by Mandy Harbin
His eyes flared at her addressing him that way. He knew she did it because she was pleading, but he liked it all the same. He should stick to his guns and turn her away, knowing she could fall into the hands of an inexperienced Dom who could hurt her emotionally and physically. Or he could continue on with their scenes and risk being the Dom who would crush her in the end. He couldn’t win either way.
No matter how much he wanted to stop this madness, he knew he couldn’t, not completely, so he’d have to embrace another method.
If Shelby wanted to understand what being a real sub was all about, then it was time he damn well showed her…and hope she relented.
“Okay, Shelby. Be here at seven on Tuesday. Since you don’t have an aversion to dressing up, wear a French maid costume like Emory suggested.”
“Tuesday?” she asked, fidgeting with her hands. He could tell she saw where this conversation was going.
“Yes. The night we’re open to everyone. If you want to continue with your training, the next scene will be public.”
She swallowed, and he stood stock still, waiting, partly hoping she’d refuse, mostly hoping she wouldn’t. Public scenes were common at clubs, and if she wanted to be in the lifestyle, she had to prepare for the possibility. Not that that was his motivation behind the reasoning. Oh no, he’d thrown a gauntlet in his frustration with her, frustration with their situation. Now, he waited.
“I’ll be here Tuesday, Master.”
Jesus. That was not what he wanted her to say. Yes, it is, you prick. “Goodnight, Shelby,” he said, more clipped than necessary, and motioned toward the door. If she didn’t get out now, he couldn’t trust he wouldn’t be groveling at her feet. For what, he wasn’t entirely sure. He did know he’d always had precise control over his emotions and had never spoken to another woman like this. Sure, he punished subs when they were out of line, but this was different.
She picked up her bag and left without another word.
He heard the quiet click of the front door closing behind her, but felt it as if it was the door to his heart slamming shut.
As it should be.
He would do everything in his power to make sure it stayed that way.
Chapter Eleven
In public.
That was what Shelby had thought about since last night, and it was all she could think about as she stared at whatever this file was on her desk.
“Normal people are happy on Fridays,” Viola said as she popped over to Shelby’s desk. Shelby glanced up, but was unable to muster a smile. Her coworker’s face fell as she looked at her. “Did something happen last night?”
“Oh yeah.” Boy did it ever. Before the realization her next scene would happen before everyone’s eyes, she’d had amazing sex with Mason yet again. This time she’d planned on spending the night with him, only to be kicked out like a worthless slut. Then again, she was being paid to sleep with him, so if that was what he’d been going for, he’d nailed it.
“Uh-oh. Is that why Rick called the meeting this morning?” she asked, grabbing her arm. “Are you okay?”
Shelby was far from okay, but she couldn’t go into it now. With the next scene being in public, she had an even bigger obstacle to clear. One she created herself, and one she had to fix immediately.
It was time to bring her team up to speed on everything. Everything. But she didn’t have the strength to spew out all the sordid details more than once, so Viola would have to wait and hear it with everyone else. “Rick has new intel, and I told him I wanted to give an update since he was bringing everybody together.” She picked up her cup and downed the last of its contents. “C’mon, I need more coffee for this.”
Viola followed her to the break area and watched silently as she poured. “You don’t look so good. Did he hurt you?” Her eyes narrowed, Shelby felt hers watering. She blinked a few times to hold off the tears. Yes, Mason had hurt her, but not physically. Threatening to end their association, telling her he was going to put her on display, and then kicking her out all because she’d called him by his name? Every bit of it bothered her. She didn’t know what she expected, though. He wasn’t her lover, not really. He was part of her job. She’d done this to herself. If she hadn’t gotten too close to him, none of this would matter.
It did.
“I was bound last night. No lasting marks.” On the outside. The inside was another matter, and one she wasn’t ready to address. She headed to the conference room, and Viola followed silently beside her. When they got in, they sat beside each other and greeted the others as they came into the room. Shelby tried returning Darrell’s smile, but it felt shaky. God, she wasn’t looking forward to rehashing what had happened with Mason in front of Darrell.
The man frowned at her, obviously noticing something was off, but she quickly looked toward the door as Rick walked in.
“Thanks for getting here on short notice. I have an update, but first Shelby has a status on her investigation. We’ll start with her.”
Shelby’s hands started sweating, and she looked down as she drew in a full breath, finding the strength to confess. When she looked up, all eyes were on her. She couldn’t drag this out. The sooner she said the words, the faster this would be over with.
She looked directly at her boss because it made her feel more detached. “During my scene last night, I had sexual intercourse with Showalter.” She didn’t say she’d had sex with him during the first scene. She didn’t want her ass chewed for keeping that a secret. The number of times it had happened wasn’t relevant to the case. Although, if it had any importance at all, she’d lay it all out there.
Nobody made a sound, and Shelby was too nervous to look at their expressions. Rick didn’t even flinch. She wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.
“Were you forced?” he asked as he rubbed his chin.
“No, sir. I was a willing participant. I could have used my safe word to stop, but I didn’t.”
“Were you able to get anything out of him last night?”
