Bind (Manhattan Lux Book 1): Manhattan Lux Read online

  “Hey is this the same kind of rope that you used last time?” he asked. “I didn’t get a good look, what with the pepper-spray and the mild concussion.” He flexed his biceps against the tension and strained forward a bit, testing the strength. “It feels the same. Slinky stuff. Sexy.”

  “Mmmm,” Jinx said, eyeing him with a frown. He’d bet it was all the wiggling he was doing. Either it made her deeply suspicious that he was trying to escape, or the gun show he was putting on was starting to get her hot and bothered. Probably the first. But fingers crossed it was the latter.

  “It’s like a calling card or something then? A trademark?”

  “You could say that.”

  “Maybe a fetish even?” Wyatt grinned but stopped short of eyebrow waggling, that seemed to set her off to nuclear. “Yeah? You get off on tying men up?”

  “Wow, you’ve got me.” Her voice was low, almost monotone, but dripping with irritation. “Truly your powers of observation are formidable. The woman who just trussed you up like a Christmas turkey has an affinity for bondage. That is shocking information. Quick, call the tabloids.”

  “Damn.” Wyatt arched a brow and held her gaze, then squinted in challenge. “That was mean.”

  “And?” Jinx glared back at him and tilted her chin. Challenge accepted.

  There was something going on here. Something crackling in the air between them like she’d left that Taser on, set to eleven. Whatever this was, it was interesting, and potentially useful. And just…fun.

  “Is sarcasm a fetish of yours too?”

  “Absolutely,” said Jinx. Rising from the desk, she crossed to him and drew the edge of the Taser up the center of his chest. Slowly, navel to neck, over his blue button-down shirt she trailed it; up, until the cold plastic caressed his cheek. “There’s nothing I enjoy more than a man with a smart mouth.”

  “Well honey, then I’m the man for—”

  “Shhhh.” Jinx grabbed his face and squished his mouth shut so hard he was making fish lips. Kicking his feet together, she stood over him, straddled his lap, and hovered her lips at his ear.

  “You think this is a joke cowboy? You think you can flirt with me and I’ll go all gooey and let my guard down? Well that’s not going to happen. Now, I have no idea who you work for or why you came back, but I do know this: you’re the asshole who broke in here and stole from my employer. You made me look very bad. There is no way I’m letting you out of my sight, and there is no talking your way to safety. So I suggest you sit tight and show a little respect, or I’ll smack the sass right out of that smart mouth.”

  Wyatt tried to speak, tried to throw that tough act right back at her, but it wasn’t working. His scrunched up lips made him sound like a duck gargling. Damn, so much for winning her over with seduction.

  Jinx straightened and examined him, the expression on her face something between distaste and amusement.

  “Ur tho thesxy when ur pithed off,” he said, little droplets of spit misting into the air as he spoke.

  Jinx’s lips twitched. That’s how he knew he was making progress. She was mad, for sure, but she kind of liked him too—she couldn’t help it. And that pissed her off more than anything else.

  “When did choo know it was me?” he asked, his speech a little clearer now that she’d loosened her grip.

  Letting go of his face, she gave his cheek a slap and stepped away, back to the edge of the desk.

  “I knew it was you within the first twenty seconds of that farce of an interview.”

  “Really?” He was more dubious than impressed. Last time she’d seen him, he’d worn a mask. Twenty seconds his ass.

  “Yes, really,” she said. “Same build, same bearing, same blue eyes. I got a better look at you than you realize. It was stupid of you to come back here.”

  “I guess so.”

  “Why did you?”

  “I have a job to do,” Wyatt said. “And I won’t rest until it’s finished.” Their eyes met, and some small truce seemed to be negotiated. A respite based on a common ethic. Even if she still thought they were on opposite sides.

  “So it was mostly the baby blues I bet?” Wyatt winked, and Jinxed grimaced at him in response.

  “No cowboy,” she said. “Don’t flatter yourself. It was mostly the manspreading.”

  “Oh for the love of God I swear I’m not manspread—”

  “Yes you are.” A voice spoke from the doorway.

  Wyatt turned his head and groaned.

  “Do you have that thing set to scramble?” he asked, turning back to Jinx and glancing at the Taser she still held in her hand. “Because I’m seeing double.”

