Kirilenko was going to be a formidable opponent, but I wasn’t one to lose anything. Naomi had just slipped through my grasp, that was all. I hadn’t lost her, and this asshole was nothing but a fill-in for me until I could get back to her side. He couldn’t please her like I could.
He couldn’t make her happy. Not like me.
I clenched the hand that had been resting on my thigh into a fist, picturing it flying into Kirilenko’s smug face and having Naomi thank me for rescuing her from that monster. She wouldn’t be happy with him. How could she?
I flipped through the photos once more, my own smug smile crossing my face. He would never see it coming, never suspect that I was going to snatch her from under his nose.
I just needed a chance to do so.
A knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts and I saved the photos before closing the laptop, pushing out of the chair and walking to the door. When I opened it, I couldn’t help but feel the stirring of my cock at the sight.
“Derek?” the call girl asked, her eyes taking me in.
I nodded at the fake name I used whenever I asked for services like these. Standard operational security procedure. Between near-constant background checks for my job and tracking Naomi on the side, it would be monumentally stupid for me to use my real name.
And besides, I wasn’t looking for a replacement for the one woman I truly loved. So it didn’t matter if I used a fake name.
I needed release every once in a while, and paying for sex was the best option I had.
“I’m Felicia,” she replied, her red lips far too bright for the likes of me. Still, her pimp had followed my directions well to get one close to what I liked. From her hair to the curves on her body, Felicia looked a hell of a lot like Naomi, and I felt my cock start to stir at the thought of fucking her.
Just what I wanted.
“Come in,” I told her, opening the door wider so she could step past. Hey, every man had a fucking type. Mine just happened to be my ex.
I shut the door and threw the locks, turning to find Felicia surveying the one-room studio with a frown on her face, as if it wasn’t good enough for her.
That bitch.
I was certain that it wasn’t the first shithole she had been in, and it definitely wasn’t going to be the last.
“I have rules,” I started, getting her attention.
She dropped her purse on the bed, crossing her arms under her crop top and pushing her ample breasts in my direction until they nearly spilled over her arms. “All right. Five hundred for an hour. Anything over is a rate of one hundred per.”
I smirked at her directness. In another setting, I might have actually enjoyed her conversation and company. But time was short. I had other things I needed to do, and this was just one distraction that was going to serve me well.
“You are one expensive bitch, aren’t you?”
Shrugging, she pulled back her hand to examine her nails, as if I was boring her. Well, she wouldn’t be fucking boring for long.
“I’m worth it,” she finally said confidently.
You dumb bitch. That confidence was going to be her downfall today.
I pulled out my wallet and grabbed a few hundred-dollar bills, throwing them at her. “Here. That should cover it.”
Felicia grabbed them up before they hit the floor, tucking them into her purse on the bed, and her entire demeanor changed. She put on a wide smile and clapped her hands together, clearly happy for the hour that I had just paid her, at least.
“Well, baby. I’m all yours.”
“I have rules,” I repeated, licking my lips in anticipation. Now that I had her full attention, she was about to find out what it was like to be with me. “From now on, your name is Naomi. You will tell me how much you missed me.” It was my fantasy, and I had paid for it. She was going to give me what I wanted most.
Felicia didn’t even bat an eye. “Of course, Derek.” She took a step toward me, reaching for the buttons on my shirt. “I missed you so much, baby,” she said in a sultry tone, flicking open the first button.
“NO!” I grabbed her hands, shoving her roughly toward the bed. “Wrong! You have to act scared! You aren’t happy to see me!”
That was my fantasy, the way that I remembered Naomi best. Those big eyes looking back at me with fear.
Confusion flickered over her features, but she lowered herself onto the bed, shrinking away from me. “I…I missed you.”
“WRONG!” I bellowed. “You look nothing like her!” There was still that defiance in her eyes, the one that told me she wasn’t taking this seriously. I felt the ugly rise of anger inside me, the very one that Naomi had liked to test a time or two before I put her back in her place.
Felicia’s gaze narrowed and she pushed off the bed, her face red with anger as she scrambled for her purse. “I didn’t sign up for this shit! You can have your money back, asshole!”
Her anger only riled mine. I pulled out the gun from the waistband of my pants and pointed it at her head.
“We had a deal,” I snarled, seeing the prick of fear in her eyes as she watched the gun pointed at her head. “And you’re gonna honor that deal.”
“Jorge is gonna hear about this,” she said bravely, even though her voice trembled with fear. Just a hint, but it was enough to stir something in me. “And when he does, you’re gonna be so fucked, you asshole!”
I leaned close, a smirk on my face. If she thought I was fucking scared, she had another thing coming.
“You tell Jorge, and I’ll make a few calls. I’m sure the LAPD would love to get his ass. And as an extra favor to you, I’ll even toss in your name as the snitch. Do you think Jorge would take kindly to that? Felicia?”
She swallowed hard, but I could tell her facade was cracking. I had her right where I wanted her. She would be a floater in the Pacific in a matter of days if I went through with my threats.
“You wouldn’t,” she choked out. That fucking defiance! I wanted her submissive.
I wanted her to be Naomi, and she wasn’t playing along.
I pulled the gun away from her temple and smacked it across her face, sending her flying onto the bed. I was done talking, done playing around. I had better things to do than waste my time with her.
When she looked up at me with the blood blooming on her lip, I saw the glimmer of fear grow. That glimmer surged toward my cock, straining to be released from the confines of my jeans. I held off, knowing the moment I pulled it out, there would be no going back.