by Avery Gale
*****
Holy mother of all things sacred, what the hell had that been about? Fischer was hard enough for Lara to deal with, his intensity had always made her feel like an inexperienced teenager, but his brother was lethal in a whole new way. Struggling to keep up with Master C as his long legs ate up the distance down the hall, she decided to put the two men out of her mind so she could concentrate on the interview. As they entered his office, Lara had the strangest sensation of being watched, but when she let her eyes move quickly around the room she noted they appeared to be alone. When she returned her gaze to Master C, she saw that he was leaning back against the front of his desk, hands curled over the front edge of the glass top and his ankles crossed casually as he studied her.
Lara had worked at the club long enough to know better than to fidget under the watchful gaze of a Dom, but damn it, Master C was intimidating and she felt like every muscle in her body was clenched tightly. She’d read about the fight-or-flight instinct and suddenly those words took on a whole new meaning. The man’s office was such a contrast to the rest of the club she couldn’t help but look around, she tried to appear casually interested, but assumed he knew she was just trying to distract herself.
The utilitarian décor might have appeared stark to some, but she’d been raised in all varieties of primitive conditions while traveling the world with her parents, so she appreciated the simplicity of the décor. The only piece in the room that appeared to be starkly out of place was the antique clock on the fireplace mantle. The ornately decorated black and gold timepiece was ticking so loudly it made her think of the beating heart in Edgar Allan Poe’s story, The Tell Tale Heart. She felt an involuntary shiver race up her spine just thinking about the story that had given her more than its share of nightmares when she’d been a kid. When she shuddered at the memory, he smiled, “What is it about my grandmother’s clock that made you shudder, sweetness?”
She grimaced because she certainly didn’t want to insult his grandmother or her clock, its place of honor in his office told her how important the piece was to him. And damn it, she knew better than react so overtly, handing a Dom any additional information was always dangerous because they’d use it ruthlessly. But there wouldn’t be any escape from answering so she’d just as well get it over with. “Well, Sir, the sound reminded me of a story I read as a kid that scared the bejeezus out of me. I had nightmares for a long time about that darned story.”
He laughed out loud and Lara realized that it was a sound she hadn’t heard very often. Her expression must have given her away, but this time he merely raised a brow at her. “Sorry, it’s just that I realized I don’t hear you laugh that often and it was nice to hear. I’ve heard that Dr. Barnes is having a bit of a security challenge, and well, I just hope it is all cleared up soon and that you’ll be able to find more reasons to laugh.”
*****
People rarely surprised Cam. In fact, they rarely ever had. Hell, for the most part he found people in general to be boringly predictable. He’d admit that he’d been a bit surprised at the instant connection he’d seen between Carl and Cecelia, but Lara Emmons has just shocked him to his toes. The insightful sub had pointed out a fact he himself had only recently figured out, he’d become so focused on making Dark Desires successful he’d forgotten what was truly important in his life. He’d been toying with making some huge changes in his life and her words added to his commitment to fully explore all of the options.
First things first though, he had an interview to conduct. If the plans that had been slowly solidifying in his mind worked out, little Chloe wouldn’t need a nanny here in Houston much longer. He wasn’t going to worry about that, because unless he was reading the situation entirely wrong, Lara wouldn’t be available much longer anyway. He’d seen the writing on the wall when he’d walked into the reception area. The Weston brothers were more than a little interested in the beautiful woman that had been standing nervously between them. Cam knew the two brothers hoped to find a woman to share, but their ability to hear the thoughts of others made long-term relationships difficult at best. One night after a particularly difficult evening at the club, he and Fischer had shared a bottle of A. H. Hirsch Reserve and his club manager had shared his grandmother’s advice on how to identify the woman meant for them. Judging by Fischer and Peter’s intense attention earlier, Cam was guessing Lara was that woman. The trick was going to be keeping her on staff long enough to put his dream into action.
When she had first come to Dark Desires, Cam hadn’t been convinced she knew what she was getting into. A conservative young woman who had been raised by evangelical missionaries in some of the world’s most remote locations seemed like an unlikely candidate for Dark Desires. It had quickly become obvious the woman studied everything—with the exception of cooking—as if she planned to master each topic she encountered. He’d reviewed the resume the agency had forwarded and when he’d compared it to the one he had on file for her he’d been surprised at all she’d accomplished in just one year. Deciding the best way to find out what her long-term goals were was to simply ask, he smiled and queried, “You have been very busy this past year. I’ve read the information the employment agency provided and compared it to your file from a year ago, and I have to tell you I’m impressed.” He was pleased to see pink staining her cheeks, love a sub whose built-in lie detector is right out there for all to see. “What are your plans for the future? You’re racking up an impressive number of degrees, but they seem to be lateral.”
Lara had obtained several bachelor degrees as well as finished her Masters in two of those disciplines and he was curious about why she seemed to be scattering her education in different directions rather than focusing on one path until she’d finished her doctorate. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, chewing on it as she thought. He didn’t get the impression she planned to lie, just that she was trying to figure out how to explain.
