by Sara Brookes
She killed the power strip, her entire computer setup going dark as her heart galloped. Though nothing physical had happened, a sensation of violation swamped her. That the trust she’d extended, even marginally, had been ruined.
She pulled over a notepad and grabbed a nearby pen. Safe word. ASAP.
Her heart raced for another reason now, the back of her throat burning with annoyance. What if some unsuspecting, brand-new submissive had gone to the theater? Talked to Mr. Happy Hairy Hard-on? Gotten herself in a compromising situation where she didn’t understand the power exchange dynamic?
Fuck.
She couldn’t believe how irresponsible Kochran had been for allowing a beta test to commence without taking into account a safety net for the participants. Maybe it was simply an oversight, but she couldn’t sit idly in her home office and allow the practice to continue. God only knew how many other people were at risk.
By the time her computers had powered up again, an angry heat had taken up residence in her chest. With a shaking hand, she navigated to the Noble House main page to look for contact information. While hacking a website rarely meant she came back for a repeat visit, this intrusion hadn’t been normal. Kochran needed to be made aware of the predatory practices of one of his members before he allowed an expanded audience loose in the simulated world, and provide an escape if things took a turn for the worse. A word or a gesture. Just like in a real-life scene.
She continued to dig around the website as the phone rang in her ear. A second contact screen that gave the physical address of the club confirmed she’d missed its office business hours. Irritated, she hung up and jotted down the address. She debated the advantage of simply sending an email, but it could get lost en route or dismissed altogether. No way for Kochran to ignore her if she got right in his face.
Maddy noted the operational hours for the club and glanced at the clock. According to the schedule, they had open play for another three hours. If she got on the road for Sacramento right now, she could be there in an hour and half. An hour if she floored it. Just about the time Kochran would be all cleaned up from his scene.
Good. This shit needed to be cleaned up. Now.
Hunting through her computer’s history, she located the audio-visual files and extracted the theater visit. Satisfied she had enough evidence, she dropped the record onto a zip drive to take with her. Perfect fuel to give Kochran and his irresponsible staff a piece of her mind.
Chapter Three
Kochran Duke hated being in charge.
At least tonight. All he’d wanted to do was lose himself in a bottle of his best bourbon and pretend the rest of the world wasn’t trying to fuck him over. But duty called no matter his mood or health. The owner of Noble House didn’t get to take a vacation.
He thought about ignoring his phone when it chimed, but with Tory in hospice care, he’d picked up the habit of keeping his cell phone close. As soon as he saw his business partner’s name, warning bells sounded. Enver had drawn Dungeon Monitor duty for the night, which meant something important enough to warrant a call to Kochran had interrupted his rounds.
“Got a request for you in Court if you’re not otherwise occupied,” Enver said without waiting. “And if you are, why the fuck are you answering the phone?”
“Anything wrong?”
“Looks like she’s ready to serve someone’s head up on a platter.”
He wasn’t equipped to handle a bunch of shit falling apart tonight. Not with the emotional turmoil kicking around in his head. “I’ll be right down.”
The faster he got this taken care of, the faster he could get back to finding the bottom of that curvy bottle seducing him.
Normally he would have changed into jeans and a casual shirt since he was off the clock for the night, but since his final destination was the heart of the club, appropriate attire was expected. Demanded, even. At times he hated the suit and tie as much as he hated being responsible for so many souls. As much as being the man in charge sucked sometimes, he had a business to run. When he was present on the floor of the main scene area, paying members—both virtual and physical—would expect Master Kochran in all his glory.
Whatever the fuck that means.
Noble House was known for its extensive and exclusive membership roster. Though the number of people who chose to visit the physical building was relatively small on most weeknights, the number had been growing thanks to the online component that made the BDSM club so unique.
Out of habit, he automatically scanned the room as he entered. Despite the late hour, Court was still a hive of activity. Most of the roped off scene areas were being used by a colorful assortment of characters, including Saint and Boyce, who’d exchanged their casual clothes for leathers. The newest addition to their relationship, Grae Burrows, had joined them. The silver knot-work of her collar glinted in the stage lighting as their bodies worked together in sinuous motions that would enrapture even the most vanilla person. Last Kochran had heard, they were planning an October wedding in Washington, near the college they’d attended.
Kochran spotted Enver standing near the center of the room, arms crossed and gaze intent as he watched members play. The formidable man was even more intimidating in his DM getup. Tight black leather pants. A matching leather vest unbuttoned to expose his impressive torso. If his Dungeon Monitor outfit wasn’t enough to scare the members into compliance, his hawk-like glare would.
Enver met Kochran’s gaze for a split second, inclining his head toward a nearby chair as he continued his watchful scan. Kochran ignored the signal. He’d known Enver Faust long enough to know something was obviously bothering him.
Kochran gestured toward Enver. “Your shoulders get any higher, you can use them for ear muffs.”
“Been a long few nights.” Enver’s posture visibly altered as he responded, though his attention remained focused on the room and his duties.