“Not much.” She swallowed, focusing her energy on the details and not the emotion involved. That was incredibly hard since sex on a normal day for her held a lot of emotion. Sex with Mason was off the charts in that department, in every department. But it was easier to stay detached if she relayed the specifics without the feelings. “He’d intended on me staying the night with him, but when I began asking questions, he ended our evening.”
Rick’s eyes darkened. “Were you made?”
“No,” she said quickly. He had no idea she was an agent. “It took him a while, but he did say he thought his boss was up to no good, and he’s stressed about it. I’m not sure if he would’ve said anymore last night because he’s very closed off. I think he was surprised he said that much to me and used an excuse to put up a wall.”
“What excuse?” Darrell asked, and Shelby wanted to groan at the sharpness of his tone.
She bit her lip and looked at him. “I called him by his first name.”
“What do you normally call him?” Carson asked, perplexed.
“He’s into BDSM,” Viola said, and Shelby was relieved she’d come to her rescue. “What do you think?” she asked sarcastically. Shelby looked at her, and she was glaring at Carson. Then she looked at Shelby and gave her a short nod of encouragement.
“I call him Master during a scene. He and the other Doms that own the club are called Master by all the subs who are members.”
Darrell mumbled something unintelligibly, and Shelby was smart enough not to ask him what he’d said. She was pretty sure she heard the words kill and motherfucker, though.
She swallowed before going on. “He’s rattled. At one point, he was ready to call it quits with my training. Besides his boss, he mentioned details we already know—where he’s from and his POW brother, Caleb, although he said he’s deceased and not a prisoner. He eventually agreed to continue, but next time is not going to be easy.” She took a deep breath and forged ahead to the other hard part of this
conversation. “It’s Tuesday night, and it’ll be public.”
“What the fuck,” Darrell boomed, and a few others verbalized their concern and shock. Shelby shut her eyes and waited.
“Quiet!” Rick yelled, not willing to wait out the brief chaos. Once everyone hushed, he continued. “We knew this was a possibility.” He looked at Shelby, and she nodded. He was right. This was a known complication. It was one thing to submit to a man in private. Knowing she had to do that had been hard to accept, but the possibility of being on display had lingered in the back of her mind where she refused to acknowledge it…until last night when Mason had told her it was happening.
“He’s already fucked her,” Darrell sneered. “He could take her right there in front of God and everybody. Tell me again how the hell this helps our case!”
“Because he’s beginning to trust her.” Viola said what they all knew. “And we need him to talk.” There was no reason rehashing all the reasons why. Darrell was just angry, and although not helpful, Shelby appreciated his concern.
“I don’t fucking like it,” Darrell seethed.
“But Viola’s right,” Shelby said, and gave her arm a gently squeeze, thanking her for having her back. “He’s not happy with me right now, but I also think he’s not happy with himself.”
“Which can make him dangerous,” Carson said matter-of-factly.
Shelby glanced at him. “Yes, but I don’t think he’d hurt me.”
“Interesting choice of words,” Rick said as he clasped his hands and leaned back into his chair. “The reason I called this meeting is because Carl O’Brian is missing. We have reason to believe he’s dead, and one of the last known people to talk to him before he disappeared was Showalter.”
Oh God. What was left of Shelby’s tattered heart plummeted before taking off in a sprint. Had Mason been involved?
“That could be a coincidence,” Viola said, waving her hand dismissively while Shelby sat there mute. He couldn’t be a killer, could he? That was crazy. So far beyond white collar crimes. Her thoughts continued to race as fast as the blood in her veins, but at every dark corner, she rejected the idea. Criminal? Maybe. Deadly? Not really. Not Mason.
“Or our Master could be a murderer,” Darrell said, shaking his head. “Boss, we have pull Shelby from her assignment. It’s too dangerous.”
Shelby’s gaze shot to Rick when he didn’t immediately reject Darrell’s suggestion. She understood their concern, but she hadn’t considered they’d take her off the case. If she’d suspected this as a possibility, she sure as hell wouldn’t have fought to keep her sessions with Mason. In some ways, this case was more hers than theirs, and it wasn’t fair to remove her after all she’d been through. She could not let it all be for nothing.
Her boss regarded her as the silence stretched. “Is that what you want?” he finally asked.
“No.” But that answer was laced with double meaning. No, she didn’t want pulled from the case. No, she didn’t want to stop seeing Mason. He might be through with her, and honestly, she was hurt and angry with him, but she wasn’t ready to be done with him in any aspect. She couldn’t wrap her head around the possibility he had something sinister to do with Carl O’Brian. It didn’t add up to her. She wasn’t sure how she’d get through Tuesday night at this point, but from the depths of her soul, she knew she had no other choice.
Rick nodded. “I want backup there that night.”
Shelby gaped at him. “Why? I haven’t had backup before.”
“Because you’ve only been there on nights it’s closed to the public. It would’ve been too obvious if a bunch of people showed up with you. We have an opportunity to get in and help you in the field, and we’re going to take it.”
It was bad enough strangers would see her naked—because she had no doubt that would happen—but her teammates seeing her was totally different. “It has taken him this long to talk to me. He’s not going to start chatting with a stranger.”
