Theo was actually surprised that Vernier found him first. The old man was fast to take the news of Desiree's presence, he noted. He had seen how he tried to compete with Richard on the day of the auction and he knew from then on that he wanted her as well.

He felt Desiree let go of his arm the moment he answered Vernier's question. He couldn't blame her.

"What do you want?" Vernier asked, finally ripping his eyes off Desiree.

Theo grabbed his drink and gave Desiree hers. She took it with shaking hands. "I'll find a place for us to discuss what I want at a much better time," Theo uttered, his free hand going to Desiree's back. He gently pushed her forward. "For now, I hope you enjoy the party."

He could feel Desiree's anger the moment they were far away enough from Vernier. He grabbed her arm in a tight grip before she could whirl and do something stupid. She was shaking and he would not be surprised if she poured her drink on him.

"Don't," he bit out near her ear, his body suddenly aware of hers pressing against his side. "Or you'll regret it."

"You're a monster," she shakily said under her breath.

"Theo!" a woman's voice called behind them. Desiree did not turn around but Theo did and found Tatiana walking toward him with a seductive smile. She flipped her blonde waves over her slender shoulders as she approached.

"Tatiana," he said with a curt smile.

He did not miss the curious look the lady threw Desiree but she knew better than to ask. "Where have you been? I thought you were going to call?"

By this time, Desiree had calmed down, or dumb, he thought. He saw from the corner of his eye that she took a big gulp from her drink. "I'm sorry," he told Tatiana, turning Desiree around so she was facing the lady as well. "I was rather occupied." His hands traveled down to Desiree's hips and back to her waist. He gently squeezed, pulling her closer to him as he talked. Desiree swallowed and gulped down her drink, emptying her glass.

Another man appeared right beside Tatiana. "Look who's here?" the man asked, his eyes on Theo as he wrapped his arm around Tatiana's waist. Theo saw Tatiana flinch a bit before she recovered and smiled again, saying, "He has been busy, as you can see," to the young man.

Theo saw Geoffrey Yann's eyes hover over Desiree who had been standing like a stone beside Theo. "Is this what I think it is?" asked Yann, looking at Theo and then at his wife with eyes full of wonder.

"Yes, she's the one I talked to you about," Tatiana said, giving Desiree a smile.

Yann gave Theo a look of approval. "Great buy, Theo. Not bad for your first time."

He rested the palm of his hands on Desiree's bare arm, making sure that the man saw it. He gently ran it up and down as he said, "Yes, she's been...good," he answered, his gaze turning toward her.

Yann laughed and changed the subject. "Have you had a talk with the new clients? I just bumped into one of them and they've wanted to see you."

Theo was checking Tatiana's reaction but other than the empty smile she pasted on her lips, he didn't note anything alarming. Not like the last time, he thought. "I'll be in touch with them. There has been some change of plans," he informed Yann, hiding any sign of bitterness for having been given a different task.

"I saw you talking to my father earlier," Tatiana told him.

Theo watched as Yann gripped his wife's waist toward him and said, "Sweetheart, we were talking about business. You can ask your irrelevant questions later."

Theo felt anger surge up inside him but he maintained his composure. In their world, it was better to keep you opinions to yourself if business was at hand.

*****

She nearly made a scene. They were talking about her like she was nothing but a thing you would find in a store.

But as the group talked, she realized that there were more things to be learned, things she could use against them if the time came.

For one, Tatiana was the daughter of Vernier, the man Theo wanted to have a deal with. And she was married to a prick who saw her as how he saw Desiree: an object for him to use. And Tatiana hated him. There was no question in that.

What fascinated her though was the obvious close relationship between Tatiana and Theo. Were they lovers? Had they been cheating behind her husband's back? If so, could Desiree use that against them?

She decided to keep that tiny detail to herself at the meantime and hoped that she could use it in the future when she planned for her escape.

Tatiana gave her an empty smile when Theo brought his lips to her ears and whispered, "It's time to go home." He then turned to the blonde girl with an apologetic smile and said, "I'm afraid we need to go. Desiree had a long day and so did I. If you see Richard, tell him I'll talk to him tomorrow."

She gladly let Theo lead her away from the couple, not bothering to answer their empty goodbyes. Her feet were itching to walk out of that room even if it had to be with Theo. He was willing to throw her as a bribe to a filthy old man, but he was the only one she knew in that place. If she played her cards right, Theo could help her in more ways than one.

*****

"Talk," Marco ordered. They were sitting in the kitchen with the small table between them. His eyes were serious and unwavering.

Khaye gulped. "I don't know what you want to know. Just ask the questions and I'll try to answer."

"First, how did you manage to escape in one piece?"

"When?"

His eyes closed for a moment as he tried to keep his calm. "Yesterday."

