MEGAN

Chapter 6

Niklas

The door shut behind Ms. Jones with a loud slam, making him frown.

He had been observing her the entire day, and try as he might, Nik couldn't quite get a read on her.

The woman had seemed relaxed, almost nonchalant, as she spoke with the police officers, and yet, every time she looked at Nik, there was something beneath the surface that spoke of a storm brewing, ready to unleash at any moment.

She was under a lot of stress; Nik knew that even if Megan had tried to act like all of this was unimportant. But just the fact that Nik was there was enough of a tell.

Nik had checked her out before he had agreed to the meeting, something he always did before taking any job since people were likely to tell you what they wanted you to hear while their paper history never lied.

And as far as Nik was able to find, or in Ms. Jones's case couldn't find, Megan Jones was a stand-up citizen if a bit controversial.

Of course, the controversy surrounding her was only that in certain people's eyes. Her former colleagues and the high society she used to frequent were among the loudest in their disapproval. The type that acted high and mighty in the public eye while conducting their dirty business behind closed doors.

Nik, for one, preferred the people who chose to live out in the open, much as Ms. Jones.

And yet, once Nik got to meet her, that hunch in the back of his mind, the one that had come to his rescue countless times, told him that he was missing something.

Of course, once he found out about her nighttime activities, the feeling slightly ebbed away, but not entirely.

There was more to Ms. Jones, Dominatrix thing aside, and even though Nik knew that he would be better off minding his own business and just doing what he was going to be paid to do, he couldn't shake off the urge to dig deeper until he found the truth.

∞

Once Nik was done inspecting the room that his new boss had provided for him and seeing that Megan was still closed in her room, he decided to go back to his hotel to get all of his stuff and check out, seeing as he would no longer be staying there.

It took almost two hours to go there and back since Ms. Jones lived quite a bit outside of the city, something Nik could completely understand since he hated the hustle and bustle of big cities with fervor, but after being on his feet most of the day and then spending so long in the car, his stump was slowly but surely killing him.

He should have taken the leg off when Ms. Jones went to sleep, even for a little while, but he hadn't, and tonight he would pay the price.

As soon as he approached the gate, it swung open to let him pass, and Nik made a mental note to correct that.

A note that kept getting bigger and bigger the more time he spent there.

But one thing that would need to be corrected right away was a security system, as in installing one in the first place.

Forget the crazy stalkers, how the woman hadn't been robbed yet; Nik would never understand.

He parked the car and hauled himself out of it, taking the bags out of the trunk before making his way in; his limp was more pronounced the longer he walked. Small bursts of pain kept shooting up his leg, making him scowl with every step that he took, especially once he reached another set of stairs.

Fucking mansions.

What was wrong with normal, one-story houses?

By the time Nik reached his room, he was panting a bit, cold sweat running down his back as the muscle in his leg started to twitch.

He dropped the bags and limped his way toward the bed, the familiar anger mixed with shame swirling inside his chest as he rolled up his pants and clicked the switch, releasing the leg from his stump.

He took off the prosthetic sock, sighing in relief as the cool air made contact with the abused, red skin. He let it be for a minute, watching the muscle of his thigh twitch before reaching for one of the bags and taking out the oil he usually used for a quick massage.

The best thing now would be to take a bath and then go to bed, let his leg rest for more than a few hours, and seeing as there was still no sign of his boss, Nik decided to do just that.

But, speak of the devil, and she shall appear.

There was an urgent knock on the door, and then they opened, the woman in question bursting in before Nik had the time to cover his stump.

Megan stopped in her tracks as soon as she saw it, her eyes bulging out of their sockets at the sight.

"Your leg! You... It..." she started before shutting her mouth, a brilliant shade of red spreading across her face as Nik glared at her.

"Aren't people supposed to wait after knocking, or is that not the rule in America?" Nik said through his teeth, his German accent more pronounced than usual, and his jaw clenched so tightly he was surprised he didn't crack a tooth.

Nik looked away, not caring for Megan's answer, as he pulled the sock and the leg back on, hot tendrils of anger and shame swirling inside of his stomach all the way.

He knew that he shouldn't be embarrassed and that there was nothing shameful about being an amputee, something his former therapist had tried to drill into his head, but it was hard.

Nik hated it. He had accepted it for sure, but the hate was still there, especially when things like these happened, and he could see the disgust or, even worse, pity on the faces of others.

"I am so sorry. You're right; I should have waited before coming in. I apologize." Megan said after a moment, her face still slightly red and her eyes now glued to the ground.

"Did you need something, Ms. Jones?" Nik asked, choosing to ignore her apology, as well as the entire situation, still feeling shaken up.

He saw the woman flinch at the coldness of his voice, but she thankfully didn't comment on it.

"I know that you only got here today and that you have yet to settle in and unpack, but I need to go out. There is an event at a club I frequent tonight, and I completely forgot. I..."

"Okay. When do we leave?" Nik interrupted her, seeing as Megan was once again rumbling, something he noticed she tended to do and wanted to cut both of them out of their misery.

Megan blushed again and then frowned at the ground before clearing her throat.

"Is in 10 minutes okay?"

Nik simply nodded in reply, and Megan did the same, leaving the room after an awkward minute of staring at Nik until Nik raised an eyebrow in question.

He sighed as soon as the door closed, sitting on the bed and letting his head fall into his hands.

So much for a restful night.

Nik thought with a snort before freezing on the spot, as a strong suspicion that the club Megan mentioned wasn't of the usual kind.

His stomach swirled with a strange mix of excitement and dread. He didn't know what to expect from a BDSM club since he had never been to one, but for some reason, the idea of going to one with Ms. Jones excited him more than he cared to admit.