  The woman that stood in the doorway was a perfect copy of the woman at the desk. Face, build, and eyes were all the same. The only physical difference was the way they were dressed, and the hairstyle, and the fact that Jinx wore an expression of surprise and the woman in the doorway was staring hard at Wyatt with with a look that said “What the fuck have you gotten yourself into?”

  “You’re such a dork,” Aiko said, ignoring Jinx and directing her comments to Wyatt. “I bet you fucked this up on purpose.”

  He had, of course. But that’s when he thought Jack would just show up and explain everything, and he’d be on his way.

  Wyatt already knew Aiko. He’d been working with her for a while now, at Jack’s request. She was a kind of computer expert, a hacker that Jack had tightening up security and investigating the breach.

  It was weird, but the more time he’d spent with Aiko, the less he thought she and Jinx looked alike. They were supposed to be identical, but their vibe was totally different, and in the time he’d been working with Aiko, he’d already come to think of her as a little sister.

  But Jinx was her actual sister. And Jinx was pissed at him. And Jinx doesn’t know that I know her sister and her sister knows me and that I already know Jack too and that all of us know something that Jinx doesn’t and that if she did know that we knew…know…that…wait… what? Fuck.

  Where was Jack? Dammit. Wyatt opened his mouth, ready to fess up and hope for the best, but Jinx turned her back on him and addressed her sister.

  “What are you doing here?” Jinx asked.

  “Yeaaaahhh….about that,” Aiko said, crossing the room and dropping a large patchwork shoulder bag onto Jinx’s desk. “You’ve got to promise not to be mad.”

  “I will not.”

  “Fine then.” Aiko plopped into Jinx’s chair and propped her feet up on the desk. “I’m not telling you.”

  “Aiko, I sincerely do not have time for your shit right now.”

  “How about mine?” said a voice with a posh British accent.

  Wyatt whipped his head around and exhaled a sigh of relief. A tall, distinguished man with dark hair that was greying softly at the temples, polished a pair of glasses with a handkerchief, and then set them back on his nose. It was Malcolm, Jack’s assistant or butler or boy-Friday or whatever. What exactly Malcolm was didn’t matter. All that mattered was that if Malcolm was here, that meant Jack was close behind. Thank God.

  “Do you have time for my shit?” Malcolm asked Jinx, his tone lilting with amusement.

  “Malcolm. I always have time for you.” Jinx set the Taser down (finally) and embraced Malcolm warmly. Air kisses on both cheeks, Wyatt noted. She liked him. He kind of felt like pouting.

  “Well.” Jack Calvert strode into the room, and crossed his arms over his chest. Italian shoes, one hundred thousand dollar watch adorning the wrist of one manicured hand; Jack Calvert was a mogul who came from old New York money. He always dressed the part.

  “What a clusterfuck,” he said. “A simple interview, that’s all that was required. How you managed to turn this into a hostage situation is beyond me.”

  Wyatt and Jinx responded to Jack’s reprimand at the same time.

  “I’m sorry Jack.”

  “Sorry Boss.”

  Whoops.

  Jinx turned her head slowly and stared at Wyatt,
her pretty painted mouth opening and closing in astonishment.

  “What did you just say?” Jinx demanded, a sense of dread creeping up the base of her spine. “Why did you just call him boss? You can’t possibly imagine you’ll get the job now?”

  “Okay,” Wyatt replied. A shade of sarcasm in his tone told her she was missing something. She had the awful suspicion that she was going to feel incredibly foolish in just a few minutes. And that thought had her digging in. Doubling down.

  “No, no, no,” she said, crossing to stand in front of him, pointing her finger at that smug grin. “Don’t okay me. You’re not getting a job asshole. You’re the guy that broke in here. You’ve been caught. I caught you, and you’re the hostage here. That’s what he meant.” Jinx stabbed her finger in Jack’s direction.

  “Whatever you say.” Wyatt nodded.

  “I do say. Because you’re the one who’s tied up.”

  “True.” Wyatt nodded again.

  She wished he’d stop doing that. The nodding. The smiling. She backed up to the edge of the desk and threw her sister a look. One that said, “A little help here? What the fuck is going on?”