The perceptible tension resting on Enver’s shoulders had Kochran worried. Kochran had seen the latest footage when he’d been scanning through the dailies of a scene between Enver and the submissive he was training with his ropes. Their play at the club was becoming increasingly more aggressive. Not unusual, but Kochran had already made a note to check in with his friend to see if he could handle the historically uninhibited submissive.
“Take the rest of the night off. Get someone else to cover your shift.”
“Already tried. Rhodes is overseas on a business trip. Tony didn’t pick up his phone and Parker, the bastard, is MIA.” It wasn’t often the soft-spoken Enver cursed.
“I’ll take over,” Kochran offered, even though he didn’t relish the idea. He would do what needed to be done because he had to. Businesses didn’t run themselves. Members would lose their confidence in a disinterested owner.
Enver cut his gaze to Kochran for a split second. “You have something else to take care of. I’ve got a handle on things.”
Kochran knew not to argue. But their longstanding friendship didn’t mean he would allow the visible discomfort to go ignored. “You need a break, my friend. A long one. Preferably on an island somewhere with plenty of alcohol and a stack of good books. Maybe a long mindless fuck or three with a sweaty cabana slave.”
Enver frowned. “Bracey’s needs are shifting. She requires...more. I don’t know what exactly, but I do know it’s not a service I can provide. I could speculate all day long, but it’s futile.”
“So ask her.”
“I have,” Enver murmured. “She doesn’t know either.”
A conundrum Kochran understood well. He’d been down that path a few times with submissives he’d worked with. Taken the road himself, though he wasn’t interested in revisiting that slice of a past he preferred to keep buried. “If there is anyone capable of figuring out a submissive’s needs, it’s you. The fact you recognize she requires something you can’t give her means you
care enough about her to see her happy.”
Kochran didn’t understand the why, but Enver had agreed to the partnership in Noble House, and to serve as a monitor and Dom, as long as it was clearly understood that he wasn’t interested in participating in sexual intercourse inside the walls of the club. When Enver was ready to confess his reasons why, he would. Perhaps.
Enver rolled his shoulders. “We’ve put it on the back burner for now to revisit sometime later...you know what, you don’t need this right now. I don’t either.” He gestured to the corner again. “Go on. I’ve got this. No reason to keep her waiting for you any longer than we already have.” He used his chin to point toward a woman sitting in a chair at the far end of Court. “She’s feisty.”
Kochran cut his gaze to his friend. “That good or bad?” His question was met simply with a lift of Enver’s shoulders and a mischievous smile that deepened the lines around the older man’s eyes. Kochran restrained further comment as he moved away. The grin could mean any number of things.
He slowed as he approached the woman so he could study her. She gripped the padded arms of the chair, alternately digging her nails into the fabric and stretching her fingers out. He almost leaned against a nearby post to observe her longer. Judging by her fidgeting, this was the first time she’d been to the club.
Her long fall of blond hair had been swept up into a ponytail. Fine hairs had escaped the restraint, falling around her face in wispy curls. As he watched, her big blue eyes never settled on anything for long, her freckled cheeks flushing an alluring pink whenever she decided she had looked too long, as though she would be scolded for getting caught watching people in the throes of passion. Hard to imagine this innocent-looking woman was the feisty being Enver had called him about.
“I’m Kochran Duke—you asked to speak with me?”
When that expressive gaze met his, Kochran’s world slid sideways and then instantly came back into focus. He hesitated from saying more as her eyes darkened. The air around him snapped even as he was drawn to her energy and light. She stood, those small hands curling into fists at her side as she headed right for him. Startled, he couldn’t move as she positioned herself toe to toe with him, and jabbed a finger in the center of his chest. For such a petite woman—her head barely came to his chin—she certainly packed a lot of power.
“So you’re the irresponsible bastard who doesn’t lock his shit down.”
* * *
Ezra Snow liked to watch.
Men or women, in any manner of undress, and in any contorted position of pleasure. He wasn’t the type of guy to discriminate. Tired of staring at the computer screen in his hole-in-the-wall office on the third floor of the club, Ezra had wandered down to Court. Though the scenes taking place around the perimeter of the room were fascinating, the real show was the sight of someone dressing down Kochran.
It was a rare occasion to see his boss at a loss for words, but he only seemed to be able to look at the woman gesturing wildly and speaking in elevated tones. Ezra had watched Kochran put more than a few submissives in their place with nothing more than a glare, so the visual unfolding before him was quite a treat.
Ezra couldn’t hear everything she was saying, but considering the club was in full swing tonight, the fact he could make out even bits and pieces was impressive. The animated blonde either didn’t realize she was yelling at the most powerful man at Noble House, or flat out didn’t care.
Ezra hid a smile behind his hand when the woman started stabbing her finger into the center of Kochran’s chest. From the lines bracketing Kochran’s mouth, the woman was quickly approaching the limit on his patience. Still, it was a delight to watch. Not many people had the guts to go after a Duke, let alone this one in particular.
Kochran suddenly grabbed the woman by the arm and steered her to the nearest exit.
Ezra caught Enver’s gaze, and the normally stoic man snorted and smirked. “She’s complaining about your geek shit, Snow.”
Ezra’s interest immediately notched higher as he turned on his heel and followed the couple. At first he’d thought she was an irate member who’d had a scene go terribly wrong. But Enver’s comment meant the club’s extensive website, which Ezra was responsible for.