"They just let me go."

"Why do I find that unbelievable?"

She shrugged, leaning away from the table. "That's the truth. They just let me go."

"Who took you?"

"I don't know. I never saw their faces."

He looked at her long enough and she sensed that he was far from believing her. Petroff's words continued to hum inside her head. Khaye closed her eyes. She was tired and she hadn't had an ounce of sleep. "It was a woman," she lied with her eyes closed.

"A woman?"

"Yes, it was a woman."

"What about Karlsson or Petroff?"

"Karlsson?" she asked.

"Richard Karlsson."

She shook her head. "I didn't see or heard of them," she lied again.

"What is this woman's name?"

"She would have been stupid if she told me," she answered with as much sarcasm as she could muster.

"What did she tell you? Why did she let you go?"

"She actually didn't tell me anything. She just asked questions."

"About what?"

"What I saw, what I heard that night."

"The night of the murder?"

She nodded her head.

"What did you tell her?"

"The truth, of course. I didn't see anything, just heard stuff. I told her that."

She opened her eyes and found herself staring at Marco's confused face. "I don't get any of it."

"And you think I do? All I know is that I am glad I am alive after being taken away from the very place where I should have been safe!"

Marco ignored her outburst and concentrated on the task at hand. "What does she look like?"

"Who?"

"The woman," he impatiently snapped.

"Red hair. Classy. I can't really remember. It was dark in there."

"What did you tell her? Tell me everything you told her about that night."

"I already told you what I heard that night," she lied.

Marco shook his head. "No, you didn't, Khaye. I know you held a lot of things from us." His eyes held hers intensely and she suddenly grew conscious.

If she told him what she heard that night, Petroff would kill her. He would hunt her down. She had to stick to his orders.

She gulped, squared her shoulders and readied herself to tell another lie.

*****

"Can you let go? No one's looking," Desiree coldly said to Theo the moment they exited the party.

He did and led her to a different hallway without a word. She heard voices from some of the doors they passed while others, she later found out, led to other hallways. For a moment, Desiree wondered how big the underground world of The Liaisons was. Did it span the whole city as well? If it did, she wouldn't be surprised. How they managed to keep it hidden from the public was not a mystery. Anyone who had been around enough of them like she did in that party could easily assume that The Liaisons had powerful people to back them up and help them cover up a lot of things.

Would the same thing happen to Jamaica's murder?

Desiree wasn't sure what the party they just left was all about, but that didn't matter because she knew why Theo took her there and it was not for the same reason as everyone else had in that party. He took her there to flaunt her in front of Vernier.

When they finally managed to step out into the same hall that they entered, Desiree looked at Theo. There was no one around and she asked, "What are you really planning to do to me?"

His gaze was blank, bare of any emotions. "Vernier has some things that I want to get a hold of."

"So you are giving me to him so you can have them?" Her voice shook along with her body. She wanted to get her hands on him.

Theo smiled and shook his head. "I can't just easily give away eighty million, Desiree. I have more plans for you. But don't worry. You won't be anyone's sex slave as long as you follow my plan."

She was suddenly confused but relieved at the same time. "And what is that plan?"

He looked at his watch. "I'll tell you about it in time. But not here. Let's go. The car's waiting outside."

*****

"As I've said, I was listening behind the connecting door, waiting for the fight to happen. I knew Jamaica was playing around and I was eager to hear what would happen that night. I hate her and Desiree. They've been making my life a miserable hell just because they think it was fun to do it on someone who is new in the business."

Marco was patiently listening, his hands clasped together on the table. His gaze was strong that Khaye had trouble finding the right words to say. He was being such a big distraction, she thought.

"They fought, but only for a while," she uttered.

"Who fought specifically?"

"The Richard guy and Petroff. Richard was the aggressive one that night, I think. But Jamaica was able to put it off."

"They stopped fighting?" Marco asked with a frown.

Khaye thought about what she said and nodded. "Yes, they did. Jamaica said the two men knew from the start that she was free to do whatever she wanted with anyone and that included the two of them. It must have hurt their ego, but...well, anyway, they stopped."

"Then what happened?"

Khaye let a long silence linger between them. This was the most crucial part of her lie. For a second she considered blurting the truth out but then, Marco could be working for Petroff. He would immediately know she didn't follow Petroff's orders.

She forced herself to look into Marco's eyes, praying that he wouldn't catch on her lie. "They left."

"They left?"

"Yes. Richard came out first followed by Petroff."

"I don't get any of it," Marco said with disbelief.

"And while Jamaica was still inside the room, someone else walked in."

Marco's eyes returned to hers with interest. "Who?"

