Finding Thyme Read online

  I shake my head and frown. The thought of Nick being a super genius—or myself for that matter—just seems completely ludicrous!

  “I fluked it, I’m afraid. I just picked random answers. Sorry to disappoint.” I shrug back.

  Boy do they really have this all wrong! I couldn’t count how many of the answers I actually solved with any real thought.

  “You can’t get this test wrong, Thyme. We measured every response you gave. You’re good. You’re better than good. You’re brilliant and gifted! We added supplements to your food at the apartment for the past week. They help your senses to heighten, but this has nothing to do with your intellect, that has been all you.”

  That explains why I can hear and smell so much. I’m just a lab rat. Is Nick angry because I’m smarter than the average whore? “Is that what you’re so mad about?” I look straight at him.

  Nick continues frowning at me. He gives no reply.

  The boss looks over at him. “Davis? Do I need to remind you of your emotions again?”

  Nick inhales and his nostrils flare as he lets out a grunt.

  “So tell me,” the boss says, “why did you become a prostitute when you could have done anything you set your mind to?”

  “That’s a rather personal question, sir,” I reply.

  “We’re not in the business of keeping secrets, Thyme,” he quickly snaps.

  He’s right. “Don’t you know all there is to know about me already?” I look between him and Nick.

  “No. You are somewhat of an anomaly, Thyme. We knew nothing of who you were before you were Miranda.”

  “Until your brother contacted me,” Nick adds, “then I knew parts of who you were. It seems Miss Stephanie is very good at keeping your true identities well hidden. We couldn’t even scratch the surface with her. Her agency and her girls are more protected than we are.”

  I’m surprised by the revelations of my previous madam. What else must she be hiding? I take a moment and draw in a breath before I begin from the start. The start of how I sold myself to men.

  “Then you would know that I was once a dancer. A gifted one, well on my way to joining a company. My mother had sent both my brother and me away after my dad died when we were teenagers. I was sent to study dance at the Australian Ballet School in Melbourne and my brother was sent to Officer Cadet School. My mother didn’t handle my father’s death very well. I think my brother and I were constant reminders of him.”

  I pause for a moment and look down at my hands in my lap. This is my story, my secret, my demons. I force myself to keep going.

  “I hated being separated from my twin brother, and I hated my mother for doing that to us. When we needed her and each other the most, she just sent us away. Without my father or us around, my mother slowly turned to alcohol more and more. I don’t even know where she is now. Probably still in Sydney. She lost everything our father worked so hard to build for us. When he was alive, we went to good schools and had a life that most people would envy. Then he died and she lost it all to the drink. I don’t care about her now, I don’t hate her anymore, but I certainly don’t care for her. I tried so many times to reach out to her when I was a teenager and alone in Melbourne. I’d fly home to be with her … until she was no longer the woman who brought me into this world.”

  I’ve never told anyone about this part of my life. Not Sally, not Charlie. No one knows this part of me. Can I tell them everything? I can’t bear to look at Nick right now so I keep staring at my hands.

  “When you have no one to guide you as a young person, you become very lost. I craved love and attention. My roommate at the ballet school used to strip at a club in Melbourne for extra cash. It was against the rules of the school but she didn’t care. Neither did I when I learnt how much she earned. When my mother sucked our trust accounts dry, I began taking my clothes off for money. It helped me pay for my tuition at the prestigious dance school. But I was young and stupid and angry. What I thought was a way out of something was just a giant leap in the wrong direction.”

  I think of my handsome and strong father and how he was on my mind the first time I danced naked in front of the ogling eyes of men for their enjoyment. I cried desperate but hidden tears throughout that first sombre performance. I saw my father in the eyes of every man in that dark club.

  “The ballet school eventually found out what I was doing and I was expelled indefinitely and exiled by the entire dance core. My roommate was smart enough to get out of stripping before it was too late and left for Russia to join one of the famous ballet companies over there. I had no one and nothing left. I couldn’t tell my brother.”