Ezra found Kochran and the woman standing in the hallway. “What the hell is going on?”
The woman ignored Ezra, directing her ire to Kochran. “Do you have any idea that you’ve got a skeezy predator prowling through your beta test, probably trying to pick off submissives one by one?”
Kochran rubbed between his eyebrows. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Noble House is the most secure adult entertainment site on the web.” His gaze cut to Ezra. “Or so I’m told.”
The woman tossed her hands into the air and groaned. “Mothertrucker. Seriously? You have no idea you’re just giving your...stuff away for free? How stupid do you have to be to leave the back door open so wide someone with half a brain could just waltz right in? You’ve probably lost millions in revenue just because whatever half-rate code jockey you’ve got wrangling your data is a fucking imbecile and isn’t worth his weight in overly caffeinated soda.”
Ezra narrowed his eyes as he stepped closer. He’d be damned if he was going to sit idly by and listen to someone drag his work through the mud. “My code may not be the neatest or the prettiest, but it gets the job done.”
“Out of all of that you’re pissed off she insulted your code?” Kochran asked with a frown. “Bunch of fucking geeks.”
Ezra crossed his arms, rocking up onto the balls of his feet. “Hey, it’s your business she’s insulting too. Or did you miss the part where she said we’ve got a prowler?”
Kochran frowned for a split second before his face was a mask once again. “Ms. Zane, would you calm down and explain with a little more detail what I’m giving away so freely and why you believe the safety of my members is in jeopardy?”
The woman ran her hands over her face.
“Ezra Snow.” He stuck out his hand. “Fucking imbecile wrangler...wait, what was it you said? Half-rate code jockey, that was it, at your service.”
The lines between her eyebrows deepened. “I can’t believe you’re owning up to that junk pile I cracked in forty seconds flat.”
“Self-gratification isn’t what it used to be, huh?”
“I’m going to let that slide. Once.” She shook her finger at him, a gesture he found insanely sexy. “You’ve got holes the size of the Grand Canyon in your code. Any hacker worth their salt will be exploiting the breach. Surprised your ass isn’t raw from the non-lubricated ass reaming you’re getting.”
“And with that overly pleasant thought, I’m going to excuse myself. Ezra, get this handled. Let Saint know if he needs to patch the security system and if I need to start revoking memberships.” Kochran disappeared without waiting for confirmation, leaving Ezra to clean up this mess. Not surprising considering Kochran refused to change his passwords. The fact Kochran had turned the matter over to him meant he expected Ezra to make the complication disappear. One thing about Kochran Duke—he knew nothing about the technology that made half his club run. It was a wonder he’d managed as long as he had before Ezra and Saint had come along to provide the necessary platform for expanding the club.
A quick glance around the hallway showed they’d drawn a lot of stares from curious onlookers. The sort of attention Kochran wouldn’t be happy about because it led to distracted members, and distracted members meant Dominants weren’t as attentive to their subs, and submissives weren’t as engaged in the scene. That kind of disturbance could lead to injuries or angry membership. Ezra sensed he’d already pissed off Kochran enough tonight; no need to add fuel to that particular fire.
“Why don’t we step in there?” Ezra gestured to a nearby door. He had no idea what room he’d just directed the woman into, but anything was better than the public spectacle that had al
ready played out to the curious crowd.
As he closed the door behind him, he realized being out in full view was probably preferable. The room was one of the spaces in the converted armory that hadn’t been remodeled after Kochran had purchased the building and surrounding land. At some point, the room had been painted the standard military green. Flecks of that same paint now littered the floor, exposing the gray cinderblock beneath. A light bulb hung from the ceiling, throwing harsh shadows everywhere. A sturdy cage had been positioned in one corner, a five-gallon bucket in the other, and several high wattage portable spotlights by the door. Near the center of the room was a single wooden chair rubbed bare in spots from years and years of use.
Ezra had uploaded an interrogation scene that had taken place in this very room to the website just last week. He set his foot on a sturdy chest he knew contained ankle and wrist restraints, a spreader bar, a TENS unit for electrical stimulation play, a first-aid kit, protein bars, and several bottles of water. Appropriate items for taming the woman who was currently giving him the evil eye if things got too out of hand.
He cleared his throat. “Sorry about the room, but at least here you won’t have to shout at me while telling me how much my skills suck and how lax security for the club is. I’m sure my parents will be pleased to know those four years of college were totally wasted.”
She flipped her ponytail over her shoulder before crossing her arms. “Sorry. I just get angry when people have such flagrant disregard for basic rules when it comes to website structure and power exchanges.”
The high color of her cheeks indicated her intrusion had been recent. “First of all, are you all right?” When she nodded, he continued, “And when did this take place?”
“Around ten. This whole thing upset me more than I expected. I didn’t mean to take it out on your partner.” She extracted a zip drive from her back pocket and offered it to him. “There’s footage on there I think you should take a look at.”
Ezra’s eyebrows winged up in surprise. “You drove two hours to shout at the owner of the website you illegally hacked into and hand deliver evidence that could convict you?”