“Well, no disrespect intended, but after talking with several of the doctoral candidates, I realized they were so smothered in paperwork most of them had forgotten why they had ever even been interested in the topic. The whole process appeared to be simply a question of which of them would be able to navigate the paper maze they were caught in.” Since they were both still standing he could see her shuffle her feet adorably, hell, she’d even drawn a couple of small circles with the toe of her raggedy sneakers. Now that he considered that, he thought back on the rare occasions he’d seen her in street clothes and remembered everything she’d worn had been threadbare. Jesus, had he really been that negligent? Had he simply assumed she was out and about running errands in her worst clothing when she always seemed meticulous in her personal appearance at the club? He made a mental note to add a clothing allowance to the salary package he planned to offer her.
Cam nodded once to let her know he’d understood her explanation, even though he still wasn’t sure what drove her to continue attending classes. He’d never particularly liked school, he was more a hands on learner, and one of the reasons the military had worked out perfectly for him. Then years later—once he’d gone private it had just been about continuing to do what he’d done so well, but for a lot more money. He’d invested his earnings well and wouldn’t ever need to worry about money, hell, his various accounts around the world meant his great-grandchildren likely wouldn’t ever need to worry about funds either.
“Tell me about the woman you have been working with at the employment agency.” He had deliberately refrained from phrasing his inquiry as a question. He’d learned years ago that submissives responded much more openly to orders for information than to questions. He was sure some psychobabble specialist had probably spent millions of taxpayer dollars studying exactly why it was true, but Cam didn’t give a shit about that. He believed in dealing with what was true and then figuring out a way to make that reality work for him, the why of it didn’t matter.
By the time Lara finished recounting the many challenges she’d faced
while dealing with the judgmental wench at the agency he was seeing red. He made a mental note to speak to Fischer, they needed to make sure none of their other part-time employees were facing similar prejudices in the job market. He also wanted Fischer to be aware the woman he was interested in hadn’t bothered to disclose the trouble she’d been having with the woman. Even though she didn’t “belong” to Fischer or his brother yet, her fierce streak of independence was something they would probably need to watch for if they managed to convince her to take them both on. The owner of the agency was a long time club member and after the note Cam had just tapped into his phone to the man, he was certain the woman who had treated Lara so badly would be looking for another job in short order.
Refocusing his attention on the beauty standing in front of him, Cam smiled at the newfound confidence that seemed to have filled her. He’d seen her spine straighten and knew she hoped to shift the interview back to focus on the position she was applying for. Smiling to himself, he planned to make her a lot more uncomfortable very soon.
Chapter Seven
Carl watched through the two-way mirror as Cam began questioning the young woman the agency had sent for the nanny position. “She is wearing a Dark Desires uniform. Why?” He hadn’t meant for his question to sound so abrupt, hell, he’d been retired from the SEAL teams long enough he should be able to remember not everyone communicates in such an abbreviated way. When he glanced at CeCe, he saw her studying him carefully. It was if he was a puzzle to solve and even though her scrutiny shouldn’t have mattered, it did. He didn’t ask, just raised a brow at her in question. When she flushed in embarrassment at being caught staring he knew she’d been lost in thought and now he was even more curious.
She finally managed to speak, her words were halting as if she wasn’t sure she had permission to speak, he and Cam clearly had different styles of dominance. “Lara works in the club’s deli. She is one of the subs who is allowed to work at the club part-time in order to offset their membership fee.”
Carl would never be comfortable with the level of intensity Cam had maintained in his relationship with CeCe and the sooner she learned to relax in his presence the happier they would both be. “CeCe, while Cam and I are both Doms, we have different views of how that should look in private. When you and I are alone, I’ll expect you to be respectful, but I want you to speak freely. Did you have a boyfriend in college?” Even though her eyes were still a bit wary, she nodded slowly. “Okay. Absent other instructions when we are alone, I want you to treat me the way you would treat a boyfriend in that context until we know one another better. Once we get comfortable, we’ll rewrite the parameters. Understood?”
“Yes, Sir.” Carl chuckled at her automatic response and the pink that flooded her cheeks when she realized what she’d done. Good God she is beautiful, no wonder Cam is enraptured with her. And there was no question why his friend was completely over the moon with his lovely wife. Carl hadn’t seen Cam in years, but there were things about a person that never changed, and the genuine emotion in Cameron’s eyes was easy to see.
“Well, sweetness, I think perhaps this is something we’ll just agree to work on. The only time you’ll find I am absolutely unwilling to compromise will be when safety is the issue, and that applies to you and Chloe. At those times I’ll demand your immediate compliance.” Her heart shaped face paled, but she nodded, so he continued, “I’ll expect your obedience during play, but I’ll enjoy punishing you as well.” He was relieved when the flush that began over her heart spread all the way to her cheeks and the muscles in her shoulders appeared to relax.
