Relenting (Dirty Cops #2)

Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Bentley

S he’s still not giving me jack shit. No name. No address. Nothing. I’m just thankful that at this wee hour of the morning, there aren’t too many officers milling about, puttin’ their noses in my business, asking why I have this gorgeous girl in handcuffs sitting in my office. Wondering if they can handle her case. I know there are a few dirty bastards on the payroll who would have no qualms about offering her freedom in exchange for a regular fuck. They’d let her illegal affairs slide, look the other way, and blackmail her for sex. I may want to fuck the girl senseless, but my main priority is getting her off the streets. Making sure she’s never put in harm’s way again.

“You know,” she says, still looking pissed as all get out. “According to my rights, I have the right to an attorney, yet you haven’t provided me with one or let me have my phone call. Isn’t that illegal?”

She keeps insisting on making her one call, but I’m not trying to book her. I just want to talk to her, make her realize how dangerous it is to be going off with strange men in the middle of the night. I want to know who she’s wrapped up with, this “guy” who keeps calling her, so I can throw the book at him. Lock him away where he belongs so he’ll never pull her strings again. I’m not walking away until she promises me she’s never going to let another man use her body for his pleasure again. Hell, the thought of another man touching her period makes me want to burn the world down.

“If you give me your name, you won’t have to make that call. You and I can have a little chat, and then you can be on your way. But your sexy little ass refuses to cooperate.”

Her nostrils flare, my much too inappropriate remark obviously pissing her off.

“How do I know you’re even telling me the truth?” She cocks her chin. “Besides, if you’re planning on letting me go anyway, then why do you need to know my name?”

Damn, she’s a fighter—which I fucking love. A girl with a backbone is a rare find. But right now, I don’t want her fighting with me, I want her telling me who she’s in bed with. Fucking literally.

“Fine.” I turn back to my computer. “If you’re not going to talk, I’ll just have to bring in the man who you met with tonight. See what I can get out of him.” I punch the license plate number into the system and the name of who the vehicle’s registered to appears on my screen. No fucking way. This has to be a joke. She fucked that arrogant little dipshit.

Derek Boden is one of the most eligible bachelors in town, heir to the Boden family fortune. Runs some bigwig company. No wonder she had five grand in her pocket. He paid a pretty penny to make sure the media doesn’t find out that their billionaire prince likes to fuck prostitutes. Guess all those perfect, well-mannered prima donnas he dates don’t like to get freaky in the sheets. He’s probably bored as shit with missionary. I doubt they’re even willing to suck dick. They probably think it’s repulsive. Hence, him needing to pay for sex.

“Wow. Derek Boden.” I whistle low, looking up from my screen. “Not too shabby. You’re definitely working with some high-class clients. Wonder what his daddy is going to think when he has to come down and bail his son out of jail?” I shift forward, steepling my fingers at my lips, ready for her to start talking. “Now, are you going to tell me how long he’s been paying you for sex, or do I need to get my answers from him?” I’m sure if I give him a deal, he’ll squeal like a pig. There’s no way that pretty boy wants this leaked to the media. Though I’d love to smear that arrogant little pipsqueak’s name all over the news.

That man-child has no respect for authority. The one time I got called to his place for a possible break-in, the little prick spoke to me like I was dog shit on the bottom of his fancy-ass loafers. Never been shown such a lack of respect in all my life. Turns out, the noise he heard was a from a rat, which terrified him more than a possible burglar. He was demanding I catch the rodent and remove it, paranoid it was going to get into his bed and give him rabies. Once I informed him that I’m a police officer not pest control, he pitched a fit, calling me a good-for-nothing waste of taxpayers’ dollars.

I was half inclined to call the media then and there and let them have a field day, show the world how their beloved Most Eligible Bachelor was terrified over a little ol’ animal, but I had better things to do with my time. Now that I know he’s paying this beauty to fuck his spineless ass, I’m itching to pick up the phone. But I don’t want to drag this girl through the mud, because she’d get pulled right down into the trenches along with him.

“What?” I ask, cocking my brow. She looks surprised I know exactly who she was out with tonight. Guess she underestimated me. “Didn’t realize I’d caught the limo’s plate number?”