  “I’m just gonna swipe right till she gets it you guys,” said Aiko, staring at her phone. “Holler when you need me.”

  “Jack?” Jinx said. “Explain, or I’m out. If this is some kind of joke at my expense I’m going to be seriously pissed.”

  “No, no. Nothing like that.” Jack popped off the doorway and sidled up next to her. “Wyatt? You’ve made your point. You were right. We’ll include Jinx. Now, can we move on? I have a lunch appointment.”

  “Awesome.” Wyatt grinned and leaned back in the chair. Muscles strained for one brief moment against the ropes. He bit his lip, did a little wiggle and twist, and before Jinx could stifle a gasp, Wyatt was up, jumping free, and throwing a tangle of black ropes to the floor in triumph.

  “He did it again!” Jinx said, mouth gaping. “I cannot believe you did it again.”

  “I did. I totally did.” Wyatt bobbed his head solemnly.

  “How?” Jinx picked up the end of a rope and examined it. “Cut! You cut it! Same as last time! Goddamnit…c’mere.” She rounded on him, grabbed him by the waist and kicked his feet apart, stooping to pat down each leg.

  “Hello!” Aiko said, putting her phone away and sitting at attention. “This just got interesting. You two need us to give you a little privacy or what?”

  “Shut up.” Jinx threw a deadly glare at her sister. “I’m pissed at you.”

  “Easy.” Wyatt sucked air in through his teeth as Jinx probed angrily around one knee. “Got a bum knee. It’s a little tender.”

  “Whatever.” Jinx continued her search. “Like I’ll believe anything out of your mouth.

  “I understand,” he said, “But I’m not lying about the knee. So please, ease up.”

  Wyatt’s black jeans fit snugly, she noted, as she smoothed her hands up over his thighs. Firm, muscled flesh twitched softly under her palms as she searched. Warm, hard…

  “Hey now,” he said, capturing her fingers as they glided over his chest. “I’m ticklish, and I promise I’m not carrying.”

  “No, you’re not,” she agreed. His shirt fit snugly too, nicely tailored and crisp under her hands. Nowhere to hide a blade in there, just muscle. Muscle draped in clean blue cotton. Blue like those eyes… She looked up, and he pinned her with his gaze. His smile was open, casual. But those eyes—there was a heat there, an urgency. He looked…hungry.

  Jinx twisted her fingers from his grasp, glanced down, and took a step back, hoping the heat in her cheeks wasn’t visible to anyone.

  Jesus, wtf was that? Really?

  Aiko was staring at her. Damn. Nothing gets by a sister. Twin sisters? Even worse.

  Aiko had seen her blush when she was patting Wyatt down and probably figured Jinx had the hots for him. That meant that in about one point two seconds Aiko was going to get positively impossible.

  “So Wyatt?” Aiko asked, throwing a mischievous grin at her sister. “That’s a nice shirt. What kind of material is that?”

  “Huh? Oh, I dunno,” Wyatt said. Stepping back, he ran a hand down the front of his shirt, considering it. “Just cotton I think. Or a blend or something.”

  “Interesting,” Aiko said, coming around to sit on the edge of the desk. “Are you sure? Cuz…I dunno—”

  “Aiko.” Jinx sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “You are so immature.”

  “From here it kind of…” Aiko tilted her head as if she were seriously assessing a new and exotic fabric. “Well it looks like…boyfriend material.”

  “Jesus Christ. Five minutes younger, and it may as well be a decade.” Jinx took a deep breath and leveled her gaze on Wyatt. “So how did you cut out of my ropes when you don’t have a knife on you? That’s impossible.”

  “Ah,” Wyatt said, holding up a finger. “I’d love to tell you but then I’d have to—”

  “Wyatt,” Jack said, cutting him off. “I’m begging you.”

  “Right. Sorry. Your lunch appointment. Okay so, here’s the thing—”

  “If I might interrupt?” Malcolm said, and Jinx realized she’d forgotten he was there. She’d forgotten Jack was there for that matter. The last few moments her worldview had been narrowed down to only two important points: she was irritated with her sister and even more irritated with this man. Wyatt Smith. The impossible cowboy with the too-tight shirt and the too-blue eyes and the ability to cut ropes with the power of his mind. Apparently.