“Now, while we watch the rest of this interview, I want you to become familiar with my touch. Your Master has given me carte blanche, but I think we’ll both feel better if you have a chance to acclimate a bit first.” With those words, Carl pulled her in front of him, her bare back against his chest so she faced the large window. He wrapped his arms loosely around her and began caressing her breasts with one hand while he kept the other splayed over her lower abdomen. The only thing keeping them from being completely skin-to-skin was the thin fabric of his shirt, and he was beginning to resent its presence. When he felt her begin to relax against him, he began pinching and pulling her nipples, alternating his attention between the two and pulling them into tight peaks. “Your breasts are very sensitive, aren’t they? Were they sensitive before you had Chloe?”
“Yes, Sir.” Her head was pressed against his breastbone and the airy sound of her voice went directly to his cock. The woman was every man’s wet dream fantasy come to life in Carl’s opinion—brilliant, beautiful, and a natural submissive. She wasn’t overly thin, thank God, but she was more slender now than she’d appeared in the photos he’d been given. Later he would ask Cam if she’d lost weight recently because if he had to make a guess, he’d say she’d been struggling before the threats became an issue. He certainly didn’t want her to lose any more of her sweet curves, he’d never cared to hold a women who felt like a stick. And despite the fact he didn’t really know her, Carl noticed she also seemed much paler than her photos in the file the Wests had provided. When he’d casually checked her palms, the light color of the lines told him she wasn’t eating right, and he’d be willing to bet her work schedule had prevented her from spending any time working out as well. Even though he’d technically retired from the SEALs, his work for the new contract teams the Wests had put together meant he was still training regularly so he’d be able to put together a workout for the two of them. She’d probably curse him in the beginning, but once she noticed how much more energy she had, he’d be willing to bet her complaints died quickly.
“Perfect. You and I are going to be spending a lot of time together, and I’m going to have my hands on you a lot. I love the way your skin feel beneath my fingers. Your small shivers and sweet moans are a siren’s call to a Dom.” Pressing his mouth over the pulse point below her ear, he could feel the pounding of her heart as it beat rapidly. Aha, so the sweet sub’s calm demeanor is a well-practiced ruse, huh? Let’s see how long she can maintain it?
Just as he slid his hand between her legs, he heard Cam asking Lara if her hard limit list was up to date. And when he asked the young woman if she was still opposed to playing with married men, CeCe’s entire body went rigid. Carl didn’t stop touching her when he spoke, “Darlin’, stop and think. Why would he ask her that question?” She’d started trembling so hard he was surprised her teeth weren’t rattling. The woman wasn’t thinking logically, this was an entirely emotional response. Pulling his fingers from her slick pussy, he turned her away from the window. Swiping his wet fingers over his jeans, Carl then used his fingers to tilt her face up to his own. Hell, if he’d thought she was pale before, her skin was almost translucent now. The vacant look in her eyes told him that her mind was racing and not in the right direction. “Cecelia, look at me.” When her dark eyes didn’t zero in as he’d hoped, he snapped, “Right now, CeCe. I want you to really look at me. Focus and use that razor sharp mind of yours.” She nodded as if the words had finally gotten through, so he continued, “I haven’t seen or talked to Cam in two and half decades and even I know exactly what he’s up to, and you will too if you’ll just stop and think.”
He was relieved when he saw the glaze recede from her eyes and turned her back to the window just as Lara explained to her boss in crystal clear terms that she didn’t—nor would she ever play with a married man. She also told him that she’d really been interested in the job, but he could keep it if it involved fooling around with him. Carl was barely able to hold back his laughter when the little spitfire Cam had been interviewing said, “I’ll have you know you have an amazing wife and beautiful daughter, and I hope to hell you don’t do anything to fuck that up.” When he saw her eyes go wide, Carl knew she realized what she’d just said to her boss, a man who also happened to be a Master in the club where she was a submissive. She pressed her lips together so tight they were actually turning blue and the color was a
sharp contrast to the pale color her face had suddenly turned.
Cam merely watched her for several seconds before he smiled. “Don’t worry, Lara, that was exactly the response I was hoping for. Your loyalty to my wife and daughter are precisely what I’m interested in. And as for your sassy response, that sort of conviction to personal ideals is a trait I’d demand rather than punish in this particular instance.” Lara finally took a breath and a little bit of color reappeared in her pale cheeks.
“The job is yours if you want it. You’ll begin drawing the nanny’s salary as soon as you read and sign the paperwork,” he said, nodding toward the small stack of papers at the corner of his desk. “I’ll also see to it that your things are moved into our home immediately.” When the young woman’s eyes widened, Cam shook his head, “Stop and think, Lara. You will have a nice suite of rooms that is larger than your current apartment, and you will be far safer there. We have had a recent threat against my wife, Carl Phillips and I are taking her away for a few days while things are resolved. It would be almost impossible for anyone to mistake you and Cecelia for one another, so you’ll be safe in our home, and I’ll arrange for you to be escorted anytime you leave the penthouse. I checked your address, sweetness, and you are living in a very dangerous neighborhood, it’s time to get out of there before your luck runs out.”
Carl was having trouble holding back his amusement at Lara’s expression and looking at CeCe’s expression in the window’s reflection, he could see she was facing a similar challenge. Cam hadn’t lost his ability to steamroll people. Hell, it was more likely the life he’d been living since they’d known one another would have exacerbated the trait.