Scorching Desire by Mari Carr Page B

She stripped her shirt off, leaving her naked save the tiny leather bra and shorts. Staying up on her knees, she tucked her wrists behind her neck. This position raised her breasts and stretched out the line of her body.
    She felt Marco and Damon’s tension notch up, and then fingers touched her back, a gentle caress that was almost like reassurance.
    Five minutes later, a man in black pants and a white polo that was out of sync with the rest of the attire in the club approached them.
    “I heard you were looking for me?” the man said.
    Tasha raised her head but kept her gaze lowered, staring at his slightly pudgy belly.
    “Sir, if you’ll allow me, my Master chooses not to speak.”
    Tasha felt Demario’s gaze run over her. “Fine, girl. What does your Master have to say?”
    “We’ve only recently moved here, and at the recommendation of Misters Nero and Sammy we’ve come to visit you.” She spoke slowly and with the overly exaggerated sentence structure that leant an air of rehearsed formality to the words.
    “All three of you?”
    “No, Sir. My master wears the key to my collar. The other is a new acquaintance who hopes to see you grant my Master’s request.”
    “And what is that request?”
    “My Master would like to see me submitting here.”
    “I see. And you worked for Nero?”
    “No, Sir, but I was given the opportunity to fulfill my Master’s desires in their club.”
    She heard Demario sigh. “Hang on.” He walked away.
    Damon leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “What are you doing?”
    “He’ll try to verify our story by bringing Jennie out. Right now he doesn’t know if we’re important or not. He can’t risk offending you until he knows.”
    “Jennie won’t recognize you, but she might recognize me or Marco,” he whispered urgently. “Then we’re fucked.”
    “First, you need to see if you remember her from that night. Second, you’re wearing a mask. If she figures out who you are that might push her into doing something. If she doesn’t realize who you are then we have the opportunity to get information from her.”
    Demario returned. This time Tasha looked up. Demario was younger than Nero or Sammy, and if Tasha had to guess she’d say he didn’t find any of this appealing. He looked about as engaged as a warehouse manager.
    “Jennie, do you know these two?” he pointed at Tasha and Damon. The woman with him was the tattooed and pierced girl who’d been on the St. Andrew ’s cross when they walked in.
    There was no way this woman would have blended into a crowd at Marco’s party. They would have remembered her and been able to describe her.
    “Who?” Jennie’s face was strangely blank. Tasha examined the other woman, who was naked except for panties and some electrical tape. There was a tattoo of a tree on the inside of her left arm. With a snap, Tasha put it together—this may be the right girl after all.
    “Jennie?” she said, smiling a little. “Is that you? You shaved your head. Your hair was so pretty.”
    Jennie ran her hands over her scalp. “Yeah, yeah I did. He wanted it that way.”
    Tasha nodded slowly. “I’m sorry for implying you should not have done that. A Master’s wishes are the most important thing.”
    Jennie nodded slowly. “Gotta do what they want so they’ll give you what you need.” She blinked and looked up at one of the lights. “Can’t be gold anymore.”
    Demario looked disgusted. “Jesus, Jennie. You sound fucking dumb. If that guy didn’t drop five large at a time to see you, your ass would be out on the street.” His words were low enough that Tasha couldn’t hear him, but she could read his lips. She filed everything he said away, seeing the pieces of the puzzle coming together in her mind.
    Loud enough to be heard, he said, “Jennie, do you know these two from Vegas?”
    “Mr. Nero and Mr. Sammy asked that I say hello when I saw you,” Tasha said, making sure it would be hard for Jennie to say no. People hated