“Then sit your ass down, shut up, and get a grip,” he threatened. “Or I’ll give you another demonstration of my knot tying abilities. As I remember, you had a very difficult time extracting yourself.”

She’d woken from a sound sleep towards dawn, still drowsy but overwhelmingly aware of the very pleasurable sensations rippling through her body. A groan had escaped her lips at the feel of Ben’s teeth tugging at one nipple, while his fingers plucked at the other over and over. Her hips had begun to lift off the bed, and she’d instinctively started to pull his head even closer to her breasts. Only to have been stopped short by the realization that her hands had been securely bound to the intricate scrollwork of her antique wrought iron headboard.

“Hey!” she’d protested, tugging hard on the silken cords that he’d used to bind her. “This is not the least bit funny, Ben Rafferty!”

He’d laughed softly as his lips had moved to her throat, his hand sliding down past her belly to the soft nest of her pubic hair. “It’s a little bit funny,” he’d murmured. “But mostly, it’s really, really hot to have you bound and at my mercy.”

Lauren had snorted in derision. “First of all, I’m guessing I can get myself out of these flimsy little cords in two minutes or less. Second, you might have my hands momentarily incapacitated but I still have my legs – what?”

There was no footboard attached to the bed, so he’d cleverly looped another cord around her ankles before tying it to the metal bedframe. She’d thrashed around wildly, her hips bucking off the mattress is a futile attempt to free herself.

“Okay, really not funny,” she’d fumed. “You may get your kicks out of this sort of thing, but I’m not the least bit interested - ”

“Shh.” He had placed two fingers over her lips before giving her a long, deep kiss, his tongue sweeping through her mouth over and over until she was groaning.

Ben’s lips had trailed an erotic path down her throat, between her breasts, and all the way down to her quivering belly. She’d gasped as his fingers slipped inside her tight, wet sex, his thumb circling her clit repeatedly.

“Easy, sweetheart,” he’d soothed as her head had thrashed back and forth against her pillow. “Let me take care of you now, hmm? This is why I tied you up, so that I could focus solely on you for a little while without you distracting me.”

“Ohh.” Her eyes had fluttered shut, her breath had turned shallow as he’d pumped his fingers in and out of her with long, shallow strokes. “God, Ben, that’s so good, so – ahh!”

She’d come then, the suddenness of the orgasm taking her by surprise. But Ben hadn’t released her afterwards, had kept at her for nearly an hour, feasting on her breasts and pussy, touching and kissing every inch of her body, until she had been a trembling mass of sensation. She’d lost count of how many times he’d made her come, until it felt like she was having one long, continuous orgasm.

And when she had finally managed to work her hands free, she’d been too limp and exhausted to do much more than caress his stubbled cheek. He had gently untied her, intent on letting her go back to sleep, but she had pulled him to her then, urging him to slide inside of her.

That had been the morning when she’d very nearly whispered “I love you” to him. The words had been on the tip of her tongue, but she’d fallen asleep almost immediately after they had climaxed together.

She stuck her tongue out at him now. “Hardly. I was just humoring you that morning. I could have slipped out of those cords anytime I wanted to.”

Ben smiled knowingly. “If you say so. But if you don’t sit tight and calm down a bit, we’re going to put that theory to the test. Now, tell me. Why in hell did you agree to go on a blind date in the first place? I imagine a woman like you would be fighting men off with a ten foot pole.”

Lauren snickered. “Well, duh. That goes without saying. As to why I finally gave in to George – who knows? Mostly just to shut him the hell up, but I guess I was a little bored, too. Figured what the heck, how bad could it be. Guess I figured wrong – way wrong.”

Ben propped a hip against his desk, an unwilling smile crossing his face. “You scared the shit out of George just now. I thought for sure he was going to either stroke out or puke. But you’ve got to take it down a few notches in the future with him, okay? Like it or not, you’re stuck with him and the two of you need to figure out how to get along.”

She blew out a frustrated breath. “Fine. Even though he’s a pompous ass and doesn’t have a clue about what he’s doing. But I’ll play nice if he does. However, what I won’t do – ever – is apologize to that little shit.”

“I’m not asking you to apologize,” he replied. “Just stop terrorizing him. Or insulting him. Or threatening him with bodily harm.”

“Well, hell,” she huffed. “You’re just being a real killjoy today, aren’t you?”

Ben laughed. “Come on, let’s see if we can actually get some work done this morning and re-start this meeting. Hopefully Karl and Chris have been able to help George stop shaking.”

“I doubt it,” she muttered as they walked to the door. “He’s always twitching or stuttering or something. Sometimes I’m half convinced he has Tourette’s.”

Ben shook his head. “One of these days you’ll find something to appreciate about poor George. Until then just try to get along, okay? And don’t let him talk you into anymore blind dates.”

“Not just him,” she answered darkly. “No more blind dates ever.”

“Good. And Lauren - ”

She quirked a brow at him. “What?”

Ben’s voice gentled. “I don’t blame you for making that asshole’s nose bleed. He deserved it and a whole lot more. And you deserve someone a whole lot better than that dick.”

This time she was the one left staring after him as he walked off down the hallway, telling herself she’d just imagined the tender look on his face.

***

Early September

Lauren stared in disbelief. “You’re doing what? Is this some sort of joke? Did Chris put you up to this as a way of getting back at me for punking him last month?”

Ben shook his head. “No joke, I assure you. In fact, I’ve rarely been more serious in my life. I’m pulling you off this assignment, Lauren, and sending Ivan in your place. In turn, you’ll go out with his crew to Utah.”

“Utah? Oh, yeah, because that’s the same as Brazil, huh? Every bit as fun and exciting,” retorted Lauren with heavy sarcasm.

Ben sighed in frustration. “That’s got nothing to do with it, as you well know. I’ve already explained why you can’t go to Brazil right now. It’s just not safe under the circumstances.”

She thumped an angry fist on his desk. “And I’ve told you that’s all a bunch of BS. I can take very good care of myself, and I’ve got three guys with me for backup – well, really two because George can’t even look out for himself much less - ”

“Lauren. Stop.” He held up a hand, halting her tirade. “You’ve read the stories just like I have. There have been half a dozen young women kidnapped from the surrounding area in the past month. None of them have been found yet, and the theory is that they’ve all been sold into prostitution. Or murdered. And there is absolutely no way I’m intentionally putting you in harm’s way until the gang who’s been doing this is apprehended.”

“Why don’t we just postpone the whole trip until the situation’s been resolved?” she suggested.

“That was my first suggestion, actually. But apparently the flights have already been booked, and can’t be changed at this point. Plus, with the next Olympics being held in Rio it’s important to get the story published before any of our competitors get a jump on us.”

“So no one’s concerned about the rest of the crew? I mean, if this is such a big deal, isn’t it risky to send anyone?” she pointed out.