “Tell me. Why are you doing it? Why were you here tonight?”

  “Lift me up,” she said, letting out a shaky breath as she stood on her tiptoes and threw her arms around his neck. He automatically covered her with his body and picked her up, wrapping her legs around his hips. Amara looked over his shoulder at the mirror on top of the bed, the skeleton key on the door, all the places they could be watching—and were probably listening. She kissed him in the sensitive spot below his ear and heard his breath hitch.

  “Amara,” he warned.

  “I’m being blackmailed,” she whispered, licking and sucking down his neck.

  “Blackmailed how?” he asked, she could feel his erection growing between her legs, pres
sing up against her ass.

  “With you,” she said, bringing her lips to his and kissing him deeply, fiercely, before letting him pull apart. His eyes wore a look of confusion, warring with his growing lust.

  “Me?”

  Amara went back to kissing him, licking the seam of his lips. He groaned when his tongue peeked into her mouth, and she bit it lightly as she ground her pelvis into him, her wet pussy insistent against his abs, begging for him to fill her. His groans turned her on—his restraint, the tightening grip of his hands on her ass— ratcheting her need higher.

  “Please,” she whimpered when she tried to move lower. He held her in place, needing to hear her explain.

  “What are they saying to you about me?” he asked, his voice hoarse against her ear as he tried to refrain from giving into her.

  “That they’ll kill you if I don’t cooperate,” she gasped out when his dick stood at attention between her pussy and his stomach, and slipped between her folds.

  “They’re not going to kill me, Amara,” he said, thrusting his hips up and moaning deeply at the feel of her pussy spreading against him.

  “They’ll kill my mom, then you,” she said, her legs beginning to shake. “They’ll find away to take you away from me.”

  His hands lifted her hips and finally, he impaled inside her with a growl. “This has to end,” he said burying his face into her neck as he pumped inside her.

  “I don’t want this to end,” she said, causing him to look at her. He lowered his head, still moving inside of her, and grazed his teeth against her nipple. “You and me,” she gasped. “I don’t want us to end.”

  His head snapped up and he halted his movements. “You’re mine, Amara. Every. Fucking. Inch of you.”

  He fucked her harder then, faster, and deeper, as if he to prove his point.

  THE GIRLS COULDN’T leave the premise with the clients, which meant all of the winning bidders creeped out at odd hours while the girls stayed behind in their rooms. Those were the rules: you win, you pay, you do whatever it is you want to do—as long as the girl agrees—and then you leave. This, of course, meant that she had to do the walk of shame in front of twelve other people—not that it mattered at that point. By the time Amara showered, dressed in her clothes, and walked downstairs to the area where the auction took place—which looked more like a café at this hour—most of the girls were gone. Ava remained, walking around aimlessly with an open book in one hand and an apple in the other.

  “How’d it go for you?” she asked, looking from her book to Amara.

  She shrugged. “It went. You?”

  “Same,” she said, shrugging back and biting her apple.

  “Was it awkward for you?”

  Ava sat at one of the round tables and put the book down as Amara walked past her to grab a cup of coffee from the bar. When she turned, Ava was finished with her apple and twirling the core by its stem.

  “It was as weird as it is every time I fuck a stranger and his wife,” Ava said finally. Amara made a face as she sat down.

  “Have you done that often?”

  “No,” Ava said with a laugh. “It was fine though, they were really nice about it. How about you?”

  “It was as weird as it is every time my ex-boyfriend wins me in an auction.”

  A look of deep confusion was painted over Ava’s face. “What?”

  “My ex-boyfriend won the auction. Won me in the auction.”

  “How’d he know it was you?”

  It was a valid question, one she’d asked him herself.

  “He said my eyes gave me away.”

  Ava frowned. “How’d he see your eyes from where he was sitting?”

  And just like that, Amara’s emotions went from flattered and relieved that Colin had won her bid, to being suspicious. She stared at Ava as if she’d just dropped a bomb, and in that moment, it may as well have been.

  COLIN: ARE YOU home?

  Amara: No. Just left the hospital. Did you need something?

  Colin: How’s Anna?

  Amara: Not good.

  Colin: How are you?

  Amara: …

  He must have sensed she didn’t want to talk about it, because his response never came. Just as well—it didn’t matter. Amara ran her fingers through her long hair, massaging her scalp as she picked it up into a loose ponytail. She wore sweat pants and a t-shirt that hung loosely over her shoulders. It was very unlike her—she usually dressed up more to leave the house—but she was exhausted. So exhausted from everything. She barely got any sleep at night and when she did, she had nightmares of Philip barging through her door to take her hostage. It was a stupid dream because she knew he wouldn’t do that—he didn’t have to—all he had to do was continue to blackmail her with the two people she loved, and she’d go willingly.