The lump of nerves in her throat goes down begrudgingly slow before she opens her mouth to speak. She knows she’s been caught, and I’m waiting to hear what she has to say. Hoping I’m finally going to get somewhere with her. “You shouldn’t waste your time with him.” She steadies her voice, struggling to gain back control. “You’re liable to have a lawsuit on your hands for an illegal arrest.”

I shake my head. I have no doubts pretty boy would try to buy his way out of trouble, turn the table on me and fight to have my badge revoked, but I have dash cam footage, along with five grand that makes my case look awfully credible. “He dropped you off on the side of the road,” I state. “In the middle of the night. Paid you five thousand dollars. Not to mention your admission to being a—” I force the word past my lips. “—whore, so I’m pretty sure his case against me will be thrown out. The proof is in the facts, doll. Don’t care how much he pays some attorney.”

She shakes her head, sitting up straighter, and I can smell her sweet scent as she leans forward and narrows her gorgeous eyes on me: sunflowers and a hint of vanilla. Makes me want to remove the scrap of space she’s left between us and run my tongue up her neck. “I’m pretty sure it’s not illegal for a brother to give his sister money.” I jerk back. The fuck ? “And for the last time, I was being sarcastic. Your comment struck a nerve. After my unhappy little family reunion this evening where I was told I looked like trash, I snapped. Case closed. Now, can you please uncuff me so I can go home?”

I sit back, studying her face, checking for signs that she just fed me another line of bullshit. Yet, my gut is telling me it wasn’t a lie. Why didn’t she just say that back when I was slapping the cuffs on her? Then again, I would’ve believed it to be a ploy to get herself out of trouble. For all I know, it still could be. I guess there’s only one way I’m gonna know for certain whether she’s telling me the truth. “Need to verify who you are in the system. Are you going to give me your name now, or do I need to call up your brother to find out?”

She rolls her eyes. “Roxanna Boden,” she huffs. Never heard of her. Nor have I ever seen a picture of her in the tabloids. The Boden family has been all over the magazines over these last few years. From their booming business to their philanthropic ways, and to that pipsqueak Derek’s dating life, they’ve made headlines, but I’ve never once seen this beauty before me in any of the photos. And there’s no way I’d ever forget her face.

As soon as I enter her name into the system, her face appears on my screen and I’m shocked as shit as her driver’s license loads, proving her case. Roxanna Marie Boden. Age: 24. Eyes: Brown. Hair: Brown. Height: Five five. Weight… curvy AF.

Damn. She was telling the truth. So why in the hell was she dropped off on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere? Did she and her brother have a falling out? It looked like she was pissed as she was walking down the street. But I guess him saying she looked like trash would do it. I want to punch the kid’s nose in for that. Roxanna looks smokin’ hot. Nothing about her is trashy. But little Mr. Yuppy Pants who dates girls that look like they belong on the cover of Good Housekeeping doesn’t have taste, so that comment isn’t all that surprising. What I don’t understand though is why he gave her money. Isn’t she an heiress to the fortune? And why were they so far off the beaten path? There are too many questions that need answers and I need her to start talking.

“So why did your brother leave you stranded in the middle of the night? You two have a falling out?”

Her eyes turn an even darker shade of brown, the hints of gold overshadowed by her anger. That temper of hers is flaring again—and so is my need. “I’ve answered all the questions I’m going to. Now, if you don’t uncuff me and let me go, I’ll be pressing charges for an unduly arrest. I may even be inclined to tell them how you felt me up.” She leans in closer. “How you told me you want to bend me over and fuck me.”

Damn, the girl definitely knows how to hold her own. I’ll give her that. But those weren’t exactly my words, though she’s definitely accurate on the intent. What she’s failing to recall though is the fact that she was begging for more. She was right there in the heat of the moment with me, not a single protest on her tongue, tits dying to be played with, and fuck do I want more. But right now, she wants to play cat and mouse, which is fine with me. She’s about to learn that I’m not a pussy who runs scared. I’m a fucking lion, and she’s my prey.

“You’re playing with fire, baby girl. Tempting your fate with the devil right now. Maybe if you start playing nice, I’ll release you. Until then, I’m going to keep you at my mercy. Now, I need you to answer my questions. Why did your brother leave you out there all alone? Because right now, I’m about to go pound on his door and give him a lesson on being a fucking man and protecting his damn family.”

