Without a word, he gripped her arm and started pulling her toward the cabin exit, ignoring the people who were watching them.
“Luke, damn it. Stop pulling me.”
“When you’re off this boat, I’ll stop,” he said, not looking at her. “Not a second sooner.”
***
Luke cursed as the gates lowered and Julie was trapped on the boat. He turned to her, so furious he could barely speak.
“I’ve before never in my life wanted to put a woman over my knee and spank her, but you’re testing me.”
“Try it and see where my knee lands.”
“I told you the invitation was for me and me alone.”
She snorted. “That’s not what it said when I found it in your bag.”
His cell phone started to ring and he knew who it was even before he flipped it open. “Jesse, you fool,” he growled into the phone. “She’s here on the damn boat with me and I’m going to kick your ass when I get back there. Get someone on the other side waiting on her to take her back.”
She started to walk away. Luke ended the call, grasping her wrist and pulling her close. “You’re not staying.”
“Try to send me away and I swear to you, Luke, that I’ll make such a scene we’ll both end up at the police station.”
“You’d blow this and have me arrested?” he challenged.
“Yes,” she said, the wind lifting her hair as the boat began to move, the engine and the horn drowning out anything else she might say.
Luke pulled her with him inside a car, where he didn’t stop until they were in the back, away from everyone. He urged her down into the seat next to him, and shrugged out of his leather jacket when he realized she was shivering. He wrapped it around her, and holding the lapels, turned her to face him.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“When you asked if I’d get you arrested rather than be sent home, I said yes. And you know why? Because we both know you have a better chance of getting out of this alive with me present. I won’t let you die because I stayed home when you needed me.”
His chest felt like it might explode. “I can’t let you do this.”
“You said never underestimate Arel, so assume he already knows I’m here. I assume he saw us fighting, and think about the image you’ve portrayed of controlling me. Then kiss me into submission.”
Luke took that in and did exactly what she suggested. He kissed her, and he made it look as good as it felt. He kissed her and he slid his hand under her coat and pulled her close. She was right. He had painted a portrait and she’d just given him the way to send her home. She’d disobeyed him and she’d been sent home to wait for her punishment. Arel would buy it, especially if they were being watched. And there was no question that they were.
Luke tore his mouth from hers. “So, you’ll be my good girl and do exactly as I say. Play the game and everything will be just fine.”
“I will,” she promised.
Good, he thought, because when he scolded her and ordered her to go home in front of Arel’s men, she’d have no choice but to do as he said, or get him killed.
Chapter Twenty-One
Luke couldn’t get Julie out of here fast enough. He held Julie close as they headed for the exit of the ferry, ready to break through the ground and hand her off. By the time they were on the street and he was looking for one of his men, a black town-car pulled up in front of them. Immediately, a burly man in a dark suit got out.
“Good evening, Mr. Walker,” he said, and then inclined his head at Julie, “Ms. Harrison.” He opened the back door. “Please enjoy your ride to the party.”
Luke didn’t move. “Actually, Ms. Harrison will be returning to the city. We’ve had a...disagreement I’d prefer to deal with when we’re alone.”
Julie gasped and turned to him. “Luke,” she said, and surprised him by sliding right into her role, “I promised I’d behave and I will. I was just upset about riding separately to the ferry and forgetting my coat.”
“You’re both to come,” the said. “No deviation allowed.” His eyes met Luke’s. “Not if you want Mr. Arel’s business.” He lifted his coat just enough to make sure it was clear how far he’d go to get them in the car. “And just so you know, Arel gets rather cranky when someone turns down his invitations.” In other words, Julie came with them or she’d be killed. The man dropped the jacket and motioned them forward. “Shall we?”
Where there was one gun, there were more, and probably pointed at them, waiting to take a shot. Luke motioned Julie into the car, wishing her dress showed a little less leg as she climbed inside.
The instant she was safely out of view, Luke’s gaze lifted to the man’s, and Luke knew he was in a bad spot. He looked weak by letting Julie go along. He risked them both being killed, if he did not. Everything was a test: they either survived or failed and died. Luke didn’t intend to fail or die.
Before the man could blink again, Luke grabbed the man’s wrist and reached for the gun, sliding his hand to the handle without removing it. “Be glad I want to meet your boss because I don’t like being disrespected in front of my woman, or anyone for that matter.” He released the man. “This stays between us, unless you give me a reason to consider you a liability. At which time I will hunt you down and kill you and tell your boss I got rid of his weak link.”
As soon as he slid inside, he could almost feel the fear rolling off of Julie, and it wasn’t going to serve either of them well. He needed to come off confident and comfortable, and Julie couldn’t let her fear show. He pulled Julie close and slid her hand to his leg.
“So, what are you going to do to make me glad I brought you along.”
“What do you want me to do?”
Nothing in front of the driver and the man who’d just recovered from wetting himself and slid into the front passenger seat, but it wasn’t that easy.
Luke kissed her, his hand sliding up her leg. They were going to put on a show, and show as little as possible in the process.
***
Twenty minutes later, they pulled up to a beachfront mansion that Luke would bet was used for entertainment, but wouldn’t be Arel’s actual home. No, Arel would not be stupid enough to live where he entertained. Water worked for him. He liked it, he could live with it, but with Julie by his side, it wasn’t a good escape route.
The door opened and the same man who invited them into the car waved them out. Luke stepped out of the car, ignoring the coldness of the night as he tuned into what was important, even as he offered Julie a hand and helped her to her feet. Discreetly, he took in exit routes, numbers of vehicles, and signs of guards, and location of windows.
Cold wind gusted across the ocean, whipping around Julie’s shoulders and she shivered, even with his coat wrapped around her. He wrapped his arm around her, trying to shield her from the force of the gusts until they stepped inside the foyer of the house. Julie shivered and blew on her hands.
“In there,” the man said, motioning toward two massive double doors.
Shelves of old books lining an entire wall of the room behind a massive oak desk. To the right of the desk a leather couch and two chairs framed a fireplace. In front of the desk were two chairs, and in front of those, three men, all dressed in black cargo pants, and all wearing shoulder holsters with guns.
One of the men, the tallest of the three with a long blond pony tail and a face that looked like it could stop time, moved forward.
“I’m Michael,” he said. “Head of security here. Well be doing a search before you enter the main house,” he said, and snapped at Julie, “Coat.”
Luke helped Julie remove the jacket, keenly aware of the male attention on her. He handed the jacket to Michael, and when Michael’s gaze lingered on Julie’s breasts, Luke said, “You want to keep those eyes?”
Michael’s attention snapped upward, a smile twitching on his lips that told Luke this one wasn’t as easily intimidated as the last.