  He’d already made mention of her night with Colin in Méchant.

  “Looks like somebody got his money’s worth,” he’d said. She heard the stupid grin as he’d spoken. That bothered her the most. Amara had a constant distaste in her mouth when she thought of Philip and Samuel and now Courtney, by default.

  When Amara got to the apartment, the driver had to call her name a couple of times before she finally snapped out of her thoughts to collect her things and go inside. The ride in the elevator was silent since she was by herself, and she stared at the reflection of the woman in front of her. Amara dropped her eyes to the floor. She couldn’t bear to look at herself. She could barely stand being herself.

  Once she was inside the apartment, she dropped her bag by the door and went straight to the bedroom, not even bothering to close the blinds before letting her body hit the mattress. Sleep came easy—for once she didn’t have to turn on the television to be lulled by the sound of voices. The sound of footsteps startled Amara awake, her eyes popping open just in time to see Samuel bending over her bed. Gasping, she sat up quickly.

  “What are you doing here?” she squeaked in shock.

  “I tried calling,” he said, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

  “How did you get in here?”

  Samuel gave her a dry look, clearly in no mood to humor questions of no importance.

  “Colin is causing problems for us,” he said, looking at her. She hadn’t bothered to close the electronic blinds, so there was light in the room—enough for her to make out the serious look on his face. She knew what Philip’s solution to his problems was like and fought against increasing panic.

  “What kind of problems?”

  “The kind we don’t need right now.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means we need him out of the way.”

  “And how do you expect to do that?” she asked in a whisper, trepidation running through her slowly, until she felt as if she was becoming consumed by it.

  Samuel sighed loudly, running a hand through his gelled hair. “You’re expected at that gala on Friday, and I think it’s best you disappear after that. From Wolfe, from this apartment, New York…”

  “New York?” she asked in surprise. “But my mom. My mom isn’t,” she paused to swallow before continuing. “She’s not doing very well.”

  “I don’t want to take you from your mother, I know she’s…” His words drifted over to Amara and hung heavily in her chest. Dying, that was the word she knew he was looking for, but nobody needs to remind you when somebody you love is dying.

  “If I leave New York, you would take me back to Paris?” she asked brokenly.

  Sam looked away from her, focusing on the floor beneath his feet and nodded. “I know you’re trapped in this, but we need to get that guy and find out who he’s working for, what he knows… you’re very important to us, to this case.”

  “You have a collection of women that look like me, Sam. Can’t you use them?”

  “Don’t you think we’ve tried that? This isn’t something new, Amara, we’ve been trying to find this person for years, and now we’re so close…so close.”

 
; “He’s killed women that look like me. Don’t you think he’ll do the same to me? How would he even know it’s me?”

  “He needs to take you to whomever it is he works for. He’s not going to show up here and kill you.”

  She took a deep rattled breath. “And you’re sure it’s only one guy?”

  “We don’t know for certain, but we have an idea of who it could be.”

  Amara covered her face. “This is crazy. This is seriously insane. I can’t go back to Paris, Sam, not with my mom like this. Was the guy at the auction the other night?”

  “He was. There were two men there that we suspect and are following.”

  “Two?” she asked, her breath catching in her throat. “I thought it was just one guy?”

  Samuel got up and stood in front of her, looking down at her. “We thought so too, but I guess we may be wrong. As I said, we’re not certain. I’ll do my best to keep your near your mother, and I expect that, in exchange for that favor, you’re going to come to me with anything you see or hear. If you don’t, I won’t be able to promise you Colin’s safety.”

  Amara gasped as Samuel strode out of the room. She got out of bed, calling his name, but Samuel didn’t stop. He’d slammed the front door by the time she got to the kitchen. Resigned to her fate, Amara gave in to hunger and was trying to open a jar of pasta sauce when she heard the front door open again. Grabbing the nearest knife to her, she stood by the edge of the counter, waiting, listening to the heavy footfalls bringing the intruder to her in long, confident strides. The knife began to wobble in Amara’s hand as her fear escalated. Colin’s face appeared in the doorway, stopping short when he saw the look on her face and the knife she held in her white-knuckled grip.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  With shaky hands, Amara tried to put the knife back in the block, but kept missing the slot it belonged in. Between the tears that pooled her eyes and her jittery nerves, she ended up having to put it down on the counter. Colin strode around the island and stood beside Amara, his hand rubbed lightly on her back. She kept her eyes on the counter, away from his.