  I draw back and hold the tears that are threatening to spill out as I look at Nick and see sadness in his eyes. I don’t want pity from him. Anyone but him!

  “I’ve always had an allure that men are attracted to. I worked that out at a very young age. At first it was fun teasing them, then a thrill … then it was just easy. Men were too easy. I became close with a regular client who would watch me dance every day. After some time I trusted him and gave him my virginity. He gave me a hefty payment the next morning. None of it was prearranged. I just woke to an empty hotel room and a bundle of cash. It was more money than I’d ever made in a week of stripping. When the client returned two weeks later, he had a proposition that I found hard to refuse. He gave me an opportunity to make more money than I’d ever imagined. I had nothing to lose anymore. He flew me to Sydney and I met Miss Stephanie … I later learnt that he was one of her scouts. Looking for the next girl full of desperation and ripe for the picking. The rest as they say … is history.”

  The boss remains motionless in front of me, arms and legs still crossed, a blank look upon his face. I see the scenes of my life rolling before his eyes. I look at Nick for some comfort. His eyes soften and I smile shyly at him.

  “I’m okay. Honestly. It’s taken me a long time, but I finally met someone who showed me that I could respect myself.” I reach out and touch Nick’s thigh.

  He clutches onto my hand and squeezes it firmly. I watch his caring eyes, and my heart pulses as his hand slowly releases mine. His touch warming me to my core even after he has let me go. The realisation of how much Nick actually means to me sets in and I just want to be in his arms. The boss clears his throat and interrupts our tender moment.

  “Well, thank you for your honesty, Thyme. Now you have the opportunity to set a path of freedom for yourself.”

  There are so many unanswered questions bouncing around inside my head. “How long will my training take?”

  “We only have a couple of weeks. A month at the most. We need to get you back to Tench as quickly as possible. Going off of your test scores though, you’ll master everything very quickly it seems. You were right, Davis. She is perfect.” The commander looks at Nick and raises his brow.

  “How can I remain in the same city as Joe Tench without being detected?”

  “That’s what I’ll teach you, Mia.” Nick smiles.

  “How do you know where he is?” I ask again.

  “We’ve been tracking him for years and have his house bugged, thanks to you. There is also someone positioned in field, within the Principal’s ranks. They will not know who you are, nor will you know who they are,” Nick says.

  I frown and try and go back over the answer he just gave. “You have his house bugged thanks to me?” I ask, puzzled.

  Nick nods and smiles. “Yes, your iPhone. I placed a bug in it just before you went back to work at Miss Stephanie’s agency, when you had time off. It worked out perfectly when the Principal decided to take it and keep it.”

  “Oh,” I say as blankly as my stare.

  I’m in total shock. I hate that I was just a pawn in Nick’s game with Tench. I still have so many questions.

  “We were able to wipe the data on your iPhone when he took it. We didn’t want him seeing that Sally had called you. The Principal has no clue that you know anything,” Nick reassures me once again. He turns to
the commander. “Sir, can we be dismissed to return to the apartment for Mia to commence training? I’ll run over everything with her. I’m sure she has plenty of questions still rolling around in that head of hers too.”

  He’s got that right! He knows me too well. I feel a flush threaten to creep across my face but I try and keep a straight face and don’t dare look in his direction.

  “Yes, dismissed. I need you both to report here at zero eight hundred. Thyme is scheduled in for her weapons training.” The commander waves his hand as if brushing away a couple of insects.

  Nick looks at me with a hint of excitement that I hope the commander doesn’t recognise. I look back at the commander and see he doesn’t suspect what I see hiding beneath Nick’s eyes. There is a yearning within them. A yearning that mirrors my own desires.

  FIVE

  I follow Nick towards an unassuming white Ford town car that’s waiting at the entrance to the agency’s building.