  “Your lunch appointment has cancelled for today Sir,” Malcolm continued. “Since you’re suddenly free might I suggest I secure a private room for the five of us at Thai Sun?”

  “I love that idea Malcolm,” said Wyatt before Jack could reply. “Some spicy Pad Thai would hit the spot. Bondage always works up my appetite.”

  “Oh for crissakes…fine.” Jack turned to the door and waved after them. “C’mon then, the lot of you. “My blood sugar is very low right now,” he said with a labored sigh. “So I either need to eat something or fire you all. Jinx, if you want an explanation you’ll have to wait until I’ve gotten some curry in me.”

  “So it’s true then?” Jinx said. Confusion had given way to hurt and a growing sense of betrayal. “Mr. Smith already works for you?”

  “Calvert,” Wyatt said, stepping toward her and offering the same hand he’d tried to earlier.

  Jinx stared at him, arms lifeless at her side.

  “Not Smith.” Wyatt reached down, slid his hand gently into hers and shook lightly. “Calvert. Wyatt Calvert. Jack and I are cousins.”

  Chapter Three

  Jinx poked at her basil chicken and rice and stole another glance at the tall, blond, muscular guy across the table. Oblivious to her scrutiny, Wyatt cheerfully wound a healthy tangle of noodles around his fork and stuffed the mess into his mouth. Catching Jinx’s eye mid-chomp, he grinned.

  “So.” Wyatt chewed, slurped, swallowed. “We’re gonna be friends. That’s awesome.”

  “How do you figure cowboy?” Jinx sneered. “I heard Jack say we’ll be working together, I didn’t hear him say anything about friends.”

  “Aw c’mon.”

  “Nuh-uh. Don’t c’mon me. Two months ago you broke into my nightclub,” Jinx said, her eyes flitting to Jack on the use of “my”.

  “I didn’t break in,” Wyatt said. “I walked in and turned off the alarm. I was able to do that because I had a keycard and the alarm codes. Jack gave them to me. I was there at his request.”

  “Well I didn’t know that. You were dressed like a burglar for chrissakes, and you sure acted like one when I caught you.”

  “I was dressed for discretion,” Wyatt said. “And I wasn’t expecting to be caught. It was off hours for the club, and you were supposed to be on vacation.”

  “She doesn’t take vacations,” Aiko interrupted. “Ever. You know what she did those whole two weeks? Watched Netflix, played video games, and snuck int
o the office to do ‘paperwork’ whenever she thought no one was there.”

  “How do you know that?” Jinx said, looking at her sister.

  Aiko frowned and raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? We live together.”

  “Yeah but I thought I was careful.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know at first,” said Aiko. “You were very sneaky. But I was watching the feed from the security cameras when Wyatt broke in, just in case. Good thing I was, so I could warn him.”

  “She was worried I would hurt you,” said Wyatt. “That I would hear you moving around and think you were a bad guy and well, we know how that turned out.”

  “Yeah!” Aiko said. “If I hadn’t warned you, she might’ve done some serious damage.”

  “Remind me to give you a raise,” said Jack, smiling at Jinx. “And to witness you getting on the plane next time. You really do need to take your vacations.”

  “You didn’t give her a raise after she foiled a burglar?” Wyatt said, gaping at Jack. “After she put her life on the line for your money man?”

  “No,” said Jinx her gaze flitting from Wyatt to Jack with interest. “He didn’t, actually. Probably because he knew I wasn’t in any real danger.”

  “That’s right.” Jack nodded and reached for his water.

  “Jesus Jack! I didn’t know that! I thought you were being robbed. I thought the only thing between that, that…” she pointed at Wyatt, “villain, and the welfare of the club was me. I put myself on the line for you.”

  “She did,” Wyatt agreed.

  “I pepper sprayed him.”

  “And Tasered me.”

  “And Tasered him.”

  “And hit me.”

  “And hit him,” Jinx said, stealing a glance at Wyatt while Jack sipped, staring back at the pair of them impassively.

  “And tied me up.”

  “And tied him up.”

  “And she liked it.”

  “And I—” Jinx stopped short, turned to Wyatt, and glared. “I liked it? From the size of the tent you pitched in your jeans I’d say it wasn’t me that liked it—”