She hesitated. If she was going to say what she was planning to say, she could ruin someone else's life. She let the tears run down her face as she said, "It was Desiree. Desiree walked in and she killed Jamaica."

*****

"Ms. Kane told me that you are commonly known as The Liaisons," Desiree quietly said inside the car.

Theo was resting his head on the backseat, feeling tired. Why is she suddenly curious?

"We don't have a name," he informed.

"She also said that. And she told me you guys work for a lot of people and that's what you do. You make things happen."

"We don't work FOR them. We work WITH them. Why are you suddenly curious?"

"I just want to know how disgusting your world can get."

Theo let out a small chuckle. "You don't know the half of it."

"What was Jamaica's role?" she asked after a long silence.

Theo wasn't sure if he should answer but he did anyway. "She's one of the many Walkers. They are the ones responsible for getting stuff in and out of countries, cities or any other places."

"Like drugs?"

He scoffed. "No, not drugs. We don't handle drugs that way. They carry a lot of things, but for Jamaica, she mostly carried electronics and artifacts. She once wore the world's most expensive watch."

Deisree's eyes widened in shock. "Was that the watch that—"

"Got stolen?" Theo finished. "She took pride in wearing that for a couple of hours until it was given to its rightful owner."

He did not say another word and let her digest his words.

His hands were resting on the seat, right beside her leg and he saw her shiver when his finger touched skin. He moved up in a very light caress. Theo watched from the corner of one eye how Desiree held her breath. She cleared her throat and lifted her leg to cross over the other, moving away from his hand. Her head turned to look out the window, her arms crossed over her chest. The intense tension that had developed between them throughout the night did not waver during their long drive home and Theo had to admit that it had been itching on his nerve. His hand felt heavy when he decided to put a hold on it, to make sure it did not wander to the wrong places.

*****

Her mind was saying she was tired but her body was screaming otherwise. While Theo was unlocking the door, she looked over her shoulder and watched the car and its driver speed away. The cold wind brushed across her face, awakening her senses even more.

She couldn't properly process any thoughts since that morning. Everything that happened throughout the day seemed like a dream and she had been walking through it all.

Having been surrounded by the world's most notorious people, she thought she should be shaking with fright but she wasn't. She was somehow distracted and she knew by what. She just didn't want to admit it because it was unthinkable.

Her eyes went to Theo's hands. She saw his muscles as he moved them to open the door. Struggling to even her breathing, she followed him inside.

He waited until she entered and he closed the door. She made it to the middle of the living room when he snatched her hand and pulled her back. Her body crushed against his and she looked up to him in alarm, her eyes wide.

"I've been in hell since this morning," he hissed above her, his breath brushing her face.

Her words were trapped in her throat as he claimed her mouth. She tried to get away by turning her head to the side but his hand came to the back of her head to force her to stay still. She moaned her protests but his mouth wouldn't rest above her. He coaxed her to open in an urgent kiss.

Desiree felt her body starting to betray her once again. The hands on his chest began to relax as she stopped fighting. When he felt her resistance began to dissolve, the arm around her waist drew her closer against him.

She opened her mouth and his tongue dove inside, tasting her. Before she knew it, she was answering his kiss in the same hungry fashion. Her hands grasped his shirt above his shoulder as she arched against him in her own accord.

His hand let go of her head and came to fondle her breast. The feel of the fabric kneading against her skin was sending a wave of electric current throughout her body and she ached for more. Desiree thought for a second that they were transported back to that night in the hotel, when everything seemed normal, when she thought that Jamaica was still alive. Maybe she could pretend that she was living that night just this once.

She let him slide the dress off one shoulder, halfway through one arm, and marveled at the feel of his hand on one exposed breast. He kneaded and caressed her until she writhed with great need for more. Her mouth traveled to his throat and she sucked on his skin. His groan vibrated against her lips. She arched her neck as his lips took turn to the sensitive part behind her ear.

Her gasp of surprise when he harshly pushed her away from him was audible to both of them. They were both panting, staring straight at each other's eyes. She watched as he struggled for control. His jaws clenched and his eyes blazing with anger. What the hell is he angry about now? She wondered.

"I'm not going to let you have control over me just because I want to take you right now," he said to her, his voice ice cold.

Desiree's mouth fell open in disbelief.

"I'm going to use you as I had planned and no one's stopping me from doing that. You don't have to put up an act and pretend like you want to fuck me too."

"What?!" she asked, still breathless from their encounter. She couldn't help but be outraged.

Theo stared down at her, now in full control of his own body. "Cover yourself up. This won't happen again unless, of course, you beg for it." He brushed past her and stopped midway to the hallway. "Get dressed and get some sleep this time. We are going out of the country in two days."

He left her in the middle of the living room feeling nothing but confusion and a great sense of alarm.

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