“Pull your head out of your ass, Landry. Someone else could snoop around while you’re busy with Showalter. It’s a public night and a chance we hadn’t counted on. This is a good thing. We have a chance to blow this case wide open.”
Oh God, she knew he was being logical, but if anybody showed up to investigate, they’d see her being whipped out in the open. Naked. Mason was pissed and closing himself off from her. There was no telling what he’d do to her. She had a feeling his decision to showcase her had been born out of anger, punishment for several reasons, not all she had any control over. Would he use their scene as further torment? Would he degrade and humiliate her in front of everybody? How could she look her coworkers in the eye after they witnessed something like that?
“I’ll do it,” Viola said, sitting straighter, and Shelby wanted to weep with relief. If anybody on this team had to watch her participate in an erotic scene, she’d pick Viola. “Carson would be too busy gawking at all the half-naked women to be of any help, and Darrell would get arrested for assaulting anybody who even looks at Shelby.”
“I would not,” Carson said, only slightly offended.
“Fuckin’ A right,” Darrell said at the same time as he crossed his arms and focused his glare on Shelby. Yeah, she knew there was no way in hell Darrell could sit idly by and watch.
Viola rolled her eyes and looked at Rick. “Dave and I can go as a couple interested in the lifestyle. If we’re asking a lot of questions, it won’t seem suspicious.” She looked at Shelby but kept talking to their boss. “And if anything goes wrong with her scene or my inquiry, I’m trained to handle it.”
“Will your husband agree?” Rick asked.
Viola nodded. “I’m sure he’d like the idea of being there with me rather than me going by myself. If I show up alone, some other guy might hit on me and complicate my objective.”
Shelby nodded and looked at Rick. “That could work. He knows I have a friend named Viola, and that she’d been worried about me before. I know the scene is going to be public, and a concerned friend might want to be there after finding out.”
“The three of us could all go together—”
“No,” Shelby said, cutting her off. “I don’t know what will happen after. He could keep me well into the night. I don’t want to be stranded there without transportation.” She bit her lip as she thought. She liked the idea of not going in the club alone, but no way did she want to rely on Mason for transportation. Before last night, she might have felt differently, but he’d made it clear to her that they were not in a relationship. No matter how her chest hurt at his words. “I could follow you there in my car, arrive at the same time.”
“Yes.” Rick nodded. “That’s cleaner than you going as a couple interested in the lifestyle. Dave might be immediately repulsed by what he sees, and I don’t know how good of a poker face he has. If he becomes intrigued, then fine, you can work that angle into it, too. Either way, you could ask questions and see what you can find.”
“Works for me,” Viola said.
“Okay, people. Let’s get back to work,” Rick said as he stood, never one to mince words.
“Thanks,” Shelby murmured to Viola as they both got up.
“Anytime.” She smiled at her. “Let’s go shopping tomorrow, so I can find the perfect outfit to wear.”
Crap. Shelby needed to go shopping. She had a costume to purchase. Did stores even have French maid get-ups this time of year? “Sounds good.”
Viola’s face suddenly fell as she looked to the side, behind Shelby, and back at her. “We’ll chat later.” She flitted away before Shelby could ask what the rush was.
But when she felt a meaty hand on her shoulder, she knew the answer.
“Are you okay?”
She swallowed and faced Darrell. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
He pulled her into a quick hug, which shocked her. Not that Darrell hadn’t hugged her before, but he was usually all business at the office.
“I’m worried about you and this case.”
She stepped away and sighed. “I know. But I’m doing okay. Two more weeks and it’ll be over.”
“Will it?” he asked, furrowing his brow. “Who says you don’t get anything out of him during that time and you have to keep seeing him?”
She couldn’t think about that right now. At the rate she was going, she wouldn’t get anything out of Mason, but after last night, she was sure he would not be extending their arrangement past the initial four scenes. She had two weeks to get what she needed. Either way, her time was limited.
“If you need to talk, you know where I live. I don’t care what time of day or night, little bit.”
She smiled at him. “You worry too much.”
“I have too much to worry about.” He squared his shoulders, the business facade etching back into his features. “Now get back to work. We have a case to solve.”
“Sir, yes sir.” She smiled, and hoped it looked real. Talking to her team about what had happened and what was yet to come had been much easier than she’d anticipated, easier than what she’d gone through so far on this case, and a whole hell of a lot easier than what she would experience when Tuesday night got here. Her dread was multifaceted, but she would be lying to herself if she said she didn’t feel any a spark of excitement. What did that say about her?
She didn’t want to know.
Chapter Twelve
“I know the perfect place where we should start. Punky’s,” Viola said excitedly as she navigated the treacherous traffic toward Main Street, lovingly called Pain Street by the locals. It had boutiques with the latest fashion trends housed in hundred-year-old buildings. Back then, there hadn’t been a need for four-lane roads. Not that there was enough room, but the city had carved them in anyway. And parking? That was atrocious.
“There’s a spot over there,” Shelby said, pointing toward one of the few paid parking lots. Punky’s was a good idea since it catered more to the party crowd and sometimes had some pretty eccentric clothing. Viola could find something cute to wear, and maybe Shelby would have some luck with the costume.