  Castlereagh Street is abuzz with midday traffic. Delivery vans, small trucks, taxis, buses and other town cars clog the slim one-way street. Nick ushers me into the rear of the car like he has always done in a half protector, half gallant manner. Except now when he does it, I realise why he does it.

  Our driver slips into the slow moving traffic with ease and we roll south down the street towards my apartment a few blocks away. I feel the subtle touch of Nick’s hand brush against the outer edge of my own. I glance sideways at him and see his brow spike upwards as his sexy-as-hell smile releases its deadly assassination across his face. I try and swallow but in the process I gulp louder than anticipated.

  Shit!

  I look down at my lap and try and hide the wicked grin that has exploded all over my face. Again, I attempt to inhale as quietly as possible before I sneak a quick glance up at the driver to see if he’s noticed anything.

  The driver is completely oblivious to the sparking current of electricity purring behind him, while Nick and I try our hardest not to rip each other’s clothes off right here in the car. I shift my hand and rest it in the middle of the back seat, and closer to Nick. His little finger finds mine again with ease. I feel it glide over the top of my hand slowly.

  My breathing becomes shallow as I try my hardest to stop the pulse from taking over my entire body. It almost feels like we’re engaging in something forbidden, which only adds to the excitement of the moment. I just wish the car would hurry up and arrive at my block.

  We stop at the next set of red lights and I begin to wish we had just walked … it would have been quicker! I move my hand away and look out of my window, not knowing how much longer I can take this. With the ever-increasing thoughts of what’s going to happen as soon as we get to my apartment, my body’s heat is becoming more intolerable the longer we wait.

  The car takes off slowly again and I release another subtle sigh of relief. When I see my street approaching I peek a look at Nick. He nods to the driver whose only acknowledgement in return is a glance in the rear-vision mirror.

  Nick opens his door the moment the car is stationary, disappearing for a second before his hand appears in the doorway for me to take. I want to throw myself at him but I take his hand as graciously as possible and pull myself up to him. I feel him breathe inches away from me before he closes the car door behind me.

  “What I want to do to you, Mia Thyme,” he whispers into my ear.

  I feel the heat of his breath against my neck as he whispers. My body’s sudden spike in temperature makes me feel dizzy. Nick grips onto my hand and guides me to the entrance of my apartment building.

  The Asian male behind the reception desk smiles politely as we pass the front desk, continuing towards the elevators. There are half a dozen people already waiting for an elevator to arrive.

  The butterfly in my stomach is fluttering so vigorously that it could be mistaken for a hummingbird. An elevator arrives within seconds of us waiting. Three other people step in with us.

  Nick inserts a white card into the security slot to access my floor. He rips it back out quickly and presses the button to level seventy-two. Even watching him perform simple tasks makes me think of his hands all over my body. I tilt my head back slightly to enable my lungs to fill with more oxygen. Nothing seems to be getting past the shallows of my chest.

  I stand in the corner of the elevator, panting as silently as possible. Nick stands next to me and runs the back of his finger down my neck. I close my eyes and try my hardest to remain standing, my knees threatening to give way at any moment.

  “I’m going to start here,” he whispers as his finger traces the length of my neck.

  I smile faintly and look at the strangers in the elevator. All of them stare towards the doors, unaware of what’s going on behind them. I wish Nick would stop torturing me like this. But I don’t want him to stop, I just wish the damn elevator would hurry up. But I don’t want time to go too quickly either. My head is spinning with a million opposing thoughts. Nothing rational stays. All I can think about is Nick.

  “Then I’m going to go here,” he says as he runs his finger down the middle of my back.

  A shiver rolls over my body. The electricity is almost too much. The elevator stops and one of the strangers steps out. Only two more to go. Thank goodness. I can’t contain this any longer. I manage to look at Nick. His blue eyes stare down at me with a flaming heat. I want to drink him. I want to drink every ounce of him. I wish I were in control of myself more. This feeling is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. This is … is … I can’t think.

  “Then I want all of this.” He grips onto my left butt cheek and pulls me to him.