The spark in her eyes has my cock pointing up in her direction, although he’s been aimed and loaded from the moment she stepped out of the limo. Apparently, the Boden princess wants to spar, because her cute little chin is still locked up tight. Her stunning eyes are still giving me one hell of a stare down.

“You really are a nosy hard-ass. You know that?”

“My ass is firm if you want to give it a squeeze.” I wink, earning myself an eye roll. “A girl as beautiful as you should never be left on the side of the road, no matter what time of day. Nor should you be walking down the street carrying that kind of cash. Now, tell me why your brother left you out there.”

Considering she’s innocent and this was all one big misunderstanding, I should be letting her go. But I’m not inclined to do that until I get my questions answered. I know I’m sticking my nose into family business, but there’s an incessant need to protect this girl that’s driving me forward. If I need to go pay her brother a visit, I will.

“It’s none of your business and I don’t owe you a single explanation. Now, if you don’t uncuff me right now, you will be sorry.”

Her threat has my cock in a chokehold. I stand from my seat, stepping around my desk and right in front of her. I reach for her cuffed hands, yanking her up from her chair and right into my arms. “You threaten me again, and this ass”—I reach around, giving her firm cheek a squeeze—“is going to be taught a lesson. Now, all you have to do is answer one question and I’ll release you. It’s as simple as that. Why did your brother leave you out there tonight?”

The temptation to take her lips between mine and loosen the rigid line she’s got them set in is weighing down hard. Her sexy scent is attacking my restraints. My senses are completely consumed by my need for this girl. Damn, what is it about her that has me so on edge? Everything. Her looks. Her body. Her fire. And just knowing she’s a Boden, a girl who comes from pure wealth and social refinement but is so clearly cut from a different cloth, willing to beat to her own drum is a sexy-as-hell trait. I’m guessing the reason she’s never in any of the family photos is because she doesn’t subscribe to the shallow values they have. I’m guessing she’s the black sheep of the family.

“Why does it matter to you?”

Her question has me shaking my head. I take her stubborn jaw within my palms, crossing every line in the book. But at this point, the Chief could storm in here and revoke my badge for all I care. This beauty has me caught in her web, weaving herself deep into my soul. I barely know anything about her other than the fact that she comes from money and has a sassy mouth, but there’s a word that keeps coming to the forefront of my mind and I can no longer ignore it. MINE.

“Because it’s late, baby.” I brush my thumbs across her soft cheeks, memorizing every fleck of gold in her beautiful dark eyes. Every little freckle speckled across her button nose. “He shouldn’t be leaving you on the side of the road in the middle of the night. It’s not safe. You could get hurt.” I shudder at the thought of anything bad happening to her. I’m thankful I was staked out on that road tonight, keeping an eye out on the clubhouse. “I just want to make sure you’re never put in that situation again. Now, what the hell went down tonight?”

The rigid crease in her brows softens. I think she’s finally putting down her boxing gloves and backing out of the ring. As much as I like sparring with her, I love the feel of her body molding into mine, the rigidness melting away. Her curves becoming soft and pliant in my arms. I love seeing the blush pinkening her cheeks and knowing that under that tough outer shell is a girl with a soft, sweet center. A girl who’s in need of my protection.

“My brother wanted to talk.” She finally drops her guard and lets me in on the truth. “There’s some family stuff going on and he needed to meet.”

“So why’d you have all that cash on your person?”

“Because…” She pauses, looking as though she doesn’t want to answer that question. “Based on the way I’m dressed, he thought I could use the handout.”

The whisper of shame in her voice catches me in the gut, ratcheting up my anger toward the arrogant little pipsqueak whom she has the unfortunate misfortune of being related to. Now I get why she was so punchy with me, assuming I thought she was dressed as a slut. The bastard has no fucking clue how lucky he is to have this girl in his life. But it doesn’t surprise me. His head is so far up his own ass, he can’t see past the end of his brown nose. All he cares about is his reputation, and I’m sure he sees this beauty’s leather skirt and tattoos as dirty. I’m sure her way of life doesn’t meet his standards. But fuck him.

I pull her in closer, wanting to erase the insecurity I see simmering in her eyes. Wanting to shield her from any pain she’s endured from him and anyone else who’s subjected her to their shallow opinion.

“Sure as hell hope you don’t take his opinion to heart, baby doll. You are one sexy woman, and you don’t need to change a thing.”