Lise Fuller | Author

© 2008 by Lise Fuller. All Rights Reserved. Site layout by Wikkibird Web Design.
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Last Updated: October 24, 2008

ISBN #1-4199-0787-5
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“Brodie, ease back, boy. She’s on a job.” Jake grabbed his arm.

If anything, Jake’s words only inflamed him. This couldn’t happen. Not to his beautiful Elena. Brodie broke away.

Whether he ran or walked, he wasn’t sure. Brodie only knew when he reached the bastard he jerked him up and off Elena. Slamming his fist in the cowboy’s face, Brodie put the man flat on his back, sliding toward the broken bottles near the rest of the trash.

“Brodie!” Elena protested and grabbed for him. He blocked her arms and tossed her over his shoulder, turning to walk off—until he caught a glimpse of a two-by-four arcing toward him from somewhere behind. Brodie ducked just in time to avoid the strike and kicked his attacker in the gut. In seconds, Jake stood by him, unarming then grappling with the shadowed stranger who had come from nowhere.

The cowboy he’d thrown still lay on the pavement groaning.

“Put me down, you dumb jackass.” Elena pounded on his back. “You’re screwing everything up.”

“I’m trying to. Hell if I’ll have you getting screwed any ways else.”

“Look, you arrogant prick. Don’t even try to run my life.” She squirmed in his grasp but Brodie had a death grip on her.
Jake and the attacker were about the same size and more evenly matched than Brodie would have expected. Jake, after all, had been a large man. Brodie wanted to put Elena down and help but he grew afraid she’d take off with her trick. Then he noticed a pair of handcuffs in her back pocket. Had she’d gotten into the kinky too? Without questioning her, Brodie grabbed the cuffs. Lowering Elena near the truck, he hooked a shackle around her wrist.

“Dammit, Brodie, what are you doing?” Elena pulled against him.

Brodie circled the chain a few times around the post to the driver’s side mirror, tightening the length so she couldn’t get loose, and cuffed her other hand. “This should hold you a minute.”

“Damn you,” she yelled and tugged against the chain.

Her john stood by the time Brodie finished. The eyes of her intended trick widened. The man took off before Brodie could stop him.

Thinking the jerk wouldn’t be back, Brodie crossed his arms and leaned against the truck. Jake pressed the attacker into a grappling hold, though the man still struggled. “You need help?” Brodie asked.

Panting, Jake grinned. “Naw. Still got the touch. Feels good.”

Brodie chuckled. “For an old man with a limp, you move pretty fast.”

“Yuh never forget the training.” Jake grunted as an elbow flew into his gut.

“Larry, stop.” Elena ceased her struggles. “You’re not helping.”

“You know him?” Brodie asked.

“Yes, you stupid lummox.” She tugged twice against the cuffs, the metal shackle clanging against the rod of the mirror.

“He your owner?”

“Owner?” She looked confused.

“Pimp, manager. Whatever you call the job these days.” If he was, Brodie stood ready to murder the guy.

“Pimp?” She gave him that pissed-off look again, the one that said she would unleash her fury.

Thing was, he always thought she looked cute when she did that.

“Oooooh, umph.” She snapped her arms back, causing the links of the cuffs to tighten even more. Get—the—key—out—of—my—pants—pocket.”

“Sure thing, sugar.” Brodie sauntered around back of her and let his hands slide from her ribs to her narrow waist and sensuous hips. “I didn’t know you’ve been exploring the more perverse aspects of sex.”

“Perverse? Errrr,” she growled and let her head fall against his chest.

Brodie wrapped his arms around Elena and pulled her to him. “How much do you charge?” he whispered in her ear. “I’ll pay for your time. We need to talk.”

“Talk?” She glanced at him over her shoulder and arched a brow. “We needed to do that years ago but you wouldn’t listen.”

“I’m listening now.” Brodie tried to ignore how warm, how right, she felt against him. His body didn’t care what she’d been up to. He still wanted her.

“I charge two hundred and fifty an hour.”

“Two fifty? Since when did streetwalkers start charging by the hour?”

She turned up her nose. Contempt riddled her voice. “I break the time up in ten-minute increments.” She presented him a fake smile and batted her lashes. “Men don’t last that long. The price is affordable and I can turn a lot of tricks.”

Brodie held her tight to prevent himself from losing control. He wanted to cry, except men didn’t do that. What had happened to cause Elena to lose her dreams? To become…

He couldn’t think about her fall. He had to do something to bring her back. Fingering her pockets, he found the key and released the cuffs, letting them hang on the mirror.

She turned around and stepped away, massaging her wrists. “Brodie, you just cost me.”

Pulling out his wallet, he shoved five hundred in her palm and closed her fingers around the money. “This will last us two hours, enough time to get me to a cash machine for more.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t want your damn money.”

He closed the gap between them and hovered over her. “I didn’t think prostitutes were picky about who paid them as long as they got paid.”

She dropped her arms. “Fine. But you’re about to see how wrong you are. And for that you will pay.” She took the cuffs off the mirror and shoved them into her back pocket, along with the money. “That man—” she pointed into the darkness where her squeeze had run, “was my score.”

“Yeah,” Brodie belted out. “Guess now you’ll have to spend the night with me.”

“I don’t think so.” She ignored him and walked toward Jake. “Let him go.”

Jake eased his hold on the man but Brodie was too distracted to care.

“Why didn’t you tell him?” Elena glared at Jake with her pissed-off look.

“I tried, but…” Jake shrugged.

“Yeah? Figures. He never did listen.” She sauntered toward Brodie. “I’m going home. I suggest you do the same. Give that bastard father of yours my regards.”

Brodie grabbed her arm. “You took my money, dammit. You’ll provide a service for that.”

Her partner jumped. Jake grabbed him back. “It’s okay, Larry. They’s old friends.”

Irritated, Elena swerved on Brodie. “Look, you dumb idiot, you just cost me ten thousand. The five hundred will be compensation for that.”

“What? How the hell did you think you’d make ten thousand on that john?” With growing irritation, Brodie listened to Jake chuckle and wondered what his friend thought so funny. None of this was a laughing matter.

“Because he wasn’t a john.” Elena tugged her arm free. Hands on hips, she stepped next to Brodie so their bodies touched. Livid, she looked up at him from his chest. “I was bringing him in. He’s got a ten-thousand-dollar price on his head from the bank. I could’ve used that money.”

Brodie felt the blood drain from his face. “You’re a bounty hunter.”

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