  I breathe in deep and lean my head against the wall of the elevator. I look at the numbers quickly climbing on the electronic display and look below it at the floor numbers that are lit on the control panel. Forty-four, fifty and seventy-two. Our floor is last. The elevator stops again and the second person steps out. The last person shuffles so he’s standing right in front of the doors with his back to us. The elevator stops again and then we’re alone.

  Nick and I both glance at one another at the same time and instantly launch into each other’s arms. He grips onto the back of my hair and pours his tongue into my mouth. I too roll around the inside of his mouth as I drink him in. His lips suck and rub against mine. I can’t get enough of him. He pushes me against the wall of the elevator and pulls my right leg up around his waist. I feel the tip of his erection nudge against me as his hand slides around to my rear, pulling me to him with a soft grind. His strapping chest and strong arms feel powerful against my body.

  The elevator doors spring open and Nick guides us through the opened doors, both locked in our embrace. Nick lifts me up with ease and I wrap myself around him. My breathing intensifies and the wetness between my legs begins to swell. I grip Nick’s strong body with my arms and legs. I feel his torso expand with each breath that he draws. His lips kiss their way down my neck as he walks me towards my front door. I exhale loudly as his descending soft lips send a quiver through my whole body, causing my nipples to tingle with delight. I dive back into his mouth and run my hands through the back of his soft sandy coloured hair.

  As we approach my door, Nick stumbles slightly. My head smacks against a mirror behind me and I hear it crack. That would’ve normally hurt if this didn’t feel so good right now. Our eyes meet and we both smile.

  “Oops,” Nick says with a devilish grin.

  We both chuckle for a second before we’re quickly drawn back into our kiss again. Nick fumbles in his pocket for the security swipe to unlock the front door. I easily grip around him as he does so. My lips trail down his neck. I feel the tendons in his neck tighten and pull as he moves … even his neck feels strong.

  The door clicks open behind me and we stumble through the doorway. Nick lowers me gently and grabs the bottom of my t-shirt and rips it up over my head. I start to unbutton his shirt and undo his belt, our lips still not wanting to part. My hands run feverishly down h
is chest and I relish in the roundness of him under my fingertips. Nick pushes me up against the wall just inside the doorway and holds my hands above my head, his one strong hand confining both of my hands with ease. His kisses lead further than they ever have before, as his lips dance around the top of my chest.

  He cups my breast in his hand and kisses the fabric of my bra, the only thing separating my nipples from his lips. He breathes me in as his lips linger in my cleavage.

  “Oh god. Nick, I want to fuck you so bad.” I breathe a long breath into the air and free one of my hands from his grip, feeling around the top of his jeans for the button. His beautiful blue eyes meet mine, our lips locked onto one another still. Nick’s eyes stare through to my soul. He pulls back out of our embrace and takes a step back. Something looks wrong all of a sudden. He bites his lip and holds me back away from him. I let go of him and my arms drop to my sides.

  “I can’t, Mia. I’m sorry. Not like this, I can’t,” Nick says sternly as he begins to button up his shirt again.

  What? I don’t understand. I can’t speak. I stand there stunned and watch him walk out of the front door that we only just came through in each other’s arms. I grip onto the wall behind me, hoping it offers some support as the door clicks shut.

  I feel like I’ve been punched in the stomach. I search for what reason has made him stop and leave me like this.

  My heavy breathing from our moment of passion quickly develops into hyperventilation from the shock. Tears well in my eyes and I slide down the wall and slump on the floor in a messy heap.

  It’s because I was a whore. He can’t do it. That’s all he sees me as, that’s all he’ll ever see me as. I was a fool for believing otherwise. Why did I ever do that to myself? Sell my body for money. What man would have me now? I am damaged goods. Once the object of men’s affection, now just their leftovers. Like a carcass of a wild beast, everyone has come and had their fair share of me. Now what’s left will rot until it’s completely unrecognisable.